Bright Eyes

by WorldWideINC

Summary:

Katsuki Bakugo always had plans to one day become the #1 Hero, and that hadn't changed despite his time at UA not starting out he'd originally expected.

What did change however is nearly every other aspect of his life after meeting a strange bright eyed girl who seemed to be hiding so much more than he originally thought at first glance.

Notes:

First ever serious fic so let's see how this goes I suppose, could go well or be a complete trainwreck, let us hope for the more positive result

Chapter 1: First Meeting

Katsuki Bakugo couldn't believe how today had turned out for him.

He was already feeling frustrated enough after losing the Training Exercise to that damn nerd, at this point he was ready to go home and train for the next opportunity to prove himself... and then the Old Hag calls and tells him to pick up some groceries on the way home from the Convenience Store. 

The bell at the entrance rang as Bakugo walked in, neutral expression on his face and still in his UA Uniform from earlier in the day. Having been here plenty of times in the past, he already knew where to go and kept on marching forward to the store aisles, hoping to wrap up this shopping trip as fast as possible as he finally found the groceries he needed.

"Damn Hag... can't believe she forgot to pick up groceries." Bakugo muttered quietly as he picked up what he needed and turned around, ready to head to check out.

"Well it's not like this day can get any wor-." Bakugo spoke too soon, because all of a sudden he felt something... or in this case someone run into him, causing him to drop his groceries. Luckily nothing appeared to be broke when he glanced at the ground, however he wasn't any less pleased by this. "Dammit watch where you're going, it's a public store for a reason!"

Preparing himself for an argument or a weak apology, Bakugo looked up only to be face to face with a pair of bright lilac eyes and the sound of soft laughter.

"Oh I'm sorry, I was in such a rush I guess I wasn't looking where I was going!" 

Bakugo stared silently at Bright Eyes for a moment, getting a better look at the girl and noticing she also had long white hair, almost similar to that of snow, before realizing he hadn't responded yet. "Well make sure you pay attention next time damn idiot, and what the hell are you laughing for huh, think this is funny!"

Bright Eyes only laughed more at that. "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing about running into you or anything, it's just... I can't say I've ever had such an interesting first meeting with anyone before like I have here with you." 

At this point Bakugo was pretty sure he was talking to a complete weirdo, after all what type of person laughs at being yelled at? Bakugo then realized during this whole conversation his groceries were still on the ground, so he went to pick them up.

Bright Eyes must've realized what he was doing because not too long after he heard her voice again. "Oh I'm so sorry I didn't even think about what you were holding, here let me help!"

While he still found her to be weird, Bakugo wasn't about to turn her down for something as simple as picking up groceries so they both gathered up Bakugo's fallen groceries, finally collecting them all and getting them back to Bakugo.

"Here you go! I'm sorry for the trouble, were any of them damaged? If so I can gladly cover the costs, it's the least I can do to make it up to you." Bright Eyes insisted, determined to make sure she made up for the trouble.

"Quit worrying Bright Eyes, the damn groceries are fine, besides I wouldn't take your handout anyways, focus on your own business!" Bakugo snapped at her, hoping that Bright Eyes would get the message and finally leave. Instead she tilted her head to the side looking confused.

"Bright Eyes?"

Bakugo narrowed his eyes at her wondering what she was so confused for. "Yeah that's what I said, you deaf or something Bright Eyes?"

He then watched as Bright Eyes... well eyes widened, seemingly realizing what he meant, causing another fit of laughter from her.

"Oh you mean me! I can't say anyone's ever called me that before but I guess there's worse things to be called, however I'm afraid that's not actually my name." Bakugo watched as Bright Eyes looked him straight in the eyes, gave a little bow, and held out her hand.

"My name's Yume, Yume Fukumoto, it's nice to meet you Red Eyes!"

Bakugo stood there silent, eye twitching in rising anger, as he stared at Bright Eyes... no the girl he now knew as Yume Fukumoto, with her hand extended and gentle smile on her face.

"RED EYE!?!? YOU MUST THINK YOU'RE FUNNY DON'T YOU BRIGHT EYES, REAL ORIGINAL AREN'T YOU HUH!!" At this point you could notice other customers in the store deciding to move away from their odd pair, likely for their own personal safety.

Yume however didn't appear to be discouraged, as she continued to smile brightly at Bakugo with her hand still extended. "Well I've never been known for my comedy and I don't think I could be as naturally funny as you Red Eyes but I'd like to think I could be funny if I tried!"

"MY NAME AIN'T RED EYES YOU IDIOT. MY NAME IS KATSUKI BAKUGO AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE FUTURE #1 HERO... GOT IT!"

Yume's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh that's why your uniform looked so familiar, you go to UA don't you! Well it's nice to meet you Bakugo, and I'll be rooting for you!" 

"Your support doesn't matter to me Bright Eyes, I plan to become #1 with or without-." Bakugou's eyes suddenly widened when he heard his phone ring, picking it up and seeing it was the Old Hag. Realizing he must've been in the store longer than he thought, he silently cursed his mistake before walking towards the checkout to pay for his groceries.

He heard steps right behind him, turning around, Bakugo saw Yume there, following him from behind/

"Are you a stalker or something too Bright Eyes, the hell are you following me for?" 

Yume looked at him with determination in her eyes before extending her hand out once again. "I'm not a stalker but you didn't shake my hand Bakugo and I wanted to properly complete our introduction!"

Bakugo just stared at this girl who kept getting weirder and weirder in his mind. "What the hell are you talking about, hate to break it to you Bright Eyes but I'm on a timed schedule here." He then turned back around to keep walking.

"Are you too scared to shake my hand Red Eyes?"

He came to a complete stop, turned around, and with fire in his eyes stared right into the Bright Eyes of Yume.

"Scared of you, I don't think you know what you're talking about damn Bright Eyes"

Yume only smiled at him. "Well then if that's the case Red Eyes, why don't you shake my hand so we can properly greet each other!"

"I TOLD YOU EARLIER YOU DAMN IDIOT, THE NAME IS KATSUKI BAKUGO, NOT RED EYES." He marched right on over to her. "IF YOU WANT ME TO SHAKE YOUR HAND SO BAD THEN FINE, YOU DAMN BRIGHT EYES!"

Bakugo stuck his hand out and grabbed hers, giving a firm handshake. Internally he felt some surprise when he noticed she kept a strong grip as well, likely showing she wasn't a pushover. Bakugo felt his respect for this weird girl grow just a bit.

Yume had a blinding smile as they let go. "There you go Bakugo see, I don't bite!"

Bakugo resisted the urge to blow the store up.

Yume was seemingly ignorant to the raging explosion in front of her. "Oh I have an idea, would you like to exchange numbers!"

Suddenly snapped out of his growing rage, Bakugo stared at her confused. "Why the hell would I want to exchange numbers with you?"

Yume smiled at him, offering a light laugh. "Well it never hurts to have a friend and besides you just seem like an interesting person!"

Bakugo fought back the urge to question what the hell she meant by that. "Don't you have some other idiots you can bug instead Bright Eyes, you don't exactly seem like the type that has no friends."  

Yume's smile fell for a moment before returning. "Ha well I guess that's true... but nothing wrong with wanting to meet new people as well right?"

Normally Bakugo would just say no and walk away, however there was something about this weird bright eyed girl that had him curious to learn more, no matter how infuriating she seemed to be.

"Sure why not, if it'll get you to leave me the hell alone, knock yourself out." Bakugo pulled out his phone and held it out. "Well are you gonna put in your number or do I need to do everything!"

Yume stood there surprised for a moment before her eyes widened in joy, quickly pulling out her own phone as they exchanged contact information. "O-of course!! Thank you Bakugo!!" 

Bakugo looked at her, a bit confused by her reaction "The hell are you looking so happy for Bright Eyes, all we did was exchange contact information." Yume however was in her own world when Bakugo looked at her for a reply, staring at her phone with such happiness in her eyes and forgetting her surroundings.

"I don't get you Bright Eyes but whatever, I need to pay for these groceries and get home before I get another call from the Old Hag."

With that, Bakugo walked away to check out and was finally out of the store on his way home.

 

 

After a long lecture from the Hag and dinner, Bakugo was finally getting ready for bed, to prepare himself for another long day tomorrow, when he heard his phone go off. Picking it up to check it before bed, he saw only one message.

Bright Eyes: Sorry again for running into you Bakugo and thanks again for today, hope we can talk again soon!!

Bakugo silently scoffed at that, doubting he'd ever actually have a reason to go meet with her again as he put his phone down and went off to sleep. However, little did he know, he'd have many more encounters with the weird bright eyed girl known as Yume Fukumoto and much sooner than he'd thought.

Chapter 2: Persistence

Notes:

Another chapter from Bakugo's POV (I promise we'll get some other POV's eventually lol)

Bright Eyes: Hi Bakugo!! Great day we're having right!!

Bright Eyes: Hope that Hero Training is going well! Maybe you can tell me about it sometime??

Bright Eyes: Too bad I don't have similar exciting stories to share, otherwise we could exchange!

Bright Eyes: I wonder what Hero Training is like for you... now that I think about it I don't even know your Quirk do I?? You should tell me next time we meet!

Walking back to his home after an eventful day at UA involving an invasion by the Media and a vote for Class Rep, Bakugo was getting closer and closer to deciding his phone wasn't worth it and tossing it into the nearest trash bin.... he knew that Bright Eyes was a weirdo but it also seemed like she didn't have an off button.

"This is why I shouldn't waste my time with damn extras...." Bakugo muttered. Usually engaging in such pointless conversation with a Stranger is something he wouldn't have done, especially when his main focus is training to become stronger and become the #1 Hero, but something about that damn Bright Eyes made him decide to exchange contact information and at this point he's not sure what's been more challenging between his chaotic first days at UA.... or the weird girl he met in the store. 

It's been a couple days since that encounter and those bright eyes have vividly remained in Bakugo's head, he doesn't know if he's ever met such a weird girl, after all what kind of weirdo smiles and laughs at being yelled at??

He had to admit it though... Bright Eyes had guts at least it seemed, she wasn't scared and somehow got him to shake her hand. Bakugo wouldn't say he respected the weirdo, but he at least couldn't group her in with the other extras.

"Don't know why I'm even thinking of that damn Bright Eyes anyways, not like I gotta deal with her ever again-"

Ping

The sound of his phone going off cut Bakugo off, pausing for a moment on the sidewalk, he pulled out his phone to check the message, assuming it was probably just the Old Hag asking where he was.

Bright Eyes: Is that you Bakugo??? Wow, I didn't expect to see you today!

Bakugo stared at the text in confusion. "The hell is she talking about?" he wondered in confusion before looking around to see if he was missing something, before turning left and having immediate flashbacks... though Bakugo was wondering if this was PTSD instead.

Staring right at him was the same store he'd met Bright Eyes at a few days prior... and right through the entrance, he could see Bright Eyes in the store who had apparently noticed him, waving and smiling happily.

Bakugo stared back for a moment, realizing the situation he was in, Bakugo came to a decision.

' Only one thing to do in this situation...' He thought.

He put his phone in his pocket and proceeded to turn and keep walking, deciding for the sake of his sanity, he was going to just head straight home today, act like this never happened, and make sure he was prepared for tomorrow. It seemed fate was on his side today.

Fate was not on his side.... he heard the sound of someone running behind him and realized he'd forgotten who he was dealing with, for as strange as Bright Eyes is, she was definitely persistent.

"Hey Bakugo! I can't believe we'd have another coincidence like this, I was waving at you from the store but I think you might've missed it, it's great to see you again!"

Bakugo had no idea how someone could always sound so happy and cheerful, especially when they're talking to him. He's used to people wanting to leech off him because of his strong quirk but this strange happiness, he had no experience with this.

Bright Eyes, seemingly oblivious to Bakugo's inner thoughts, was still talking it seemed. 

"So how've you been Bakugo? Coming back from another day at UA I see, how's Hero Training been for you? If I had to guess I'm sure it's been going great for the future #1 Hero! Anyways, you picked a great time to stop by because my shift just ended, want to walk and talk?"

At this point, Bakugo was wondering if she had some quirk that kept her talking because he wasn't sure if the rambling there was ever gonna end, luckily he's always been very attentive when he needs to be so he was able to catch all of that, at least he knows why he's seen her at the same store on two occasions now.

"How my day went isn't any of your damn business Bright Eyes, all you need to know is that you're looking at the future top Hero. Anyways why would I want to walk around and waste time with you, incase you didn't realize I'm walking home so I can keep up with my schedule"

Bright Eyes blinked at his straight forward-ness before apologetically smiling at him. "Oh of course I'm so sorry! It's probably been a really long and tough day for you, the Hero Course probably puts you through a lot of work, especially compared to my job at the convenience store. Obviously you'd probably be feeling a bit tired right now after such a tough day, sorry for not thinking of that."

As if a bear had just been poked, Bakugo's eyes suddenly narrowed as he stared daggers into Bright Eyes who was seemingly unaware of what she'd done. 

"Huh... you think just because I'm in the Hero Course and taking on that workload, I can't handle some damn walk and talk with you Bright Eyes....?"

Bright Eyes just continued giving him that damn smile as she answered "Well maybe you could but it might be really tough and tiring for you, I don't want to accidentally overwork you or something so early into the school year!"

Bakugo quickly lost his cool that he had done so well keeping up until that moment. "YOU THINK I CAN'T HANDLE SOME STUPID WALK HUH BRIGHT EYES, WELL LET'S GET GOING THEN, HOW ABOUT IT!! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I CAN AND CAN'T HANDLE, AND BE SURE TO WALK BEHIND ME... GOT IT?!"

Bright Eyes smile grew wider as she laughed, apparently finding his anger funny, as she ran up to him and walked with him.... though she was next to him instead of behind him.

"Oh this is going to be so much fun! Walking with a friend, something else I can finally say I've done!!"

Bakugo just gave her a weird look at that. "Huh you haven't walked with anyone before, would think a damn chatterbox like you would've gone around with plenty of friends"

It almost looked like Bright Eyes' shoulders slumped for a moment but she quickly straightened herself back up. "Well you know how it can be... working a job while also taking my classes online, keeps you busy... anyways I mentioned it in my text but wanted to ask you in person! What sort of quirk do you have Bakugo??"

Finally at a topic he could answer with pride, a smirk appeared on Bakugo's face. "Well since you want to know I guess I can share that much, my quirk is called Explosion. I sweat a nitroglycerin type of substance through the palm of my hands, I'm able to detonate it to cause explosions of practically any size." Bakugo let out a tiny spark in his hand to show off an example.

Bright Eyes looked at the spark with wide eyes, looking on in amazement. "Oh wow that's amazing! No wonder you're in the Hero Course, I'll be sure to root for your future success Bakugo!" 

Bakugo scoffed at this. "Yeah well I'll become the Top Hero regardless, your damn support doesn't matter! Anyways you haven't told me yet Bright Eyes, what's your quirk? I might as well learn something out of this."

Surprisingly enough, Bright Eyes paused for a moment, not having much to say before finally speaking.

"Well actually... I sort of don't have a Quirk." 

'Oh'

Bakugo blinked at that, processing the information as the pair came to a sudden pause in both their walk and conversation. 

Looking a bit discouraged at his lack of response, Bright Eyes got a bit of a fiery look in her eyes. "Just because I'm Quirkless, you better not be looking down or thinking any less of me though! I'll have you know I'm capable enough even without one!!" 

Bakugo actually let out a laugh at seeing her show some attitude for the first time, before facing her again. "Calm down there Bright Eyes, wasn't judging you, you just caught me off guard is all it was."

It's not like Bakugo has a problem with Quirkless people anyways... it's only a once-quirkless nerd he's got a problem with.

After hearing his words, Bright Eyes immediately stared at him, eyes wide and looking caught off guard in shock almost before finally composing herself.

"Really... you don't mind??? You aren't gonna judge me about it or anything or look down on me....?" 

Once again Bakugo let out a scoff. "I don't really care if you're quirkless or have the strongest power in the world, I treat every opponent the same if they want to face off against me so don't worry Bright Eyes, not gonna start thinking any less of you or anything." Well... not that he currently has a glowing opinion of her or anything.

Bright Eyes' face seemingly formed the biggest and happiest smile he's ever seen someone have before she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you!!! I'm so relieved to hear that!! You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that Bakugo!!!!"

Bakugo stood there in her hug stunned for a moment that someone willingly just hugged him before coming back down to reality. 

"DAMN BRIGHT EYES, I DON'T REMEMBER TELLING YOU TO HUG ME, GET THE HELL OFF YOU WEIRD EXTRA!!!"

Bright Eyes just laughed before releasing him and checking her phone, looking at the time. "Oh wow I didn't realize the time, I should probably start heading home, thank you for the fun time Bakugo! I hope we can do it again someday, see you later!!" 

Bakugo it seemed was not yet ready to say goodbye. "AND WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING BRIGHT EYES, I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET, YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST GO AND DO THAT THEN RUN AWAY, I HAVE A SCORE TO SETTLE NOW!!"

All Bakugo heard in response was Bright Eyes' laughter as he saw her running until her figure disappeared into the distance. Finally calming down and rolling his eyes, he turned back around towards the direction of his home and continued walking, thinking of the experience he had just had.

' Well, at the very least, this wasn't a complete waste of time, Bright Eyes isn't the worst extra to talk with I guess… ’

Notes:

Bakugo may or may not have forgotten Yume's name after their first meeting... which may or may not be the reason she's referred to as Bright Eyes here... someone's gotta teach this guy to actually remember names

Chapter 3: Worry

Notes:

Probably should mention that there's no particular schedule going on, it's more so when I decide to upload a chapter... anyways hope you enjoy

Today felt like it was going to be a great day.

That's what Yume Fukumoto was feeling as she'd gotten out of bed earlier that morning and prepared for her many responsibilities which included her online classes in the morning, heating up something to eat, and getting ready for work. 

Recently life has become much more exciting than ever for Yume thanks to an angry red eyed Hero Student named Katsuki Bakugo. Not only has she gotten to see him on two separate occasions but he's also been an amazing texting buddy! Even if he usually just leaves her on read, she doesn't mind. If he didn't care then he wouldn't read them, so she's taking that as an absolute win!

While walking to work, while she of course was thinking about her job, Yume also had another thought in the back of her mind.

'I wonder if I'll see him today'

It feels like every single time Yume has run into Bakugo, it ends up being some of the most fun times she's ever had. She's not stupid or anything, she realizes that maybe at first he just wanted to get away from her and go on with his day, but at the same time, he also seemed like a good person.

Yume's always considered herself a great judge of character, and even though Bakugo had acted like he wanted to get as far away from her as possible, he still ended up doing so many things that he really didn't have to do for her.

He stuck around in the store and talked with her on the day they met, he exchanged contact information with her, he put up with all the texts she’s sent him, and he even walked with her even though he was probably tired from his day at UA. In Yume's eyes, if he was as mean as he tried to act, he wouldn't have done all of those things for her. Now if only he could figure out a way to help him remember her name, not that she minded him calling her Bright Eyes... in fact it was the first time anyone had ever given her a nickname so that on its own was very exciting! 

"Good Morning Fukumoto, hope you're ready for another day of work!"

Yume was snapped out of her thoughts by her Manager as she realized she'd arrived at the store. 

"Good Morning to you as well! Ready as I'll ever be!" she said with a smile, looking up to face her Manager. 

After exchanging a quick greeting, Yume quickly went to her post stocking the shelves while also remaining deep in her own thoughts.

'Maybe I'll see him again after work.... if not I could always send a text, it would be nice to walk with him again if he'd like?'

A soft smile made its way onto Yume's face as she ended up having a nice day at work, enjoying her thoughts and ideas for after work.

"Great job today Fukumoto, have a great rest of your day!"

Yume waved back at her Manager as she exited the store, finished with work for the day. 

'Hmm he doesn't seem to be around today, and he hasn't even looked at the text I sent during work either.... well I suppose it makes sense, he's training to be a Hero after all. He probably doesn't have a lot of free time.'

Deciding Bakugo was probably just busy, Yume decided to go ahead and walk home for the day. Taking the same path she's taken so many other times... yet it felt much more quiet and lonely then usual. 

Needing a way to pass the time, she decided to pull out her phone and message Bakugo, perhaps he could respond when he finished with whatever he was doing.

Yume: Hi! I'm guessing it must have been a busy, didn't see you around today

Yume: Not that you're obligated to show up everyday or something! I understand you have a lot to deal with as well, being a Hero Student and all

Yume: Maybe when you have some free time we could message? Or maybe even meet up again if you're able to, I bet you must have some exciting stories from your training!

Yume: Anyways I'll try and stop blowing up your phone's notifications anymore then I already have, better respond when you're free or I'll have to track you down myself Red Eyes! 

Smiling at her use of the name that got Bakugo so worked up in their first meeting, Yume closed the messaging app and put her phone back in her pocket, having arrived back at her Apartment.

Unlocking the door and walking in, she locked up the front door before turning back around and walking in, the apartment as quiet and calm as it usually was. Removing her shoes and placing them to the side, she walked into the kitchen to prepare some dinner.... ok maybe preparing was a bit of a stretch. Yume has her strengths just like anyone else, unfortunately she also has her weaknesses with one of them being that she absolutely has no cooking abilities whatsoever. This meant her dinner usually consisted of meals like Instant Ramen which was exactly what she was having tonight. 

'I guess after such exciting days in a row, it'd make sense I'd get dropped back down to reality again, back to going through the motions. Maybe I shouldn't have come across as so eager to get to know Bakugo... I could've just chased him away after finally making a friend- no I'm just overthinking things, he's a Hero Student at UA, of course he can't always be around and respond, he's about as busy as someone our age can be.'

Yume shook her head trying to get those thoughts out of her head, deciding that standing around while boiling water wasn't doing her any good, she decided to check her phone. ' Seems he still hasn't read them, must've been a busy day. Meanwhile look at me, checking to see if someone I met two days ago has read a couple texts... at this rate all I'm doing is proving them right-'

A news notification flashing onto her screen brought Yume's thoughts to a pause and caused her eyes to widen.

"Villains attack First Year UA Hero Students at USJ"

Suddenly her mind went into overdrive with many thoughts. What if that was his class? What if something had happened?? What if he'd gotten hurt??? Yume suddenly felt stupid worrying about something as simple as text messages when her maybe-friend might've been injured or worse.

'Should I send a message asking how he is or wait for him to let me know.... I feel like I should do something but I'm not sure-'

Yet again her thoughts were cut off as she realized that her meal was practically done, rushing over to it and making sure that she turned off the stove.  

After getting a bowl out for her Ramen and pouring it in, Yume went back to her thoughts. 

'The report didn't name any specific students so I think that's a good sign... I hope... then again that doesn't mean nobody got hurt. What if Bakugo was injured in the attack or what if he suffered some sort of serious mental trauma from it.... I suppose I could try calling him. Wait wait wait what am I even thinking, based on what I know, Bakugo doesn't seem like the type to get on a phone call, besides he doesn't even reply to texts, I doubt he'd pick up.... though I guess it wouldn't hurt to try.'

Yume then stared at the call button next to Bakugo's name, sure it was just a simple phone call but she'd never actually called him before, only sent texts. Would he even see the call... if so would he bother picking up... oh what if he ignored the call entirely and decided she was too annoying to be friends with, then she'd go back to how everything was prior to these last few days... Yume was suddenly snapped out of her mental turmoil when she heard a ring.

She looked and realized she'd accidentally hit the call button....

'WAIT WAIT WAIT I'M NOT READY YET, MAYBE I SHOULD HANG UP AND TRY AGAIN LATER... BUT WAIT IF I DO THAT THEN IT'LL LOOK LIKE I WAS JUST MESSING WITH HIM! WAIT A SECOND I NEED TO CALM DOWN I MEAN I DOUBT HE'S ACTUALLY GONNA ANSWER THE CALL OR ANYTHING-'

"What the hell do you want Bright Eyes?"

Snapped out of her mental freakout, Yume's eyes widened as she stared down at his phone, seemingly surprised that he'd actually answered, no doubt about it, only one person would ever greet Yume like that. It seemed Bakugo had actually answered, now Yume needed to actually give a good and respectable answer with a strong tone. Make sure to keep his interest!

"H-hey Bakugo... nice day we're having??"

Unfortunately she did the exact opposite.....

"Huh?! What the hell kind of question is that? You better have a good reason for calling Bright Eyes!" It seemed Bakugo was not exactly amused so far. Luckily Yume was not one to be deterred!

“W-well you see.... um I sorta was just wanting to..." For some reason, the idea of admitting she was worried was tough for Yume to just get out, combined with the fact she wasn't at all prepared for this call. In her defense, it's not like she had experience talking on the phone with friends... well maybe-friends in this case.

"Get to the damn point already!! And what's with the stuttering, if you got something to say you shouldn't be acting all weak and scared, otherwise you're just wasting my time, should just hang up the damn phone right now"

Yume's eyes widened at that, realizing he was right! What was she doing acting all scared and timid, this was Bakugo she was talking to, her maybe-friend! She was so worried about running him off or coming off as weird that she wasn't being herself! She shouldn't be stuttering and acting all scared, she should be saying what she wanted to say just like Bakugo said!

"You're absolutely right! I don't know what made me so nervous in the first place, thanks for the advice Bakugo, you're such a great friend!"

"WE AREN'T FRIENDS BRIGHT EYES!!!" 

Yume simply laughed at that comment. "You picked up the phone though, didn't you?" 

"....."

Yume waited a moment before speaking again. "Bakugo are you-"

"Shut the hell up.... anyways what the hell did you call for Bright Eyes?"

Oh right she had a reason for calling! How could she forget??

"Well I saw the news report about the USJ and it made me worried about you.... I just wanted to check in with you and see how you were doing."

There was silence for a moment before she heard a cough. "Why would you be worried about me, huh Bright Eyes?" 

Yume smiled at such an easy question to answer.

"Well that's simple, because we're friends!"

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!!!"

She once again laughed at that attitude of his, sure it might scare some people off she was sure, but once again his actions seemed to contradict his words, specifically picking up her phone call. She calmed her laughter down when she realized he had more to say.

"Ignoring the fact you don't know how to listen Bright Eyes, I'm perfectly fine. No injuries suffered. Damn Warp Gate can't say the same, would've had him taken out if Handsy hadn't gotten involved... it'll be a different story next time!!" 

Hearing Bakugo sound like his usual self brought her immense relief, it seemed he was safe after all. 

"I'm sure you'll show them next time Bakugo! I wouldn't expect less from the future Number One after all!" And she meant it too.

"Damn Villains couldn't even send competent foot soldiers after us, me and Shitty Hair took care of those extras no problem."

Yume blinked for a moment wondering what he meant. "Wait you and who?"

"Just someone in my class, guess I can't call him an extra though, at least he proved he was capable out there today."

She knew based on Bakugo's quirk that the UA Hero Course had to be strong, but it sounded like they were even more incredible then she originally thought!

"Wow you all sound very capable, being able to take out Villains so early on in your first year!!" Yume was genuinely impressed, it wasn't like the School Year had been going on for that long after all.

"Well obviously Bright Eyes, I'm sure even you would've been able to out those damn Villain extras, anyone with basic combat skills could."

Yume felt her face turn red in embarrassment at that comment. "Oh y-yeah right, I'm sure anyone could've done that... ha ha ha"

Even though he wasn't there, Yume swore she could feel Bakugo's red eyes staring right into her soul.

"You're absolutely useless when it comes to combat aren't you Bright Eyes...." It was more of a statement then a question

It was as if Bakugo dropped an anvil on her head, Yume deflated as she weakly replied.

"Well you see... I can.... ok fine, I may or may not be a useless fighter"

If it felt like Bakugo was somehow staring into her soul from a phone call earlier... now it felt like he was gonna appear through the phone and send her to her grave far too soon. Yume braced herself for another verbal explosion but what she got instead was something that shocked her.

"Tomorrow... outside that store... after your shift... bring clothes that you can actually train in."

Yume couldn't believe what she'd just heard, she must've been hearing things... Perhaps Bakugo really did kill her???

"Wait, are you saying you want to train me!?"

It sounded like Bakugo scoffed at her question.

"All I'm saying Bright Eyes is that since I can't seem to get rid of you, I might as well make sure you aren't completely useless, can't have some damn weakling just leaching off of me or anything." 

Yume's eyes brightened at this, clearly this was a positive sign towards Bakugo's future acceptance of friendship!!

"Well then I accept Bakugo! Or should I start calling you Sensei!" Yume had to hold back a laugh at that. 

"OH YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT JOKES HUH BRIGHT EYES, WELL JUST WAIT TIL TRAINING BEGINS, YOU WON'T BE LAUGHING THEN, I GUARANTEE IT-"

Uncharacteristically Bakugo's usual angry rant was cut off as Yume heard a more faint but still loud voice in the background.

"KATSUKI WILL YOU QUIT YELLING UP THERE, AND GET DOWN HERE ALREADY, DINNER'S READY YOU DAMN BRAT!"

Yume felt like she was in the crossfires of a war after she heard Bakugo's response. 

"SHUT IT YOU OLD HAG, I'M ABOUT TO COME DOWN, HOW ABOUT YOU LEARN SOME DAMN PATIENCE, AND AS FOR YOU BRIGHT EYES, YOU BETTER SHOW TOMORROW GOT IT!"

With those words, the call came to an end. Yume still wasn't sure what just happened... guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

She then realized the other part of their conversation.... She was training with Bakugo tomorrow and suddenly she jumped up in excitement.

'Another chance to finally gain Bakugo's acceptance as a friend!! This is a golden chance, maybe I can work hard enough and impress him, perhaps strength is the key to becoming friends with Bakugo! Not only that, but if this training ends up working out well enough... maybe that could finally be enough to prove to- no wait let's not think that far ahead, one step at a time!'

Yume's eyes seemed to shine brighter than ever as she was now even more determined than ever, she was gonna ace this training and she was going to get Bakugo to accept her as a friend!

After all.... how hard could it be?

Notes:

Oh Yume.... famous last words

Also first time writing the perspective of an OC, certainly hope this came across well

Chapter 4: Bootcamp

Notes:

Don't really have much to say here this week honestly so I suppose just hope you all enjoy

Yume’s shift was at an end and she was ready for what was about to come afterwards!

Training with Bakugo, getting to become stronger with her friend… well she was still working on that part but she’s getting there! After all, why else would he want to train her, clearly this was gonna be a way to strengthen their bond and become the best of friends!

She was so ready for this that she even made sure to go and change into her shirt and sweatpants she’d brought right when her boss told her she could get ready to leave for the day! With her long white hair tied up in a ponytail as well, she was fully prepared to begin!

Walking over to the exit, she could see the scowl of her favorite maybe-friend from the inside, speeding up, she quickly exited the store and walked up to him.

“Hi Sensei! So where are we gonna do this?” Yume was curious since she realized all Bakugo had told her was to meet him outside the store after her shift.

“First of all I already told you yesterday Bright Eyes, don’t go calling me Sensei. Just follow me, I know an open area we can use.” Yume was surprised at the fact he didn’t immediately yell, it seemed like Bakugo planned to take this very seriously. All that meant was that she needed to take this just as seriously as well, she couldn’t afford to slack off and waste Bakugo’s time here!

“Alright Bakugo lead on, I’m ready for whatever you have to throw at me!” Yume could’ve swore that she heard Bakugo give a dark laugh at her words, but she was probably just imagining things!

 

After a little bit of walking, they finally arrived at their destination. “Wow, how’d you find such a nice spot!” Yume meant those words too, it was a nice open area with grass and some trees.

“The Old Hag didn’t want me training my quirk around the house and I needed somewhere to improve, found this place with some extras and it’s been my training spot ever since. You better not go talking about it to any damn extras though Bright Eyes, don’t need any stupid distractions out here.”

Yume couldn’t believe it, another sign of their growing friendship! Bakugo was trusting her with the knowledge of somewhere important to him, she was getting one step closer!

“Don’t worry Bakugo, I won’t tell a soul, you have my word!”

Bakugo gave her a stare for a moment before nodding at her words, seemingly accepting them.

“Anyways what are we gonna be doing first Bakugo! Do you want to spar or something? Maybe you want to test my combat abilities??”

Bakugo simply shook his head at her comments.

“Calm down there Bright Eyes, if we actually fought right now you wouldn’t stand a chance, besides I would want an actual challenge if we fought, something I’m sure you can’t actually provide considering how you sounded on the phone yesterday.”

Yume's face formed a pout at that, completely disagreeing with his assessment apparently.

“Wait a minute, sure you’d probably win a fight against me but I’d at least get some hits in, no way you’d just beat me up like it’s nothing! Maybe you just don’t want to beat up a girl, or maybe you’re just a bit scared a girl might get some hits in on you, perhaps that’s what it really is, right Red Eyes?”

Yume fully realized she was likely poking the beast here, but she was going to show that she was tough… even if it seemed like she was now staring at a demon. It felt like that invisible aura once again surrounded Bakugo as his red eyes seemingly darkened, a smirk appearing on his face.

“Oh so that’s how you wanna play it huh Bright Eyes, alright then I’ll give you a quick demonstration… run at me whenever you’d like.”

Yume’s eyes widened at what he said. What on earth was he thinking???

“Wait a moment, you’re giving me the first move?? Don’t you want to make sure we’re equal distances apart, make sure we’re both ready, or…. I don’t know whatever it is that people do before fights?!” She couldn’t believe it as he simply smirked at her words.

“Oh don’t worry so much Bright Eyes, besides this won’t last long.” Oh so that was how he wanted to be… he was looking down on her, she began to run at Bakugo, planning to at least land a strike! She may not be hero-in-training or have a quirk, but she wasn’t going to be disrespected like this. She was… on the ground????

Before she knew what had happened, Bakugo had flipped her right on her back and onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her for a moment. Yume looked up to see Bakugo standing there still.

“If you’re impatient self had let me finish earlier Bright Eyes, you’d have known that I don’t give a damn that you’re a girl and I wasn’t underestimating you. You have no training, meanwhile I’ve been training myself for my whole life to be the Number One Hero one day, it’s only obvious that I’d be stronger, so make sure you keep your damn mouth shut and don’t interrupt next time.”

Yume felt her face turn red in embarrassment, letting out an awkward laugh as she got back up to her feet.

“R-right, sorry about that Bakugo, I should’ve let you finish earlier. I’ll try to be better nex-” The sound of an explosion cut her off as she looked to see Bakugo had set off a small explosion in his hand.

“Quit your damn apologizing Bright Eyes, acting like you broke the law or something. Besides, it’s not like you completely wasted my time there. At least I know you aren’t some damn wimp, got some fire in you after all.”

Yume’s eye’s brightened as she suddenly felt great happiness and excitement, her earlier embarrassment forgotten!

“You actually gave me a compliment Another sign of a strong bond between friends!!!”

“HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU!? WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!!”

Yume tuned out the reply of her maybe-friend, feeling even more excited and energetic, her spirit fully restored!

“Ok Bakugo I’m ready to begin, what’s the plan!”

It seemed he’d quickly recovered from his rage and was back in teaching mode.

“You see this tree that we’re standing by, we’re gonna run 10 laps from here to that tall tree all the way over there, it’s about 50 meters. Usually I’d go for a bit more but we’ll start easy on your first day, I don’t want to hear any excuses though Bright Eyes” Hearing this, Yume could only think one thing.

‘Well if I die… at least I’m dying for friendship’

Yume simply nodded and got ready to begin the laps. It appeared Bakugo was doing the same as he lined up next to her.

“Listen up Bright Eyes because I don’t like repeating myself, I’m gonna count down and when I say go, we begin.” Yume nodded at this, feeling determined to impress on this first day of training.

“3, 2, 1, Go!”

At those words Yume began running, keeping a nice steady pace, even noticing Bakugo wasn’t speeding off ahead. She figured it was because this was probably to work on stamina and cardio, not a race to figure out who’s faster.

She reached the tree and gave it a quick tap with her hand to signal as such before turning around beginning the run back to complete the lap. This actually didn’t seem to be as difficult as she thought it would be… maybe she could do this after all!!

 

She couldn’t do this… on her last lap and on the way back to complete it, with a loud voice she swore Bakugo was yelling out to her to “Hurry the hell up” among other things… Yume decided to take it all as encouragement.

Feeling exhausted, Yume finally finished her 10th lap and reached the finish line. She collapsed onto the ground, lying down on the grass once she touched the tree.

“Damn Bright Eyes, sleeping on the job already?” She was still catching her breath but even in this exhausted state, she could hear the smirk in his voice.

“Haha.. give me a few more days and I’ll be the one taking you down.” Yume was positive that she had to have just made the least intimidating threat of all time, especially considering how exhausted she looked.

“Damn didn’t realize you had a competitive side, Bright Eyes.” Bakugo seemed amused as he said this. “Here I thought you were just a whole bunch of smiles and laughs, anyways get up, I got one more thing I want to test you on today.”

Yume wanted to protest but she was determined to make sure she kept on impressing today. She slowly got to her feet and stood up, face to face with the red eyes of Bakugo once more.

“Face the air and throw a punch, Bright Eyes, I want to see your form.”

Wow she was worried he might have her run another 10 laps or something but this was easy, she could definitely do this!

With no words needing to be said, Yume turned and faced the empty space in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her fist back and threw the best punch she could possibly manage to throw-

“What the hell was that, I said, throw a punch not pat the air!!”

Yume nearly fell over hearing Bakugo’s immediate disapproval of her form.

“What do you mean, was something wrong with my form??? That’s the best punch I could possibly throw!” That was how most people tend to throw punches, she had no idea what possible problem he had with it.

“Your damn form was fine Bright Eyes, but you didn’t put anything into it… you know what, just watch and learn!!” Bakugo then turned to face the air, calmed himself down… well as much as Bakugo can be calm, before pulling his arm back and throwing a punch. “DIE!!!”

‘Die?’

“See that’s how it’s done, Bright Eyes!” Bakugo turned back towards her. “Now I want you to try it again, got it?!”

Yume paused for a moment before realizing just what Bakugo wanted her to take away from that.

“Got it! I’ll do my best!” With those words, Yume once again turned and pulled back her arm, throwing a punch once again. “Die!”

“Not enough into it, again!”

“Die!”

“AGAIN!”

“DIE!”

The white haired girl spent the rest of her first training session learning how to throw Bakugo approved punches, accompanied by the loud shouts of “Die”.

 

As the sky finally began to darken to signal the end of the day, it also signaled the end of Yume’s first training session.

“I did it! I survived the first day of the Bakugo Bootcamp!!” Yume had to consider this high on her list of life accomplishments!!

“THE HELL KIND OF STUPID NAME IS THAT, KEEP ON TALKING BRIGHT EYES AND YOU’LL BE RUNNING 100 LAPS NEXT TIME!!”

As funny as it was seeing Bakugo lose his temper… Yume would rather not die and she was pretty sure 100 of those laps would kill her, so she decided to not push her luck and chose to value her life.

“Alright that’s fine, we can save the name for later! Anyways I really do appreciate you helping me out, you didn’t have to do that, I’m sure you’re busy enough as is.” This was still an absolute win on the quest to gain his friendship as well!

“Quit overthinking things Bright Eyes, managing my time is easy, besides the damn school work isn’t even hard, it takes no time at all.” She supposed that made sense, based on how seriously he took training today, it wasn’t difficult to guess that he definitely was the type to take everything he did seriously, even the more basic school work.

“You sure don’t take any shortcuts, aren’t you worried training me will affect your own personal schedule though?”

“I already said don’t worry about it, besides training you isn’t just me doing any damn favors, it’s also going to help me get ready to take that top spot at the Sports Festival!” Bakugo had a look of fierce determination and conviction in his tone, honestly it was ever inspiring her in a way- wait a minute…. SPORTS FESTIVAL?!

“Wait why are you wasting time training someone like me, you should be focusing on yourself! I’m very grateful for your help but I don’t want to be the reason you miss out on your chance to impress all those scouts and win the whole thing!!” Yume really did appreciate his help today, but she couldn’t imagine how awful she’d feel if his performance at the Sports Festival was affected just because he wasted his time with her!

“Shut the hell up.” Yume’s thoughts and words both went quiet at the sound of Bakugo’s calm yet serious voice. “I hate repeating myself so don't make me say this again but you aren’t some waste of time idiot, if you had no potential I would’ve walked off earlier today. It takes guts to actually do half the things you did today. So quit with the damn doubt before I really make training hell for you next time around!”

Yume wasn’t sure what to say to that, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had ever been so genuine to her. So instead of using words she decided to just give Bakugo a big hug instead, she just felt way too happy to speak!

“DAMN IT BRIGHT EYES, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? GET OFF!!”

“I’m sorry for all those doubts and questions, I’m gonna make sure to do my best from here on out! After all that’s what friends do for each other!”

“WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!!”

Letting go of him, Yume couldn’t help but laugh at his strange personality. How can someone go from so genuine and motivating to so loud and angry, he was just too funny!

“So you claim but we’re getting there! Give it some time and we’ll be the best of friends, I guarantee it!” Yume grew more and more happy thinking of the day when Bakugo finally accepts her offer of friendship!

“WE AREN’T- OH FORGET IT, I’M LEAVING! JUST WAIT UNTIL NEXT TIME BECAUSE IF YOU THOUGHT TODAY WAS ROUGH, I GUARANTEE THAT IT’S GONNA BE HELL FOR YOU IN THE FUTURE…”

Yume just watched as Bakugo angrily marched off, still yelling to her in the distance. She simply offered him a wave. She was pretty sure she saw him lift up his middle finger towards her but that’s probably just a Bakugo way of saying goodbye!

Walking home now as well, Yume was lost in her thoughts thinking about just how crazy and exciting today was, she really did accomplish a lot!

‘Maybe this will turn out great after all, and maybe then I can finally prove myself to them…’

Notes:

What does Yume mean there at the end?? Well I mean I of course know but I don't plan to say anything... after all where's the fun in spoilers.

Chapter 5: The Invitation

Notes:

Apologies for this taking a decent minute even though I don't have any specific schedule, hopefully it was worth the wait and hope you all enjoy!

If anyone would've told Katsuki Bakugo a month ago that he'd be spending time outside of UA doing something other than personal training, he'd have called them crazy. If he'd been told a month ago that he'd end up training some weird Bright Eyed girl and that she'd become a daily feature in his life... he'd have blasted them into the sky for wasting his time with such ridiculous ideas, but apparently life doesn't always go the way he thought it would.

Currently Bakugo was sitting in his room, he had another training session coming up with Bright Eyes later in the day and was taking some time to rest before he went out, too much training would do no good for anyone, especially with the Sports Festival coming up.

Despite Bright Eyes and her damn overthinking, her training was actually a benefit to him as well. Aside from his own personal training he was doing, training someone else was a good chance for him to make sure he was mentally focused as well, and it's not like she hasn't shown any potential, there was a lot there for Bakugo to work with.

'Her footwork and mobility still needs a lot of work, maybe we work on that next... but at least she's got the damn punch down'

He's already mentally mapped out a training plan for her, as long as she keeps putting in effort, Bakugo was confident she'd eventually realize that she's much stronger then she believes herself to be. 

Ping

Bakugo was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of his phone going off, alerting him that he'd received a message. Picking up the phone, he saw it was just another message from Bright Eyes.

Bright Eyes: Really looking forward to whatever the plan is for today! I feel like I already feel like I'm getting stronger at such a fast rate, better watch out or the student will surpass the teacher soon!

Bakugo couldn't help but roll his eyes at such a ridiculous statement, no way would he let some beginner get stronger then him. Nobody was surpassing him on his quest to be the #1 Hero... though he supposed he had to respect her determination, at least she had that going for her. He wouldn't waste his time on someone who was hopeless after all.

'It doesn't hurt that she's not completely annoying to be around either... not like all those damn extras back in Middle School. It's clear Bright Eyes is genuine with everything she says'

Ever since the incident with the Sludge Villain, Bakugo was much more careful in who he kept around. He wasn't gonna waste any time with some useless extra's that just wanted to be around him because of his quirk or potential and that included all of those leeches back in Middle School.

While Bright Eyes drove him crazy at times with her barrage of non-stop texts, he could tell that when she said something that she meant it. She also had guts, it's not everyday that someone would willingly charge at him in a fight knowing they had no chance... he had to respect that about her. 

'We'll see if that determination sticks around after today, she's still in the tutorial as far as I'm concerned... just wait until I really make things tough for her'

Almost as if his thoughts matched up with the time, Bakugo heard an alarm he'd set earlier go off on his phone to let him know that it was time to head out for Bright Eyes training. He got up from his bed and walked out of his room, ready to leave the house until a voice that was painfully familiar cut him off...

"Where the hell have you been going recently, did you finally make some friends or something brat!"

Bakugo stopped near the front door as he turned around, he was hoping that his Mom wouldn't notice him leaving.

"DAMN IT YOU OLD HAG, BRIGHT EYES ISN'T A FRIEND, SHE'S JUST SOMEONE I'M TRAINING!!" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he realized his mistake.

His Mom's eyes widened for a moment, seemingly surprised that he was actually meeting someone. What the hell was the big deal about training anyways?!

"Wait... did you actually meet someone... and that someone is also a girl!?" 

The Old Hag that he calls a Mother was looking shocked at this revelation, she was practically frozen in place, barely able to get the words out.

"Huh are you an idiot or something you Hag? Didn't you hear what I said, of course she's a girl!" Bakugo didn't understand the issue here, clearly the Old Hag had a few screws loose or something, though his comments seemed to snap her out of her daze.

"WATCH IT YOU LITTLE BRAT! I JUST DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO BE MAKING FRIENDS, LET ALONE WITH A GIRL!!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN YOU OLD HAG?!?!"

"OH YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS KATSUKI!!"

Bakugo was ready to unleash another response before he heard someone walking down the stairs call out to them in a much more calm voice compared to the usual tone this household was used to.

"Could you two please not fight like this, we don't want the neighbors complaining about noise again!" It seemed that Bakugo's Dad had heard the commotion, though this wasn't exactly anything new for the Bakugo Household, his Dad was used to it, the neighbors however... that's another story. 

Both Bakugo and his Mom turned around toward the third member of the Bakugo household, both calming down as much as anyone in their family was capable of doing. 

"Can you believe our little brat Masaru! Not telling his own parents that he's sneaking off nearly everyday and talking with a girl he made friends with?!" Bakugo could hear the smug smirk on his Mom's face as she told his Dad what he'd missed. 

He saw his Dad's face brighten as he looked at him with a smile. 

"Is that true Katsuki? Did you really make a friend, that's amazing news! What's her name?"

"BRIGHT EYES ISN'T A- OH THE HELL WITH IT NEVERMIND, AND WHY DOES IT EVEN MATTER WHAT HER NAME IS?!" His parents were getting way too nosy for his liking, this is why he keeps his business to himself.

"Awww is Katsuki feeling embarrassed over his girlfriend, oh I know how about you invite her over for dinner tonight, we'd love to see what kind of friend you've made!" The damn Hag looked real satisfied with herself over this idea, and it seemed his Dad was approving of the idea too.

"Oh that's a great idea, we'd love to meet her, please do see if she's free for tonight, we'd love to have her over!"

As if Bakugo was actually gonna do that, why the hell would he invite Bright Eyes over to his home for Dinner, besides having her around his Parents would be nothing but trouble no doubt about it! No way was that ever going to-

"Well it's ok if you don't feel up to it Katsuki, I'm sure you must feel too embarrassed to bring her over and introduce her, it's ok if you just don't feel up to it." His Mom said all this with a smile, but he knows better than anyone that he's clearly being challenged here.

"SHUT THE HELL UP YOU OLD HAG, AS IF I'M EMBARRASSED!! IF YOU WANT TO SEE BRIGHT EYES TONIGHT THEN YOU'LL GET TO SEE HER, IN FACT I'LL GO ASK RIGHT NOW!!" With those words, Bakugo turned around and marched right out of the house and away from his parents, hearing only the words of his Mom saying he'd better keep his word and his Dad telling him to have a good time out.

It was as he was walking over to the training area that he came back to reality and realized what he'd just committed to, and it was right then and there that only one thought went through the mind of Katsuki Bakugo.

'Just what the hell did I get myself into...'

---

Yume was waiting over at the usual training area for Bakugo to arrive, she'd gotten a rare text from him a few minutes ago that something held him up, either way she was excited for today!

'Not only yet another day of training but I even got a text from Bakugo!! Sure it wasn't the nicest text but it's progress and she's sure that after today, they'll be one step closer to being friends!' 

It really felt like things were turning around recently for Yume, not only was she making friends with someone like Bakugo who always was honest with her, but she was also getting stronger thanks to him too, they'd been working on her cardio to start off and she felt like it had increased greatly thanks to him!

Maybe this was finally her big chance... if she could keep getting stronger then maybe she'll finally be accepted by them... maybe she'll finally get their acceptance!

'Wait wait wait... let's not start thinking too far ahead here, I should focus on the here and now otherwise Bakugo might start taking the word "Die" too literal'

Now that she was thinking of it though, Bakugo was taking quite awhile, hopefully nothing too troublesome came up for him. Maybe it was something else though...

'What if he's decided I wasn't worth his time anymore... what if he's coming to deliver the bad news that he's cutting me loose. No quit the negative thinking Yume, he told you this before to not cut yourself down so quit it! I'm no waste of his time and he told me so himself!!'

Bakugo hammered it into her head nearly every time they saw each other that she wasn't wasting his time or messing up his training for the Sports Festival, she needed to have more faith in her maybe-friend... oh but thinking positively like that was easier said than done, however she was going to try, first she needed to close her eyes and concentrate!

'I need to try my best today to make sure I show him that I'm worth his friendship and his training, focus Yume... today you're going to show Bakugo you're absolute best as soon as he gets here... calm, cool, and collected!' 

Yume felt herself grow more confident, maybe she could do this after all, yes she'd try extra hard today and prove to Bakugo she was worth it!! Yes, she could do this!

"Why the hell are you standing there with your eyes closed like an idiot!"

'Wow maybe this is working after all... it's almost like he's right in front me'

"DAMN IT BRIGHT EYES, OPEN YOUR EYES!! THIS IS TRAINING NOT NAP TIME!!!"

Yume's eyes snapped open and she fell back into the grass in surprise as she realized Bakugo was actually in front of her, his face as serious as ever. 

"Oh wow I'm sorry Bakugo, didn't see you there!" Yume felt her face grow warm in embarrassment, this certainly wasn't the start she was looking for.

"Pay better attention next time, for all you know I could've been a damn Villain trying to attack or something. Anyways, what the hell were you doing?" He actually sounded a bit confused, usually it was just anger as the primary emotion. This wasn't the time to think about that though, Yume needed an excuse and fast!

"Well you see... I was... training my mind?"

Bakugo just gave her a blank stare, yet another rare expression she was seeing from him today. 

"Training your mind...? What the hell were you training your mind for exactly?" 

Yume can't say she thought this far ahead... however she was very capable when it came to thinking on the fly!

"I was training it to... be strong!"

Yume mentally gave herself a nod at her great excuse, however it seemed like Bakugo was still giving her that same blank expression. 

"You know what... I'm not even gonna question it. Anyways listen up Bright Eyes, I got something important to tell you." He seemed very serious all of a sudden, whatever it was he needed to tell her, it must be important.

'Wait... what if he really is cutting me loose. No he wouldn't do that for no reason... but wait he did seem pretty confused just now, what if that was the last straw! What if I just messed up my chance at friendship!'

Bakugo seemed oblivious to her inner turmoil as he continued on with what he planned to say. 

"We're gonna have to end training early today Bright Eyes, Something unfortunate happened." He said this with a tone of great annoyance, clearly he wasn't very happy. 

Yume then realized he just said they were ending training early today... Bakugo never cut training short.

'Oh no... he's really getting rid of me!'

Yume was in an internal panic now, she had to do something before she was all alone again! She looked at Bakugo ready to plead her case!

"Wait wait wait I promise you don't want to get rid of me!! I'll run as many laps as you want! I'll never complain! I'll spar with you daily! I'll even wake up in the early hours of the morning for training just please give me another chance Bakugo!!" She couldn't go back to living that lonely life... she couldn't! 

She was almost hesitant to look at his face but she realized she couldn't avoid it forever, so she looked up but instead of seeing the anger she expected... it was confusion??

"What the hell are you rambling on about now?"

Yume then stared back, just as confused as he was. 

"Aren't you getting rid of me and cutting me loose, isn't that why you said training was being cut short??"

Bakugo's eyes widened for a moment before his expression turned into one of frustration and realization. 

"Damn Bright Eyes and that overthinking mind of yours, I'm not getting rid of you idiot, I told you before I was going to train you and I keep my word!"

Yume's eyes widened, finally feeling relief and happiness at his words. 

"So that means you're keeping me around?"

"YES I'M KEEPING YOU AROUND, YOU DAMN IDIOT!!"

"SO THAT MEANS WE'RE STILL FRIENDS THAN BAKUGO!!"

"DAMN IT BRIGHT EYES, WE AREN'T FRIE- WAIT A SECOND THIS ISN'T WHAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, QUIT GETTING ME OFF TOPIC YOU IDIOT!"

Yume decided to not push her luck and remain quiet, honestly she was curious at what it was he actually wanted to say. 

"My damn parents wanted to know if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight and meet them, for some reason they got real excited when they heard about you and that damn Old Hag especially is real persistent when she wants something."

Yume's eyes widened at this, she was so surprised that she wasn't even sure that she'd heard him correctly.

"Wait, your Parents want to meet... me?"

Why would anyone want to meet her? She was just Yume after all, some quirkless girl that worked a job at a store and took online classes.

"Your ears not working or something Bright Eyes, that's exactly what I said. I just need to know if you actually want to go tonight for Dinner, the Hag wanted to make sure you didn't have anything else going on." 

She didn't know it was possible to feel this happy but she was feeling it right now, after all she was so used to eating pre-made dinners by herself at her apartment... the idea of eating a home-cooked meal with friends sounded amazing!!

"Oh I don't have anything going on tonight at all after training, I'd love to go! You can tell your Mom that I'd be happy to accept the invitation, thank you so much for inviting me!" 

Bakugo looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he pulled out his phone, she assumed it was so he could send a text of confirmation to his mom.

'Wow... even the way he types is aggressive!'

Eventually he finished his text and put his phone away, looking back towards her.

"Alright Bright Eyes, anyways enough with the dinner talk. Sure we may need to cut training short but we're still gonna do as much as we can today so get ready, I'm not going easy on you!" He spoke with the intensity he always carried in their training sessions, something she was thankful for.

"Right! I'm ready for whatever you plan to throw at me!" This was it, Yume was going to be locked in and focused, she was going to show her gratitude for all that Bakugo's done for her by continuing to take his training seriously and showing it and him the proper respect!

"Good to know you're taking this seriously, but if you really want to be ready, you know what would be a good place to start...?" 

"What would that be?"

"YOU GETTING UP OFF THE GROUND YOU DAMN IDIOT!"

Yume blinked in confusion for a moment before looking down and realizing she was still sitting on the grass after falling onto it earlier, feeling a bit embarrassed, she let out a small laugh before getting back up to her feet.

"Oh yeah... that's probably a good place to start."  

Notes:

I'll admit originally the dinner was going to be part of this too, but reading it back I decided that this honestly worked better on it's own, plus felt the dinner portion deserved a chapter of it's own... spoiler alert that's the next chapter. The good news is that a good portion of the dinner chapter is already as it was originally apart of this one so hopefully you all won't need to wait as long. Anyways thank you for your patience and hopefully the next wait won't be nearly as long!

Chapter 6: The Dinner

Notes:

Hello hello readers... sure I admit it's been a good minute but you all know the saying. Good things come to those who wait! Anyways I hope you all enjoy, new personal record for me in terms of chapter length.

"Keep up Bright Eyes, I don't want to be late!" Yume observed as Bakugo marched ahead of her with his usual energy that she found so funny. They'd just finished training a little earlier today and were on the way to his house. 

"How can you be late to your own house though?" Surprisingly enough, he went silent for a few moments.

"Just keep on walking Bright Eyes..." He managed to mutter the words, offering no further response. 

"Awww is someone embarrassed?" She couldn't miss out on this opportunity to tease him, after all she's never gotten one over on Bakugo in conversation before, she honestly felt like she deserved an award for such an accomplishment! 

"SHUT THE HELL UP BRIGHT EYES! I'M NOT EMBARRASSED AT ALL!!" There was that explosive personality she'd already grown so adjusted to! She let out another laugh at his response. "I'm just thinking about something. Do you have any specific time you need to be back home tonight? Don't want your Parents breaking down our front door or something." 

"Nope, no need to worry about that! We're good for as long as your Parents want me around tonight!" Her response was almost instantaneous. She noticed that he turned around to give her a look almost as if he was questioning her. Bakugo must've decided it wasn't worth it before turning back around and continuing to walk.

"Anyways Bright Eyes make sure you feel ready because we're here." Yume stopped walking, she didn't realize that they were that close to his home. Then again, he had mentioned to her before that the training area was a place he found in his childhood, so it makes sense that they'd be this close to his home.

She looked forward, finally getting a good look at Bakugo's home. She had to do her best to hold back her surprise! The place was massive, she didn't think that he lived in such a large home. She realized she probably looked like she was admiring it too much but she couldn't just comment on it, that'd be flat out rude to imply anything money related!

"Quit your daydreaming Bright Eyes and get the hell up here!" Yume was snapped out of her thoughts by Bakugo, realizing he was already standing in front of the door, she ran over and joined him there, almost stepping back in surprise again when he just casually opened the door and walked right in, before noticing she was still standing at the entrance and looked back at her. "You gonna stand there all day Bright Eyes or are you gonna come in?" 

Yume felt her face grow warm in embarrassment as she walked inside, making sure to close the door behind her. 

"Wow you got a real fancy home Bakugo! It all looks really nice!!" She couldn't help but look around in wonder, she was pretty sure that the living room alone was near the size of her apartment, this place was massive!

"It's just a house Bright Eyes, I don't see what the big deal is." It was funny in a way, how he could manage to be so confident and outspoken about his dreams and aspirations, yet be humble about his wealth and home... who would've thought?

She watched as he walked forward a bit more before looking around, as if he was looking for someone, before suddenly turning around and looking at her.

"Looks like the Hag is setting up the table, well it's now or never I guess. Follow along Bright Eyes." Bakugo looked as if he was accepting some sort of cruel punishment as he walked over to where she assumed was the Kitchen, Yume following behind him. 

Following Bakugo into what was quite obviously the Kitchen, Yume saw a Woman that nearly looked like a spitting image of Bakugo. The same type of spikey blonde hair and those red eyes were recognizable even from a distance, especially after being around Bakugo for as long as she had been. The Woman who she assumed to be Bakugo's Mother finally looked up, appearing to have noticed them walk in.

"About time you got here Brat, and here I thought you got cold feet and backed out!" No doubt about it... they were definitely related. Yume was positive about that fact now.

"Huh?! You think I'm the type to back out of anything you Old Hag. I said I'd be here along with Bright Eyes and here we are!" Bakugo gestured to the two of them, as if to further prove his point. 

Yume stiffened as she felt very familiar red eyes turn to look at her, it was almost scary how similar they were to that of the Bakugo standing next to her. Eventually the woman seemed finished analyzing her before smiling.

"So you're the girl that the Brat's been seeing so much recently, in that case I really have to thank you! I was worried he would chase away everyone with that award winning personality of his." Yume noticed in the corner of her eyes that Bakugo seemed to be holding back a remark of his own, maybe he just didn't want to interrupt the introductions?

"Anyways I'm Mitsuki Bakugo, it's nice to get to meet a friend of my Son, I thought it'd be a long time before that happened again!" That helped a lot, it was getting confusing referring to both of them as Bakugo in her head, at least now she could differentiate them. 

"O-oh it's nice to meet you too! My name is Yume Fukumoto, and I'm glad to be of help. My days have been much more exciting ever since I met your son, so if anything I should be thanking you!" Yume then extended her hand for a handshake. 

Mrs. Bakugo seemed surprised for a brief moment before returning the handshake. 

"Wow Katsuki, how'd you manage to become friends with someone so well mannered. Make sure you try your best not to chase her off."

Yume looked to her side, realizing Bakugo's moment of silence seemed to be over.

"HUH WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT YOU OLD HAG!?"

"OH I THINK YOU HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHAT I MEANT KATSUKI!"

"IF ANYTHING, WE SHOULD BE WORRIED THAT YOU MIGHT CHASE HER OFF BEFORE THE NIGHT ENDS, YOU HAG!!"

"OH NOW YOU'RE JUST GOING TO LIE, HUH KATSUKI!"

Yume felt like she was witnessing a war take place right in front of her, though she wasn't sure if she should stand back and watch or interject. However, before she could decide, a voice called out to her from behind.

"Oh hello there, you must be Katsuki's friend." Yume turned around, surprised at the new voice. Standing there was a man with spiky brown hair and brown eyes. Honestly, swap the brown for blonde and she'd be looking at an older version of her friend.

"Y-yes I am... or at least I think I am? I'm Yume Fukumoto, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Yume was positive that she heard an incoherent shout of denial behind her but kept her eyes on the man in front of her, she assumed that this had to be Bakugo's Father.

"I'm sorry that I got down here late, I was just wrapping up some work upstairs. I'm Masaru Bakugo, it's a pleasure to meet you as well." She thought the surprises were finished but yet again she's been caught off guard, his kind tone and soft expression were a complete 180 from the rest of his family.

Taking a look back at the still bickering Son and Mother, she looked back and forth at the family, so many questions floating through her head.

"Should we break them up? I'd hate to see any sort of big argument break out."  Yume saw the man give a little laugh at that before shaking his head.

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much, those two are always like that from time to time, even so it's not anything we need to worry over. In fact, I've been thinking they find their exchanges entertaining, it's just how they are." Yume contemplated his words. Looking back at the pair once again, she started to get a better idea what he meant. 

'Maybe he has a point, their insults don't really hold any heat behind them and when I look at their eyes, they still hold a lot of kindness when they look at each other... maybe that's how family looks at one another?'

"Bright Eyes are you gonna stand there in thought all day or do you ever want to sit down and get ready for dinner?!" Suddenly she was brought back into reality by Bakugo who seemed to have wrapped up his verbal warfare with his Mother. 

"Ah right, that's probably a good idea, you lead and I will follow!" Yume sent a mock salute his way and followed him as they went to the Dining Room, not noticing the questioning look Bakugo had given her along the way.

---

Bakugo was seriously contemplating how the hell he'd gotten here as he watched his parents and Bright Eyes talk at the dinner table. How did he go from assuming this Bright Eyed weirdo would be a one time meeting all the way to the Hag suggesting he invite her over for dinner.

They had all just finished eating and things were going exactly how Bakugo imagined they would, his parents were getting along very well with Bright Eyes. He supposed it wasn't too much of a surprise, Bright Eyes had something about her that at the very least made her much more tolerable than most people.

He couldn't help but notice something seemed a bit different about her tonight though, at first he assumed it was just nerves but seeing her lost in thought as well made him wonder if maybe there was something else. Either way Bakugo supposed it wasn't really his business and it definitely wasn't something to bring up at a dinner table. 

Ignoring his own questions, overall he decided tonight was a success. His Parents have always been pretty good judges of character, and the fact they seem to like her just cements the fact that maybe being around Bright Eyes isn't the worst thing in the world... which is what he was originally thinking until he heard a very familiar voice with a mocking tone.

"Hey Bakugo! Are you gonna sit there in thought all day or do you ever want to look up and join the conversation!"

She even had a stupid little grin on her face...

'Maybe I should drop her after all...'

"You must feel real proud of that one Bright Eyes, well then I guess we'll have to see how you feel after you run 100 laps at our next training session!" Bakugo gave a mocking smirk of his own as he watched the horror appear on Bright Eyes face.

"Wait I thought you were joking about that last time!? Let's not go overboard here Bakugo!" So she does remember his words from their first training session, he was glad to know that she actually pays attention.

His entertainment at her misery was brought to an end when he heard the Hag start laughing, turning his head to look at her, he also noticed that the Old Man had a smile on his face as well. 

"Wow Katsuki, and here I thought your sense of humor went away a long time ago. It seems Fukumoto here has helped you in more ways than one." She stopped laughing as she said this and had a smile on her face as well. The Old Man seemed to nod in agreement at her words.

"Yes we really would like to thank you again Fukumoto, sometimes we worried Katsuki was focusing too much on his studies so we're happy to see he's made such a great friend in you." Bakugo noticed that Bright Eyes seemed to be looking down, likely feeling embarrassed he assumed.

"W-well thank you very much! However I don't really think I did anything at all, in fact just like I said earlier, I should really be the ones thanking all of you once again!" Bakugo looked at her with curiosity, wondering where she was going with this. "Not that long ago I was just a girl that worked in a store and taking classes, now thanks to Bakugo I not only get to train everyday but I have a friend to create so many fun memories with, even if he may seem harsh at times I can tell he never means anything by it, in fact it makes him even more fun to be around!"

Bakugo kept his poker face but started to understand how Bright Eyes was feeling not that long ago when it came to embarrassment.

'How the hell can she say all of that with a straight face?'

He looked towards his parents who seemed a bit surprised for a moment yet clearly very happy before his Dad spoke up.

"Well that just makes us even more confident, we're relieved to know our son will have a friend like you watching out for him. If It's alright with you though Fukumoto, I was wondering what your Parents are like, especially since we have you over here as our guest, after all we wouldn't want to give them the wrong idea or anything."

Bakugo noticed her eyes widen by the smallest of margins before putting on a smile. 

"Oh they're good people! Always so busy, it's tough for them to make events with their jobs and other obligations, but they're always supportive!" 

'What the hell is up with her?'

He didn't blame his Parents for not noticing since they just met her, but Bakugo could tell from a mile away that she was hiding something. The way her eyes widened there and the overly sweet tone she just used, almost as if it sounded forced. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion towards her as the conversation continued.

"Well you can let them know we send our thanks for raising a Daughter as kind and polite as you, feel free to visit anytime you'd like!" The Old Hag laughed and smiled as she said this, and Bright Eyes wasted no time in responding.

"O-of course, I'm sure they'll appreciate the kind words... and thank you so much, I'd love to visit any time you'd be willing to have me over!" 

'There it is again... I don't want to make any assumptions but clearly there's something I don't know all the details about'

He found something even more interesting this time though. She sounded just as weird when accepting the compliment but as soon as she was talking about visiting again... she sounded like her usual weirdo self. Either way, it's not like he's known her long enough to go barging in on her personal life.

Bakugo decided to quit thinking about it for now as the Old Man asked Bright Eyes another question. 

"So Fukumoto, I wanted to ask how do you plan to get home?" Considering it was nearly midnight, he supposed the question was a valid one to ask after all. Bright Eyes appeared surprised for a moment, almost like she herself hadn't even thought of it.

"Oh... well I guess I'll just walk? It's not like my home is too far away, it's definitely within walking distance." Oh great... he could already see where this was going. 

He turned to look over at his Parents and noticed they were already standing up and looking at Bright Eyes.

"Oh that just won't do! We can't have you walking alone in the middle of the night. I'm sure Katsuki wouldn't mind walking you back home!" He noticed the Old Hag had a devious grin on her face as she said this, clearly she thought she was getting to him with this.

He looked towards the Old Man for a quick second only to see he had a smile on his face as well.

'Traitor...'

"Fine I'll do it, now how about you quit it with the stupid face you Old Hag." Bakugo said as he accepted his fate and stood up.

He went over near the door to put his shoes on, watching as his Parents said goodbye to Bright Eyes, making sure she knew she was welcome to visit whenever she wanted to as well.  

After what felt like an eternity of goodbyes, he saw Bright Eyes finally turn around and walk over. About time, another second and he was gonna drag her to the door.

The two finally walked out the door and were on the way to Bright Eyes Apartment Complex. With the Moon and lamp posts being their only light sources, they were walking in comfortable silence for awhile until Bright Eyes spoke up.

"Thank you again, Bakugo" 

He looked towards her with a slightly confused look while they were still walking,

"The hell are you thanking me for?" 

She simply gave a small smile and laughed at that before responding quickly, as if she didn't even need to think of a reply.

"Well I guess for everything I already said over at your house, as well as the fact you actually invited me over. I'm sure that wasn't something you were dying to do or anything but thanks for putting up with me for as long as you did tonight. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun with so many people." 

Bright Eyes didn't have the usual excitement in her tone, sure she sounded happy but she also sounded... almost nostalgic in a way. This weird girl was getting more and more interesting. Though he can't say he liked how she referred to herself as someone he was "putting up" with.

'I'm gonna regret this...'

"Quit your overthinking Bright Eyes, if I didn't want you over there then you wouldn't have been over there. Anyways I don't need to put up with anyone, especially not a friend."

Bakugo noticed that he no longer heard any extra steps walking near him and stopped, he turned around to see Bright Eyes had stopped walking, her eyes widened.

"Incase you didn't notice we have a place to get you and it's the middle of the night Bright Eyes, get back to walking!" He attempted to get her moving yet she was still standing there frozen and eyes still widened, he decided to walk up to her.

"What the hell is up with you now? Are you in there somewhere, Bright Eyes?" Bakugo waved his hand in front of her, trying to draw a reaction, when finally he noticed she started to speak again in a quiet voice.

"Did you just call me your friend...?" She seemed to be in disbelief. Bakugo had no idea what the issue was, was it really such a big deal?

"Uh yeah? You deaf or something Bright Eyes- WAIT WHY THE HELL ARE YOU CRYING!?"

Bakugo's immediate thoughts were cut off as he noticed tears beginning to develop yet she was also smiling... what the hell was up with this woman?!

"Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't think I'd get so emotional over it... I feel kind of embarrassed but I can't help it, you actually want to be my friend!!" 

Bakugo was planning to say something in response until he noticed the look in her eyes, he'd seen her happy before but her eyes seemed brighter than usual, it was like her happiness rivaled that of the moon. 

Next thing he knew, Bakugo felt Bright Eyes run into him and wrap her arms around him in a hug. Still as happy as he'd ever seen her before. 

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, GET OFF BRIGHT EYES, I DON'T REMEMBER EVER AGREEING TO ANY HUG!!" He looked down and saw her shake her head, as if she were saying no to his demand.

"I'm really sorry, I usually would but I don't think I can agree this time. I just feel way too happy right now!" 

Bakugo wasn't about to take that for an answer, yet when he looked down and saw how genuinely happy she was, he decided that at least for this moment, he'd be nice. 

"Fine... you get one minute Bright Eyes."

Bright Eyes seemed surprised before nodding happily in agreement, she just better not think that being friends meant hugging would be a normal thing. If that Old Hag were here, he was sure she'd never let him live it down.

With that he stood there trapped in Bright Eyes hug, the same thought in mind that he's had so many times since meeting this weird Bright Eyed Girl.

'What the hell have I gotten myself into'

Notes:

Operation Friendship has finally achieved it's goal and Yume didn't even intend for it to happen in the way that it did! In all seriousness I can't say I ever wanted to spend 15 chapters doing a slow burn for friendship as I felt 2 separate slow burns might've been too much. Regardless hope their friendship becoming official ended up turning out well.

I will clarify just incase someone's curious, neither actually has any feelings for the other yet as they aren't anywhere near that point yet. Now that is where the slow burn aspect will come into play, I hope you all look forward to it! (We'll see what ends up being slower between the relationship development and my non-existent upload schedule)

Chapter 7: Final Preparations

Notes:

After 2 or so months the next chapter is finally here, hopefully long waits do not become a common trend but regardless, I do hope you all enjoy

It'd been one week since Bakugo had decided to give in and accept Bright Eye's persistent friendship... a decision he was still questioning and while not much had changed in their dynamic, he did notice one change that he found interesting.

While perhaps he was just overanalyzing, it seemed like Bright Eyes had an extra step to her ever since then. Aside from the fact she seemed happier than usual, something he didn't think was possible, she was also working even harder in their training, completing her lessons at an even faster pace then before. He was starting to think that perhaps she was ready to begin sparring with him.

'We've been able to improve her speed, endurance, and reflexes in this short time. Not only would sparring be a good way to put all of that to the test... but it would also let me test my own improvements against someone without relying on my Quirk'

When he thought about it even more, the idea just made sense. It would benefit both of them, and with the Sports Festival only days away, it wouldn't be a bad idea to brush up on his combat skills as well. 

'Looks like Bright Eyes can quit complaining about the same old routine... she better be careful what she wishes for though'

Slightly smirking at the thought, Bakugo continued his walk over towards the usual training area, pulling out his phone and opening his messages at the same time.

Katsuki Bakugo: You better be ready and moving, I've got plans for you today

He didn't even bother putting his phone away to wait for a replay, considering she was already typing a response.

Bright Eyes: This might be the first time you've ever texted me first, it gets real boring talking to yourself you know!

Katsuki Bakugo: It's not my fault you send walls of text Bright Eyes, anyways you better be getting ready, training is in 30 minutes. 

Bright Eyes: ....

Bright Eyes: Do you mean 30 minutes from now... or 30 minutes from another time?

Katsuki Bakugo: Obviously 30 minutes from now, don't ask stupid questions!

Bright Eyes: Oh right of course... what a stupid question to ask, not that I seriously meant that because why would I!

Katsuki Bakugo: You're hiding something aren't you...

Bright Eyes: I would never hide something from my favorite friend! 

Katsuki Bakugo: I'm your only friend idiot.

Bright Eyes: The point still applies! Anyways my favorite friend, I'm sure you'd understand when someone gets their days mixed up so you definitely wouldn't be mad if I was hypothetically late today right...?

Katsuki Bakugo: The only way you're getting back home today is in a wheelchair after I'm finished with you...

Bright Eyes: Wow you are serious, I see your anger radiating all the way over here!

As he was nearing the training area, he stared at his phone in annoyance, not finding the humor in anyone being late. 

"SHE MUST THINK BEING LATE IS FUNNY HUH, JUST WAIT UNTIL I SEE HER, SHE WON'T BE LAUGHING THEN!!" 

His verbal thoughts were cut off by the sound of laughter, something that surprised Bakugo since this area never had any visitors.

"You know I think this is the first time I've ever beaten you here, today's really a day of firsts isn't it!"

Realizing the voice was coming from his left, Bakugo looked over there and saw Bright Eyes sitting on a rock with her usual smile... though currently that smile felt like an intentional taunt.

"I'm sorry about the lie but I ended up getting here first and I couldn't resist the temptation, your reactions are just the best!" 

She stood up from the large rock and walked over to him, that smile not leaving her face. At the very least she seemed prepared for today's training. Her usual white hair tied up in a ponytail to go along with a matching white t-shirt and black shorts.

'Even by just looking at her, it's clear as day that her confidence in this training has grown as well, those aren't the eyes of someone not ready to put in the work'

However, Bakugo wasn't gonna go and let her get too comfortable this early on... he was going to enjoy making sure she stayed humble.

"So you think you're funny huh, well I guess we'll see how much you enjoy my reactions when we spar today."

He almost let out a laugh when he saw her eyes widen in surprise for a moment. Either she was excited over changing up the routine or slightly nervous over what was about to happen.

"W-wait... you mean spar as in fight... against you?!" 

"No I mean the other guy here- OF COURSE I MEAN ME!"

She still seemed to be surprised as she tilted her head in confusion, clearly wanting him to elaborate further. 

"Alright, listen up Bright Eyes because I don't explain things twice, as I'm sure you know by now. Think of it like a video game, during your short time training, we've managed to raise many of your stats up to even higher levels, but we can't actually see just how effective these upgrades are unless you put them into action. The same can be said for me, with the Sports Festival nearly here, sparring against an actual person would be a good way to polish up my skills as well, so it's a benefit for both of us."

It seemed she finally understood his intentions as her eyes widened in understanding before a confident smile appeared on her face.

"Well if you think I'm ready then who am I to disagree, though don't think this is going to be easy for you, I may not be a Hero in training or anything but I'm definitely going to make you work for this!"

A smirk appeared on his face at her words, now there was that fire she had that he appreciated so much.

"Oh seems like someone plans to take this seriously, if that's the case then how about we up the stakes?" 

Her confident smile wavered for a quick moment before quickly returning to her face.

"Oh I mean I'm not against it or anything but don't you think that's a bit much... even if I have improved, you are still you after all." 

"Awww what's the matter, is little ole Bright Eyes scared, perhaps you aren't feeling up to it? I guess I can always just take it easy on you after all then, clearly you just weren't as ready as I thought you were-"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SCARED!! I'M NOT SCARED AT ALL, IN FACT I'M MORE THAN READY!!"

Bakugo's eyes widened in surprise as he stood there frozen, staring at Bright Eyes who's eyes were equally surprised at her outburst.

"...."

"...."

Silence filled the area before Bright Eyes frantically waved her arms and bowed her head towards him.

"OH MY GOSH I'M SO SORRY I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAME OVER ME, I'M USUALLY SO MUCH MORE COMPOSED I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST YELLED AT YOU LIKE THAT, I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON, NO I'M A HORRIBLE FRIEND, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!"

Bakugo honestly wasn't sure what he was witnessing at the moment as Bright Eyes had some sort of crisis... in a way it was kind of amusing, but was he supposed to intervene??

"OH GREAT I MADE A FRIEND FINALLY AND I'VE ALREADY MESSED THINGS UP, LOOK WHAT YOU DID YUME, YELLING AT YOUR FRIEND. I'M THE WORST!"

"Bright Eyes"

"HOW COULD I EVEN LET MY TEMPER GET THE BEST OF ME LIKE THAT?!"

"Bright Eyes..."

"I'M JUST A TERRIBLE PERSON-"

"BRIGHT EYES!!"

It seemed she finally snapped out of her crisis as she realized she wasn't the only person here, finally returning to the normal world.

"You realize all you did was yell in the exact same way that I do to literally everyone including you... right?"

Bright Eyes nodded, seemingly unable to form words at the moment.

"So you're all better now?"

She nodded once again with no verbal reply.

"Great, anyways I'm glad you actually didn't take those taunts lying down, nothing worse than when someone just takes disrespect. So take all that motivation and use it when you fight against me, got it!" 

It seemed like she was finally back and fully attentive, as she gave a salute.

"Right Sensei! I'll remember your words!"

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU BEFORE NOT TO CALL ME SENSEI, DAMN BRIGHT EYES!!"

She simply let out a laugh at my words before walking away to create some distance between us. 

"So what are the rules of this, and what stakes did you have in mind?" Getting straight to the point, now this was something he could definitely appreciate.

"Well the rules are simple, I won't use my quirk. This will be our own physical strengths and skills against each other, the only difference is we won't be fighting to knock the other out since you wouldn't have a chance, instead I'm thinking we change things up a bit. We're going to spar for 3 minutes, and if you can land even one hit on me in that time then I'll owe you one favor in the future whenever you need help with something, but if I last the whole 3 minutes without taking a a direct hit... we're moving training time to 6AM permanently!"

Bakugo couldn't resist smirking at the sight of the horrified eyes in front of him. 

"Wha- 6AM, is this what you meant by raising the stakes, do you realize how early that is?!"

One thing that Bakugo had learned in this short time span is that Bright Eyes wasn't exactly the type to enjoy waking up bright and early.

"Of course I do, but don't worry so much, all you have to do is land a hit on me in 3 minutes after all, you can at least do that much... right?" He offered her a taunting smirk to go along with his words, satisfied at the result as he saw her get worked up.

"Oh you think you can just look down on me... that I won't land a single hit on you!! Well just you wait, I'll show you!!"

She appeared to be fired up and ready to go after hearing his taunts.

"That sounds nice and all, anyways don't worry about the time, I can just keep track in my head during the fight, so do the best you can." 

When he took a look at her again, it almost seemed like she had this aura of rage surrounding her... now this was a first.

'I almost feel proud of her progress... almost that is'

"Oh just you wait, you think you don't need to focus all your attention on me, that'll be the biggest mistake you ever make!"

Bakugo simply got into position as he gave one last challenging smirk. 

"Well I guess we'll see, feel free to start whenever you want."

Bright Eyes wasted no time as she immediately ran towards him, arm raised up in position to throw a punch, Bakugo sighed in disappointment at this decision.

'And here I thought she'd learned from our first training lesson, I guess some things never change'

However, just as she was about to reach him, she pulled her arm back and jumped up slightly, throwing a kick towards his head. Bakugo's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he lifted his left arm to block the kick. Using his right arm to grab her leg and throw her to the side in order to create some distance.

'Well then, it seems she does learn. She faked me out with the punch to try and lower my defenses for the kick to the side of the head... not a bad idea but she'll need to do better if she wants to land a hit'

Bright Eyes wasted no time getting back up, running towards him again and beginning to throw multiple strikes towards him at a very fast pace. He was impressed with her determination, especially compared to how she once was. However, with his reaction speed, there was no chance he was going to let her get a hit in that easily.

She clearly wasn't deterred by the lack of progress, still throwing strikes at a high volume, the endurance training no doubt paying off. 

"Come on Bakugo are you just going to run and dodge all day, I didn't realize you were so scared!"

Her strikes continued at a furious pace as she apparently decided to begin taunting him...

"Awww is Sensei afraid to get hit by his Student, come on Red Eyes you gotta do more then be defensive-"

Instinctively he ducked underneath her attempted punch and threw a powerful punch of his right to her gut, causing her to cough and go flying back, landing on the ground. His eyes widened as he realized what'd happened.

'Damn it, I can't believe I actually let her taunts get to me"

Walking over, Bakugo kneeled down to check on the unmoving girl, shaking her shoulder. 

"Hey Bright Eyes, you aren't actually dead on me are you?"

As he went to shake her shoulder again to wake her up, she suddenly sat back up, and threw a punch that connected right on the side of his face.

"DIE!"

The punch itself didn't do any major damage but Bakugo stood up, standing there surprised as he looked down at the girl who very clearly was not dead, in fact she was smiling and staring at him with victory in those purple eyes. 

'Did she actually...?'

"I DID IT! I ACTUALLY HIT YOU!!"

Bright Eyes jumped up in celebration, overjoyed over her apparent victory. Meanwhile, Bakugo was finally coming to terms with what had happened.

"What the hell, don't tell me that was part of your plan or something!?"

Bright Eyes nodded happily, clearly very pleased with herself.

"Yep! I knew in a normal fight I'd have no chance to actually land a hit against you so I decided I'd try and bait you in by provoking you, though I can't say it was all acting... I gotta say you really do hit hard!"

Bakugo stared at her in disbelief, part of him infuriated to have lost but at the same time...

"I even punched you just like you taught me! I made sure to get the motto right and everything!"

'This girl... I'm not even sure what to say at this point'

"So this means I win right, you have to help me out anytime I want to cash that favor in and even better... no 6AM training!!"

Bakugo couldn't help it as he let out a short laugh, while he was annoyed that he lost. He couldn't help but be both impressed and find her methods amusing at the same time.

Bright Eyes seemed to notice as well as she cut her celebration short.

"Did you just laugh!?"

That damn girl and her hearing...

"Huh... what the hell are you talking about! Of course I didn't laugh!"

"No you definitely did!! That has to be one of the first times I've heard you laugh!!"

"AND I'M TELLING YOU I DIDN'T LAUGH BRIGHT EYES!!"

"Nope! You definitely did, you only do that thing where you yell when you're backed in a corner!"

"DAMN IT BRIGHT EYES!!!"

 

---

 

It'd certainly been the most interesting day of training Bakugo had done with her, but he supposed overall it was a successful day for Bright Eyes and for himself as well. Aside from the obvious improvements she'd shown, he could definitely take something from today as well. He'd need to make sure he keeps a calm head during the Sports Festival, he couldn't afford to lose his cool in a fight.

Walking over to Bright Eyes with 2 water bottles, he called out to her. 

"Hey Bright Eyes, catch!"

He watched as she fumbled with the bottle before securing it in her hands... he still couldn't still if she was athletic, clumsy, or just plain lucky. 

"Oh thanks Bakugo! What're you getting me water for though? That's definitely something new from you." He supposed she wasn't completely wrong, he usually let her worry about hydrating herself.

"Huh, are you saying I'm not able to do nice things?! Anyways just think of it as a good job for the work you did today, you weren't completely awful Bright Eyes."

He saw as a big smile formed on his face before she started walking towards him

'Oh no... not this again'

He stuck his arm out, keeping her at a distance as she tried to hug him. 

"I TOLD YOU THAT WAS A ONE TIME THING BRIGHT EYES!!"

"Awww come on, a hug's never hurt anyone!"

"WELL I'M GONNA HURT YOU REAL BAD IF YOU DON'T BACK UP!!"

"Fiiine, but you can't avoid it forever!"

Finally getting the memo, Bright Eyes backed up before taking a sip of water.

"So I haven't really gotten to ask you yet, with the Sports Festival coming up soon, how're you feeling about it?"

So far during their training the topic hadn't really come up, but he guessed it made sense for her to ask now with how close it was.

"I'm ready for it, I have no intentions of walking out of the Sports Festival as anything other than an undeniable First Place!"

Bright Eyes seemed to contemplate his words for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"That sounds about right, I'll definitely be watching and cheering you on! I do want to ask though, not that I think you'll lose but... what if you don't win?"

Usually Bakugo would snap at this type of question but he knew Bright Eyes well enough to know she wasn't asking with any rude intentions, but of genuine curiosity. 

"Oh I'd be absolutely furious, but I'd get over it and focus on getting better. If I lost then that would mean there's someone stronger than me and I wouldn't ever allow myself to remain at that level below them!"

She simply gave a smile at those words. 

"Yeah that does seem like something you'd do, I assume you're looking to the 3rd round especially. If I recall they always hold a tournament for the last round right?" He wasn't too surprised that she knew that, with how big of an event the Sports Festival was every year, it wasn't like this was private information.

"I don't plan to overlook the first 2 rounds but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't looking forward to getting the chance to fight. As much as my class is full of idiots, I'll admit they're also capable for the most part which just makes everything even better. The only way I can prove myself is by beating the best at their absolute best, there wouldn't be a point if I was fighting a bunch of extras!" Bright Eyes just laughed at the declaration, but seemingly nodded along.

"Well that does make sense, either way I can't wait to watch! I'll be sure to congratulate you after you take home the gold!! She sent a bright smile and thumbs up his way to go along with her words.

"Obviously, that is the plan Bright Eyes."

Though he couldn't lie, he supposed it wasn't completely awful having some support from someone that wasn't family. Considering how confident she was in his victory, it was just another reason why he couldn't lose, he'd have to make sure he showed up at a high level at the Sports Festival.

'After all, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't live up to expectations'

Notes:

How far they've come since the first chapter, I do hope you all enjoyed the callbacks I made in this chapter, felt quite clever with those. Anyways next up is the Sports Festival so finally getting back into canon.

Chapter 8: The Sports Festival

Notes:

The long awaited Sports Festival Chapter, I hope you all enjoy. If you have any thoughts feel free to share in the comments. I thank you all for your patience.

"Today's the day!!" 

After so many days of training and excitement, the day of the Sports Festival had finally arrived. Even though she wasn't actually competing in it, Yume couldn't help but shout out her excitement to nobody in particular. She'd even made sure to take off work today so she could see the whole event!

Usually in years past she didn't have much interest in the Sports Festival. There was no personal reason but it was just another big event on TV to her. Now though she has a very big reason to watch, to support her best... and only... but still best friend Bakugo!

'Oh I should send him a good luck message before things start up!'

Pulling out her phone, Yume opened the messaging app and quickly sent a message to Bakugo. 

Yume: Good luck today Bakugo! After you take home the gold we should do something to celebrate!

She went to close out of the app but noticed that the message was already seen by Bakugo, smiling to herself, she fully closed out of the app and put her phone away.

'Do your best Bakugo...'

---

After heating up some food and grabbing a bottle of water, Yume made her way over to the TV when she noticed everyone gathering in the arena. While she was vaguely familiar with how the Sports Festival worked, she wasn't overly familiar with it, so she was excited to see the type of competitions that took place. 

Looking on from her couch at the TV, she saw as the large group of first years fully gathered in the center. 

'Wow, I didn't realize the field was so large, though this is more than just the Hero Course so I guess it makes sense'

It looked like things were about ready to go as the "Chief Umpire" began talking... though Yume would be lying if she wasn't wondering who's idea it was to have the "R Rated Hero" be the Umpire for a group of Students. 

'I wonder if it'll be easy to see Bakugo early on with how many people are competing'

She'd been so excited to watch she didn't actually think about if the camera's would be on him or not, hopefully it wouldn't end up being too big of an issue.

'Oh great... imagine if I can't see him. All this time training with him and telling him I'm gonna support him and I won't even be able to see him win-'

"And for the Student Pledge, we have Katsuki Bakugo!"

Yume's thoughts were put on pause as she stared at her TV with a blank expression, watching as the familiar blonde she knew so well walked up onto the stage...

"HUH?!"

'Student Pledge... since when did Bakugo get into public speaking?!' 

Despite her surprised reaction, she noticed his calm expression as he was walking onto the stage. He seemed different then he usually is, usually Bakugo was as explosive as his quirk but here... he seemed calm, cool, and confident.

'It shouldn't be any surprise, he's worked so hard to get ready for this, of course he'd be taking it seriously'

She was honestly curious what he was going to say, considering Bakugo didn't seem like someone interested in public speaking. Maybe he was going to surprise everyone with a really inspiring speech, or maybe he'd say something really motivational!

"I just wanna say... I'm gonna win"

Yume watched as the crowd seemingly exploded in anger as Bakugo calmly made his way back to wherever he was. However, Yume couldn't help but smile and laugh at her friend's declaration of victory. 

'Well he wouldn't be Bakugo if he wasn't himself

After everyone calmed down, it was announced that the first event would be an Obstacle Race. Yume immediately sat up at this news in excitement, knowing that Bakugo's mobility wasn't a concern at all.

She was now fully attentive, ready to cheer on Bakugo to the best of her ability!

---

After two events, Yume could say that things were going really well, after all Bakugo had made it all the way to the final event, was about to fight in the first round, and was still in the running to win it all!

'Though I get the feeling if I were to ask Bakugo, he'd be furious right now... 3rd in the race and 2nd in the Cavalry Battle'

She couldn't help but find the mental image of that funny, she would have to be sure to tease him about it later once he won the Sports Festival.

'I shouldn't get ahead of myself though, I doubt Bakugo is overlooking this Uraraka girl'

The fight started with Uraraka rushing towards Bakugo, only to get blasted away by an explosion. While Uraraka seemed to have some creative strategies like using her jacket as a feint, the process simply repeated itself for a while.

'She's definitely really tough to just rush in there, but if her game plan is to find an opening by rushing towards Bakugo then she won't find any success. Even without using his quirk, I saw firsthand in all our spars just what kind of reflexes he has.'

If she remembered correctly from the previous events, Uraraka's quirk was gravity related. So she probably needed to touch Bakugo to use it, in all honesty this probably was the best strategy for her then, even if she was at a big disadvantage.

Eventually, it seemed like the crowd started to have enough of what they were seeing though. 

"Listen Kid, you really wanna be a Hero, then stop acting like a bully."

Yume's eyes narrowed at the statement from the Hero in the crowd. Hearing the crowd begin to boo Bakugo, she started to get annoyed at the attitude. 

"The crowd is now booing Bakugo! And honestly I kinda agree with what they're sayin-"

'Just because she's a girl he should take it easy on her? Why is Bakugo the bad guy just because he wants to win... he's doing the same thing everyone else is doing...'

Just as Yume was getting ready to snap, she finally heard a voice of reason on TV. 

"Bakugo's fierceness is an acknowledgement of his opponents strength"

Yume couldn't help but let a smile break out on her face, hearing the words from who she assumed was Eraserhead. 

'I'm pretty sure Bakugo said that he's his homeroom teacher... it's good to know someone there actually understands'

Thankfully the crowd calmed down after that, and the focus was returned back to the fight.

After a while, Uraraka thanked Bakugo before bringing her hands together, dropping down what appeared to be a meteor shower from destroyed pieces of the ring, 

Her eyes widened in both surprise and concern, Yume stared intently at the screen, hoping Bakugo had some sort of ace up his sleeve. 

She stared in amazement as Bakugo lifted up his arm and launched one of the most powerful explosions she'd ever seen, completely destroying the meteor shower and sending Uraraka flying back, all in one go. 

'I knew he was strong from our training but this... it's unbelievable! I wonder, if I had this type of ability perhaps maybe I could've kept up my end of things too... and maybe they would've finally said those words...'

Shaking her head, Yume snapped out of those thoughts. She couldn't think about any of that now, today was Bakugo's day!

She watched as Uraraka somehow made it back to her feet, getting a smirk of excitement out of Bakugo, and Yume couldn't help but feel happy for him.

'He'd probably deny it but I can tell he's really having fun out there, especially facing off against such a strong opponent' 

Uraraka eventually collapsed for good and Midnight declared Bakugo the winner. Finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, Yume leaned back on her couch. While she did feel bad for Uraraka after all the hard work she clearly put in, she couldn't help but feel even more happy for Bakugo, seeing as he was now moving on to the 2nd round!

She knew it would only continue to get tougher from here, there were still 3 more rounds of fights after this, but she had confidence in her friend to finish the job and live up to his pledge!

---

After that the fights didn't let up. There was an incredible fight between a Green Haired Boy and someone who was apparently Endeavor's Son that really had stood out to her. Of course even if it was an incredible fight, her loyalty still lied with one person and that was Bakugo!

He looked really impressive in his next two fights. First beating a red haired guy named Kirishima who's Quirk allowed him to harden his skin. After that he fought a guy named Tokoyami who's Shadow Quirk had seemed unstoppable in his previous fights, yet Bakugo was able to exploit a weakness in what ended up being a mismatch. Just as she'd expected earlier in the day, her friend had clinched his spot in the finals and was now one win away from taking home the gold just like he'd told her he would!

This final match would by far be the toughest though, from what she'd seen this Todoroki guy was really strong with both his fire and his ice. Knowing Bakugo though, facing such a strong opponent probably had him feeling excited though. 

Her thoughts were quickly confirmed when the cameras showed him and Todoroki both walking out to the arena, the expression on his face showed that he wasn't planning to mess around.

She sat in anticipation waiting for the fight to begin, nervous but also having complete confidence in Bakugo to win just like he said he would.

Yume barely had any time to prepare herself because as soon as the fight began, Todoroki launched a giant structure of ice right into Bakugo, similar to what he'd done to the Tape Guy earlier in the Sports Festival.

'Bakugo!"

Her eyes widened in concern as she stood up, Bakugo nowhere to be seen on the screen.

'He's fine right?? He wouldn't lose that easily.... I hope'

Her hopes were proven to be correct as she started to hear very loud sounds coming from her TV, very similar to Bakugo's explosions. Yume began to realize just what it was, as did Todoroki. 

Bakugo eventually emerged from the ice, launching himself at Todoroki and sending him flying, nearly out of bounds before Todoroki saved himself with his ice.

Eventually Todoroki was able to grab hold of Bakugo, yet backed off from using his fire. While she didn't exactly want to see Bakugo burned, Yume couldn't help but be confused, she also noticed genuine anger enter Bakugo's eyes.

'He won't be happy about that...'

"There's no point if you don't fight me with the same power you used against Deku! If you don't wanna win this, why are you even here?! Show everyone you're trying to destroy me!"

Yume didn't really understand the situation but after getting to know Bakugo all this time, she understood what he was talking about. Bakugo was the type where he wouldn't accept anything but someone's absolute best, she could only imagine how he'd react if he felt someone was holding back against him.

It seemed like Bakugo finally got what he wanted as Todoroki summoned his fire, meanwhile Bakugo finally got his smirk back and did something she'd never seen him do before. He leaped into the air with his explosions and using them, moved in a circular motion, creating some sort of explosion tornado.

'Incredible... he must have been saving this for the finals!'

Yume stood in nervous anticipation wondering how this would turn out, but at the last moment Todoroki allowed his flames to go out, taking the full brunt of the move she'd heard Bakugo call "Howitzer Impact".

The result ended up being a huge explosion that caused smoke to cover the area, making it tough to see what had happened. Eventually it cleared up and Yume along with the rest of the world saw that Todoroki was knocked out and out of bounds.

Yume couldn't stop the awful feeling she felt when she saw the look in Bakugo's eyes as a result. Watching as he ran towards the downed Todoroki and grabbed him by the collar.

"This isn't a real win for me unless you try harder! It can't end this way, now get up!"

In the entire time she'd known him, this might've been the first time she'd ever heard Bakugo use such a tone. It sounded like defeat, frustration, anger, and more all in one. Knowing how much this meant to him, Yume understood why he'd feel that way, seeing firsthand the type of work he put in to prepare.

Eventually Midnight used her quirk to put Bakugo to sleep, and while she didn't enjoy seeing him get knocked out like that, she understood that it was more of a precaution since Bakugo probably wasn't thinking clearly.

Even though he'd technically won, this wasn't at all the way she'd imagined it happening...

Even though she couldn't say she was in the mood for it, apparently there was still an Award Ceremony to get through. Since she assumed Bakugo would be there, Yume decided she'd watch it first then maybe give Bakugo a call afterwards. Even if he wasn't likely to be in the best of moods, she'd still like to meet up with him today and check in.

She wasn't really sure how they did these ceremonies but based on everything else, wasn't too surprised when she saw the smoke and flashiness of it. It was honestly surprising they even managed to convince Bakugo to get on one of those podiums considering how everything had ended. However, all her thoughts were immediately pushed to the side when the smoke cleared up.

Bakugo...

Her friend...

Chained and muzzled...

In front of the entire world..

Yume felt like time had stopped for her in a moment, she wasn't hearing a thing. All she could recognize was what she was seeing on her screen.

'Aren't they his teachers...'

'Aren't they supposed to be Heroes...'

'What did he do wrong...'

Yume shakily reached for her remote and turned the TV off, having seen enough. Trying to do her best to calm herself down, she couldn't remember the last time she felt like this.

'Not since then...'

She tried her best to slow her breathing down, to stop her body from shaking. After an hour or so, she finally calmed herself down, quietly stood up, put on her shoes, and walked out the door of her apartment.

---

Bakugo was not someone who usually walked around with a smile on his face, but he was in an especially bad mood at the moment. Sure he didn't appreciate being chained and muzzled on National TV, but what really infuriated him was that Icy Hot held back on him, refusing to use his flames, costing him a complete victory, and making him out to be a liar. 

'That damn half and half thinks Deku's worthy of them and not me...'

That's not all though, as if the world decided it hated Bakugo today, he couldn't even walk home in peace and quiet. 

"Hey, wait up Bakugo!"

Apparently Shitty Hair decided they were friends after the Sports Festival, and insisted on tagging along with him after the whole thing wrapped up.

"I can't say I fully agree with everything that went on at the end there with the awards, but even so, congratulations on the win Bakugo!"

Bakugo turned towards his direction and gave him a look. 

"Huh?! You didn't hear me up there, I refuse to accept this as a win, it doesn't mean a damn thing to me, that damn Icy Hot held back, there's no value in this kind of victory!"

Shitty Hair simply gave him one of those grins he's seemingly become known for before nodding in understanding.

"Yeah I guess you have a right to feel that way, who knows how I'd feel if I were in your shoes. I gotta say though man you're definitely real tough though, don't think I'm gonna let that loss to you go unavenged forever!" 

Bakugo simply scoffed at this though internally he was actually impressed at what he saw today from Shitty Hair, not that he'd say so out loud.

"Yeah sure, whatever you say Shitty Hair, just don't expect the result to change."

"I told you before my name is Kirishima and my hair's not that different from yours!!"

Before Bakugo could respond, he heard footsteps up ahead. Apparently Kirishima heard them too because he looked up ahead.

"Man that girl looks like she's in an awful mood, wonder what happened to her."

Interested in what he meant, Bakugo looked forward as well, his eyes widening in surprise at what he saw.

'What the hell is Bright Eyes doing.... and why does she look like that'

The usually happy and cheerful Bright Eyes had none of her usual qualities, in fact her eyes seemed to lack their usual spark, covered by her white hair. Instead she appeared like a raging storm walking towards him. She grabbed his hand and began pulling him away.

She looked back at him and kept her words very short.

"You! With Me! Now!"

'IS THIS THE SAME WOMAN?!'

Bakugo found that he couldn't speak any words due to how shocked he was over the assertiveness she was showing.

'Wait a minute... Shitty Hair is still there'

Turning his head back towards Kirishima as he was being dragged away, Bakugo gave Kirishima a death stare warning him not to say a word to anyone.

The confused Kirishima simply nodded in agreement as Bakugo turned his head back around to look forward.

After a while, it seemed Bright Eyes was finally satisfied as they stopped at a Park. It seemed to be empty which wasn't too surprising, considering it was late in the day and the sun was going down.

"Ok Bright Eyes, mind explaining what the hell that was about, what's with dragging me all the way over here?!" 

He noticed that she wasn't answering, in fact she was looking down at the ground, breathing a bit heavy. 

"Is something wrong or something, you aren't getting sick on me or anything are you?"

She mumbled something under her breath but Bakugo couldn't make it out. 

"Speak the hell up! I can't hear your mumbling toward the ground! What the hell is wro-"

"Why are you acting like nothings wrong...?" 

Bakugo looked at her confused, wondering what she meant.

"Huh, what are you talking about?"

At that her head snapped up, eyes looking directly into his. Yet those eyes that usually looked so bright and cheerful instead seemed to be holding so many other emotions.

"They chained you up!"

Bakugo's eyes widened in realization, he never thought of how she might feel about that.

"Don't worry Bright Eyes, I'm fine, it's not a big deal-"

"Not a big deal?!"

She shouted that at him, which nearly caused him to take a step back in surprise. 

"They muzzled you! They chained you up! They put you on display in front of the entire world like you were some Monster... Some Villain!! Just because you didn't want to accept some stupid award!!"

He wanted to tell her to calm down but Bakugo was honestly too shocked, he'd never seen her get angry like this before. Sure he'd seen her with tears in her eyes with how much she cries but these aren't just tears, this is anger.

"They're supposed to be your teachers!! They're supposed to be Heroes and they do that to you, did anyone even care?!"

Bakugo just stood there silent, deciding to let her get it all out.

"This was supposed to be one of the biggest days of your life! You were supposed to go and show the world who's #1! They went and ruined your day just for some damn PR Stunt to make themselves look good!! Why are you so calm... you should be furious!?"

"Why did nobody else stick up for you?!"

"Why... why am I the only one that's angry for you!!"

She nearly yelled out the last line as she finally took a breath. Seeing that she was finished, he finally decided to speak.

"Don't get me wrong I'm furious over today, that wasn't at all the type of victory I wanted against that damn Icy Hot. In fact it's not even a victory at all in my mind. I didn't particularly enjoy being chained up either, but there's no use wasting time thinking about it anymore either. If I want to become the #1 Hero then I need to move forward, trust me when I say next time, something like that won't happen again."

Bright Eyes seemed both annoyed and confused at this.

"You're just gonna forgive them and move on?! After what they did?!"

Bakugo simply let out a laugh at this. 

"Oh I wouldn't say forgive, but I'll forget about it. I can't afford to keep it on my mind when I have bigger goals to focus on."

Bright Eyes simply shook her head at this.

"No! Even if you want to forget it... I absolutely can't forgive or forget it!"

Bakugo gave her a look of surprise at this statement.

"Huh so even sweet and innocent Bright Eyes can hold a grudge, in a way I'm almost proud."

She looked at him with a pout, seemingly getting her energy back.

"I'm being serious here Bakugo!"

Bakugo analyzed the look in her eyes, seeing the sincerity of her statement.

"Ok then... I'll respect your stance on the matter. I can tell you're serious about it, Bright Eyes."

That finally got a small smile out of her as she firmly nodded at him. 

"Yep, you aren't winning this battle!"

That got Bakugo to look down for a moment, eyes darkened, before looking back up and towards her.

"About that, I don't do this sort of thing often so don't let it go to your damn head but I did tell you I was going to take home the gold and in my mind I didn't do that. I didn't live up to my own expectations either so I guess I'm... sorry."

Feeling his face heat up due to the fact he hardly ever apologizes, he looks at Bright Eyes only to see she's very surprised over what she heard, her face even appearing slightly red, before a full genuine smile finally appears on her face.

"Oh well I mean... I'm honestly really happy you wanted me to see you win, and I really appreciate it. I know you don't apologize often so thank you, but I don't think you owe me anything! Even with how it ended, you were still amazing out there, I couldn't believe some of the things you pulled off, it was incredible!"

Bakugo simply shook his head at her words though.

"No, there's still room to improve and trust me when I say I'm only going to climb higher from here."

He then looked up at the sky, realizing how late it was.

"Damn I've gotta get home for Dinner, otherwise the Old Hag probably won't shut up about it later if I'm late."

Bright Eyes seemingly deflated at this as she saw him walk away.

"Ah right, I probably did hold you up. I'm sorry about that Bakugo. I hope you have a good night."

He heard her begin to walk away before shouting something out to her.

"Hey Bright Eyes! Are you coming or not?"

She became wide eyed at that, looking at him.

"Wait, you mean to your house?!"

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at such an obvious question.

"Well obviously my house, my Parents won't shut up about you visiting again and knowing them, there'll be plenty of food... unless you don't want to join?"

She frantically waved her arms at this and began to run after him. 

"NO! I MEAN YES I'D LOVE TO JOIN YOU ALL, THANK YOU!"

"I'll call and let them know then, though I have to make sure, you aren't gonna go and grab my hand again are you Bright Eyes?"

"BAKUGO!!"

Notes:

Yume sorta didn't realize at all how assertive she was at the end there til the moment was over, then the embarrassment hit her in full force with Bakugo's words, you all can imagine the rest I'm sure! Anyways let us all hope the next chapter does not take as long.

Chapter 9: Another Side

Notes:

And we are back. We'll just ignore the little detail of it being two months and instead focus on the positives. We have entered a brand new arc and introducing new characters. I hope you all enjoy the beginnings of this and that it was worth the wait.

No! Even if you want to forget it... I absolutely can't forgive or forget it!'

Bakugo's time at UA had just ended for the day and he was getting ready to leave, and while usually he'd be thinking strictly about the upcoming internships. He couldn't help but continue to think back to what happened with Bright Eyes after the Sports Festival.

It wasn't like he was mad about her wanting to stick up for him, he could respect someone that wanted to stick by what they thought was the right thing to do. That wasn't all though, he knew there was something else that kept making him think back to that moment, something he himself wasn't even fully aware of yet.

'Just what could it be though...'

He was positive that this wasn't going to go away until he figured it out but whatever it was, Bakugo had the feeling that it couldn't be anything good, that much was certain.

As he was walking out of UA and onto the sidewalk, he was brought out of his thoughts by a familiar voice he'd become far too familiar with for his liking in the past week or so especially.

"Hey Bakugo! Where're you off to in such a hurry?"

Bakugo didn't even need to turn around in order to recognize that it was Kirishima. He supposed it could've been worse though, at least it wasn't that damn nerd. After both the USJ and the Sports Festival, he could say that Kirishima had earned his respect... even with that overly upbeat and positive attitude of his. He noticed this was starting to become a trend for him.

'First Bright Eyes and now Kirishima... what'd I do to deserve this'

"What is it that you want, Shitty Hair?"

Kirishima laughed, seemingly accepting he was stuck with the name before looking at Bakugo with an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry if I'm holding you up man, I just wanted to apologize for after the Sports Festival when we were heading home."

Bakugo gave him a confused look at this apology, not sure what he was getting at.

"Huh, what the hell are you apologizing for?" As far as he could remember, nothing happened between them that would need any sort of apology.

"I'm talking about the fact that I held you up as long as I did, I would've let you go sooner if I'd known your Girlfriend was waiting for you, it's great to see that you seem to be happy outside of school though and she seemed excited to meet with you too, that's real manly!"

Bakugo's thoughts stopped for a moment as he processed what he'd heard for a moment, before realizing just what that whole scene after the Sports Festival had probably looked like to Kirishima.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND YOU IDIOT!" 

Kirishima seemed surprised by this, apparently he was pretty confident in his assumption.

"Wait, she isn't?! It really seemed like you both were together, especially the way she aggressively dragged you away and the way you let it happen, I couldn't imagine anyone else you'd let do that to you, especially with how you usually are!"

"Well clearly you weren't looking correctly- WAIT WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!"

Kirishima just laughed as he had a slightly apologetic look on his face. 

"Anyways I'm sorry about assuming, it just really surprised me. If it's cool to ask though, who was she?"

Bakugo thought about how he should answer that. On one hand it wasn't like he was trying to hide her or anything, but on the other hand...

'It'd be such a headache if the damn class ever hears about her'

"She's just someone I know, anyways don't you have something you need to do Shitty Hair?" Bakugo decided it was long past due to change the topic. 

"Oh right! I was wondering if you had any idea what you were gonna do for your internship?" He was starting to wonder if Kirishima was just an overly nosy person, but he'd take this topic over the previous one. 

"Not that it's any of your damn business Shitty Hair, but I'll probably just go with Best Jeanist since he was the highest ranking hero that put out an offer. I've got nothing to learn from some middle of the pack Hero." 

He saw Kirishima give him an excited smile at that, he was starting to think that he was talking to the male version of Bright Eyes with how he was constantly happy.

"Oh wow the #4 Hero put out an offer for you, that's so manly!" Kirishima seemed to be excited for him, he should probably at least say something back now in return. 

"So what about you, any idea where you'll be heading Shitty Hair?" He watched Kirishima go into thought, apparently he hadn't actually made a decision of his own yet.

"I've gotten some great offers but I'm honestly still not sure where I want to go." Bakugo rolled his eyes at this, of course the idiot still hadn't made a decision yet. It's like he was the only one in his class who actually thought things over in advance.

"It's not that difficult you idiot, just choose whoever you think you'll benefit the most from, don't overthink everything, it's not rocket science."

He noticed that the idiot walking next to him had gone quiet and looked to see that he had a surprised expression on his face. 

"Wow, who would've thought you were able to give such rational advice, thanks man!"

"HUH?! I'M ALWAYS RATIONAL YOU SHITTY HAIRED IDIOT!"

Bakugo didn't have the chance to say anything else on the subject when his phone's ringer cut him off. 

"Seems like you've got a call you need to take and I wouldn't want to interrupt time between you and your not girlfriend! Anyways this is my stop. It was great talking, see you later Bakugo!" He watched as Kirishima ran off at a suspiciously fast pace, though Bakugo decided it wasn't worth chasing or yelling after him.

Bakugo looked at his phone and to his surprise it actually was Bright Eyes. 

'Now that I think about it, this has to be the first time she's directly called since the USJ incident... guess she's getting more bold'

With his curiosity getting the better of him and seeing no harm, Bakugo decided to answer the call and before he could get a word out, he heard an excited voice through his phone.

"Wow, you actually picked up!! I was worried you'd just ignore it since we never call and all but I thought maybe I'd give it a try and you actually answered!!"

Bakugo just shook his head, not even surprised with how she can be at this point.

"Calm down there Bright Eyes, how about you try taking a breath mid-sentence. Anyways, what do you want?" He heard her stutter on her end, she really does need to work on hiding her intentions.

"W-well maybe I'm just calling to chat, you ever think of that Bakugo!" 

"......"

"......"

"Fiiiiine, I was hoping you'd meet me outside the store? I'm about to wrap up my shift for today and was wanting to ask you a favor... wait, not the one you owe me though!! You can choose to accept this one or not. So if you aren't busy, maybe you could make it?" 

Now this was even more surprising, first Bright Eyes calls him directly and now she's making a direct request. He's pretty sure the girl he met back in early April would've fainted before being so direct.

'Was I just overthinking things earlier after all?'

Either way, it's not like he had anything else going on, and if Bright Eyes worked herself up to request something, he was curious now just what it could be.

"Fine I'll head over there now, but it better not be anything stupid!" All that he heard on the phone afterwards were sounds of excitement before she began to speak again.

"Really, you will!! Thank you Bakugo, I should be finished by the time you get here, I can't wait! Anyways I should probably hang up now since technically I'm not supposed to be on the phone during my shift and all. See you later Bakugo!"

With those excited words she quickly hung up the phone, he stared at his screen for a moment before putting his phone in his pocket.

'What a damn idiot, breaking the rules like that'

Bakugo then began his walk over to the increasingly familiar store, increasingly curious at just what Bright Eyes wanted.

---

Finally arriving at his destination, he saw not only the store but familiar white hair in the distance, and he was only even more positive on who it was when he saw a familiar pair of eyes, their usual shade of purple, turning towards his direction. It seemed she was standing outside waiting for him. 

"Hi Bakugo, thanks for making it! I hope I didn't mess up your daily routine or anything, I didn't realize you came straight from your School." He walked up to her, noticing just what she was wearing and finding her statement ironic. 

"Like you're one to talk Bright Eyes, pretty sure that's your work uniform that you're still wearing." She couldn't do anything but laugh at that statement, probably thinking the same thought as him. "Anyways quit worrying, if I was too busy then I wouldn't be here, simple as that. Now let's get moving, I'd rather walk and talk than standing around and doing nothing."

Bright Eyes gave him a soft smile as she walked over to him, and they began their walk out of the Store area and over to the sidewalk.

"Well I'm glad to hear that, anyways how've you been, hopefully UA actually treated you like a Student today?" 

He can't say he was surprised to hear that, after all it had been Bright Eyes herself who said she wouldn't forget or forgive what had happened. In a way he had to respect her determination to stick to her beliefs. 

"I've been doing fine, just getting ready for Internships in a few weeks, that's about it." He saw Bright Eyes look at him with slight surprise on her face, as well as slight sadness as well?

"Oh that's amazing Bakugo, it really is a great opportunity for you! I take it you'll be away during that time?"

Bakugo let out a small mocking laugh at this, realizing just why she sounded a bit sad.

"Awww are you trying to say that you'll miss me, huh Bright Eyes?" He watched with a slightly amused look on his face as a pout began to form on Bright Eyes face, it seemed it was turning a faint red as well.

"M-maybe... what does it matter if I do, isn't it only natural to miss a friend!! I mean it's not like I'll have absolutely nothing else fun to do while you're gone because that would be absolutely ridiculous and I would never be in such a spot!!" 

Bakugo could only look at her with a blank expression on his face.

"Are you done yet...?"

"Yeah..."

After giving her a chance to compose herself after that entertaining display, he decided to speak again.

"While I'm sure you'll be so busy with that packed schedule of yours you just talked about, I'll still be able around towards the end of the day by phone call, so as hilarious as that was, don't overthink it too much Bright Eyes."

It seems he'd set her off again as she was looking embarrassed once more.

"I'M SERIOUS, I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE A VERY BUSY SCHEDULE!!"

"Sure you do Bright Eyes."

"I DO!! MY MANAGER TELLS ME ALL THE TIME JUST HOW HELPFUL I AM!!"

As entertaining as it was seeing her all worked up, he probably should get her back on track right about now. 

"Didn't you call me here for something Bright Eyes?" He watched as she paused mid shout, realization hitting her eyes.

"Oh that's right, I completely forgot!" 

Bakugo could only watch and wonder just how someone could forget the whole reason he was called over here.

'One thing that hasn't changed, she's still such a weird girl...'

He simply shook his head in acceptance and let out a sigh before looking towards her, it seemed she was working up the strength to ask whatever it was she wanted to ask.

"Well Bakugo... I was wondering... well really hoping.... would you maybe like to... TEACH ME HOW TO COOK!"

As Bright Eyes bowed her head towards her after making her request, he could only look at her in confusion until her request fully set in.

"You want me to teach you... how to cook?"

Bright Eyes looked up and gave a determined nod at this.

"As in... cook food?"

She gave yet another determined nod.

"Do you have any idea how to cook... at all?"

She shook her head at this.

"..."

He watched her hopeful eyes, as bright as ever, feeling ready to finally respond to them.

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO COOK, YOU IDIOT?!"

He then watched as said hope in her eyes shattered into pieces, his words landing a critical hit on her.

"WHAT KIND OF MORON DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO COOK A SINGLE DAMN THING... DIDN'T ANYONE EVER TEACH YOU?!"

She awkwardly laughed at that, eyes looking down. 

"W-well you see, I guess you could say that I... never got around to it?" She must've noticed his unimpressed look because she quickly said something else. "I talked to your Mom the last time I was there though and she said you were an amazing cook so I thought you'd definitely be able to teach me a few things!"

Bakugo was trying to think of when such a conversation could have possibly happened before remembering the dinner after the Sports Festival, when he got up to do the Dishes, leaving Bright Eyes with his Parents at the table.

'That damn Old Hag...'

He decided to calm down and think about it, no use in thinking about the past at this point. While he did so, Bright Eyes hopeful gaze remained completely on him as they walked.

"Fine... I'll do it"

Bright Eyes let out a surprised gasp as her eyes widened. 

"Wait, you mean you'll actually do it?" He couldn't help but roll his eyes at her question, did the girl have a hearing problem or something. 

"Well yeah, that's what I said you idiot. I'll teach you how to cook."

Her eyes grew even more wide at his confirmation, as if she couldn't comprehend his words. 

"You'd actually teach me... someone as hopeless as me??" 

Bakugo's eyes narrowed at her words, not exactly liking how she described herself, not one bit. 

"Let me make something clear, I don't waste time with hopeless people. If I say I'm gonna do something then I'll do it, that means I'm gonna teach you how to cook... clear?"

He watched as she repeatedly nodded at him, growing more and more cheerful.

"As crystal!" 

Seeing that he'd gotten his message across for now, he went back to focusing on the task at hand.

"Anyways I'll text you details sometime soon about how we'll do this and to make sure it doesn't run into training, but don't think you'll be getting out of your usual training because of this, got it!"

Bright Eyes gave him a nod, as excited as he'd seen her.

"Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less! Oh wow this is gonna be so exciting, learning how to cook from an expert, thank you so much Bakugo!!"

She jumped into him to wrap her arms around him and give him a hug, something he was starting to notice was becoming both increasingly common and annoying.

"DAMN IT BRIGHT EYES, HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS. I DON'T REMEMBER SAYING TO HUG ME!!" 

While he was trying to get her off, suddenly he heard his name called out by a familiar voice.

"Hey Bakugo! Is that you?"

Hoping he misheard, after escaping Bright Eyes hug, he turned around to see the familiar red hair of Kirishima. 

"What the hell are you doing here Shitty Hair, didn't you head home earlier?"

Kirishima gave a sheepish grin as he walked up to them. 

"Ah well I did, but I wanted to go out for a jog. Though it might help me figure out my Internship!" 

Now that Bakugo thought about it, it had been quite awhile since he and Kirishima had been leaving UA, somehow he didn't notice how fast the day had gone by. 

"Well don't you have that jog to get back to Shitty Hair?" Kirishima let out an embarrassed laugh at this, realizing he'd completely put a pause to his jog, the entire point of why he went out.

"Yeah don't worry I'm heading out, it was good to see you again though Bakugo!" 

Bakugo assumed he'd turn around and walk away at that but instead he walked over to Bright Eyes next.

"Since you're here too I also wanted to apologize for interrupting your outing both here today and whatever happened after the Sports Festival, as well as introduce myself. I'm Eijiro Kirishima and I’m one of Bakugo's classmates from UA, it's nice to meet you!"

He saw Kirishima extend his hand for a handshake and realized that this was the worst case scenario. Either Bright Eyes freaks out and is shy and embarrassed or they get along so well that the two of them drive him insane. When he thinks about how similar they already are... the thought nearly gives him a headache.

'I guess I better help her out here if she needs it'

However, when Bakugo turned to look at Bright Eyes. He didn't see the same cheerful expression he'd seen moments ago or a shy expression of any kind. Instead, all he saw was her staring at Kirishima's extended hand with eyes he'd never seen from her before, eyes that left him with more questions then answers. 

'Why the hell do her eyes look so cold...'

Notes:

Hope everyone enjoyed, if you have any thoughts or questions feel free to leave them below... don't you all just love cliffhangers.

Chapter 10: Mask

Notes:

The inconsistent updates may become a tradition but rest assured that updates will happen nonetheless, even when there are no posts, ideas are always being thought up. I hope you all enjoy.

' Why the hell do her eyes look so cold...'

If Bakugo wasn't staring at them himself, he wouldn't have believed that Bright Eyes could ever appear so cold, the name almost didn't even feel appropriate at the moment, watching her stare coldly at Kirishima's extended hand, making no effort to return the handshake.

"It's nice to meet you... now is that all you wanted?"

He watched as Kirishima's eyes widened in surprise for a moment at the cold and detached tone before he lowered his hand, letting out an awkward laugh.

"Y-yeah that's all, I just figured that I should introduce myself after accidentally cutting into you and Bakugo's time, sorry about that again by the way!"

If there was one thing Bakugo could give Kirishima credit for, it was that the idiot knew how to keep on moving forward with that annoyingly positive attitude of his. Though on this occasion, he couldn't blame the idiot for that moment of surprise, even Bakugo himself was caught off guard by what he'd heard and seen.

'It doesn't make any sense, I've never heard her so detached before. I'm positive from what I've seen that she wasn't faking her personality before this... what the hell is going on here...'

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps, Bright Eyes had turned around and was walking away. He wanted to call out to her, but he was still too surprised by this sudden change in attitude to really formulate a proper thought. 

"Oh man I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend your friend like that Bakugo. I hope she's not too mad." 

Bakugo just shook his head at Kirishima's words, finding them annoying.

"Shut the hell up Shitty Hair, you didn't do anything. Honestly, I don't have any idea what the hell just happened with her either." He closed his eyes in thought as he said this, thinking back to everything that just happened in the short time span.

"Wait what do you mean! Is she not normally like that? Is something going on with your friend then?"

Bakugo could only narrow his eyes down the path he'd watched Bright Eyes walk down as he responded to the idiot standing behind him.

"That's what I'd like to know..."

---

Yume's mind was all over the place as she arrived at her apartment, removing her shoes and going to sit on her couch, nothing but silence and her own thoughts around her.

'I know it was rude to just leave Bakugo and bail like that but...'

She knew how this sort of thing went. The kind eyes, the cheerful smiles, the kind words, the welcoming voice... she remembered all too well.

'Nobody's ever real, nobody's ever genuine... people always hide behind those fake smiles and fake words of theirs.'

She wasn't wrong here... she just wasn't allowing herself to be hurt.

Suddenly a ring from her phone cut her thoughts off, she picked it up and saw it was Bakugo calling. She hesitated for a moment before answering.

"H-hello-"

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT EARLIER?!"

Yume had to hold the phone away from her ears, he seemed extra annoyed.

"Oh... what do you mean?" Maybe if she played dumb then he would just drop the whole thing entirely and move on. "I'm not really sure what you mean.":

She sat there for a moment, hearing an unusual silence that wasn't usually associated with Bakugo.

"So that's how you want to play this then huh... ok then I'll be straight up with you. What the hell was up earlier with Shitty Hair, explain the attitude change."

It was strange hearing him sound so calm yet so annoyed at the same time, though Yume couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed at the questioning. 

"I was just feeling tired and decided I needed to head home and rest, I really don't see the problem with that." 

It didn't really make any sense to her why he felt like he had to ask about this, it's not like any of it was his business. It's not like he could ever understand what she feels right now, how it feels to see reminders of back then... that's something he could never understand, even if they are friends.

He stayed silent a bit longer before letting out a sigh.

"Fine, it's not like I give a damn anyways. Just watch how you act next time Bright Eyes, I might not be all sunshine and rainbows either but even I can tell you that Shitty Hair didn't deserve that today."

With those words she heard the call disconnect, it seemed he wasn't in much of a mood for goodbyes. She placed her phone down on the table and leaned back on the couch.

'No he's wrong... he just doesn't understand, he couldn't ever understand. They're all just like him, they'll eventually just look away.'

Yume kept her eyes on the ceiling, trying to find anything to focus on.

'Eventually, they all see what's right in front of them... they end up disappointed... just like him...'

She felt her eyes start to water as she continued to stare up at the ceiling, trying to push the thoughts out, and for the first time since she'd met Bakugo, she felt more alone than ever before.

---

While he usually didn't mind his classes or find them difficult, for once Bakugo was glad that the school day had reached it's end. After everything that had gone down yesterday, it was difficult putting UA at the front of his mind.

'That call yesterday just felt off, but why the hell should I care, clearly it's nothing I should be worried about.'

As Bakugo sat at his desk contemplating the previous day, he heard someone walking up to him, looking up, he saw it was Kirishima with a conflicted look on his face.

"Hey Bakugo! Sorry to bug you right when everyone's getting ready to head out, but I was wondering if we could talk? I wanted to ask about yesterday."

He really shouldn't be too surprised, if there was one thing he'd noticed early on about this idiot, it was that he was way too nice for his own good. Of course he'd feel awful about everything, the idiot probably thinks it's all his fault too.

"I don't really care Shitty Hair, it's in the past now, who gives a damn."

Bakugo wasn't sure why but Kirishima just smiled at those words and gave him a satisfied nod.

"Thanks Bakugo! If it's no problem, I'll meet you at the end of the hallway and we can head out together, there's no telling how long it might take and I'm not sure Mr. Aizawa wouldn't just kick us out of here before we finish talking!"

He watched as Kirishima walked off before he could even get a word out.

"WHY YOU LITTLE... WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU MEAN, DID YOU NOT JUST HEAR WHAT I SAID SHITTY HAIR?!"

Sitting up abruptly, he grabbed his supplies and packed them away at a furious pace when an annoyingly familiar voice from behind spoke.

"H-hey Kacchan... are you doing ok, you seemed like you were a bit distracted during class today."

"SHUT IT YOU DAMN NERD, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"

He didn't even bother to check Deku or the rest of the class's reaction to his outburst as he finished packing his stuff and left the room in a hurry.

'Who the hell does that damn Shitty Haired Idiot think he is telling me what to do, and saying he'll wait at the only possible exit from here... he knows exactly what he's doing.'

As he expected, there was Kirishima waiting at the end of the hall, near the stairs, and began to walk alongside him as they both made their way out of the school.

"Hey man, sorry to waste your time after class like this, but honestly yesterday's just really been bugging me."

It seemed he was spot on, the idiot was feeling bad about yesterday.

"This is what you decided to bother me over Shitty Hair? Don't you remember what I told you yesterday idiot, she's the one who was acting weird, don't let it get to you."

Kirishima only shook his head at this though, seemingly disagreeing.

"It's not that simple though man, you said she's usually not like that. That has to mean I did something to upset her and I want to make things right. It wouldn't be manly to leave things like this!" Kirishima had a determined look on his face now as he turned towards Bakugo. "I figured since you're her friend, maybe you could help me figure out what I need to do to make things right with her!"

Bakugo couldn't believe what he was hearing, this idiot really wanted to make things right with someone he didn't even wrong in the first place, if anything he should've been the one asking for an apology from Bright Eyes.

"I'm not her babysitter Shitty Hair, I don't really give a damn what sort of terms she's on with you or anyone else, and besides you're no brat either, you shouldn't need help talking with someone."

He saw Kirishima deflate a bit at his words.

"Oh, so are you saying I'm on my own?"

It seemed this idiot still didn't understand what he meant.

"Don't forget at the Calvary Battle in the Sports Festival, you said you would be a strong front horse that wouldn't waver. Are you telling me that this is all it takes to make you waver?"

He watched as Kirishima's eyes widened at this, before finally gaining a determined look in his eyes.

"No, not at all! I see what you mean Bakugo, I can't just falter to something like that, I've gotta face it like a real man! I'll keep on moving forward until she forgives me!" It seemed the idiot had gotten his spirit back. "Thanks man, you're actually a pretty great friend in your own way aren't you Bakugo!"

"WE AREN'T FRIENDS YOU SHITTY HAIRED IDIOT!"

'Damn... even when Bright Eyes is acting weird, a male version of her just takes her place, it's like I'm not allowed any peace'

Kirishima just laughed at this as he gave him a grin.

"Thanks a lot though man, I think I've figured out what I've gotta do now. I'll keep on pushing forward, trying to make things right, until she accepts my intentions and forgives me!"

At this point, Bakugo wasn't even going to bother correcting him on the fact fact he hadn't done anything wrong in the first place...

"In fact I'm off to go begin apologizing right now, no matter how many attempts it takes, I'll catch you later Bakugo!"

He watched as Kirishima ran off with renewed energy.

'The damn idiot really does overthink things just like Bright Eyes, you'd think they'd have hit it off with how similar they are... wait a minute, does he even know where to find her?'

Bakugo's eyes widened before realizing the idiot's mistake, and deciding to run after him, against his better judgement.

"GET BACK HERE YOU DAMN SHITTY HAIRED IDIOT!!! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE SHE IS!!"

---

It had been an odd day of work for Yume, in a way it almost felt like she was going through the motions today. If her Manager had noticed, he hadn't said anything about it. Each Customer she greeted, each of her fellow Employees she spoke to. It all just felt fake, the smile she put on her face, the way she talked to them, none of it felt real.

It hadn't helped that she hadn't spoken to Bakugo since their tense conversation yesterday... maybe she had been a bit too rude to him. Maybe after seeing how she was yesterday, he'd grown tired of her... it wouldn't be the first time. 

'I'd honestly thought maybe I'd finally gotten past feeling like this after making a friend but honestly... from top to bottom... I just feel like poison.'

Putting on a smile, she wrapped up her shift, said goodbye to her manager, and exited the store, only to widen her eyes in surprise at what she saw in front of her when she walked outside.

"Hey again! Sorry to surprise you out of nowhere like this, I'm Kirishima from yesterday, hopefully you remember, I wanted to apologize for offending you, and hopefully we can be good friends too!"

Notes:

Probably the most tension and drama we've had since this whole thing began, so many questions yet so few answers. I do hope I managed to create at least a bit of intrigue from some of you. On a positive note, Kirishima finally gets his chance to shine so we'll see how that goes. Hopefully the next wait is not as long but we shall see, I thank you all for your support and patience though.

Chapter 11: Deja Vu

Notes:

I figured since the last chapter had such a long wait, I would post this one much earlier then I usually would. I'd like to hope this came out well so I hope you all enjoy!

"Hey again! Sorry to surprise you out of nowhere like this, I'm Kirishima from yesterday, hopefully you remember, I wanted to apologize for offending you, and hopefully we can be good friends too!"

Yume couldn't understand it at all, why was this guy standing in front of her again after what happened yesterday, acting as if nothing had happened.

'Did he not understand what I meant yesterday, wasn't I direct enough?'

That's what she was starting to believe, looking at the person in front of her, his eyes were lit up with excitement and he had a smile on his face, it just didn't make any sense at all, why is he acting so happy right now?

"I'm sorry but it's been a long day at work, I'd rather you not really bother me right now." 

That should be good enough for him to get the memo, there was no reason for him to continue to talk to her. Hopefully, he'd give up and just walk away after hearing a more direct response.

'I don't know what he wants but putting on some fake smile isn't going to work... as if I haven't seen this trick before.'

She began to walk ahead, leaving the store area. Only to hear footsteps behind her, she turned around to see the redhead following her.

"I get that all too well, I'm usually pretty worn out after all my classes end! Are you taking any sort of classes of your own?"

Apparently he didn't get what she meant earlier or he's choosing to just ignore it, she'd have to work hard to get rid of him.

"Not that it's any of your business but yes, I do also take my classes online when I'm not working. Now could you please go away-"

"Wow you work that job of yours while also keeping up with classes as well, that's so manly!"

Yume could only give this strange red head a confused look. 

'Does he have selective hearing or something...?'

Either way, it didn't really matter what he wanted to listen to. Yume was going to figure out a way to get this annoying redhead to leave her alone.

"Oh that reminds me! This is sorta embarrassing considering I want to make things right with you but Bakugo never actually told me your name, so if it's cool with you to ask, what is your name?"

Now he's asking for her name? Why would he care about that, she really didn't understand what this redhead wanted and why he wouldn't quit bothering her.

"I don't really see how my name is any of your business, in fact why are you even following me in the first place?"

She watched as the redhead let out a laugh before thinking over her question.

"Well honestly there's not much to it, I just felt bad about upsetting you yesterday but that's not why I want to be friends. I thought you just seemed like a nicer person than you make yourself out to be, plus you managed to become friends with Bakugo, so I figured you've gotta be a real manly person!"

Yume could only look at him in disbelief.

"What kind of ridiculous lie is that? You can't just see someone and decide you want to be friends with them, what kind of game are you playing here?"

The redhead could only give her a confused look at her words.

"I'm not trying to play any sort of game or lie to you here, I just want to make things right with you and hopefully become friends!"

She didn't understand it all, why was he still so dedicated to lying. Nobody ever just wants to be friends with her, this is some sort of trick, it has to be.

It was suddenly feeling a bit tougher for her to breathe, she really didn't want to be out here any longer. Suddenly, a voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Oh man, I'm sorry if I came across as a bit too direct there. I'll let you focus on getting to your home now. Just to give you a heads up though I'll be waiting outside tomorrow too, I'm not giving up on learning that name or becoming friends, see you then!"

With those words she watched the redhead walk off, back to wherever it is he lives she assumed. Yume took this moment to calm herself a bit, feeling her breathing return to a more normal level, she began heading toward her apartment.

'Why won't he just give up and quit bothering me... showing up again tomorrow, what a joke. He can act nice all he wants, I've seen people like him plenty of times before.'

Despite these thoughts, her entire walk to her apartment, she couldn't help but think in the back of her mind that there was also something pleasant about the redhead's smile.

---

Entering her apartment and removing her shoes, Yume took out a glass and poured herself some water, before going and sitting down at her dinner table.

After the odd day that it had been, she didn't really have much of an appetite. Glancing at her phone, she contemplated texting Bakugo, but decided against it.

'After all, I'm sure he's probably not very happy with me still after our last call...'

Sitting at the table in her apartment, silence surrounding her, it left Yume with only her thoughts as the only distraction. Why was that redhead so persistent today to talk with her, why couldn't he just leave her alone like she wanted.

'It's all that stupid redhead's fault that Bakugo isn't happy with me... why couldn't he just leave me alone. Why does he want to be involved with someone like me...'

No, even she couldn't be that unfair, it wasn't that redhead that caused her to be testy with Bakugo on the phone. She's the one who's in control of her own actions, not anyone else. 

'Those same actions that have only ever disappointed everyone my whole life...'

That's why she wasn't going to let that redhead trick her with whatever game he was playing, all those fake smiles, empty words, she couldn't afford to fall for any of them. She couldn't let that happen to her again.

Standing up and putting away the glass, Yume got herself ready for bed. As she went off to sleep, a thought kept replaying in her mind over and over again.

'After all, who would want to be friends with a disappointment like me...'

---

It had been another day of work, just as odd as the previous day. Yume had finished up her shift, said her goodbyes, and exited the store, and true to his word, the redhead was waiting outside once again.

'Maybe he won't notice me if I just don't go over to him'

She attempted to walk by him and leave the area, but it seemed that he noticed her as he quickly ran up to her side and gave her a grin. 

"Hey there! Sorry to bug you like this again but I did tell you that I'd be back again today, hope you didn't think that you'd be able to get rid of me that easily!"

Yume could only let out an exasperated sigh, knowing from her time with Bakugo that she couldn't exactly outrun a hero-in-training, even if she was faster then she used to be, she decided her best option was to ignore him today, not respond at all, and to keep walking.

"Anyways I'm glad to see you're doing better today, I was worried you might've been feeling sick yesterday, it's great to know I was wrong on that!"

Now he's acting like he actually cares about her wellbeing, she wasn't sure how long he could keep up this act but everyone has some sort of limit for their patience, eventually he'd reach his own limit today.

"Honestly I'm not sure how you manage to balance classes and a job at the same time, I'm exhausted sometimes after hero training alone, it's really impressive!"

They were still walking as he talked, for some reason it seemed like his enthusiasm was just as high as it was yesterday, and even the day before that too.

"You should see what it's like dealing with Bakugo during training though. Honestly early on I wasn't sure what to make of the guy, he sorta came across as just loud and irrational but at the USJ he was real manly! It definitely showed me he wasn't as harsh as he might seem to others."

Yume couldn't help but silently agree, there was something about Bakugo that others might not notice immediately, in his own way he could be surprisingly nice... though he'd probably kill her if he ever heard that thought.

"The Sports Festival just made it even more clear to me, he worked surprisingly well with the rest of us in the Calvary Battle, even if we didn't get first place, working like that with everyone was really exciting! Then the actual fights, oh man, it was something else fighting that guy head on, I'm still disappointed I wasn't able to beat him there but I don't plan to just relax and take it easy. I'm gonna get my win back one day!"

She remembered that fight all too well, if she remembered correctly he was the guy that had the hardening quirk. Their fight had honestly made her pretty nervous, it seemed for a moment there like Bakugo was having a tough time, but thankfully he'd managed to win it at the end.

"It's a shame what happened with the final match, I'm sure we all would've liked to see who would've been able to win a real match between Bakugo and Todoroki, man those two sure are something else."

Now there was a memory that she didn't like to remember...

"I'm still not really sure how I feel about that award ceremony either, I mean yeah he was acting a bit wild but chaining a guy up for not wanting to accept an award isn't very manly-"

"And it isn't very manly to stand there and watch as they chained him up either, is it!"

The redhead's eyes widened in surprise at her sudden outburst.

"You're talking a lot about how you think he's actually a nice guy and real strong and that maybe they went too far, yet I didn't see you or the rest of your stupid school do anything to help him, in fact it was your own teachers that chained him up for the entire world to see!!"

They'd stopped walking on the sidewalk at this point, standing there as she continued to speak, not really caring who heard her at this point.

"In the end that says a whole lot about you doesn't it, a whole bunch of empty words. You keep on talking about being "manly" yet was it manly to leave a friend to be embarrassed by his own school!"

She watched as the redhead put up his hands in a surrendering type of motion, as if thinking that would calm her down.

"W-wait a moment, I agree they took things too far, but I'm just a student like everyone else, it wasn't like there was anything I could do about it at the time!

His excuses only made her even more frustrated, this is exactly what she thought he was.

"See this is what I mean! People like you are just a bunch of empty words. You talk like you're Bakugo's friend yet you weren't actually there for him when he may have needed help then, and now you're trying to trick me and win me over as a "friend" with all these empty words and fake smiles, I'm not letting that happen to me again!"

He developed a look of confusion on his face.

"Wait what are you talking about, what do you mean again?"

Even now he's trying to act like he's concerned for her, keeping up his act.

"Quit trying to play stupid!! You don't actually want to be my friend, you're just telling me what you think I want to hear, then you'll just get rid of me like everyone else!!"

The redhead remained silent at her words, eyes narrowing at her, before finally speaking.

"I'll be honest, I don't fully understand what's going on here, what you're talking about, and I won't pretend to. I do know for a fact though that I haven't been lying to you, I really do want to make things right with you, I really do want to be friends with you. I don't think you're this rude person that you're trying to paint yourself out to be, I think you're just scared and that's ok."

Yume's eyes widened in surprise at his claim.

"S-scared... what are you talking about?! I'm not scared of you at all!"

The redhead only shook his head at her.

"No I don't think it's me that you're scared of... I'm not sure why, but I think you're just scared of letting someone in."

Yume took a step back, away from the redhead.

'N-no... not again.... it can't happen again... it'll be just like last time'

The redhead took a step forward, a look of concern on his face.

"Hey, are you ok?"

Her breathing quickened more and more, eyes starting to water.

'He's wrong... I'm not scared... I'm not!'

She wanted to be in her apartment now, surrounded by the silence.

"Do you need to sit down for a bit? You're looking really tired."

Yume couldn't take this feeling anymore, so she turned around and started running towards her apartment, the path she'd become very familiar with.

She just needed to get back to her place, and she could rest, she could be alone, and she could forget this feeling.

'I'm not scared... I'm not scared...'

A memory from her past came to mind, those cold eyes, that look of disappointment, she didn't want to feel that again, she didn't want to see that again.

'I'm not scared... I'm not scared'

Suddenly, she felt herself pulled backwards, landing on the ground, and snapped back into reality. Looking forward, she realized that a car had just driven by on the crosswalk, even though the light was green to walk.

"HEY, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING IDIOT!"

She watched the redhead yell at the car driving off, before turning back towards her with a relieved look.

"Sorry about pulling you like that, after you ran off there I was worried you might not be doing too well so I chased after you. Don't worry about it by the way, that car was definitely in the wrong, they were supposed to stop, still though you really should watch where you're going, you never know when a driver is just going to ignore the laws!"

She looked up to see the redhead give her a grin.

"Anyways, at least nobody got hurt, lemme give you a hand!"

She watched as he extended a hand towards her to help her up.

'Why is he being like this... doesn't he want something out of this... was I wrong?'

"Why are you so persistent to be friends with me, why do you want to make things right with me so badly?" I was the one who wronged you! I'm the one who's been nothing but rude to you, and you still saved me here too!"

Hand still extended, the redhead just gave her a laugh.

"Well you know, I am training to be a hero, and it wouldn't be very heroic to let someone get hit by a car, and besides, it wouldn't be very manly to let a friend of mine get hit by a car!"

She could feel her eyes start to water, she probably had tears coming down them at this point. She'd treated him so poorly and yet he still saved her, even Bakugo had told her that she'd gone too far yet she didn't listen.

"Why would you want to be friends with someone like me, especially with how I've treated you... I'm sure I'll just be a big disappointment by the end."

The redhead only shook his head at her words though.

"Man I'm not sure what went on in the past with you and I won't pry, but that's not really how friendship works to me, you don't have to think about owing anyone anything, or living up to someone's expectations. It's just about making some good memories with people you like, like I'm sure you have with Bakugo!"

Yume's eyes widened at what he said, as if she wasn't fully familiar with what he meant.

'He really means it...? He actually wants to be friends... with someone like me?'

She looked up at his extended hand once again... before finally deciding to take it as he helped pull her back up to her feet.

"I know I introduced myself before but I figured I'll do it again, I'm Eijiro Kirishima, Hero Student of Class 1-A at UA, I hope we can be great friends!"

He once again extended his hand, this time for a handshake, in the exact same way he did those days ago.

This time however, she offered a smile in response, along with a much brighter look in her eyes, a more natural look.

"It's nice to meet you too! I'm Yume Fukumoto, I hope we can be great friends as well!"

She returned his handshake and looked at the redhead... at Kirishima this time not with a cold expression, but with a genuine smile.

'Maybe this time... it's ok for me to let someone else in.'

Notes:

Kirishima being as persistent as Yume once was when attempting to befriend Bakugo, indeed Deja Vu at it's best. The most serious this story has gotten so far, and hopefully it all came out well. Of course there's still plenty of questions about Yume as a whole but I'm sure you'll all get those answers with patience, and of course Yume and Kirishima finally on the same page, so all's well that ends well. Hopefully next chapter doesn't involve a two month wait (we shall see how these words age), and I hope you all enjoyed, thank you for your support!

Chapter 12: Apologies

Notes:

At this point you all already know the deal with the schedule but as I always say, while the updates may never be consistent, the fic is always alive and well. I hope you all enjoy this chapter all things considered!

Bakugo noticed it as soon as he saw Kirishima walk into the class, the excited look in his eyes. It seemed like he had an extra step to him today.

The last few days ever since the idiot had decided he needed to "apologize" to Bright Eyes, he'd been leaving class as soon as it wrapped up, likely heading over to the stupid girl herself. Today though, he seemed like he was satisfied with whatever had happened to him recently, accomplished even.

'Huh, maybe Shitty Hair really did get through to Bright Eyes'

In a way, Bakugo wasn't that surprised if this was what really happened. While Bright Eyes may be a stubborn idiot, Kirishima is also a stubborn idiot, which really made him wonder even more how they didn't hit it off immediately.

Either way, he figured if he really wanted answers, he'd probably get them after class, so there wasn't much of a point in asking now.

'I haven't exactly heard from Bright Eyes these last few days either... maybe I can actually figure out what the hell has been up with her'

It seemed like today was going to be an eventful day after all, all he could hope for now was for nothing to happen and ruin his morning.

"Oh, good morning Kacchan!"

"SHUT IT YOU DAMN NERD!!"

On second thought, maybe it was going to be a long day after all.

---

As soon as the last bell rang, Bakugo immediately stood up from his seat to grab Kirishima by the collar of his uniform and dragged him away.

"Alright Shitty Hair, get a move on. I've got questions that you're gonna answer."

He ignored the rest of the class talking in the background, seemingly assuming Bakugo was dragging Kirishima off to his imminent death.

After getting far enough away to where the others wouldn't be able to listen in and let go of Kirishima.

"Man you sure are impatient, if you'd wanted answers about Fukumoto then you could've just asked... wait you aren't actually planning to kill me are you?"

"Of course not you idiot! Though who knows what might happen if you don't tell me what happened with Bright Eyes yesterday, clearly something changed yesterday with how happy you looked walking into class this morning."

He watched as a smile started to grow on Kirishima's face, though it was a bit too smug for his liking.

"Ooooh Bakugo, are you feeling jealous by any chance?" 

Bakugo let out a small explosion in his hand.

"You must have a death wish, Shitty Hair..."

Kirishima only laughed at this as he had a slightly apologetic grin on his face.

"Don't worry man, I'm just messing around with you! Everything's all good now, me and Fukumoto talked things out!"

It was clear just how proud Kirishima was of getting this situation figured out, the idiot had been feeling guilty over upsetting her even when he hadn't really done anything wrong. Bakugo decided that maybe he'd let Shitty Hair enjoy his little moment. 

"Well I guess it's not a surprise, you're just as annoyingly persistent as she is, of course you'd get to her eventually."

He'd let him enjoy it... just not too much.

"Anyways you probably want to know how Fukumoto's doing right? Well let's head out and I'll tell you all about it!"

With those words Kirishima turned around and headed for the UA exit.

"WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING DAMN SHITTY HAIR?! I NEVER AGREED TO GO WITH YOU.... AND DON'T WALK IN FRONT OF ME!!"

Realizing that his words clearly weren't getting through, Bakugo decided to see just what the idiot was wanting to do.

---

Bakugo had to admit, Kirishima had definitely surprised him. Of all the places to end up, he didn't expect they'd be standing here.

"Why the hell are we standing outside of that damn store Bright Eyes works at?" 

Kirishima could only laugh at his question, though he wasn't sure what exactly he found funny about it.

"That's because instead of telling you, I thought I'd show you that everything's good now! Besides, I could tell you seemed a bit worried for Fukumoto so I thought you wouldn't mind the visit either."

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!"

"I get it though man, you've known her for a while now I'd guess, it's really manly to show your concern like that!"

"I WASN'T CONCERNED-"

"Uh guys.. why're you yelling in the parking lot?"

Whatever Bakugo planned to say next to Kirishima was cut off by that familiar voice, turning towards the source, he saw Bright Eyes looking at both of them confused. 

Her eyes locked onto Bakugo's for a moment before quickly looking away, almost looking a bit apprehensive.

"Oh hey there Fukumoto! Sorry about that, we probably shouldn't be making all that noise out here. We just wanted to check up on you!"

Bright Eyes seemed a bit confused before a small smile appeared on her face. It seemed like Kirishima had managed to get through to her after all, this was already a completely different reaction compared to the last time he saw them talk.

"O-oh yeah, I've been doing good, just the usual busy day! I was just heading out actually."

"How about these last few days, were they busy as well?"

Bright Eyes jumped a bit at his voice, which he also found odd, it seemed like she was a bit more on edge today around him.

"W-well... it was... t-they were..."

Before he could actually get an answer, the redhead next to him decided to intervene.

"Don't worry Fukumoto, Bakugo isn't mad or anything, he's just really been missing your company the last few days and it's made him extra volatile!" 

"ARE YOU TRYING TO DIE SHITTY HAIR?!" 

Once again they were both cut off, except this time instead of a voice it was a laugh. Bright Eyes was barely keeping herself composed in front of them. After a good minute of laughing though, it seemed like she was finally calming down.

"Oh I'm sorry, it's just that you both are too funny! I promise I'm not trying to be rude or anything."

Now here was the Bright Eyes he was familiar with, all he could do was shake his head while Kirishima seemed to find it all just as hysterical. 

"Don't worry I get it, I've noticed things are always way more fun when I'm hanging out with Bakugo too! Anyways since you just finished up here, want to head out with us?"

The offer seemed to surprise Bright Eyes as she stood there for a moment, seemingly thinking about it, before hesitantly nodding.

"Sure, I don't mind."

If Kirishima was nervous she'd refuse them, he didn't show it. He just gave his usual smile and thumbs up before they all began to head out from the parking lot.

"So Fukumoto, I've been meaning to ask if it's cool with you, do you have any sort of quirk?" 

He saw Bright Eyes stiffen a bit, it reminded Bakugo of when he'd once asked her a similar question, it seemed to be a sore subject for her.

"Well no... I don't exactly have a quirk... but don't think that makes me any less capable, I'm plenty strong even without one!"

Bakugo could only smirk in satisfaction at her words. 

'Now there's that fire in her that I respect, that's more like it'

Kirishima meanwhile put his hands up as if he were surrendering, clearly a bit surprised. 

"Hey I'm not judging or anything, you don't need a quirk for me to see that you're the real deal. Anyone that manages to become friends with Bakugo's gotta be someone manly and you did it in record time compared to me!"

Bright Eyes seemed surprised at Kirishima's quick acceptance of her lack of a quirk, her eyes wide while looking at the redhead.

'Now that I think about it, she was just as surprised back then when I accepted her being quirkless as well...'

Snapping out of her surprise, Bright Eyes gave a firm nod before focusing on the both of them down. 

"Yeah we are friends... which is why I've been meaning to say this... to both of you really."

Now he was confused, and it seemed Kirishima was too, clearly his big plan just involved surprising her at her job. Bakugo could tell that whatever Bright Eyes wanted to say, she meant business with that serious look in her eyes.

"I wanted to apologize... to the both of you, I'm so sorry for my behavior the last couple of days!"

Bakugo and Kirishima both watched in surprise as Bright Eyes bowed her head towards them. 

"I'm sorry for being so rude with you in our last talk on the phone Bakugo, I know you were just sticking up for your friend and I was just making stupid excuses for myself, and I'm sorry that we haven't talked since, I was scared you might not want anything to do with me after that!"

Not even giving Bakugo a chance to respond and not even sparing a breath, she then turned her attention towards Kirishima.

"I owe the biggest apology to you Kirishima, I was so rude to you for no reason at all when you hadn't done anything to deserve it. Yet you continued to treat me kindly for some reason while I kept pushing you away... and then even after that you saved me from that car despite how awful I'd been to you. Thank you so much for that and I'm sorry for how cold I'd been to you... to both of you really..."

Bakugo gave Kirishima a look, he'd definitely have to find out whatever that whole car thing was about but for now he signalled for him to go first. 

"You don't have to apologize, I can't say I understand all the details Fukumoto but I'm sure you had your reasons for acting how you did, we've all got our secrets, as far as I'm concerned it's water under the bridge! You don't need to thank me for helping you out either, forget being a hero, it wouldn't be very manly of me to just abandon someone who needs help!"

Bakugo took this as his cue to cut in and speak, but first...

He walked right in front of Bright Eyes before gently hitting the top of her head.

"Owww Bakugo, what was that for, I'm trying to apologize?!"

Bakugo could hear Kirishima laughing behind him already, but he kept his attention on the girl with Bright Eyes pouting in front of him.

"You really are an idiot aren't you?"

"I am not!"

"Do you really think one little disagreement is enough to scare me off, don't forget you're looking at the future #1 Hero after all. I'd figured this would be the type of thing you'd know better then me considering how you spent all that time harassing me about being friends but apparently I have to tell you myself."

He sent an intense look straight to Bright Eyes to match his words.

"Just like how I'd want you to call me out on my shit if you think I'm in the wrong, I'll do the exact same for you. Just because we have some small little disagreement doesn't mean I want nothing to do with you, have a bit more self confidence Bright Eyes, I already know you're capable of it!"

He saw as her eyes started to water up a bit as she stepped a bit closer to him.

"So... we're still friends?"

Letting out a sigh, Bakugo could only roll his eyes at this idiot standing in front of him.

"Of course we're still friends, you bright eyed Idiot."

At those words he barely had time to proccess it as Bright Eyes ran straight into him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"DAMN IT BRIGHT EYES, I THOUGHT WE WERE DONE WITH THIS!!!"

The stubborn girl only shook her head though.

"It's been a rough couple of days, let me have this!"

Before Bakugo could respond to that, he heard laughter off to the side, looking towards the source, he saw Kirishima's at times infuriating smile.

"Oh don't mind me Bakugo, it seems like you're having a great time over there with Fukumoto."

Unable to let out any explosions in his current position, Bakugo was thinking of another method until the voice of the other idiot in the area interrupted those thoughts.

"You get over here too Kirishima, this should be a group hug!"

Bakugo could only widen his eyes at this as Kirishima let out another laugh.

"You know what Fukumoto, I like the way you think!"

Kirishima then ran right over and joined in on what was now a group hug, clearly he was enjoying this way too much.

"Now that we've got everything all sorted out, we should all definitely hang out more in our free time! What do you think Fukumoto?"

He heard the idiot bright eyed girl gasp in excitement within this torturous group hug.

"That's an amazing idea! Maybe you could join in on me and Bakugo's training sessions!"

He heard another gasp from the idiot redhead this time.

"You guys train together!? I'd love to join in, that sounds like a real manly time!"

At this point, Bakugo was wondering just what he did to deserve this kind of fate... but he supposed that there were worse places to be, aside from one fact...

"HOW LONG DO WE NEED TO BE HUGGING IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, ARE YOU IDIOTS?!"

The only response were sheepish laughs from both them, and Bakugo could only think one thing.

'I really am surrounded by idiots...'

Notes:

Certainly much more lighthearted at least in my opinion after the last few, plus a new trio has been formed and I have quite a few big things planned. Feel free to comment any thoughts or opinions you may have and I look forward to the next chapter update I send to you all!

Chapter 13: Hangout

Notes:

The first ever big outing as a group/trio. As well as the first time we get a non Bakugo/Yume POV. I feel like this chapter feels a bit different so I hope you all enjoy!

"That's all for today, remember to make sure that you're all packed and prepared for your Internships starting this weekend."

With that, Kirishima watched as Mr. Aizawa left the classroom which meant that the day had finally reached an end. It had been a pretty great day. He'd gotten a lot done and felt ready for his internship this weekend!

There wasn't much time for Kirishima to reflect though, he saw Bakugo getting up and walking towards the exit of the classroom and remembered he still had a very important mission to carry out. Kirishima pulled out his phone and hurried to follow him to the class exit.

"Hey Bakugo, wait up!" That seemed to do the trick as his usually annoyed friend turned around with his normal expression. "Do you have any plans? You seem to be in a hurry today."

"Huh, why the hell is that any of your business Shitty Hair?"

That was a good sign! For most people that would've been a really vague answer, but by now Kirishima was getting a pretty good idea of what Bakugo really meant with his words.

Realizing that he was clear for the next phase, he quickly sent the thumbs up to his partner in crime that he'd drafted up earlier before returning his focus towards the impatient blonde.

"Oh so that means you've got some spare time today, in that case how about we head out somewhere today! We never hang out much outside classes."

Kirishima saw Bakugo roll his eyes at this, and sure maybe that would have been a bit of a downer originally. but they had a plan today!

"I've got more important things to do then spend time with you Shitty Hair, I'm not gonna fall behind on my training just for a day of fun."

With that, Bakugo turned around and was getting ready to leave the classroom.

"Are you sure Bakugo? We were both really looking forward to today!" 

That got the Blonde to stop as he turned around with a questioning look on his face.

"What the hell do mean by-"

Before he could even finish his sentence and to Kirishima's relief, Bakugo was cut off by the sound of his phone. Pulling it out, he took a look at it for a moment, thinking something over before finally deciding to answer it.

'We got him!'

At this point, Kirishima just stood back and watched on with his role in this mission now complete.

"What the hell do you want at this time? You never call this early, and you should know where I am right?"

Bakugo listened for a moment before directing a glare towards Kirishima, who only smiled brightly at him.

"Oh so you want to head out somewhere today huh... wonder where you got that idea." It seemed like Bakugo was beginning to put things together, but that wouldn't matter if their mission went according to plan. "Well just like I told you Shitty Hair, you both can forget it! I have more important things to do then-"

Out of seemingly nowhere, Bakugo cut his own sentence short as he went silent for a moment, before his eyes widened in surprise. Honestly, Kirishima didn't know it was possible for Bakugo to be caught off guard like this.

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Not only Kirishima, but the entire class who'd been talking amongst themselves in the background, jumped in surprise as the usually loud Bakugo somehow became even louder.

"YOU'RE WHERE?!"

Almost immediately Bakugo hung up the phone and ran as fast as one was allowed inside of UA, leaving the classroom and heading to where Kirishima assumed was the School Entrance.

"Wow, didn't realize Bakugo could get any more worked up then he usually is, any idea what that was about Kirishima?"

That was right, his part of the plan wasn't completely finished yet. He needed a cover up story to tell Kaminari... something clever and believable.

"Oh I think he got a call from his Parents or something... must've needed help with some work."

Feeling confident in his story despite Kaminari's persistent questions, Kirishima decided to go and get ready for the rest of the afternoon as well.

'Today was definitely going to be a great day!'

---

'Today was definitely going to be an annoying day...'

That was all Bakugo was thinking as he was hurrying over to the School Entrance. Still not sure if what he'd heard on the phone was the truth. 

'What the hell is she thinking, if any of those idiots even see her then I'll never hear the end it'

Even thinking about the nightmarish possibility of having to explain who she was caused nothing but a headache to him. Not that Bakugo was embarassed by her or anything, but he knew how much more annoying life would get if both those parts of his life crossed paths. At least with Kirishima, he knew that the idiot wouldn't go running his mouth.

Finally reaching the exit to the school, he went towards where the entrance gates would be, moving through the crowd of other students also leaving.

'Where is that damn girl, she better not have been lying-'

Bakugo's own thoughts were cut off by the complete disbelief he was feeling, all of his previous frustration basically gone.

'She cannot be serious right now...'

Standing over by the wall and leaning against it, looking as suspicious as one could possibly look was Bright Eyes, wearing a black trench coat that was definitely too big for her, a pair of sunglasses and a matching black hat over her usual attire, she'd even made sure to tie her hair up in a ponytail it seemed.

Before he could even further question whatever the hell she was doing, she seemed to finally notice he was nearby and looked over to him. 

"Hi Bakugo!! I'm over here!" 

At this point all he could do was hope nobody out here knew him or heard her loudly shout out his name as he quickly made his way over to her... not that her outfit helped matters. He was starting to think Kirishima's idiocy was rubbing off on her.

As soon as he made his way over, she discreetly... well as discreetly as one possibly could while looking like that... took off her sunglasses revealing her signature bright purple eyes before looking around and quickly putting them back on.

"Don't worry Bakugo, it's me, Yume!"

He really couldn't believe it, this was somehow his life right now.

"Gee thanks, it wasn't like your voice was a dead giveaway or anything."

Bright Eyes gave him an impressed nod at this, for whatever reason.

"Oh good, you recognized my voice! I'd expect nothing less from you!"

All he could manage was to direct an unimpressed look at Bright Eyes and her... costume.

"Oh yeah... it sure was really hard to notice you, I'm just really glad you called out to me or I might've been looking for ages."

She held a proud posture at these words along with a smile that one would have after accomplishing some sort of difficult task.

"Thank you! I realized you probably wouldn't want me to be seen around your school by your classmates or anything, so when me and Kirishima were planning- I mean talking about... hobbies, we thought of this disguise. Sure I'm sort of dying of heat with all these layers of clothing but hey, it's pretty stealthy right!"

Honestly, seeing how proud of herself she looked at her "disguise", he wasn't sure that he even had the heart to put down her efforts, even if they were the results of 2 idiots working together.

"Yeah, it's... really clever Bright Eyes... great job."

Bakugo felt he better receive some sort of good karma for lying through his teeth like that, but he supposed it was fine for now seeing how satisfied Bright Eyes looked as she victoriously did a little jump in the air that he'd almost consider adorable if it weren't for the ridiculous visual her disguise provided.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late, I had to make sure nobody was following me!"

As if the day couldn't become any more of a headache already, Kirishima decided to now come running over, making his presence felt. Immediately walking over to Bright Eyes and giving her a hi-five that she somehow managed to reciprocate despite those sleeves being way too long for her.

"Looks like the disguise worked out well Fukumoto, I barely recognized you!"

Bakugo at this point had lost the energy to even comment on the amount of idiots he knew. 

"Thanks Kirishima, you really helped me out with this disguise! Anyways, now that all 3 of us are here, we should probably figure out where we're gonna go?"

Bakugo immediately snapped into attention at that, he'd nearly forgotten what their original reason for all of this likely was.

"Oh right! I was actually thinking of the arcade, that way all 3 of us will have something to do and with all the options it'll definitely keep us busy!"

Here they were really making plans like he'd already agreed, clearly he'd have to make his stance clear on the matter.

"Ooooh the Arcade! I've heard about them but I've never really been to one before, this'll be so exciting! My first outing ever with friends!"

Whatever form of disagreement he was going to voice was immediately put to a stop at those words, looking over at the excited girl talking with Kirishima, her eyes very clearly shining in excitement even with the sunglasses on. All the while, digesting the little bit of information he'd just heard.

"My first outing ever with friends"

Walking forward ahead of the talking pair, he began moving forward.

"Well what are you idiots waiting for? If you wanna go to the Arcade, we don't have all day."

Bright Eyes seemed surprised for a moment before smiling widely "Right, let's go then, lead the way!"

As they began walking, he couldn't help but hear Kirishima let out a laugh in the back, when he looked back at him to give the idiot a look, all he got was an infuriating smirk. Deciding he was better off ignoring whatever the hell that meant, he looked back forward as they walked on to the Arcade... before realizing one little detail.

"WAIT A MINUTE BRIGHT EYES, YOU CAN'T JUST GO INTO AN ARCADE DRESSED UP LIKE THAT!! GET RID OF THE DISGUISE FIRST IDIOT!!"

---

After being forced to sadly discard her great disguise for a more casual look of a black shirt, black pants, and shoes since she'd wanted to match with her disguise earlier. Yume practically skipped into the Arcade behind Bakugo and Kirishima, both still in their UA Uniforms. She took an early look around, amazed at all the games inside.

"Wow, so this is an Arcade! It looks so cool!!"

She ran ahead taking a look at everything, it was all so new to her! It wasn't too crowded either though school had just gotten out for most not that long ago, so she figured that was probably why.

"Wait up Bright Eyes, knowing you, you'll probably end up getting lost somehow."

Realizing she'd gone a bit too far ahead, she stopped so her friends could catch up to her.

"Well since it's your first time here Fukumoto, you can take the first pick at what you want to do, so lead on and we will follow! 

Kirishima swung his arm over the shoulder of the aforementioned blonde, who quickly shook him off in annoyance much to the amusement of Yume.

Looking around at all the options, she genuinely had no idea what she wanted to pick first, so she kept walking around, taking a look at each of the games. Eventually though, one finally caught her eye.

She'd seen these sorts of games on TV before, it was one of those crane games! It had a bunch of stuffed animals in it too! She walked up to it and took a good look at the machine, getting an idea of how it worked. 

"A classic first choice, you can never go with the crane, though be warned those claws can test even the most patient of people." 

Looking back at Kirishima with a determined look, she gave him a nod. 

"Then I'll not only face this challenge head on, but I will walk away with a prize too!"

He sent her a thumbs up at her proclamation. 

"Good luck to you then my friend, me and Bakugo will cheer you on right here!"

Bakugo gave him a look at those words but otherwise remained silent, she assumed this was a sign she should get started. Thankfully she'd come prepared financially with plenty to spare, she pulled out the 100 yen it cost for a turn before giving her full attention to this game. The real question now though was what prize did she want to target. There were so many interesting options and she was narrowing them down, but then she saw the one.

It was a plushie that resembled a Pomeranian Dog, not only that, but it's red eyes stood out immediately... this had to be the one she aimed for. Yume could accept nothing less but victory today!

Inserting the 100 yen, she immediately began moving the claw, maneuvering it over the Pomeranian. She then hit the button to lower the claw, watching as it lowered and grabbed hold of the plush. She was about to celebrate her victory before watching in despair as it immediately fell out of the claws grasp and back into the pile as soon as it started to lift up. 

"Oh man, great first try there Bright Eyes!" 

Bakugo seemed to be finding her despair funny while Kirishima was trying to encourage her still, but she wasn't finished yet! Pulling out another 100 yen, she inserted it and began again, moving the claw at what she thought was just the right spot before it once again landed on it's target, grabbing hold of it. This time I thought it seemed to keep still while moving back up, maybe this was her win! 

However, as soon as the claw started to move directions, the plush slipped from grasp of both her and the claw once again. A complete and brutal second defeat.

"These games are all about luck Bright Eyes, it doesn't require that much skill, don't see why you're having such a tough time!"

Turning around with a pout on her face, she gave Bakugo the most intimidating look she could manage! 

"I'll have you know that I'm trying my best! Aside from the fact it's my first time trying one of these, it isn't as easy as it looks!" Marching right over to Bakugo, she pointed right at him. "In fact, if you think it's so easy then why don't you try it!"

"Why the hell would I waste time with that claw game of all things, just go win it yourself if you want it so badly."

Before she even had the chance to offer a retort, Kirishima picked his moment to enter the conversation with a grin on his face.

"Oh I don't know Bakugo, she does have a point, you were the one who said it didn't need much skill and that you didn't see what was hard about it... unless you're scared you might lose?"

At this point, she was familiar enough with Bakugo to know exactly how this was going to go.

"You really think the future top Hero would lose at some stupid claw game!? Move aside Bright Eyes, I'll show both of you how easy this is. Now which one of these are you aiming for, I need a target!"

She wordlessly pointed towards the Pomeranian plush, only getting a nod from Bakugo before he immediately went to work.

Inserting his own 100 yen, he maneuvered the claw in the area of the plus before lowering it, watching as it grabbed hold and brought it back up. Yume watched as it even started moving back to the exit point where it would drop it for Bakugo to retrive, but just before it reached that point, it slipped right out of the claw. Bakugo was staring at the machine, frozen in shock.

At this point, both her and Kirishima were thinking the same thing as they stood behind Bakugo and spoke in unison.

"Soooo, it's not that hard huh?"

They watched as Bakugo stood there in what was likely silent fury before quietly stating. 

"Again..."

Almost immediately, he pulled out another 100 yen and inserted it, once again targeting the plush... only for the exact same result to follow.

"I'm not gonna lose to some damn plush!"

She watched alongside Kirishima as Bakugo then failed a few more attempts, his anger growing more and more. As she was about to step forward to tell him it was fine, Kirishima shook his head.

"Yeah you're probably better off just waiting until he's satisfied, when that guy's determined to do something, there's no dragging him away. Though you probably know that better than me at this point." 

Yume felt her face grow a bit warm for some reason as she nodded. 

"Yeah I guess you're right, he is definitely the stubborn type so I doubt he'll stop anytime soon. What should we do now though?" 

Kirishima looked around for a moment before a smile appeared on his face and he looked back at her.

"Have you ever tried Air Hockey before?"

---

After having the rules explained to her, Yume stood at one side of the table, eyeing Kirishima who eyed her from the other side, both with the paddles in hand. They began going back and forth with the puck, and she felt like she was getting the hang of it as they went along.

"So Fukumoto, how's your first time at the Arcade been?"

I felt myself smile as I prevented him from scoring and knocked the puck over towards his own side.

"It's been great, there's so many things to do and it's been especially fun spending time with you all!"

Kirishima seemed satisfied at her response as they continued going back and forth. 

"Actually, I've also been meaning to thank you for something too."

I felt a bit confused at what he meant by that.

"Thank me? What did I do though?"

"Well I'm sure it wasn't anything you were trying to do directly, but honestly back at the USJ, I knew Bakugo was the type of guy I'd like to be friends with, but he never seemed all that interested in getting to know anyone in the class. He's been a bit different since then though, it feels like ever since our first year started, he's been a bit more open and welcoming... or as much as Bakugo can be, but I'm guessing that was probably thanks to you!"

She felt her face grow warm in embarrassment at this, nearly giving up a goal from this distraction. 

"W-well I'm glad you both get along so well now but I'm sure you're just exaggerating! After all I bet you probably had a lot to do with it yourself."

As she very nearly scored a goal, Kirishima let out a laugh at that.

"Well even if you don't want to take all the credit that's fine, it can be pretty manly to be humble from time to time after all! I think you've been good for him though."

All these words did was make her feel even more embarrassed.

"Anyways I also wanted to mention even though our internships are starting up soon, feel free to call or text us whenever you want. I can guarantee that I'll always respond immediately but I'll make sure to get back to you! I'm also positive Bakugo would say the same, in fact I bet it'd make him real happy if he heard from you during his internship!" 

Kirishima looked especially happy saying that for some reason, Yume assumed he was probably just looking out for his friend.

"Yeah I'll be sure to see how you both are doing, don't worry! I can't wait to hear about what you both were up to when you guys get back!"

They shared a laugh at that as they continued their game, going back and forth, each trying to score, with Kirishima's experience eventually getting him the win.

Later on though, a loud yet familiar voice was heard in the distance.

"HA, TAKE THAT YOU DAMN PLUSH!"

Both of them had a pretty good idea what that meant and could only laugh.

"Well Fukumoto, it seems Bakugo finally got his win over there. We should probably go make sure he didn't blow up the machine though."

Yume laughed but when she thought about it a bit more...

'Yeah... maybe we should hurry on over there'

As the two of them made their way over to Bakugo, they saw the game still thankfully in-tact as well as Bakugo holding up the Pomeranian plush, a victorious look on his face.

"You see that, the two of you thought this was hard but look at me now. Unlike you Bright Eyes, I actually got the job done! Now take your damn prize."

Bakugo held the Pomeranian plush out to her which she happily accepted, with something about receiving this from him almost like a gift making her feel even more happy then usual. She held the plush gently as she looked right at him with a big smile.

"Thank you for winning this for me Bakugo!"

Bakugo looked at her for a moment before turning away, she could hear Kirishima laughing in the background.

"It's no big deal Bright Eyes, it's just a damn plush."

She took another look at him and started to notice something.

'Is he embarrassed...? No, that's just me being silly, he's probably just annoyed at Kirishima laughing, yeah that's it'

She didn't have much longer to think about it as Bakugo walked straight ahead, right past both of them.

"Are you guys just gonna stand there like idiots or get a move on, it's getting late and we've gotta head out."

Kirishima ran up to him laughing, following along with him.

"Don't worry, we won't interfere with your bedtime old man."

"You wanna say that again Shitty Hair!?"

Yume watched the two of them go back and forth, holding the Plush in her arms. A satisfied smile on her face. 

'Hmm, I guess I still need a name for this though... but what?'

"Hey Fukumoto, I'm not rushing you or anything but Blasty here might blow up the whole arcade soon if he doesn't get his required hours of sleep!"

Her eyes widened for a moment with inspiration before following the pair.

'You know what... I think the name Blasty fits very well, just something about how it looks!'

"Quiet Shitty Hair! Hurry it up though Bright Eyes, I don't have all night!"

Yume nodded joyfully as she ran over to catch up to them as they finished their day out together. Learning for the first time just how much fun it was to spend a day out with friends.

'And if it's ok for me to have this kind of happiness, maybe that kind can finally happen one day too for her!'

With renewed optimism, Yume left the arcade with her friends, the happiest she'd been in a long time.

Notes:

Hopefully the dynamic of all 3 together felt natural and nobody felt left out, was a key point of mine. I'd like to think there was quite a bit to pick up and notice from this chapter that I threw in there so if you have any thoughts or opinions feel free to share, I hope you all enjoyed!

Chapter 14: Feeling Nostalgic

Notes:

Long wait I fully acknowledge that, but hopefully this chapter was worth the wait in some way. In some ways I think this is one of the more unique chapters yet for this fic so I hope you all enjoy it.

"You know I never thought I'd miss Bakugo's training.... but this is just the worst!"

Yume leaned back on her couch to start both the morning and the weekend as she stared up at her ceiling, as bored as could possibly be.

It'd been a few days now since she'd went out to the Arcade with her friends, and not long after that she'd seen them both off before they went over to their internships.

"I wonder if their internships are going well... what am I saying of course they are. Not like those stupid teachers they have are reliable but it's what they train for after all." She took a look to her left. "Meanwhile it's about as uneventful as possible over here. It wasn't that long ago I had no idea I could be this bored but all the recent excitement has proven otherwise, isn't that right Blasty?"

She gave a look at the Pomeranian plush before letting out a sigh. 

"Oh what am I doing, am I really so bored that I'm talking to an inanimate object... no offense Blasty." 

Blasty's expression did not change at this.

Standing up from her spot on the couch, Yume reached over to pick up Blasty as she walked over to the kitchen table, placing him down there before heading over to the Kitchen.

"Well sitting around contemplating life won't do any good, how about I make some breakfast. Most important meal of the day after all!"

She opened up the cabinet, only to notice a slight problem.

'Huh...'

Closing the cabinet, she walked over to her fridge and opened that up, only to notice a similar problem.

'Well then...'

Yume realized at that moment that she'd forgotten to restock on groceries.

"It seems we have a problem Blasty..."

Walking over to the table and pulling out a chair, she pulled Blasty over towards herself as she sat down to think.

"Maybe I could go out and buy some ingredients, then again the last time I really tried to cook something..."

Yume shivered as she recalled what happened back then.

"Yeah... let's not go down that road again, I should probably head out either way though, right Blasty?"

Blasty's expression did not change at her question.

"Exactly right Blasty! It's not like I'm gonna figure out how to solve my meal problem here, I'll have better luck figuring it out if I go look for something!"

Blasty's expression still did not change.

"Oh that's right! I could always go check the store, even though most have gotten their early shopping out of the way, maybe there's some stuff leftover, great idea Blasty!"

Blasty's expression remained completely the same at this praise.

Sitting up from her seat, Yume quickly ran to go get ready, emerging from her room with clothes much more suited for travel.

"Anyways, I'm off for now, see you later Blasty-"

Yume caught herself with her words once again as she left her Apartment.

"I've really gotta stop doing that... remember Yume, no talking to inanimate objects!"

---

As she stepped inside the familiar store, Yume took a look around, waving at her co-workers as she walked over to her Manager.

"Fukumoto?? What're you doing here, isn't today an off-day for you?"

Yume let out a slightly embarrassed laugh at her Manager's surprise.

"Ah well you see Boss, I sorta kinda had a bit of a problem this morning and was wondering if we've still got any food in stock here, hopefully the more instant type?"

Her Manager took a quick look around before looking back towards her.

"I'd love to say there definitely is, especially since you're one of our more reliable employees here Fukumoto, but you know as well as I do that the early shoppers have basically run our shelves dry already, you're free to look around though."

"Yeah, I sorta figured that was how this would go but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask!" She let out an awkward laugh at this statement. "Well thanks anyways Boss, good luck to you and everyone else today!"

Turning around, Yume walked over towards the food section, as she was doing so, she took notice of the spices they had in stock.

'Oh right... this is where we first met, isn't it?'

That was a day Yume was sure she would never forget, after all it was the day Bakugo had first entered her life!

'When I really think about it, it's kinda ironic he was here for some spices, considering his temper and all'

Yume mentally laughed at the thought, especially when remembering how angry he first seemed when they'd first met. At the time she had no idea it was even possible for someone to be so loud and so angry.

'Even so, there was just something interesting about him... that made him different from everyone else I've come across. Even though he sounded and looked angry... his eyes had such a different look to them, he didn't really feel all that scary, to be honest he felt more trustworthy then almost everyone I'd met in recent years... maybe that's why I was so desperate to keep in contact with him at the time?'

All she knew for sure was that she was glad everything had happened as it did that day, in-fact standing here gave her an idea.

Yume pulled out her phone and quickly took a selfie in the aisle, sending it to Bakugo.

Yume Fukumoto: Hi there, hope the internship is going well!! Look familiar??

She looked at the message she sent with a fond smile before putting her phone away and leaving the store. As she reached the exit, her eyes widened.

'Wait... I completely forgot to search for any sort of food and it's already past Breakfast time!!'

Her entire reason for coming here and she forgot it, Yume collapsed on the bench as she comically cried, muttering away to herself.

"Oh great now I'm gonna starve to death, well wait it's only one meal I'm sure I'll be fine. No no no, they always say Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, oh and what about Blasty... no wait he's an inanimate object he doesn't need to eat! Oh Bakugo would be so disappointed, I'm sure with his schedule he never skips important meals like this, great oh great just what am I supposed to do now?!"

As Yume was lost in her own world, she failed to notice someone walking up behind her.

"Oh Fukumoto, is that you?"

Shaken out of her comical depression, Yume turned towards the source of the voice, seeing another familiar face she'd gotten to know.

"Mr. Bakugo! I'm sorry for not noticing you, how are you doing!"

The calm member of the Bakugo family gave her a welcoming smile and nod. 

"Oh don't worry, I apologize if I surprised you or anything. I've been doing well but I wanted to ask... are you ok?"

Yume blinked for a moment before realizing the state she was in. She quickly jumped up to her feet and straightened herself out.

"Yep! Of course, you know me, doing great! I just happened to kinda have a mishap regarding Breakfast you could say, no big deal!"

It seemed that wasn't the best choice of words as Mr. Bakugo had a look of concern on his face.

"That doesn't exactly sound very re-assuring, did something happen to you?"

Yume quickly shook her head, trying to clear things up.

"Oh no, I didn't get hurt or anything! I kinda just... forgot Breakfast??"

Mr. Bakugo seemed to have a surprised look on his face at this.

"You missed Breakfast? Wait, have you had anything at all today??"

Awkwardly whistling while looking anywhere but Mr. Bakugo's eyes, Yume responded.

"I had water if that counts?"

The look on Mr. Bakugo's face didn't change as he quickly went into thought, before seemingly deciding on something.

"Well in that case, would you like to join us for Lunch back at our house? It's been a bit too quiet with Katsuki gone for his internship and I'm sure Mitsuki would be glad to have you over as well."

Yume was caught off guard by the kind invitation, not expecting such a thing.

"Oh well... that's really nice of you but I wouldn't want to intrude!"

Mr. Bakugo quickly responded to her worries though. 

"You don't have to worry about that Fukumoto, we've always enjoyed it when Katsuki's brought you over and you've been such a great friend to him as well! You wouldn't be intruding at all."

Surprised by how genuine he sounded, something Yume was learning seemed to run in the family, she couldn't really find a reason to say no.

"Well if you really wouldn't mind, then I'd be glad to join you both!"

Mr. Bakugo gave her a kind nod, seeminly happy that she agreed before widening his eyes when he noticed the time.

"Oh I didn't realize what time it was, we need to hurry back now! Katsuki may have a temper but I don't even want to imagine what Mitsuki will do if I'm late!!"

She watched as Mr. Bakugo rushed towards his car, with Yume quickly following behind him with a small smile on her face.

---

"Oh Fukumoto! It's great to see you again!"

Mrs. Bakugo greeted her enthusiastically as soon as she stepped through the door.

Yume smiled as Mrs. Bakugo walked over to her.

"It's great to see you again too Mrs. Bakugo, thank you once again for welcoming me into your home!"

Mrs. Bakugo could only laugh at her greeting.

"Oh there's no need to be so formal, you're always welcome here after all! Too bad that brat of ours can't take notes from your manners though."

Despite the seemingly rude insult, Yume could tell the tone was a fond one when she mentioned Bakugo. 

"Ha well I can't imagine he'd be very open to learning that sort of thing, not that I'd want him to change anyways, I already enjoy him plenty!"

Mrs. Bakugo laughed and nodded in agreement.

"You've got a point there, that son of mine can be real stubborn... also did you think I wouldn't notice you were almost late Masaru?" 

Yume watched as the man who'd been trying to sneak away froze, shaking nervously.

"W-well dear, I did make it back at a reasonable time and of course I couldn't just leave Fukumoto to starve either, it was for a good reason!"

"Oh don't worry, you get a pass today, but let's try to be more on time next time around?"

"Ri-right of course, don't worry!"

Despite having grown used to how things worked in the Bakugo Household from her previous visits, these sorts of antics never failed to entertain Yume, always finding them very funny. Eventually while she was observing, Mrs. Bakugo turned towards her.

"Sorry about the delay, anyways I heard you haven't had a single thing to eat today so how about we all head to the table for lunch?"

As Mr. Bakugo made his way over there, Yume happily nodded towards Mrs. Bakugo, walking over as well with a happy look on her face, also feeling especially nostalgic for reasons she wasn't completely sure of as she enjoyed Lunch with the Bakugo's.

---

After the long afternoon which had ended with Yume spending time at the Bakugo Household, she finally arrived home, closing her door behind her. Looking over towards her table, Blasty was still sitting where she'd left him, so she decided to wave towards the pomeranian plush.

"I'm back Blasty!"

Blasty's expression once again, did not change.

Walking over towards her couch, having picked up Blasty along the way, she sat down to relax for a bit after the long day. Thinking of everything that'd happened today.

'You know for a day that started off like it did, it ended up being a pretty fun day'

Despite visiting the Bakugo household multiple times at this point though, she still couldn't say she was used to sitting with others at a table for a meal.

'Honestly when I think about it... I can barely remember the last time I even sat at a table with Mother and Father...'

Pulling out her phone, she opened up her contacts list before scrolling down and landing on one specific contact.

'Maybe I should...'

She hovered over the call button, centimeters away from hitting it before backing away.

'No... he's probably busy, I'd probably just be a distraction, besides, I'm sure I'll get a call from one of them soon anyways'

Making up her mind, Yume was getting ready to put her phone up before she heard a ping, indicating she received a text message. Curiosity getting the best of her, she opened up her messages, seeing what new message she may have received.

Katsuki Bakugo: Oh how could I forget Bright Eyes, it's when this hell of mine started...

Yume had almost forgotten her earlier message to Bakugo but it seemed he'd just now gotten a chance to read it. Though the message itself made her feel a bit conflicted... was this maybe just like it was with them?

Another ping quickly cut off Yume's thoughts.

Katsuki Bakugo: And since I know you're such a damn over-thinker, I guess it's at least been a fun hell since then

Katsuki Bakugo: DON'T LET THAT GO TO YOUR HEAD THOUGH BRIGHT EYES!!!

Katsuki Bakugo: YOU BETTER NOT BE SLACKING OFF BECAUSE I'M NOT THERE, GOT IT!!

Yume couldn't help it as a smile grew on her face, her face suddenly feeling warmer as she read Bakugo's barrage of texts being sent her way.

'Even when he's not actually around, somehow he knows just what to say'

Yume leaned back on her couch to look up at the ceiling, placing her phone at her side and holding Blasty close.

'He's working hard on his internships yet still made time for me... maybe I should start working harder too'

Suddenly feeling a surge of confidence, Yume once again picked up her phone and opened her contacts, scrolling down to one specific number and before she could lose her nerve, hit call.

Yume sat there for a few moments as she listened to the phone ring, starting to feel a bit more nervous now, the initial confidence starting to fade. However, she'd already hit call so she wasn't going to back out now.

After a few more moments, someone finally picked up and spoke with a stern yet professional voice.

"Hello, who is this and what sort of business might you have with me at this hour?"

Taking a deep breath, Yume gathered all her courage and resolve, finding her own voice before responding.

"Hello... Father"

Notes:

Don't you all just love a quality cliffhanger, I'll try not to take multiple months this time to write the next chapter.

Also everyone, here by popular demand... please welcome the official Blasty Character Tag

Chapter 15: Burden

Notes:

Only a one month-ish wait for this chapter, an improvement I like to think! Anyways the follow up of last chapter's big cliffhanger is finally here. I hope you all enjoy.

"Hello... Father"

The moment of silence that followed felt like an eternity. What was she even doing calling Father like this, it was obvious that he was probably busy like usual... and here she was being a distraction. Maybe it'd be best if she just hung up now and pretended it was a wrong number...

"Ah yes, Yume... it's been a long time, I suppose."

Yume blinked in surprise, she'd been so distracted by her own thoughts she'd nearly forgotten the call was still going. Hearing her Father's voice though, brought back so many memories of the past and of her childhood. It'd been nearly 6 months since she'd spoken to either of her Parents directly and yet... his voice as professional and collected as ever.

"Haha yeah... I guess it has been!"

All she could do was laugh awkwardly... 

"I'd like to think you have an actual reason for calling, I'm very busy at the moment."

That's right... what was she supposed to even say, she'd gone and just called him impulsively and with no plan in mind.

"W-well... honestly I didn't really think about that... I just thought I'd call and see how you and Mother are?"

Even the silence through the phone felt like some form of judgement as she sat there in the silence of her Apartment.

"Honestly Yume, you should know better than to trouble me with something so inconsequential. Your Mother and I are doing fine, now was that all you wanted?"

"Y-yes... I guess it was-"

"In that case I really do need to get back to work, I have an important meeting coming up soon, and Yume, try your best not to waste my time unless it's something of actual importance."

"O-of course... I'm sorry Fa-"

She heard the sound of the call disconnecting before she could even finish voicing her words.

Placing her phone down to her side, she held Blasty close as she remained still, the silence of her apartment feeling even more noticeable than usual.

'Why'd I even think that would've gone any different anyways, all I ended up being was a distraction like usual... it's still not enough'

Yume thought that earlier, with that surge of confidence she felt, perhaps things might be different but...

'Not yet... I'm still not good enough yet...'

All she could do was lean back into her couch, feeling a bit of comfort from the presence of Blasty that she'd begun to grow familiar with.

Suddenly a loud ringing noise from her phone broke the silence and snapped her out of her thoughts, so she went to pick it back up.

'Huh... it's Kirishima? Honestly I wasn't expecting anything more than texts with how busy I assumed they are, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to see what he's calling for. Maybe it'll get my mind off things.'

Accepting the call, she moved the phone towards her ear.

"Hey Fukumoto! Sorry about calling without a heads up. Hope you're not busy or anything?"

Yume couldn't help but laugh at the irony of what he said.

"I feel like I should be the one asking you that, with internships going on and all. Don't worry though, I wasn't doing anything when you called!"

She noticed a bit of an awkward laugh from Kirishima's end before he spoke.

"Oh yeah... well let's just say Fourth Kind definitely is working everyone here to their fullest. He means well though and it's been a really manly experience so far, I feel like I'm learning a lot!"

Yume smiled at that, it was definitely like Kirishima to enjoy what sounded like a real challenging schedule.

"Anyways I didn't really have anything specific in mind, just thought I'd call and see how you were doing! I actually just called Bakugo up not that long ago as well!"

That actually surprised Yume a lot.

"Wait, he actually answered your call?!"

The silence in response was deafening.

"He sent you straight to voicemail didn't he..."

"Yeah... but we both know that's just good ole Bakugo!"

He had a point there, besides if there was ever an emergency, she was very confident Bakugo would answer their calls... probably!

"Yeah you're right! Anyways, to answer your question from before, I'm doing great! Everything's been going pretty good so far today!"

No it hadn't, the last hour mainly hadn't gone well for her at all. It wasn't going great... but she couldn't burden anyone with her own problems, she'd just be acting even more selfish.

"Well I'm glad to hear it! You sound a bit off though, are you doing ok over there?"

She held Blasty a bit closer as she internally panicked, she hadn't meant to give anything away with her tone.

"Oh yeah! I'm great, it's just been... a really long day so I'm a bit tired! Me and Blasty have been getting a lot done!"

With the lack of a response, Yume was thinking maybe he bought her excuse until...

"Blasty?"

Yume's eyes widened, realizing she made yet another mistake... a very grave mistake perhaps.

"Blasty? What are you talking about?? I've never heard of that name before!"

She just needed to play it cool here, stay calm, cool, and collected.

"I'm pretty sure that you definitely just said Blasty. Is Bakugo there or something, I was pretty sure we all had internships at the same time-"

"NO- I m-mean... he is at internships, Blasty is just the plush he won for me from the arcade- I MEAN IT'S NOTHING!!"

Yume could feel her face heating up more and more in embarrassment, she put the call on speaker so she could use Blasty to hide her expression.

'How could I let his name slip... it's practically the same as saying I named the plush after Bakugo himself!'

She continued to sit there mortified by the embarrassment of it all until she started to hear the sound of laughter through her phone.

"It isn't funny!! So what if the Plush is named Blasty, it was the first name that came to mind!!"

Finally the laughter on the other end of the call came to an end as Kirishima started talking again.

"I promise I'm not judging or anything, you just surprised me, that's all. To think you'd name the Plush that Bakugo won you after Bakugo himself, does he know?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT- I mean!!! W-well sure technically that's a nickname of his but that doesn't mean I named it after him... and sure they share the same strong red eyes but that's just a coincidence!! And sure Blasty shares a similarity to Bakugo's hair color but that's just how life works sometimes... you know what, I'm gonna stop talking now!!"

Oh what is she even doing?! All that's going on now is digging herself into an even deeper hole, she might never live this down if Bakugo learned about it!

"Please don't say a word about the Plush's name to him! I can't think of anything more embarrassing than that!"

She sat there in silent anticipation, just hoping she'd be saved from the potential embarrassment this could result in.

"Well Fukumoto, I hate to say it but... you don't need to worry, it wouldn't be manly at all for me to share someone else's secret after all!"

Finally, Yume could breathe a sigh of relief, the disaster was avoided.

"If it's alright though... I was kinda curious about something?"

She sat up straight in attention, finally calmed down.

"Yeah, about what?"

He sounded a bit more serious here so she figured she should give him her full attention.

"My bad if I'm wrong on this but... you like Bakugo, don't you... and not just as a friend I mean"

The way he said it sounded more like a statement to her, rather than a question. She sat there for a moment, holding Blasty close as she responded.

...

"Yeah... I do."

She wasn't stupid or anything... she realized the more she'd gotten to know Bakugo and spend time with him. How he'd not only made her daily life more fun and exciting, how he'd brought so many new people and things into it, and the way he always was honest and never put up a front around her. She wasn't even sure when these feelings really started growing like they have or when she started to care as much as she's grown to... maybe the Sports Festival when she realized just how much she hated seeing him be treated so unfairly, or even not that long ago when despite treating his friend so poorly at first, Bakugo still didn't away from her... all she knew is they kept on growing.

"If it's ok to ask my own question, how'd you figure it out?"

She heard a slightly awkward laugh on the other end as Kirishima began to explain.

"Honestly, I wasn't completely sure until the Arcade. Seeing the way you talked about him during our Air Hockey game was what really made me feel confident about my guess though. The Plush was what really sealed the deal in my guess though."

Well that was ironic, considering how good she thought she was at hiding things, apparently this secret came across as obvious to Kirishima. 

"I see, that makes sense I guess. I'm sure you'll keep this a secret too... I wouldn't expect anything to come from it though."

Kirishima let out a sound of surprise on the other end.

"Wait, you mean you aren't ever gonna tell him? I'm no expert on this sort of thing but usually when you have feelings for someone, don't you confess them?"

Yume found it nice how well-meaning he sounded, but unfortunately it wasn't that simple.

"Yeah, I guess in all the stories that is how those things would go... but unfortunately my life is no Fairy Tale, besides he's got big dreams and goals to be the #1 Hero one day. Even if he did feel the same which I know he doesn't, I'd probably just drag him down..."

She was immediately cut off before she could even finish speaking.

"Wait a minute, I think you're being too harsh on yourself! I can't speak about your life but I can speak about you and for the time I've known you, sure it may have been a shaky start but ever since you've been an amazing friend! Not just that but Bakugo's known you much longer and speaking as someone who's shared a class with him, that guy doesn't just willingly spend his time with anyone, and he was spending time with you outside of any obligation because he wanted to!"

"Well that's true... but-"

"Also let's get that talk of you dragging him down out of the way! I heard about how he spends time training you in hand to hand combat, something I think we both know about Bakugo is if he felt like someone was a waste of time or a burden to him, he wouldn't spend anymore time on that person. I don't know how he feels about you or anything but clearly he views you as someone special to spend that kind of time with you!"

She appreciated all his kind words... she really did, but this was just one thing he'd never understand. Yume already accepted that Bakugo would never have the same feelings for a burden like her. She already knows what happens when she gets too selfish. So knowing that, she's more than happy to just settle for being his friend.

"I understand what you're saying but... right now I'm more than happy just being his friend."

They remained in silence for a moment before Kirishima finally spoke again.

"Well, I get that this is the sort of thing that I could never force you on. It's not real manly to try and force someone to act on their feelings. We'll definitely be talking about this again though, because I do think you're wrong on this and at the end of the day, I can't accept any friend of mine talking down about themselves like that."

This would have to be the compromise, after all she knew just how stubborn Kirishima could be when it came to his friends.

"Yeah, I guess that's fair. It's not like it'd be right of me to force you to act a certain way either after all."

That seemed to get a laugh from him on the other end.

"Well one part about being a Hero is you gotta be a bit stubborn sometimes! Anyways I guess it is getting late and I've gotta be up early tomorrow. All I'm really asking is just think about what I said, maybe try and give yourself a real chance?"

Yume contemplated his words for a moment.

"I'll consider it... have a good night and good luck tomorrow."

"Same to you, see you later!"

With those words the call came to an end, and all Yume could think was one thing.

'Give myself a real chance... I haven't even earned that yet'

Standing up with Blasty in her arms, she went to head off towards bed. 

Walking into the room, she sat Blasty on her bed before getting ready to place her phone on the table next to it, before noticing she had some unread messages.

'I must've received them during the call, well I might as well read them'

Unlocking her phone, Yume opened up the Messages app and despite how the second half of today had gone, couldn't help but smile fondly at what she saw.

Katsuki Bakugo: Don't think I forgot about your training Bright Eyes, just because I'm not around right now doesn't mean you get to slack off!

Katsuki Bakugo: I'm expecting you to keep in fighting shape while I'm gone, and trust me I'll recognize if you've been skipping out so don't even think about it, not that I think you'd do something so weak anyways

Katsuki Bakugo: Also...

Katsuki Bakugo: WHY THE HELL DID I HEAR FROM THE OLD HAG YOU HAD LUNCH TODAY WITH MY PARENTS, DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE A HEALTHY MEAL ON YOUR OWN OR SOMETHING?! JUST WAIT UNTIL I'M BACK BRIGHT EYES, APPARENTLY I'VE GOTTA ADD COOKING LESSONS TO YOUR TRAINING!

Yume placed her phone down on the table near her bed as she finally fell back onto her bed, laughing at what she read as she pulled Blasty close to her, and despite her best efforts to avoid such thoughts, she couldn't help but dream that night with a smile on her face what it would be like if perhaps... maybe he did share her feelings.

Notes:

So many revelations, so many questions, and so many unknowns. It truly is all so exciting. I do hope this once again turned out well for everyone and interest is piqued for what is to come as I have quite a bit in mind. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

Chapter 16: Catching Up

Notes:

I'm really breaking tradition here, instead of a multi-month wait, it's a multi-day wait. Anyways we're beginning to enter the next phase of the story here as Internships finally come to an end, so I hope you all enjoy!

Some days had passed since that eventful phone call with Kirishima. Considering it was already how she'd been handling these sorts of things, Yume decided to just put it behind her and keep acting like she usually would. Besides, today was finally the day they were returning from their internships so she had to make sure to be ready to welcome them back with a smile!

Well... one of them atleast, based on the message she got last night from Kirishima.

Eijiro Kirishima: Hey just wanted to say that I'm probably gonna be back later in the day tomorrow so no need to wait on me! Don't worry though, I heard from Bakugo that he should be arriving pretty early in the Afternoon, the same train station you saw us off at. I'm sure he'd be really happy if you were over there to greet him!

It wasn't as if Yume wasn't looking forward to seeing either one of them after a whole week away, but considering a certain conversation she'd had with Kirishima not that long ago...

'Why do I get the feeling he has some sort of ulterior motive here...'

Either way, she was honestly really curious just what Bakugo's internship was like. Despite working under such a high ranking hero like Best Jeanist, for some reason he hardly talked about what he'd been up to this past week. So this was an amazing opportunity to get some answers!

'And honestly... I am excited to see him again too!'

She quickly finished getting ready and left for the train station, ready to see her friend again!

---

Bakugo had never been so ready to escape the public eye in his life as he waited for the train to come to a stop. He always thought he'd be prepared for that sort of attention as the future #1 Hero, but walking around looking like this... never in a million years.

'That damn Jeanist... my hair won't go back to normal!!'

For nearly the whole week, his hair had been stuck in this damn combed down hairstyle that Jeanist had personally done himself.

He had to admit that despite the rough start, he did actually learn some things. It wasn't like Best Jeanist was the #4 Hero for no reason after all... despite his weird obsessions with hair and jeans.

The internship wasn't the issue now though, just how in the hell was Bakugo supposed to get his hair to go back to normal. He'd never been more relieved when Kirishima said he'd be arriving back later in the day, he could only imagine what the idiot would say.

'Wait a damn minute, it's not just him I need to worry about'

It wouldn't be that long until they returned to UA, and there was no chance in hell that he was ever going to let those damn extras see this ridiculous appearance of his, knowing those idiots they'd have a field day with this.

Yet even then, that still wouldn't be the worst case scenario in his mind. He could only imagine what would happen if Bright Eyes ever saw him with this ridiculous look. She'd probably find the whole thing hysterical.

Bakugo stepped outside the train and into the crowded area of people as he finally reached his destination, ready to just get home and fix whatever Jeanist did to his hair.

'Not that I have to worry about that scenario, there's a reason I didn't mention what time I was gonna be back'

Exactly, there was no reason for him to even think of that possibility, he should just leave the station for now and focus on getting home-

"Hey Bakugo!! Are you back yet??"

He stopped walking as the crowd continued to move, not sure he heard that correctly.

'There's no way that damn idiot is actually...'

Looking around, he quickly saw her unmistakable long white hair and those bright eyes of hers looking around.

"It's Yume- wait or Bright Eyes since I'm still not sure if you remember my name! Anyways, I'm here to welcome you back! Raise your hand if you hear me!"

It seemed her... vocal search for him was drawing some eyes towards her. 

Bakugo couldn't help but smirk at the sight, he wasn't particularly wanting to talk to her at the moment due to obvious reasons, but he had to respect Bright Eyes willingness to put herself out there to get what she wants.

'Unfortunately for Bright Eyes, there's no chance in hell I'm letting her see this ridiculous hairstyle' 

Seeing as there was already a crowd, he decided to just keep walking at a normal pace, blend in with everyone, and he'd be out of there. Sure he did feel slightly bad at bailing on Bright Eyes surprise visit like that, but he had to keep his priorities in order.

A few steps ended up being all he was able to take though until he yet again heard a very familiar voice... except as it was moving closer towards him.

"Oh Bakugo! Is that you over there?"

He stopped walking in surprise as he heard someone running towards him.

'Does she have some damn tracking quirk or something, who the hell spots someone that easily in such a large crowd!?'

Realizing there was no point in trying to escape at this point, he turned towards the source of the voice and accepted his fate.

"Oh it is you- huh!? What happened to your hair!!"

Calming himself down, he had to remind himself that she probably didn't have any rude intent.

"Just an unfortunate side effect from my internship Bright Eyes, I'm not planning to change up my hairstyle or anything."

Bright Eyes stared at his hair with some amused look on her face for a moment longer before nodding.

"Yeah that makes sense, besides I enjoy how you look already so it'd be sad if you lost your signature hairstyle before you even make it as a pro!"

Did his damn heart just skip a beat...

"Anyways what is it you want Bright Eyes, and how the hell did you even know when I'd be back?"

Suddenly she became much less talkative as she awkwardly whistled and looked in nearly every direction except his.

"Oh well... you see.. I sorta heard when you'd be back from... a mutual friend!"

Bakugo would need to remind himself to have a chat with a certain redhead later...

"Oh no need to say anything else Bright Eyes, I've got an idea of which idiot you're talking about."

At his ominous words, she simply laughed along and nodded.

"Y-yeah, it seems we're on the same page there... anyways how about we catch up!"

Usually Bakugo wouldn't mind agreeing to this kind of request from Bright Eyes, but today he was facing much different circumstances.

"Incase you didn't notice Bright Eyes, my hair looks ridiculous right now. There's no chance I'm gonna risk being seen by anyone else until I fix it."

The only response she gave him was a calculating look, as she lowered her head and slowly began to turn around.

"Oh alright, I guess I'll just leave for now... even though I took the time out of my day to surprise you. I'm sorry... I get it, you just don't want to see me..."

"Damn it! Fine Bright Eyes, I'll spend some time with you today so quit moping!"

At his words she instantly turned to face him again, a cheerful smile on her face.

Bakugo could only stare at the devious bright eyed girl in front of him.

'Damn Bright Eyes knows exactly what she's doing... I'm almost impressed'

Bright Eyes quickly walked over to his side as they exited the train station.

"Wait a minute, before we even figure out where we're going. If I've gotta be out in public with this ridiculous hairstyle, then we need to make a quick stop somewhere first."

---

Bright Eyes quietly laughed as the two of them exited a small store together, eyeing the bag in Bakugo's hand.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so embarrassed over something before, you even bought a hat just for this one day!"

"I'M NOT EMBARRASSED BRIGHT EYES!! I'M JUST LOOKING OUT FOR MY FUTURE IMAGE AS A HERO!!"

She continued to quietly laugh as she quickly took the bag out of his hand, surprising him.

"I suppose I can understand that but I don't think it matters too much, different hairstyle or not, you've always looked like a Hero to me!"

Looking at him with a bright smile, she pulled the hat out of the bag and placed it on his head.

"There we go, it looks like it's a perfect fit!"

He looked at Bright Eyes with a surprised expression, that was definitely a change. When he thought back to when they first met, she almost seemed scared that any little thing she did could drive him away.

'She's still a damn idiot sometimes, but it's good to see she's also growing in her own way'

She seemed to notice he'd gone quiet as she gave him a curious look before suddenly looking embarrassed, the blush on her face growing more and more noticeable.

"W-wait a minute... why did I just- I mean I'm sorry I know you can put a hat on yourself! I was just messing with you a bit, that's all!!"

Watching her grow more and more flustered, Bakugo found the visual very entertaining. He reached over and pat her on the head before walking ahead.

"Oh wow Bright Eyes, I don't think I've ever seen you so embarrassed over something before." He couldn't help himself from mocking her a bit, he still had to get even after all. "Here I thought you wanted to catch up, but if you want to stay behind and contemplate your thoughts, I understand Bright Eyes."

He heard her panicking come to a stop for a moment before she began running over to catch up to him.

"Using my own words against me?! That's cruel even for you Bakugo!" 

He shook his head in amusement before realizing he didn't actually have any idea where they were supposed to be going.

"Now that I think about it, are we actually going anywhere Bright Eyes? You were the one who wanted to meet up so badly."

The girl in question dropped the not at all menacing stare she was sending his way from earlier before happily nodding.

"Don't worry, I thought of that earlier. I know just the spot, it's a favorite of mine actually, just follow me!"

She quickly took a few steps in front of him to lead the way he assumed. 

"I don't usually walk behind most people Bright Eyes so you better consider yourself lucky, got it! Also that stare of yours from earlier... we really need to work on it, it wasn't intimidating at all."

As they continued moving toward their destination, he saw Bright Eyes face turn into an expression of shock.

"Huh?! What do you mean?? I can be super scary when I'm trying to be!!"

"Yeah sure... if that's what you think..."

---

After a quick walk, he assumed they were reaching wherever Bright Eyes had in mind as she started to slow down.

"I'm telling you, I'm super intimidating when I feel like it!!"

He could only roll his eyes at her persistence on defending her... intimidation factor.

"Saying the same points for 5 minutes doesn't make them true." He then realized they'd reached her spot and took a quick look around. "Also, why the hell did you bring me to the park?"

Taking a look around, it didn't seem overly crowded aside from a few people, she led him to an empty bench before she turned around with a smile.

"I hope it's ok! This is personally just my favorite spot to relax really, especially later in the day when it's empty, it's always so calm here!"

Watching her take a seat on one side of the bench, he moved to sit in the open spot next to her before realizing something.

"Wait a minute, isn't this the same spot we'd sometimes head towards after training as well?"

Bright Eyes leaned back against the bench as she nodded at his question.

"Yep, the same one! I've learned that it's a pretty good place when I need a change of scenery to think about things." She gave him a look that was filled with curiosity. "Speaking of changes of scenery, how was that internship of yours?"

Bakugo was wondering when she'd ask about that, though it wasn't like there was anything about it he needed to hide.

"This ridiculous hair aside, It was annoying as hell but I'd say it was also an interesting experience at the same time. It certainly gave me some things to think about atleast."

He figured it was probably for the best not to mention Best Jeanist's hopes to "tame" him, not that Bakugo took it personally as any sort of grudge, but he knew Bright Eyes could be a bit more defensive about him considering she's still holding a grudge against the entire UA staff.

"Oh yeah?? What sort of things?"

She sat up and looked towards him with interest.

"There were definitely a few things, but I'd say one of the big things was my Hero name. He definitely gave me some things to think about when it comes to deciding on one."

Bright Eyes seemed a bit surprised at what he'd said.

"Wait, did you never pick a hero name? You usually seem super decisive about things like that!"

He felt a surge of annoyance as he remembered back to when they were choosing hero names in class.

"Well it wasn't like I didn't offer any options, they were all just rejected."

She widened her eyes, growing even more interested by what he'd said.

"Wow, I didn't even realize there was some sort of criteria for hero names! What names did you have in mind?"

He could only smirk at her question, feeling proud about what he'd thought of.

"Well I originally decided on King Explosion Murder before that got turned down for whatever reason, later on I changed it to Lord Explosion Murder. Unfortunately those teachers just don't have any taste for quality names I guess."

Almost as soon he finished talking, he noticed some sort of noise. Turning to his left, he saw Bright Eyes very clearly trying to hide her laughter.

"HUH?! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK IS SO FUNNY!?"

Apparently she couldn't hide it anymore as she started to seemingly die of laughter in her spot. 

"Oh wow! I'm so sorry, I mean I'm not laughing at your names... it's just, that's so you!"

It seemed that she noticed that his killing intent wasn't exactly going down, so she quickly continued speaking.

"Not in a bad way, it's just that only you could think of such a direct and aggressive hero name! I guess I can see how the general public might not agree though, but I approve!"

She sent a blinding smile his way, and he couldn't help but shake his head at her positivity.

"Well your approval isn't exactly what I need for a hero name Bright Eyes... but I guess I appreciate it either way."

Bright Eyes looked surprised for a moment at his reply before her smile softened. After that, he then continued to tell her about some of the stuff that happened during his internship, from the patrols to the work in the agency, until it got to a point where the sun was showing signs of going down.

"Alright, it's getting a bit late Bright Eyes and I've still got things to do at home. Aside from this stupid hairstyle, there's Final Exams coming up soon I'd imagine with the term ending, so I need to get started on preparing for those as early as possible."

As they both got up from their respective spots on the bench, she looked interested by the talk of the finals.

"Oh your Final Exams are coming up? Are those just like a paper test or does a Hero Course do anything extra?"

As they began to walk, he realized she made a good point, he figured there'd be some sort of quirk or physical evaluation, there wasn't any clue of how they might do that though.

"Based on what we've done so far, I can only imagine they'll throw in some sort of surprise for the Exam. The other extras might be stupid, but they'd be idiots not to consider the same possibility, especially if you realized it Bright Eyes." 

He said the last part with a smirk as he noticed her pout slightly.

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean! I'll have you know my grades are amazing!" Bright Eyes paused her verbal tirade as she finally realized the look on his face. "Oh haha, very funny. Just wait until I get even with you!"

He let out a quiet laugh at that as they continued walking, eventually reaching the spot where they'd split up.

"Well I'll admit that was more tolerable than I thought it would be, it was good talking with you again Bright Eyes- what are you doing...?"

Bakugo had turned to say goodbye before heading towards his home but cut himself off when realizing she was looking at him with a curious expression. 

"Well, I realized that even though we've spent a lot of time together today on your first day back, there's still one important thing I forgot about."

He could only look at her in confusion at whatever she was talking about.

"Huh? What the hell are you even talking about this time, what did you forget?"

She gave him yet another devious smile before walking towards him and wrapping her arms around him quickly.

"I forgot to give you a welcome back hug!!"

Quickly, his usual expression of annoyance found its way to his face.

"DAMN IT BRIGHT EYES, THESE STUPID HUGS ARE STARTING TO FEEL LIKE SOME SORT OF RUNNING GAG!!"

The evil mastermind hugging him only laughed at his claims.

"Maybe they are, but yet you never actually push me away when you easily could! Also don't forget, I did say I'd get even with you earlier!"

He looked at the idiot Bright Eyed girl as she continued to hug him, before once again conceding to his fate like all the other times this had happened.

"Fine, I'll give you the win for today. If you tell that idiot Shitty Hair about this though, then I'll make sure to make training even more tough for you than it's ever been before, got it!!"

She let out an awkward laugh as he felt her nod.

"Y-yeah... got it!"

---

Having finally made it home after that surprise attack earlier, he'd stepped inside his room after attempting to keep his hair hidden from his Parents. 

Thankfully neither had asked too much about it, though the Old Hag did mention something to him not long after he'd walked inside.

"Oh yeah, you got some sort of letter in the mail while you were gone Katsuki! We left it on the desk in your room for you, didn't open it but it looked important!"

Deciding he should probably take a look at it in case the Old Hag was right, he walked over to his desk and saw the envelope that he assumed the letter was in. He had to admit that the Old Hag wasn't wrong, with the sealing on it, the letter seemed pretty important.

Picking it up, he carefully opened up the envelope before pulling out the letter and looking it over, reading it carefully. He placed it down as soon as he finished reading it, a look of interest on his face over what it said.

'I-Island huh... sounds interesting'

Notes:

No groundbreaking reveals this time around, but it's always nice to catch up after a bit of time away from someone. Writing this I also realized it'd been awhile since the 2 main characters just had a normal talk. I imagine most might gather what the next big arc in the fic will be so I do hope you all look forward to that and enjoyed this chapter as well!

Chapter 17: End of Semester

Notes:

Did not at all intend for the wait to be as long as it was but such is life, on a positive note though I have a lot atleast prepared and semi-written so the next waits won't be nearly as long. This chapter was originally going to be much longer to make up for the wait but I decided it would flow more naturally like this, so hope you all enjoy and anticipate the next chapter being a much longer one then usual.

(For those that may miss it, this chapter takes place after their Final Exams in canon)

"Summer's finally here and exams are over, it's time to celebrate!" 

Yume simply laughed at Kirishima's enthusiasm as she raised her own drink for a toast to what was hopefully going to be a great summer. 

"Congratulations on getting through your first semester! You guys have a training camp coming up somewhere next right?" 

She'd recalled Bakugo grumbling about having to spend more time with the "extras" as he usually called them.

"Yeah, they haven't told us where it's gonna be, but I know it's gonna be real manly!"

Kirishima was quickly cut off as the 3rd member of the group placed his glass of water down on the table and sat down. 

"Let's not forget who helped you make it to the Training Camp in the first place Shitty Hair, remember the written portion of the exams?"

Letting out an awkward laugh, Kirishima quickly took a sip of his drink, though Bakugo wasn't finished yet.

"And don't forget the practical portion of the exam, after what happened there, I'll personally make sure you put in double the required amount of work during camp Shitty Hair!"

As Bakugo picked up his glass of water, she noticed Kirishima had a sly grin on his face as if something had suddenly come to mind.

"Oh and what about when you were helped to the finish line of your own practical exam by Midoriya?"

Surprisingly, she watched as Bakugo nearly choked on his water before shooting an annoyed look at Kirishima.

"That damn nerd may not have been completely useless against All Might, but don't think that means I'm gonna let him surpass me, got it!"

She looked at the two of them feeling a bit confused. 

"If you don't mind me asking... who's Midoriya?"

Both answered at the same time.

"A damn nerd!" 

"Our friend!"

They both stared at the other in silence for a moment, seemingly realizing their very different answers. Bakugo's glare and Kirishima's kind expression met one another in a silent battle before they made some sort of non-verbal agreement as Kirishima let out a cough.

"Well anyways, it was a big surprise when you were the one to invite us both here Bakugo, you leave the group chat so many times that I never expected you to actually send a text in it!"

She nodded in agreement.

"I have to admit it's very exciting, it must be something super important or maybe you just missed us already!"

As Bakugo sent a look her way at her words, Yume only smiled teasingly in response as Kirishima laughed in the background.

"I'm starting to think Shitty Hair is a bad influence on you.... anyways you idiots are actually right for once, I did call you here for a reason."

Yume felt herself lean closer in anticipation as she also noticed Kirishima's eyes widened in surprise, it seemed neither of them knew what this reason was.

"After that waste of time known as the finals of the Sports Festival- drop the look Bright Eyes, don't cut me off with another tangent about it! Anyways after that, apparently the prize was a trip to this Expo over at I-Island. Apparently it's some real advanced technological place, never actually been there so couldn't tell you much."

Kirishima decided to speak up while Yume may or may not have been slightly pouting still from Bakugo's words to her.

"That's amazing man! I'm glad you're getting something out of that whole mess!"

Focusing back on the conversation at hand, Yume nodded in agreement though still a bit annoyed, muttering to herself.

"It was the least they could do after what those stupid teachers of yours did..."

A look from Bakugo cut her off once again before she could really get going.

"How about you idiots let me get to the important part... you see I was also sent 2 invites for my Parents as well, but they wouldn't be able to take off the time with how busy their own work hours are, not that I'm complaining about getting away from the Old Hag for awhile. So basically despite knowing I'll probably regret it later, do you idiots want to go along on this trip, we'd be there for 4 days total."

Yume sat there surprised as Kirishima instantly had a big grin on his face.

"Wow, to think we'd be the first people you'd think to invite, that's so manly! I'd have to let my Parents know I'd be gone for a bit but I'm sure they'd be cool with it! How about you Fukumoto?"

Yume sat there for a moment surprised before an excited expression overtook her as she jumped from her seat to wrap Bakugo in a hug.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!!!! I haven't gone on a trip in so long and to go on a summer trip with friends for the first time, it's like a dream come true!!!"

Despite this usually being the part where Bakugo would yell at her for hugging him, she noticed he looked at her with a calm expression, she even thought that there seemed to be some sort of curiosity in there as he kept looking at her.

'Wait a second... usually he's the one who gets embarrassed... so why am I feeling... oh no... I can't be selfish like this!'

Yume felt her face growing warm as if she was turning red and awkwardly moved back into her seat in embarassment.

"I mean yes... I'll be able to get the time off and... I'd also love to go as well..."

The sound of someone holding back laughter caught not only her attention but Bakugo's as they both turned towards the other member of their group.

"The hell are you laughing at Shitty Hair?"

Kirishima only shook his head as he looked at Bakugo with a smirk.

"Oh nothing man, I was just thinking about something."

Bakugo seemed to shake his head, muttering something about why he puts up with idiots before taking a sip of his drink. As he did, Kirishima directed a sly grin her way.

'Kirishima you traitor!!! I told him nothing's going to come of that, I should've known he wouldn't just forget that conversation!'

She felt herself growing more embarrassed recalling all that she'd shared with Kirishima not that long ago.

"The hell is up with you Bright Eyes? You got a fever or something?" 

She'd admittedly forgotten he was right next to her...

"Oh I'm fine... you know, I just woke up a bit early today!"

The traitor from across the table decided to comment, sounding all too smug.

"Are you sure, we can always have ole Blasty here walk you to the Doctors?"

Yume quickly stood up to stop him from saying more, before sitting back down in a hurry, growing more embarrassed by the moment and attempted to move on as her friends both stared at her, one smug and one confused.

"Maybe we should order our food and... plan out more details of this trip...?"

---

After what felt like mental warfare at its peak, Yume had mangaged to escape unscathed as she walked out of the cafe with her friends as the sun started going down... who would've thought Kirishima had such a devious side.

'I guess he did say he wouldn't force me to act on my feelings... and technically his teasing isn't forcing anything, in fact his intentions are probably meant to be good in his mind'

Yume couldn't help but smile a bit at the idea that he thought he was helping, even if he never really would understand, she was grateful to have such good friends in her life now.

The trio made it over to where they were gonna split up for the day. Before that though, it seemed Bakugo had one more thing to say.

"Ok idiots, I know there's no way you both could've forgotten anything we went over already but if you somehow do or have any questions before we leave, I'll answer any texts you send that have questions about the trip next week, I'll also leave a copy of the details they sent me in that damn group chat you both made." 

She nodded with a smile as Kirishima sent a thumbs up Bakugo's way.

"In that case, I'm heading home-"

Before he could even begin to walk off, she watched as Kirishima moved in front of him in a hurry.

"Wait a second Bakugo, you can't head home just yet!"

She noticed the annoyed look on Bakugo's face.

"And why the hell not Shitty Hair?!"

Before she could even react, Kirishima gestured in her direction.

"Well with the sun going down, it wouldn't be manly if you didn't walk Fukumoto home, not that she can't take care of herself of course!"

Yume felt her eyes widen for what felt like the millionth time today as Bakugo just looked at Kirishima annoyed.

"Huh... it's just like you said, she doesn't need the help, I've been training her myself after all!"

She nodded to herself, there was no way he'd agree to this anyways, she had no reason to worry.

"I know how manly Fukumoto is, but remember she seemed like she was under the weather earlier and even for the manliest of Heroes, it never hurts to have someone helping you out from time to time!"

His methods of manipulation were clever, but Yume wasn't worried, there was absolutely no chance that Bakugo would-

"Damn it, fine Shitty Hair. I'll walk her home if it'll shut you up."

Yume felt shocked as Kirishima seemed to look very proud of himself.

"Thanks man! I just thought it'd be the right thing to do, I'd do it myself but my Parents seem to really need my help at the house."

She still felt nothing but shock and surprise as Bakugo turned in her direction.

"Whatever you say Shitty Hair, anyways hurry it up Bright Eyes, it's been awhile since I last was in the area so which way is it!"

Snapped out of her shock by Bakugo's loud voice, she quickly moved to lead the way, turning around to catch a glance of Kirishima sending a thumbs up her way.

'I really have to watch out for his good intentions'

---

Bakugo took a look at Bright Eyes as he followed her to wherever she lived, she definitely was acting weird with how stiff she was walking.

'Not that she isn't a weirdo already'

Now there was a thought that got a laugh out of him.

He noticed her jump in surprise before turning towards him curiously.

"Unprompted laughs from you aren't exactly common, something funny hit your mind?"

Looking at her with a smirk, he shrugged.

"Oh nothing in particular Bright Eyes, just seeing you walk so unrelaxed reminded me what a weirdo you've been since we met."

That seemed to do the trick a bit, as she smiled at him in a slightly embarrassed manner.

"I'd defend myself from your verbal assault but I guess I can zone out from time to time, sorry about that."

He shook his head at her apology.

"I'm not looking for an apology idiot, you being a weirdo is nothing new, I've probably called you a weirdo mentally more times than I can count."

At this admission of his, her eyes widened before looking at him accusingly.

"Wait a minute, are you saying you thought I was a weirdo all the way back when we first met!?"

"Yep, exactly what you're thinking."

Bright Eyes stared at him for a moment before she started to laugh, stopping for a moment to catch her breath.

"Oh wow, that is just like you! I guess I can't blame you, it must've been pretty sudden, this random girl you'd just bumped into wanting to be friends."

Bakugo shook his head in slight amusement.

"Yet you were the only one who fell down, those damn eyes of yours nearly blinded me, I still don't get who the hell would sound so happy after that kind of meeting."

As they resumed walking, Bright Eyes spoke.

"Oh that's easy, it was because you were the first person to ever- wait a minute... my eyes nearly blinded you, what sense does that even make!?"

He shrugged at her questioning tone, choosing to ignore whatever she was originally going to say for now.

"Your eyes are just really bright and stand out, no reason to think too much into it, where do you think the name came from?"

She looked surprised at this and maybe even a bit embarrassed at the indirect compliment, as if she somehow hadn't realized.

"Huh so that's where the name came from?" A small smile then appeared on her face. "And it's a positive name too!"

Bakugo couldn't help but look at her confused.

"Wait a minute, why the hell would you just accept a random name if you aren't even sure what it meant. As far as you know I could've been insulting you!?"

He watched as she looked towards him, tilting her head in a questioning manner.

"Well you have a point, but insults are just insults, are they really that bad to deal with?"

They kept walking, but even he felt a bit disturbed at how casually she said that.

'It's almost like she's used to being talked down on...'

Continuing their walk with the Apartment complex in sight, and noticing Bright Eyes seemed to once again be growing more nervous the closer they seemed to get. They finally arrived in front of a door that Bakugo assumed was where she lived. He hadn't actually been this close the last time when he'd agreed to her friendship, so it was his first time getting a closer look.

'Well it seems like the usual sort of Apartment atleast'

Bright Eyes seemed a bit nervous as she turned towards him.

"Anyways... thank you again for walking here with me, sorry I didn't say it earlier!"

He could only look at her curiously in response before speaking.

"Quit apologizing Bright Eyes, it's fine. Are your parents not home though?"

She stiffened again at his question, looking at him for a bit before answering.

"No well... they're just very busy people, I don't want to be a bother to them or anything."

That caught his attention even more, for as much as he might have to say about the Old Hag, he couldn't remember a time he'd ever thought he might be a bother to her or his Dad.

"Are you sure you're doing ok, Bright Eyes?"

She quickly nodded at his question.

"Of course! Everything's the same as it usually would be, nothing's different, I'm fine!"

He stared at her for a moment before sighing and nodding.

"Fine, if you don't want to talk about whatever is going on, then I'll let it slide."

Pushing her when she clearly felt uncomfortable wouldn't help at all, and the very least he trusted if she were ever in any sort of immediate danger that she'd say something. This seemed to calm her down a bit though as she sighed in relief.

"Thank you Bakugo... I promise I'm not trying to hide anything from you it's just-"

"Quit your rambling Bright Eyes, I get it. We've all got our secrets, I'm not gonna hold a grudge or anything, just make sure you take care of yourself and don't be a damn idiot otherwise I'll be stuck with damn Shitty Hair on my own next week."

She looked at him for a moment with her eyes seemingly appearing even brighter as the sun continued to go down, walking up to him she hugged him once again.

"I'm sorry, this is twice in one day and I know it's selfish of me... I just feel really happy right now for some reason."

Looking at the girl currently hugging him, who's face was currently covered by her white hair, he decided to give her this one.

"Fine... you've got two minutes, Bright Eyes."

She laughed quietly as she hugged him at his words.

"Wow two minutes this time, glad to know I worked my way up from one."

He rolled his eyes in a non serious manner at her words but otherwise returned her hug.

Bakugo did notice though, that this hug felt different from the one earlier at the Cafe. Her expression had seemed much more gentle now compared to the bittersweet one she'd had earlier as he remembered what she'd said earlier.

"I haven't gone on a trip in so long and to go on a summer trip with friends for the first time, it's like a dream come true!!!"

It seemed strange to him, looking down at the girl still hugging him, Bakugo considered himself good at reading people and he knew she wasn't putting on any act yet at the same time... she always had these moments where it seemed like a mask slipped off.

'Well there's not much I can do about something I know nothing about, for now I'll focus on making sure Bright Eyes enjoys the trip next week'

As they hugged in front of her apartment, he nodded to himself at his thoughts. Determined to make sure her experience next week was a good one.

Notes:

A friendly lunch, complicated feelings, an elite wingman, complicated pasts, and a few callbacks. Truly quite a bit went down here and to top it all of they're going on a trip!

Bakugo in canon has been shown to be quite good at recognizing when someone's putting on an act as we saw with Shindo in Season 3, so stuff certainly doesn't get by him that easily.

Movie Arc is starting next chapter and hopefully all the ideas I've had for it come across well in text so look out for that and thank you for reading!

Chapter 18: Arrival

Notes:

Your eyes do not deceive you, worry not, it is indeed a chapter that took less than a month. This is an arc that I have heavily planned out so hopefully the schedule will continue to respectable. I hope you all enjoy!

The doors opened up and Bakugo stepped out onto I-Island for the first time.

The hot sun immediately hit them as soon as the trio stepped out of the plane and that had taken them to the Island, and while he preferred summer over winter due to the benefits it gave his Quirk, Bakugo still found the blazing heat to be annoying.

'You wouldn't realize how hot it was if you looked at the idiot pair behind me though...'

Right behind him standing out as usual, were his usual idiots that seemed to always be glued around him these days and were accompanying him for this trip. Kirishima and Bright Eyes looked amazed, looking around at the immediate sights that greeted them.

"Wow... everything here is so high tech, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it in my life!"

Bright Eye's voice held a tone of amazement and even he had to admit, this place definitely looked impressive.

"Yeah, it all just looks so manly, I can't wait to explore!"

Bakugo had decided to give up on wondering how Kirishima managed to describe nearly anything he liked as manly and once again agreed with the overall sentiment.

"Alright Fukumoto, time to explore!" Kirishima said as he immediately started to enthusiastically run off, Bright Eyes offering her support as she followed along with her usual matching enthusiasm.

Before the Idiot Duo could get too far, Bakugo let out a loud cough.

"Aren't you idiots forgetting something...?"

They both looked at him with confused stares, before seemingly a lightbulb simultaneously went off in both their minds at once.

'I'm starting to think they share a brain cell or something'

Running back over to him, they both swung an arm over both his shoulders before dragging him along. Bright Eyes laughing on his left as she apologized.

"Sorry Bakugo, of course we need to make sure you're with us. Not only are you the reason we're here in the first place, but no man gets left behind on Adventure, right Kirishima!"

The red head to his right nodded in agreement.

"That's right, it's not manly to leave any friend behind!"

Suddenly he found himself being dragged along to who knows where... not that he thought these two even had any idea where they were going. He really should've known he'd have to be more direct considering who he's dealing with.

Forcing all three of them to a sudden stop, he turned the pair around to face him to calmly remind them just what they were forgetting.

"WE STILL NEED TO CHECK INTO OUR HOTEL ROOMS YOU IDIOTS!!!"

Once again, both looked at him with those confused and lost looks on their faces, before realization dawned on them.

"Oh right, that definitely is pretty important..." Bright Eyes said with embarrassment as Kirishima was looking off to the side laughing a bit awkwardly.

At least they seemed to be self-aware, maybe there was hope for them yet.

"But we have a few hours until we're required to be checked in, which leaves us some time to do some early sightseeing still!" 

Bright Eyes sent a look towards Kirishima who nodded back at her, and before he knew it the pair had once again grabbed hold of him and kept running along.

"Don't worry Bakugo, me and Fukumoto both looked over everything you sent in the group chat including the map, so we'll still have plenty of time to get to the Hotel! You gotta admit though, you must be a little bit curious about what this place looks like?"

He sent a look to Kirishima, ready to say something before realizing what it meant when these idiots had their mind made up about something.

"Fine, we can take a quick look around, but not too far from the Hotel. The last thing we need is to miss our check-in time because you both wanted to get lost!"

The pair smiled brightly at that, seemingly realizing that they got their way.

"Don't worry Bakugo, in all the trips I went on when I was younger, we were never once late for anything!"

Bright Eyes seemed confident there wouldn't be any issues, but there was something else she said that caught his attention and it seemed Kirishima noticed as well.

"Huh, I had no idea that you used to travel a lot Bright Eyes, must've been some exciting times right?"

She seemed to realize she let a bit more slip than intended as she awkwardly laughed.

"Oh yeah... really fun times... oh wait look over there! Is that an amusement park?!"

He watched as she ran over to take a closer look, Kirishima following close behind. It seemed pretty obvious to him at this point that she wasn't jumping to talk about her personal life much.

'I'll drop it for now... might as well make sure the weirdo enjoys the trip after all'

Realizing they were even further ahead after stopping to think, he quickly moved to catch up to them.

"WILL YOU IDIOTS QUIT RUNNING AHEAD OF ME!?"

---

After making sure they weren't too far ahead of Bakugo and exploring the sights, Yume finally arrived at the Hotel building and checked in along with Bakugo and Kirishima. It'd been decided that she'd have her own room while Bakugo and Kirishima would room together next door.

The trio was heading up to their rooms with their belongings, Kirishima looking around impressed.

"I gotta say man, this place seems impressive, I don't travel too much or anything but whoever sent you those tickets definitely didn't cheap out on the accommodations."

Yume couldn't help but agree, it probably wasn't the type of place her parents would've looked at back in the day, but she could tell it was a really nice place!

"Yeah well they better do that much, I made sure to do some research on the place as soon as I got the details. The last thing we needed to start out was being stuck in some damn dump for 4 days."

She noticed a look appear on Bakugo's face for a moment, before turning towards Kirishima apprehensively. 

"Speaking of starting off the trip... you did remember to bring your hero suit right...?"

Kirishima stopped and stood there for a moment, giving Bakugo a look of concern, which resulted in Bakugo seemingly ready to explode... literally or figuratively.

Before the building could be blown up though, Kirishima suddenly laughed.

"Don't worry man! I remembered to bring it, I came prepared with everything we could possibly need!"

She watched as Bakugo relaxed before giving Kirishima a half serious glare, and before he could say something else, she decided to cut into the conversation.

"Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever actually seen either of your Hero Costumes before. I'm excited to see how you both designed them!"

Kirishima looked at her with a smile while even Bakugo seemed to appear proud of himself for a moment.

"Oh yeah, just wait until you get a look at how they’re designed Fukumoto. They're real manly!"

"Some more than others, Shitty Hair."

Yume laughed as Kirishima looked at Bakugo with mock betrayal. As they continued talking, they finally reached the area where their rooms were located.

"Alright I've got nothing more to say tonight aside from this, make sure you're both up and ready to go bright and early tomorrow. Even if this is a vacation of sorts, we aren't gonna spend it slacking off and sleeping all day, got it!"

She gave a mock salute to Bakugo, while noticing Kirishima was a bit more nervous of the likely wake up call he'd get if he slept in too late. Sending a thumbs up his way to offer him good luck, she wished the pair a good night before heading into her room.

“And don’t think I forgot about you Bright Eyes, I’ll have you run 50 laps around this building if you take your sweet time and slack off, got it!!”

Yume nervously laughed as well as she nodded.

“Haha… yep, I got it!” 

She saw Kirishima giving her a thumbs up of support and luck, just as she had to him moments ago. Sending a nod of thanks to her comrade in arms, she quickly said good night to the both of them as they each entered their respective rooms. She walked in for the first time, closing the door behind her.

Taking a look around, it was what you'd expect from a Hotel room. It had the usual essentials and was a nice and simple room.

'Going on a trip like this, it's kind of nostalgic in a way. I wonder if Mother and Father have been anywhere recently... though I'm sure they'd have invited me at least if they had'

Deciding it was time to unpack, she began the process of placing her clothes she'd brought into the closet, as well as a few other important essentials. Though at the very end, she pulled out arguably the most important thing she'd brought as she placed a Pomeranian plush on her bed.

"Don't worry Blasty, I wasn't gonna leave you in a suitcase the entire time!"

Blasty did not respond.

"Hopefully we can make some fun memories on this trip, I honestly never thought I'd get to travel like this... especially with friends!"

She thought about all the fun things they could do these upcoming days before going to change into sleepwear and then walking back over to her bed, laying on it and holding the plush close.

"Honestly I was kinda worried I might've ruined things before the trip even started with how I'd acted last week, I'm just happy to know it seems everything's fine."

She rolled over onto her side, still holding the plush close.

"Maybe I should start being a bit more open with them... I mean Kirishima's been such a good friend even after I was so rude to him when we first met, and Bakugo..." She felt her face grow warm as she thought about her time with him since they met. "No, stop it Yume! None of those thoughts, I can't afford to be selfish like that... otherwise he'd just leave..."

That's right, when she thought about it. Even if there was a chance they'd both be accepting of things, they might also be furious at her for keeping so many secrets... or even worse they'd be disappointed in knowing what kind of failure she really was.

"I'm sorry... but I can't face those stares again. I don't want to see those same eyes of disappointment."

She'd never forget that day with her Parents.

"We're sorry Yume, it's just that unfortunately when it comes to elevating our business, you simply aren't adequate."

Those cold eyes... as if they'd been judging her down to her soul...

"We've decided to send you away for an undetermined amount of time, perhaps with real world experience, you can find an actual purpose and quite honestly, with how busy our work has become, we simply don't have the time to deal with someone who simply can't keep up."

That was right, it was her fault back then that she'd heard such words, received those stares. She was left behind because she couldn't keep up... it'd been selfish of her to stick around as long as she had, she'd just been dragging down all of her parents hard work.

"I can't do the same to Bakugo, he wants to become the #1 Hero someday... and how could he do that with someone like me by his side."

Yume nodded to herself as she thought about it, her selfishness had already affected her Parents, she couldn't bear to do the same to Bakugo's lifelong dream. The idea of receiving that same look from Bakugo... it was something she would never ever take the risk of having to see.

Sitting up in her bed, she sat the plush down next to her as she leaned back into her pillow.

"Why am I even thinking about the past like that right now anyways, I should focus on the present and all the fun times ahead, right Blasty!"

She looked at the plush with a smile that might appear slightly forced to some.

Blasty's expression did not change.

"I'm talking to an inanimate object again... aren't I?" She sighed before turning the lights off and pulling Blasty close. "I really gotta stop doing that..."

Yume then drifted off into sleep, thoughts of the past pushed to the back as she tried to be hopeful and excited for the future that tomorrow would bring.

Notes:

Not the most eventful chapter as they'd only arrived on the Island, got some quick sightseeing in, and checked in. The real newsworthy detail of course would be regarding Yume here at the end. This next phase of the story will certainly be for the people who have looked forward to finally uncovering the mysteries of her character, I'll say that much.

Also, I admit Blasty was originally going to remain at home for this trip, but I decided on a last minute audible and thus, Blasty has joined in on the adventures.

Thank you all for reading and hope you look forward to the next chapter where I anticipate some very major events to take place!

Chapter 19: New Faces

Notes:

I'm really setting a record here with the amount of chapters being put out, can't promise it'll remain THIS consistent but I can't imagine any lengthy stretches during this arc so rest assured.

Anyways this chapter marks the start of some big events not only in this arc but the overall story itself, so I hope you all enjoy!

' You know... I really shouldn't be surprised'

Staring down at the sight before him was a still asleep Kirishima, who clearly hadn't remembered what he'd said last night about not wasting time. Even Bright Eyes had understood, having gotten a text from her that she was awake and getting ready.

Though if he were being honest, Bakugo had been hoping one of them would oversleep at least once. He's always found it important to maximize productivity each day.

Bakugo looked at him with a look one might call evil if he weren't a hero in training.

'Well I know just what to do to teach this lesson...'

---

As Yume was getting ready for the day ahead, she heard an explosion-like sound along with the sound of someone perhaps calling out for help?

'Well they seem to be starting the day off on the right note!'

She thought happily to herself as she continued getting ready.

---

Kirishima was stretching his arms as the pair exited their room into the hallway in their Hero Costumes, Bakugo looking on with a smirk.

"You know man, I remember you talking about us being up bright and early, but you couldn't have given me an easier wake up call?"

Bakugo shook his head as he walked towards Bright Eyes door, finding the whole thing entertaining... for him at least.

"Just think of it as some early summer training and be grateful, Shitty Hair."

Knocking on the door, he called out from outside.

"Hurry it up Bright Eyes, Shitty Hair here has barely been awake and even he's ready to go already!"

He heard a voice respond from behind the door.

"Just a second, looking for one more thing and I'll be ready to go!"

Bakugo sighed impatiently before going back to lean against the wall, Kirishima laughing beside him.

"So man, are you ready for the Gala tonight?"

As soon as Kirishima mentioned it, Bakugo let out a sound of annoyance.

"Don't remind me, I was thinking we'd just skip it. Who actually cares to hear a bunch of guys we don't know give out speeches and then expect us to clap for them, it sounds like a big waste of time when there's other things we could do."

Before Kirishima could respond, Bakugo heard a door open as a pair of familiar Bright Eyes ran up to him.

"We can't just skip one of the main events of the entire trip Bakugo, besides we might miss the opportunity to make some sort of one of a kind memory!!"

At his side, Kirishima nodded in agreement with who Bakugo was starting to believe was his shared brain cell.

He was about to say as much to her before noticing she seemed a bit distracted looking at him. Waving a hand in front of her, he got her attention.

"Hey Bright Eyes, are you still waking up or something? It's a bit early to be dozing off!"

A blush appeared on her face for a moment before she seemingly snapped back into reality.

"O-oh sorry!! I guess I'm just a bit tired still from all of the travel!" She looked a bit embarassed before speaking again. "Your Hero Costume looks great though Bakugo, as well thought out as I'd expect from you!"

She looked at him with a smile before some sort of realization dawned on her face.

"Oh and yours is great too Kirishima, I didn't forget! It's as manly as I imagined you'd want yours to be!"

Apparently not minding the last minute compliment, Kirishima gave her a nod of thanks.

"Thanks for the kind words Fukumoto but I get it, it makes sense that your immediate attention would be on Bakugo's hero costume."

Bakugo looked confused as Kirishima laughed while Bright Eyes covered her face with her hands, looking very embarassed.

"Anyways let's move on and pretend this never happened! Are we excited for that Expo tonight guys?"

Reminded of that dreaded event, Bakugo could only look at her in annoyance.

"I should've known you'd wanna go as well Bright Eyes, and speaking of the trip, I see you've gotten in the vacation spirit."

It seemed Bright Eyes had decided to mix up her look for the trip. She was wearing a pink shirt, white shorts, and a pair of sneakers. The thing that stood out most though to him was the sun hat she wore instead of her usual ponytail, electing to leave her hair down.

"You look great Fukumoto, glad someone here can get into the spirit of vacation!"

Bright Eyes looked happy to hear it as she smiled gratefully towards Kirishima.

"How about you Bakugo, don't you think Fukumoto looks great!"

Suddenly Bright Eyes happy look changed to almost mortified for whatever reason as her face was turning red from embarrassment it seemed, as she suddenly looked more distracted, adjusting her hat to try and find a way to look anywhere else.

He stared at her for a few moments before walking off. 

"Get a move on idiots, wasting more time over this topic would just be throwing our day away. Besides, Bright Eyes always looks good anyways so I'd just be wasting my time answering."

Kirishima seemed a bit surprised for a moment before smiling and following along. On his other side though, Bright Eyes seemed overjoyed as a brilliant smile appeared on her face with her eyes lit up to match it.

"Thank you Bakugo, that's so sweet of you!"

"HUH WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, I'M NOT "SWEET" BRIGHT EYES!!!"

"Wait a second Bakugo, we're not suppoed to yell in the Hotel building!!"

The trio then left the Hotel clearly standing out with quite a few people staring at them in confusion, ready to begin their first full day on the Island.

---

After heading out and getting her emotions back under control, they discovered an exhibit full of hero items and decided to check that out first.

Yume immediately ran inside to get a closer look at everything.

"This is amazing, I've never seen Hero items so up close like this before!"

She heard Kirishima whistle in amazement as he walked up beside her.

"Yeah I gotta admit, I've seen some pretty incredible stuff since starting at UA but even I can tell this is some real high tech equipment."

Bakugo scoffed as he walked over towards them but she could tell that even he looked impressed at all of this equipment.

'Well his Parents did tell me that one time about what a big fan of Heroes he's always been'

Yume tried to hold back a laugh as Bakugo shot her a look. 

"Yeah yeah, just keep on laughing over there Bright Eyes."

She watched as he walked past all sorts of equipment, taking a closer look at each with more interest than one would think from his expression.

As they were looking around, Kirishima called out to them.

"Hey take a look at this! This sign is saying there's some sort of Villain Attack challenge of sorts that we can participate in, what do you say Bakugo?"

Bakugo took a look at the details on the sign as well as the directions on where it was and looked excited about the idea

"Well since we're already in our Hero Costumes, the chance to show up whatever random extras are over there sounds exciting."

Kirishima, while maybe not thinking of it in the exact same way, seemed to be excited as well.

"Yeah it'll be a good way to keep up with our training! Wanna come check it out with us Fukumoto?"

She took a look at the description of it as well before nodding.

"Yeah it sounds like fun! Even if I'm not able to participate, it'll be cool seeing you guys in action up close for once!" She then remembered something else that she'd wanted to do first. "Oh but can I meet you guys there? I wanted to go and try some Tea from the Cafe nearby, I can get it to-go so I'd be fast!"

Kirishima nodded while Bakugo shrugged.

"You don't gotta ask for permission Bright Eyes, just don't get lost on the way over there."

She gave him a look but could notice the teasing tone in his voice. Yume smiled at the both of them and waved before heading off in the direction of the cafe.

"Don't worry, I can always pull up the map on my phone if I need to, I'll catch up with you guys soon!"

Yume then began her walk towards the cafe, remembering passing it earlier as well as seeing it on the map. Enjoying the scenery as she walked through the Island. Eventually, her destination was finally within sight and she made it over to the Cafe, thankfully not overly busy at the moment.

Walking inside, she waited a bit before eventually someone who appeared to be a waiter with blonde hair and an interesting black streak in it walked up to her.

"Why hello there! Welcome on in, is there anything I can get for you?"

The waiter who looked around her age offered what she assumed was meant to be a charming smile. She heard more footsteps though but nobody there, looking down, she saw another waiter, one much shorter with purple hair appear as well, he seemed to be looking at her in an odd way.

"A cute girl like yourself can even get a discount if you want!"

Yume decided that while they were an odd pair, she'd just focus on placing her order and handing over some money to pay.

"Ah right... I was hoping to get a regular sized Tea to-go please?"

The two nodded as the Blonde wrote it down and passed it along to the back before offering her another smile that she could only interpret as flirty.

"Alright one tea is coming up! Maybe you'd want to spend some time getting to know each other, you seem like a lovely girl!"

The short one beside him seemed to agree.

"Your eyes are the most gorgeous I've ever seen as well, so what do you say?"

Now Yume didn't have a lot of experience with this, but she was pretty positive they were flirting now. She thought back though and remembered an important memory from one of training days with Bakugo. He'd offered her some advice after claiming that his own intimidation style wouldn't work for her.

"Now if anyone ever walks up starting to hit on you and you're trying to politely turn them down, here's what you need to do. You look them dead in the eyes, give them your biggest smile, muster up your most cheerful tone, and say..."

"I'm very sorry but I'm not interested! Can you please die?"

She watched confused as the pair looked like their souls were snatched right out of their bodies, almost as if they were traumatized.

'Huh that's weird... Bakugo had told me that's how I politely turn people down though?'

The Blonde one shakily handed her the Tea she'd ordered as it arrived, while the shorter one was muttering something about how they weren't at school, so they shouldn't be dealing with such scary people.

Looking at them confused, she gave them a quick nod of thanks.

"Thank you for my Tea, just one more thing!"

They both seemed to snap back to attention and stared at her.

"O-oh we're very sorry, I think we see a table over there that needs their orders taken!"

"T-that's right, have a nice day though!"

She then watched as the pair ran off at a fast speed.

"Huh... I was only gonna say they forgot their tip... oh well!"

Turning around, she exited the Cafe while taking a sip of her tea, enjoying the taste.

Heading over to where Bakugo and Kirishima were, she noticed more Heroes pass by her. 

'There must be so many of them here because of that expo... though when I think about it, why do they seem familiar, especially that one in green?'

Shrugging to herself, she decided it probably wasn't anything too important and cheerfully continued her walks towards where her friends were located.

---

"I'm back guys! Hopefully you weren't waiting too long?"

They both seemed to be warming up as Kirishima waved at her while Bakugo gave her a nod.

"You're good Fukumoto, we haven't been here long! We were just waiting for you before we got started!"

Bakugo walked over, looking impatient and ready to go.

"Alright Shitty Hair, which of us is going first?"

She watched as Kirishima stuck his fist out with a determined look.

"We decide with one of the oldest contests known to man, Rock Paper Scissors!"

Bakugo seemed to look unimpressed but either way, the pair began their contest.

Despite Rock Paper Scissors being such a simple game of luck, she was surprised to watch as they tied 3 times before Kirishima finally won.

"It is what it is Shitty Hair, I'm still gonna end today with the best score so it doesn't matter!"

She watches as the two leap down over into the area.

"Good luck! Try not to destroy the area too much Bakugo!!"

Bakugo shouted some sort of complaint back at her as she moved over to watch at the railing.

She saw Bakugo stand off to the side as Kirishima went to get into position, meanwhile the announcer started speaking.

"It seems we have a couple of challengers! The course has been fully prepared, you may begin when ready!"

Taking a closer look at the course, it seemed like the goal was to destroy all the robot villains as fast as possible though they seemed to be scattered.

Watching as Kirishima took off, he began by taking out the robot closest to him. and moving to the next closest. She honestly was skeptical of how good his time would be since his quirk didn't exactly work to his advantage in terms of speed, but he was moving pretty well, only activating his hardening quirk at the moment he struck.

"You're doing great Kirishima, at this rate you might score higher than Bakugo!"

She heard a sound of protest from Bakugo down there and smiled teasingly in his direction. Eventually it seemed Kirishima had completed the challenge as he was standing on top of the large rock structure with a victorious smirk on his face and the announcer's declaration.

"A clearance time of 33 seconds! He's in 8th place!"

Yume looked in amazement at that time, it didn't even take him a minute!

"Great job Kirishima, that was amazing!"

She saw as he waved happily in her direction before the course was reset, and the announcer started speaking again.

"Please welcome our next challenger! The Villain Attack course has been reset!"

Yume watched as Bakugo marched into the course with a confident look on his face, she was excited to see just what sort of time he could set.

"Ready...! Go!"

As soon as the announcer gave the signal, Bakugo immediately blasted off and started quickly destroying the robots one by one. Yume looked on in amazement at how efficently he was taking care of them all.

'I've seen him use his quirk before but never in a competitive setting like this, and in our training sessions it's always straight up hand to hand combat. It really is impressive how his quirk works with power and mobility!'

She didn't have much time to think about what she was watching because before she knew it, the announcer was speaking again.

"Look at that time, only 15 seconds, first place!"

She clapped for Bakugo as he ended up doing exactly what he'd said he'd do, which was get first place. However, before she could call out to him, she noticed Kirishima walking from down in the arena into a certain direction and turned to walk towards it as well, curious to see what it was.

"Hey, isn't that Midoriya in the stands?"

She looked confused before noticing he was looking up at the green haired boy that she vaguely recalled from earlier, who was awkwardly laughing with his hand behind his head. Before she could ask Bakugo or Kirishima who this was though, Bakugo suddenly blasted up to the railing.

"DAMNIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE DEKU!?"

She looked at him surprised at his annoyance that seemed a bit more than usual before realization dawned at the name she heard.

'So this is the Deku that I've heard about from time to time, he's their classmate!'

The green haired boy now known to her as Deku backed up laughing awkwardly.

"Uhh hey there Kacchan! M-maybe calm down there a little-"

'Kacchan? Didn't know he had a nickname, that's ironic

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!"

She viewed their interaction with interest, apparently the bits Kirishima had told her about their dynamic weren't exaggerated at all as she then noticed another Hero Student with glasses get in the middle of them to play peace keeper it seemed.

While this was going on she saw a pony tailed girl lean over the railing towards Kirishima.

"So Kirishima, you two got asked to I-Expo as well?"

Kirishima laughed before answering.

"Nah, Bakugo was invited because he won the UA Sports Festival. You could say the two of us are his invited tagalongs!"

The ponytail girl seemed a bit confused at what he said.

"Wait, the two of you?"

Suddenly her nearby presence seemed to be noticed as all eyes landed in her direction. 

"Oh right, well I guess there's not much I can do in this instance for you Bakugo, but that's our friend who's also joining us on this trip! Her name's Yume Fukumoto!" 

She thought she'd heard a small gasp as she stared down at her shoes trying to avoid the attention. While she'd learned from her experience meeting Kirishima that Bakugo's classmates probably weren't bad people, all these eyes on her at once still felt like a lot.

As Yume started to stare up and meet their looks to properly introduce herself, she noticed Bakugo jump over the railing as he walked over to stand by her as he gave her a look that resembled reassurance, something she was thankful for even if he'd never admit that was his intention.

With his reassuring presence next to her, Yume did her best to gather all her courage and look up at everyone.

"H-hello... my name is Yume Fukumoto, it's nice to meet all of you."

Notes:

It seems my unofficial "How long can Class A remain out of this fic" game has come to an end. In all seriousness though, it was only a matter of time until Yume was made known to them and while not every member of the class will have an overly significant role in this story, I can confirm I have very big plans for some of them!

If you've seen the movie or just know the characters appearances well enough then it was probably obvious who she met earlier in this chapter but all will be confirmed at one point or another!

Thank you all for reading and I hope you look forward to the next chapter!

Chapter 20: An Unexpected Meeting

Notes:

This by far has to have been the toughest chapter to write, delayed by a great many things but despite it all. It's finally out, apologies for the long wait. I do hope you all enjoy!

"H-hello... my name is Yume Fukumoto, it's nice to meet all of you."

She then nervously offered a polite bow in greeting, figuring it was probably the correct thing to do... along with the fact she wasn't really sure what else to say.

Noticing a distinct silence at her greeting and worrying she did something wrong, Yume nervously looked up only to see expressions of surprise on nearly all of them, though one of them was staring at her with such an inquisitive look she almost felt like making a quick escape. 

The silence was finally broken by the brown haired girl. 

"Bakugo, you have a girlfriend!?"

The aforementioned blonde wasted no time at all responding as she swore she could hear Kirishima laughing on the side.

"You think this is a gossip site or something Round Face!?"

Yume meanwhile, was lost in her own mental wonderland it seemed.

'G-girlfriend!? Do we really look like a couple?? Well I guess if that's how it looks then it can't be helped- no no no!! Bad Yume... get these thoughts out of your head, we are friends!!'

Snapping herself back into reality, she saw Bakugo sending her a deadpan stare and Kirishima with that teasing look that she was becoming far too familiar with on his face, before he turned towards the rest.

"Anyways maybe the rest of you should introduce yourselves as well now, that way we all know each other!" 

Eventually after some introductions, Yume learned that these were some of Bakugo and Kirishima's other classmates, having introduced themselves as Kyoka Jiro, Tenya Iida, Ochaco Uraraka, Momo Yaoyorozu, and Izuku Midoriya.

She'd already heard of Midoriya from the times the name Deku had been brought up, the others though she couldn't say she was familiar with aside from vaguely recognizing a few from the Sports Festival on TV. However, there wasn't much time for her to contemplate her thoughts before a question was sent her way.

"Oh so you're Bakugo's friend, how did you meet?"

If she was remembering the names right, this was Uraraka, the same girl that spoke earlier.

"Well we... um... met at a store?"

It was silent for a moment before the earphones girl, Jiro, offered her own thoughts.

"Huh a store, you know for some reason it's tough to imagine Bakugo of all people going shopping."

"HUH WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN EARPHONES!?"

Before Bakugo could continue, Kirishima quickly walked over to change the topic and keep things moving.

"Since we're all here, are any of you guys gonna do this Villain Course or what?"

At Kirishima's mention of the course, she watched as Bakugo immediately sent a competitive look towards Deku- or Midoriya now that she actually knew his name.

"Don't even try it! There's no way you'll get a better score than I did!"

Eventually after a quick back and forth, Midoriya decided to attempt the course and jumped on down there as the announcer began speaking.

"We've got a new challenger coming in at the last minute! Will he come out on top, or bail in front of the entire Expo?"

Looking over from the railing, Yume watched along with the others as some sort of green lightning started to surround Midoriya.

"The attack course is set! Ready, Go!"

As soon as the announcer finished speaking, he moved forward at an incredible speed combined with an amount of power she didn't expect.

'Super strength and super speed, just what sort of quirk does he have?'

She watched in amazement as Midoriya eventually destroyed the final robot and his completion of the course was announced.

"An incredible run! He's in 2nd place in 16 seconds!"

Midoriya made his way up to some congratulations from his friends, though she noticed Bakugo seemed to be growing more and more annoyed as he declared over towards Midoriya that he was going to attempt the course again. She then decided maybe all he needed to hear was some encouragement!

"Look on the bright side Bakugo, you still have your spot in first place going for you! So that's good right-"

A loud noise cut her off as everyone turned towards the source.

"THIS IS INSANE! 14 SECONDS! THIS GENTLEMAN HAS JUMPED TO THE TOP OF THE PACK!" 

Looking down, it seemed someone with white and red hair had generated a large amount of ice to make quick work of the course, much to Bakugo's displeasure.

"Todoroki's here, too?"

Taking a closer look down there at who she now knew was named Todoroki thanks to Midoriya, she recognized him as the same person who faced off against Bakugo in the Sports Festival finals on TV. Apparently I-Island was a popular place this time of year.

Before she even had a chance to ask Bakugo any questions though, he quickly blasted off foward, heading back down there.

"OUT OF THE WAY, ICY HOT BASTARD!"

Whatever Todoroki had said back to him, she couldn't exactly hear. It seemed he was the more quiet type.

"YOU CAN'T JUST APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE AND SHOW ME UP!" 

Bakugo on the other hand... she could still hear just fine regardless of distance.

'Well I guess that's just a part of his charm, though maybe I should go make sure we don't get kicked out for public disturbance... and it is kinda crowded up here'

Making up her mind, Yume gave a quick wave towards Kirishima, signaling her intentions before navigating past everyone and heading down the stairs to the main floor, though before she could completely make it over to where she saw Bakugo still yelling. Someone that she just barely made out to be that Iida guy ran by her at an insane speed, causing her to stumble a bit.

"Everyone, please stop! You're gonna make the world think UA's full of degenerates!"

It seemed like he was probably the peacekeeper of their class, based on how his personality seemed. Realizing she should probably keep on walking, she moved forward before a voice from above surprised her.

"HEY, LOOK OUT BELOW FUKUMOTO!"

Quickly taking a step back, Yume watched as Kirishima landed in front of her, with Midoriya landing to his right. Kirishima then turned to look at her with a friendly smile and quick wave.

"Sorry about that Fukumoto! Anyways gotta make sure Bakugo doesn't blow the whole stage up!"

As he ran forward, Midoriya offered a slightly awkward wave and smile of his own.

"Oh uh nice to meet you again!"

He then followed Kirishima's lead and ran forward. Yume stood there for a moment wondering just what this day had become before snapping out of her thoughts and heading forward towards all the commotion as well.

"IF YOU THINK I'M GONNA LET YOU GET THE BEST OF ME YOU ICY HOT BAST- WILL YOU GET OFF ME SHITTY HAIR!?"

It seemed Kirishima had decided the best strategy was to just hold Bakugo back which honestly was probably the best move when she thought about it. Meanwhile, Midoriya had seemed to start up some sort of conversation with Todoroki. She decided for now to just make her way over to the restrained Bakugo.

"You know... it's probably not the best idea to get ourselves kicked off the Island on our 2nd day, don't you think?"

Bakugo gave her an annoyed look which admittedly didn't have much of an effect behind it due to Kirishima still holding him back.

"Obviously Bright Eyes, you don't think I know what I'm doing!"

"Well you did just end up in 2nd place and-"

She noticed Kirishima finally let go of Bakugo and walk behind her to presumably talk with the others

"IT WASN'T A QUESTION YOU NEEDED TO ANSWER BRIGHT EYES!"

Laughing at his frustation, she just knew that she was going to have a field day with that one for a while. Her laughter was cut off though when she felt someone grab hold of her hand.

"Anyways quit your damn laughing and let's get moving Bright Eyes! This place seems to be crowded with a bunch of damn extra's now and we still need to go find some place to get an actual meal."

Yume felt her face heating up as if it were turning red as she looked at their now connected hands.

'H-he's holding my hand! In front of so many people too?! Wait no Yume, ignore how nice this feels, bad thoughts!!!'

Snapping herself out of her own thoughts, she confidently replied to him.

"U-uh... y-yes?"

Turning around, he began leading her forward as she followed along, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Great then let's get going already, you too Shitty Hair, hurry it up!!"

She saw Kirishima run up to their side catching up to them as he gave her a teasing grin before waving back behind them.

"Great seeing you guys, I'm sure we'll catch up again later!"

Trying her best to ignore Kirishima's teasing look and this walk that she was definitely not enjoying at all... not in the slightest, she swore she heard a bit of whatever Midoriya and Todoroki were talking about from where they were leaving.

"I see, so that's Bakugo's girlfriend then."

"Uhhh I think you might be assuming there just a bit Todoroki."

It felt like the world was out to embarrass her at every turn. Her face grew more flustered at the bits she heard as they thankfully exited the arena and all the embarrassment that had come with it.

She however, could not escape the smug look on Kirishima's face as Bakugo looked back at her with a slightly confused expression. 

'Well atleast Bakugo didn't hear anything back there...'

She could only sign in relief at that, before deciding to focus on helping figure out where they were gonna go for lunch.

"So guys, does anyone actually know where we're gonna go?"

Yume noticed Bakugo ready to respond but before he could, Kirishima excitedly pulled out his own map via his phone.

"Don't worry everyone, I took a look at the map on my phone earlier and found the perfect place. Just leave it to me, I'll get us there no problem!"

Yume cheerfully nodded in encouragement while she noticed Bakugo looking skeptical but nodding nonetheless.

"Alright fine Shitty Hair... besides it's not like you can get us lost when you've got a literal map on that damn phone of yours."

---

"HOW THE HELL CAN YOU END UP LOST WHEN YOU HAVE A DAMN MAP, YOU SHITTY HAIRED IDIOT!?"

"Well you see Bakugo... it's not like I meant for us to end up here, but atleast we're somewhere familiar... right?" 

"OH I'LL SHOW YOU SOMETHING FAMILIAR ALRIGHT, YOU WANT A REPEAT OF THIS MORNING?! YOU LED US BACK TO THE DAMN HOTEL!!"

Kirishima recognized that he was probably in a life threatening situation right now, and his only other comrade was silently praying for his survival in the background which meant... he was on his own here. Suddenly though, a saving grace made itself known in the form of his cellphone.

"Oh wow would you look at that, I've just gotten a few texts and you know it wouldn't be real manly if I just ignored it after all! I'll just go check them... right over there yeah!"

Quickly walking over to an area safe from potential explosions, Kirishima opened up his messages to see he'd received some texts from Iida.

Tenya Iida: I'm sure you all have heard about tonight's party! With quite a few Pro Heroes attending, it is absolutely imperative that we do not tarnish UA's Reputation!!

Tenya Iida: We shall all change into our formal clothes and attend as a group tonight!

Tenya Iida: We will meet in Lobby 7 of the Central Tower at 6:30PM!! Please make sure to pass this information along and we will all see you tonight as we do our best to maintain UA's Prestigious Reputation!

Times like these were when he was definitely grateful for the class rep, otherwise Kirishima might've forgotten about the Party with the ongoing threat against his life going on. However, it wasn't like Bakugo was very interested in going considering he and Fukumoto both had brought it up before.

'Wait a minute... yeah that could work...'

Quickly searching for Fukumoto's name, he quickly opened up his messages with her and started typing.

Eijiro Kirishima: Are we still at Code Red over there??

Yume Fukumoto: Don't worry, he's gone back down to normal levels now, your life is safe!

Eijrio Kirishima: Good because I have an idea!

Yume Fukumoto: You were a good friend... I'll help make sure you're remembered fondly by everyone...

Eijiro Kirishima: Haha very funny, anyways you remember that Party that's taking place tonight?

Yume Fukumoto: The Party that Bakugo said was a complete waste of time?

Eijiro Kirishima: The very same! I've figured out how we're gonna get Bakugo to attend!

Yume Fukumoto: And what's my role in this plan...?

Eijiro Kirishima: Don't worry, all you need to do is suggest going back to our rooms to relax for a bit. After that I've got the perfect way to convince him to attend!

Yume Fukumoto: Hmmm I don't know, I still remember all the teasing you've done recently... maybe I should just leave you to your fate?

Eijiro Kirishima: I know you wanted to go to the party too and besides... you'll get to see Bakugo in a suit

Yume Fukumoto: ...

Yume Fukumoto: Fine... I'll help

Smirking victoriously, Kirishima sent a thumbs up emoji before closing out of messages and making his way back over to the others, where a thankfully calmed down Bakugo had agreed to Fukumoto's request to take a break. She sent a nod his way as the three entered the hotel, ready to begin yet another top secret operation.

---

Bakugo could immediately tell these idiots were scheming something, he'd never seen less subtle people in his life if he was being honest. The only thing he didn't know was what it could be as he and Kirishima were back in their room after splitting up from Bright Eyes.

"So Bakugo... crazy day so far huh?"

He could only scoff at Kirishima's words, not that they were wrong.

"I guess you've got that one right Shitty Hair, between all the Extra's popping up here or you starving us all until dinner with your expert navigational skills. I'm not sure what's supposed to win first prize."

He leaned back on the bed as Kirishima awkwardly laughed, leaned against the wall.

"Yeah you got a point there, who would've thought we'd end up seeing nearly everyone else here though! Hope you aren't mad about me introducing Fukumoto though? I sorta figured there wasn't much else to do at that point."

Bakugo simply shook his head at that, signaling that Kirishima didn't need to bother trying to apologize.

"It's fine Shitty Hair, besides it's not like I'm trying to hide Bright Eyes or anything. I just didn't feel like dealing with the assumptions and everything all those extra's bother with."

He saw Kirishima nod thoughtfully at that.

"Yeah I get that man, anyways about the whole starving thing... I think I found our solution!"

That immediately got Bakugo's attention.

"Considering who you are Shitty Hair, I get the feeling this solution isn't gonna be something I like?"

Kirishima just excitedly kept going though.

"No, trust me it's a great idea! Now I know you didn't want to go to that party and all but- wait wait wait!" Bakugo held up a hand in a threatening manner. "Don't blow up the room yet!! We'll be able to eat all the gourmet food we want!" 

Bakugo shot an annoyed look at Kirishima before leaning back down on the bed.

"While we do need an actual meal today, I can think of a thousand better ways to get one compared to some boring party. Why should I care about a bunch of old guys making speeches anyways?"

Looking over, it seemed Kirishima wasn't done with his pitch yet.

"Well yeah that stuff isn't very exciting... but Fukumoto was so excited to go to this party with us. Well then... I guess if you wanna call her over and tell her that you don't want to go, we can do that. She's gonna be so disappointed though."

Bakugo sat back up, looking at Kirishima with a threatening look.

'Oh so that's their game huh... well two can play at that game'

"Even if I actually bothered to agree, it's not like I brought any sort of fancy clothing with me anyways, so how could we possibly attend tonight anyways?"

He realized as soon as the words left his mouth that he'd made a mistake as Kirishima excitedly walked over to the closet.

"Oh well if that's your problem then don't worry, I figured you wouldn't! That's why I brought some stuff for you!"

Bakugo could feel his eyes twitch in annoyance.

'Did I really get outsmarted by these two idiots... and one of them isn't even in the room...'

Realizing at this point any further opposition was a lost cause, he stood up and walked over to take the suit out of Kirishima's hands.

"Fine then... I guess you damn idiots win this one somehow. Tell Bright Eyes we're going to a party."

Kirishima looked excited before pulling out his phone.

"I got it Bakugo! I'll message her right now!"

As Bakugo took a quick look at the suit in his hands and went over to go get ready himself, he thought back to when they'd arrived on the Island and how Bright Eyes had switched topics as soon as she was asked about traveling when she was younger... and now that he thought about it, he remembered her mentioning something about her Parents not long ago when they were in front of her Apartment.

"They're just very busy people... I don't want to be a bother to them or anything..."

The more he thought about it, aside from not knowing much about her past and her tendencies of switching the subject. Her parents were also a topic she never brought up, and while he could get people wanting to be private... something about this felt different. 

Bakugo knew she was probably excited about tonight, and he did want her to actually enjoy her time on this trip with how all over the place she can be at times. So he decided that for tonight, he'd leave well enough alone, but after that he was starting to think about something else.

'Maybe it's about time I became a bit more direct with her...'

Notes:

Bakugo deciding to be more inqusitive? Really on the verge of a real breakthrough here potentially. Truly a lot going on with new characters showing up and next chapter they get to go to a party!

I will admit this is a chapter I'm not fully sure on how it came out, but I do hope everyone found some enjoyment in it nonetheless and I would not expect anywhere near as long a wait for the next chapter. Thank you all for your support and I hope you look forward to the next chapter!

Notes:

Not too much here aside from the first of what I'm sure you can imagine will be many meetings, tried not to give away too much regarding Yume but there's a few tiny hints in there regarding her personality if you're the type to analyze things.