Chapter 28 - New Partner

"You should have seen him! He came out of nowhere!" True to form, Kirishima couldn't help retelling the experience of the night before, adding his own interpretations and elaborations. "Right Bakubro?! That oozy guy went down like a sack of rocks!" He looked over at his best friend, enthusiasm written all over his face.

You were heading back to UA from Kyoto. The countryside whizzed by, a jumble of forests, rice fields, mountain landscapes and small towns. Bakugou didn't acknowledge Kirishima, just stared out the train window, a frown on his face. The blond had opted to sit next to Shouji on the left side of the aisle, creating as much space between himself and you and Kirishima as he could.

Kirishima's brow furrowed as Bakugou didn't participate in the rescue's retelling but proceeded to push on with the tale anyway. "Then the second guard showed up. His quirk was crazy!"

***

Three hours later you stood in front of Heights Alliance once again. As happy as you were to be back on campus you couldn't hide your disappointment at not continuing on the Hacker case. You bit your lip, hoping you'd hear from Fat Gum with new information soon when you felt your costume case being lifted from your grasp. You instinctively clamped onto the handle, only to hear a chuckle from the boy to your side.

"Let me bring it back to the support station for you." Kirishima patted his own case. You smiled back at him and brushed his knuckles as you passed over the handle. He shifted your case into his already occupied hand.

"Thanks Kiri." You gave his side a playful squeeze, glad that he really did seem to have put the awkwardness of the kiss aside. He countered with a light hip-check which made you giggle.

"You too man." Kirishima held out his hand to Bakugou, gesturing toward his case.

"I'll do it myself," the explosive boy huffed.

"It's no problem." Kirishima started to reach for the handle but Bakugou pulled back, pressing the case to his chest.

"I SAID I FUCKING GOT IT!" Kirishima took a step back, holding his free hand up innocently. You glanced between the two boys.

"Damn. Okay bro." Taking Shouji's case, which was freely given, Kirishima turned on his heal and headed away from the dorm to the support building. Shouji strode into Heights Alliance leaving you and Bakugou outside alone.

"Are you okay?" You walked closer to your partner, concern in your voice. "You haven't really said anything since last night. Not even to yell at me." You added the last part to hopefully coax a smile to his lips. No luck.

"Maybe I don't want to spend more time with idiots like you than I have to. At least I don't have to be partners with you starting tomorrow." Bakugou's words stung. You had been such a strong partnership, a strong team. He headed toward the porch.

"You don't mean that," you called out before you could think otherwise. He looked over his shoulder, finally making eye contact with you for the first time all day. His scarlet eyes were dark and cold.

"I absolutely fucking do. Now fuck off Ashtray," he spat as he ripped open the door and disappeared inside the dorm.

You stood on the lawn stunned. You couldn't even place when you'd started to cry.

***

You woke up at five the next morning, threw on your workout clothes and headed to the back lawn. Bakugou had been tired. He was cranky. He hadn't meant it. He would still be there to train for your last day.

You pulled open the door to the back porch and your face fell. He wasn't there. You swallowed your disappointment and started to warm up. Maybe he was just late.

You completed your conditioning at 6:15. This is when you'd normally spar, but still no Bakugou. You grabbed your towel and water bottle from the porch steps and sulked back into the dorm, ready for an early shower.

***

The class was animated. Everyone was talking about their internships, but you just sat at your desk, head down, doodling nonsense on your notebooks. You weren't in the mood to share. For as liberating and empowering as your internship had been, your last conversation with Bakugou had left a horrible taste in your mouth and his absence during your morning workout had you feeling more hurt than you'd expected.

As much as he seemed to be done with you, you were heartbroken to be losing him as a partner. He'd helped you so much. Your scribbles became doodles of his eyes. The soft red had been imprinted in your memory from the night of the Sports Festival. You had felt so safe and understood in his arms. You crossed the sketch out once you realized what you'd been drawing.

"Who do you think you'll be paired with for this next month?" Your head snapped up as Izuku took his seat, his back twisting so he could look behind to your desk. Even with the eye doodle scratched out you covered your notebook with your hand.

"Who knows?" you said dully. You looked past Izuku's head toward Bakugou. Your heart tightened. Izuku must have noticed your shift.

"Would you have preferred to keep partnering with Kacchan?" he asked, a softness to his gaze.

"I think he's done with me, so it's best to move on," you said a little too loud. You could almost see Bakugou's shoulders stiffen. Izuku patted your hand.

"Everyone sit down. I have announcements." Aizawa appeared in the doorway. Izuku smiled at you before turning to face the front of the room. The rest of your classmates took their seats. Aizawa placed a folder full of papers on his podium. "I have progress reports from your internships. I suggest you read over the strengths and weakness sections carefully and focus on how to capitalize on your strengths and lessen your weaknesses." He opened the folder and began passing out the reports.

You scanned through your file. Phrases like 'instrumental in our success' and 'a brilliant strategist' brought the first smile to your face that morning. You continued to read.

'She should be careful not to get too obsessive in her role or strategies. Obsession can be a hindrance and decrease flexibility.' You tried not to read it as a direct recommendation toward the Hacker case and how much you craved to know more.

You looked up and scanned the room. Kirishima was looking pleased as he read his report. You smiled softly - after all he should be. He had been strong and brave and resourceful. Tsuyu was sticking her tongue out looking thoughtful. You wondered what her time had been like, suddenly regretting not listening to everyone else's stories. You passed over several more introspective expressions until your gaze rested on the back of Bakugou's head. He wasn't doing anything especially severe, not that he should have. He had done amazingly well over the week. You wondered what Fat Gum had said his weaknesses were.

"Finish reading on your own time." Aizawa's voice pulled everyone from their papers. "We have new partners starting today. Partners were not randomized this time. The other teachers and I have paired you up to help you combat the weaknesses listed in your reports as well as what we've witnessed." A fresh wave of anxiety washed over the class. Aizawa raised the white projector screen from the blackboard, once again revealing new partner names beneath.

Your eyed went wide. "Shouto," you whispered under your breath. You'd almost forgotten how you'd left things with him after the gala. This day was just one gut punch after another. You didn't even hear when Aizawa dismissed the class.

You felt a tap on your right shoulder.

"[y/n]." You jumped a little and then looked up to the half-and-half boy, not sure how to address him. Had you rejected him in such a way he no longer wanted to be friends? Could you call him Shouto? You chose to just hum at his call. "Aizawa said to meet with him at the end of the day in practice room A. I'll see you then." Before you could answer he swept from the room.

Practice room A? The fire training. Suddenly the pairing with Todoroki made a lot more sense. But what could Todoroki have to work on? He was already so strong. You took a deep breath, pledging you wouldn't hold him back.

You collected your books and dropped them into your backpack before looking at the rest of the names on the board. Kirishima was with Mina. You smiled at your two friends already chatting in the corner. You could guess that they both needed to work on their strategizing. Shouji was paired with Izuku. Their quirks would pair well, stealth versus combat.

Your heart dropped when you saw Jirou bent over the arm of her desk talking to Bakugou. You decided his earlier comment and his absence in the morning wouldn't bring you down. You pushed your hurt pride aside and stood from your seat.

"How was your report?" You pulled up alongside Bakugou.

"Fine." You bit your lip at his curt, one-word answer. You turned your attention from the hostile boy.

"How was your internship Jirou?"

"Good. I even got to trip up a villain during a chase." Her usual cool tone brightened at the memory. "How about you?"

"Well, I'm sure Bakugou can tell you all about-"

"How do you think Shitty Hair will feel about you working with Icyhot?" he cut you off. Your brow furrowed at his question.

"Why would Kiri care?" He 'tsk'ed and grabbed his bag from the floor, stood, and bumped your shoulder as he peeled away from his desk. "See you at lunch Bakugou. Feel free to join us Jirou," you called out before Bakugou could leave the room. Jirou gave a weak smile.

***

Bakugou didn't show up to lunch and Jirou opted to sit with Yaoyorozu and Hagakure a few tables away. You invited Todoroki to sit at your table as well, awkward as it was. You sat in silence as you both ate your noodles, listening to Kirishima tell the story of your internship yet again.

"Did you get injured?" Todoroki finally asked, cutting through the discomforting quiet.

"A few bumps and bruises, but I'm fine," you answered softly, absentmindedly massaging the back of your head where the villain had slammed it into the ground.

"Sounds like you were very brave." He placed another bite into his mouth. You smiled into your bowl. He was being kinder than you'd hoped.

***

The school day ended and you made your way to practice room A. Aizawa was already standing in the middle of the mat waiting for you. Todoroki appeared a moment later, dressed in his workout attire.

"Put this on." Aizawa threw a black long sleeve top to you. The subtle sheen suggested it was fireproof. You caught it deftly and quickly tossed it on in the ladies' locker room, appearing back on the mat a moment later.

"Todoroki, I've paired you with [l/n] for a few reasons," your sensei started. "[l/n] needs to learn to work with her internal fire. And you need to get stronger physically, focus less on your quirk." You looked at Todoroki's already strong, lean frame and quirked an eyebrow. Aizawa seemed to understand your suspicion. "[l/n] concentrates on hand-to-hand techniques and then supplements them with her quirk. I think you should get more comfortable doing some of that as well." Todoroki nodded.

"[l/n], have you had any more flame incidents since the Sports Festival?" Aizawa asked, shifting his gaze to you. You bit your lip.

"During the internship, when a villain had me pinned my shoulders lit." Aizawa's eyes narrowed, like he was trying to find a pattern. "But only for a second. And I remember all of it," you added.

"You mentioned before you thought it might be a stress response. I need you to get into that mindset. I need you to be able to tap into that survival instinct and bring out your fire." You took a deep breath and straightened. "Todoroki, freeze her."

"Sir?" Todoroki questioned. Your eyes flicked to your new partner.

"Freeze her now." Aizawa's eyes burned. Before you could protest, Todoroki raised his right hand, and you were encapsulated up to your neck in ice.

"Sensei!" you screamed out as you started to lose feeling in your feet. You tried to light your fingers, but the ice smothered the tiny flames.

"Get yourself out." Your eyes went wide at his intent.

"Sensei, I can't. I don't know how."

"Todoroki, add more ice." The boy frowned at Aizawa, but then nodded, seeming to understand. He added a second layer of ice around your already trembling body. The crystals crept higher up your neck and clung to your hair. Your lips turned blue.

"Please sensei! Stop! I... I can't feel my hands. I can't use my... my quirk." Your teeth were chattering.

"More," Aizawa commanded.

"Sensei, if I add any more, she may never move her limbs again."

"More." Fear flashed in your eyes. Was he really willing to cripple you? Todoroki raised a hesitant palm toward the ice pillar. You met his gaze, silently pleading for him to release you. You couldn't speak anymore. Only thin wisps of frosty breath left your nose and lips. He shook his head and fresh ice wrapped around your column. Did he really hate you for turning him down?

"Break out!" Aizawa ordered. You flexed your muscles. No use. You tried to light your fingers again. Nothing. You felt the strength leach from your body. It was so cold. So very cold. Your eyelids started to lower. The ice was winning.

"Release her," Aizawa's voice was low, disappointed. A moment later you felt some of the chill leave your bones. The tightness around your chest lessened and your breaths got fuller. You wiggled your fingers.

The instant your legs were free you collapsed. You braced yourself with raw hands. The contact with the ground felt like you might shatter into a million pieces. Todoroki ran toward you and dropped to the mat, his left hand sending a warm wave over you. He focused first on your hands, then moved up and down your arms.

"Todoroki, step away." Todoroki spent one more breath down on the mat with you, hovering his left hand over the back of your neck, trying to get you to stop shaking. He stood and took a few paces back. You remained hunched on the ground, your hands and knees now encircled by a pool of cold melted water.

You could sense as Aizawa stalked in front of you and lowered himself into a squat. "Get up." You shivered. Your breathing was still ragged. "Get up and fight him." Was he serious? You couldn't move. You could barely wiggle your toes.

"Sensei," Todoroki's voice was deep and serious, but it didn't matter. Aizawa grabbed the collar at the back of your neck, wrenching your face up to meet his. His face didn't look as tired as usual, instead a hint of insanity played behind his dark eyes.

"Get up and fight him!" he commanded again, tossing your limp body to the side. You felt a dark wrath seize up inside you. You lifted your head to your teacher, anger seething. He smiled. Why would he be smiling? It pissed you off more.

You placed a shaking hand on the mat, forcing yourself to brace the weight of your own body. You tried to place a foot underneath you to stand. No use. You collapsed under your own weight, your muscles still too cold to function. You pounded on the mat with your fists, feeling tears well in your eyes. You couldn't be this useless. All the rage you'd felt a moment before was wiped away as your frustrated tears fell.

Aizawa squatted in front of you once more. "Todoroki, come help her," his voice was softer this time. You looked up through stinging tears. "You did good." He met your swimming [e/c] eyes.

"I can't even stand," your throat felt raw and tight as you croaked your first words.

"You didn't sense it?" That faint smile in his eyes threatened to spread to his lips.

"Sense what?"

"Your eyes turned red when I told you to fight him. It's in you. We're getting somewhere." Your hands buckled below you.

Suddenly Todoroki was beside you, now touching your skin instead of just hovering above it. Warmth spread across your fingertips and down your arms. You allowed yourself to be held and touched, the exhaustion lifting from your cold bones.

***

Todoroki followed Aizawa from the practice room twenty minutes later. He had delivered you to the locker room once you could walk several laps around the mat on your own. Your teeth still chattered, but you would be okay.

"Your plan is to beat and torture her quirk out of her? That's what my father did to me, and I would say it's a very flawed system," he finally said what he'd been holding in during the session, a hint of venom in his tone. Aizawa spun on his heel, a stern look on his tired face.

"I plan for her to stop fighting her quirk. She thinks it can only be unleashed when her life is in danger. We need to change that mindset and have her control it, rather than have it control her." Todoroki wasn't convinced, a thin frown on his lips. "I wouldn't ask this of you or her if I thought it could be helped. She'll face worse than us. She needs to be ready."

"I won't help if I think you're going too far." Todoroki stood his ground. Aizawa nodded, accepting his position.

"The worst thing you can do for her is underestimate her. She's strong."

***

The walk back to the dorm was slow going. While the cold had finally left your body, your limbs still felt tired and weak. You had strained the muscles in your shoulders and neck from trying to break out of the ice using only your strength. You rubbed the sore spot as you entered Heights Alliance.

You found your way to the couch and slumped down, dropping your bag by your feet. The television was on, a news story about another paralyzed first responder, before Mina changed the channel, landing on an elementary level English lesson.

Educational programming came on around 2 p.m., after school, aimed at grade school children. You shook your head as Kirishima and Mina watched three people discuss the meaning of 'I'm going to' versus 'I will'. To be honest, as a native speaker I'm not sure there are significant differences. Jirou sat at one of the study tables, headphones in, busily writing on a worksheet.

"Hey [y/n], you..." Kirishima's sentence caught in his throat as he saw your haggard form on the couch. Your hair was still damp from the ice that had long since melted. "Are you okay?" He stood from his seat beside Mina and dropped down to your couch.

"Aizawa had me stay late for special lessons. He's trying to get me to use that fire you guys all saw at the Sports Festival. I don't know how to get it to flare. So, he was using some unorthodox methods." You rubbed the sore spot on your neck again.

"Did it work?" Kirishima moved your hand from your neck and started massaging on his own.

"He said my eyes turned red, but no flame," you purred as you melted into his touch.

"Get a fucking room." Bakugou skulked into the lounge from the laundry room, a hamper filled with folded shirts and pants tucked under his arm.

"Why didn't you come to lunch today man?" Kirishima stopped rubbing as he spoke. You whimpered, feeling the tightness spread back down your shoulders. "Everyone wanted to know about your fight in the basement."

Bakugou 'tsk'ed and made his way toward the stairs. Kirishima rose from the couch and walked toward him. "Bro, what is up with you? You've been weird ever since we got back." You stood as well, joining beside Kirishima, your chin resting on his shoulder.

"I wonder whose fucking fault that is." Bakugou stared daggers at the both of you.

"Whose?" Kirishima's genuine curiosity seemed to piss Bakugou off even more. Before you could ask a question, Bakugou dropped his hamper and threw a right hook at Kirishima's jaw. The punch caught Kirishima off guard and the redhead didn't even have time to harden. He crumpled to the ground, his face an expression of pain and shock. He reached up to wipe a trickle of blood from his lip.

"Bakugou!" you scolded, bending down to check on Kirishima's cheek and lip. You looked up at the fuming blond, his chest rising and falling quickly, adrenaline running through his veins. "What was that?!" Kirishima started to rise. Bakugou grabbed his basket and ran up the stairs.

"Hey!" Kirishima pushed passed you and up the stairs, following his friend. You stumbled back a step, your brow furrowed as you watched Kirishima disappear around the corner.

"Come with me." Jirou tapped you on the shoulder, making you jump slightly. She tugged on your sleeve, dragging you up the stairs behind her.

"Where?"

"To listen." You paused, nearly causing her to fall backward. She looked back at your hesitant face. "Look, he's my partner now and if something's going on, I need to know about it." She looked at you with earnestness in her eyes. You took a breath but finally nodded.

Jirou brought you to the end of the boy's fourth floor corridor and sat with her back against the wall. To anyone passing by, you'd simply look like you were hanging out, waiting for Shouji to come back. Jirou passed you one of her earphone jacks.

JIROU KYOUKA, HERO NAME: EARPHONE JACK—QUIRK: EARPHONE JACK. EARPHONE JACK GRANTS ITS USERS LONG, CONTROLLABLE EARLOBES THAT WORK LIKE HEADPHONE CABLES. JIROU'S EARLOBES ARE SHAPED LIKE JACKS AT THEIR ENDS, ALLOWING HER TO PLUG THEM INTO A VARIETY OF OBJECTS. THOSE EARLOBES CAN CHANNEL THE VIBRATIONS OF HER OWN HEARTBEATS, DEALING INTERNAL DAMAGE TO SAID OBJECTS. MOREOVER, JIROU IS ABLE TO CATCH FAINT SOUNDS THROUGH HER JACKS EVEN ACROSS EXTREMELY THICK WALLS, MAKING HER EXCELLENT AT SCOUTING WORK.

"Plug it into your phone and use your headphones to listen," she whispered, putting her other jack into the corridor wall. You warily obeyed, pulling your phone from your pocket and sending Bluetooth to your earbuds. You popped them in your ears and listened.

Bakugou and Kirishima's voices were as clear as if they were standing beside you. You looked at Jirou amazed. Her eyes were closed as she listened.

"Dude what is going on with you? You're my best friend. You can tell me," Kirishima's voice was pleading.

"Did you think I'd be happy for you?" Bakugou's voice was cold and malicious.

"For me?"

"You like hiding shit behind my back?!" Something smashed into the wall. Or maybe it had shattered against Kirishima's hardened form. You wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't let his guard down after that punch.

"What did I hide? What are you talking about?"

"I fucking saw you!" You didn't even need the jack. You could hear Bakugou's voice from down the hall. "I FUCKING SAW YOU KISS HER!" Your eyes went wide. This was about you?

"No man. You've got it all wrong. I mean, I did kiss [y/n], but it was nothing." Jirou mouthed 'You kissed Kirishima?' You waved it away. This was not the time to discuss that. You heard something else smash into the wall.

"IT WAS FUCKING NOTHING?!" You ripped the headphones from your ears. His volume had left your head ringing. You tentatively placed them back in, hoping he would calm down.

"She's cute and funny and cool and I thought maybe she liked me. But after the kiss we decided we're better as friends. We're not together. I swear man."

"Cute and funny and cool?" Bakugou's voice was softer, almost a whisper. You heard a slight thump, as if he'd kicked something. "You don't get her at all. She's a pain in the ass. She pushes you and scolds you. She's so excruciatingly annoying..." You ripped the jack from your phone and stood up. You didn't need to hear how much he disliked you.

"Where are you going?" Jirou looked at you with wide eyes.

"I can't listen..." you stammered and turned the corner, heading to your own room, your heart cracking.

***

"Cute and funny and cool?" Bakugou said quietly, lighting tapping his shoe against his dresser. He touched the rim of his ashtray. "You don't get her at all. She's a pain in the ass. She pushes you and scolds you. She's so excruciatingly annoying in her optimism and drive. She's stronger than anyone I've ever met. You don't even know half the shit she's been through. She's smart and brave, a goddamn badass. She's a tease and she can back it up. She's..." his voice trailed off.

"You really like her, don't you?" Kirishima said finally realizing what this was all about.

"Shut up," Bakugou said with no conviction.

"No man. You should go for it. I mean, I saw how you looked at her, but I thought you just thought she was pretty. I didn't realize. I would have never..."

"It doesn't matter. If she doesn't like you, with all your stupid smiles and shitty hair, there's no way in hell she'd like a prick like me." Bakugou collapsed on his bed, hands in his lap. He picked at his nails.

"Tell her." Kirishima sat on the bed beside his friend. Bakugou 'tsk'ed. "It's because of all those things you said that she'll hear you out. You guys seemed really close. Swallow your pride like a man and tell her."

"I think I've already pushed her too far away."

***

You curled into a ball on your bed, looking out the window at the lawn below, the lawn you'd spent so many mornings training with Bakugou. You closed the blinds, not wanting to think about those times.

You hadn't noticed you'd lit your fingers until you felt the familiar sting of fire on your skin. You extinguished them and mindlessly played with the smoke they released. You watched the tendrils dance into the shape of grenades and explosions. He was on your mind. You couldn't help it.

After all the time you'd spent together you had convinced yourself that your friendship had meant more to him than an assignment. Hadn't he taken you to Fushimi Inari? On the midnight heist? To meet his parents? You hadn't read into it at the time, but you knew he would have never done those things with someone else.

He was just supposed to be your partner. He was never supposed to mean this much to you. You were never supposed to have these kinds of feelings for someone like him.

I even thought he might...

But Bakugou's words had once again stabbed directly into your heart. He thought you were a pain, a bother, a nag.

You tried to set aside your bruised feelings and dropped your feet to the floor. If this was anything like how Todoroki was feeling you needed to do something about it. At least you'd try to smooth things out with this new partner.