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[Marzopup]

She squinted as the dust began to settle back around them, one hand over her eyes to try and protect them from once again becoming contaminated. The sound of pained breathing was unmistakable and, in her estimation, a good sign. She wasn't even getting tired yet. But how was she supposed to get close enough to hit him when he had his long range attack? Elizabeth remembered his fight with Todoroki, and considered the option of just holding out until he couldn't use his fingers anymore. But that would take a long time; she still remembered the gasps of horror from the crowd when he'd used his cheek out of desperation, after reusing fingers he'd already broken. There was no doubt that in a battle of endurance she could hold out far longer than he could, but all it took was one mistake. Unlike Todoroki she didn't have the luxury of a wall of ice protecting her from being pushed backwards.

And then the dust was unsettled again, leaving her with a decision. Dodge left, dodge right, try and take the blast again, but wait, this was coming faster, much faster than the other one so--

She dove to the right, clumsily, barely missing getting hit again. The wind that came off the blast still managed to completely mess up her hair and she stood again, running a hand through it with a grimace that somehow managed to look thoughtful.

"This fight ended up being kind of boring to watch, huh," she remarked, grabbing two rocks in her hands and preparing to throw. "Just you breaking fingers while I jump out of the way."

On the bright side, his attacks were just wind. She could throw stuff at him that would hurt if she hit her mark, with the added bonus of some enhanced wolf strength to give it that extra sting.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So this. This was what flirting was, huh? Bakugo had never done it before, or even considered doing it before, but it looked like today he'd accidentally stumbled into it. Which was...well, while totally unintentional and definitely not the ideal person to be flirting with...Bakugo couldn't say he was totally regretting it. Purely, of course, for the novelty. There was no denying de Rios was hot--Bakugo had always been a fan of an ample chest, and most warm blooded men would probably agree with him--and seeing her rendered momentarily speechless by his words, seeing her lips parted slightly eyes wide, kind of helped his ego. Just a bit. He watched her, eyes narrowed, unsure of what her reaction would be.

Because if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that their feelings were mutual. They both fucking couldn't stand each other. But, much like after he'd teamed up with Kirishima at the Sports Festival, Bakugo was open to treating someone like a human being despite what anyone thought. Not treat them well, not treat them nicely, but like a human being. The way she beat him wasn't in some bullshit technicality way like Deku, winning the war when he was about to win the battle. No, she fought and won fair and square.

He'd make sure she'd never forget that--for better or for worse. Bakugo curled his lip at her change of tone.

"Tch," he responded, and for a moment that was all he was going to say. He couldn't help, however, adding, "It hasn't been that long. I've got plenty of time to 'divide my attention.'" He did air quotes for emphasis. "Besides, you said it yourself: it got your attention. Two birds with one stone and all that shit." He ran a hand through his hair. He struggled a little with the answer to her question.

"...fuck, get your mind out of the gutter, bitch," he grunted, "and I don't know. I expect to get a lot of it since today was a fluke and I'll be kicking your ass thoroughly from now on."

 

[kitpu]

"Don't worry, I haven't broken any fingers yet, believe it or not," Izuku informed her, smiling uselessly (if visible, it probably would've looked more like a grimace) through the drenched fabric plastered to his face. He might have gotten off lucky thus far, but at this rate, it was only a matter of time until he ended up breaking bones as he grew increasingly more desperate and was pushed to the fine line between rationality and instinct. Whether he won or not didn't matter here, Izuku reminded himself. Incantations of that very idea, whether he fully believed it or not, whether it made his mood wilt or not, raged through his skull. This was the one fight where he wouldn't give it his all. Couldn't give it his all. He needed more time to learn how to tame the devastating power of One for All. He couldn't exactly do that if he had reduced himself to the state he was in following his brawl with Todoroki.

Mostly, he worried for Elizabeth and what she would think of him if she figured out the restraint he cast over his performance. Would she think that he didn't take her seriously as an opponent? That he didn't think she was strong enough to face him? Izuku knew Elizabeth gave refuge to just as much doubt as he did underneath it all. Her exterior may be all cold stares and bluntness, but her insecurities shone through to someone like Izuku, who empathized with others too easily and understood from experience the technicalities of how emotions displayed themselves. The vision of her gold eyes flicking down and her face paling in response to his prodding about her quirk was as tangible as if he were seeing it right now. He didn't want to see it again.

But this fight needed to end before he got too wrapped up in it or in the drawbacks of listening to his body's needs.

Knowing it was the dumbest thing he could do strategy-wise, he charged her, swerving haphazardly this way and that in the fog to avoid the rocks she was no doubt aiming to hurl at him. This was a surefire way to lose, but maybe beforehand, he could manage to tackle her down at the very least. He'd excelled before without use of his quirk. He wanted to believe he could do it again.
_______________________________________________________________________________

"Get my mind out of the gutter?" she guffawed, astonished. Her brimming overconfidence and tone was a decent cover-up for the way that very moment had made her feel. It'd be pretty sad to act all ashamed about it now, wouldn't it? Bashfulness like that reflected none of the image she was so intent on sustaining—undaunted, egotistical, and impassively at-ease. "Oh fucking puh-lease. You didn't hear the other students who were watching the whole thing? It's not like I pulled some B.S. out of my ass. I might not've even noticed the whole thing looked the way it did if everyone in the crowd hadn't made it blatantly apparent. Say what you want, but it apparently appeared pretty fuckin' wild to the people watching."

It was hard to not to reflect on that moment, however much she detested him and his presence (even if at that moment it wasn't as unbearable. She doubted it would last long). His thighs hot against her spine bent inwards towards the earth, his deep, growling voice rumbling against the shell of her ear, the pain of his grasp around her wrists...it was all at the forefront of her thoughts. It felt as real now as it had when it occurred. The residual shock of it all, wasn't it? That's what it was. It was what she told herself, for now, while she was stuck with him so close to her. She'd mull it over later; on her lonesome, it would be much easier to consider it in all earnest without those red eyes burning through her, making something beneath her skin buzz. Tingle. It wasn't unpleasant, but she felt inclined to look away.

In spite of all that, she'd always been good at multitasking. It lingered in her consciousness, placed aside as she honed in on the following topic of conversation, that which employed banter on a separate topic—one that was easier to tackle. "Yeah, alright. Keep telling yourself that. I'll believe it when I see it." She sent a sneer his way, coy in a respect, a challenge that was not the product of ill intent. "You're some tough cookie, sure. Bigshot that can back it up. But I'm a breed all my own, y'know? You might've learned more about my quirk, but I learned a helluva lot more about yours too." Brown eyes narrowed, cat-like. A tiger playing with a mouse. Her smirk grew. Little early for a euphemism? Maybe. Mika aspired to keep him on his toes and to render him baffled and awestruck in any capacity. "Look forward to rolling around in the dirt with you again, bastard."

 

[Marzopup]

Her reflexes were usually whip-sharp, but Elizabeth had to give Izuku credit. This was so stupid, so goddamned dumb of an idea, that she was left momentarily frozen by the sheer brazenness of it. Her eyes flitted back and forth to keep track of her opponent weaving his way through the cloud of dust, but she didn't move. Only when Izuku was practically on top of her did Elizabeth finally react, lowering her shoulders and pushing down on his shoulder with the blade of her forearm. Normally it would have been that simple, but her brief lapse in reflexes had cost her a precious few seconds; Izuku had managed to get close enough to grab her leg. Elizabeth twisted her torso, both hands grabbing Izuku's head.

DON'T LET HIM TAKE YOU DOWN--BREAK HIS NECK! KILL HIM!

Elizabeth's muscles tensed, eyes shutting tightly.

"No," she growled to herself. Wolf-brain was getting a little overeager, which was a surefire sign that she was getting worked up. Normally the burn from her necklace would be enough indication, but in the heat of a fight it was easy to ignore a pain she'd grown accustomed to over the years. An animal like snort of pain followed, as she proceeded to try and regain her composure.

"You're too smart for this," Elizabeth said, "are you an idiot? This is just like when you fought Todoroki! Why are you doing this when you were probably going to win?"


She cranked his neck, holding her strength back significantly to avoid seriously hurting him. She just needed to make him let go. But her own words were getting into her head. Why was he doing this? He was too smart for this. How could he just throw himself at her when that was the only way she could utilize her quirk? He did the same thing to Todoroki. Did he...think she was holding back, too?

She was. But he couldn't have known that, could he? She'd never told him about that part of her quirk. For him to just presume she was holding back was just...

Elizabeth wrenched his neck a little harder, gritting her teeth. "I'm trying my best, why aren't you?"

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Bakugo rolled his eyes. "Please, just because they're horny doesn't mean it was actually suggestive," he grumbled. "Grape fucker would get a boner looking at a stick and a couple of well placed acorns."

He'd always considered himself above those sorts of things. He'd never been much for watching, never been much for staring at anyone's assets--even Yaoyorozu's had only been spared a passing glance (he considered them a pretty solid A too, if only because they needed to be pretty fucking perky to hold up that uniform the way she wore it) and he wasn't even the type to work himself over that often. It was a combination of things, all related to his ambitions. Bakugo was too hyper focused on his own goals to worry about relationships or who was fucking who or who he wanted to fuck. Between losing his temper on idiots, training, and working out, Bakugo didn't have the excess energy that required relief in...other ways. By the time he got home all he normally did was eat, do homework, and get in bed, a lot of times not even after nine o'clock. It was a full time job being a future pro. An exhausting one that didn't afford distractions.

So being in the crosshairs of de Rios both intrigued and unsettled him. He'd never been one to back down from a challenge though, not once in his goddamned life--so he was more than ready to meet her head on. Besides, it wasn't as if he wasn't also looking forward to the prospect of fighting her again. For all the frustration it had brought him, it also brought something else; a heady rush of adrenaline he didn't get from fighting most of his other classmates, who he was able to defeat with relative ease. Equals? He'd be loathed to say that. She had gotten lucky, her win the result of a few minor miscalculations by Bakugo--the way her quirk operated, its relative strength, her own reflexes and quick thinking.

He never made the same mistake twice.

"Please," he scoffed, "next time you won't even be able to get me on the ground. Only one getting on her back is you."

It was a sudden flush of heat at his own words that Bakugo didn't expect, that made him roll over to show her his back.

 

[kitpu]

There was no excuse that he could give her in good conscience to explain why he had done what he did. He squirmed beneath her weight, grunting as their position made it easy for her to yank his hair—whether it was by accident or not. Nevertheless, he didn't let go of her leg, determined to show at least some degree of his habitual refusal to cave. Teeth were grit together as he calculated what his options were. He felt bad. Already she had seen through his farce, established that this was a piss-poor idea he had put into action given the nature of their respective quirks.

But Izuku had a selfish streak beneath it all.

He wanted to be a hero, and the best one at that, one that was worthy of succeeding All Might with his already-dwindling power. The power Izuku was steadily sapping from him by the particulars of his borrowed quirk. And so, despite his respect for Elizabeth, he wasn't going to let her get in the way of that, no more than he allowed anyone else to. He saw this refusal to yield further damn his relationship with Bakugou, and if the hound refused to show some understanding for his circumstances, he supposed he would see the same occur between himself and her. She may come to loathe him. His goals were not to be trifled with even if his guilt was immense.

"I can't take any more risks with my quirk," he rasped, his free arm wrenching around to push his elbow against her chest. He could feel a dull throb enter the knuckles of his fingers as they were clenched against his palm. It was a good thing he stopped when he did. Even one more Smash, and his finger would've been as good as shattered. "I don't expect you to understand," Izuku continued earnestly, dark green eyes trying to catch glimpse of her from his position. "It's alright if you don't. But I need to train more, and I can't do that if I keep fighting when I haven't figured out my quirk yet." Despite her strength, he found that there was some give if he pushed enough. He struggled with all his might even if he knew damn well that victory was impossible at this juncture. "I'm sorry."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

A few days had passed. School once again had become run-of-the-mill and dull. Though Aizawa's lack of amusement and passion for what he taught made the experience slightly more bearable—as it felt realistic and like she wasn't suffering alone, at least—she grew weary posthaste in the presence of the other teachers they were required to humor. So much work with so few breaks over the course of a school day as long as theirs, and anyone would grow at least a bit harried. It was mandatory at that rate that she find some reprieve lest she corrode further, and at least for that week, it was the rain outside.

Mika, even if it were a bit ironic given her quirk, had always been drawn to the rain. During lunch hours, U.A. had a policy of giving their students near free reign over where they sat. That meant, too, that the courtyard was open as long as it was kept clean. Most in their right mind would not go outside while it was storming. At the same time, Mika knew of a tree outside that allowed not even a beam of light through its branches, so it probably wouldn't provide any give to water, either. She made a beeline straight there.

When outside, she shielded her face to see through the downpour, heading to the tree. She didn't even see Bakugou on its other side. Sinking against the dry bark, she pulled out her sketchbook and snacked on a peach that she had in her bag in lieu of a larger lunch. On her arms were bandages that remained from her scuffle with the blond on the other side of the trunk, wrapped tightly as Recovery Girl had yet to heal them. Ultimately Mika had sustained more damage than she thought she had. After peering at them for a moment, she began sketching someone with bandages to match her own.

Mika never drew while at school. While art was a respectable hobby in Japan, it was a trait of hers that she preferred to leave unexposed. She had an image to maintain. Stoic, unyielding, and without any softness or emotional vulnerability to speak of. Art was among those things that crafted an image of a person whether it was wanted or not. People assumed things of artists: that they were emotional, brooding, and the antithesis of logic and reason.

Well, people pestering her to draw them wasn't exactly desirable, either.

 

[Marzopup]

She was allowing him to push at her even as she held him, his words sinking in but somehow not making her soften her grip. She understood; it was stupid to break his bones again the way he had. It was unfair to expect that of him in a regular class exercise. He didn't think she was holding back. But then why did she still feel so frustrated, so angry? She wasn't used to feeling this way; she was so focused on keeping her own emotions in check that she didn't know what to do with them when she did have them. Elizabeth knew that she shouldn't feel angry, but there was nothing she could do. Her necklace burned, frustration giving her the extra oomph she needed to finally push him off of her and onto the ground.

Elizabeth ended up with one knee on his chest, hunched over. She could feel her teeth starting to cut at her gums. It didn't have the same tension as when de Rios and Bakugo had gotten into it; it had more the energy of a predator that had made a successful pounce.

"...then I'm...sorry..." She rasped. "I'm sorry for this."

She didn't fight with a closed fist. Elizabeth much preferred an open handed strike. Nothing in nature used its fist, afterall; and it was much more effective to use the fleshy part of the palm, to minimize risk of hurting her own hand against the hard bones of her opponent's face. Even if Midoriya didn't look very hard. He was actually rather soft and cute looking, especially when she got an up close look at his face like this...

But that wasn't important. She brought her arm back, fingers curled like an animal baring its claws, aiming at his face over and over against with the full force her quirk had gifted her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rain didn't bother Bakugo, though it didn't excite him either. It was a simple pro versus con transaction. Tolerate the bad whether, versus having to spend lunch inside where he may be forced to socialize. Since the Sports Festival, it seemed that he had inadvertently attracted a 'squad.' Kirishima, Pink Bitch, Weird Elbows, and occasionally even Pikachump (through association with Weird Elbows) all were determined to call him their friend. Kirishima was the most tolerable of the group, but that didn't mean he wanted to eat lunch surrounded by those idiots that thought it was hilarious to piss him off.

So he retreated to the relative solitude of the courtyard. Plenty of students ate there, but his spot hidden behind a tree combined with his perpetual scowl hunched over a bento box meant that he could keep anyone at bay. He grabbed a bottle of hot sauce, pouring it all over his white rice. He didn't care if it was weird; he liked spicy food. His chopsticks plunged into the food as he hunched over, eating it like it had personally offended him and he finally had his revenge. School was exhausting and he needed to inhale it quick so he had all the calories necessary for their hero course that came directly after the lunch period.

He almost didn't notice de Rios until he glanced up, twisting his body to see if people were starting to head in, signalling the end of their time. Sometimes he didn't hear the bell that signaled the end of the period from outside. And that's when he saw her; de Rios, on the other side of his tree, eating some fruit while she...she...

Drew...?

So in addition to all the heroing stuff she did, and making friends with practically every single fucking person in the class but him, de Rios was a regular Michelangelo too. Of course she was. Bakugo squinted, watching her as she drew. Unable to help himself, Bakugo snorted and finally raised his voice to say:

"Figures someone with your quirk would like being out in the fucking rain," he said. "Is it for the irony, or are you just that predictable?"