#oc sakano

[vivixrocks]

That moment when you realize the story you’ve been developing for a few years during quarantine as a way to cope with depression and anxiety and trauma is literally just an accidental rip off of adventure time that you subconsciously did because adventure time was the best thing in my life as a kid and somehow had a large impact on me without me remembering it well despite that fact I was not that young of a child and my memory of my childhood is extremely strong for a few moments and that really concerns me. This does not mean i can remember all my childhood memories well. They are little spots in my memories that are from my childhood, other than that, my childhood does not exist.

[takingchences]

𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐩𝐭. 𝟏𝟔

A descendant of a legendary quirk longs to separate herself from her family name, but first she'll have to confront villains, ghosts from the past, and her growing attraction for Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight.

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x fem!oc

Warnings: mature language

series masterlist + my masterlist

Sana stood next to Tokoyami on the third place pedestal, staring blankly ahead of her. The bird-headed boy had his arms crossed, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You've proven yourself to be a formidable opponent, Sakano. I'm grateful we didn't cross paths during the battles."

"Oh," Sana blinked. "Thank you." She tried to smile. "That means a lot coming from you, Tokoyami. I've always thought you were one of the strongest in class." The boy hummed, nodding.

She glanced to her right, where Shoto stood on the second place pedestal. Their battle had lasted about fifteen minutes. Endeavor's fire had helped protect her against the cold, but Shoto had repeatedly encased her in ice, cooling her down little by little until there was nothing left. By that point, she'd been so drained that the boy simply threw her out of bounds.

At the moment, Shoto looked distracted and pensive. However, Bakugou was the most expressive of them all. Despite coming in first place, the ash blonde was far from satisfied. He fought against the gag and restraints the faculty had placed on him, throwing his entire body towards the Todoroki boy. All Might appeared in his usual dramatic fashion to present them with their medals. Tokoyami was first, then Sana.

"Young Sakano," the top hero greeted her with his bright smile. He placed the medal around her neck and pat her head. "You did well today, and showed your strength to the world. I hope you're as proud of yourself as I am to be your teacher."

"Thank you, All Might," she voice shook with so many emotions. He gently ruffled her hair before moving on to congratulate Shoto.

After the awards ceremony, they were free to change their clothes and leave. As Sana walked towards the changing rooms, she spotted a familiar head of green hair alone ahead of her. "Midoriya," she called after him. The shy boy turned around.

"Oh, Sakano," he smiled nervously. "Hi-" Sana silently bowed at a 90 degree angle. The greenette squeaked, his entire face turning red in embarrassment. "AH, SAKANO! W-what?"

"I would like to thank you... as well as apologize." The boy in question calmed down.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I misjudged you, Midoriya." Sana straightened, her usually bright eyes hardened and dull. "I couldn't understand why Shoto chose you of all people, but I see it now." She laughed emptily. "You really are special." Her voice broke on the last word.

The freckled boy shook his hands frantically. "No-"

"I underestimated you. I thought you were replacing me... but I realize now that he hasn't needed me for some time." Her smile was one of bittersweet acceptance, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Her fingernails dug into her skin as she clasped her hands in front of her. "I'm grateful for all you did for Shoto today. You did something that I could never hope to accomplish."

What she didn't know—could not possibly have guessed—was that Midoriya thought the same of her.

He was immensely grateful towards the girl standing before him. He'd noticed the subtle changes in his childhood friend over the last few months. How Kacchan had opened up more after enrolling in U.A and slowly started accepting people into his life, starting with Sana. From the first day of school, he'd seen how the two interacted, challenging and provoking one another. Kacchan needed someone to balance him out like that, someone he could view as an equal. The Sakano girl had proven on multiple occasions that she could keep up with the explosive blonde. She was capable of fighting his fire with her own, but she also had a softer side that Izuku hoped would help soothe the blonde's rougher edges.

Izuku was thankful for Sana and Kirishima, who would help his old friend grow and mature into the hero the greenette always knew he could be. He could see the impact their presence had on Kacchan, even if the boy in question was too proud to admit it. They made him better, happier... which is all Izuku had every wanted for his friend.

The curly-haired boy wished to express his own gratitude to the strawberry blonde, but wasn't given the chance.

"Maybe I was too close to the situation," she continued. "Sometimes it takes someone like you, on the outside looking in, to help see things from a different perspective." She shook her head. "You've done more for him today than I could in a decade. So, thank you." She bowed again, then hurried past his shocked figure.

"Sakano..." he trailed off, watching her shoulders shake as she took off towards the locker rooms. He remembered the painful past Todoroki revealed to him during the Festival. Not just his own, but Sana's as well. Right then, the greenette swore to protect his friends from any more suffering.

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The students were given the next two days off to rest and recover their strength. Most of the first 24 hours were spent moping around the house, much to Umi's dismay. The gray-haired woman didn't know what to do to cheer the girl up. Mina had been blowing up her notifications, wanting to hang out and probe her for more details regarding her so-called "date." Sana politely declined.

Umi answered the door on the morning of the second day to find Shoto awkwardly standing on the porch.

"Young master!" She greeted cheerfully, ushering him inside. "It's been too long! Come in, come in." The dual-haired boy stepped inside, the interior of the house as familiar to him as his own. "The young miss is upstairs in her room. She's been feeling a little down," the woman frowned, her face pinched in worry.

"I won't be long," Shoto moved to climb the staircase.

"Young master?" Something about Umi's voice in that moment made him pause. It was the voice of a mother: full of love, affection, and worry. "Please don't upset her any further. She's been so lost these past few months." Umi knew the solar girl had been keeping secrets from her, but she also knew that girl wouldn't do so without good reason. Whatever had kept the Todoroki boy away for so long had obviously brought Sana a great deal of pain. With his arrival today, the woman hoped that the two teens could work through whatever problems they had.

They were like family, after all.

Shoto nodded, climbing up the stairs. Down the hall and on the right was a door like every other in the house, though he knew what awaited him inside. Sage green wallpaper and a matching bedspread, with splashes of white and gold throughout the room. A large canopy bed. Rare photographs of the two as children scattered atop her desk, along with cute stickers littering the dark wooden surface. A faded poster of Mirko hung on the wall in clear view, the start of her rebellion against her father. White curtains drawn and dancing in the breeze slipping through the open window.

And Sana in the center of it all, curled in a ball on her side with her back to the door, hugging a worn out plushie. She didn't lift her head or acknowledge that anyone had come in, despite hearing the door open and close. Shoto watched her prone figure for a moment, sighed, then gingerly sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hey."

Sana stayed silent, holding the aged lamb closer to her chest. He recognized the old toy, having only seen glimpses of it in old pictures. It was one of Touya's from when he was a toddler.

Shoto sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck. "I came to apologize," he began. The dual-haired boy grit his teeth, angry with himself more than anything. "I overheard our fathers arguing after the Festival. My father was in one of his moods. Yoichi turned him down again that day. Told my old man what a terrible match we would make. He wasn't happy about that," he shook his head. "Or my performance."

She recalled the awe in which Yoichi had spoken of Bakugou's quirk. "It's not your quirk he's after." Her father always craved more power. Mixing Bakugou's volatile quirk with her own would be the equivalent of a supernova. Any child that came of their union would be nothing but a weapon in her father's eyes.

The half and half boy looked at her curiously, but continued. "I should've talked to you about my suspicions, or at least asked to hear your side of the story before jumping to conclusions. I guess I felt betrayed."

"So did I."

Shoto nodded solemnly. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Why did you assume the worst of me?" Sana whispered, her sad eyes refusing to meet his. "I promised you that we would control our own destiny and I meant that. Why didn't you believe me?"

Shoto scratched his cheek, his expression that of a scolded child. "I stopped holding onto hope a long time ago. That man has taken so much..." The strawberry blonde lowered her head. She knew exactly how he felt. "I wanted to believe you, but it all seemed too good to be true. I was so afraid to hope for something better for myself—for us—that I let the fear control me. I let my emotions blind me... just like him." Sana ran a comforting hand down his back, rubbing soothing circles with her thumb.

"You're nothing like Enji." She whispered, pulling him into a side hug. "The fact that you're here, with me, proves it. You'll never be like him, Shoto."

The youngest Todoroki opened and closed his mouth, hesitant to speak. "I... I visited my mother yesterday. With Fuyumi."

Sana sat up to look at him properly. "What?"

He nodded, staring down at his open palms. "It's something I've been wanting to do for a while, but I didn't think she'd want to see me. I thought me being there would remind her of all the bad things that happened in that house." Rei was a kind, gentle soul. Sana had always been fond of the woman, especially after her own mother's disappearance. But a person can only handle so much, and unfortunately, Shoto had been in the wrong place at the wrong time when poor Rei inevitably hit her breaking point.

"How was she?"

"She cried at first," his brows pinched. "She said she was surprised to see me, and that she understood why I never came to visit." His hand absently touched his scar. "But nothing that happened that day was her fault."

"Did you tell her that?" Sana asked carefully. The boy nodded, releasing a breath when the solar girl ran a hand down his arm in comfort. Guilt had been gnawing away at the woman, Fuyumi told her once. Not just for accidentally hurting Shoto, but also for leaving her children alone at the mercy of her husband. Maybe now Rei can forgive herself, knowing that for Shoto, there was nothing to forgive in the first place.

"She asked about you." His mouth curved into a gentle smile. "Said you'd grown into a beautiful young woman. She was proud of you at the Festival." Sana hummed thoughtfully. Shoto turned to face her. "I was proud of you, Sana."

And just as he'd expected, she immediately deflected his words of praise. "I was proud of you, too."

Shoto frowned. "I didn't do anything that great."

"That's not true. You used your left side," Sana reminded him. "You showed Endeavor that he can't control you anymore."

"I couldn't have done it without Midoriya."

"Maybe," the strawberry blonde smiled, squeezing his hand. "Maybe not. I'm glad you're making friends, though. Midoriya is a good one to have."

"So are you." The two teens stared at each other for a moment. "You're my best friend, Sana," he squeezed her hand stronger this time. "And I want to fix this. Can you forgive me?"

Could she? Sana wasn't sure if things could be fixed so easily. He'd broken her trust under the assumption that she had done so first. But despite the pain he'd put her through, she still missed his company. Sana loved Shoto, and she always would. But it would take a lot of time and effort to get back to where they were before all this started.

"I can try," she promised, delicately tracing her fingers across the toy's button nose.

Shoto looked at it as well, a strange feeling blooming in his chest. He wasn't able to interact with any of his siblings until recent years, but he was always curious about the eldest son. Touya was a complete mystery to him. He remembers catching glimpses of him in the garden playing with a ball as their father dragged him to the training room. Fuyumi and Natsuo didn't mention Touya often, and Sana was much the same. The two had been close, he remembered. Shoto wished he'd been given the same opportunity.

He wanted to ask, to learn more about the brother he'd never known. He wanted to apologize again for using Touya's memory to hurt her during their matchup. But the two friends were finally on the path to healing, and the youngest Todoroki didn't want to hurt her any more than he already had. So Shoto stayed quiet, silently longing to touch one of his brother's few possessions, but afraid that the fragile-looking relic would shatter beneath his hand.

"Those are nice flowers," he pointed at the vase of flowers sitting on her desk. Each one was a varying shade of pink and orange, reminding him of Sana's hair. She blushed at the sight of them.

Another thing he would hold off on asking about for now.

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

Sana said hello to Tsu, Jirou, and Ochaco, who were already at the shoe lockers when she arrived. As Sana opened her own locker, a small piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

"Oh? What's this?" She mumbled, grabbing the folded note.

Opening it up, she saw a brief message about a rendezvous during break time. The note was left unsigned, which only fueled her curiosity. Upon entering the classroom, Sana made a beeline for her desk. She awkwardly greeted Midoriya and nodded at Shouto, all while completely ignoring the spiky blonde seated in front of her. She whipped out her phone and shot a text to Mina, the resident gossip queen. If anyone knew about this, it'd be her.

It wasn't long before the pinkette plowed through a group of 1-B kids, shaking her phone. "I got your text!" She gasped out excitedly.

Mr. Aizawa's arrival prevented Mina from launching a full investigation into the mysterious note, much to her chagrin. Their homeroom teacher was finally free of his bandages. He looked mostly the same, except for a curved scar running beneath his right eye.

"Mr. Aizawa, your bandages are gone!"

"The old lady went overboard with her treatment." The raven-haired man replied dismissively. "More importantly, we're having a special hero informatics class today." The class immediately went into panic mode, assuming the worst. Denki and Mina were on the verge of tears, thinking a pop quiz was coming. "... you'll be coming up with hero names."

"YES!" The somber atmosphere did a complete turnaround.

"This is related to the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the other day. The drafts begin in earnest in the second and third years, after students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the pros. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often cancelled if that interest dies down by graduation." He pulled a remote control out of his pocket and pointed it at the projector. "Here are the totals for those with offers."

Shoto was in first with 4,123 offers, followed by Bakugou with 3,556. Sana was a close third with 3,203, but the numbers dropped drastically after that. Her versatile quirk must've won them over, seeing as her family name would've put off most heroes. "In other years, it's been more spread out, but all eyes were on these three this year," Aizawa used the remote as a pointer.

"Todoroki's first, and Bakugo's second? It's the opposite of their placement in the sports festival."

Denki snorted. "Some people are too scared to ask for a guy who had to be restrained on the podium."

"What're the pros scared of?" Bakugou slammed a hand down on the desk.

"Keeping these results in mind, whether or not anyone asked for you, you will all be participating in internships with pros. At USJ, you already got to experience combat with real villains, but it will still be meaningful training for you to see pros at work firsthand."

"Things are getting a lot more fun!" Sero and Denki high fived.

"Well, those hero names are still temporary, but if you're not serious about it-" Aizawa yawned.

The classroom door burst open, making them jump in surprise. "You'll have hell to pay later!" Midnight slinked through the door with a smirk. "Because a lot of hero names used by students become recognized by society, and they end up becoming professional hero names!"

"Midnight will be making sure your names are okay." Mr. Aizawa was already climbing into his sleeping bag.

"When you give yourself a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future, and you can get closer to it." Midnight explained. "This is what it means when they say, 'names and natures do often agree.' Like "All Might," for example." The R-rated hero began passing out dry erase boards and markers. Some students were already writing, while others looked to be in deep thought.

Sana tapped her chin with her marker. There a couple of names that jumped out at her, but she wasn't sure which one to put on the board. After a few minutes, Midnight clapped her hands.

"Okay, let's start presenting names starting with those who are ready."

"We're presenting these?" She could feel Midoriya worrying behind her. A few groans around the room echoed his sentiment.

Aoyama volunteered to go first. "The Shining Hero: I can not stop twinkling! Which means, you can't stop my sparkles!" He flipped his hair over his shoulder and winked. Sana held a fist against her mouth to muffle her scoff. It's a freaking sentence!

"It'll be easier to use if you take out the 'I' and shorten the 'can not' to 'can't.'" Midnight suggested. She accepted it?! However, Mina's normal option, Alien Queen, was rejected, making the kids sweatdrop. Tsu then presented her name Froppy, which completely won over the Pro Hero.

Kirishima chose Red Riot in honor of his idol, Crimson Riot. Jirou went with Earphone Jack. More and more students went up and got their code name's approved. Sana stepped up to the podium next and flipped her board around.

"The Solar Hero: Flare," She announced. "I want to be a beacon of hope and show people that no matter how dark things get, there will always be a light to guide them forward." Ms. Midnight clasped her hand over her heart.

"Ah, you've really got my blood pumping now!" Umm, okay?

Shoto just wrote his name down, which is pretty on brand for him. Surprisingly, Iida did the exact same thing. After the news of his brother's attack, she figured he would continue his brother's legacy. All of Bakugou's outrageous picks were turned down, so only he and Midoriya were left. The greenette eventually presented his hero name.

"Are you sure?"  Ochaco worried her lip.

"You could be called that forever," Iida agreed.

"I'm sure. I didn't like this name until now. But someone changed the meaning of it, and that had a huge impact on me. It made me really happy." The word Deku was written on his board. "My Deku means 'you can do it!' This is my hero name!"

Sana clapped for the boy. She knew a thing or two about taking a part of your identity with a negative connotation and trying to put a positive spin on it. For him, it was the name Deku. For Sana, it was Sakano.

"Now that everyone's decided on their hero names-" not everyone, Sana thought, remembering the ridiculous suggestions Bakugou came up with. "We'll go back to talking about the internships." A sleepy Aizawa lectured them after the heroine left. "They will last for a week. As for where you'll have them, those who had offers from pros will be given your own lists, so you can choose from those yourself. Those who didn't have offers will choose from among forty agencies around the country that will be accepting our interns. They all work in different places and have different specialties. For example, Thirteen would be focused on rescues from accidents and disasters more than fighting villains. Think carefully before you choose."

"Yes, sir!" Denki saluted. Bless him.

"Oh, and be sure to turn in your choices before the weekend."

"We've only got two days?!" The students shrieked.

"Make your decision efficiently," Aizawa was already halfway out of the door, either on the hunt for a good nap spot or a cup of coffee. "Dismissed."

Sana gathered her things and quickly headed out of the classroom, ignoring the catcalls following her out.

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

The lunch bell rang and many of the students got up from their seats. However, only half of them actually left the classroom. For some reason, the girls of Class 1-A (minus Sana) were huddled around Mina's desk, giggling and whispering.

"What do you think that's about?" Sero came to a halt near the door, nudging Denki and Kirishima.

"Who knows?" the lightning boy shrugged. "They've been acting weird all morning." The raven haired boy approached the group, with his two friends trailing behind as backup.

"What's going on over here, ladies?" He leaned an arm on Hagakure's shoulder. "Care to share?"

Ochaco and Momo blushed, while Hagakure squealed loud enough for everyone to hear, "Sana has a secret admirer!"

Bakugou's head turned from where he'd been leaning by the door and glaring out into the hallway. "Why do you say that?" Kirishima asked.

"Because, Ei!" Mina stated as though the answer was obvious. "There was a note in her locker this morning asking to meet at the rooftop during break."

"That could mean anything," Eijirou tried to wave it off. He'd noticed how close his friends had become lately and how tense they'd been around each other towards the end of the Festival. Sana and Bakugou were endgame for him and he wouldn't allow anyone to ruin his ship. I mean, who wouldn't want their best friends to end up together? "She's really smart. Maybe someone needs her to tutor them."

"I guess we'll see when she gets back!" Mina chirped back in a sing-song voice.

Bakugou kicked off the wall with an agitated expression. "Gotta take a leak," was all he said when Kirishima tried to follow him out.

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On the rooftop was none other than Monoma, the pretentious 1-B student who had relentlessly provoked her and her team during the cavalry battle. They stood across from each other with a great deal of space between them. Sana had a look of apprehension, while Monoma, who had invited her here, looked like a petulant child being forced to make amends.

"My mother recognized you from the Sports Festival and wanted me to invite you to our house for a meal this weekend."

The strawberry blonde frowned. "I'm... touched?" The statement came out as more of a question because what the actual fuck. Why did Monoma's mother want to meet her? "But I'll have to decline. Maybe some other time." She quickly turned to leave.

The pale blonde scoffed. "Of course, the great Sakano heir couldn't possibly dine with us commoners, is that it?" His flare for the dramatic was truly a sight to behold. Forget heroics. This guy needs to be on a stage somewhere... or locked away in an insane asylum. "Just who do you think you are?"

"I could ask you the same, buddy!" She snapped. Something about this man-child always put her on defense. Maybe it was the way he constantly tried to verbally attack and belittle others. "What the hell is your problem with me, anyway?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "You've been acting like a jackass since the Festival. Why?"

"Because I'm tired of people like you looking down on me!"

Sana was sure her expression was flabbergasted. She felt a laugh of disbelief bubbling in her throat. "I'm not looking down on you! I don't even know you!"

Monoma opened his mouth to continue arguing, but snapped it shut with a haughty sniff. He straightened out his blazer and walked towards the exit, making sure to knock shoulders with her. "Here," he pulled his hand out of his pocket and waved a white envelope over his shoulder. He carelessly tossed the letter to the ground with a casual smile. "This should help clear things up."

Sana glared after him, her hands balled into fists at the sheer audacity. Taking a deep, calming breath, she bent down to retrieve the letter. Written in elegant penmanship was her full name. As eager as she was to open the letter, break was already halfway over and she still needed to eat lunch. All she'd had to eat was an orange she'd snacked on during her brief walk to school. Sana placed the letter in her bag and made her way back down to the freshman floor.

But leaning against the wall opposite the steps leading to the rooftop was Bakugou. "The hell did that freak want with you?" He kicked off of the wall.

"No clue," she sighed deeply. "What are you doing here?" She paused on the third to last step. She liked making him look up at her, which he picked up on if the small tch sound he made was anything to go by.

"Seems like everybody's trying to get your attention lately," he shrugged, his hands buried in his pockets. "Thought I'd add my name to the list."

Sana shook her head with a sound of annoyance/amusement. "Well, you didn't make an appointment and I don't accept walk-ins, so-" she made to move past him but he held out an arm to block her. His mouth was set in a firm line, but his eyes said what he couldn't voice. Wait. Stay.

She sighed. "What do you want, Bakugou?" She crossed her arms again. Unlike Monoma, Katsuki made her feel safe. She was free to do and say whatever she wanted in his presence without having to hold back. It was nice to be so open with someone like that, and she knew that he enjoyed that part of their friendship as well.

"Collecting my prize. I won the Sports Festival, didn't I?"

"Well, I figured the deal was off since you claimed it wasn't a 'real win.'" She mocked.

His vermilion eyes narrowed into slits. "That Icy Hot bastard refused to fight me at full power!" He seethed. "Doesn't matter. I would've kicked his sorry ass anyway, so I want my prize!"

"Fine." Sana rolled her eyes in exasperation. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into her. His lips were surprisingly soft against her's, his entire body stiffening under her touch. If she was willing to bet, she'd say she'd just stolen Katsuki Bakugou's first kiss. The thought made her feel all tingly inside. He tasted sweet, like caramel, and his woodsy, campfire scent made her want to burrow into his chest and press her nose into his warm, tanned skin. She pulled away from the kiss after a full minute, taking in his reddening face and wide-eyed gaze. "There. Happy?"

Her dry sarcasm snapped him out of whatever stupor he'd been in. He gnashed his teeth, clenching and unclenching his fists. "What the fuck?" His voice cracked. "You-" The tips of his ears were beet red and his lips shimmered with traces of her lipgloss in the midday sun. "You just..."

Sana casually shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"So?" He repeated in disbelief. "Fucking 'so?"' He screeched, finally regaining control over his body. Bakugou's chest heaved with sharp inhales and exhales as he spun in a circle. "So, you just fuckin' kissed me, dumbass!" He exhaled sharply through his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to calm his breathing. "Give me a fucking warning if you're gonna pull shit like that!" He ruffled his already wild hair in frustration.

"I'll try to remember that next time." He stopped to gape at her, his arm dropping to his side in surprise. She stepped forward and pressed a hand against his warm, solid chest, gently pushing him backwards until his back was against the wall. He allowed himself to be moved, his heated gaze eyeing her warily. "Or," She slid her hand further down his chest with an innocent expression. She cocked her head to the side, her teasing, sultry voice combined with her touch making him blush furiously. "Should I go 'play with someone else?"'

She just threw his words from the Festival back at him. This girl...

Bakugou invaded what little space was left between them until their noses brushed. "No more games," he swore softly. Sana nodded once, feeling his rough, calloused palm move to cup the back of her head before guiding her mouth back to his. Sana tasted of sunshine, oranges, and raspberry lip balm, and Katsuki was hopelessly addicted to the feeling of her body pressed against his. Bakugou would never do drugs. Are you kidding? His body is a fucking temple. But this? This was a high he might never come down from.

He groaned low in his throat, deepening the kiss

The remainder of the break was spent in a tight, passionate embrace; small gasps of air and curious hands passing between them as they molded against one another effortlessly. "Katsuki," Sana gasped, trying to pull away from his iron hold. "We have to head back soon."

The ash blonde hissed in annoyance, but loosened his grip enough for her to slip away.

The strawberry blonde had kissed her fair share of boys back in junior high, but it never meant anything. Katsuki Bakugou wasn't like those boys she'd used for a little fun and discarded. No, he was proving to be much more important than that, and Sana felt equal parts exhilarated and terrified by that fact. Because the last time she'd felt this strongly about anyone, it had nearly destroyed her. She couldn't go through that kind of loss again.

They straightened their uniforms and fixed their hair before leaving the privacy of the rooftop. The two didn't speak on the way back to the freshman floor, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. Their arms brushed with every movement, yet neither moved away.

By the time Sana arrived home later that day, dropping her backpack to the ground with a dreamy sigh, she'd completely forgotten about the letter burning a whole in the bottom of her bag. She was also oblivious to her pink-skinned friend spamming her phone impatiently. Meanwhile, Katsuki reclined on his bed with his hands behind his head, a rare, genuine smile on his face as he stared up at his ceiling dazedly. "Best. Prize. Ever."

[sothisiswhyiamhere]

First lines

Tagged by @unfortunatelycake to share the first lines from my most recent 20 fanfics. I only have 10 in recent years, including 2 unpublished but I have suffered the agony of reading the writing and hellishly embarrassing introductions of me 15 years ago to bring you the Absolute Shite I wrote back in the day (with the occasional bit of passable fiction)

1. Untitled (Victuuri, burlesque AU as inspired by runesque’s amazing art, currently at 10k in under 24 hours and still a whoooole load of fic to go.)

Dear Mr. Katsuki,

2. Untitled (Crackfic - Conquest Club meets Tsukiyama Shuu and Kanae in a dressing room, one shot, currently needs proofreading.)

The upmarket department store was quietly busy, patrons of the store working their way among the goods on display, regulars being greeted by the staff as they shopped.

3. When Getting Away is Harder Than Staying at Home (Steve Finn and Ghost from Lost Souls featuring cryptids.One shot.)

It was an uncomfortably warm night, the kind where sleep is impossible.

4. A Tale of Two Telephones (Tokyo Ghoul. Hidekane, fluff, one shot)

‘Kaneki?’

5. Fearfully Longing (Yu-Gi-Oh! floatshipping, genderbend/cis-swap, Thief Queen Bakura/Isis, multi-parter and COMPLETE)

The palace was silent as the greatest thief Egypt had ever known slipped through its halls, darting from shadow to shadow, easily avoiding any guards that might be patrolling.

6. To Heal My Wounds (Tokyo Ghoul, Hidekane actor AU, written to heal my heart after the Root A ending, got cut a bit short when my inspiration fucked off into the sunset)

Ken stared ahead, sorrow and acceptance in his eyes as the body of his best friend lay at his feet.

7. Indirect Statements and Poor Listeners (Tokyo Ghoul, Lost Souls. Kanae of pretty high class birth and posh lifestyle ends up in a dive bar with smelly stoners Steve and Ghost because Shuu is a PITA. one shot crackfic)

Kanae perched precariously on the bar stool, trying his best to touch as little of the surfaces around him as possible.

8. The Stale Biscuits Made Me Do It (Tokyo Ghoul, shishimumu, short fic, they were so young and innocent, one shot)

Tooru was ready to die of embarrassment.

9. And I Will Be Your Sword (Tokyo ghoul, Shuuneki random porn without plot, prompt fic, one of the first things I wrote when i got back into fandom!)

“This wasn’t the kind of sparring I had in mind, Tsukiyama…” Kaneki gasped as lips and teeth trailed over his neck.

10. The Fool - Tokyo Ghoul week prompt one (Tokyo Ghoul, hidekane, just a small POV of the start of the series from hide’s POV, I never did work on the rest!I posted it on tumblr but nowhere else.)

Hideyoshi Nagachika had known something was wrong as soon as he visited the hospital.

I’m not linking any of the following as they were written many years ago and I will probably die of shame and if I could get into that account I would delete them all.

11. Memoirs of a Dream Unspoken (Yami Yugi x Yugi x Atem, porn without plot, written as a birthday pic as part of a group! People got angry because it wasn’t canon, because that’s what people got angry about in the ygo fandom back in the day)

Night had fallen upon Domino, stars twinkling in a clear sky, moon shining brightly and happily upon the houses and business buildings of the town. 

12. DunRyou The Yami Hunter (Yu-Gi-Oh! Ryou makes a Steve Irwin-esque home documentary of the ‘Yami’ personalities for his school project. It’s truly terrible.)

“OK, class. The main part of this assignment is the video the whole thing will be based around.”

13. Cool Love (Yu-Gi-Oh! Tendershipping necrophilia. Let it never be said that I back down from a challenge.)

The boy is dead.

14. Four’s Fun (Fic for friend’s OCs, gay foursome. No dubcon, aaaall consensual)

He couldn’t see anything as he landed on the floor, could only hear the mutterings of the men around him as their hands slid over his body.

15. In The Lap of A Thief (Yu-Gi-Oh! She!Bakura x Mai, random one shot, actually kinda cute and I keep thinking about giving it a rewrite and uploading it because I love me some lady kura)

Scared.

16. Eternal (Gravitation, Yuuki/Shuichi and K/Sakano, unfinished and never to be finished multific about past lives and demons and shit.)

At that moment, the world was peaceful.

17. Time, Motion and the Heart of Resistance (Dragon Ball Z AU, set in some theoretical Assyria and I ended up learning a whole lot about male prostitutes of goddesses pf fertility so there is that! Vegeta x Goku, actually completed.)

The streets were quiet, the occupants of the city having finally made their ways to their various places of sleep, from bed, to floor, to darkened alleys.

18. Scared (Dragonball Z, back when mpreg was all the rage! Vegeta/Goku of course, yes the opening lines were song lyrics leave me alone, I’m judging myself enough as it is.)

"Save me from drowning in the sea, Beat me up on the beach What a lovely holiday There’s nothing funny left to say"

19. Universe (Dragon Ball Z, Yamcha x Goku PWP one shot)

Goku finished off his drink, throwing the can into the bin on the other side of the room.

20. Don’t Let Go (Gohan x Tapion x Trunks, PWP, I fucking loved Tapion so much man)

Gohan and Trunks sat on the lawn outside Capsule Corp, both men stretched out on the grass, trying to relax while their muscles clenched in anticipation of the arrival of an old friend of theirs.

(I would like to ask my past self what muscles were clenching??)

The lesson I have learnt from this is that my writing ability of 15 years ago mysteriously improved whenever I was writing about lesbians.

I tag any mutual who writes fic! /lazy

[fictionsofasasswolf-blog]

Battle | Dark-Hunter

•Dark-Hunter | AU (where Vane is mated to an OC) •VanexOC The rain had stopped since she'd been captured. Staring out the rusted window bars at the 3/4 moon, Rainlily silently prayed that her mate was on the trail of Stryker's scent. No doubt the were-hunter had gotten a search party together. A sigh escaped her lips before a loud clang was heard against the door of her cell. Growling low to herself for being so distracted she hadn't heard the footsteps, she turned her head, her leather corset of black with ice blue ribbons giving the only other noise in her cell. "What do you want, damn it?" "H-hey. The she-wolf's got a tongue to her." the Daimon standing at the door grinned cockily, making Rainlily want to literally knock the souls out of the male. It was because of them that her bloodline, and the war between Katagarians and Arcadians existed. "I'll ask you again, daimon. What. The hell. Do. You want?" Rainlily said, grinding her teeth as she kept her composure despite venom rolling of her tongue on the species of which she spoke to. "The name, arcadian, is Deadros." the male growled, giving a faint smirk as the she-wolf cringed at the name. "Your little wolf friends won't be finding us anytime soon. So you might a well sleep." "I know your little tricks, demon." Rainlily growled, her magic kicking in to form an invisible barrier around her. "And so long as I'm here, I'm not going to sleep." The ensuing hiss told her that she had been right, and the daimon had released a gas into the room seconds before she'd set up the barrier. Thank the gods she knew daimons well since Sakano's death. At the thought of her late brother, Rainlily sighed and moved to sit in a corner of the cell, where she hummed a sad song and waited for contact from Vane. "Vane, the team's ready and we're waiting on you, man." Fang Kattalakis said as he entered the room. Recently waking from a coma, he had been working to get his strength back to where it had been before they'd gotten news that his brother's mate had been kidnapped. He looked at where his older litter mate stood silently, wondering what could be going through his brother's mind before Vane turned and looked at him, a hand clenched around a pendant that he wore constantly. Vane looked into Fang's eyes, and he knew the mixed emotions he was feeling registered in his eyes, because Fang gave a hopeful smile. "We'll find her, Vane. But we can't do it alone. You're more connected to Rain, so we need your help on this." Vane nodded. "I know, brother. But it's a daimon that's been after her for years of her life, Fang. He's wanted her blood pretty much since she was born." His hand clenched around the pendant of a silver wing with a wolf etched into the feathers - one of the two pendants Rainlily had made. He had been given one while she wore the other, both of them proud to. The increasing worry wasn't helping him any, so he released the wing and started forward. "Let's go. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll find her and I can kill as many of these jerks as I can." Fang nodded and followed his brother from the room, ready to search until commanded otherwise to stop. Standing at the bottom of the stairs was Fury, the leader of the pack that had once been Fang, Fury and Vane's father's. "Vane, are you ready?" the once lone wolf inquired. "Yes. And thank you for helping me, Fury." Fury shrugged nonchalantly. "No big. Mates are a big deal in our world. I'm not sure why, but they are." "I don't think you'd understand until you're there, Fury." Vane gave a slight smile. "I didn't know either until Rain came along." he paused. "Let's go. I need to find her before anything happens." As the members of the search party began to leave, Fang came up alongside his brother. "You haven't mated yet?" Vane shook his head. "With everything else going on, do you really think there was time?" he sighed near silently. "That's why you're so worried, isn't it?" Fang questioned. "You haven't claimed each other." "Precisely. If there had been time, we agreed our lives would be eternal hell without each other, so-" "You two intend to bond, huh?" Fang asked with a grin. "Yes, Fang." Vane answered quietly. "If not, there wouldn't be a point in living if one died." "You really think so?" "Like I told Fury, you have to be in the situation to really know." Vane reiterated with a faint smile. He exited the Peltier house and joined the four wolves ready for orders. With a brief nod, Vane changed into his wolf form, an all white timber wolf, before bolting off into the woods of New Orleans. "Anything out of her yet?" a male voice asked, causing Rainlily to look up into the eyes of Stryker himself. "Well, well, he does speak up." she said venomously, standing slowly. "If I were you, I'd keep my smart ass mouth shut." Stryker assessed. "Well I'm not you now, am I?" Rainlily snapped, crossing her arms. "You've been in our holding for close to eight hours, how do you feel on that?" "I feel the same as I did when your goons hit me - pissed the fuck off." Frozen ice blue orbs met swirling silver. "You know, you're eyes were blue last time I looked at your ugly fucking face. Are you trying to be like Acheron?" Her response was narrowed eyes that swirled and spun until they were the blue of when she'd met the immortal 400 years ago. "Ooo, a reaction of ticked off. Haven't seen that in a while, Stryker." What happened next gave Rainlily a sense of smug satisfaction. "You little bitch!" Stryker growled, slamming against the bars of her cell door. The door itself shook and clanged as the guard grabbed his superior about the waist. "You think you're so damn smug just because you managed to escape me 400 years ago?" "Actually, I think my brother and I escaped you many times over the 400 years you speak about." Rainlily smirked evilly, loving the reaction she was getting. Stryker growled furiously and once more attacked the bars, reaching as far as his body would allow him, clawed fingers grabbing towards the Arcadian wolf. "You won't get away this time. I'm going to kill you! You and that Apollo-damned lykos of yours!" "Vane has nothing to do with this battle, Stryker. Take your sexual frustrations out on someone else." Rainlily smarted back, dropping one arm to hang at her side while the free hand was placed at her hip. Her stance was pure cockiness. "I'd prefer you to use one of your ever-gay men, but if not, that's fine too." The room went still and silent as a pack of undeniable howls broke the surface of their hearing. "Vane." Rainlily breathed, a smile curving her lips at the thought of the male. "Damn, how did they find us so soon?" Stryker cursed beneath his breath. "Send out the first commanders to beat them back!" He pulled from the guard's hold and glared at Rainlily. "Get her prepared for the ceremony. I'll make her watch the death of her beloved lykos." Turning on his heel, he stormed off down the hall, leaving the guard alone with the woman. "Come on, wolf." the guard said, the tone implying it was meant to offend Rainlily, though it didn't. "Let's get you ready for the show." He reached into his coat and pulled out the key, unlocking the door before stepping into the cell. 'Idiot.' Rainlily thought before swinging a kick at full speed at the daimon's head, landing the force and successfully knocking the male down. With angelic grace but demonic speed, she withdrew the daimon's sword and placing a foot on either side of the male's head. "Maybe you'll learn, my friend. Never-" she cut herself off and lowered the blade to the daimon's neck. "Never insult a were-hunter female and expect to get away when you enter their den." This said, she swiftly moved the sword to sever the head from the body before slamming the blade into the chest and into the blot mark and grinning as the body disintegrated into dust. "Now then, I need to get the hell out of here and help my mate. Please don't blow away." Her tone sarcastic, she grabbed her trench-coat from the cot and walked out as she slipped it onto her lithe form. Vane led the group towards the hideout, a furious anger burning in his chest. Rainlily had been taken from him by the person who had hunted her for years, and there was no way he was going to stop until the she-wolf was once again in his arms where she belonged. Slowing down until the group was about 100 yards from the cave that led into the place Stryker was holding his mate, he tilted his head back and let a howl tear through the silence, the 3/4 moon shimmering along his white fur. Behind him, his two brother joined in, as did the rest of the group and for a moment after, they waited. "Vane, we should get in there." Fang said, concern for his sister-in-law rising in his heart. "No, wait." Vane contested,staring down. As if on cue, a single howl rose up from the area they were about to attack. "Remember, no holding back. They kidnapped her in cold blood, we'll kill as such in return. Until Rainlily is safe, we don't show mercy." "Understood," Fury said. "You heard him. No mercy until the she-wolf is safe." The three accompanying katagari nodded and prepared for the ambush. Rainlily charged through as many of the daimons as she could, swiftly stabbing each in turn in the right place. Her focus was on finding her mate and the group who had braved Stryker's holding cell in the backwoods of New Orleans. It didn't take her long to come close the entrance of a room, and she froze in her tracks. Stryker stood behind a row of guards, one such guard held a blade dangerously close to Vane's neck as the male quivered between his forms. She growled low in her throat. "So what's it going to be, Arcadian?" Stryker asked, smirking the entire time, as his swirling blue/silver eyes watched her. "You or the lykos?" Rainlily stared at the still flashing Vane. Her heart hurt to see him in such pain. Yet she knew there was no other choice. "Let me say goodbye at least." She said softly, eyes beginning to shimmer. The wounded Katagari stared at her. None could believe she would martyr herself for the good of the pack. "Very well" Stryker cooed venomously, waving at his men to back away from the Lykos. Rainlily approached slowly, kneeling beside the wolf and lowering her face to whisper in the male's ear. "We'll win this, Vane. Give me a moment to show my hatred and we can go." She healed him as she spoke. "Keep changing back and forth until then." She pulled away, a tear falling from her eye as she reached out to lay a hand atop the still changing male. "I love you." She said loud enough for the daimons to hear. She then stood and held her arms out so that she could be cuffed once more. "Do it quickly. I do not wish for him to see me suffer." Stryker grinned as if he'd just won his battle for the world. "Take her." His men stepped closer to the Arcadian before she smirked. In a flash, she balanced on one foot to spin a high-speed kick at the heads of three of the soldiers, taking them out for a moment while she dropped down to one knee, pulling an athame from her boot and stabbing it into the hearts of the two remaining men before spinning to do the same to the three she'd knocked back. "Sorry to cut things short, Stryker, but I have better things to do than die at your command." She rushed over to Vane, who sat up instantly, his mate's healing having worked, before he grabbed her hand and flashed them over to the bundle of hurt katagari. The group reached out to lay a hand against Rainlily's leg before they vanished together. Stryker screamed at the injustice of losing as he threw himself against a wall in frustration. Rainlily took a few deep breaths as she focused on healing the last of the katagari. Fury, she recalled. Vane's litter mate. He was the epitome of his name, as she'd been able to hear about his own battles against the daimons that had kidnapped his brother's mate. Rainlily laughed as she listened, amused at the wolf's intense love of battle. "Sounds like you had fun, then." "Probably more than he should have, seeing as they are our cousins." Vane's voice said softly. Rainlily turned in her chair and looked at the door. "Yet they were not our cousins for trying to kill me, correct?" she inquired. Vane nodded. "This is true," he said, shoving from the doorway. He crossed the room in four steps and pulled the female Arcadian to stand against him. "If you do not mind, Fury, I would like a moment alone with my mate." The answer was the other white timber wolf to stand and walk out. "Are you ready?" Rainlily smiled. "The battle is over." She began. "Of course I'm ready."

[vivixrocks]

I LONG FOR YOU I LONG FOR YOU I HATE YOU

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From yesterday I finally figured out how to draw grass

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Some beautiful sketches I’m still proud of. Made like a month ago

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Something for mermay

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Characters for my manga

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Work in progress

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I hate rendering but I love her 😍

[vivixrocks]

It’s character week for meee…. No more fanart

[vivixrocks]

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Warmup

[takingchences]

𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐩𝐭. 𝟏𝟕

A descendant of a legendary quirk longs to separate herself from her family name, but first she'll have to confront villains, ghosts from the past, and her growing attraction for Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight.

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x fem!oc

Warnings: mature language

For the full experience, listen to the song below while you're reading 🩷 thanks and enjoy

series masterlist + my masterlist

Because of the short deadline, everyone was scurrying to pick an internship and turn it into Mr. Aizawa before the end of the day. Thankfully, Present Mic gave them free time after completing a worksheet to look over their options one last time. "Hey," Sana whispered. The ash blonde in front of her didn't react. She smacked his shoulder when he refused to respond. "Who did you choose?" Bakugou turned his head back with an annoyed expression.

Neither of them had brought up the kiss. Their interactions were as chaotic as ever, though, both of them enjoying riling the other up even more now. They'd made their feelings perfectly clear yesterday—no more games.

Bakugou had taken Sana's displays of affection in the past with a grain of salt, aware of her overly friendly nature. He knew he'd been crushing on the strawberry blonde for awhile now, but he hadn't planned on acting on said feelings until they were in second or third year, after cementing his place at the top. Dating was something he'd never given any thought to, having been too swept up in his own head. He'd always assumed that mushy crap like that was beneath him. But there wasn't a single part of him that regretted what happened on that rooftop. He'd imagined kissing her for weeks—months. Every time she opened her mouth to say something annoying or sarcastic he'd wanted nothing more than to shut her up with a kiss.

Sana wasn't the weak, pathetic extra he'd thought she was. She shattered his initial view of her every chance she got, consistently proving how strong and capable she was to those around her. He was right to compare her to Deku at the beginning of the year after all. They both had more perseverance than he gave them credit for.

There was one thing they could agree on, which was that no one could know what happened. Whether this is a casual thing (which they hoped wasn't the case), or something more, they both wanted to keep it on the down low for as long as possible. It wasn't that Bakugou was ashamed of the Sakano beauty or vice versa. It came down to privacy. Intimate moments like yesterday didn't need to be shared with anyone else. Their classmates, while total sweethearts, were a little too nosy for their own good sometimes. Bakugou saw firsthand how effected Sana was by the incident with the reporters, how uncomfortable their prying made her. That was why he'd stepped in to help, even though at the time he wasn't sure why he'd bothered.

Maybe, without his knowledge, a part of him had known, even back then, what fate had in store. He could feel their red strings, so intricately tangled it would be nearly impossible to unravel them, pulling the two closer and closer each passing day.

"Isn't it obvious? The pro with the highest rank," he grunted, kicking his foot up on the desk.

Sana flipped through her packet in boredom. "I have it narrowed down to two, and they're both pretty high in rankings." She dropped her forehead on the desk with a groan. "I don't know who to choose."

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "Then pick the one that can help you with your weaknesses, dumbass."

"Wow, you're so smart. Why didn't I think of that?" Her deadpan delivery made his eye twitch.

Kirishima leaned over to join the conversation. "Yeah, it must be hard to choose when you have so many options, huh?"

"See?" She smacked Bakugou's shoulder again. "He gets it."

"What are you asking her for?" He barked at the redhead, pressing his thumb into his chest.. "I got more-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sana waved her hand dismissively and turned towards Kirishima, who desperately tried to disguise his snort as a cough. "Who did you pick, Ei?" The two friends happily ignored the pomeranian in human form growling and pouting between them. She eagerly nodded along as Kirishima went on about all the manly things he was going to learn from Fourth Kind during his internship.

"Bakubro! You're interning under Best Jeanist, right?" Kirishima grinned at the ash blonde with a look of awe. Sana could see how their friendship grew and strengthened with every interaction, and it made her happy that Bakugou was making deeper connections with people. He'd been so against it at the start of term, labeling those he considered beneath him "extras" and unworthy of his time. Now, he was slowly starting to view those close to him as equals, having earned his respect and attention.

... now all that's left is getting him to remember our names, she shook her head in amusement.

Bakugou smirked with his eyes closed, as cocky as ever. "That's right."

While their seat mates oohed and ahhed around them, Sana looked down at her packet once again. Two highlighted names stared back at her. The lunch bell rang, pulling her out of her stupor. While her classmates stood and walked towards the cafeteria, Todoroki stopped next to her desk. "Let's walk together."

"Okay," Sana agreed. The two friends walked quietly behind their classmates, both having so much to say, but unsure where to start. "Who are you considering for the internship?" She finally broke the silence.

The dual haired boy sighed deeply. "Endeavor Agency."

"Really?" Sana gasped, looking at him with wide eyes before quickly facing forward. "I just thought..." She didn't know what to say. She never thought Shoto would willingly choose to work with his father.

"I need to embrace my fire side. He's the only one that can help me." He glanced at her curiously from the corner of his eye. "Did he send you an offer?"

"Actually, yeah." Seeing his agency listed had been quite a shock considering their tumultuous relationship. She'd never gotten along with the hero, loathing him for the mistreatment of his entire family. He was a cruel man, a monster, and she'd made a point of reminding him of that over the years. "I couldn't believe it."

"I asked him to." They both came to a halt in the middle of the busy hallway. "I thought we could use the internships to train together, like old times."

"Sho," Sana shook her head. "I can't accept his offer." The red-and-white haired boy opened his mouth to argue but she held up a hand to silence him. "It's not just because of who he is." She took a long, shaky breath. "You ignored me for a year because you thought I chose your father over you. If I say yes to this, aren't I just proving you right? I'd be using him to get ahead, just like you said."

"I was wrong to think that way-" Sana shook her head.

"It doesn't matter, anyway." She sighed with a shrug. "I've learned everything I can from Endeavor." She started walking again, the Todoroki boy trailing behind her with a puzzled look in his eyes. "There's nothing else he can teach me."

I'm not sure there's a Pro anywhere that can help me with the drawbacks of my quirk.

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

Bright and early Saturday morning, Umi was in the middle of baking snacks for Sana to eat on the train the following morning when she was rushed out of the kitchen by someone banging on glass. The front door was practically shaking on the hinges under the forceful knocks. The woman hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron and opened the door. "Hello- oh, it's you." Her kind face now looking pinched.

Bakugou's nose scrunched up. "Huh? What'd you say-"

Umi shut the door in his face with a firm "wait here." A muffled "Oi!" could be heard before the harsh knocks started up again with a new fervor.

I don't get paid enough for this, the woman sighed, feeling her gray hairs multiplying as she climbed the steps to Sana's room. She knocked softly before peeking inside, finding the strawberry blonde blissfully unaware of the demonic presence downstairs. She quietly approached the bed and laid a hand on the girl's arm to gently wake her. Hazy, plum-colored irises blinked up at her in confusion.

"Umi...?"

"That rather unpleasant boy is here to see you."

"Wha-" Sana blinked, not fully awake yet. Once her brain processed the description Umi gave her, she blinked again, startled. She shot up into a seated position. "Bakugou's here?!" Umi shrugged, unable to confirm or deny the boy's identity. Sana scrambled from the bed, nearly falling flat on her face when her foot got caught in the covers. "Stall him! I'll be down in a minute," she yelled, sprinting into the bathroom to make herself presentable.

The second time Umi opened the front door, she was met with a death stare. "The young miss will see you now." The woman's smile was sweet enough to give him a toothache. Bakugou grunted, pushing past her into the house. A thump from upstairs made them both look up, the noise quickly followed by a muffled curse. "She'll be down in a moment." Umi moved towards the kitchen, then stopped. "Try not to touch anything, Mister...?"

"Bakugou." The woman hummed in acknowledgement, grumbling under her breath as she returned to the kitchen. Bakugou immediately touched the closest object: a hideous vase that probably cost more than his father's car.

He glanced around, not having had much time to take in this part of the house the last time he'd been inside, if you could even call it a house. The place itself was basically a mansion, elegantly decorated with white marble floors and golden accents. Everything was kept tidy and neat, which didn't sit well with Bakugou. The space felt empty and unlived in. It resembled a set from a movie rather than an actual home.

He caught a glimpse of a portrait hanging over the fireplace in one of the side rooms and walked over. It was small reading area with shelves of books, a lounge chair, and a small sofa. He recognized a much younger Sana in the middle of the picture with her father on her left. A large empty space on the right made the portrait appear incomplete. Bakugou hadn't heard any mention of Sana's mother except during the cavalry battle against that 1-B bastard.

"He had it painted over."

Bakugou turned at the sound of her voice, a fully-dressed Sana watching him from the foot of the staircase with a faraway look in her eye. Her hair was a little windswept from using her quirk to move around her room at the speed of light. Her gaze moved from him to the portrait. "My mom," she elaborated, hesitantly stepping through the doorway and gesturing towards the empty space on the canvas. "He had her painted out."

Bakugou looked at the portrait with new eyes, noticing the distance between father and daughter. The firm hand gripping her small shoulder. How neither of them were smiling despite her being a child at the time it was commissioned. Didn't kids always smile?

"Your dad sounds like a fuckin' dick," he said, glaring at her father's portrait. "What did she look like?" He wondered aloud, turning his vermilion eyes to her. Besides their hair color, Sana and her father shared no other similarities. Their personalities and mannerisms were completely different as well. Katuski was grateful that the man hadn't corrupted her too much.

He might've believed Sana's projection of resigned indifference if it wasn't for the sadness in her eyes as she stared at the picture. "I don't remember how she looked," she whispered with a small, bitter smile, quickly averting her eyes.

Looked. Bakugou noted the use of past tense while referring to her mother. The woman was either dead or long gone. If Todoroki's recollection of their shared traumatic past was anything to go by, Sana and Shoto were doomed to be unhappy from the start. It seems the more Katsuki learned about the great Sakano legacy, the more he desired to free Sana from her past, as well as beat the shit out of Yoichi Sakano.

"You look nice," Sana broke the momentary silence. Bakugou wasn't wearing one of his usual outfits. He wore an open maroon short sleeve button up, a black tee—no skull, she noticed—and tan cargo pants. A black backpack was slung across his back. A watch with a black, braided leather band was on his left wrist. "So, what brings you here?"

"We're going out." His vermilion eyes examined her outfit carefully before nodding in approval. "You're good. Let's go." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the room and into the foyer.

"Wait a minute!" She grabbed onto his forearm with both hands and planted her feet, trying in vain to slow the blonde down. "You can't just show up unannounced and expect me to leave without any questions. What if I had plans or something?" She chided. Bakugou ruffled his hair with a grimace.

"Do you have plans?" His tone was full of exasperation.

She paused dramatically, enjoying how uncomfortable he looked having to ask instead of just getting his way. Someone had deflate his ginormous ego and Sana was more than willing to do so. "Nope," she replied cheekily after a brief moment of silence. His head fell back with the force of his eye roll. "What did you have in mind?"

"You said the prize was originally a date, right?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away with a huff. If she didn't know any better, she'd say Katsuki was shy right now. He jerked his chin in the direction of the door. "So, let's go."

"Not without these you're not," Umi scurried into the entryway with a bag of homemade granola clusters. Made with fresh blueberries and drizzled with a lemon glaze, they were easily one of Sana's favorites snacks. The woman handed her the bag and fixed Sana's hair once her hands were free. "Now then, run along," Umi waved her away. "Just be careful," she whispered, eyeing the ash blonde up and down cautiously. Bakugou's face scrunched up in offense.

Sana leaned forward to press a kiss to the woman's cheek. "Thank you, Umi!" The woman gazed after the young girl with a fond smile, bidding the two teens goodbye as Sana hooked an arm around Katsuki's and dragged him out of the house.

The Sakano girl held the other half of the granola chunk she was nibbling on up to his mouth, offering him a taste. Bakugou reluctantly took a bite, pleasantly surprised by the flavor since he never had much of a sweet tooth. "It's yummy, right?" Sana beamed up at him happily. The ash blonde grunted noncommittally. He'd never admit to liking that old bag's treats. She clearly wasn't fond of him and the feeling was mutual.

"So," she nudged his shoulder with her's as they walked down the sidewalk, tossing the scrunched up empty bag into a nearby trash can. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

She felt giddy and self conscious at the thought of being on a date with the Katsuki Bakugou. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and her cheeks hurt from smiling, but she couldn't help it. She was happy. Truly happy. The happiest she'd been in a long time.

"You'll find out soon enough," he answered cryptically. She observed him, noticing how relaxed he was in that moment. His duality always came as a bit of a surprise. Most of the time, Katsuki was rude, loud, and brash. He had zero filter and said whatever came to mind, even if it was offensive or harsh. But when it was just the two of them, he was softer and less rough around the edges. That isn't to say that he wouldn't curse and yell or throw a fit, because he did and often, but for the most part, he was calm and collected. Unburdened.

Sana liked to think that they were comfortable enough with each other to show sides of themselves that not everyone got to witness, and just that thought alone made what they have that much more special.

They walked like that for nearly an hour, joking around and making small talk (Sana) with the other making the occasional comment or noise (Bakugou) before reaching a park. It wasn't the usual one they met up to train in, but one she'd never been to before. This place was bigger, yet far less crowded. The forest surrounding it was incredibly dense, the trees taller and more compact than what she was used to.

She dropped his arm. "We're not training, are we?" She narrowed her eyes into a playful, accusatory glare.

He rolled his eyes with a scoff. "Of course not, idiot." He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him through the park entrance, staying close to the tree line. Between a break in the trees was a narrow dirt path leading uphill into the forest. A hiking trail, she realized. "We're going hiking."

Sana looked down at her outfit, grateful that she'd gone with something so casual. If she'd known beforehand that they'd be going on a date, she might've made the mistake of wearing a skirt or heeled shoes. But in a pastel green tube top, faded jeans, and bedazzled silver chucks, she was dressed somewhat appropriately for an outdoor activity.

"Lead the way," she gestured him forward with a grin.

His lips curled slightly as he passed her, his hand giving hers a gentle squeeze before letting go. The path leading into the woods was easy to traverse, with the occasional pebble coming loose underfoot. Bakugou, like in everything apparently, was an expert outdoorsman. He took large, steady strides up the trail, looking back every so often to check on her progress and make sure she was okay. The further they went, the steeper and rockier the trail became. The ash blonde slowed down then, kicking any loose rocks and soil out of her path and guiding her on where to step or helping her along with a protective hold on her arms and waist. Close to the end they reached a patch of particularly rugged terrain. Bakugou finished first and held out a hand for her to grab onto, lifting her up onto the rocky ledge he was currently perched on.

They took a seat on a large boulder and took in the scenery around them. Among the trees it was quiet, the occasional birdsong heard above their heads. Neither of them were very out of breath despite the good hour of cardio they just did climbing up here, not to mention the long walk from Sana's house. Both teens trained their bodies religiously their entire lives. It would take more than a steep hill to break their stamina.

"This place doesn't seem real," Sana murmured, afraid she'd shatter the peaceful air around them if she raised her voice above a whisper. She wanted to bottle this feeling of tranquility. When was the last time she'd felt this at ease, this relaxed? She couldn't even begin to guess.

Katsuki agreed, leaning back to lay on the rock with his arms behind his head. "I come here a lot to clear my head," he told her, closing his eyes.

"Must be nice," she fiddled with the thin, delicate rings decorating her right ring and pointer fingers. She couldn't stop admiring the view of this hidden slice of Heaven. The colors seemed more vivid here, the sun shining just a bit brighter than before. "Having somewhere to go and escape for a while."

The ash blonde frowned, squinting with one eye closed. "You never had a place like that?"

Sana thought of days long passed, where she and a snow-haired boy would sneak off to Sekoto Peak hand-in-hand to play and train and get away from the misery permeating the air like a fog around the Todoroki estate. How they'd swim in the lake if the weather was nice, or explore the woods looking for the perfect tree to climb. Those days of fun in the sun grew fewer and further between the older they got. The more Shoto proved more useful to Endeavor's goal, the more Touya declined physically and mentally. Days of warmth and laughter quickly morphed into cries of terror and agony. Thick smoke and stifling heat in every direction. Hellfire burning as far as the eye can see. And the screams-

Sana shuddered, taking a shaky breath as she squeezed her eyes shut tight, clutching her forearms in a vice like grip.

Bakugou propped himself up on his elbows, concerned by her sudden change, but Sana quickly collected herself, rubbing her arms to play it off as a simple chill as she smiled unconvincingly. "Not for a long time, no."

Sana didn't get chills. She ran hotter than most people, including him, due to the nature of her quirk and they both knew that.

Dumbass. Why does she always feel the need to hide? Katsuki wanted to know everything, the good and the bad, whenever she was ready to let him in. Whatever pain and trouble she'd gone through in the past, he wanted to lift that burden off her shoulders. He already knew parts of the story thanks to Icy Hot airing out their dirty laundry to Midoriya at the Sports Festival while Bakugou secretly eavesdropped.

She met his knowing gaze and he instantly picked up on her fear and apprehension. She wasn't ready to talk about what just happened, and he wouldn't force her to. There were things in Katuski's own past that he tried to avoid thinking about, like the incident with the Sludge Villain. Some things were better left in the past, buried and forgotten.

The ash blonde settled back down, but kept a close eye on Sana to make sure she was actually okay and not just pretending for his benefit. "Then use this place."

She glanced back at him. She'd left her hair down completely, no ribbon in sight, and Bakugou found that he preferred it this way. It was longer than he'd thought and framed her angelic features well. She'd always been beautiful, but she somehow looked even more breathtaking today. Free from pressure and expectations, like the weight of the world had been temporarily lifted off her shoulders.

"What if you're already using it?" She arched a brow.

He threw an arm out. "Rock's big enough for two, isn't it?" Sana bit her lip to contain her smile, but Bakugou still caught it and smirked to himself. "Just don't talk my ear off," he warned without his usual bite, closing his eyes once again.

She scoffed, trying to shove him off the rock with little success. "Such a tsundere," she accused.

His answering, lopsided grin made her heart melt. Sana placed a hand on his chest, bracing herself as she laid back and curled into his warmth. Katsuki slipped his free arm under her head with a soft exhale as she nuzzled into his right side. Her small, warm hand remained perched on his chest. He could feel his heart racing, and knew that she could too. He turned his head, faintly brushing his lips across her soft, peachy locks.

"Can we stay here forever?" Sana whispered, her cheek against his shoulder as she gazed up at the sky wistfully.

It felt normal, he realized, being out here like this. He'd never brought anyone up here before. He'd never had anyone he'd wanted to share this space with. This is his sacred spot; his place to unwind and strategize and think. To escape his own head. Even now, they were escaping reality. At some point they'd have to return to the real world, where dangerous people wanted those he cares about dead. His open expression tightened at the reminder. Those villains had specifically targeted his idol and his girl. They won't lay a hand on 'em as long as I'm around.

His vermilion eyes softened as he took in her profile. The strawberry blonde gave off a faint glow in his arms, like an aura. Katsuki couldn't say for certain if her quirk was activated or if it was simply Sana basking in her element. Either way, he was awestruck. She's more than an angel. She's a damn Goddess.

Moments like these made him wonder if maybe he liked her a little too much, that he'd fallen just a little too soon. But when she angled her head to look at him with a 100-watt smile and those eyes that somehow saw the good in him that even he struggled to find some days, Katsuki realized that it still wasn't enough.

That it may never be enough.

He didn't care that they were only fifteen or that they had their entire lives ahead of them. Once Katsuki Bakugou set his mind on something, there was no going back. He wouldn't stop until he smashed through his goals... and his newest goal was to protect Sana's happiness, just like All Might encouraged. "Heroes are responsible for saving not just people," he'd said once during an interview, "but their smiles as well."

Katsuki wouldn't let her smile fall. Not when there was still so many good things to look forward to and experience. Together.

They stayed there for hours, watching the sky and the trees sway in the breeze, and at the same time, nothing at all. They conversed freely and quietly, though there was no pressure to fill the silence. If anything, they preferred to simply soak in the serenity around them.

At some point, Katsuki pulled containers of home cooked food he'd made that morning out of his backpack. "You weren't kidding." She carefully inspected each dish the ash blonde had prepared. "You really are good at everything," she shook her head with a smile of annoyed acceptance.

There was Mapo tofu and other spicy dishes, as well as a few sides to go with the meal. It was hard to believe that the ash blonde would take the time to do something that required such patience and delicate hands. But it was just like him to challenge her expectations, and Sana wouldn't have it any other way.

What a perfect day.

By the time they climbed back down the trail that evening, the sun was hanging low in the sky. The sky was a perfect blend of yellows, oranges, and golds, and a downpour was coming down from overhead. Katsuki pulled Sana closer by their locked hands. They were still under the shelter of the tree canopy, the rain hardly touching them. The ash blonde sucked his teeth in annoyance. Not at the girl, but the situation. He'd checked the weather ten times in preparation for this date and there was no mention of rain. "When I say go," he said, "make a run for it."

"Wait, where are we going?" Sana frowned up at him.

"My house is nearby," he answered, pointing with his free hand in the direction of his house. "We can wait out the storm there," Bakugou glanced down at her. "Ready?" She nodded. "GO!"

Sana squealed and laughed as cold water slipped down the sensitive skin of her neck and shoulders, drenching her. Katsuki's red shirt flowed behind him like a cape as he lead them through the storm. By the time they reached the Bakugou residence, the pair were soaked. Bakugou unlocked the door, ushering the strawberry blonde inside first.

They stood panting in the entryway, more from the exhilaration of it all than from running. "Stay here," the blonde kicked off his wet shoes and socks. "I'll grab some towels."

Sana hummed, looking around curiously. It was even nicer on the inside than it was on the outside... which was saying a lot since the exterior made it perfectly clear just how well off the Bakugous are. The home was large and full of expensive pieces of furniture and bursts of color. An eclectic array of art and trinkets from around the world lined the walls, tables, and shelves.

Katsuki reappeared shortly, having changed into his usual sweats and a black tank. A maroon towel was slung over his shoulder with another folded in his hands. Sana reached out to take it from him, but he completely ignored the gesture. Sana blushed with a shy smile as the ash blonde wrapped the cloth around her shoulders and used the corner to dab at the droplets on her face and neck.

Her long, wet hair was plastered to her cheeks, shoulders, and back. Bakugou gently swept the stray hairs to the side and out of her face. They were so close now, their chests heaving. His vibrant eyes lingered on her glossy pink lips. "You should change out of those clothes," he told her in a hoarse whisper. His warm, calloused hand was still touching her skin. "Don't want your dumb ass getting sick."

She cupped his hand and leaned into his palm. "Always thinking about my ass, aren't you, Katsuki?" Sana cooed softly, making the ash blonde snort.

She took a slow step forward, pushing up onto her tiptoes as he leaned down to fill the little space left between them. Bakugou's infamously foul mouth was surprisingly pliant as he gently moved his lips against hers. His lack of experience showed once again, though the ash blonde grew more confident the longer they embraced.

This kiss was very different from the last one. Before, on the rooftop, it was passionate but rushed, neither of them sure at the time if they'd get the chance to do such a thing again. This kiss, however, was slow and drawn out, and overall, far more romantic. All of the doubts and insecurities from back then were long gone. They knew now that they had all the time in the world.

Sana's skin was slick with dew, making it harder to grasp onto each other. He cradled the back of her head, her thick, damp hair slipping through his fingers like silk. Sana tilted her head to deepen the kiss. Bakugou exhaled sharply through his nose as her tongue darted across his bottom lip, his small puff of air against her cheek making her smile. His other hand wrapped around her waist to palm the exposed skin at the small of her back. His fingers itched to slide just a few inches lower, but he fought the urge. She was already convinced he had a fetish. He'd never live it down if he groped her ass right after she made a comment about how much he liked it.

But damn him if he wasn't tempted.

Bakugou forced himself to pull away, taking a step back. "Go change," he ordered in a deep, raspy voice, lips pink and swollen. He cleared his throat, nose scrunched up in annoyance at his own embarrassment. "I left some clothes in the bathroom for you. Go through here," the ash blonde instructed, pointing past the living room. "There's a hallway. Bathroom is the first door on the right."

"Okay," Sana nodded, blinking dazedly. She clutched the towel closer and hurried away with flaming cheeks. Lying on the counter of the guest bathroom was a pair of black and white sweatpants and an oversized skull tee. She slipped out of her wet clothes, toweling herself off before throwing on the spare clothes. The pants were a close fit, though with Katsuki's slim waist it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise. The skull tee hung on her figure like a dress. The fabric was incredibly soft from all the washes it had been through over the years. It faintly smelled of the boy's cologne and Sana couldn't help but hold the collar up to her nose and inhale. She wrapped her damp clothes in the towel and returned to the living room.

Katsuki was seated on the couch with a foot propped against the edge of the coffee table, flipping through channels on the Tv with a look of disdain. He stood and took the bundle from her. "I'll toss these in the dryer."

Sana sat on the couch and combed her fingers through her tangled hair. Katsuki spotted her from the doorway as he was returning and changed his destination. The solar girl watched curiously as he climbed the stairs and disappeared. She picked up the remote and continued to look for something decent to watch just as Katsuki had been doing before she walked in.

Footsteps on the stairs drew her attention from the movie she'd chosen, watching the explosive blonde descend with a hairbrush and another maroon towel. "What's this?" She asked as he settled back into his spot on the couch.

"Sit in front of me."

The Sakano heir raised a brow but did so without complaint. She placed a cushion on the floor and sat down between his muscular legs. Katsuki immediately got to work on brushing the knots out of her hair. He was careful not to yank too hard when dealing with the more stubborn tangles or cause her discomfort. "What movie did you pick?" He asked.

"John Wick," Sana shrugged. "I figured you'd be into that sort of thing." The ash blonde grunted, neither confirming nor denying the claim. He finally finished brushing out her hair and was now towel drying it. The two watched the movie in comfortable silence, commenting every now and then on a cool visual or how unrealistic the fighting was in some scenes.

Once Katsuki was done, Sana rejoined him on the couch. They sat huddled together under a blanket, arguing over whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie during the commercials.

"You're joking," Sana stared at him like he was from another planet. "Wait, are you being serious right now? They're literally at a Christmas party, Kats. What the fuck-"

The ash blonde laughed heartily, taking pleasure in getting the strawberry blonde worked up for once instead of the other way around. The pair eventually settled down, Sana's head once again resting in the curve of his neck.

By the time Sana arrived back at her house after calling for the town car, it was already nighttime. She was on cloud 9, humming a song under her breath as she closed the front door behind her and leaned back against it. Standing with her arms crossed at the foot of the stairs was Umi. "I hope he's nicer than he looks," was all she said, her tone one of disapproval.

"I'd forgotten what it felt like..." Sana thought aloud, speaking more to herself.

"What what felt like, dear?" The old woman asked.

...to be in love.