Latibule

15 - ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʙꜱᴛᴀᴄʟᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʀꜱᴇ

Previously on Latibule:

He let out a hum of acknowledgement and said nothing else until we arrived behind Recovery Girl's door. Then he spoke. "You'll be fine from here."

I nodded, giving him a tight-lipped smile as I knew that he wouldn't take gratitude very well. "See you tomorrow, Bakugou."

"Whatever."

-~:~-

Latibule — Chapter 15///The Obstacle Course

-~:~-

In the weeks that followed, when I trained my quirk and researched martial arts, I couldn't help but think if Bakugou actually cared for me. Sometimes he acted like he did and the next moment I wasn't so sure anymore.

As confusing as it was, I had other things to worry about.

As a prime example, the day of the festival had arrived, and, easily, the day that would determine who I could intern with and therefore, well, my future.

Nerves stirred in my stomach as I waited along with the others in our class' waiting room. We were all wearing our PE uniforms and some of us were warming up while I just did my best to stay calm and control my quirk instead of letting my quirk control me.

Iida busted into the room. "Everyone, get your game faces on! We're entering the arena soon!"

My heart skipped a beat and I fiddled with my fingers as Todoroki approached Midoriya.

"Hey, Todoroki," Midoriya stammered, turning to face him. "What's up?"

I took deep breaths, calming my nerves.

"From an objective standpoint, I think it's fairly clear that I'm stronger than you."

My breath hitched but I kept myself calm, counting the seconds as I breathed in for as long as I possibly could.

"Yeah," Midoriya agreed.

"However, you've got All Might in your corner helping you out. I'm not here to pry about what's going on between you two. But know that I will beat you."

Kirishima neared Todoroki after he and Kaminari conversed for a second. "What's the big deal, why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?"

Todoroki shrugged his hand off before walking away. "We're not here to be each other's friends. Don't forget this isn't a team effort."

"Wait a sec, Todoroki," Midoriya said, determined even though he spoke quietly. "I don't know what's going through your head or why you think you need to tell me that you'll beat me.

And yeah, of course you're better than me. In fact, you probably have way more potential than anyone in the hero course. That's why you got in so easily."

Kirishima took the moment to butt into the conversation. "Midoriya, maybe you're being a little hard on yourself, and us."

My breathing calmed and my stomach became hollow. The calmness that took over me felt like my social battery had run out and yet — it hadn't.

"No, he's right, you guys," Midoriya continued. "All the other courses — they're coming for us with everything they've got. We're all gonna have to fight to stand out." He looked up at Todoroki, finally tearing his eyes from the ground. "And I'll be aiming for the top, too."

"Fine," Todoroki answered.

From my peripherals, I could see Bakugou tensing as if he took offense in Midoriya's pledge.