Chapter 25

Akane dropped the pencil in her hand and leaned her back against the wall with a satisfied sigh. Finally, it was done. It took all night to draw, but it was really done. She glanced back at her work to give it a final check and grinned. Hopefully Bakugo would like it and see that she took his suggestions on her comic to heart. It was still stunning to believe that he would be into that sort of thing, but nevertheless, it was something they had in common.

After spending some time with him and Kirishima back in the gym yesterday, Akane was able to get a first-hand glimpse of what their relationship was like. It was actually kind of funny to see how these two guys who seemed like total opposites would come together to have a good time eating snacks and talking about their lives and future plans. Kirishima boasted about how he was going to be the next Crimson Riot, his idol from when he was a kid, while Bakugo just bragged about how he was going to be the number one hero. It was clear that even though they were different, they showed many similarities. She expected as much, but the next thing that came up, she didn't expect. Kirishima explained that they were planning to work together at the same agency once they graduated just so they'd never have to be apart, and that's when he turned to her and plainly asked "Wanna join us, Hattori?"

No one ever asked her something like that before, so it was definitely a surprise and it left her stuttering for an answer. Bakugo didn't seem to care one way or another, but he didn't say anything against it either and that got her thinking. It stayed on her mind ever since. She didn't have to decide right now, but Kirishima definitely wanted to be the first to know if she said yes.

To think she could end up working side-by-side with these two, it didn't sound so bad... Being with him.

She set aside her work to pull out her phone from under the pillow. It was around noon and the time spoke to her that it was now time to eat some lunch. She dug around her box of stationary for an envelope or some tape, but unfortunately found none and had to settle with an empty orange folder. She tucked the drawing inside before hiding it in her private drawer and made her way out the room. As usual, she went to the elevator to go downstairs.

Once she stepped into the main lobby, her eyes grew large in awe at the sight of many colorful decorations placed everywhere. The ceiling was lined with streamers of red and green, there were stickers of candy canes and bells all over the walls, and there was a huge Christmas tree in the center of the room, already covered with lights and ornaments and already loaded with presents in various shapes and sizes underneath. Most of her classmates were dressed in their festive Santa Claus attire and pointy red hats just for the occasion. Overall, it was beautiful. It was really starting to look like Christmas.

There was a sweet, honey-like scent lingering in the air, which instantly drew her towards the kitchen. She exchanged a few smiles to the classmates she passed by before she walked in. At the right station, Sato and Tokoyami were busy going to town making lots of cake batter and cookie dough while Uraraka, Mina, and Jiro decorated the gingerbread men. The station to the left had Ida, Shoji, and Koda working together preparing the ingredients for the feast to come later on tonight. Needless to say, it was busy, so busy that she felt skeptical about making some food. She didn't want to get in the way of what they were already doing.

Now that she thought of it, there was still a good bit of time to wait until the Christmas party began, so maybe she could go out and buy those gifts she was thinking about getting for her group mates. She had already come up with a couple ideas on what to get Sato and Shishida, but still not for Bakugo. The drawing was the only thing she had so far and that was it. Compared to the extra shit he did for her, that was nowhere near enough. But what the hell did he like? They never talked about things like that. Ugh! So frustrating!

Maybe she could decide while she was out.

She turned on her heels and quickly went back up to put on her leather jacket and grab her wallet. She took the elevator back down, wondering if she should text Kirishima about it, but then again, the last time she asked about Bakugo, Kirishima didn't have a whole lot to say. It was never enough information to give her a solid answer, which was so ridiculous considering how close they seem to be when they're together. He was probably just as clueless as her. Maybe she could get him some spicy snacks or something like that... but how could that possibly measure up to the awesome dinner to come later or Takami's? This was going to be a challenge to say the least.

She made her way through the lounge to approach the threshold and that was when she caught a glimpse of a patch of green hair. Izuku was standing in the doorway talking to Aizawa and some other tall, blonde boy that she couldn't recognize. He didn't come across as anyone from any of the three hero classes, which got her assuming that maybe he was a friend just visiting. In between them was a small child with long, white hair wearing a heavy, red overcoat with a matching Santa hat. She hadn't seen her before either. How curious...

Instantly, she remembered something. In the messages she sent to Deku, she remembered that he grew up with Bakugo. They might not be the closest friends now, but maybe he would know a thing or two about what he liked. Hastily, she stepped towards him. Aizawa quickly noticed her, which led everyone to curiously turn their heads.

"H-hey, Hattori." Deku stuttered with a half smile.

It was plainly obvious on his face that he was still a little uneasy being around her. It only made sense, since the last time they spoke didn't end so great.

"Do you think we can talk for a bit?"

His complexion switched. "Sure."

"Are you going away?" the little girl asked while tugging on the hem of his festive sweater.

Deku knelt down to her level and with a bigger smile he said - "I'll only be away for a few minutes. I promise when I get back that we're gonna decorate as many gingerbread men as you want, okay? You can go ahead and start with Mirio, and I'll be back before you know it."

Her eyes were a bit sad, but she nodded that she understood and turned to the one called Mirio.

"Can we go make cookies now?"

"Of course!" he replied cheerfully.

"Don't take too long." said Aizawa, and just like that, they left.

The awkward tension was still visible in the air around them. She sighed a small breath through her nose.

"I want to say I'm sorry for how I said things the other day... It's just what you said, it really bothered me and I took it too personally. I don't ever want me or my quirk to be thought of as a way to hurt others. I never want to seem like I'm one of them..." she said quietly.

"I'm sorry, too. Perhaps I jumped to conclusions too soon. I tend to overthink a lot about people. It's also because I've had my fair share dealing with villains that I get a little overprotective of the people I'm with." he paused for a moment and their green eyes locked. "I still want to make sure you're okay after all that's happened. I really think you should call the Police or tell Mr. Aizawa-"

"It's taken care of already. My mom's the head of Intelligence that works above the Police. I told her about what happened and she sent me a message almost two weeks ago saying that they're tracking down the person who followed me. She also provided extra security for the school... The next time I face a villain, it'll be in the streets, not at U.A., so there's nothing to worry about anymore."

He relaxed his shoulders. "Thank goodness. So then, was that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something. I want to give each of the guys in my group a nice gift for helping me train so hard and for helping me pass my exam the other day. I already have something in mind for Sato and Shishida, but I still don't know what to get Bakugo... So I figured since you said you were childhood friends, you would know some of the things he likes. Can you give me some ideas?"

He held a hand under his chin and looked down at the floor to think. It didn't take long before his own thoughts started muttering out his mouth... overthinking again.

After mentioning his name, it just now occurred to her that she hadn't seen Bakugo at all today, which was weird considering he would definitely be up at this hour. She wanted to assume that because they didn't have class today, maybe he took the time to sleep in. She quickly shook her head at that idea. He was up at the crack of dawn that Saturday morning before, so that wasn't right.

"Speaking of Bakugo, have you seen him around?"

Deku silenced his self-muttering and looked at her questionably for a second.

"Him and Todoroki have gone with Present Mic and All Might early this morning to finish their Hero Licensing courses. Today's their last day. When they get back, they'll finally have their licenses and be acknowledged as real heroes. The class is actually planning to merge a surprise party with the Christmas party to congratulate them tonight."

"Hero licensing? Why is it just him and Todoroki? Wouldn't everyone need to complete that?" she asked.

"Oh, that's right. I keep forgetting that it's your first year... We actually took our hero licensing exam several months back. Most of the class passed, except for Kacchan and Todoroki, so they had to take extra classes and work even harder to get them. After the Sports tournament, we were assigned work studies with some hero agencies. Unfortunately, not all agencies are willing to work with unlicensed students. Once you get past your first work study, your class will be ready to take the Heroes Licensing Exam. I'd tell you about it, but I don't know that it would help you. They change the tests every year, so there's no telling that it would be the same."

"I see... Then tonight's even more of a special occasion. I want to get him something he really likes." she smiled softly. Maybe something meaningful would be nice.

Deku couldn't help but to stare at her tentatively. It's just too surprising to see someone other than Kirishima go out of their way to want to make Kacchan happy. Even he wouldn't do that.

"You must really care about him."

She felt her body jolt as the temperature under her skin started to rise with embarrassment. Did he notice it already? He couldn't be that observant... then again...

"The Kacchan I knew when I was little isn't the same as the one I know now. Back then, he was way more open. Now, he's calmed down a lot more, but he still distances himself from everyone, so there's no way to know what he likes if he doesn't tell you himself. He's changed quite a bit too since them. From what I remember, we both grew up liking video games, comics, and just about anything to do with All Might."

Her ears instantly perked. "Wait - All Might?"

"Yea, he was our favorite hero. Right now he wants to be the next number one, so that he'll eventually surpass All Might. Even knowing that, he still highly respects him."

The lightbulb instantly blinked on.

"Thanks, Izuku. I know what to get him now."

She immediately changed her direction and bolted through the front doors.

"Oh! Uh - sure! Glad I could help!"

"Everyone get down and stay quiet! Hatsumodo says they're almost outside the dorms!" Momo shouted, to which all the students scrambled themselves behind the furniture and hid in the hallways.

"Ida, get the lights!" Mina quietly screamed while pointing to the switch on the wall.

Quickly, he sped up and flipped them off, allowing the entire lounge area to be consumed in darkness. Nothing was on, not even the lights to their rooms or the kitchen to give it away. Several shushes came here and there along with a few whispers. They immediately silenced once they heard the front door open and shut against the metal latch.

"Ugh! Why is it so dark in here? Did we have a blackout or something?" said the voice easily recognized as Bakugo.

"Maybe everyone went out." replied Todoroki.

Their footsteps stopped short.

"You got your licenses!" cried Mina as the lights flicked on.

The party poppers went off with bursts of confetti all around their smiling faces. The two boy's eyes widened in shock.

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

"Great job, Todoroki." said Momo.

"We're so proud of you." added Ida.

"You did it, Bakugo!" yelled Kirishima with his big toothy grin.

"Here, have some cake." Before they knew it, Sato shoved the giant strawberry cake in the blonde's face. Bakugo had to take a step back as his eyes grew even bigger at the sight of it.

"That thing's massive!"

"Now we can do hero work together. It'll be great, Kacchan." said Midoriya.

From there, the party officially began. Jiro put on her festive music selection through her top grade speakers as everyone started lining up to dig into the amazing food. Todoroki and Bakugo then quickly went up to their rooms to change out of their school uniforms, so that they could comfortably enjoy the party.

Akane went to the far side of the room away from the others and leaned her back against the wall, fidgeting the handle of the gift bag nervously. She had already given her gifts to Sato and Shishida right before the party and now all that was left was to give Bakugo's, but somehow, now that it was actually set in motion, she felt hesitant. It shouldn't be a big deal, it's just some stupid gift and she sees him almost everyday. Why was she feeling so jumpy?

Every once in a while, she glanced back at the doorway to see when he returned, and when he finally showed, she got butterflies in her stomach. Quickly, she forced herself to take a deep breath through her nose to try and relax. It didn't help, so she tried to take her mind off it by focusing on the party.

Strangely, from what she observed, he didn't seem all that interested, coming off as if this was the worst experience anyone could possibly put him through. He could at least acknowledge the fact that the entire class went through a lot of effort to put this all together along with the Christmas party. And he got his heroes license too. Shouldn't he be ecstatic? Maybe he wasn't into parties or really cared that much... If that was true, then what would he think about the gift she got him? She sighed as she looked down at the green paper bag. It was almost like it was taunting her.

Maybe she should take it back...

She glanced back up and that's when she noticed Mina creeping up behind Bakugo holding a red Santa jacket, ready to wrap him up in it. He quickly caught her in his peripheral vision and snapped for her to stay the fuck away. She backed off, which drove Kaminari to quickly yank it out of her hand. When Bakugo wasn't looking, he threw it over his shoulders. Angrily, he snatched it off, balled it up, and threw it right back in their faces. Akane couldn't help but giggle while watching it. Guess she was right, he didn't really like this kind of stuff.

It didn't take long before the powerful aroma of food started to overwhelm her nose. Akane then succumbed to the sweet smells in the air to look at the already crowded buffet table. There were so many people going through it that she thought it was best to wait a bit longer when the line died down before getting something to eat.

Across the food was the drink station, where a certain figure with dark brown eyes caught her gaze, instantly souring her festive mood. He stared back at her hatefully as he took a sip from his cup. Still pissed off, she could see... Nothing would give her more pleasure than to punch him right in his fucking face right now, but she already made her point clear that he was dead to her. They had known each other long enough to understand that once she said that, it was over. Right now, she doesn't need to do anything more except ignore him. So far, he hasn't done anything to cross that, at least, not yet. If he was smart, he'd keep on doing it.

"Hey, Hattori?"

She turned her attention off of Yuto to the direction of the voice.

"Oh, hey. Congratulations on getting your hero license, Todoroki."

"Thanks. Why haven't you gotten any food yet? Are you still feeling sick?"

"No, I'm just waiting for the line to go down."

"I see." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away for a moment.

It didn't come across as something he normally did, which was unusual. Something was up, and it became even more obvious when she noticed his arm fidgeting behind his back.

"Are you okay?"

"Yea, I just -" He locked eyes with her and pulled out his hand, revealing a small wrapped red box with a little green bow on top. "I wanted to give you this..."

She checked him to make sure he wasn't joking. It was a bit weird, seeing as they weren't really close and she didn't even think about getting something for him. Curiously, she took the little box and lifted the lid to reveal what appeared to be a black leather book with her name on the bottom right corner in gold print. With her fingers, she carefully pulled it out to get a closer look and opened it. The many tiny pages were all blank with no lines.

"A mini sketchbook?" she asked.

"When you aren't studying, I always see you drawing, so I thought having one to take with you would be convenient." he explained while continuing to rub his neck anxiously.

That's oddly nice of him. Now she felt even more guilty for not having anything to give back.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to fill every page." she smiled brightly. "I'm sorry, I should've gotten you something. I only got gifts for my group and for Ochako for letting me stay in her room."

"That's okay. Just knowing you like it is enough."

"Then I'll draw something nice just for you. I promise."

He nodded and turned to the floor to hide the pink glow from his cheeks. That was when he noticed the little green bag in her hand and pointed to it.

"Who's that for?"

"It's for Bakugo. I already stopped by Class B and gave Shishida his, and Sato's too. I'm just waiting for a chance to give it to him."

"Then why not now?" interrupted Kirishima as he barged in between them. "He doesn't really last long at these kinds of things. Once he eats, he'll probably go back to his room. You better get him while he's still here."

"I could just give it to him tomorrow..." she said while fidgeting her fingers to try and steady her hands.

"But tomorrow's when we go home to our families for break. You won't see him then. Hang on, I'll get him." he took a step back to look around until he came across his ash blonde hair. "Hey, Bakugo! Come here for a sec!"

Akane internally cursed at Kirishima for doing that. When he slowly shuffled his way over to them, she fell frozen.

"What'dya want, Dumb hair?"

"Just trying to get you to hang out with your buddies, for once." he replied with a grin.

"Whaddiya mean? I'm here, that not enough for ya?"

"C'mon. You could at least try to enjoy yourself. We didn't have to do all this extra stuff, y'know, but we wanted you to know that we cared."

"Tch. I know that, Idiot. It's not that I don't appreciate it. The air can get pretty suffocating with so many people around." Bakugo commented rather quietly. At least he was speaking honestly.

"You and Hattori both have been wall flowers this entire time. Why don't you two be more sociable?" Kirishima asked, which made them even more uncomfortable.

It's not like they were doing this shit on purpose. It's not something that either one of them was used to, and besides, the party literally just began.

"Why can't you be less annoying?..." Bakugo snapped back.

"Alright, alright." He held his hands up in defense. "I just don't want you two to miss out. I know we came to this school to become heroes and whatnot, but we shouldn't miss out on all the fun high school stuff either. We are still practically kids, after all. Think of all the great memories we get to look back on."

"Yea-yea, I don't need all this extra shit to have a good time."

"If you say so. Maybe you two can keep each other company while the rest of us go have some fun." Kirishima mocked, trying to play it off as some sort of mind game.

"You sayin' I don't know how to have fun? Is that a fucking challenge?!"

"Oops, I made him mad. Hattori, take care of him for a few minutes for me. I got something I gotta take care of. Todoroki, ya mind giving me a hand?"

"Sure."

They turned their backs to them and disappeared down the hallway to the elevators, leaving the two of them alone. How bizarre... What was he up to?

Bakugo clicked his tongue with agitation as he leaned his back against the wall and let out a groan. She could almost feel the warmth radiating off his body. Fuck... Her heart began to thump like crazy as she fiddled with the gift bag again. It was the only way she could stop herself from getting jittery. Damn it, why was this getting so hard?! It's just a gift for a friend, that's all it is...

"Fucking Dumb hair..." he muttered under his breath.

"Y'know... it was his idea to put this thing together for you and Todoroki."

"Tch. It's not like I asked for it."

"But you could at least acknowledge their efforts and say thanks. Getting your heroes license is something you should be proud of. Kirishima knows that and he thought what better way to celebrate than to mix in a surprise party?" she pointed out.

A faint growl rolled the back of his throat, not wanting to admit that she was probably right.

"I get that it was a nice gesture. It's just - I get uncomfortable at parties... And I hate when that idiot tries to force me into it, doing the same stupid pointless shit as everyone else. I'm just gonna get something to eat and then head to bed."

"I think he'd really appreciate it if you stayed a little longer than that... and so would I." The last part she said in almost a whisper.

His head jerked to her, unsure if he heard her correctly.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know... I like your company. I'm not used to this sort of thing either, being in big crowds, but now that you've said that... I guess I feel a little safer knowing that I'm not so different from everyone else, like I don't have to try so hard."

His brow furrowed questionably.

"You're fucking weird, ya know that?"

She let out a small chuckle. "Yea..."

With her thumb, she grazed over the handle one more time, trying to gather up all her courage. Finally, she held her arm out to give him the bag. He hesitated before he took it.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

He was still confused, but saw no reason to desist and held it apart. He then fished out what was inside and his complexion brightened.

"!"

"It's an old gameboy. I checked online and had to go to four different stores to find it. It was the only one I could find without any damage or missing parts. It works fine. Now you can play that All Might game cartridge you won at the arcade." she explained, hoping that he would like it.

This was completely unexpected of her, it left him in a daze. To think she actually remembered. It had been a little over a week since then, so he assumed she'd already forgotten about that shit, but no, she remembered. They didn't even make these games anymore, let alone the devices to play them. He even spent hours on end on several websites trying to find one in decent condition, but was left unsatisfied. Four stores... that must've taken a hell of a long time.

He cleared his throat as he placed it back in the bag. "Thanks, I guess..."

"There's one other thing in there." she pointed out, to which he looked back inside.

He dug around the red tissue paper until his eyes came across a hint of orange. He felt around and pulled out the small folder. Inside was a single sheet of paper with a detailed drawing of a muscular, native warrior. His chest was bare with only a fur cloak over his broad shoulders and his pants appeared to be leathered and lined with a belt of hand carved bone daggers. There were pieces of tribal decorum placed around his body as well, but the best part of it all was the gigantic, terrifying dragon he was riding. Its jaws were unhinged, setting the skies ablaze. It was pretty damn good. Oddly, the face of the character looked familiar... Then it hit him.

"You made me the dragon tamer?"

Her smile deepened when she nodded. "I really liked your idea to make a clan of dragon warriors in my story, so I stayed up all night drawing it. Since it was your idea, I thought it'd only make sense to put you in it... Now that I think of it, I just might make characters for everyone in the whole class."

Internally, he scoffed at that idea. She didn't need to waste her time on those extras. It's not like they would be able to make the story more interesting. They didn't do anything to help anyways. If he was in the story, it'd be awesome as fuck as it is. Now that she said that though, it kind of took away from the sentimental aspect and left him annoyed. It didn't take long before his face started to show it and for her to notice.

"You don't like it?"

"It could be better..."

"Really? How so?" she asked, surprisingly curious.

"You're not offended?"

"No, I sort of expected as much. It doesn't bother me if it means I can improve."

She's handling this way different than he thought, but fuck it, alright.

"First of all, I should have at least one kickass sword at my side at all times. Second, give me something that screams that I am the God of all dragons, like the bone daggers, but different. Give me a chain of dragon teeth and claws to show that I can slay them if they disobey me. And third, my abs don't fucking look like that! They look like this!"

Before she knew it, his shirt was lifted up showing his well toned six pack of muscles. Suddenly, she felt lightheaded as all the blood drained from her head straight to her cheeks. She instantly looked away, completely taken aback at what just happened.

Shit... Katsuki then realized what he had done and dropped his shirt back down. He held a hand behind his neck embarrassingly, watching how uncomfortable she was getting. Fuck, that might've been too bold of him.

He closed the folder and placed it back inside the gift bag. The air became thick with awkward tension. He cleared his throat again.

"J-just make it right next time, Idiot..."

"Okay."

She kept her gaze back on the ground, unable to look at him. A minute went by, even though it felt like forever, and the embarrassment still didn't pass. The only way it could ever go back to normal is if one of them made the effort. She gathered up all her bravery once more and spoke.

"So... now that you have your license, I guess you'll be going on a lot of work studies..."

"Yea."

"Midoriya said that the sports tournament is what gets agencies to pick you for work studies, but not a lot of them do it with unlicensed students. Is that true?" she asked.

"Why're you talking with that dumbass anyways?..." he let out another annoyed groan. "Yea, they don't. Even still, you get a chance to work side by side with real heroes and see what they can do. The only downside is that you're limited the use of your quirk. The tournament pretty much lets hero agencies scout you to see if your quirk and skills would benefit them."

"Are you allowed to choose which agency?"

"Only if you get a lot of them. If you don't end up getting any, the school will set you up with one to give you the experience."

"So who did you work with?" she asked.

"Best Jeanist..."

His mood instantly soured thinking back to that nightmare. Day and night, he made him comb his hair, wear unnecessarily tight jeans, and practice learning shitty ass manners and how to be eloquent when he could've been kicking bad guys asses down six feet under!

"Wow. That must've been exciting."

"It wasn't all that's cracked up to be..."

"Will you be going back to his agency now that you have your license?"

He paused thinking about it. As miserable as he was, the jerk did manage to teach him a few things about being in the top three.

"Dunno... I need to fix my damn equipment before I even think about that shit."

"Didn't you use them at your exam today?"

"No, I had to use my backup set of bracers, but they work like shit. They're nowhere near as powerful as my main ones, y'know, the ones you destroyed!" he projected, not caring how loud he was even though she was right next to him. He couldn't help that he was still pissed off about it.

"I said, I would help you fix them." she pointed out. To be honest, he completely forgot about that.

"As if you know anything about mechanics... These things aren't some fucking toy, y'know."

"But it's your equipment, so wouldn't you already know how to fix it? If you just tell me what to do, I'll do it... Let me help. It'll at least get done faster." she explained.

There was a long pause trying to figure out why she was so persistent. If he did end up doing all the work by himself, it could take days, maybe even weeks to get it tuned back to normal. The mechanic chick said she was backed up on orders until mid- February, so he didn't really have a choice but to fix it himself. Damn it! He didn't want to have to wait that long for his stuff to get fixed, especially not now, not while he was free to use his quirk as much as he wanted. He was so ready to get to work with a real agency and beat some bad guys, to just finally let loose instead of being held back. He was so far behind these fuckwads, especially Deku, and he couldn't stand to go another minute remaining there. With his head hung low, he knew he needed all the help he could get.

"Tch... If you're that serious then fine, you can help me. But I'm only letting you 'cuz I don't see any other way of getting it done. I need to be at my best at the next agency. And you can't back out either, got it? I don't care how long it takes, a day, a week, you have to stay until the job's done."

A small smile curled her lip. He's always so tenacious.

"I will. When would you like me to start?"

"Just be ready when I text you..."

"Okay."

He really kept her number? She didn't know why, but it seemed weird. She did say for him to let her know if she ever owed him again. It was a little disappointing that they were only spending time together to repay a debt. Oh well... At least she wouldn't be by herself over break.

Out of nowhere, Kirishima and Todoroki appeared, both lugging what appeared to be a large, heavy gift. They placed it on the floor in front of Bakugo. Together, they eyed the enormous gift and its unusual shape, wondering what it could be.

"Here you go, man." he grinned excitedly. "Merry Christmas!"

Bakugo hesitated again before he started ripping off the paper. Underneath the wrapping was what looked to be... more wrapping paper? Only this time it was a different pattern and color. He ripped apart the second layer, only to find a third layer of wrapping paper, and then a fourth, and then a fifth. The more he shed apart to find, the smaller it got until it got down to a medium-sized box completely wrapped in duct tape. Katsuki's face was terribly scrunched up with rage.

"What the hell, Dumbass?!"

Kirishima and Todoroki couldn't help but to laugh at his struggle.

"You always said that you wanted a real challenge. Well, open it."

"I'm trying, you damned Idiot!" Bakugo snapped as he tried to rip the tape apart, but failed.

Soon, he got so frustrated that he resorted to explosions in an attempt to deteriorate the wrapping. When he finally got one corner loose, he pried it from the box, not caring if it tore what was inside. Once he made it down to the real box, he tore off the lid and a pair of bright orange crocs were nestled in the center.

Wow... all that effort for a bunch of shoes. Of course they'd be crocs of all things. Kirishima, you're really something else.

"Why'd you need Todoroki if that was all that was in it?" Akane questioned.

"To fool you into thinking it was something big."

Fair enough. It was still incredibly funny to see just how annoyed Bakugo got seeing this as the result. He giggled some more and then turned towards the buffet.

"Welp, I'm starving. I've been wanting to sink my teeth into that meat all day. Ya comin', Bakugo?" Kirishima asked.

"Yea... give me a minute."

Just like that, the two of them left, once again leaving them behind. Bakugo gathered up all the wrapping paper in his arms and shoved them deep into the big trash can near the doorway. He returned by Akane to gather up his things, but paused the moment he caught her staring again.

"What?"

"Didn't know you liked crocs." she gave a sly smirk to contain a laugh.

"Your gift was better..." he muttered quietly.

"What?" she asked, not sure if she heard him correctly.

"Nothing! I didn't say anything! I'm getting some damn food!" He turned his back to her.

"Well... Congrats again, and Merry Christmas, Katsuki..." she said, instantly making him stop in his tracks.

His chest thumped harder, but he forced himself to shrug it off and continue on his way.