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Mina still couldn't quite believe her silly joke turned into a semi-serious class activity everyone joined in on. Who would have thought they would hang up a bunch of posters with everyone's name on it so they could hand out stickers for good behavior. Well, she would definitely have her fun with it while she could. She was excited to see how intense the competition would get or if some would try to sneakily do as little as possible. So far everyone seemed on board with the project though.
They each got a set of 200 stickers. Looking at the sheer number was a little overwhelming and Mina wondered if they ever would manage to use them all up. Then again, being nice to each classmate ten times shouldn't be too hard.
Everyone's sticker set was personalized and was cause for laughs and teasing. Kaminari was very happy with the lightning bolt he got, while Sero and Kirishima just rolled their eyes grinning at their tape roller and rock respectively.
Mina was overjoyed with her ufo design and Bakugou accepted his set of explosion stickers.
Some designs were very simple such as Mineta's grapes, Ochako's balloons or Hagakures ghost. Todoroki got a design that featured flames on one side and ice on the other. There were some animal designs like Tsu’s frog, a rabbit for Kouda, a raven for Tokoyami as well as a Kangaroo for Oujirou.
“But why?!” Oujirou asked in a whining tone, his tail twitching. It earned him some ‘Duh! Are you seriously asking?’ looks. Yaoyorozu's stickers looked like one of her russian dolls, Satou's like a cupcake. Jirou was very happy with the earphones she got noting that the design looked like a cool logo. Aoyama had a simple, glittery star. The most popular- or rather the most laughed over designs belonged to their class president and a certain green haired boy. Ida’s sticker set looked like Sonic with glasses on and Midoriya got a broccoli with All Might’s smile on it.
Mina and Bakugou got into an argument right away, Mina arguing their project only stated now, while Bakugou demanded two stickers from her already because technically she already gave him one and he deserved it for playing along. In the end Mina gave in and Bakugou proudly was the first to receive not only one, but two stickers.
A satisfied smirk took place on Bakugous face. No one protested too much. Bakugou agreeing to this appeared like such a fragile thing, nobody wanted to jinx it. No one knew what to expect from this little experiment, but they all looked forward to it.
“Alright everyone!” Ida called everyone’s attention. “Please remember we are doing this to be nicer to one another. The person you want a sticker from decides whether an action is or is not worth a sticker. Please try out different things and give others the opportunity to gain stickers by doing chores as well. We want to avoid having the floor scrubbed ten times a day.” Ida announced in a serious tone.
“Please also keep in mind that exchanging stickers for stickers to get them faster is not allowed and you are not required to spend money on someone. Would anyone like to add something or ask a question?”
“You said it’s not required to spend money, but what if someone wants to anyway?” Tsuyu asked and Ochako was quite glad she did not have to ask the question herself.
“That is a very good question!” Ida praised. “I would suggest we set a limit on how much each person can spend on someone or in total.”
“I think in total makes more sense.” Yaomomo put in. "2000 yen can be quite a lot already, but if you split it up on 20 people, you would only be able to spend 100 yen per person." She reasoned.
"Valid point!" Ida called out. "Any objections? Regarding the amount of money or way to spend it?"
No one vetoed the idea.
"Well, then let's make this a good experience for everyone." Ida officially announced the start for their project.
At first everyone tensed up, as if ready to jump into action. Then they all looked at each other a little lost. No one knew what to do now. One by one they went their own ways again and it almost seemed as if the posters were forgotten already.
Until it was time for dinner at least and suddenly a bunch of people showed up in the kitchen. It was especially suspicious, because all of these people usually tried to avoid kitchen duties at all costs. Kaminari, Mineta and Sero could rarely be seen preparing meals for themselves, let alone cooking for others. They managed to sort things out, with most of them volunteering to take on cleaning duties after dinner.
Katsuki was torn between racing to get all the stickers fastest and pretending he wasn't that invested in the project. He itched to seek out people just to do something stupid for them and not putting himself down and being someone's slave. He was the first to have two stickers. He had time. They just started. He was sure the right moment would come up eventually.
-----.....------......-----
He wondered if Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero and Mina would willingly hand stickers over for his regular tutoring sessions. As of now he thought he deserved these stickers. Especially since all the idiots were late. Bakugou sat in the common room, already working on homework. He would not waste any time and as soon as the other's arrived he would probably be too busy explaining things to actually get work done himself.
"Sorry!" Kirishima called as soon as he came running down the stairs. Kaminari was hot on his heels, while Mina and Sero followed slower.
"Thanks for waiting." Sero smiled at the blonde, who glared annoyed.
"Sit your lazy asses down. What do you want to work on?"
"Hey, remember to be friendly Kacchchan! You wanna earn those stickers, don't you?" Kaminari teased, while they spread their books, notebooks, laptops, tablets, phones...and far too much other things out on the table.
"Math." Kaminari whined.
"Uhm...Japanese?" Kirishima said looking through his notes. He honestly wasn't sure were to start.
"Yeah, math please." Sero said.
"I still haven't finished Aizawa's assignment..." Mina sighed.
"Alright. Get to work losers! Just start with the exercises and I'll check them later. And why are you still not finished with the assignment? It's due tomorrow!"
"Wait. Tomorrow?!" Mina shot up, suddenly very alert. "I though it was due next week!"
"Have you at least started already?" Bakugou asked. He had very little hopes.
"I mean...I started thinking about it?" The horned girl said helplessly.
Bakugou sighed. She was panicking and that didn't help anyone, least of all her. "Okay. First of all. Calm down. Next, do you know what topic you will work on?" He asked.
"Umm..." She looked through her papers until she found the one with the assignments instructions and requirements.
"What are you all waiting for?! Get started on your own work." Bakugou snapped at the others, who promptly shoved their faces back into their books.
"Just read a wikipedia article to get a feeling for the subject. I'll look for some better sources in the meantime." Bakugou instructed Mina.
"Really?! Thank you so much!"
"Yeah, yeah..." Bakugou waved her off. "You won't get done in time otherwise." He grunted.
Even with Bakugou not only finding sources, but also going through them and writing notes for Mina, it took a very long time to get even close to an end. He still leaned over to check over the other three's work whenever he could. The three boys were done much sooner than Mina, so as soon as they were done Bakugou gave each of them an article to read so they could also help Mina. The four boys continued in Minas room after dinner, until they fell asleep one by one.
Katsuki had the strictest sleep schedule out of the three, but he the others were far less studious and got bored easily. Their boredom ended in them falling asleep while Bakugou continued to help Mina write out her paper and prepare a presentation. He did not write anything for her, but he read over her text while she tipped the words and discussed sections that she could reformulate. It was past midnight, when Mina tried to present her work. Bakugou fell asleep before she was done, but she didn't even notice due to her reading off her paper so much.
Mina looked at the four sleeping boys in her room. Kaminari and Sero lay in her bed, heads in opposite directions and Kaminari drooled onto her pillow. Kirishima was spread out on the floor and Bakugou was sleeping sitting slumped against her bed. She didn't really know how to move or cover them, but she did know they all deserved a sticker for this.
-----......-----......-----
Mina looked in the common room and courtyard. She checked the classroom, cafeteria and the courtyard. She even went to the training grounds, but it was nowhere in sight. She came out of the changing room, when she almost walked into a familiar, explosive blonde.
"Oups. Sorry, Bakugou!" Mina said hastily.
"Watch where you're going." He bit out. He was dressed in training pants, a black tank top and had a white towel around his neck to wipe the sweat off. "What are you doing here anyway?" He then frowned at her. He's never seen Mina go to the gym for extra training.
"I lost my jacket."
"What kind of jacket?" Bakugou asked and used the towel to dab at his forehead.
"Umm...the pink one?"
"The fuck am I supposed to do with that answer?! At least half your jackets is pink!" He said.
"It's a sweatshirt type jacket. I really like it." Mina tried to explain better.
"The one with the white cords through the hood and holes for your horns in the hood?"
"Yeah! How did you know? Did you see it?!" Mina's eyes sparkled with hope.
"No. But I also don't know why it would be here. Did you come here with it?"
"No." Mina admitted. "At least I don't think. But I looked everywhere else!"
"Have you looked in your closet?" The blonde suggested.
"Of course!"
"Just making sure." Bakugou shrugged. "I'll take a shower, but I can help you look after." He offered reluctantly.
"Really? I'll wait for you!" She promised him. Wow. Bakugou offering to help her look for something she lost...who would have thought the day would come? Even if he only did it to get more goodie points, she would not complain. It was definitely better than him exploding in her face and telling her how stupid he was. If he had reacted like that she wouldn't have been surprised. Normally only Kirishima could get Bakugou to join activities, let alone help with something.
"Alright, let's go." Bakugou said when he got out of the boy's locker room, his hair still wet. "Where did you look already?" He asked.
"Umm...My room, common room, the courtyard...I looked in the classroom and cafeteria. I even asked lunch rush if he noticed it lying around."
"You usually don't wear it to school. Did you ask anyone else if they saw it?"
"Yeah, I asked Sero, Kiri and Kami, but they didn't see it."
They walked back to the dorms and asked everyone who was in the common room at the time if they saw it and if they could check their rooms. Bakugou went to his own room to put his bag down when an idea struck him. He took his training clothes and towel out of the bag and grabbed some other clothes before heading down to the laundry room. Just as he expected, some of the washing machines were loaded already. Two machines were done and Bakugou got closer to look through the glass.
The first one had what looked like a large white sheet in it- probably some bed sheets. The second finished machine had a noticeable amount of pink and purple clothing in it. He considered opening it himself, but decided against it. He did not want to sort through Mina's underwear. Instead he called her on the phone.
"You should check the laundry room." The blonde said drily.
"The laundry- oh shit! My laundry!" Mina yelled and didn't even end the call when she started running off to meet Bakugou. By the time she arrived, he already threw his own clothes into a laundry machine and turned it on.
Mina tore the door to the washing machine open and immediately started rummaging around in it. She pulled he favorite sweat-shirt out, not paying attention to the other clothes that dropped on the ground in the process.
"Thank you Bakugou! You are the best!" She said, but the blonde was already out of the door. Although Mina forgot about her laundry, she did not forget to give Bakugou his sticker as a reward. She caught him checking his poster after dinner though and sneakily took a picture of his satisfied smirk.
-----.....-----.....-----
Loud music came from the common room. Bakugou wanted to go to the kitchen to grab a snack before heading out for some extra training, but he was stopped when his eyes landed on a group of his classmates...dancing? It seemed like half the class was present and Bakugou tried to sneak away, but of course he was noticed and stopped before he could escape.
"Bakugou!" Mina called the blonde over. "Will you join us?" She asked hopefully.
"No thanks." He shot her down with a gruff sneer.
"Oh come on! What else do you have to do? Play big strong hero alone in the gym?" Mina whined.
"What did you say?!" Bakugou yelled and Kirishima was quickly at his side.
"Come on, Bakugou! We're missing one more person and it is quite fun." The red head tried to calm the blonde down.
"The fuck are you asking me for? Ask someone else!" Bakugou tried to shrug himself free. He did it a lot gentler than he would have with any other person though.
"Come on, don't be like that." Kirishima tried again.
"Maybe he's just embarrassed because he can't dance!" Kaminari's teased.
"What?!" Bakugou fumed. Oh like hell he was going to let that comment slide. He knew he fell right into Kaminari's trap, but showing them he could dance wasn't that bad. "What the hell are you trying to teach them?" Bakugou turned to Mina.
"Standard dancing!- Or Ballroom. Whatever you want to call it." Mina said and pulled Bakugou closer, before he had a chance to run away.
"As students of UA, we should know how to dance. It could be very useful when we have to attend formal events in the future." Ida spoke up.
Bakugou looked their class president up and down with a raised eyebrow. "You're stiff as a board. How do you ever plan on dancing like that?" He shook his head.
Some of his classmates he could see potential in...others? Not so much. He knew how much work Mina put in to teach these humpty dumpties’ the easy dance for their school festival. What made her think teaching them standard dancing was a good idea?
"Midoriya mentioned you could dance. I was just about to text you." Mina said. "We were an even number, but that means someone always has to sit out because I can't practice and watch people at the same time." The pink haired girl said.
Bakugou glared a death glare in Midoriya's direction. "What the hell did you say?" He asked in a low growl.
"N-nothing! I just mentioned that I thought you could dance!" Midoriya immediately defended himself.
"Oh, really? And why would you think that?" Bakugou was practically in his face now, Kirishimas arms pulling him away as best as he could.
"Aunty Mitsuki mentioned it once when she visited. She said she taught you." Midoriya said quietly, but in a rather high voice.
"Whatever." Bakugou let off of him. He'd definitely call his mother later and ask why she blabbered about that stuff to Aunty Inko. Or maybe he wouldn't. His mom would definitely want to know how he found out about it and then she would tease him. No. It would be easier to just not deal with that.
"So...what exactly were you doing?" He finally asked, somewhat calmer.
"You know how the walz?" Mina asked and grabbed him to get into position so she could test how much he knew.
Suddenly Bakugou felt somewhat self-conscious with everyone staring at him. He wouldn't let nerves get the better of him though. He never danced with anyone but his parents so standing so close to Mina was a little awkward for him. He bushed all his insecurities aside and stood up straighter. "On the count of three." He ordered and promptly started counting down.
Mina, as he expected knew what she was doing. He was relatively happy with his performance. It could have gone worse. Mina was over the moon. She was so happy to finally have someone who didn't step on her feet or trip over their own. She did notice Bakugou could improve in some instances, but she wasn't about to point it out. Especially when no one else noticed.
"That was amazing!" Ochako said and received agreeing nods.
"Yeah! That was great!" Mina nodded enthusiastically. "Now you can take turns with everyone and help me!"
"Eh. Fine. You lot better not fool around." Bakugou warned.
"You can go with Kiri first." Mina suggested and promptly pushed them together. A blush spread on both their faces and no one dared to comment on it.
Mina turned the music back up and everyone else got into position. Out of the corner of his eye Bakugou saw both Todoroki and Ida stiff as boards, while Kaminari almost tripped over his own feet as he tried to walk up to Jirou. Bakugou directed his attention back to Kirishima who looked at him with apologetic eyes and a sheepish grin. Bakugou immediately laid his harm under Kirishimas, then reconsidered.
"Which position did you practice so far?" He asked and felt his face heat up again.
Kirishima stared at him with his wide, red eyes. "O-oh...um...I tried to practice a little with Mina...actually that's how all this started so sorry..." Kirishima stuttered.
"Hey, guys! Less chit-chat, more practice! Just start with the simple box step for now and leave the twirling for later." Mina suddenly appeared next to them.
Bakugou gave an annoyed huff, but adjusted his arm, so he took the position a woman usually would. He held Kirishima's palm with his right and rested his left hand on the red head's shoulder. His mother would have the time of her life if she saw this, that was for sure.
The blonde was glad he also practiced a little with his dad before, although he was still less familiar with this position.
"Come on guys! One, two three! One two three!" Mina reminded them and Kirishima and Bakugou took the first hesitant step. Kirishima immediately tried to match Minas pace but it was too fast for him.
"Okay, sorry. Maybe try again slower." Mina suggested and moved on to the next pair. She was sure the two would figure it out on their own and they would probably progress faster if she wasn't there to annoy them.
Starting off with a slow pace and after some encouragement, Kirishima soon got the hang of the basic steps.
"Look up. Not down at your feet." Bakugou reminded him and Kirishima forced himself to look into the blonde's eyes. Bakugou had to give him some credit. He only stumbled a little. They moved around with the others, who were also doing progressively better.
"Let's switch." Kirishima offered after they circled around the room.
"You don't want to practice the twirl?" Bakugou smirked, looking deep into the other's eyes.
"O-oh. Well...if you want?" Kirishima stuttered surprised.
Bakugou twirled himself around, forcing Kirishima to raise his arm a little so he could step under it. "Don't stop now. Keep moving." Bakugou instructed, but Kirishima fell out of rhythm already and had no idea how to get back into the flow again.
"Here, let's try again." Bakugou said, getting Kirishima to do the basic box steps again. "Don't look down." Bakugou reminded. Wow. He was really glad to be somewhat capable of doing this now. He had hated it when he had to learn it for some fancy parents and kids event for his parent's work, but it was nice to be ahead of his peers and it was even nicer to dance with Kirishima who was getting better and better.
"Okay. Let's try again. No- don't stop now. Continue and let me finish explaining." Bakugou said. "Okay. You'll let go of my back, hold your other arm a little higher and let me step through and then you continue with the box step again right away, okay?"
"Can we maybe try it a little slower first?" Kirishima asked. "Or can you count again? When will you step forward?"
"Yeah, fine. Okay, so it's...one step forward...two, three, one...to the side...and now we finish the box by going forward and closing." Bakugou pulled at Kirishima while he simply stood there and let Bakugou maneuver him the way he needed.
"Okay. Again." Kirishima demanded.
"Just the twirl?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. It's One...two three." Bakugou said slowly, passing under Kirishima's arm. "One, side, close, one, close."
"I think I got it now. Let's do it again!" Kirishima said more confidently.
"Slowly or faster?"
"Slower!" Kirishima said immediately.
"Alright." Bakugou easily agreed. He counted out the steps again and again until they got more fluent in their movements. "A little faster now." Bakugou warned and started counting again."
They managed to pick up in speed and match their steps to the rhythm of the song. Red eyes met red and they danced in perfect synch until the song ended and they suddenly realized they weren't alone and everyone was staring at them. Fuck. They quickely stepped away from one another and seperated as if they got burnt.
"Aww! That was so cute!" Mina gushed, they could see Kaminari and Sero grinning from ear and was that a phone in their hands?!
"What are you doing with that phone?!" Bakugou stalked towards Sero who hid behind Oachako.
"N-nothing!" Sero said and when he realized hiding wasn't as safe an option as he had hoped he ran away, Bakugou hot on his heels. They raced all around the common room until they got back to the others. The rest of their dance practice group looked a mixture between amused an concerned while Ida yelled at them to quit running and behave. He made his signature, choppy motions with his hands and eventually Sero hid behind the class president.
Bakugou came to a halt huffing like a stubborn horse, who successfully managed to buck their rider off.
"Okaaaaay..." Mina approached with caution. "Let's do one more song before we stop." She suggested, unwilling to let practice end on a negative note. She gently pushed Bakugou back towards Kirishima who was still bright red in the face.
"Sorry." Kirishima muttered. When Bakugou stepped up next to him. "Want to switch now?" He asked again.
"Sure." Bakugou agreed, not really caring either way. He had honestly enjoyed Kirishima leading him around once he got the hang of things. Kirishima did well with the steps while Bakugou led, but now he had to learn how to twirl under Bakugou's arm. Towards the end of the song they both managed to do a fairly fluid round. Bakugou had to admit sacrificing training for dance practice with Kirishima was worth it.
That evening Mina stood in front of her own poster and happily saw a bunch of new stickers from near everyone who had attended her little dance lesson. The only one who hadn't given her a sticker was Bakugou, but she could live with that. Bakugou was in the kitchen, washing out one of his drinking bottles, when she stuck one of her own stickers onto his poster.
"Thank's for joining today." She told him.
Bakugou just gave a hum that could be agreeing as much as it could be disagreeing.
"You and Kirishima looked really did look nice together." She offered carefully.
He looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but his mouth remained shut.
"You like him, right?" She asked and knew she was on thin ice with this.
The question earned her a deepening of Bakugou's frown until his expression turned a little lost and he looked away.
"You know... I wasn't gonna say anything. But I feel like if I don't you two idiots will take forever, so, I'm giving you this tip, okay? Just ask him out."
Bakugou hesitated before speaking up. "You really think?" His voice was so unusually quiet and soft. Mina would have cooed, but she knew it would have ruined the moment.
"You haven't seen the video yet, have you?" She settled on asking instead. "Yes. I really think you should ask him. Look, we both know Kirishima has gotten a lot better, but he's still pretty insecure sometimes. Plus,..." She said with a glint in her eye, "It's the modern times. We can ask our men out! You don't have to wait for him to make the first move!" She winked at him and ducked out of the way, just when it clicked what she implied.
"Oh fuck you!" He growled.
"Really? I would have thought red hair was more your type..." She grinned and ran away, laughing like a maniac.
Bakugou didn't bother running after her. Instead he begrudgingly pulled an explosion sticker from his pocket and stuck it on Mina's poster. The dance lesson had been kind of fun after all. At least he was sure that Kirishima had enjoyed it and that was definitely worth a sticker.