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Tsuyu was one of the first to return back to the dorms after spending a weekend at home. Thanks to the class chat she knew most of her friends wouldn't come until much later that day. She set her suitcase down to open the large entrance doors, only to almost get hit in the face by the door. She stumbled back, almost tripping over her suitcase if it weren't for a strong arm grabbing her.
Red eyes, blond hair. Bakugou held her forearm tightly and only let go once she regained her footing. He didn't bother apologizing, though Tsuyu figured he wasn't really at fault. He couldn't have known she was trying to open the door from the other side.
"Where are you going?" She asked instead, noting the backpack on his back.
"Hiking."
"Oh. Have fun." She said, standing to the side to let him pass.
Bakugou didn't move though. Instead he stared at Tsuyu thoughtfully. "You want to come?" He asked after the silence between dragged on a little too long to be comfortable.
Tsuyu tilted her head at the blonde. They never spent time together. Not alone at least. She felt pretty confident in being able to put up with Bakugou's attitude, but he made a very strange offer.
"Is someone else coming?" She asked. If that where the case it wouldn't be so weird.
"I have no idea where the others are." Bakugou said. "You can ask them if you want." He added as an afterthought.
"Where do you want to go hiking?" Tsuyu asked. Hiking wasn't really her thing, but the idea still sounded interesting and she didn't have anything better to do at the moment.
"I recently found a pond not too far from here. If you want to come you should get a swimming suit and towel."
Now that picked Tsuyu's interest. "Okay." She agreed. What did she have to loose?
She took her suitcase to her room and quickly sent a message to the girl's chat, letting them know about the surprising turn her day took.
"If I wasn't 100% sure Blasty's simping for Kiri I'd say he asked you out on a date!" Mina wrote.
"Are you going alone with him?!" Hagakure asked just to make sure.
"Yes. I don't want to let him wait too long, I'll text you again later." Tsuyu said, barely catching Jirou's message about taking a picture of wherever she would go.
Tsuyu changed into her swimsuit and put her normal clothes, suitable for the outdoors on underneath. She packed a backpack with a towel, some snacks and water, as well as a portable charger. Without Denki that was a must.
Tsuyu met Bakugou again in front of the dorm. He started walking as soon as she arrived and Tsuyu wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow quietly or if conversation was welcome. They left UA's premises, which wasn't a big problem considering she was excused the entire day and she was sure Bakugou got permission to leave as well. If something happened the others would at least know they were together.
They walked up a nearby mountain for about forty minutes, when Tsuyu wondered how much further they would go. "How far is it?" She asked. She wasn't sure if Bakugou walked slower for her, but even if he did his pace was fast.
"Twenty to thirty minutes maybe if we don't slow down."
"Okay." Tsuyu said, trying not to sound too out of breath. They continued onward in silence.
They took a turn down a narrow path, Tsuyu was sure she would have missed if she came up the mountain alone. The path wound itself through trees, over roots and rocks, until finally they reached a clearing.
"Wow." Tsuyu said, coming to a standstill. "This place is beautiful, ribbit." She said, taking in the scenery. When Bakugou had said 'pond', she expected a small source of water. Of course the swimsuit should have given her a hint, but this was much larger than expected. The water looked very clear, reflecting the sky and surrounding trees. Grass and a small rocky beach surrounded the lake. It was well hidden in between the forest, but enough sunlight reached the clearing. It felt incredibly peaceful. Birds chirped in the trees.
A rustling to her side made her look around to Bakugou, who dropped his backpack and pulled his shirt over his head. Tsuyu looked away with a blush. She had to admit that all of her classmates had well trained bodies. Bakugou was no exception.
"The water shouldn't be too cold." Bakugou said, now standing next to her in nothing but his swimming shorts.
Tsuyu looked at the blonde, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed about undressing in front of Bakugou, even if she wore her swimming suit underneath and she was pretty sure he didn't care much for her looks. Luckily Bakugou didn't continue staring at her and instead walked towards the water. As soon as he turned his back she took off her clothes and laid them in a neat pile in her backpack. She prepared her towel on top of it to have easy access to it once she excited the water.
The water was fresh, but not unbearably freezing. Bakugou was already neck deep in when Tsuyu started to wade in slowly. When she was about waist deep in the water she dove forward, catching up to Bakugou. A wide smile spread on her face. This was fantastic. She loved swimming and this lake was so beautiful. A burst of energy cursed through her body and she dove under. With strong strokes she dove forward, forgetting about the exhausting hike, forgetting about stressing about grades, forgetting about all worries. For a moment she simply existed in the cool, smooth water.
Bakugou had asked Tsuyu in the spur of the moment when he saw her. When he discovered the pond he immediately had to think of her- it wasn't a particularly unusual connection to make, considering she was basically a frog and frogs liked water. He hadn't planned on coming to the lake again so soon, but when he saw her he used the chance and invited her. The smile on her face was worth it. She had looked so happy before diving under.
Bakugou followed her silhouette until he lost sight of her. The lake lay peaceful in front of him. No sign of Tsuyu. How long could people hold their breath? COuld she hold her breath longer? Bakugou had no idea. Deku would know. Bakugou couldn't help but feel panicked.
"Frog face?" Nothing. "Tsuyu?" Still nothing. "Tsuyu?!" He called again, louder, swimming in the direction she had taken off. "Tsuyu?!" His heart started pounding in his chest and he scanned the pond with his eyes. He dove under but seeing under water wasn't easy.
Tsuyu resurfaced with a bright smile but all relaxation was lost, when she heard her name being called rather panicked. She turned herself around to see Bakugou swimming closer.
"The fuck is wrong with you?!" He yelled at her. "Don't just dive off like that!" It was then Tsuyu realized why the blonde yelled at her. It was not because he was angry.
"I am sorry, ribbit. I did not mean to worry you."
"Worry, my ass! How long can you stay underwater?!" He asked eyes looking intensely, trying to see if she was harmed in any way.
"I can hold my breath longer than most, ribbit. Sorry for diving off so suddenly." Tsuyu apologized.
"Whatever." Bakugou huffed, finally looking away. "Dive away all you want." He turned and splashed her at the same time. For a second Tsuyu wondered if he had just turned around sloppily, but then she caught the slight upward twitch of his mouth. She hoped her next move wouldn't ruin everything.
Tsuyu splashed water right back at Bakugou, just like she did so often with her younger siblings if they all went swimming together. It wasn't the wrong move.
With an "Oh, you're on!" Bakugou dove under and tugged at her leg to dunk her under water. No matter how much of an amazing fighter the blonde was though, in the water she clearly had an advantage.
Tsuyu was used to having to hold back when it came to her siblings, but that was not necessary when it came to Bakugou. They splashed, dunked, pulled, pushed each other until both where out of breath and opted to simply float on their backs.
"It's a lake." Tsuyu said.
"Hugh?"
"It's a small lake, but still a lake. It has an aphotic zone. The sunlight doesn't reach the ground in every spot."
"Ah." Bakugou commented. It didn't matter much if it was a pond or a lake. They could swim in it, that was all that mattered.
"Want to get out of the water?" Bakugou asked.
"Can we rest before going down?"
"Sure." Bakugou agreed and flipped back over so he could swim back to the shore.
They lay down on their towels, letting the sun shine down on them. Tsuyu had to fight not to fall asleep. "Do you mind if I come here again, maybe bring the others sometime?" Tsuyu asked.
"It's not my lake."
"No, but if you like coming here to be alone I don't want to disturb the peace."
"I know other places around here. You can come here whenever you want."
"Thank you for showing me." Tsuyu said and she really meant it. "It is so beautiful here."
"Mhmm."
"How did you find this place?"
"I usually continue the path further up. I only noticed the smaller trail a few days ago."
They fell into a comfortable silence again. Tsuyu was positively surprised how nice it was to hang out with Bakugou. He didn't make her feel awkward or uncomfortable at all. He also was very quiet she realized. She had heard that from others before, but experiencing it on her own felt special.
"I'll change out of these shorts." Bakugou sat up after a while, not looking at Tsuyu. "If you want to change too, I won't look." He got up and grabbed his clothes and walked off behind some trees. Although Tsuyu was incredibly comfortable, she got up herself. As much as Tsuyu loved this place, she was very aware they still had to go all the way back down.
The walk back down to UA went faster but also very exhausting. Even Bakugou felt more tired than usual after playing in the water for so long. By the time they arrived at the dorms more of their classmates were back.
"Tsu!" Mina called and ran towards them "How was it?" She asked, eyes sparkling, looking from Tsuyu to Bakugou and back at Tsuyu.
"What happened to your hair?" Kaminari asked, looking at Tsuyu's messy, dark hair.
"What did you do to her?!" Mineta asked in a scandalized tone.
Bakugou pushed passed everyone with a huff, leaving Tsuyu to talk to everyone so he could wash out his swimming shorts. He could hear everyone talking loudly while he snuck away.
Tsuyu gladly told everyone about her day, having to admit she completely forgot taking pictures, so that they'd just have to come with her next time.
"Awww. I'm sure Kiri would have loved to see pictures of Bakugou in nothing but swimming shorts." Mina grinned, winking at the red head.
"MINA!" He yelped embarrassed, face heating up.
"You're not denying it." Sero noted.
"He'd be lying if he would." Kaminari laughed, which earned him a shove from Kirishima.
The conversation derailed from there. This was a good day Tsuyu decided. She had started her day with her family, had an amazing time swimming in a clear mountain lake and ended her day surrounded by her friends. She felt happy and tired, but not tired enough to forget about adding one of her personal frog stickers to Bakugou's poster, to thank him for showing her such a wonderful place.
-----.....-----.....-----
The weather changed far too soon for Tsuyu's liking. She could deal with the cold as long as the temperature wasn't going towards zero degrees. Never the less she preferred warmer temperatures. The worst was always when seasons changed and she wasn't quite used yet to the colder weather. Being unable to turn the heating in the dorms on yet did not make the end of autumn any more enjoyable.
Tsuyu sat curled up on the couch in the living room, unable to concentrate on her school work. Her friends had given up on studying too though and opted to play a video game instead. Everyone's eyes were fixated on the television. Tsuyu grabbed one of the pillows and pulled it a little closer. She alternated between distracting herself with whatever was on the television and closing her eyes in hopes she could nap for a while.
Bakugou had opted to finish his homework in his room because he wanted to get it done without getting held up all the time by the Bakusquad. When he returned to the common room, everyone's schoolwork lay forgotten on the table or the floor. He could see Kaminari's notebook almost falling off the couch and he was sure it was Kirishima's folder peeking out from under the couch. Sero and Kirishima were currently holding the controllers, while the others watched and waited for their turn. Tokoyami was seated on one end of the couch, looking at his phone and Mineta sat on the ground. Bakugou noticed Tsuyu curled up on the edge of one of the couches, clinging to a pillow.
"Bakugou! Come join us!" Mina waved him over.
Bakugou gave an affirmative grunt, but walked away instead. He went to one of the shelves in the laundry room to check if any of the blankets that were recently washed were dry yet.
"Blasty! What are you doing?" He heard Sero call for him.
"I'm coming!" He yelled back.
Tsuyu's eyes were closed, when something fuzzy fell onto her. She opened her eyes and looked up at Bakugou questioningly. "Want a heating pad or hot water bottle?" He offered, gaining the attention of those who weren't actively playing the game themselves at the moment.
"Is your stomach hurting?" Mina asked quietly. She had enough tact not to cause too much of a commotion right now.
"No, no. I'm just cold." Tsuyu said, blushing a little once she realized what Mina implied. Based off Bakugou's frown, that wasn't the answer he expected either. "Thank you for the blanket." She said, to let him know she appreciated his gesture.
"I wanted to make tea in a moment." Yaoyorozu announced, as if she didn't make tea every day around this time of day. "Would you like a specific flavor?" She asked.
"Any is fine." Tsuyu said, pulling the blanket closer.
Bakugou walked to the kitchen before Yaoyorozu got up so he could heat up some extra water and fill a small water bottle. It would help Tsuyu warm up faster and it wasn't much of an inconvenience.
Tsuyu thankfully accepted the warm item and stuck it under her blanket.
It had been a small gesture, but Bakugou had learned by now, how grateful people were about little things. The new frog sticker to his poster came as no surprise, but he was still happy about it and had to fight from grinning like a mad man when he saw how many stickers he collected by now.
-----.....-----.....-----
It was a rather boring and lazy night at the dorms. The weather had been bad for several days and everyone was tired of the cold rain. Strewn about the common room most of class A had found a place somewhere to sit or lie.
"Wanna play Mario?" Kaminari asked into the round.
No one answered.
"Hey!" He poked Sero into the ribs.
"I'm reading." Sero said, not taking his eyes of the Manga he was currently reading.
"We could play some music." Jiro suggested. "Want to get the guitars?"
"Naaa..." Kaminari declined. He wasn't quite in the mood for that either.
"I've baked so much the past few days I don't even know what to make next..." Sato said with a sigh.
"It truly is a dark time." Tokoyami said, petting dark shadow.
"I hope it will raining soon." Ochako said.
"Yeah, we couldn't do anything outside for days!" Hagakure said.
"Except for training..." Ojiro said.
"Training outside sucks." Kirishima said.
"I wish we had an indoor pool." Tsuyu spoke up.
"That would be fun!" Ochako agreed.
"Do we really not have an indoor pool?" Sero asked. "Ida? Do you know?"
"I am not aware that UA has an indoor pool." Their class president admitted.
Bakugou sat on the couch next to Kirishima. They leaned against each other subtly, silently using the excuse of sitting next to other people with limited space on the couch. The blonde listened to his classmates conversation without adding to it. At least not yet. Instead, he got out his phone and first checked UA's website, then he looked through his chat's to contact Aizawa.
The others in the meantime continued their discussion about how a heated indoor pool could benefit their training until the discussion moved on to other training methods that might be fun. Mina and Ojiro could motivate a few to join them to their dance training. Bakugou put his phone away. No one questioned him. Checking one's phone wasn't unusual after all and most hadn't even noticed him texting.
It wasn't until the next day, when everyone realized what Bakugou had done while he was on his phone.
Aizawa dragged himself into the classroom, sleeping bag in tow and tiredly looked at the class. Everyone sat in their seats, looking at him attentively.
"Good morning." He said tiredly.
"Good morning Mister Aizawa!" The class chorused.
"What is this about you wanting an indoor pool?" Aizawa got straight to the point. Instead of Ida raising his hand to elaborate, as he expected, everyone looked around confused.
"Bakugou?" Aizawa looked at the blonde and immediately all eyes were on the explosion quirk user.
"It would provide a different way to train. We already have an outdoor pool. Cementos could easily build walls around it."
"Wait, did you ask Aizawa for an indoor pool?" Midoriya turned around to Bakugou.
"Can we get a pool?" Kaminari asked.
"That is so manly."
"Mister Aizawa, can we?" Tsuyu asked. When they talked about it yesterday it felt like they were just discussing for fun, but now that Aizawa had mentioned it she couldn't help but feel excited and get her hopes up.
"If you come up with a decent written request I will give it to Nedzu." Aizawa admitted. "Write it properly and express what exactly you want and why."
The class cheered, with Tsuyu smiling brightest of all. They all sat down together to write the request, everyone contributing a page of why they personally wanted the pool.
The next day Nedzu had a folder of papers on his desk, which he approved and Bakugou found himself one frog sticker richer.