Chapter Text
Katsuki would never admit this to anyone, but he was starting to miss Aizawa.
Katsuki isn’t one to miss people often, or ever, but Aizawa, who was out under “extenuating circumstances” (he was on a confidential mission, and he wasn’t allowed to tell the students where he was explicitly), had been temporarily replaced by some mid-class pro hero. Katsuki hadn’t bothered to learn his name.
Aizawa’s teaching method was…Unique, some might say neglectful, but Katsuki respected the guy.
The sub, on the other hand, had been getting on his nerves since day one. It had only been 2 weeks, and Katsuki had almost blasted the bastard's face in on more than one occasion.
And, for once, he was not the only one. Maybe he didn’t care to mask his annoyance, but he could tell even Ochako was starting to get fed up with the guy.
He knew this because when the teacher's back is turned during class, you can see she’s glaring daggers into the back of his head when teaching, her pencil’s tip directed straight towards the teacher when his back is turned.
Katsuki didn’t think Ochako even knew what her face looked like. And he had to admit that if he wasn’t THE Bakugou Katsuki, he might’ve been a bit afraid of her.
In times like these, Katsuki can slightly understand why the nerd likes her.
Why she likes him? He’ll never know.
Katsuki, as studious as he was, had been spacing during class. The hero rambled on and on, and half of what he said sounded like he was gloating about being a hero, not sounded, totally was gloating.
Katsuki had decided he was not worth listening to; if it came down to it, he could read about it in his free time.
After class, the class got set up on one of those hero/villain simulations, the best part of the school day.
But even this had been ruined by the sub; it had been the same teams over and over. Everybody had the same roles; it was getting repetitive, and when one of the students complained, all they would get back was,
“These are the roles you all will have as heroes; there is no need for you to train in other areas.”
Honest to god Bakugou almost blew his face off right there and then.
________________
Ochako prided herself on being understanding and respectful, especially to teachers; however, she was starting to wonder if being kind to a substitute was really worth the hassle.
Ochako isn’t saying being kind is inherently a hassle, but when the one you are supposed to be respectful toward is, now excuse her language, a total self-absorbed asshole that rivaled the likes of Bakugou.
No, Bakugou was better because at least he had something to be proud of.
The guy in front of her looks like he was raised in a greenhouse (a saying in Japan to imply someone was raised in a bubble or is delicate), someone who belonged in a summer home in Karuizawa (The equivalent of having a house on the cape, etc.), not teaching a class at UA, much less working as a Pro Hero.
But what really pissed her off wasn’t his attitude, the way he taught, or even the way he let Mineta do whatever the fuck he wanted without a single comment, though that did tick her off; it was how she was ALWAYS put in a support role when doing simulations in training.
Ever since he started teaching the class, she and the rest of the class had been put in the same position each time.
So Ochako tried to be understanding.
The hero wasn’t a teacher; he was a hero, and he was not trained in how to deal with kids.
But her pent-up anger, which would usually be let out when she sparred with some of her classmates, was being stunted by the object of her increasing frustration.
Ochako had been having a rough 2 weeks.
___________________
Katsuki had just finished his early-morning run, but it was still too early for anyone to be up. However, Katsuki was itching for a fight, which, one might argue, is his default state.
Though a batch of students might team up to do some early-morning hand-to-hand training with him and Todoroki, he wouldn’t wake up for another 2 hours.
So instead, Katsuki made his way to the gym. However, when Katsuki made it there, he was slightly surprised to see another water bottle near the entrance and to hear noise coming from inside.
Katsuki entered, putting his water bottle and towel down as he looked for whoever was up this early. Katsuki was surprised to see Ochako with her headphones on, aggressively punching the bag.
Katsuki moved past her to where the yoga mats were rolled up in the corner. He rolled one out and began stretching. Stretching is a vital part of working out and training in general, before and after one’s workout.
He began stretching his legs, putting his headphones on to play a heavy metal playlist Jirou had sent him. She historically had good music taste, and Katsuki was happy to know that she did not disappoint.
By the time Katsuki had moved on to weights, Ochako seemed to have noticed he was there. She waved to him, and he took one AirPod out.
“What pink cheeks?”
Katsuki did not want to have a conversation at 5 am in the morning.
“Wanna spar?”
Katsuki raised his eyebrow and smirked,
“Get prepared to get your ass beat.”
Ochako replied with a laugh, “In your dreams.”
The two made their way over to the mat, both getting into a fighting position, feet apart, knees bent, and hands protecting the face. A stance both heroes had become quite familiar with.
Katsuki had never been one to underestimate strength, but he did not often find himself sparing Ochako without quirks in the mix. Though she had a more petite figure, this allowed for more flexibility in dodging and quicker movements.
Katsuki throws the first punch.
“You would start on the offense,” Ochako said with a bit of sarcasm and snark in her tone.
Katsuki could count the times on his hand the times Ochako had been outwardly snarky/
Ochako quickly ducks, keeping her fists firmly in front of her face, and then aims to land an attack on his ribs.
“One of us has to, and someone's too cowardly to do it first.”
Katsuki sidestepped her attack, making sure that he continued to face her with his chest to avoid opening himself up to allow her to make another attack.
“Perhaps I would like to wait to read my opponent before attacking them.”
Ochako quickly met him, adding force to her next punch by using momentum from her movement.
“Sometimes you have to see how they react to an attack so you can find their weakness to land one later.”
Ochako glared, not a harsh or mean one, a playful glare, “or perhaps you just want to get to the part where you're beating up someone within an inch of their life.”
Katsuki put on a horrifying smirk. “Perhaps,”
Ochako rolled her eyes as she rolled across the mat to avoid getting put into a chokehold, “Sadistic asshole,”
That just made Katsuki’s grin widen.
They continued like that, both managing to land hits on the other until Bakugou had left himself open for Ochako to swipe her feet under him, knocking him off balance and giving her a chance to push him to the floor and put him into a strong headlock.
“Ha! You’re getting sloppy, Bakugou,” Ochako grinned,
“Don’t think I won’t still explode your face in,” Bakugou snarled,
Round one: Ochako