Chapter Text
The storm arrives at 7:16 AM.
Nobody is happy about it.
Rain slams against dorm windows.
Wind rattles buildings.
Thunder rolls across the academy grounds.
The track closes before breakfast. The entire academy immediately enters mourning.
"This is the worst day of my life." Kaminari announces dramatically.
"You say that every week." Jirou replies.
"Because every week something terrible happens."
"It's rain."
"It's tragic."
The weather gets worse by noon, practice sessions are canceled. Simulator schedules are overloaded, engineering workshops close temporarily due to flooding concerns.
And suddenly-
for the first time in weeks-
Class 1-A has absolutely nothing to do. This is a disaster.
A complete disaster.
Because racers are not built for free time. By two o'clock the entire class has invaded the student lounge.
Nobody planned it.
It just happened.
People sit on couches.
The floor.
Tables.
Window sills.
Anywhere.
Rain continues hammering the glass.
"It's still raining." Kirishima says.
"We know."
"It's REALLY raining."
"We know."
"It's kind of impressive."
"We know."
Ashido eventually stands, a dangerous development "I have an idea." the room immediately groans.
Because nothing good ever follows that sentence.
"Embarrassing racing stories."
"No." Bakugou answers instantly.
"Yes." Ashido answers instantly.
"Absolutely not."
"Absolutely yes."
---
The game begins anyway.
Because nobody can stop her.
Kaminari goes first, he accidentally drove into a maintenance barrier at twelve years old.
The class laughs.
Then Jirou.
Then Kirishima.
Then Momo.
The stories become progressively worse.
Which is exactly what Ashido wants.
Eventually-
all eyes turn toward Shouto.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes." Ashido smiles.
"No."
"Your brother already gave us material."
The room erupts, Shouto immediately puts her face in her hands.
"Traitor."
Unfortunately-
Touya Todoroki remains one of the greatest sources of blackmail in human history.
"We know about the pink helmet."
Groans.
"We know about the alphabetized fan mail."
More groans.
"We know about the glitter stickers."
"I'm leaving."
"YOU CAN'T." Ashido screams.
"IT'S A STORM."
Hours pass, the stories continue.
The rain never stops.
The room grows quieter. More comfortable.
The energy changes.
At some point the conversation stops being funny stories.
And becomes something else.
Why people race. Nobody notices when it happens.
It just does.
"What got you started?" Momo asks.
The room settles.
For the first time all afternoon-
nobody jokes.
People answer. One by one.
Family.
Competition.
Dreams.
Memories.
The reasons are different.
The feeling isn't.
Eventually-
someone asks Shouto.
The room turns.
She thinks for a moment.
Honestly, "I don't remember."
Silence.
"What?"
"I don't remember starting."
The room goes quiet.
"I was always at tracks." A small shrug.
"My earliest memories are kart tracks."
Rain.
Engine noise.
Waiting for races to start.
"It was never really a choice."
The words aren't sad, just true.
Across the room-
Katsuki listens. Carefully.
Because he's never heard her talk like this before.
Not really.
---
Then someone asks him.
Predictably, "Bakugou?"
Groans.
"Do I have to."
"Yes."
"Annoying."
The class waits.
Then-
for once-
he answers.
Not aggressively, not defensively.
Honestly.
"I wanted to be the best."
Simple.
Expected.
Then:
"I still do."
The room nods.
Of course.
That's Bakugou.
Then he adds:
"But now I want to earn it."
Silence.
Unexpected silence.
Because that's different.
And for some reason-
Shouto remembers that answer.
---
The storm worsens.
By evening the power flickers.
Once.
Twice.
Then-
everything goes dark.
The lounge erupts.
Immediate chaos.
Kaminari screams, Ashido screams because Kaminari screamed.
Someone drops something, someone else trips.
Absolute disaster.
Then the emergency lights switch on.
Dim. Golden.
The room glows softly.
For a moment-
everybody starts laughing.
Real laughing.
The kind that happens when everything goes wrong.
And in the middle of it-
Shouto laughs too.
Not politely.
Not quietly.
Actually laughs, Head tilted back.
Completely unguarded, for maybe three seconds.
Then it's gone.
Like it never happened.
Except-
Katsuki saw it.
And for the first time all day-
he forgets what everyone else is saying.
Just for a second.
A very small second.
Because he realizes something.
He's seen her smile. A hundred times.
He's never seen that.
And somehow-
that thought follows him for the rest of the night.
Even after the storm ends, even after everyone leaves.
Even after the lights come back.
The sound of her laughing stays.
Long after everything else disappears.