Chapter Text
The beach trip was supposed to be relaxing, class 1-A immediately ruined that.
The moment the bus left campus, chaos followed.
Kaminari lost his charger, Ashido stole control of the music, Kirishima organized a tournament nobody had agreed to participate in and Sero was somehow keeping score.
Nobody knew what they were scoring.
Not even Sero.
The important thing was that it was competitive.
By the time they arrived at the coast, Aizawa looked ready to retire, the students, unfortunately, were just getting started.
The weather was perfect. Not warm.
Hot.
The kind of bright summer heat that made jackets impossible and hoodies a terrible life decision.
The ocean stretched endlessly beneath a cloudless sky, sunlight scattering across the waves.
For a moment the entire class stood still.
Taking it in.
Then Ashido screamed, and everyone sprinted toward the water.
The beach became chaos almost immediately, volleyball games appeared out of nowhere, water fights broke out without warning, Kaminari was hit in the face by a volleyball. Twice.
Jirou claimed he deserved it. Nobody argued.
Momo somehow had enough sunscreen for an entire school.
Kirishima was teaching diving techniques to anyone who would listen.
Nobody was listening.
Normal.
Very normal.
Shouto watched it all with a small smile, the year had somehow been full of moments like this.
Small ones.
Ridiculous ones.
The kind people never appreciated while they were happening.
Only afterward.
She adjusted the strap of her bag and headed toward the group.
The first thing Bakugou noticed was the heat, the second thing he noticed was Shouto.
Which was unfortunate.
All year she had existed beneath layers, sweatshirts, Ferrari jackets, oversized hoodies, training gear.
Always winter clothes, rain jackets.
Now it was summer, real summer.
And suddenly there was nowhere to hide.
Not that she was trying to, she looked exactly like herself and somehow completely different.
Athletic.
Strong.
Built from years of racing, training, and competition.
The kind of strength people earned.
The realization lasted approximately two seconds, then Bakugou forcefully redirected his attention elsewhere.
A survival skill.
Unfortunately, Kirishima saw everything. The grin appeared instantly.
Terrifying.
Bakugou briefly considered homicide.
---
The afternoon disappeared.
Volleyball.
Swimming.
Food.
Photos.
Arguments.
Laughter.
The endless rhythm of summer.
At one point Kaminari got buried in sand. Nobody helped him.
At another point Ashido convinced half the class to race into the ocean. Recovery Girl would've been horrified.
The memories accumulated anyway.
One after another. Without anyone noticing.
As the sun began to sink, the energy shifted.
The games slowed.
The conversations softened.
The beach grew quieter.
Orange sunlight stretched across the water, the horizon glowed gold.
For the first time all day, the countdown returned.
Not literally.
Just the feeling of it.
The year was ending, summer was arriving.
First year was almost over.
Nobody quite knew how to feel about that.
----
A bonfire appeared after sunset, nobody was entirely sure who started it.
Possibly the academy, possibly Kirishima.
Possibly divine intervention.
At this point it didn't matter.
The class gathered around the flames. Music drifted softly through the night.
The ocean stretched endlessly beyond the shoreline, dark and beautiful beneath the stars.
For a while nobody talked about the future.
No internships. No placements.
No countdown.
Just the present.
Just this. And somehow that felt important.
At some point, Shouto slipped away from the group, not because she wanted to leave.
Because the beach felt different at night.
Quieter.
The sound of the waves seemed louder. The air cooler.
She followed the shoreline without thinking, the ocean rolled against the sand beside her.
The bonfire gradually became smaller behind her.
Only after several minutes did she notice another set of footsteps.
Bakugou.
Of course.
Neither commented on it. Neither needed to.
The silence settled naturally between them, comfortable.
Easy and familiar.
Months ago it would've felt strange. Now it didn't.
The shoreline curved gently ahead.
Moonlight reflected across the water.
The waves washed over their feet before retreating again.
Eventually Shouto glanced toward the ocean "Think they'll survive summer?"
Bakugou snorted "No."
She laughed "Kaminari definitely won't."
"Absolutely not."
"Fair."
The conversation drifted from there.
Classmates.
Summer.
The beach.
Nothing important.
Everything important.
Then it happened.
A patch of rock hidden beneath the water.
One careless step.
One moment of bad luck.
Her foot slipped, not enough to fall.
Just enough to stumble.
Before she could fully react, a hand caught hers.
Steady.
Immediate.
Instinctive.
Bakugou's grip tightened automatically.
Holding her upright. Keeping her balanced.
The movement happened so fast neither of them thought about it.
The realization arrived afterward.
Because neither let go.
The waves continued rolling around their ankles, the wind continued moving through the night air.
The ocean continued breathing beside them.
Yet somehow everything felt strangely still.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Long enough. Far too long.
Then they both realized it, at exactly the same time.
The contact broke immediately.
Like nothing had happened.
Like they hadn't spent several seconds staring at the same spot where their hands had met.
Like they were fooling anyone.
The walk continued.
Neither mentioned it, neither looked directly at the other.
The moon became fascinating. The ocean became fascinating.
The entire universe suddenly became fascinating.
Anything except the obvious.
Eventually the bonfire returned to view, the class still gathered around it.
Laughing.
Talking.
Living.
The moment slipped quietly back into the night.
Neither forgot it.
Later, just before everyone headed back to the hotel, somebody demanded one final photo.
Ashido was the leading suspect. The class assembled reluctantly.
People complained.
Argued.
Ignored directions.
Made everything more difficult.
The photographer suffered greatly.
"Closer!" Someone shouted.
Nobody moved.
"Closer!"
This time people obeyed.
Mostly because they wanted to leave.
Shouto found herself standing beside Bakugou shoulders brushing lightly.
Close enough to notice.
Not close enough to comment on.
Neither moved away.
The camera flashed, the photo was taken.
And without anyone realizing it, the final picture of their first year was captured forever.
The bonfire behind them, the ocean beyond it.
The future waiting ahead.
And two people standing just a little closer than they used to.