The stars were out by the time you finished training.

Much of that time you spent alone, running through the woods. The solitude was good for your head, especially after your argument with Aizawa. You weren't sorry about looking for answers, but you did feel guilty for challenging your teacher like that.

Thinking more clearly also brought a wave of embarrassment when you thought about Bakugo. Of course, you didn't regret it in the moment... the moment was hot.

But now?!

I never even got that far with Shinso... and I've been kissing him for a lot longer. AND we've been on one actual date!

When you stopped to think about it, you didn't know much about Bakugo, except that he was an excellent fighter and had a rage meter that went from zero to a hundred - no numbers in between.

He was also surprisingly good with physical affection, but it actually made perfect sense. It seemed to be his only way of communicating - either beating people up or kissing the crap out of them.

You also knew, now, he was developing feelings for you outside of wanted to fight you, which was romantic?

I guess?

Dinner preparations began back at camp, but this time you all had to cook for yourselves. Stations were set up for you to cook over fire and picnic benches for sitting. You showed up a little later than everyone else, tired and dirty, and Uraraka was kind enough to offer to save you a spot at the fire pits while you took a quick bath.

When you returned, everyone was still figuring out the knives and cutting boards. Except Shinso, who looked too comfortable with a knife. You watched carefully as his eyes gleamed when the blade sliced through various vegetables. You froze when his eyes looked right up at you.

"(Y/N)," your tall, icy hot hero approached you just in time, "How was your training?"

"Good! Lots of cardio... You? I couldn't help but notice you practicing more with your fire - I'm glad."

His eyebrows raised, "Oh. Yeah. I'm trying to take full advantage of my abilities. It was nice having a day to only focus on our quirks."

You had to agree. Besides Aizawa, you didn't have to worry about fighting against anyone all day. It was just you, the forest, your quirk, and meditation.

"I never thought I'd say a ten mile run was relaxing," you chuckled, "but compared to our usual lessons it was like a stroll on the beach."

Shoto smiled, "Need any help with that?"

He pointed to your cauldron of water sitting over an unlit pile of wood. You nodded, "That would be great, thanks."

He crouched down and stuck his hand into the pile. Warmth radiated from him and flames burned in his hand. After a moment, you had a healthy, glowing fire to start cooking with.

"I'm amazed that it doesn't burn your skin," you said.

"I still have to be careful," Shoto said, "Remember, it's only half of me."

"Will your other half burn?"

"I haven't tested it thoroughly, but I seem to be immune to my own fire."

"Your... uh, nevermind," you stopped yourself.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing."

"... Is it about my scar?"

You chewed on your bottom lip, "Yes, but it's not my business. I'm sorry."

Shoto chuckled under his breath, "I don't mind sharing with you. Ask your question."

"It just seems strange that your fire side has a burn. How did that happen?"

Shoto's tone was still warm, so you knew you hadn't crossed a line yet, but his eyes couldn't hide the dread in this story, "It might surprise you to know that my mother was the one who did this."

That did surprise you.

"No..."

"I won't get too into it. But she was suffering mentally, thanks to my father. She used boiling water to cover this half of my face - my father's half."

"That's terrible."

"She's not a bad person. Just a delicate spirit pushed too far. Even after what she did, she tried to fix things, but in the end, made the scar even worse," he said.

You couldn't help yourself. Once his hand was no longer on fire, you took it in yours and squeezed, as if you could pressure his sadness away. He looked down at your conjoined hands with a satisfied expression.

"You didn't have to share that with me," you said, "But thank you. I'm honored you trust me."

"I do trust you. You have a kind spirit too..." Shoto slid his hand back, but now used it to run his fingers through your hair instead.

You didn't bother with drying it after your bath, so the strands were cool and damp to the touch. Then, you felt heat as he used his quirk to dry and straighten your hair. Shockingly, (and thankfully) he didn't set you ablaze, instead it felt like steam coming from his palm.

"Is that more comfortable?" He asked.

After a minute you had soft, toasty locks. You hadn't noticed how close he'd gotten while you were getting the best head massage of your life, "Huh?"

"I can dry your clothes too, looks like your hair made a bit of a mess," he casually slid his warm hand down the side of your neck and towards your baggy t-shirt.

Oh no... too hot. Too hot! Evacuate!

"O-oh, it's okay! You don't have to!" You took a step back, but felt your other foot get stuck on something.

When you peered down you expected to see a tree root or one of Mineta's balls, but they were tiny ice crystals trapping your foot in place.

"You're always running from me - why is that?" Shoto asked.

You looked around you to see if anyone noticed. Someone had to have seen you using Todoroki as a human hair dryer, but for the moment, everyone seemed distracted with the powerful urge to eat.

"Running? I'm not running..." you laughed awkwardly.

"Did I do something?"

"No, that's not it."

"Have I been too bold with my intentions?"

You swallowed, "Intentions?"

Shoto's multi-colored eyes were confident and unblinking, "Or have I not been bold enough?"

"You're fine - perfect even - in every way - I mean," you shook your head, "I've just been nervous to..."

"I make you nervous?" He asked.

Shoto... you're a near-flawless human, but how can you be so unaware?!

"I guess that's good," he said, "Right? If you're nervous. Unless, it's because I repulse you."

"You're not repulsive at all!" You waved your hands defensively, "You're probably the most beautiful guy here!"

He tilted his head like a confused puppy, "If you say so. Then, why do you keep dodging me when I want to get close to you?"

This was an odd place to have this chat. Todoroki didn't seem the least bit concerned being public with you. No one seemed to notice he was using his quirk on you, though. Sly bastard.

His eyes narrowed, but he sported a tiny grin, "Are you worried that you'll actually like me more than Shinso?"

"Todoroki!!"

You let out a breath of relief. Uraraka was waving him down, "Could you help us light a couple more fires, pretty please?!"

Shoto sighed, "Sure. Enjoy your meal, (Y/N)."

The ice around your foot melted instantly, allowing you to walk freely again. This quirk of yours was getting out of hand. You learned to control the pheromones, or so you thought. It seemed like the longer you refused to make decisions the more intense these guys got...

You had been a bit of a pansy around Shoto, but how could you not be? He was powerful and super attractive - like stupidly so.

He could be right, though, you thought. The reason you avoided him could be because, if you let yourself, you could fall hard for him.

"Why are you just standing around - get over here, Princess."

You turned around to see Bakugo setting up at a cutting board station. He was freakishly fast and efficient at chopping the carrots and onions.

"Holy crap - are you a professional chef too?" You asked.

"No - everyone else is just terrible at everything!" He scoffed, "Here, I'll show you how to not suck."

"Okay!" You grinned, actually intrigued.

You approached the table and grabbed a knife of your own. Expecting Bakugo to give you a visual demonstration you looked up, but he was gone.

"Wha- ah?!" You felt his familiar muscle structure grabbing you from behind. Your face burned in embarrassment. Everyone could see him pressing himself against you, holding both of your hands.

"You can't be a pussy about it - show the onion who's boss!" He growled.

He moved your hand so quickly that you were worried about losing a finger or two. You held your breath until it was over. Once the entire onion had been obliterated into perfect cubes by the explosion king, your heart was pounding through your rib cage.

"Warn me next time!" You pleaded.

"Tch. Are you crying?"

"Well, it is an onion!"

"Ugh! You're too damn soft," he said. His tone wasn't nearly as harsh as it had been a second ago. "And why do you smell good?"

"I bathe, Katsuki."

It might've been childish, but you wanted to spark his memory a bit from last night. It seemed to work, because he got deathly quiet.

"Not with Todoroki, I hope," he grumbled.

Oh, great...

"No," you rolled your eyes.

"What was he touching you for."

"He was drying my hair," you said - not a lie, "Are you stalking me now?"

"No! I just think he's an idiot! And I want to crush him!"

"Oh, is that all?" you laughed.

"Don't laugh I'm serious!"

He breathed heavily into the back of your neck causing you to shiver. He snickered triumphantly, "If you liked it that much, all you have to do is say the word."

"I'm not doing that," you said, not wanting anyone to overhear this conversation. However, you'd be lying if you said you didn't enjoy playing hard to get with Bakugo. He was the only one who could make light of everything.

If you gave in to him or not, he'd still make it fun somehow.

"Well that doesn't do either of us any favors," he took his time retracting his hands, torturing you some more with the feeling of his callused fingers dragging against your skin.

You bit down on your bottom lip, hoping to not show any kind of reaction, but your body rewarded him with some goosebumps.

"I'll be waiting," he purred into your ear.

Your shoulders relaxed once Bakugo backed off. You'd been lucky so far that no one really noticed your encounters all evening, except for...

A pair of giant, dark eyeballs gazed at you longingly. Her pink complexion flushed until she looked like a raspberry.

"Can I hate you, just a little?" Mina moaned, "Or let me be you! You're so luckyyyy..."

You blushed as well and tried to laugh it off, "What... that? If you want to get harassed by Bakugo, that's pretty easy."

Mina sighed, "I'm sticking with you the rest of the night, girlfriend. I don't want to miss any of the boy drama. ANY of it!"

More drama? We haven't even had dinner yet...

"The food is pretty mediocre, but I'm so hungry, I don't even care!" Kirishima said between mouthfuls of stew.

"It tastes like fine dining to me," Denki chimes in.

While Mina kept true to her word and sat next to you at dinner, it didn't help that Bakugo had done the same. She grinned devilishly at you while you pretended not to notice her.

Wait. Did I just infiltrate the Bakusquad?

"He so likes you it's insane," Mina whispered.

"Mina..." you groaned.

"I knew it all along," she continued, "But I thought if anyone was going to steal you from Shinso it was going to be Todoroki. Maybe I'm biased... but I'm team Bakugo."

You perked up a bit, "Really, why?"

She shrugged, "No real reason. I'm just a sucker for the bad boy falling for the nice girl. It's like the plot of all my favorite romantic dramas! Although, if I were a good friend I'd say go with the safe choice and that'd be Midoriya..."

"The hell is she talking about?" Bakugo asked.

"Nothing!" You and Mina squeaked in unison.

You turned your whole profile away from Bakugo and whispered to Mina, "Why Midoriya?"

"One, 'cause he loves you, and two he's the cute, nerdy one. You know, the guy the girl ends up with in ten years after she realizes the bad boys weren't good for her."

"Deku doesn't love me," you scoffed.

"That's not what it looks like to me," Mina bounced her shoulders up and down, "I wish I had your quirk! I wasn't lying when I said I was jealous! Just pick someone already and give me the leftovers."

You giggled together, causing Bakugo to grow suspicious, so you joined in the rest of the conversations with the whole table.

Once the others noticed you acting like yourself again, the tension from yesterday finally seemed to melt away. The problems weren't gone, but this was summer camp! You didn't want to ruin the trip for anyone else by making them worry about your issues.

Speaking of...

Hiding out in the darkness, leaning against a tree like some sexy, brooding vampire, Shinso was watching you carefully. His eyes flickered an amber color from the dying, cooking fires. Just days ago his presence would've steadied you, excited you, or made you feel protected.

Now?

His presence scared you. You never wanted to feel this way around him. You...

Love him?

... Loved him?

Shinso smirked, and tilted his head playfully for you to follow him. This was your chance. Dread filled your heart, and your body went cold in anticipation.

Can we fix this? Can it ever go back to what it was?

"Hey everyone!" You heard Pixie-Bob, one of the Pussy Cats running the show, calling to all the students finishing dinner, "We're going to end the night with a little fun activity - a test of courage!!!"

"Test of courage?" Mina beamed, "That sounds fun!"

Pixie-Bob twirled astound, tossing her long blonde hair, "You'll split off into pairs! One team will hide in the forest and use their quirks to spook the other team as they make their way through!"

"This sounds like normal summer camp fun!" Kirishima said.

"Yeah, kind of like a haunted house," Mina said.

How very suiting. You cringed. Test of courage indeed.

While Mina coerced Sero into being her partner, you gave yourself a mental pep-talk before your confrontation with Shinso. You were just about motivated enough to get up from the picnic bench when you felt a giant hand crush yours against the table.

"Don't go."

You looked into Bakugo's furious, crimson eyes. He wasn't explosive or even shouting. His rough voice sounded serious.

"Don't go to him," he repeated.

"Katsuki," you flinched when his fingers tightened around your hand. It didn't feel threatening, but desperate.

"I'm serious. I don't have a good feeling about it."

"I can't hide from him for forever," you explained, "Besides, I can handle Shinso."

"All he has to do is get you to talk," Bakugo seethed.

"Trust me! This needs to be done. I want to get this over with and then I'll be back. Okay?"

He didn't look convinced. His eyes shifted to the spot Shinso had been in the trees, "Fine. If you're not back in fifteen minutes I'm coming after you."

"To rescue me?" You teased.

"No, so I can murder his ass!"

"Sounds like a plan," you smiled, "See you."

Bakugo reluctantly let you go. You could feel his eyes burning into the back of your skull as you walked into the woods. The comforting light from the camp disappeared behind you as you become enveloped in cold moonlight and the thick night.

"I thought you'd never show," the familiar voice of your sleepy friend greeted you in the darkness.

Shinso stood perfectly still with a permanent smirk on his face. He extended a pale hand towards you, "Come on. Let's see how brave you are."