Tsuki's heart began to pound; sweat spilling from her hairline, "God, that's hot," she thought.
The explosion proceeded to engulf her; the force of the impact sent a sharp jolt through her spine, her back protesting the hit as it cracked through 8 feet of the concrete. She coughed hard, fighting to regain her breathing. Her knees cracked when her body peeled off the wall and onto the floor. Her vision was blurry; her ears were ringing. She looked up to see that Bakugo had landed a few feet away. He scrambled to his feet, running at her.
"YOU IDIOT!" His voice was muffled by the ringing.
She coughed out blood and smacked his hand away; she looked at him angrily, "Attack me—" she wanted to speak, to explain—but her throat felt too tight, her mind too clouded by the chaos around them to make sense of his rage. She grabbed at her throat; her heartbeat was so loud she could hardly hear herself think. He said words that she couldn't understand. She wobbly got on her feet; barely managing to stand up as her kneecaps cracked. He took a deep breath and stared at her.
They looked at each other for a long moment, both breathing heavily, his expression hardened as he looked at her, "You think this is so funny, huh?"
Tsuki's face softened, "He is mad at me," there was a tugging on her heart.
Bakugo's words started to turn cold, each sentence dripping with frustration.
"Bet you and that damn nerd were laughing behind my back, huh?" he spits, his eyes wild. "Underestimating me this whole time." His chest heaved, fists clenched tight, a vein bulging in his neck.
Tsuki's body trembles, her heart hammering against her ribs as if to echo the rage in his voice. "Midoriya? What does he have to do with this?" Her thoughts are barely a whisper, barely audible over the sound of their heavy breathing. Bakugo stares at her, eyes full of accusation, but in that split second, Tsuki sees something else—pain, deep pain—hidden under all that anger. Her pulse skips, "Did he misunderstand me? " She feels a knot twist in her stomach.
His breathing got more gruff and harsh; his heartbeat was matching hers, "YOU WERE BETTING ON THE FACT THAT I WAS SO FAR BEHIND YOU!" He hunched over, grabbing his shirt, "WHY DO YOU EVEN TRAIN WITH ME ANYWAY, HUH? DOES IT EVEN HURT?" He impulsively stepped towards her and grabbed at her forearm, "You—"
His eyes scanned her face; her pupils were shaking. He froze, watching her face, beaten, bloodied, and she could barely stand on her feet. Bakugo let go of her hand and her body collapsed in front of him. His hands grabbed at his hair, "I really am my worst enemy." Bakugo's hands shook. His chest heaved with each breath, his heart still racing in a furious rhythm. His fists clenched, but not to strike her—this time, they trembled with the force of his frustration, "Did I go too far ... ? "
Her knees buckled, the sharp pain of her fractured kneecaps sending hot spikes of agony through her legs. The ground felt like a foreign surface beneath her, too far away to reach. Tsuki was on the ground again. Her body slumped as if she couldn't even keep herself upright. Blood stained her lips, smeared across her cheek. Every time she rose, every time she met his gaze, it was like she was daring him to break her, to break her down to the point of no return. And he was so close. He could feel it. His feet shuffled forward, but his head didn't register the movement, his body on autopilot as anger clouded his thoughts.
"Why do you always make me do this?! " His voice came out ragged, raw, and bitter. There was nothing left in him but a burning rage, a sense of utter betrayal that gnawed at him. "What the hell did you think would happen, huh? You wanna see if I'm still a failure? Well, look at me!"
His mind felt foggy, like every thought was drowning in his chest. Was he angry because he thought she was mocking him? Or because seeing her in pain was worse than any hit he could land? Tsuki's eyes flickered up to him, her pain-soaked expression making his stomach churn. She didn't say anything. Just that quiet, heavy silence that made his pulse thunder louder in his ears.
"Don't just look at me like that!" Bakugo shouted, the words stinging his throat, "Was she pitying me? Was that it? Was that what hurt most?" He knew she wasn't, but it felt like she was. Her quiet gaze, her constant restraint, like she was barely hanging on.
"YOU'RE ALWAYS IN MY HEAD!" He took another step toward her, only to freeze when he saw her hand raise weakly, reaching toward him— "Was she... trying to stop me? Or was she... just trying to get up again?"
Tsuki's chest tightened, but it wasn't just from the physical pain. The way he looked at her—like she was a ghost, like she had done something unforgivable—made her feel small. Was this her fault? Had she unknowingly broken something inside him?
But that small gesture of effort sent a different, sharper sting through him, and for a second, he couldn't breathe. He stumbled back; his finger clutching the collar of his costume. His heart felt like it was trying to explode out of his chest. He stared at her, "Why does it feel like I'm the one who's losing right now? " he frustratedly thought, throwing up his arms; he looked down at her. She was weakly holding up her head. He sucked air through his teeth and fell to his knees, to her eye level. He gently reached his hand out to touch her. His hands grabbed her wrist; his thumb could feel her quiet pulse.
"I'm going to get you to Recovery Girl," he said quietly; he lifted her off the ground bridal style.
His hands shook as he lifted her, unable to hide the guilt that burned through his chest like an open wound. He wanted to say something—anything—but his throat felt as if it were closing. He couldn't look at her anymore. He held her in his arms and fought the burning sensation in his tear ducts. Her head limply dangled. Bakugo adjusted his hold, desperately trying to keep her conscious. He tried to be as hasty as possible without dropping her body. He used his foot to knock on Recovery Girl's door. He heard her mumbling and she slid open the door. Her jaw dropped. Bakugo felt it—the guilt. He could see the horror in her eyes. Recovery Girl didn't say a word. She simply moved out of the way so Bakugo could rest her on one of the beds. Bakugo very gently placed Tsuki's body down. He moved her hair out of her face as it had stuck to the dried blood. His eyebrows curled together.
"Damn it," he thought, stepping back.
Recovery Girl looked at him and shook her head, "I don't know what happened between you two today," she began, "but for Tsuki's sake I would like for you to wait outside."
He hesitated; his heart skipped a beat. He swallowed hard and nodded his head, not saying a word.
...
Authors note: I loved writing this chapter so much.
