Shoot Your Shot - MHA College AU

Scene 4: Arm in Arm, Hand in Hand

 { Scene 4: Arm in Arm, Hand in Hand } 

It was hard to avoid the pink-haired devil across the room, bobbing up and down, throwing cheeky looks your way.  There was something sweet about her excitement and her attention for you and your...predicament, with the boy you liked.  But at the same time, she wasn't really being that subtle, especially as the center of attention for the night.

You gave her yet another mortified glance, hoping she'd get the memo to quit making such a ruckus.

"Man, this is great! We're gonna ace this tournament, I've got a good feeling," Kirishima said, a pep in his shoulders. 

It startled you out of your secret-girl-body-language conversation across the room, and you turned to him sheepishly and unprepared.

"Y-yeah! Totally, gonna – um, rock it!"

God. It was so corny, but the phrase escaped your lips before you could really process it.

Good thing Kirishima was a bit of a corn-ball himself, a wide smile spreading across his face.

It was Bakugo that interrupted your attention, coming up by your side with Kaminari in his wake. 

"You ready to get your asses kicked?" he said, huddling into your space.

"Ah, I don't know about that," the redhead replied with a shark-toothed grin. "It's a shame we're going up against you, but no hard feelings when you lose to us, 'kay?"

The blonde's eyes narrowed but his smirk escaped him. Besides yourself, Kirishima might be the only other person who could square up to Bakugo without their life eventually being threatened or physically blown to bits.

"Why'you gotta pick fights man?" Kaminari whined, his arm dragged by the will of the explosive boy. "Ugh, I can't believe I got stuck with Blasty..." You gave him a look of sympathy, and secretly hoped he wouldn't lose an appendage in the battle.

Your eyes wandered around the room of partners, their wrists each taped with Sero's cellophane. You were captured by the colourful board, decorated in scribbles and cartoony fonts.  It read the brackets for the tournament.

"You and Sero said something about prizes and, consequences? Can you elaborate on that?" you asked the pitiful blonde.

"Uh, sure..." he started. "Basically, if you win your bracket, you choose a bottle from the table to take home, or drink, your choice," he said, motioning to the foldout table filled with various alcohols. "And if you win the whole thing, Momo donated some "extra cash" but everyone wrote down prizes and threw them in a hat.  Winners get the cash and choose from the hat."

That seemed worth it honestly.  You weren't dreadfully broke but that extra cash would be great to spruce up your girl's day with Mina, or to save for the summer, for the move away from home.

But the hat prizes? They sort of seemed like just an add on, what good could those prizes be?

"But if you lose," he continued. "There's a punishment for each bracket. First bracket is tame, you finish your drink."

"Second bracket was my idea," Kirishima added proudly. "You lose and you get sharpie tattoos from the winning team. To be honest, I just wanted an excuse to draw something cute on our Bakugo here."

"Only if I lose! Which isn't gonna happen shitty hair!"

"Hm, how does a tiny dinosaur sound?"

The two continued to bicker as Kirishima proposed a tiny kitten instead.