KiriBaku book (pictures, oneshots, ext.)

82(oneshot)

Kirishima loved track. He couldn't understand why UA's track team didn't get as much attention as the other sports teams.

Sure, you were out there alone running on the track, jumping in the pit, or throwing like he did. But when it came down to it, the accumulation of points in all events was what won the meet, not the individual.

The team was supportive, too. Whenever he went throw, Mina or Sero or one of their other teammates would be there to cheer him on in between their own events. Unlike most teams, UA was smaller, and Coach Aizawa had their boys and girls practice together. This meant that the whole group of them were tight knit and had formed a bond ever since they'd met.

He always loved watching and cheering on his teammates when he wasn't throwing. Watching Iida in the sprints, Ochako in the high jump, Jirou during the 3200 meters, Tokoyami at the pole vault and every other event they had people in. He'd always try to be out there if he could, or at the very least glance over from the throwing pit and watch as they ran by. Seeing his teammates succeeding filled him with pride and happiness, and he knew that each point they won - even if it was a single point - had a huge impact on the final score.

He couldn't comprehend how people thought this sport wasn't a team sport. If anything, track was the sport that required the most teamwork. Because when you were alone out there, you needed your team cheering you on more than anything.

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Bakugou, on the other hand, loved track because it was an individual's sport. He didn't need to cooperate with others. He could just go out there and run. And run and run until he felt like his legs were gonna fall off, and everyone else was left way behind in the dust. All through middle school he'd been distant from the rest of his team, faced with no competition at all, and no one had bothered to reach out to him since he was just that high above them.

Now, in high school, he'd come to face with the reality that there were other better runners out there, and people previously unremarkable had gotten faster. Much faster. In ways he never thought they could.

And it didn't help his team insisted on being all buddy buddy with each other.

He liked Coach Aizawa. He was tough and pushed them to work hard, even if some people complained his workouts would kill them all one day. But he didn't understand why everyone was so determined to stand out on the infield or alongside the bleachers and cheer for one another. It was an individual's event after all. There was no need to. The idea of relays bothered him as well. He'd much rather rely on only himself than have to put his trust in other people. Others could fail. They could fall behind or get mental during a race and become unable to perform their best. He at least knew how his body and mind were feeling while running and could control that. But he couldn't control others.

Still, one person in particular always insisted on being there to cheer him on. Despite his main event being the 3200 meters, the longest and second to last event, Kirishima always cheered for him during his race. The redhead was always there in the same spot every single lap of that hard and arduous race. At first it aggravated him to no end, but he started to kind of enjoy it. Having the other boy's attention and support motivated him during races, made him want to run even faster and blow his enemies away.

Slowly, he started to warm up to Kirishima. Kirishima always sat next to him on the bus rides there, everyone having to double up, and eventually he started responding to the boy's attempts at conversation. But even so, Bakugou didn't understand his obsession with track as a team sport. Couldn't.

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They were in the outdoor season of their second year. Kirishima was at the throwing pit, on deck to throw the shot put next. The boy before him was throwing and looked to be from Ketsubutsu from his uniform.