Amethyst. (Katsuki Bakugo x Reader)

PART 33 - A Child of Loss

Training Camp: First Evening

By the time the last beast crumbled, we were all barely standing. Class 1-A had managed it - together. Clumsy in places, loud in others, but it was teamwork. Real teamwork.

Bakugo wasn't exactly built for that. He barked, he blasted, he nearly set half the forest on fire. But somehow, when it was him and me, it worked. His explosions cracked open their defenses, my ice locked them down. A brutal rhythm that clicked without either of us saying a word.

I caught Mina's whisper as she leaned toward Eijiro, not subtle in the slightest.

"Crazy, right? Those two work together like a perfect combo."

Eijiro grinned, shaking his head. "And Y/N keeps trying to avoid him. Guess that's not working out too well."

I pretended not to hear them. So did Bakugo.

We'd missed lunch by four and a half hours. The sun was sliding toward the tree line, gold breaking into shards through the branches. It was a miracle any of us were still upright.

Denki groaned and dropped to the ground. "There's no way that was supposed to take three hours!"

"Biggest lie ever," I muttered, leaning into Shoto's shoulder. He didn't flinch, breath steady and contained.

The Pussycats tried – failed - not to laugh.

"We would've finished it in three," Pixie-Bob teased, flicking her hair with pride.

Mandalay's smile was more measured. "Still, you wrapped it up faster than we expected. Especially you four. "Her eyes landed on Midoriya, Shoto, Bakugo - and me."

Midoriya's hand lifted, polite as always. "Um - excuse me... who is he?" He meant the small figure standing rigid near the lodge steps.

"That's Kota," Mandalay said. "Our nephew. He'll be staying with us during camp."

Midoriya stepped forward, smile locked in place. "Nice to meet you, I'm Izuku Mid—"

His introduction ended in a sharp wheeze. The kid had kicked him straight between the legs.

"Midoriya-kun!" Tenya practically sprinted to him, hands flailing. "You little nephew! Why would you strike Izuku in the groin?!"

Kota spun, scowl too heavy for a face that young. "I don't wanna hang around with people who wanna be heroes, got it?"

Silence held for a beat.

Bakugo's mouth curled. "Tch. What a precocious little brat."

"He's like you," Shoto and I said at the same time.

Bakugo whirled on us. "He is not!"

"Enough," Aizawa cut in, voice flat and final. "Get your luggage off the bus. Rooms. Dinner. Bath. Sleep. Training starts tomorrow."

A chorus of groans rolled through the class. No one argued. Not out loud.

____________

By the time we filed into the dining room, exhaustion had been replaced by something better: food. Plates piled high, voices lifted, laughter breaking through the fatigue like cracks of light.

Somewhere between rice bowls and soup, Midoriya's gaze drifted back to the corner where Kota sat, shoulders rigid, eyes fixed anywhere but on us. Like he'd rather be anywhere else than near would-be heroes.

I noticed the way Midoriya watched him. I didn't say anything. He didn't need me to. He knew that kind of loneliness better than most - back when his Quirk hadn't come. That weight was his to carry.