My Healer Academia (Bakugo x OC x Todoroki)

Roaring Muscles Pt 2

A/N: Good morning y'all! I decided to be productive, so I'm going to add a new chapter today along with the regularly scheduled update later this week. Thank you for taking the time to read and giving your opinion <3

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               They were the longest and fastest ten months of Ai's life.

               What transpired were montages of both Ai and Midoriya, separately training and dozing off in their classes from the perpetual fatigue. As time went by, it felt as if the two were drifting apart. Ai, feeling less exhausted than Midoriya did most of the time, would notice the subtle changes in his physique. There was no doubt in her mind that nothing was going to throw him off the path of his dream... not even their friendship. Not even for a minute.

February 25th, One Day Before the Entrance Exam

               "Mi-do-ri-ya-kun~" Ai sang, standing in front of his desk just as the school bell rang. He was packing up his belongings, whereas Ai was already grasping the straps of her backpack, as she normally did. Her eyes were twinkling, a smile on her face signaling that she was both excited but nervous for tomorrow. "Hey, I was thinking... How about we walk together to UA tomorrow? It's been so long since-"

               "Sorry, Ai-chan." Midoriya stopped in the middle of his packing as he clutched the training program packet that All Might had given him, holding it against his heart. With a determined smile, he looked up at her. "My training doesn't end until tomorrow morning before the exam, and it's something I have to do... alone." Each word that came out of his mouth made Ai's chest tighten, and slowly, but altogether, the brightness had dimmed from her face. "You can understand that, right?"

               The grip of her clenched hands tightened, and there was a burning sensation that wouldn't leave the back of her throat and eyes. "R-Right..."

               "Oy, pipsqueak!" Bakugo had witnessed the entire scene unfold, his bag once again dangling over one shoulder as his other shoulder leaned against the doorway of the classroom entrance. His voice caught her gaze, and although it was evident that she was about to burst into tears, Midoriya was too dense to notice, and Bakugo was too annoyed to comfort her – not that it was in his nature to do so, anyways. "The longer you take, the more I'll make you run!" It was his first and final warning as the hotheaded boy upped and left the vicinity.

               "S-Sorry!" However, Bakugo was already out of earshot. Ai turned back to Midoriya who held a sympathetic smile.

               "Sounds like you have to go now." Ai nodded in response, pausing but not knowing what to say. Finally, she turned on her heel only to be stopped by her best friend's voice once again. "Ai-chan." Glancing behind her shoulder, she was greeted with a bright, nostalgic smile. "Do your best!"

               Turning her head back around so that he wouldn't see the tear that had cascaded down her cheek, Ai couldn't help but nod. "I will... You too, Midoriya-kun!"

               The light of the setting sun ricocheted off Ai's perspiring body. As the workout came to an end, Bakugo had made her assume a push-up position and to keep going until she dropped. It didn't help that when she could barely access her quirk anymore, a heavy foot came down right between her shoulder blades. It took everything Ai had to not eat woodchips.