A/N: And this is my first ever story for BNHA! Originally, this was supposed to be a one-shot but I got carried away in writing the other parts in my summary, haha. Featuring a rarepair, Bakugou x Yaoyorozu! I don't think this would have any serious romantic undertones though (I haven't planned that far yet) so in a way, you could see it platonically as the story progresses. This story is set during their second year, and major plot points in the manga will be mentioned so spoiler-alert for anime-only readers! Hope you enjoy! :)

It was no secret that Yaoyorozu Momo was passionate in her pursuit in becoming a top hero.

She was much aware, of course, that in order to successfully tread the path of a professional hero, she had to go through rigorous amount of studying and training under U.A., which meant being stuck for another couple of years under a school system. Which wasn't a big problem, actually, because studying was already second nature to her given her Quirk. Though she may not express it verbally, she actually took pride in overcoming obstacles involving academics and written examinations. In fact, her skill to easily absorb formulas and analyze theoretical concepts was something she was more than willing to share with her classmates through her study meetings; knowledge was something meant to be shared, after all!

The bell rang and immediately the gigantic, ergonomically-friendly doors of the classroom slid open, revealing Aizawa-sensei who sluggishly made his way towards his desk. Briskly, her classmates settled down on their seats.

"Good morning," he greeted with his usual enthusiasm of someone who had less than an hour of sleep. He briefly scanned the classroom with his bloodshot eyes before continuing, "Since everybody is present, it's the perfect time to explain your final project for this term."

Yaoyorozu's eyebrows perked up. She took her notebook and pen, ready to jot down notes.

"As heroes, you are very much aware of the importance of your costumes along with your gadgets, gears and the like. After all, they exist to maximize the capacities of each of your Quirks while ideally protecting your own bodies to limit injuries. Having said that, your final project will revolve around making something not limited to said gadgets, gears, and garments, as long as it serves a purpose which you would of course, be able to defend."

Iida extended his arm, calling Aizawa's attention. "Sensei, isn't that the duty of the Department of Support?"

"Correct. However, since you will become future heroes, it is also essential to be well-rounded in all areas. The output of your project doesn't have to be as complex as the machinery done by the Department of Support; it could be a prototype which could serve as a model to whatever invention you have in mind."

Groaning inwardly, Yaoyorozu tapped her pen on her chin. They just sent their requested upgrades for their hero costumes the previous week. She was beginning to regret going all-out in her design. No other idea came to her mind.

"But sensei," Midoriya interjected with worry, which mirrored how she felt that moment, "do you mean to say that we have to come up with more upgrades apart from the ones we forwarded to the Department of Support?"

"Exactly. But there is a twist." Aizawa folded his arms, pausing dramatically, which worked, since most of the class were leaning forward in suspense. "This requirement is to be done by pairs."

A familiar sound of amusement was heard from the front rows—Yaoyorozu was sure it belonged to Kaminari, before being promptly shushed by Jirou who was sitting beside him.

"You are expected to come up with whatever product that may serve whatever purpose together with your partner," Aizawa continued, "This will be a great avenue for creativity, as it would also be an opportunity to know not only your classmate's Quirk but yours as well, and widen your perspectives by working together to attain a certain goal."

A loud thud reverberated in the room as Aizawa slammed a wooden box on his desk, startling several to the back of their seats.

"As usual, we shall also be drawing lots."

One by one Aizawa started to announce the names on the pieces of paper that his hand brought out the box. A mix of both tension and excitement tingled in Yaoyorozu's spine. On one hand, she believed the project was indeed a nice opportunity to collaborate ideas with whomever she gets paired with. With a Quirk as flexible as hers, she had no doubts it would come in handy for the project. It would also be a great exercise for her brain too! On the other hand, an uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach, anxious with the thought of not knowing the identity of her partner yet. It felt like end-of-term exercise test all over again. . .

Her heart almost dropped when Aizawa called out her name.

Breathing out, she assured herself that nothing would go terribly wrong.

From her spot, it was easy to scan which of her classmates had not been called yet, and she deduced that she got along with most of them. There was Todoroki (she already worked with him in the exercise test and it pretty much went smoothly in the end), Iida (they get along well academically so she didn't mind being with him too), Hagakure (an upbeat and optimistic girl but that wasn't really a problem), Kirishima (he has proven to be a dedicated sort of guy so it's great), Shouji (he's quiet but seems nice and friendly), Mineta (okay, maybe she doesn't look forward to him too much) and. . .

"Bakugou Katsuki."

Her first subconscious reaction was to knit her brows together, which she only realized upon hearing Mineta's remark. "That lucky Bakugou. . ."

Ignoring whatever Mineta was insinuating, Yaoyorozu eyed the blond seated two chairs ahead of her, who didn't even make an effort to look at her unlike the other pairs who at the very least glanced at whomever they were partnered with. It was only to be expected of Bakugou, however, so she didn't really take any offense. Being an audience to his insolence to all things in general, she could only hope that her feelings and expectations wouldn't change in the course of their short-term partnership.

As soon as Aizawa finished declaring all the pairs, he instructed them to briefly meet with their partners before they start their lesson. As most of her classmates stood up, meeting halfway with their own group, she took the initiative to approach Bakugou, who didn't seem fazed with all the movements going on around him.

"Bakugou-san." It came out in a much formal, firmer tone than she initially planned. She wasn't really sure why she had to be firm in the first place; perhaps it was her trying to build up a wall against his expected rash reactions?

He responded by turning his head, resting his elbow at the top of his back rest.

"Ah, so it's you," he replied in a calm tone, almost sounding surprised. It would've caught her off-guard if she hadn't remembered that Bakugou was actually capable of not exploding all day long, which was probably 15% of the time . . . 40% if she also included his sleeping hours.

When he said nothing else, Yaoyorozu took a seat behind him—Midoriya's seat, she knew. "So do you already have any ideas in mind?"

"No," he replied bluntly, "Haven't really thought shit as soon as I knew it was a damn pair work."

Ding. Ding. She almost cringed as a mental counter sprung in her head, calculating the profanities entering her ears. She shrugged it off as she tried to hide her discomfort with a smile. "Okay, then it's the perfect time to come up with something, don't you think?"

"Yeah. You're the one who can pull out any shit from your body, right?"

Yaoyorozu's smile became crooked as a single tear escaped her eye. Bakugou simply raised an eyebrow.

Resilience was the key, she told herself, because she was very serious in her dream on becoming a hero. She knew, she just knew that it was going to be a long project.