she always spoke her mind,
even if her voice shook

AS SERENA WATCHED the battle between Bakugo and Uraraka, she couldn't help but feel disgusted towards the audience. "This is shameful! Listen, kid; you really want to be a hero? Then stop acting like a bully! If you're so good, just send her out of bounds. Stop toying with the girl and end this match!"

"Yeah, you heard the guy!" Serena felt her eyes twitch in annoyance, her hands clenched into tight fists, nails digging into her palm. Kirishima glanced to his left, seeing the girl begin to fill with animosity.

"Ser—" The redhead was cut off mid-word as time froze all around the blue-haired girl. She stormed out of Class 1-A's seating area, making her way to where her teacher and Present Mic were seated. She threw the door open, snatching the mic from the Pro Hero's hand and unfreezing time.

"—ena?" Kirishima stared at the spot in confusion, seeing the girl vanish. He looked around, wondering where she went, only to facepalm when her voice resounded through the stadium.

"OI!" Bakugo's eyes widened at the voice he oh-so loved. His gaze moved over to the announcer balcony, spotting the girl holding the microphone with rage emitting off her. "Who's the dude that started this uproar?" she asked, her narrowed eyes staring down at the stands filled with people, who all looked to where she was standing. "Are you a Pro? Because if you're being serious, go home and hang up your cape."

Present Mic gasped at the girl, reaching to get the mic, only for her to freeze the blonde to his spot, her homeroom teacher's eyes glinting with amusement as she also froze Present Mic's lips together. "Life isn't fair at all. There are villains out there who are ruthless and merciless; they won't hesitate to attack, no matter if you are a child or if you have a child. If you think what Bakugo is doing is cruel, then I suggest looking into another career."

The audience remained silent, absorbing the words of the wise, youthful girl who attacked them with great acrimony. Her classmates couldn't help but fall in love with her even more; her words and actions proved to them that she was indeed amazing.

"Uraraka is determined, smart and unbelievably strong." the brunette's eyes widened as she heard her crush compliment her, her heartbeat palpitating. At the same time, Bakugo started getting irritated that she was praising the girl in front of him. "Bakugo knows that she deserves to be here, hell, we all know she deserves to be here. Just because she's a young girl doesn't mean she can't beat him! It's about equal rights, motherfu—"

Aizawa grabbed the microphone before she could finish her curse, causing her to glare at him. "Hey! I wasn't finished!"

"Go back to your seat," he said, his voice serious yet his eyes told her that he was proud and amused by her, she could see them glint dimly in his eyes. Serena was sure that she would see a smile on his face if it wasn't wrapped in bandages.

Rin, who sat in the stands, was proud of his daughter for standing up to the heroes. A smile broke out onto his face, chuckling into his palm, but when he heard the curse word slip out of her mouth, his eyes twitched. He was going to have to give her a big lecture about swearing, especially in front of the most prestigious heroes.

Serena huffed, complying with her teacher's orders while the older man continued. "I agree, Bakugo's fierceness is in acknowledgement of his opponent's strength. Like Akari said, he knows she's deserved to make it this far, so he's making sure he does whatever it takes to keep her at bay and come out on top."

The blue-haired girl rolled her eyes; he was just stealing her thunder.

She plopped back into her seat, ignoring those that stared at her; instead, she focused in on the battle ahead of her. "How embarrassing it must be for a bunch of Pro Heroes not to see what's going on," she muttered, folding her arms over her chest. Serena watched the battle continue, a broad grin spreading over her face as Bakugo fired a colossal explosion, destroying Uraraka's meteor shower of rubble, and knocking her back as well.

"Uraraka is KO'ed. Bakugo advances to the second round." Although she was happy Bakugo won, Serena felt bad for Uraraka. She knew how much this battle meant to her, and to lose it. 'Poor Uraraka.'

"Hey, Bakugo." The blue-haired girl turned to see the blonde walk into their stands; his hands shoved into his pockets as he descended the stone stairs. "Playing the villain, huh?" Sero teased, a playful gleam in his eyes. "Must've been tough."

"Even if it was just because of who you were up against, you did make a pretty convincing bad guy," Asui said bluntly, irritating both Bakugo and Serena.

"Shut up, you idiots! Or else!" he yelled, growling out a threat.

"For real, dude. I don't know how you were able to aim a powerful blast at a frail girl like that," Kaminari said, and Serena felt her eyes twitch in annoyance. She turned in her seat, locking eyes with him. Their classmates all froze at the slightly dark aura that emitted off her.

"He did it the same way I was able to aim a powerful blast at a frail boy like you," the class snickered as Serena glared at the yellow-haired male before forcing a smile on her face, scaring Kaminari. "I'll be more than happy to show you again," she offered mischievously, raising her ice-covered hand.

"I-I'm good!" he sweatdropped, gulping. Serena rolled her eyes, an amused smile cracking her threatening expression.

Bakugo plopped into the seat Kirishima previously occupied. "I definitely wouldn't call that girl frail," he mumbled, though Serena heard it. She smiled softly, turning to face the arena, where their favourite redhead was going to arm wrestle Tetsutesu from Class 1-B. Serena cheered as he managed to win, knocking his opponents arm down.

"WAY TO GO, KIRI!" She shouted, jumping up off her seat and cheering. The said male perked up, glancing at the direction of the happy blue-haired girl. A broad grin spread across his lips, his eyes shining with happiness. Kirishima helped Tetsutetesu up, both of them making small talk as they made their way up to their respective stands.

"Where's Serena?" he asked after he stepped in, thanking his classmates as they congratulated him on his win. They shrugged.

"She left after you won." A sigh escaped Kirishima's lips, hoping to see the blue-haired girl and get a hug from her. He sat down next to Bakugo, the male looking over at him, seeing his deflated expression.

"Well done," he mumbled, his heartbeat spiking once he saw Kirishima's face brighten. A blush spread across Bakugo's face as the face of the smiling redhead etched into his brain. He placed his chin in his palm, turning away from the redhead, making sure he didn't see his burning cheeks, though it was too late.

Kirishima felt his palpitating heart begin to swell with bliss, his cheeks blazing a dark shade of red, one that managed to match his hair.

"Thank you."

──────✧❅✦❅✧──────

"Uraraka?" called Serena as she knocked on the door of the room that was assigned to them. The brunette inside felt her eyes widen when she recognised the voice.

"O-One second!" she excalimed, quickly wiping the tear stains that lingered on her cheeks. "Y-you can c-come in!"

Serena turned the doorknob, pushing it forward and stepping into the room. A sympathetic smile made its way onto her face as she saw the redness that lacquered her eyes, though Uraraka tried to cover it up with a bright smile on her face.

"Oh, baby girl," she walked up to the brunette, taking her in her arms once she saw the crack in her facade. "Don't be upset. You were amazing out there, Uraraka," she said, running a hand through Uraraka's hair.

"I could've done better," Uraraka mumbled as she pressed herself closer to the taller blue-haired girl. "I was so caught up in surprising him that I forgot to come up with a backup plan," she wrapped her arms around Serena. "I..."

Her words were stuck in her throat, her hands beginning to shake as she clutched onto the back of Serena's shirt.

"It's alright. Let it all out." Serena stood there, holding onto Uraraka tightly as she sobbed into her chest. She stroked her hair, hoping it would calm her down. They stood like that for a while, Serena's grip on her not loosening at all. Something inside of her told her to protect the brunette at all cost, to be there for her always.

When the brunette's cries faded slowly, Serena eased her hold, staring down at the girl, who removed her arms from around her where they fell to her sides instead. "Uraraka, you did your best out there," she said, holding her tenderly. "Don't let this put you down." The two made eyes contact as Serena swiped her thumb under her eye, removing the tear that fell. "You can either continue to mope around and hate yourself for making a simple mistake, or you can learn from it."

Uraraka felt the love she had for Serena bloom instantaneously, the feeling filling her to brim with warmth. She leant into the hand Serena placed on her cheek, feeling comfort wash over her. Uraraka never wanted Serena to let her go, she liked the feeling of being in her arms, but alas, all good things had to come to an end. 

"Let's get you cleaned up," the blue-haired beauty said, lacing her hands with Uraraka and pulling her into the direction of the bathroom. The brunette stayed silent, allowing the taller girl to wash her face, removing the tearstains. "We're gonna have to hurry if we want to catch Izuku and Shoto's battle," Serena informed her, dabbing the tissue under her eyes carefully. She threw it away once she was done, placing her hand in Uraraka's. Serena's gaze fell upon her as the brunette stopped her from leaving.

"Thank you," she mumbled, looking down at the ground. Serena chuckled softly, reaching under her chin and lifting her head up.

"You don't have to thank me, Ochaco," the said brunette felt her eyes widen as her crush said her first name, her heartbeat quickening. The blue-haired girl leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead, taking Ochaco by surprise, effectively increasing her heartbeat. "I'll always be here for you."