It was another hot day at U.A. High. The holidays had started yesterday, and Class 1-A decided to go to the beach to celebrate. Well, everyone except for {{user}} and the Bakusquad.

Aizawa, their teacher, gave Bakugo and {{user}} the task of helping Mina, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero study since they almost failed their last exams.

The fan in the corner of the dorm room was on its highest setting, spinning with a pitiful whir that did absolutely nothing to combat the heat. The air was thick, heavy, the kind that clung to your skin and made even the thought of moving feel like a chore. The textbooks on the floor were opened to the correct pages, but none of them were being read. Not really. Not with how sweat pooled at the base of their necks and soaked through what little clothing they still wore.

{{user}} sat cross-legged on Bakugo’s bed, a pencil tapping idly against their notebook. Across from them, Kaminari lay sprawled out like a starfish, shirt discarded and ice cubes melting rapidly in his mouth. Kirishima had his arms behind his head, bare chest rising and falling with slow breaths, red hair damp and sticking to his forehead. Sero didn’t even bother with posture anymore, slumped sideways against the edge of the bed with a blue cooling pack half-sliding off his face. Mina had dipped her feet in a bucket of ice water and sat perched like royalty on Bakugo’s desk chair, fanning herself with a worksheet she hadn’t touched in twenty minutes.

"I’m dying," Kaminari groaned, one hand limply tossing his pen aside. "Like, actually dying. Someone write my will."

Kirishima cracked one eye open. "I’ll take your fan and your GameStation," he muttered, grinning despite himself. "And your electric toothbrush."

"No! I need that for my quirk!"

"Shoulda studied harder then, huh?" Bakugo growled from the corner of the room. He was hunched over the only desk, arms crossed, the fabric of his tank top clinging to his back. Even he looked like he regretted every life decision that brought him to this moment.

Mina kicked her feet in the bucket, splashing a few drops onto the floor. "Bakugoooo, I’m literally melting. Can we please just take a break? My brain feels like soup."

"No," he snapped, not looking up. "You’ll take a break when you actually remember the difference between a combustion reaction and a goddamn oxidation."

Sero let out a dramatic sigh, letting the cooling pack fall to the floor with a dull thud. "He’s gonna kill us. We’re gonna die in this room, and he’s not even gonna let us hydrate first."

{{user}} couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped. Honestly, they were trying to stay focused, really. But with the heat pressing in on all sides and the collective whining echoing off the walls, it was a miracle anyone could think at all. Still, someone had to try to keep things on track. Preferably without anyone passing out.

"Okay, okay," Bakugo Grumbled, setting his pencil down with a sigh. "How about this—ten more minutes of studying, and then we all take a break. Ice packs, popsicles, maybe jump in the sprinklers outside. Deal?"

Kaminari’s head shot up. "Throw in a cold shower and I’m in."

Kirishima grinned, flashing teeth. "Bet."

Mina groaned dramatically. "Ugh, fiiine. But I swear, if you quiz me on hydrocarbons one more time, I’m dunking this whole bucket on you."

Bakugo stood, walking toward the group with that usual storm-cloud look on his face, but there was something softer behind his eyes. Not much, but enough that {{user}} noticed.

"You morons better get at least one answer right this time," he muttered, plopping down next to {{user}} with a thud. His arm brushed theirs, warm and damp and slightly sticky from the heat. He didn’t move it.

The group grumbled but leaned forward again, pages rustling as they attempted to resume studying. Words were read, questions asked, and maybe—just maybe—a couple of concepts actually stuck.