"You can't be serious!"
But the beaming expression on All Might's almost skeletal face suggested that he was just that.
"Of course I am! With these three students visiting from another universe here, we want them to feel just as included here during the holidays as they would at home" he boomed, placing his hands on his hips as he studied the six teenagers carefully.
It was unsurprising that they weren't all that excited about his suggestion. Since Akatani and his friends had wound up stuck in their universe, things had been difficult. Other Bakugou - or Kicchan as young Midoriya had become prone to calling him - had been making an effort but Akatani had been surly and, what had the kids been calling her, ah, yes, Yuuraraka, had been shy.
They needed to do something silly to make them feel comfortable but if it wasn't some sort of task, they'd probably refuse.
So All Might had decided they would make Christmas cookies for their classmates in 1A and that they would be making a challenge out of it!
"Midoriya, you're with the new Uraraka, Bakugou you're with Akatani and Uraraka you're with the new Bakugou."
The six of them looked between each other, clearly debating whether they could team up with their own classmates before Deku nodded his head determinedly and gestured for Yuuraraka to follow him. Kicchan then did the same with Uraraka and that left Bakugou and Akatani glaring at each other.
Fortunately, Bakugou's competitive nature won out and they soon took their places in front of the ingredients.
***
Over in the corner, Deku and Yuu were studying their ingredients together. Yuu’s fingers hovered over the little bottles of essences as he pulled the bowl towards him.
“I’ve not made cookies in years. Last time I tried must have been with my Mum,” he commented as he pushed the recipe towards Yuu. She slowly looked up at him, her eyes still flicking between him and the paper in front of her.
“Me either but...we always used to make sugar cookies. Do you think we could-” she broke off, looking down like she was expecting to be brushed off
“Sure! Everyone likes sugar cookies, right?”
Yuu nodded shyly, finally straightening up as she looked up at him a little bit more relaxed.
“Yeah, okay!”
As she reached for the vanilla, someone knocked into her as they grabbed the cinnamon and ginger. She jerked up to see the annoyed face of Bakugou before he stomped back to his table.
“Ignore him. His bark is worse than his bite, I promise,” Deku said, trying to draw Yuu back to the mixing bowl in front of them.
***
Bakugou would have resented Deku’s statement if he’d heard it, but fortunately for the green-haired boy, Bakugou was distracted by the purple head at his own table that was just as annoying if not more so.
“I don’t bake much but if we want to win, then leave it all to me,” he snapped at Yamikumo.
The other boy raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
“Listen dickhead, I don’t want to work with you either but we’re supposed to work together.”
“You’ll just fuck it up!”
“You’re the one more likely to get distracted and burn it,” Yamikumo snapped back.
Bakugou practically growled, grabbing the mixing bowl and pulling it back towards him. Yamikumo just stared back at him and picked up the eggs instead.
It looked like they were at a stalemate.
A burst of laughter distracted them both and they turned to see Kicchan sniggering at them.
“Awww man, you two are going down!”
Bakugou and Yamikumo looked at each other, both frowning, but not at each other per se before they gave the other a determined nod.
Suddenly, it was on.
***
“Awwh, I hoped I could rile them up some more,” Kicchan groaned as he turned back to Ochako. The brunette was staring at him with something akin to confusion.
It was still so weird that there was someone out there who was almost exactly like the Bakugou they knew, but could actually be fun and nice? She stared at him with wide eyes as he opened his arms and grinned at her.
“Let’s do this yeah? What kind of cookies do we want to make?”
Ochako wasn’t big on cookies. It wasn’t that she didn’t like them, she’d just never made them before. She didn’t even know where to start. But she knew she wanted it to be something a little fancy. And definitely something Christmassy.
“How about white chocolate and cranberry cookies,” she suggested, sorting through what they had and pulling out a bag of chips and another with the dried fruit.
Kicchan grinned,
“Nice! I was gonna suggest something with a little spice but the others might like this better,” he replied, clapping her on the shoulder a little harder than she hoped he realised. “People are gonna be eating so many of our cookies that their cheeks will look as round as yours!”
“What?!” she replied, clapping her hands to her cheeks self consciously. He waved her off, smiling at her in a way that seemed to suggest she shouldn’t take anything he’d said seriously.
“It just means they’re gonna be great! Relax.”
Maybe he wasn't that much nicer than their Bakugou after all, Ochako thought with a sigh as she pulled her hands away from her cheeks to start sorting through the ingredients.
***
Within a few hours, there were three plates of cookies set up on the table in the kitchen as the 1.A students hustled in.
One plate had sugar cookies shaped like Christmas trees and stars. They were all iced in bright colours, but they looked a little messy.
The second plate had gingerbread men on with a spiky head rather than a round one. Someone had decorated a few of them with angry faces and the way Bakugou was glaring at Yamikumo, it was easy to guess who had done that.
The third and final plate had chocolate chip and cranberry cookies on. They were the simplest looking of the cookies, but they smelled absolutely delicious.
Everyone gathered around the cookies, every single person having at least one of each cookie. But no one seemed to be able to choose which was best.
It seemed like they were going to argue for hours. But in a way, All Might's plan had worked. The three visiting teenagers were just as involved in the group as the kids from his universe. He couldn't help but beam.
Obviously, it was going to be down to him to save the contest as well!
He took one of each of the cookies as the students fell silent; two of them watching him a little more eagerly than the others.
The sugar cookie was okay, but a little burned under the icing. The cookies were a little too sweet, he definitely appreciated that though and was planning on sneaking a few more. But the gingerbread? It was perfect. He bit the angry head off one and swallowed, beaming at the students.
"The gingerbread wins."
A chorus of voices surrounded him as everyone cheered or playfully booed before grabbing for more cookies.
Bakugou was grinning so hard as he grabbed Akatani, but students pushed in front, and All Might missed whatever he did. The purple-haired boy was blushing for some reason though.
Strange.
This was the perfect end to the afternoon though and damn, if he wasn't proud of that!
