The public rest stop sat just off the highway, a bright, open park with a few cherry trees scattered near the edges. The afternoon sun was warm but not harsh, and a light breeze kept the heat from settling too heavily.

On the basketball court, the game had long since stopped being a game. Eijirou jogged across the paint, arms up. Denki was already hunched over, gasping. Sero stood near the sideline with his hands on his hips, watching with the exhausted resignation of a man who'd given up trying to referee ten minutes ago. Izuku had his clipboard out. Nobody knew why.

At the picnic table nearby, the girls were mid-snack. Mina was tearing open a bag of shrimp chips, Ochaco had a rice ball in one hand and her phone in the other, Jirou was idly tapping her fingers against the table, and Momo was pouring tea with perfect posture. Y/n sat with them.

Across the court, Katsuki snatched the ball out of Denki's hands without warning. He dribbled backward, away from everyone, until he was standing just beyond the three-point line.

He pointed directly at Y/n, grinning like he'd already won the entire sport. Then he launched the ball. Everyone watched. The ball sailed through the air, missed the hoop entirely, and bounced pathetically into the grass.

Silence. Katsuki stood there with his arm still extended, staring at the rim like it had personally insulted him. Then Denki bent over and absolutely lost it.

Sero dropped to his knees. Eijirou clapped both hands over his mouth, shoulders shaking so hard he couldn't breathe. From the picnic table, Mina's shriek of laughter cut across the whole park.

Katsuki's ears were bright red. He turned back toward the picnic table, and for a long, horrible second, he locked eyes with Y/n. Then he turned, stomped into the grass, and snatched up the runaway ball. He pointed at Denki.

The rest stop was not going to be fifteen minutes.