"LOOK OUT YOU FUCKER!" Debris scattered everywhere as the explosion flung the gigantic green scoundrel into the air. Its acid splattered all over the urban space, eating away wherever it landed. When the villain's main body slammed back into the ground, it was finally made unmovable. Serves the fucker right.
Bakugo growled at the villain, observing his right bracer that had been damaged. "That idiot made a fucking mess." Fire burned in his eyes. The jerk was lucky that Katsuki was a hero or else he'd murder the fucker.
"You're the idiot!" His red haired right man roared, over dramatically gesturing to what used to be a street. Bakugo scoffed at the minor damage and rowdy friend.
"You blew up the city again. For the 20th time. Emphasis on the 20th." Hair-for-brains was sounding extremely annoying today. The villain was the one who rampaged, not him. Deciding to be generous and non-violent, the hero ignored Kirishima's complaints, activating his earpiece. "All clear."
Their sidekicks hustled instantaneously to securely capture and transport the villain to the authorities. Confirming the team was doing their job right and anti-hero had been secured, he turned back to the red head.
"His fault for being a fucker." He gritted his teeth and avoided to confront the dilapidated buildings around them. Amused now, Kirishima howled and slugged an arm around the fellow hero.
"Oh man, you haven't changed in the slightest." He paused to wipe away a fake tear like a mom whose son had finally grown out of his rebellious stage. In this case, a son who stayed in his rebellious stage. He went on to recount the countless Katsuki tantrums as Bakugo snarled at the blabbermouth.
"Nice work, senpai!"
The polite compliments from their working sidekicks regained their attention. The Riot removed his arm and looked thoughtfully to their team. They were composed of freshly graduated hero students, uncertain where the future took them. They carried the same hopes and doubts the two held when they had graduated UA. Bakugo growled at one who seemed to be slacking off to which he immediately scampered back to work.
"Seeing them reminds me of our UA days." Oh gosh, here we go again. Kirishima was about to get all emotional about his manhood days. "I wonder," Hair-for-brains paused,"how all our fellow UA kiddos are doing."
He had broughten up the unavoidable. The two stood silently and turned away from one another, both perturbed by the thought. He didn't even need to look to imagine the melancholy on Kirishima's face.
Ah yes, the news.
The work shift finally wrapped up, and he walked home, lugging his duffel bag over his shoulder. Kicking a rock on the ground, he cursed in remembrance of the news from 3 months ago.
"Uravity, hero no more. Early retirement for beloved floating quirk hero!"
Uraraka had always been annoying as hell. Her being friends with fucking Deku and Iida made it even worse. Those three made up the world's most idiotic trio. Still, Bakugo objectively acknowledged her strength and resilience as a hero. Though she never won against him during their UA days, a fact that he prided himself in.
He bared his teeth to stifle a sigh. Hopefully, that stupid round-face was doing okay.
Choosing to shake off the worries, he massaged his shoulder in hopes to release the built up tension. Despite only being 25, the many hero shifts had already affected his body. Hell no was he going to admit that to anyone. Those ice cold beers waiting in the fridge would surely be the fix. The corners of his mouth twitched upward. Beer was enough to make any grown man smile.
Concluding beer wasn't sufficient for dinner, he strode his way to the nearest convenience store. The bells tinkled at his entrance followed by an employee's standard welcome. He grunted briefly in response before quickly heading to the instant noodle section. Spicy, spicy, spicy, ah, got it.
The perfect spicy selection had been discovered. He nodded at his choice and made his way to the cashier. "Good evening," the cashier chirped. This bitch is too damn perky. He slapped his card on the counter and ignored the female employee to thumb through his phone. Better to ignore than engage with any annoyance.
"A little rude there, aren't you."
The fuck is this employee telling me off? Fingers began to twitch. Eyes started to bulge. Slouched back now straightened. Slamming his fists against the counter (classic intimidation move for petty criminals), he was so ready to give this bitch a piece of his mind. "YOU THINK YOU CAN-"
Brown eyes.
Big brown eyes rimmed with long eyelashes; they bat away his vulgarity with ease. Sparkling, they blinked once more. His breath hitched.
"Uraraka?" The soft voice came almost unrecognizable. The aggressive manhood he so proudly claimed had slipped away instantly just at the sight of her eyes. How long had it been since he lost seen her? A year? Two years?
Unalarmed, she proceeded to replace his spicy noodles with a different package. "This one's better." Her pudgy finger tapped the item. He had forgotten how sunshine rainbow she was.
Smoothly scanning and bagging the item, Uraraka handed him the purchased good. "My treat!" Man, would her voice stop damn tinkling.
Finally realizing he hadn't said a word in a while, Katsuki snatched the bag from her hand. "You're just as annoying as ever." He eyed the insides of the bag as if they'd been poisoned. The text read X-TRA TO THE MAX in all flames text. She's got good taste. That bitch.
Still in disbelief at the random class reunion, he eyed her suspiciously. Maybe she's an imposter. Some random look-alike. The time as a hero had definitely made him overly cautious.
"Have you fixed your rude attitude yet? Or have you been scaring off children as usual?"
Yep, this bitch was that annoying round-face. Unable to remain mentally sane to carry on the conversation (stupid brown eyes), he pivoted around on his heel.
"I'm too tired to deal with your crap, you fucker," he yelled over his shoulder, making sure to puff his chest as he made way to the exit.
The bells tinkled indicating his leave, but he paused at the exit; the hesitation made him scoff. Man, what the hell is wrong with me today.
"It was good to see you…Uraraka." With that, he stormed out, refusing to wait for an answer, putting a halt to his idiotic behavior.
The noodles were good. No, they weren't just good. They were spectacular. He was coming back for those amazing noodles: just the noodles. Those noodles were definitely enough of a reason to decline Kirishima's dinner invite and forgo grocery shopping for actual food.
He had been pacing in front of the store for a solid twenty minutes, contemplating the logic behind his game plan. Directly retrieve the item, avoid any obstacles, finish the transaction, and leave the location. Each step had been perfectly planned in the experienced hero's mind. He flexed his biceps, stood straight, and balled his fists. It was go time.
"Welcome!" A familiar voice rang. Ignore it, ignore it. Be cool you damn fucker.
Strutting through the aisles, he scanned the shelves and yanked the familiar red package. Step one and two complete. He was so close to completing his mission. He could taste victory and strode his way to the cash register.
"Seems like you enjoyed it."
Alert. Alert. Enemy has approached. He scowled, snapping his face to the side: absolute refusal to make eye contact and acknowledge her "accomplishment."
"It's the only thing I had to eat," he snarled and slammed his card onto the counter.
"Sure, sure." The reply was unaffected by his belligerent attitude. She hummed a kid's show tune while scanning and bagging the good.
Allowing himself to side eye the brown haired girl to, of course, make sure she wasn't doing anything fishy, he noticed wisps of her hair had fallen in front of her face. The only time he had ever touched her hair was 5 years ago.
It was at an informal class reunion, and she kept hogging the damn mic at karaoke. He violently snatched the mic away and subdued her frantic refusals by pressing her head down with his hand. Soft and silky is what he remembered. He had become so distracted at the touch that a classmate stole the mic from his grasp, ending with a pouting Uraraka and a snarling Bakugo.
The clicking of the register was oddly satisfying to hear. In this tiny store, the noisy world seemed to vanish: no more annoying calls from police, no more rampaging villains on the loose. It was just stupid round-face and him.
Weirdly, he was bothered by the thought of leaving. Those cold beers seemed less appetizing and drinking in the hums and clicks seemed way better instead. Damn, what the hell was wrong with him.
"Come over for dinner tonight."
Uraraka handed him the plastic bag with a casual smile. Stunned, he blinked.
"Huh?"
Her smile remained, and she resumed, tucking away some loose plastic bags. "You probably have a million questions for me. And you also haven't had a real meal in forever."
He opened his mouth to rebut, but the stack of take out boxes and empty microwaveable meals made him shut up. So, he settled for a low growl.
"Give me your phone." Her milky hand jutted out for his device. "No way, you bitch!" He jumped back like she had grown horns.
Uraraka's brows furrowed and cheeks puffed out in annoyance. "Stop being a child and give me your phone Bakugo." He'd hate to admit, but frustration looked cute on her. Fine, just this once.
With that thought, he pulled the phone out of his pocket and lightly tossed it to her. Surprisingly, she fumbled in the catch, almost dropping the device all together.
He raised his eyebrow. This was the bitch who gave him one hell of a time when they battled in the UA festival during their first year. Her response time couldn't be this terrible. Making a mental side note of the observation, he watched her pudgy fingers click away at the phone.
"Here!" She showcased the newly entered info, displaying the several emojis she placed next to her name. His eyes rolled.
"I sent a message to myself so that I have your number as well." He mumbled a whatever. He was done with her stupidity, and his brain was getting fogged up again by those pink cheeks and brown eyes.
"I also noticed many ladies' phone numbers" she giggled. "Quite a player, aren't you?"
"WHY YOU LOOKING THROUGH MY PHONE YOU BITCH?"
It was almost humorous how even such an intense wrath was waved off by her smile and wave. "Sorry, sorry." Her confidence from high school had grown to be an impenetrable force.
Sorry my ass. I can blow this entire place up if that bitch ain't careful. His manhood was seriously getting challenged today.
"I texted you my address! Come over at 7pm. I promise I'm a great chef!" He'd have to wait off those explosions because he was a nice guy and didn't want to ruin that stupid eagerness. She held both clasped fists up in absolute determination as if she was cooking for the prime minister of Japan.
She acted as if he was important. Dumb round-face.
Thoughts jumbled up. Drool began collecting. The aroma wafting through the air was absolutely intoxicating.
FRIED CHICKEN. FRIED CHICKEN.
Standing in front of Uraraka's apartment door, he awkwardly held a box of ice creams. His mother's voice about chivalry and manners haunted him to buy the frozen treats. To remember words from his idiotic mother must really mean he's going crazy. The fried chicken smell captured his attention again, and wasting no time, he rapidly knocked on the door.
Scurrying of feet and clanking of kitchen utensils could be heard from the other side.
"Bakugo!" He didn't know what to expect when the door opened. It was the first good look he got of the floating girl, since store counter mostly covered her from sight. Brown hair pushed back with a pink hair band, she wore a loose tank and denim shorts appropriate for the hot weather. It only made his thoughts grow foggier. Damn, she had curves. Nice curves.
He'd been with plenty of girls in the past: hot ones, sexy ones. Girls who'd make grape juice boy die from ecstasy. Clearing all types, he prided himself in the portfolio of ladies he had in bed. Yet, how did stupid Uraraka in her damn casual top and fluffy kitchen slippers make his mouth dry and stomach turn.
The poison from the villain earlier must be the cause.
"Is that ice cream?" Uraraka squealed, quickly grabbing the box from his hands. "Come in, come in! Make yourself at home. I'll put these in the freezer." He watched her scurry away like a damn squirrel back into the kitchen.
After removing his shoes, he followed the small hallway to the living room. The apartment was quaint but well-maintained and decorated. Houseplants sat nicely in the corner. Matching coral pillows lay on a navy couch. Medium sized television was propped across from it. A brown low table sat on the floor probably for dinner soon. Yet, what caught his eye were the photos that hung above the sofa.
Starting from the left, there was a photo of little Uraraka giving two peace signs with, who he assumed to be, her parents in the back. Next to it hung a paper covered in autographs from All Might, Present Mic, and even Aizawa sensei. He noticed the signatures were all from teachers of UA. Finally, the last photograph was of Class 1-A at their graduation. He spotted a younger Deku blushing hard as Uraraka squished her cheek against his. He spotted himself in the back, refusing to look in the camera, with a grinning Kirishima by his side. Years later and she still kept that picture hanging. What a weirdo.
Hearing the clatter of dishes, he turned to see Uraraka carefully floating a large plate of fried chicken onto the table, along with two sets of plates and utensils. There was even a case of beer on the side to pair with the meaty goodness.
"Dinner is served!" She sat her bum down on the floor and hastily pointed for him to sit across. He obediently sat down at his place, noting the frilly seat cushion, and then eyed the lovely food. Breading crisp and golden, the chicken was piping hot and steaming from just coming out the fryer. For the first time in a while, he sat silently to take it all in.
The floating girl laughed, placing a beer in front of him. Good choice of beer too. Damn, who was this bitch. "Now you're polite?" He spared a glance away from the chicken to send a glare but quickly returned salivating over the crispy goodness.
"Well dig in! I didn't make this for nothing!" No need to be told twice. Snatching a chicken in each hand, he savagely bit down onto each piece. Crunchy, tender, and a kick of spice, it overwhelmed his taste buds. This dish whipped the ass of anything he had ever eaten before. Beer? Fried Chicken? Was this woman a seductress? She got him eating out of the palm of her hand.
The next 10 minutes were fully devoted to wolfing down pieces of meat and drinking up ice cold beer. Realizing he had ignored Uraraka for his food rampage, he glanced his red eyes to gauge her response.
Unbothered and humming, she munched on a drumstick and took quiet sips of her beer. Two days ago he hadn't seen her in years. Now, he was eating a meal with her. What the hell was going on.
Recounting the main purpose of his visit, he leaned his elbows on the table, ignoring his mom's lectures about manners this time. With chicken in one hand and his cheek leaning against the other, he started his investigation: the second mission of the day.
"So. Why did you retire?" he questioned, waving the chicken with each word, taking a big bite at the end.
Silence. For once, she hesitated, and confidence from before dissipated. Observant as always, Bakugo carefully watched the brown haired girl slowly set her food down and reach for her beer with her right hand. Awkwardly missing, despite staring straight forward, she coughed to cover her mistake and found the bottle at her second try.
This was the second time he noticed something was off. She was a pro-hero only 3 months ago, and yet, here she was making dumb mistakes. The news left out any explanation for her retirement, a wise choice to avoid any revengeful villains who'd want to take advantage of her situation. But that left him to dig up the truth on his own.
Leaning forward, he put his face inches away from hers. The proximity made his stomach turning at the sight, but he shoved that feeling away. His eyes were locked on finding out why. Surprisingly, she didn't move back and instead, kept her gaze locked on his. Still, he proceeded, analyzing the way her eyes moved to watch him. Ah, so that's what it was.
Sitting back, he grabbed his beer to find an excuse to break eye contact. The sudden insight had thrown him off, and he hoped that what he guessed wouldn't be true. But, his gut was never off, so he braced himself for what came next.
"You can't see out of your right eye."
Her motions came to a standstill. The accusation had been correct.
"Don't think I wouldn't notice you idiot. It was damn obvious the way you moved. Your right depth of field is completely off." He took a swig of beer, washing out the coarseness that wavered in his voice.
"Always quick aren't you Bakugo."
Her voice was shaky but resolute in confirming his findings. Fuck, so it was true. Putting the beer aside and dusting off the crumbs from his hands, he folded his arms. He wasn't backing down till he heard the whole story.
She set her beer down as well with a soft chuckle. "You caught me. You caught me." Her hands raised like a captured criminal. "It happened 4 months ago during a fight."
Brown eyes met his. The twinkle wasn't there this time.
Steadying her nervous breath with a hand to her heart, she continued. "I was carless. We were in an industrial building in downtown Osaka, chasing after a villain. I was so concentrated on not losing him that I didn't notice the bombs he left scattered next to several gas tanks."
He watched as her eyes darted away from his, ashamed at her past mistakes. "Just as he was at my grasp, the bombs set off. I moved fast to protect my body with pieces of gravel, but my mask wasn't heat resistant."
"It shattered into your eyes."
"Yep."
She picked herself up from the floor to collect the dirty dishes. "My right eye is donzo and my left eye received slight damage too." Her voice grew distant as she moved to the kitchen. He followed, unwilling to let her escape their conversation.
Ever since high school, she hid her emotions behind that smile. Even now, the mental and emotional damage from her accident were being hidden from her smooth actions and calm demeanor.
"That's why I've been working at the store. Thankfully, my pro-hero days have earned me enough to sustain my family for a good amount of years." The running water and clatter of dishes drowned her unsteady words. He leaned against her pantry, eyeing her downward gaze at the dishes.
"Being a hero is a dangerous job. We've seen from All Might how unstable it is. I just-" Hands became still under the water. "Never thought it'd be this soon."
She was only 25. From the countless articles and headlines, Bakugo knew how much the public loved her. "Uravity, beloved hero floating her way to our hearts!" Pictures of her floating giggling children into the air, giving the elderly warm hugs, and rescuing citizens from all kinds of danger were raved over. She was known to be cute and kind all while being badass. Needless to say, she was on her way to the top 10 ranks.
Now, here she was: blind in one eye, trying to convince herself that her situation was okay. No, she wasn't fragile. Yet, she was preventing herself from acting like a damn human being. Dumb idiot as always. Even I'd be in outrage.
"Whelp! Now that's settled with, I got a tasty bottle of wine I've been waiting to drink." Drying her hands, she turned to face him with a smile: the facade that plastered over her real emotions. He moved aside from the pantry, so she could pull out a bottle of red wine and two glasses. She moved to the couch, and he could tell she was trying to regain that pep in her step. Glasses filled with red liquid, she carefully handed him one.
Might as well speak up.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, he gritted his teeth and attempted to find the words to say. "You know you don't have to- "
"Cheers to our reunion!" Interrupting, she clinked her glass against his. Normally, such interruption would instigate a cluster of curse words. But, all he could was stare.
Tears trickled down her cheeks rapidly, she drained the glass of all its contents and wiped her cheeks in silence.
The night continued with her rambling about the latest TV show she saw, annoying customers that came into the store, and anything her round-face could come up with. By the time her monologue about the world's best ramen was finished, 5 glasses of wine had been drunken, and her cheeks were pinker than ever.
"Bakkkugoooo." Her words slurred and that pudgy finger poked at his cheek. "If you're wondering about Dekuuuuu," she stopped to poke some more,"he dumped me 2 years ago."
"Huh?" That was a shock. "You were so fucking buddy buddy with him last time I checked your Facebook."
"So you checked my Facebook." He scowled. She giggled.
"He said he wanted to focus on being the number one hero." Her finger wiggled indicating the one. Yes, I can count you idiot. Still, she was pretty cute when tipsy.
"But he wanted to stay frieeendsss." She threw her hands up with a shout. "FRIENDSHIP."
"So he broke up with you to focus on his career?" She nodded feverishly, glass in both hands. Cheeks tinged with strawberry red, with utmost eagerness, she pushed her glass into his hands and stood up on the couch.
"THAT IDIOT DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S MISSING!" Hands on hips and chin raised high. "I'M SO HOT. I'M HOTTER THAN EVEN, EVEN TODOROKI." Bakugo snorted at the pun.
Plopping back onto her seat, she suddenly turned to face him. Silence. She paused to lick the wine off her lips and stared him down in silence. Who was this damn woman.
"Don't pity me, Bakugo." She poked again at his cheek.
"I'm going to come back stronger than ever."
After muttering something about napping, she snuggled into his lap; soon enough, she was asleep.
She was a mess.
She was a lunatic.
But her confidence, even in her vulnerability, made the prideful him admit this.
"Yea, you're going places." He softly patted her back.
"I promise."