Notes: Yeah, so, the scene I pictured in my head that started this whole thing...isn't even in this chapter. I'm as much of a hot mess as Bakugou. I had to split the wedding into two parts.
At Least There's an Open Bar
How Bakugou ended up here at the actual wedding had been a series of mistakes. He didn't know how it had happened and yet he could recall with perfect clarity every misstep he'd taken. His entire life was planned out and he knew exactly what he had to do. Going to this wedding had not been in his plan. He'd been adamant against attending from the very beginning.
But then he got a suit (he needed one anyways, just in case); he requested off work (it was for something else, he swore); he attempted to get his hair under control (it didn't work); he went to the place where the actual wedding was taking place (just to check it out); he walked inside and sat down next to Kaminari (someone had to since he was at his ex-girlfriend's wedding); and then he sat through the whole entire thing.
There wasn't much of an excuse for that last one, even if all the others had been less than thin.
Kaminari had acted like he'd shocked himself when Bakugou plopped down in the seat next to him, but had at least been smart enough not to say anything. The big grin on Sero's face had instilled the urge to slap it right off, but they were at a wedding, so he'd just get back at the tape boy later. Bakugou had spent the rest of the time looking around for Kirishima, but the spiky-haired bastard never showed up.
Until the wedding started and it turned out that Kirishima was fucking in it.
Bakugou spent the rest of the wedding feeling as if he been thrown into some sort of alternate universe. Had he crossed paths with a villain with a quirk that messed with the mind? He slumped in his seat, glaring daggers at his best friend. Why hadn't Kirishima told him that he was a part of the wedding entourage? Probably because Bakugou would've spent the next few months making fun of him, but Kirishima had never cared before. Maybe he had told him? After all, Kirishima had helped Mina plan Jirou's wedding shower and bachelorette party.
Maybe Bakugou just hadn't been paying attention. Which wasn't hard to believe considering how hard he'd tried not to get involved in this stupid shit.
When Uraraka started to walk down the aisle to take her spot, her arm wrapped around Tokoyami's, Bakugou had tried not to sulk. They hadn't spoken much since the bachelorette party. Not for lack of trying on her part. She was always ready to forgive and move on, but he'd found every excuse in the book to brush her aside, ignore her, or leave unless they were put on a mission together. They'd had to go on patrol together last week and it had been particularly painful, ending in him snapping at her so viciously that she'd just stared at him and then walked away in silence after they were done.
He couldn't even remember what he'd said, just that it had been awful and untrue and he never said shit that he didn't believe wholeheartedly. It was pointless. So why had he done it then?
Despite slouching in his seat so far down that Sero was almost hiding him, Uraraka's brown eyes found his red ones in the crowd as she looked around anxiously. They widened, almost imperceptibly, and there was a hard glint in them before it faded into something else. The beam on her face turned into a soft smile, the kind someone gave when they were faintly pleased or proud, which didn't make any sense. He thought she looked in his direction for far too long, but then he stared right back, until finally she moved on to the next person, the look on her face changing back to what it had been before seeing him.
It was clear that she hadn't forgotten their last argument, but, as usual, she was putting it aside for this. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or not. She shouldn't just let people off the hook. It was too fucking nice. She should have glared daggers at him. It would have made things so much easier to understand. He knew what that kind of look meant. He did not know what to do with the one she'd just given him.
He zoned out through the rest of the wedding, alternating between staring at the ceiling and glancing up front. He had almost lost his shit when he'd realized that Deku was officiating the whole thing. Oh, he couldn't just be the protege to the former number one hero of all time, All Might. He had to go around marrying people too. He was so fucking perfect. Bakugou bet people ate that shit up. He didn't miss the way Uraraka beamed at Deku and gave him the thumbs up or the way Deku's cheeks turned pink and he replied with that awkward smile of his.
Whose fucking wedding was this? Jirou and Yaoyozura's or theirs?
It wasn't a very traditional wedding, which was an upside. Jirou was wearing a suit and it was actually kind of cool. He idly thought that it was something he might even consider. He hadn't expected her to be stylish, but then she did have good taste in music. Yaoyozura's dress was insanely over the top, but, if he had to admit, it was...pretty. Not his sort of thing, but clearly handtailerod just to fit her. He wondered if she'd made it herself with her quirk. It seemed like something she'd do in order to make this extra special. That would be one way to use a quirk.
The bridesmaid dresses were simple, a deep purple, knee-length, and flowy with two inch wide straps that hung on the edge of the shoulders. They showed off enough skin to be pleasing but were still modest. Not that Bakugou was really looking or anything. They were just right in front of him. They were pretty, he supposed, but kind of plain. Clearly Yaoyorozu and Jirou were meant to be the stars. He thought the dress kind of hid Uraraka's figure, but then maybe he was just used to her wearing that illegally tight hero costume of hers.
Bakugou wasn't really paying attention so when it ended and everyone started clapping he blinked back to reality. He hadn't been this distracted in a while. Even on his off duty days, he felt like he was only a hair trigger away from jumping into a fight if need be, always on the ready. The brides and their bridal party walked back down the aisle, but this time Uraraka didn't look at him, too involved in the whole thing. His stomach twisted a little.
Not knowing where he was supposed to go or do, he shoved his hands in his pockets and followed Kaminari and Sero. It was unusual to be the one behind when he was so used to being in front of everyone, but this wasn't his element. The reception hadn't even begun - the true test of how long he could handle being here before he blew up like a box of matches set near a firecracker - and he already felt like he was running low.
No, he wasn't giving up. If he could take on fights with the League of Villains his first semester of high school, he could fucking handle a damn wedding.
Thankfully, while he didn't see the point in all these social gatherings, there was plenty of food and alcohol. He hadn't drank since the night of Jirou's bachelorette party, but he wasn't going to forgo it now. He just wasn't going to chug six drinks immediately. That had been his mistake. His ego had gotten the better of him. Kirishima knew best how to poke it and make him do stupid shit.
Bakugou was shoving what was maybe the best food of his life into his mouth when the bridal party came in and everyone jumped up and erupted into applause. Well, almost everyone. Bakugou stayed firmly in his seat and turned his attention back to the food and drink. He ignored it all until everything settled again and went back to the way it was, except this time music started to play. He could not fucking believe that Present Mic was the DJ, but it looked like his dream had come true. For once, everyone fanatically responded to him.
None of this could be real. Even the food was too good. Bakugou was stuck in a nightmare and he didn't know how to get out. It was the only explanation for why he'd come in the first place. The real Bakugou would never come to something like this and stay.
Two people talking by themselves snagged Bakugou's attention and he scowled into his drink.
"Man, what did that whiskey do to you?" Kaminari asked with a snort.
Bakugou crumpled up the cup and threw it at Kaminari's head before standing up. "I'm getting another." The sparky idiot opened his mouth, probably to ask for Bakugou to get him one too, which was ridiculous, but Bakugou didn't give him the chance, storming off without waiting. This time, when he shot through the middle, he avoided the people and the tables. He went right up to the bar and asked for two different drinks, the one he had before and something else.
After throwing down a tip (because although it was an open bar and he might've been an asshole, he wasn't a stingy one), he took the drinks and headed towards the two people with the determination of a bullet. As he got closer, their conversation began to take form.
"...don't think I could do it," Deku was saying with a painfully awkward laugh.
"Of course you can!" Uraraka encouraged him, holding her hands out in fists in that typical you can do it way that she'd done since school. "You're one of the top pro heroes. You can do this."
"I can't dance," Deku said, his cheeks red as he rubbed the back of his head.
Uraraka laughed. "Neither can I." Bakugou kind of doubted that. She hadn't been that great at the club, but she hadn't been bad either. She clearly had some sort of balance, rhythm, and gracefulness. Maybe it came with learning to float and fly. She held out a hand to Deku. "Do you want to try?"
Before Deku could answer, Bakugou stepped up and interrupted them, clearing his throat and glaring furiously enough at the other guy that he turned even more red while Uraraka straightened up in surprise. Bakugou noted that her hand had turned into a fist again, but when she realized it was only him, she relaxed it. Should've kept it in a fist around him.
Then, something weird happened. The color faded from Deku's face, only to be replaced by a bright smile. "Kacchan!" Bakugou hated how genuinely happy Deku sounded to see him. It made any spiteful thoughts he held towards Deku look petty. He didn't care if Deku had All Might's power. Bakugou was still going to be number one. Gods forbid he ended up all shitty like Endeavor had been for years. "Isn't this great? Momo planned nearly the entire thing herself. It's incredible, right?"
"More like a complete waste of time and money," Bakugou grumbled back. Why couldn't Deku just leave without Bakugou having to tell him to scram?
"That's why you're here then?" Uraraka challenged, an amused tone in her voice. "To waste time?"
"I had the day off," Bakugou replied cagily, even though he only had it because he'd requested it. Definitely wasn't about to mention that part. "And I don't pass up on free food or booze."
Uraraka actually laughed. "Same here. Old habits die hard."
That bright smile still on his face, Deku squeezed Uraraka's arm and said, "I'll leave you to it," like this was so damn normal. Like the three of them just conversing casually was an every day thing. It made Bakugou want to scream, but instead he swallowed a large gulp of his drink.
"Just ask him, okay?" Uraraka told the green-haired shit before he left. "I'm sure he'll say yes."
Wait. What had they been talking about? Who? Bakugou had been sure that Deku and Uraraka had been about to dance. It left Bakugou feeling adrift, his irritation towards the situation suddenly without a place to anchor. Deku had the nerve to wave at him and then walk away, but Bakugou was too confused to really respond with anything more that a furrow of his brow. The second he was gone though, Uraraka's head still turned away, he shook his head and cleared his mind, despite the fact that he really didn't know what exactly he was doing here.
"Did you need something, Bakugou?" Uraraka asked him, snapping him back to the present like he'd fallen from the sky and landed on the ground without the cushion of her quirk.
With all his grace and manners, Bakugou shoved a glass of red wine into her hands. "Here." She took it with only an arched eyebrow as a response. "It's better than that shit they had in that bar. I can't believe you tried to order wine at a club. A glass there costs as much as the bottle at the store."
Uraraka smiled at him from behind the glass, but took a delicate sip. "Mm, you're right. Much smoother." She shrugged her shoulders. "Their wine isn't so bad. I'm used to the cheap stuff. Can't remember the last time I bought a bottle that cost more than sixteen hundred yen."
Bakugou scoffed. "That's absurd. You make enough money now."
"I don't know," Uraraka sighed. "It feels...weird - buying stuff for myself, even if it's a little expensive."
"I'll buy one for you then," Bakugou replied without thinking. "You shouldn't only drink that swill. It's garbage for your palate."
Uraraka's other eyebrow went up and Bakugou had to fight his body to not go a single degree warmer. He could feel his face struggling, but somehow, he kept it from turning pink by sheer will alone. That had to be a talent. If she so much as thought about something embarrassing, her cheeks turned an even darker shade of pink.
"So what changed your mind?" Uraraka asked. He fucking knew that she was giving him an out and he hated it, but he took it anyways. There was a reason why he was going slow on the alcohol. He didn't want his mouth to say something without his brain's permission any more than it already did.
"I told you," Bakugou answered. "Free food and booze."
Uraraka rolled her eyes, like she didn't believe him, but she didn't push it. Instead she laid a hand on his arm and softly said, "I'm really glad you came. We don't all get to see each other that much anymore. The class, I mean."
He didn't care about seeing them. He got to see her. He got to see Kirishima and sometimes the others. The rest he could take or leave.
Still, his eyes dropped to her hand, thinking about how easy it would be for her to active her quirk and send him floating to the dome marble ceiling. When it came to people that had quirks that worked through touch, he usually had a thing where he kept a wall between them, but right now… It wasn't so bad. And as long as he didn't say something too insulting, she wouldn't do it. He trusted her with that.
Bakugou grunted. "Didn't think you would be after our last patrol."
He wanted to ask her what he'd said, but then he didn't. So blinded by whatever rage spell that had come over him, he had snapped. By the time it had left his mouth, he had already been thinking of how to get away from her. It was the kind of thing that he should have remembered - the kind of words that should've haunted him - but he'd fucking forgotten them and could only remember how they felt. How much he'd wanted to hurt her, but he had learned that explosions weren't always the best weapons.
"You were…pretty nasty, even for your standards," Uraraka admitted, her hand still on his arm, "but I know you didn't mean it. I was pissed at you for days and wanted to confront you, but you avoided me the rest of the week."
Of course he had. An angry Uraraka was dangerous and a determined one even worse. He'd seen her storm into work the next morning, glaring around the room like she was looking for a specific target to throttle, and had had to fight the urge to jump out the third story window when her eyes locked on his. But he'd managed to ditch any sort of confrontation under the guise of work. It wasn't worth it. He wasn't going to apologize. He didn't even know what she'd want him to apologize for.
The main reason though had been because he was embarrassed and he hated feeling like that. There was nothing for him to be embarrassed about. He didn't get like that, so it made no sense that he'd felt it then.
"I know you won't apologize," Uraraka continued, not sounding the least bit hurt, "but I'll take this" - she held up the glass of wine that he'd given her - "as a consolation prize."
"Don't," Bakugou said, "it was free."
Uraraka pulled her hand away and when she gave him another smile, it was way more mischievous than it should have been. "Then you better buy me the next one."
His throat was too dry and he was heatedly staring down at her for too long and he didn't know what he was doing here or what he was supposed to say - and then Ashido's shrieking voice, "Uraraka, come dance with me!" and her sudden appearance to drag Uraraka onto the dance floor broke whatever moment they were having. Once again, Bakugou felt completely adrift, alone in a sea of tables at a wedding reception. Uraraka stumbled to keep up with Ashido, laughing as she went, but then she caught eyes with Bakugou and raised her drink to him. And, because it only seemed like the thing to do, he raised his back.
When Bakugou finally returned to the table he'd claimed as his, Kaminari glanced over at him and gave him a put out look. "Oy, where's mine?"
"Get it yourself," Bakugou growled back as he sat down and sipped on his drink.
"He got Uraraka one instead," Sero put in far too knowingly for his own good. The idiot must have been spending too much time with Kirishima.
Bakugou shot him a glare and then went back to ignoring him, his gaze lazily drifting around the room until they fell onto the dance floor, like it was the only place it could go. There was Uraraka, dancing like an idiot to some boppity song with Ashido, Tsuyu, and Hagakura. She looked...happy. Beyond happy. He hadn't seen her smile and laugh like this in a while. Sure, she did at work, but here, they were free. For a few hours, she could just be a woman with her friends and not Uravity. (She could be Ochako.) He didn't know what that was like - to be Katsuki and not a hero. He didn't know if he could be or if he wanted to try.
