All eyes were centered on a somewhat nervous brunette in the morning briefing meeting and she could feel it. She'd shown up extra early that morning because her nerves hadn't let her sleep the night before. Daytime heroes had been trickling in for the last fifteen minutes but nobody had said a word to her as she sat in her usual spot.
"There she is!" Uraraka had been looking at her hands when a masculine voice jolted her and drew her attention to the door.
"Kirishima!" She beamed at him as his name was said with a relieved note.
The red-head strode across the room to meet her and he pulled her into a crushing hug once she was on her feet, "It's been so long that I forgot how awesome it is to see your face in the morning."
The brunette giggled as she tried to untangle herself from him but he held her firm, "It's nice to see you too."
"Let's have a look at you," He pulled away but held her shoulders before he gave her a once-over, "You look like you're ready to kick some ass."
She laughed again and played with her fingers nervously, "I feel like I'm ready." She swiped a lock of hair behind her ear and flushed, "Although, it's definitely strange to be back again."
Kirishima nodded in recognition as he noticed she'd been sitting by herself, "Well everyone here is just jealous that you're such a badass."
Uraraka couldn't stop the embarrassing redness on her cheeks, "Thanks Kirishima. I needed to hear that."
"Don't be nervous," Kirishima's tone switched to light-hearted and accommodating, "You can sit with Bakugo and I if you want."
"Er," She looked away and cleared her throat, "Sure!" She scooped up her duffel bag and followed Kirishima to the back of the briefing room. The moment she settled down in her chair, a familiar face walked into the room.
When she met his red eyes, she felt like they were alone in the room. He stalled at the door as he held her gaze for a long moment. He was completely stoic, to the point of looking bored. But it didn't last longer than a few seconds before he blinked, looked away, and took the first open seat he found.
Uraraka slumped in her chair a little and frowned. It wasn't the reaction she was hoping for but she supposed it was warranted. They hadn't spoken in over a week but she wasn't sure what to say to him. She watched the back of his head as she harkened back to Mina's advice from a few days ago.
"Who's jacket is that?" The pinkette frowned from across the table.
"Uh…" Uraraka scrambled for an answer, "It's Mirio's."
"Bullshit," Mina rolled her eyes. "I know who's jacket that is so you better start explaining."
"Mina," Uraraka breathed and leaned forward on the table, "Don't read into it, okay?"
The pinkette held her frown as she drummed her fingertips on the table-top, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"There isn't anything to tell," Uraraka tapped her foot nervously.
"I'm your friend," Mina's tone became serious and pressing, "You can tell me anything, Uraraka. I don't understand why you won't talk to me about whatever the fuck is going on with you and explody-face."
Uraraka felt a twinge of guilt but shook her head, "Bakugo and I are just friends."
"No you're not," Mina pointed to the jacket and seemed to battle with herself on what to say next. "Just…" She ran a hand over her face, "Please, let me be your friend for five minutes."
The brunette took a long look at the other woman across the table, "I don't talk to you about Bakugo because you guys don't get along."
Mina sucked in a breath and tried to keep an even tone, "Listen Uraraka, I don't hate Bakugo, okay?"
"What happened between you guys anyway?" Uraraka scrunched her eyebrows.
The pinkette gave her friend a hard look, "I asked first."
"I'll make you a deal," The brunette began to fiddle with her chopsticks, "You tell me what happened between you guys and I'll do the same."
The pinkette twisted her mouth thoughtfully before nodding once and sitting up straight, "About a year or so after high school, Kirishima got a bunch of us together for a night out. We all got drunk and Bakugo was being… Well, himself. A total buzzkill. I was wasted and I got a little bit pushy with him. It was the regular stuff, you know? Like 'Lighten up and have a drink' or 'Why even come if you're just going to bitch the whole time?' He got upset and it spiralled out of control. We both said some things we shouldn't have."
Uraraka looked at the woman across the table, "You guys used to bicker in high school all the time. So what if you guys had an argument?"
"It was more than that," Mina looked down and sighed, "It escalated pretty fast and…" She trailed off, "We just don't really get along much anymore, okay?"
The brunette sensed that her friend was uncomfortable, "Mina," She reached across the table and put her hands over the pinkette's, "You can tell me anything."
The other woman looked up to meet Uraraka's gaze, "Bakugo is an honest person and he has enough pride to last a few lifetimes. He doesn't change his mind for anyone and he's... Well, he's a huge asshole." She turned over her palms to take Uraraka's hands, "So I can't wrap my head around that fact that he's into you."
Uraraka blinked but didn't reply. She knew Mina had more to say but needed the time to sort it out in her mind.
"I get it," Mina huffed softly, "He's like… a sexy, broody, majorly successful hero with a chip on his shoulder. On paper, he's the whole damn package. But he's so obsessed with himself and beating Deku that I don't think this is a good idea for you." She squeezed the brunette's hands, "What is it about him?"
Uraraka suddenly felt put on the spot but she didn't waiver, "I don't know."
"That's ridiculous," Mina pouted and pulled her hands off the table.
"Mina," Uraraka breathed out her name and sat up straight, "You're judging him too harshly."
"And you're not judging him harshly enough," The pinkette ran a hand over her brow, "He's not exactly boyfriend material, Uraraka."
The brunette scoffed, "We're not dating, Mina. We've only talked to each other like… three times since Keihin."
"So why are you wearing his jacket?" The question was pointed and it seemed to halt the escalation of the conversation.
The brunette looked down at the coat and she played with the bottom button, "He loaned it to me when he took me home on Saturday night."
"And what happened?" Mina crossed her arms as she leaned into the back of her chair, "And please Uraraka, don't lie to me or play it off. You've been off all week. You're quiet and embarrassed so I know that whatever happened over the weekend, it's bothering you a lot. Talk to me."
The brunette was silent as she remembered how her Saturday night unfolded. She felt confused and frustrated as she recalled the way Bakugo had left. She had been questioning herself all week.
"Did you sleep with him?" Mina's tone was testing as she tried to unlock the secrets that Uraraka was keeping.
"No," The brunette replied quickly and shook her head hard, "No."
"Then what?" The pinkette threw her hands out to either side, "Why don't you trust me?"
"Mina!" Uraraka's tone was chiding now, "Of course I trust you. You're my best friend. I just don't know what to think right now. So much has happened in the last few weeks and I'm confused and angry and hurt. It's too much!" She dumped her head into her hands and ran them through her hair.
The pinkette gave the brunette a guilty look, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"He gives me gifts but doesn't come around for weeks. He gives me advice and then criticizes me when I take it. He says things that he has to apologize for later," Uraraka felt herself getting upset but she couldn't stop the words pouring out of her mouth, "He acts normal when we're in public but the moment we're alone, he's funny and smart and thoughtful. He remembers everything I tell him and it's so… frustrating!"
The brunette planted her hands on her thighs and looked away, "And then he kissed me and kissed me… And then he left. It's driving me crazy."
Mina suddenly felt empathetic. She had known that Bakugo was crushing on Uraraka for a long time now but this was the first time she was truly seeing those feelings be reciprocated, no matter the problematic context.
Uraraka was a private person, more than Mina ever truly knew. She was always willing to share the happy details of her life but she rarely called on her friends when she was down. The small explosion of emotion that Uraraka had just popped the cap on was the most that the brunette had shared about the blonde at all. However, it was more than enough to give Mina a starting point.
"You need to tell him how you feel," The pinkette shifted forward on the chair. "He deserves to know."
Uraraka blinked and turned her gaze back on her friend, "What?"
Mina sighed defeatedly, "I'm your friend, Uraraka. I may not like Bakugo very much but if you feel this strongly about him…" She sighed again, "He needs to know. If you don't tell him, it's going to eat at you."
"I can't do that to Deku right now. It's only been a few weeks," Uraraka shook her head hard. "I'm such a horrible person."
Mina swallowed a huge chunk of her pride for the sake of her friend, "Why does he matter in this? You guys aren't together anymore."
"Because!" Uraraka breathed and fiddled with the bottom button of the coat some more, "He deserves better than that."
"So what," Mina shrugged, "He's literally on the other side of the world right now. I don't know how much more space you could possibly give him, Uraraka."
"It's wrong," The reply dropped from the brunette's lips regretfully.
Mina took a deep breath before leaning forward and holding out her hands as an offering, "Love has no rights or wrongs, okay? It's the most selfish thing in the world and you need have to stop giving a fuck about it." She nodded her head at the brunette, "Be selfish for once in your life, girl. You came to Tokyo to start over, right?"
The brunette nodded as she glanced down at Mina's open palms, "Yeah."
"Then fuck everything else," The pinkette reached across the table to grab the brunette's wrists, "Bakugo is not my first pick, but you need to follow your heart. He likes you a lot, Uraraka. If you feel the same way, even a little bit, then fucking tell him. Don't lead him on. Go for it."
Mina's words had been rattling around in Uraraka's head since then. It was a strange thing to have a fluttery feeling in her chest whenever she thought about telling the blonde how she felt. She hadn't felt giddy like this for a long time but it was matched with a nervousness that she couldn't overcome.
She stared hard at the back of the blonde's head as one of the many scenarios played out in her mind. Telling him how she felt was beginning to feel impossible as more time passed and his simple rejection to come sit with her and Kirishima felt like it was only widening the gap between them.
"Good morning," A familiar voice distracted the brunette's attention to the front of the room, "I hope you all had a stellar weekend."
Earthworm looked tired as he leaned against the podium, "My wife and I went to a movie on Saturday night but I doubt any of you care about that. All you normie daytime heroes care about these days is the Viper case."
"Get to the point," Bakugo's tone was antagonizing as he leaned back in his seat.
The night-shift hero glared at the blonde but there was an endearing note to it, "Well shit, I guess I'm right on the money." He glanced down to the papers on the podium, "Shift assignments are changing now, as I'm sure you all know, but that's not the biggest news of the day." The man looked up and scanned the room until he found the face he was looking for, "Today we welcome back the beloved and beautiful Uravity."
Everyone in the room, with the exception of a blonde, turned to look at her before a steady applause began. The brunette heroine flushed at the attention but she nodded her thanks.
"It's great to have you back," Earthworm nodded at her before he sighed exhaustively, "You day shift dummies should have your assignments already so there's really no other reason for me to stay late and hold your hands." He turned a quirked eyebrow on Bakugo, "Aren't you supposed to be sitting with Red Riot?"
"Tch," Bakugo spat and crossed his arms, choosing not to reply.
"Don't tell me," The night-shift hero's hand flew to his mouth, "The bromance hasn't ended, has it?" He glanced back at the red-head at the back of the room.
Kirishima smirked and cackled, "Why? Are you looking to get in on the action?"
"Shut the hell up," Bakugo tossed a glare over his shoulder at his partner but his gaze quickly found its way to the girl seated diagonally to the red-head. He looked at her for a long second before scowling and turning his head forward again.
"I guess there's no room for a third," Earthworm shrugged with a sarcastic grin but he glanced at Uraraka for a moment, a flicker of recognition crossing his face. "Ground Zero's too famous for little old Earthworm these days."
Uraraka glanced back at the blonde who shifted in his seat before giving the hero at the front of the room a middle finger. She almost chuckled as she was reminded of the last time Earthworm ran the morning brief.
"Always setting a model example," Earthworm shot back with a smirk, "Ladies and gentle-heroes, I present Ground Zero."
"Move on," Bakugo snapped back, a note of irritation in his tone.
Earthworm shrugged, "The meeting is over. You guys can leave if you want. We all know these things are pointless anyway."
"A-fucking-men," Bakugo grumbled before sliding out from his chair and snatching his duffel bag.
"Wait!" Earthworm glanced down at the paper on the podium, "I actually do have one piece of news for you guys." He looked up to see all the heroes in the room, "As of this morning, an agency in Okinawa put all Tokyo agencies on notice. It says here that they believe that the Mamushi Group will be trying to move a few thousand pounds of quirk enhancing drugs through Tokyo in the next week or so."
"A few thousand?" A hero wearing a full face mask echoed from the edge of the room.
"That's what it says," Earthworm shrugged his shoulders, "It looks like the report came in about an hour ago. I'm sure that it's sitting in everyone's inbox right now."
Uraraka felt a flush of nerves as she reminded herself of what hero work entailed. A sporadic array of memories crossed her mind as she envisioned Viper's face. Thousands of pounds of quirk enhancers could mean any amount of trouble for heroes.
"I'm guessing that Edgeshot will want us all working together on this one," Earthworm rubbed his eyes as he suppressed a yawn, "So make sure you read the report, huh people?"
The room was quiet but they acknowledged him before he spoke again, "It's important that we run point on this." He glanced back at Uraraka, "We need to get a little payback, right?"
"Hell yeah," Kirishima piped up from his place and he turned to nod encouragingly at the brunette.
"That it?" Bakugo's voice followed but he was talking to the night-shift hero leading the meeting.
Earthworm glanced up from the podium, "You really have an itchy ass this morning, don't you?"
"This shit's a waste of time," The blonde replied with a grouchy tone, "You said it yourself."
"Sure whatever," Earthworm waved a hand and shook his head, "I want to leave anyway."
The meeting ended with that and Uraraka felt somewhat discouraged. She felt an uncomfortable pit in her gut as she stood up and picked up her duffel and it must have been easy to see as Kirishima nodded his head at her.
"Hey," His tone was softer now, "I'm happy that you're back, Uraraka."
She glanced up with pursed lips and nodded, "Yup. It needed to happen sometime, right?"
"Just take it easy for now," The red-head gave her a gentle smile, "I know it's a little bit intimidating coming back but you'll get back in the rhythm in no time."
"I know," Uraraka nodded despite how uncomfortable she felt. "It's just going to take some getting used to."
Kirishima nodded as they began toward the door, "Looks like Bakugo's in a hurry this morning." He glanced down the hallway to see that the blonde had already disappeared. "That bastard better have his shit together today."
Uraraka didn't reply but she desperately wanted to ask him to clarify.
"Oi," Kirishima glanced down at her as he leaned his shoulder on the wall of the hallway, "Are you guys good?"
The brunette was taken aback at the question, "What?"
"You and him," The red-head nodded down the hallway toward the locker rooms, "Bakugo."
"Yeah, of course," Uraraka was suddenly reminded of the pressure Mina had put her under a few days ago. "Why wouldn't we?"
"I'm just asking," Kirishima shrugged coolly, "He's been a royal pain in my ass lately and I just figured it had to do with the entire Keihin thing."
Uraraka felt uneasy so she tried to steer the conversation away from herself, "I thought that you knew everything about Bakugo."
Kirishima snorted sarcastically, "Come on, Uraraka, I might be more perceptive than most, but even I have problems figuring out Bakugo from time to time. He's just one weird-ass dude."
"Well, we're good," Uraraka nodded a reassurance, "He's Bakugo, so I'm sure whatever it is, it'll figure itself out."
Kirishima watched as Uraraka stared down the emptying hallway and a knowing smile tugged at his lips, "You're probably right. I just wanted to make sure that whatever happened between you guys got figured out."
"Between us?" Uraraka's attention turned back to the red-head, "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean," Kirishima shrugged as he pulled away from the wall and moved to wander down the hallway, "Bakugo stuff."
Uraraka didn't get the opportunity to press any more than that before the red-head departed, tossing words of reassurance over his shoulder. It left her feeling somewhat confused but only because she realized that Kirishima could be aware of more than he was letting on.
"Oh my," Uraraka grumbled to herself as she mindlessly made her way toward the women's locker room. It was still early and she already knew she was in for one hell of a day.
"Now die!" Bakugo's shout came out smarmy as he aimed a grenadier and pulled the pin. The force alone rattled the entire block but a dart of smoke gave way to the fact that the villain had avoided the attack.
"I'll cut him off!" Kirishima's shout was heard despite the fact that the blonde couldn't see his partner through the gray air. Bakugo nodded in recognition before he felt stupid for doing it and tried to refocus.
The blonde felt the ground shake and he heard a grunt to his left, causing him to turn his attention around the corner of a two-story building. He saw a swirl of smoke and knew that there was movement, "I'm following up!"
Bakugo blasted himself above the smoky clouds and pinpointed the disruption within the smoke. He barely caught a glimpse of his partner in a grapple with the villain they were pursuing, "Incoming!"
Kirishima heard the warning and released his hold on the villain before ducking away from the heat of Bakugo's blast, hardening himself further as a precaution. The moment that the blast subsided, the red-head whirled back around, "Going in!"
Bakugo landed on the sidewalk with ease before he took off running toward the area that he'd just fried with an explosion, "Backing!"
Kirishima heard the supporting response as he spotted a shadow moving in the clouds, "Hold!"
Bakugo stopped in place and began working on a back-up plan, just in case his partner couldn't pin down the target. He heard the muffles of combat and began to circle slowly, waiting for the call to action from Kirishima.
"All clear!" Kirishima called as he smashed the villain's face into the concrete of the street. "You're good to move in."
Bakugo nosed his way through the dusty clouds of smoke until he found Kirishima with a knee dug into the back of a man laying face-down, "Fucking amatuer. A waste of time."
Kirishima frowned in response, "He was selling quirking drugs to middle schoolers, dude."
"Like I said," Bakugo squatted down near the villains head before spitting on the ground, "A fucking amatuer. That fight was ten minutes max and now we're going to be stuck at the office until eight doing paperwork on this piece of shit."
"Well I'm happy that we caught him," Kirishima sniffed with a tone of superiority, "One day that could be my kid that some dipshit like this is trying to sell to."
Bakugo grunted humorously, "Might want to find a girlfriend first, jackass."
"I'm working on it," Kirishima shot the blonde a look, "And you're one to talk."
"Don't fucking start with that shit," Bakugo stood up and turned his back to his partner, "I don't want to hear it."
Kirishima didn't press any harder as he worked on pulling his handcuffs from his utility belt, "Are you going to radio in or do I have to do that too?"
Bakugo tossed an annoyed look over his shoulder, "Just because you made the arrest doesn't mean I didn't do all the fucking work." He scowled as he pulled his radio from his waist and brought it to his lips, "This is Ground Zero. I have a 44-8 to report on the corner of…" He glanced around and released the button, "Where the fuck are we?"
"There should be a street sign over there," Kirishima nodded to his right as the clouds of smoke began to clear.
Bakugo grunted before wandering off and radioing in their location. He stood around for a moment as he watched Kirishima seat the cuffed villain on the curb.
"At least we have something to do on patrol these days," Kirishima dusted his hands off and nodded at the blonde, "A few weeks ago, I was wondering if it was possible that we'd be out of a job."
"We're never out of work," Bakugo snapped back harshly as he wandered back toward the villain and his partner. "There's always an ass that needs to be kicked in this fucking city."
Kirishima stretched his hands over his heads and chuckled, "And I'm sure you'd do it for free." He sighed contentedly as his arms fell back to his sides, "You seem like you're back on your game, dude. Did you work out your shit with Uraraka?"
"Tch," Bakugo grunted with a note of sarcasm.
"I'll take that as a no," The red-head began rifling through the pockets of their villain before pulling out a wallet, "You really should do that, dude. She was upset in the meeting this morning."
"Like I give a shit," Bakugo watched as Kirishima popped open the wallet and analyzed the identification card.
"Well hello, Mr. Nakamura," Kirishima smirked as he tossed the wallet aside and began checking the pockets of the villain again, quirking an eyebrow at his partner, "Do you really not give a shit though? I think you hurt her feelings a little bit."
Bakugo felt a sting in his chest at the red-head's reply, "Why the fuck should I care about roundface's feelings?"
"Dense as ever," Kirishima grumbled half to himself as he dug out a small black baggie in the lower pocket of the villain's cargo pants. He stood upright, pulled it open, and grinned, "Bingo! We've got some quirking drugs." He circled around to stand in front of the villain, waving the bag around, "I have to know man, did you dip into your own supply when we saw you?"
The villain spit on Kirishima's shoes, "Fuck you, hero trash."
"Now, now," Kirishima tut-tutted him, "Is that any way to speak to the hero that bested you?"
When no response came, Bakugo sauntered over to stand beside his counterpart, "Of course he fucking did." He kicked at the villain's feet, "Look at this fucking king of shit. Quirking drugs are the only thing that kept us from being able to bring him down in the first ten seconds." Bakugo gave the villain a sneer, "He probably took at least three doses today."
"Fuck you!" The villain blurted out angrily, "You got the wrong guy. Those aren't even mine!"
"Uh huh," Kirishima hummed humorously, "Tell it to the judge, bud."
Bakugo already knew that this guy was a Mamushi group low-level dealer by the tattoos on his arms. It was almost a waste of their time to bring him in based on the fact that this villain wouldn't be able to offer anything concrete to help the Viper case. "What a fucking waste of energy."
Kirishima shrugged as he set the pill bag down beside the wallet, "We got a bad guy off the street. It's a good day, man."
"Tch," Bakugo jerked his head and looked away, "The sooner we find Viper, the better."
Kirishima was silent as he watched a shadow pass over the blonde's face, "We're going to get him, dude. I know we will."
Bakugo clenched his fists behind the shield of his grenadiers, "I'm sick of wasting time with scumbags like this. I swear, it some half-ass agency brings that asshole in before me-"
"Dude," Kirishima cut in before Bakugo got too heated, "We're going to get him. We're the lead agency so we'll get clued in right away. Uravity deserves to get in on that action too."
Bakugo was silent as the brunette re-entered the conversation. He wanted to avoid that topic at all costs but Kirishima brought it up at every opportunity.
"You really need to talk to her, dude," Kirishima pressed the issue one more time.
Bakugo tossed a warning glare at his friend, "Would you fucking drop it?"
"Come on," Kirishima shrugged and gave his friend a goofy smile, "She was super bummed when you didn't say hi to her this morning. It sucks to see you guys like this."
Bakugo didn't reply for a long moment, "It's not up to me. It's up to her."
The red-head frowned, "So you're just going to ignore her?" He chuckled sarcastically, "Why? What's the point in that?"
"Fucking drop it!" Bakugo snapped before turning a glare on the villain, "What the fuck are you looking at, small-time?"
The villain blinked before looking away from the blonde, choosing not to reply.
"That's what I thought," Bakugo sneered and crossed his arms.
Kirishima didn't know what to think as he watched Bakugo's face. The blonde seemed to wander off in thought a lot recently and it was beginning to worry the red-head. Whatever was weighing down his friend, it seemed to only grow heavier as time went on. It was clear to him that it was Uraraka-related but he couldn't figure out why. Ever since Uraraka's party at the bar, the blonde had been grouchier than usual and Kirishima could only speculate so much. All he could do was hope that they'd work it out now that Uraraka was back at work.
Perhaps seeing each other every day would hurry the process along.
A smirk fell onto the red-heads lips as a plan hatched in his brain, "Oh man dude, I think my allergies are acting up or I'm getting a cold."
"The fuck?" Bakugo glanced over his shoulder at his partner.
"If it doesn't clear up by morning, I might call out," Kirishima shrugged, trying to hide his smirk, "You'll have to find a patrol partner to fill in if that's the case. Thankfully, there's a hero, or should I say heroine, that might need a partner for tomorrow. Maybe you can help convince her that she should be patrolling again."
Bakugo scowled deeply, "I swear Kirishima…" He trailed off, feeling the flurry of insults die on this tongue. Nothing he could say was going to keep the red-head from forcing him to do things he didn't want to do. It was something that Kirishima was becoming effortlessly good at.
If Kirishima was going to miss work tomorrow, Bakugo figured that he'd give him a real reason to call out. Perhaps strangulation would fit that bill.
Oh man... This has been one hell of a week for me, guys. I have been working so hard to keep my job and then coming home every night and working hard to chase my writing dreams. I'm sure that many of you are feeling the same way about your week. It's been tough and I am so grateful to each and every one of you for being so amazing week to week. You are all such a great influence in my life and it makes all of this hard work worth it. I really can't say thank you enough to everyone, whether you are simply someone who favorites, follows, reviews, or all of those things combined. I appreciate you all.
I hope you guys don't mind a little shameless self-promotion this week. I've been busting my butt on my novel and I will be releasing the first three chapters and prologue next weekend on April 5th. It will be available on Wattpad and I will be releasing more information about it this Sunday on my twitter profile (onlycamefortaco). It would mean so much to me if you guys would be willing to give it a read next week. It will be updated at a higher frequency than AGU so you'll have something to read between AGU chapters. I really hope you enjoy it and I will make sure to remind you next week.
I hope all of you are doing well and I am so grateful for your endless support. If you haven't already checked out my profile, I respond to all reviews there (even guest reviews!) so go look if you left a review on chapter 26! I also am on twitter so if you'd like more up-to-date information on chapter progress, you can always find me there at onlycamefortaco! It's fun getting to know all of you guys and I am really excited to see where we all go from here. I am so grateful to have you.
I appreciate you all and I hope you guys have an AMAZING week!
XOXOXO
