When Tsuyu woke up, she struggled to remember where she was and what had happened. As she blinked and groaned through the throbbing headache, she slowly began recollecting her day. A lukewarm coffee, exasperation towards the new intern's mistake, and an unusually large influx of people visiting for the day.
Looking around, she was laying down in a hospital bed, and Tsuyu frowned slightly, as she tried to remember what happened. A few flashes of memory sparked the events, masked men, her own reckless behavior to save a child, and flying through the air after being punched. After that, there wasn't anything else she could properly recall, except for a strange feeling of weightlessness and warmth.
"Nee-san!" Takeo, her youngest sibling burst into the room, looking ready to cry. He still wore his school uniform and Tsuyu wondered what time it was. He rushed to her side, face filled with worry, and Tsuyu immediately regretted being so impulsive.
"Why aren't you in school?" Tsuyu's voice was dry and her throat sore. She coughed slightly as Takeo fumbled with his backpack, presenting his own water bottle to his sister. She slowly tried sitting up and was thankful that it wasn't as difficult as she thought it would be.
"Once Tao-nii called me, I had to come! Dad, Tao-nii, and Taku-nii are all on their way. The doctor told me that you're fine, just a concussion, bruised ribs, and a twisted ankle. You'll be out of the hospital tomorrow morning, he promised!" Takeo was the youngest and most excitable of her brothers, and she wished he'd speak a little lower.
Shortly after the other Asui family members arrived, forming a worried circle around her. They all brought thoughtful gifts, food, and flowers, and Tsuyu felt they were turning this into a much larger event than it had to be.
"Tsu-nee, you can't fight these villains. They're ruthless, they won't hesitate to hurt you if given the chance, no, they'll enjoy it. Next time please wait for the heroes to arrive." Tao, the eldest of the brothers worried the most.
"She works there and there was a child's life at stake. Tsu-nee did the right thing." Taku, the middle brother countered, pushing his glasses up.
"Boys, please. Tsuyu needs rest. You can bicker all you want at home. Tao, Taku, Takeo, please return home, I'll stay with her tonight." Their calm father spoke over the bickering siblings, understanding that his daughter would prefer some peace.
The three of them protested in unison, all of them wanting to watch over their beloved sister. Since the death of their mother, Tsuyu was the closest thing they had to a motherly figure, and they were all very attached to her.
The sliding door slowly opened, interrupting the noisy Asui family. All the members stared at the newcomer in varying degrees of surprise, as Dynamight, Deku, and Shoto all stood at the doorway, garbed in their imposing hero costumes.
Tsuyu's heart skipped a beat at seeing her favorite heroes in the flesh, and she quickly tried to sit up straighter. Takeo had already filled her in on how the three of them had been responsible for saving the aquarium, and she had lamented not being able to properly remember everything.
"May we come in?" Deku asked kindly, and the Asui men all nodded eagerly, standing up respectfully.
"Of course, of course! I must thank you for saving my daughter. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her." Tsuyu's father, Kazuki, bowed deeply. His three sons followed suit.
"Please, there's no need. We're just doing our jobs." Shoto's voice sounded awkward.
Dynamight, however, ignored all of them to walk up to Tsuyu's bedside. He towered over her, his hands curled into fists at her side. She looked up at him curiously, and there was something about his face that looked familiar. His mask covered his eyes, but the shape of the jaw, the color of the hair, and the bright red eyes made her think of Bakugo.
His jaw was clenched and she could see the tension in his muscles, straining under the pressure he placed on them.
"Dynamight-san, my brother told me you were the one who took me to the ambulance. Thank you. It seems you've saved me again, kero." Tsuyu smiled at him, and his posture relaxed a bit.
"Don't make it a habit, Asui." He spoke gruffly. Turning towards her surprised family members, he nodded once, before suddenly turning around and stomping out of the room, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Shoto followed him out almost immediately, but Deku stayed for a little while longer, to reassure her parents and shake Tsuyu's hand. He left with a smile, and Tsuyu noticed that when he opened the door, Dynamight was still lurking outside, spotting the side of his costume.
As soon as they were gone, Tsuyu was bombarded with questions by her brother, on how she knew Dynamight, and when they had first met. She tried answering all of them, but her head began hurting again, and she could only ask them to allow her some rest.
Following her wishes, the three siblings excused themselves, leaving behind the father. He gently helped her lay down and tucked her in as he used to do when she was a kid.
"Tsuyu, promise me you'll be careful. If you get too involved with these hero types, you'll only get hurt." He cautioned her. Tsuyu smiled reassuringly.
"I'm not involved with any hero. I promise."
The next day she was allowed to leave the hospital and return home. Her brothers stopped by before heading to their work and schools, leaving her behind with her father to follow through with the discharge procedure. As she signed papers in the hospital lobby, she spotted a familiar face lurking among the crowd.
He was standing around with his hands in his pockets, his back bent forward and a scowl on his handsome face. She smiled and waved at him when their eyes met. He nodded once, and slowly approached her.
"Hey." He nodded to her.
"Hello, what are you doing here?" Tsuyu wondered what Bakugo was doing in the hospital, as he didn't look injured at all. He didn't look like he worked there either, so she assumed he was visiting a patient.
"I uh…"
"Tsuyu, are you finished with the forms, we have to get going, my boss…" Her father interrupted Bakugo but quickly stopped talking when he noticed the young man.
"Oh, the nurse asked me to wait for the medication. They were out of stock in the front so she had to get some in storage. Do you have to go? You have an important client, don't you?" Tsuyu knew her father well. He worked hard to sustain their large family by himself and she didn't want him to miss out on a good opportunity.
"Well yes, but I can't just leave you. The doctor said you're not supposed to be alone for the day and you're not allowed to drive either. I'll call my boss, family comes first." Her father looked at his phone sadly and Tsuyu felt guilty once more.
"I can look after her, sir." Bakugo stepped up, volunteering. Tsuyu and her dad both directed wide eyes towards him. "I'm uh, free for the day and she's my friend so…" Bakugo looked awkward, but he still earnestly held her father's critical look.
"Yeah, don't worry about me, dad. Go get your promotion." Tsuyu smiled encouragingly. Her father still shot a skeptical look towards the young man.
"I'll tell Takeo to head over to your place as soon as he's done with school for the day." Her father sounded unhappy but he still relented. Tsuyu was glad to see him go, happy that her actions hadn't ruined anyone else's well-being.
Bakugo and Tsuyu still waited for several minutes for the nurse to arrive with her medication when Tsuyu realized a problem.
"Ah, did you come here to visit someone? I can wait until you're done…" She offered. Tsuyu hated being a burden on others and she didn't want to ruin Bakugo's day either.
"Huh? Oh, I already saw them, don't worry about it." He shrugged. Tsuyu blinked twice in surprise. She was certain that non-family visiting hours had just started so he wouldn't have had the time to visit anyone.
But Bakugo had never lied to her, and he didn't sound like he was missing out on anything, simply focused on picking up her things. She decided to let it go, for thinking too hard still made her head hurt.
.
.
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Bakugo tried to steady his breathing. When he went to the hospital he had just hoped to catch a glimpse of her to make sure she was okay. He certainly didn't expect to be standing by her side as she unlocked her door, apologizing in advance. He'd never visited another woman's home before, certainly not alone, and he wasn't really planning on doing anything, but he still felt anxious.
"I'm really sorry, I uh, my apartment isn't the most normal kind, there are a few things about it, if you're bothered, please let me know and I'll try to uh…" She was rambling as she walked in, and he wasn't paying too much attention, knowing that nothing would ever be as weird as Deku's All Might fanboy shrine.
She turned on the lights, revealing a neat living room, a small dining table, and a compact kitchen. There was nothing too strange about it until he noticed that it was warm and humid. He set down the bag by the entrance and took off his shoes.
"I don't talk about this often, but my quirk is well... a frog. So I set up a more specialized living environment that suits me better. If it's too hot or too humid for you, just let me know and I can change it for you." She was looking down, fumbling with her keys and Bakugo knew she felt self-conscious.
He shrugged off his jacket, throwing it on the back of the couch, and sat down.
"I don't mind. This kind of environment doesn't bother me." Bakugo was telling the truth. His body was used to high temperatures and he had long since trained himself to control his sweat glands. To him, hot and humid meant nothing.
He was rewarded with a relieved smile.
"If you don't mind, I'll uh quickly clean up. I feel like I smell like a hospital and it's not the nicest thing." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and he couldn't help but think she was cute. "Maybe afterward we can order something to eat?"
"Yeah." He noticed her slight limp as she walked. "Let me know if you need help with anything." He told her and she nodded. Tsuyu disappeared into her bedroom and Bakugo looked around.
Her apartment was just like her, pragmatic, smart, and oddly charming. She had pictures of her family, books about marine life, and a small aquarium in the corner. Standing up, he walked towards her kitchen, hoping for a glass of water.
When he opened the fridge he noticed several neatly arranged ingredients and wondered if she frequently ate at home. If her quirk required specific living conditions, it probably required a specific diet. He recalled that he rarely ever saw her eating at the aquarium café, and staring at the neatly arranged vegetables in front of him, an idea came to mind.
Most people assumed he had no useful skills outside the realm of being a hero, but his family had always made him help out around the house, and Bakugo was perfectly capable of cooking and cleaning on his own. Tsuyu's kitchen was just as neatly organized and practical as everything else, and it didn't take long for him to find the supplies he was looking for.
Bakugo wrapped the green apron around him and set off to make vegetarian fried rice. He deftly chopped the vegetables, turned on the rice cooker, and was about to start frying when he felt her enter the room.
"What are you doing?" Her hair was wet, tied up in a bun, and he admired the different look. He'd always seen her at her workplace, but now he could see her casually at her home. She wore shorts and a simple t-shirt. And he couldn't help but notice she had pretty legs. The bandages wrapped around her ankle made his heart hurt, but he quickly returned his gaze to her face.
"I'm cooking. Vegetable fried rice." Bakugo's answer was succinct and he didn't give her time to protest. Turning back to the small over he lit up the fire, dumping oil on the skillet.
"You didn't have to, we could have ordered." She protested. Bakugo shrugged.
"I like cooking." He wasn't lying about it. He preferred homemade meals more than restaurants, and it was much easier to maintain a diet by cooking his own food.
She hovered around the kitchen, watching what he was doing, until eventually she stopped, satisfied that he wasn't about to burn her house down. She tried helping out by setting the table, but the small groan of pain she released earned her a fierce glare from Bakugo.
Pouting, Tsuyu resigned herself to watch him from the table. Bakugo concentrated on the work at hand, but a part of him dwelled on how domestic the situation was, and how much he didn't hate it. He'd always been a loner, and even at his parent's house he enjoyed solitude more, but here he was, enjoying her presence around him.
"So I was wondering, what do you do for a living, Bakugo-chan?" She broke the silence and Bakugo's hand stopped moving for a second.
He had been dreading this question for a while. Bakugo hadn't been hiding his heroic identity from her, but it hadn't yet come up, and it had been so long now that he was afraid she'd think he had been hiding it.
"I'm a hero." He muttered. Bakugo was purposely vague, to allow her to dictate how much she wanted to know. If she asked him for more details he'd confess, but if she didn't, he wouldn't bring it up.
Her reaction was a small snort, which caused him to turn around to face her. She was looking at him with a triumphant smile and a mischievous look. He had never seen her make that face before and he committed it to memory.
"Dynamight-san is making my lunch." She giggled slightly, and Bakugo turned back around to hide his blush. He hadn't expected her to figure it out so easily, but then again, he hadn't exactly been subtle.
"How did you know?" He couldn't help but ask.
"Well, yesterday you called me by name, and despite the mask, your red eyes and blonde hair kind of gave it away. I won't tell anyone, of course. I'm sure you want privacy." She explained. Bakugo nodded. It was true that his costume wasn't the most concealing one, but he still had to give her wit credit.
"I wasn't really trying to hide it. Just never came up." Bakugo added. He finished cooking and deftly began distributing portions in the cute frog-patterned bowls she pointed out to him.
"I'm not blaming you. Announcing who you are to everyone is reckless, right? Probably would only bring you trouble." She smiled at him again as he set the table and he couldn't help but smile back.
This woman was still impressive. Everyone else in the world only annoyed him, since none of them understood how he thought, only seeing him at a basic surface level. But she was always both uncomfortably close and respectfully distant when it came to understanding him.
"I'm sorry. If I hadn't insisted on being part of the operation, Todoroki might have gone in sooner and you would have been rescued earlier." Bakugo finally voiced the concern that had been gnawing at his heart since he placed her in the ambulance.
"Don't apologize. These situations are always too complicated for one person to shoulder the blame. I could have been smarter and not picked a fight, the villains could have chosen another day to attack, you still saved me and got me the medical care I needed and that's all that matters." Tsuyu faced him seriously and he found himself incapable of looking away from her large eyes. He still felt bad, but a weight he didn't know was burdening him was suddenly gone.
"I'm glad you are safe, Tsuyu." Bakugo smiled sincerely for the first time in a long while. If it had been a little wider, he'd have shown some teeth.
"Call me Tsu-chan." She grinned at him and his smile quickly dissipated.
"No way."
She laughed at him, and Bakugo couldn't help but smirk. For the first time in his life, he felt perfectly at peace.
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Tsuyu took a whole week off of work. Her boss was very understanding and she took the time to rest and recuperate. Her ankle hurt and her head pulsed, but by the end of the week, she felt back to normal. In a way, she was thankful for her quirk, which allowed her to reach faraway objects without too much effort.
Her brothers took turns keeping her company and she was glad to spend the time with them. One worked, the other went to university and the youngest was still in high school, but she loved all of them equally. However, her mind frequently drifted to another man entirely: Bakugo Katsuki, aka Dynamight.
He was a mystery to her. She knew the aquarium wasn't part of his hero agency's turf, so his constant visits puzzled her. She didn't picture one of the most popular yet controversial heroes spending his time off in an aquarium admiring oceanic wildlife. During her time off, she spent time looking at hero news, keeping track of his past and present work.
Dynamight exploded into the hero scene as soon as he graduated top of his class at U.A. She found several old videos of him as a student, loudly and brashly antagonizing everyone around him. Since then he had joined Best Jeanist's agency, steadily and rapidly climbing the hero billboard rankings.
Although he was highly popular and incredibly effective at his job, many didn't enjoy his personality, calling him rude and unapologetic. Thinking back to their interactions, she could agree that he wasn't nice and never engaged in platitudes or pleasantries, but he had never once been rude to her.
Tsuyu wondered if she'd see him as often now that she knew his hero identity. She assumed the reason he visited the aquarium so often had to be the peace and anonymity it provided him, and now those were ruined. She regretted not asking for his phone number when he had been at her place. Tsuyu sighed miserably and resigned herself to never seeing him again.
On her first day back, she was warmly welcomed by all her coworkers, who even prepared a small party, complete with cake and party poppers. Tsuyu felt reassured that even no matter how much her heart worried over Bakugo, she was still surrounded by people who cared for her.
After the gathering, the day proceeded just as any other would, although Bakugo wasn't there. It wasn't one of the days he'd show up anyways and she tried to not let it get to her. Several rooms were closed due to repairs after the fight and yet their guest count was large, boosted by the recent news coverage.
Tsuyu spent her afternoon looking after guests, providing information, answering questions, and patrolling the tanks, hoping the increased human count didn't stress out their wildlife too much. By the end of the day, she felt exhausted. She yawned as she walked towards the exit, ready to head to her bus stop. Tsuyu's doctor told her she still wasn't allowed to drive for another week.
As soon as she stepped outside she noticed a small group of girls pointing and whispering to a rooftop. Curious, Tsuyu looked up. Dynamight stood on the roof of the building, arms crossed, glaring down at the street menacingly. She looked at him and his eyes immediately met hers. Tsuyu smiled awkwardly, wondering if she should wave, but before she could make a decision, he turned around, disappearing.
Tsuyu tried not to be too disappointed, but she couldn't help it. Slowly she shuffled her way to the bus stop, trying to swallow the sadness that was coming over her. Don't be an idiot, she chastised herself, it's almost like you have feelings for him. He's at best a distant friend, she repeatedly told herself. Her traitorous heart wouldn't be convinced, and Tsuyu morosely waited for her bus to arrive.
She leaned on her better leg, trying not to put too much weight on her recently injured ankle, but after several minutes, her other leg began to complain. Tsuyu shifted her weight, but cramps hit her leg, upsetting her balance. Surprised, Tsuyu reached out to hold on to anything, taking hold of the nearest source of stability.
The thing she wrapped her fingers around grabbed her back, stabilizing her with its superior strength. She looked at whoever had helped her thankfully, but her thanks died on her lips, shocked to see Bakugo standing there, wearing a civilian get up. He raised his eyebrows at her, helping her stand together. Once she was again stable atop both her feet, he tried letting her go, but her quirk maintained her hand linked to his arm.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Tsuyu quickly released her grip on his arm, blushing. He nodded, and stepped closer, standing next to her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, noticing the messiness of the shirt and the unruly edges of his hair. "I just… You were there and now you're here." Tsuyu sometimes hated her mouth for speaking before she could think, and this was one of those moments.
"What do you mean?" He looked confused, but there was mischief in his eyes. In that second, Tsuyu's worries melted away. He cared enough about her to ominously wait for her to finish work and awkwardly join her on her way home.
"Nothing, don't worry about it." She smiled happily. "Today we had so many guests, did you know that Dynamight, Shoto, and Deku all fought some terrorists here a week ago?" She teased him.
"Really? I didn't know, I don't keep up with hero news." Bakugo faked surprise and Tsuyu couldn't help but chuckle at his terrible acting. Her bus arrived and she pointed it out. He nodded and followed her inside, taking the seat next to her.
"Oh, I didn't get your number the other day. Do you want to trade numbers?" Tsuyu asked, remembering her previous regret. She pulled out her phone, showing it to him. He looked at it for a few seconds, making her nervous.
"Uh, sure. I don't really use my phone outside of work, though." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone that looked a bit like an older model. As he filled out her contact, Tsuyu peeked at his screen and noticed he used all the default settings. She wondered if being a hero meant he had no time to idle by on his phone as everyone else did.
"Well, if you ever need me for anything, I'm always using my phone." Tsuyu smiled reassuringly. She felt like despite the fear and the pain the incident had given her, the fact that it pushed her relationship with Bakugo a little bit forward almost made her thankful.