UPROAR
Summary: Just because you're a Pro doesn't mean you're immune to the shit life throws your way. But that's part of the fun, right? Right…? Ugh, All Might made it all look so easy. Aged-up. Rated T for now. Connected drabble series.
A/N: This chapter's title comes from the song by Machine Gun Kelly, Yungblood, and Travis Barker. The lyrics are just angsty enough to fit the mood I was trying to set while the music is still upbeat enough to prevent from becoming a complete downer…which is how I hope this chapter turned out, as well! Enjoy!
Chapter 10: I Think I'm Okay
Ochako balanced her two coffees and baggie of croissants in the tray as she struggled to fish her housekey out of her sports bra. Sure, she could always ring the doorbell, but she didn't want to wake Bakugo in such a rude way. Even though the jerk more than deserved it for how pushy he was this morning…
She pushed the door open and slipped off her sneakers before making her way inside. All was quiet as she tiptoed into the living room, where she presumed her unexpected guest to be. But there was no sign of him on the couch, so she ventured into the study just in case he'd elected to nap in Deku's big armchair instead for some reason. No such luck. At a loss, she impatiently deposited the cardboard tray of breakfast on the kitchen counter and tossed her zip-up on the back of the couch.
He wouldn't have…right? Even someone as brash as Bakugo Katsuki would still have some semblance of manners…right?
She tried the bedroom door and found it thankfully unlocked, opening the door so slowly it impressed even herself. And there in his all his topless glory lay Bakugo Katsuki, snoring logs on Deku's side of the bed with his dumbbells scattered on the carpet nearby. He must have passed out while trying to workout, considering he hadn't even managed to get himself beneath the blankets.
Ochako sighed and slid out of her socks and sweaty outer T-shirt, depositing them into the hamper. She tiptoed around to Deku's side of the bed and gently pulled up the knit blanket they had at the foot of the bed for decorative purposes. She draped it over him, but not before catching sight of the multiple hickeys that had formed all over his body, from the neck down to…she didn't want to know where. She opened the bedside table and fished out two pain relievers for what she assumed would be a headache for the record books. He'd apparently already found his own water.
Grabbing her towel from her side of the room, she made her way into the bathroom for a much-needed shower. Something made her want to wash off this day before it had even really begun. Maybe it was the idea of someone who wasn't quite-a-stranger, yet closer-than-acquaintance rummaging around her house? Not that she'd suspect Bakugo-kun of doing anything untoward in her absence, of course. Clearly, the guy was about as single-minded as Deku was when it came to alcohol – he either wanted to fight or fuck, and finding neither option available Bakugo-kun resorted to exercising like a celibate monk instead. Although, that trail of hickeys was exhibit A in which of the "F's" he'd previously participated in, and she rolled her eyes.
Under the hot spray of the showerhead, Ochako could feel her face begin to flush as she pictured it. She couldn't help it, considering the harder she tried to avoid thinking about it, the harder her mind worked to imagine it for her. Shirtless and pulsing with suppressed energy, what did his muscles look like under the strain of his exertions? Did he huff and puff like Deku did sometimes, pacing his breath to get the most out of that pent-up power?
Even back at school, she would feel guilty for stealing glances at the boys' side of the weight room. Every girl in class 1-A agreed that Todoroki-kun was the best-looking guy in their class, even taking his scar into consideration. Where things began to get less unanimous was when it came down to choosing who had the best muscles or who had the most powerful quirk. Things along those lines were up for heated debate; and very early on in their lives at the dorms, many a night was spent playfully bickering amongst each other for a definitive answer.
Her fantasies led her back to those nights on Yaoyorozu's plush carpeting, grinning and blushing as she listened to Ashido and Hagakure plead their cases about who had the bigger biceps between Kirishima and Bakugo. Ashido swore it was Kirishima, of course, since his hero costume left very little up for debate, while Hagakure insisted it was Bakugo since his costume required him to have strong arms. Ochako remembered speaking up one night in defense of Bakugo, using what Deku had told her about how difficult it had been wield one of his gauntlets during their final exam. But she had been quickly dismissed by Ashido who claimed that of course Deku would have had trouble wielding a gauntlet when his own arms didn't even work properly.
A few of the other girls had immediately come to both Ochako and Deku's defenses and Ashido ultimately apologized for her remark. She didn't mean for it to come out that way, and she knew how Ochako felt about Deku. Even back when she thought she was being stealthy about her crush, it had always been blatantly obvious to her friends.
She wondered what their teenaged selves would have to say about their classmates now. What would a 15-year-old Ochako have done with a shirtless 16-year-old Bakugo-kun slumbering in her bed? Probably completely lose her cool and wind up shrieking loud enough to startle him awake, only for him to find her smushed into the rafters on the ceiling in a panicked activation of her quirk. He'd then call her a stupid round-face and storm out of the room, and depending on his mood he may have teased her later on about how he could have ended their Sports Fest match by just taking off his shirt.
Ochako laughed at herself as she rinsed off and turned off the shower. Her teenaged years may not have been the typical experience had by others, but she was glad to have had them. Who knew what her life may have been without them? Without Bakugo treating her as an equal opponent during the Sports Festival in their first year, it may have taken even longer for her peers to take a girl like her seriously. Because what better way to prove herself than to hold her own against their scariest classmate? And without Deku there to encourage and inspire her growth as a fighter, she may not have developed her fierce determination as early as she did.
She wrapped her fluffy towel around herself and stared at her reflection in the floor-length anti-fog mirror. The vanity lights that surrounded it gave her a healthy glow and she felt better already. So what if things had gotten off to a rocky start this morning? She'd quite literally washed all that negativity down the drain, where it would stay. Yes, she missed Deku and things felt strange without him around. But this was just a brief return to the way things used to be. Yes, Tokyo was more intimidating than the sleepy neighborhoods she was used to, but she was the Zero Gravity Rescue Hero: Uravity, for crying out loud! She had the power to banish her insecurities within her very fingertips. This may not have been her city, but she would make damn sure it knew her name!
The delicate scent of flowers fluttered around his nose and gently guided him back on the path to the waking world. He groaned and kicked off whatever tangle of fabric had been smothering him, covering his sweltering face with his hand. The strong morning sun filtered through the open blinds on the balcony and he turned away from it. He heard some kind of rustling in the next room and cracked open one eye to peek at who was making so much noise. He caught the tail end of a plush teal-colored towel and the flash of a fleshy leg kicking the door shut, followed by the muffled sound of a hair dryer and instantly remembered where he was.
In spite of his aching head, Bakugo quickly sat up and peered around to survey his options. He spotted the two pain relievers and glass of water on the bedside table and made them both disappear without a second thought. Locating his shirt on the other side of the bed, he shrugged into it and hastily buttoned it back up, not really paying too much attention to accuracy. He slid out of the bed and trotted across the soft carpet to exit the bedroom, spotting a pair of coffee cups and croissants on the kitchen counter.
Without hesitation, he took one of each and drained half the coffee even though it was barely lukewarm by this point. He eyed a magnetic notepad on the fridge and grabbed the marker. Hearing the hair dryer shut off, he made for the genkan and felt his pockets for his wallet and phone before slipping into his shoes. He closed the front door as delicately as possible with his hands full of coffee and croissant and booked it for the elevator.
His phone told him it wasn't quite 8am yet, which meant he hadn't slept the entire day away yet. In the elevator he gulped down the last half of the black coffee and devoured the croissant like it was the last thing he'd ever eat. The doorman in the lobby eyed him as he quickly exited the building and Bakugo tried to ignore every other stranger giving him equally odd looks on the street. He wished for a pair of sunglasses with all his might, until he managed to catch his reflection in a shop window. His shirt was misbuttoned, like he was some frazzled secretary caught having an affair with the boss.
"Dammit." He spat, quickly rearranging his buttons as he galloped down the stairs into the train station. He slapped his wallet against the card reader and breezed through the gates just in time to hop onto the train before its doors slid closed.
It was packed enough to prevent him from snatching up a seat, but not at all close to the real rush hour crowding. He thanked his remaining lucky stars for that, because he wouldn't be able to handle riding for 20 minutes while packed-in like a can of sardines. Instead, he leaned against the wall nearest the exit and closed his eyes while trying to remain as out of the way as possible.
His stop came soon enough, and he gleefully hoofed the two minutes to his apartment, craving nothing more than his own bed and, potentially, a long hot soak in the tub. His doorman greeted him by tipping his hat with a knowing wink and he nodded his head at him in acknowledgment, beelining it for the elevator.
"Bakugo-san."
He paused and turned back around.
"I thought you would want to know that your guest hasn't been down yet this morning." The trustworthy old man informed him.
"My guest?" He echoed, dumbly.
"Yes." The doorman said slowly. "Your friend with the red hair? He showed me your message about the spare key from last night."
"Oh, right." Bakugo shook his head to help the coffee clear it out. "Thanks."
"You're very welcome, sir."
Catching his breath, Bakugo emerged from the elevator and stopped in front of his front door. He punched his code into the keypad on the doorknob and kicked off his shoes, breathing in the scent of his own apartment like it would restore his waning energy. Dragging his feet, he suddenly felt utterly drained as he took in the state of his living room. He stared in disbelief and exhaustion at Mikan, who was sleeping in a neat ball atop his shameless friend's bare ass, as he sawed logs between the legs of an equally nude fawn-haired girl on the couch.
He'd have to set it on fire in order to properly sanitize it.
"Oi!" He barked, kicking the arm of the couch hard enough to shove it across the floor. "Get up!"
The wanton lovers startled awake and leapt off each other like he'd sprayed them with water (which he'd been considering), covering their respective bodies as they turned their bewildered gazes to the fuming Bakugo.
"Ah, Bakugo!" Kirishima smiled. "I'm sorry about this – we drank way too much last night –"
"Save it!" He held up his hand and retrieved the girl's clothes from the floor for her. "And get out!"
"Okay, okay!" The girl relented, unabashedly stepping into her dress in front of the boys. "Can one of you zip me up?"
They stared, dumbfounded and peeved, respectively.
"Get out!" Bakugo commanded again, this time with sparks firing from his hands like warning shots.
The girl collected her underthings and purse from the floor, immediately stuffing them inside. She grabbed her phone and quickly checked her messages, turning an astounded eye to Bakugo.
"What!?" He demanded, wondering how much louder he'd have to yell before she'd finally leave.
She only burst out into laughter and shook her head. "Nothing, nothing at all! It's just…so much for Mr. Explosion Hero…"
He slammed his fist against the wall and detonated an explosion that left the drywall crumbling. "GET OUT!"
Kirishima's eyes nearly fell out of his skull, but the girl remained unfazed.
"Yeah, yeah." She smirked. "You said that already." She clapped him on the shoulder as she passed him by and turned back to address Kirishima. "Let's do this again sometime, Eiji-kun." She winked. "You have my number."
Bakugo was practically growling as he watched her collect her shoes and finally disappear out the door.
"What the hell was that?" Kirishima had thankfully replaced his underwear in the time it took Yuri to leave.
"Nothing." Bakugo grumbled, steam rising from his ears in his anger.
"That didn't look like nothing." He insisted.
"Well, that's what it was!" He snapped.
Kirishima took a tentative step forward. "Did something happen last night?"
"No, in fact, nothing happened!" He shouted. "Happy? Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"No, of course not, man!" The redhead assured him when the situation finally dawned on him. "Listen, shit just happens sometimes. We had so many of those stupid drinks last night that I'm surprised I wasn't wheeled out on a gurney!"
His attempt at humor did nothing to brighten Bakugo's foul mood, who was grinding his teeth by this point.
"Why don't you hop in the shower and I'll order us some food in the meantime?" He offered in a softer voice that only irked Bakugo more. "Then we can sneak into the gym at work and beat the shit outta those training dummies, yeah?"
Bad mood aside, that actually did sound pretty nice.
"Sound good?" Kirishima had talked his friend off so many ledges in the past that he had his lines practically memorized by now. "Go on. I'll call you when the food's here."
Ochako emerged from the bathroom to find the bed empty. She ventured into the vacant kitchen, noting the missing coffee cup and croissant, and peered into the living room. Aki yowled in acknowledgment and Ochako crossed her arms in perplexity, examining the genkan for an extra pair of shoes that weren't there.
"Well, how do you like that?"
She returned to the kitchen, placing her coffee into the microwave and her croissant into the toaster oven. Grasping the handle of the fridge, a note on her dry erase board caught her eye.
"Thanks."
She could practically hear the hasty scrawl shouting out at her, but a soft smile crept onto her lips regardless…before the smell of burning bread sent her scrambling for the toaster.
A/N: I love the idea of Kirishima being best buds with Bakugo despite his hair-pin trigger temper and overreactions to the slightest inconveniences. Like Bakugo is high key the most extra person in existence, but Kirishima is always there to diffuse these situations…mostly because he's one of the few people who can actually take an explosive punch from him! Ah, I almost forgot! Next chapter is our first villain appearance!