Author's Note: Thank you for the favorites and follows!
Thank you to my gracious and wonderful reviewers: maxridelover, nurwanyy, honeytea8, and kurokitty. Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. This new chapter is dedicated to all of you, and I hope you like it.
"Did you see her this morning?" Deku asked as they were getting ready.
"No. She was already gone by the time I got up," Kacchan replied.
"Do you think she's okay?" Deku pulled the knot of the tie up, but it was too big and too crooked - just like the way he always tied his ties in high school. Groaning in frustration, he untangled the fat, lopsided knot to start over.
"She's fine. This isn't her first performance, you know." Kacchan watched as Deku twisted the tail of the red silk tie around the other side again. He grunted in irritation. After all these years Deku still could not tie a tie correctly.
"I know but - " he began to be cut off when Kacchan snatched the tie out of his hand.
"For God's sake, I can't take it anymore," he grumbled as he deftly tied the tie in a perfect Windsor knot, sliding it into place and ending the frustration for the both of them.
"How do you know how to do that?" Deku inquired, staring at his reflection and the absolutely flawless tie as he tucked the tail into his black jacket. "You don't even wear ties."
"Yeah, well, I know how to do a lot of things," he muttered, annoyed as always. "We need to go. We're going to be late. Uraraka and Kirishima are meeting us at the concert hall."
They walked downstairs in preparation to continue on to the corner to hail a cab. However, when they reached the bottom stair, a long black limousine slid to a stop along the sidewalk. The driver, outfitted in a cliched limo driver's uniform including the cap and white gloves got out to greet them.
"Mr. Midoriya and Mr. Bakugo, I presume," he said.
"Yeah. That's us. Who the hell are you?" demanded Bakugo testily.
"Miss Otani sent me. I'll be driving you to the concert hall," he replied dutifully, unfazed by the man's rudeness. He opened the back door of the vehicle to invite them inside.
"Hi, Deku! Hi, Bakugo!" Uraraka addressed them, leaning forward in the seat.
"Hey, guys!" Kirishima piped up, sitting in the seat across from her.
"What are you guys doing here?" Deku asked, happy to see them.
"Your friend found our addresses and sent the car to pick us up first to surprise you," she explained, patting the black leather seat for him to sit beside her.
Bakugo slid into the seat beside Kirishima. All three men were wearing black suits. Deku wore a black shirt and red tie with his. Kirishima was the opposite with a red shirt and black tie. Bakugo, rebellious as ever, wore no tie with his black shirt. At least he wore the damn suit. Close enough. Takara would have to be happy with that.
Ochako Uraraka wore a pale pink chiffon dress with fluttery short sleeves and a flowing waterfall skirt. Her hair, which presently hung well below her shoulders, had been curled into soft spiral curls.
"You look beautiful, Uraraka," Deku complimented her, blushing despite simply giving his best friend an innocent flattering remark.
"You look good yourself, Deku," she responded in kind. Reaching for his tie, she patted the knot. "Good job on the tie."
"Kacchan tied it for me," he admitted, his blush deepening as he self-consciously straightened the already straight tie.
"Oh, after all these years, it's still difficult huh?" she said sympathetically.
"Yeah," he sighed. "At least I had someone to help me."
"You need to get yourself a damn girlfriend to help you with these kind of things," grumbled Kacchan. "I'm not going to be around forever to babysit you, you know."
"So what's the deal with this neighbor of yours? Is she some kind of celebrity or something?" Kirishima asked.
"Yeah. She's a famous musician, idiot. You've heard her music before during our workouts," Bakugo reminded him.
"Oh, yeah I forgot," he laughed at himself, resisting the urge to scratch the back of his head since he had slicked down his usually spiked hair.
"She's a really nice person. And a good cook," Deku added proudly.
"Yeah, but her singing sucks," Bakugo muttered.
"You've heard her sing?" Deku inquired, almost sounding hurt.
"Don't cry... damn," he groused. "Trust me, you're not missing anything. If you heard her, you probably really would cry."
"Hey, guys, look!" Uraraka interjected to change the subject. She pointed at the mini refrigerator and fully stocked bar complete with glasses. "Why don't we have a drink? I think we all need to relax. Especially you, Bakugo."
~\'/~
Takara stood at the corner of backstage, peeking around the heavy maroon curtain. She was anxiously awaiting for the arrival of her special guests. Their seats were located in front of the stage where she would be sitting. She was rethinking that location now. At first she thought having them so close would calm her and encourage her. At the moment, she was positive the idea of them being right there, having a literal front row seat to any mistake she might make, was making her more anxious.
As she scanned the crowd, her eyes stopping at each entrance along the way, a familiar head of unruly, pointy pale blond hair appeared. Deku was behind him along with their two friends. The brown haired woman was very pretty. Her arm was linked through Deku's. Jealousy flashed through her before she quickly pushed it away. Deku told her they had been friends since high school. If anything was going to happen between them, it already would have.
Takara inhaled deeply when her chest began to ache. When nervous she had a tendency to hold her breath. A life long nervous habit she had never been able to change. She fiddled with the old fashioned cameo pendant attached to the black velvet choker around her neck. The silhouetted bust of a woman carved from mother of pearl lay against a glossy obsidian background. Her mother had given her the necklace as a good luck charm before her first public performance when she was still in middle school. The necklace belonged to her grandmother who she had never met.
Her fingers smoothed down the slightly puffy skirt of the sleeveless maroon dress that had been chosen for her to wear. She did not particularly like the slit cut up to her hip on one side but at least the large skirt went all the the way down to the floor. Her leg only showed when she walked. She clasped her hands together to resist the urge to clench handfuls of her skirt which would wrinkle the silk fabric.
She watched as they took their seats. They all looked so handsome in their suits. A joyful smile graced her lips to see Bakugo in a suit. He 'cleaned up nicely' as they say. She did not even notice the absence of a tie. Deku looked incredible. Unable to see his freckles, he appeared to be every bit of the gorgeous grown man that he is rather than an overgrown child.
"Takara? Are you ready?" the Maestro asked her, touching her elbow gently as not to startle her.
She inhaled another refreshing breath to fill her starved lungs. "I'm ready, Sir."
"Shall we?" He offered her his arm to escort her onto the stage.
'Teacher's pet,' she could almost hear the other's chanting the juvenile taunt as she took his arm. But it's not like she could cheat on a test or be given higher marks than she deserved. She either had the talent or she did not. And thanks in great part to this man's tutelage, she had the talent it took to make the rise to star musician.
The Maestro led her out onto the stage, followed by her fellow musicians. The females were escorted by male counterparts who played the same instrument. The orchestra was evenly divided between men and women mostly for aesthetic purposes. They were also arranged in their row not only by the instrument they played but also their height as well. Presentation was strictly focused on for this performance, almost as much as musical ability.
At the front of the stage, Takara slipped her arm from her kind escort's, curtsying to the audience. The Maestro bowed deeply in greeting as well. Her knees felt wobbly as she pivoted to go to her chair at the end of the first row while he went to take his place on the pedestal at the front. Each duo repeated the process to greet their audience before taking their chairs where their instruments had been placed on stands much earlier.
Takara looked down at her guests in front of her before the spotlights came up to illuminate the entire stage. Deku waved and smiled broadly. Bakugo stared at her without changing facial expression from his typical unsmiling, grumpy one. The other two smiled and waved at her. She waved back with a big smile. Her eyes settled on Bakugo, returning his scowl.
Once all of the orchestra members were standing by their chairs, they bowed to the crowd in unison. The audience clapped in acknowledgement. The Maestro flicked on his microphone and turned to address the people taking a seat in their chairs.
"Tonight we are here to have fun. We will be performing for you an eclectic mix of classical and contemporary, new and old. Both given our own personal touch to make the experience all new and exciting. Please enjoy," he said, bowing and rotating back around to face his musicians.
Raising his baton, a hush fell over the entire place. Not a sound could be heard. Not even breathing. Takara could hear the deafening sound of her heartbeat in her head like a stampede of horses on her brain. She readied her bow. His hands moved. Time to begin.
Takara tried not to think of her solo that would take place at the end of the concert. She would wrap things up. That would be when she takes everyone on a mental trip with her. But until then, she had other pieces to play.
At intermission, she had to stay backstage. She would have loved to speak with everyone, to officially meet Uraraka and Kirishima. However, the musicians were not allowed to mingle with the guests because they would dominate too much of their time and prevent them from resting to energize themselves to play the rest of the concert. No wonder people thought musicians were such divas.
When the time came for her solo, Takara picked up her cello and strode toward the middle of the stage. Her head held high, eyes facing forward, she exuded much more confidence then she felt. Smiling and nodding at the people while they clapped, unable to see them because of the lights blinding her, she positioned the cello in front of her while standing and readied herself.
Closing her eyes, she formed the image a lovely dancer in her head. Tall and thin, long limbed and elegant. Wearing a peach colored bodysuit and gossamer skirt over the top, the woman almost appeared naked at first. Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun twisted at the crown of her head and not a hair out of place.
Takara pulled her bow across the strings and the dancer moved, extending her fingers toward the sky as if reaching for something. Eyes closed, face bearing a rapturous expression, she lifted her body on the toes of one foot. The graceful ballerina spun and leapt her way through everyone's head, entertaining them with sight as her maker performed the sound.
She purposely kept the mental imagery plain and straightforward, seeking sophistication in simplicity from the classical movements displayed by the solitary dancer. Emotional impact arose from the ballerina's facial expressions and use of her hands. A sad expression and grasping fingers to emulate loss or searching for something. A pinched angry face and pounding fists to convey rage.
When it was over, the audience remained eerily quiet. Takara gulped and it made a sound that she would swear echoed through the deadly silent hall. Tears burned her eyeballs and flooded the corners. Oh, no! She had blown it. She had gone too basic and bored everyone right out of their heads. The lights dimmed, and turned downward as she made her way back to her chair. Her heels clicked on the floor which might as well have been thunderclaps in the disturbing stillness. A single tear escaped her eye and zigzagged down her cheek.
Then a single person began to clap. Her eyes lifted to see Bakugo standing to his feet while clapping. Deku stood up and clapped for her as well. Their friends on either side of them joined in. Soon the entire audience was on their feet and shaking the building with thunderous applause.
Her eyes met Bakugo's since the lights were subdued enough for her to see him. The hint of a smile played at the edges of his mouth.
'Thank you,' she mouthed to him.
She bowed to show her gratitude to the audience for the standing ovation Bakugo started for her. After catching his eye, she bowed to him specifically to thank him again for his unexpected kindness.
~\'/~
The man who had picked them up in the limousine met them at the end of aisle. The hat and gloves were gone. Only the three piece black suit and shiny patent leather shoes remained.
"Hey, aren't you the driver?" Bakugo asked gruffly. "It's not time to go home yet. Isn't there a party after this?"
"Yes, sir, there is indeed a party. That's why I'm here...to lead you there. Follow me please," he requested, turning his back to them. "I am actually Miss Otani's manager. I do what she needs me to do."
"That must be nice," Bakugo muttered in return. "For her I mean."
"I suppose it is. I've been with her for a very long time. I think of her like my own daughter," the man said, eyeballing the brusque blonde. The man appeared to be in his late thirties, early forties, not really old enough to qualify as being her father but whatever. "So you're her neighbor I take it?"
"Yeah. So?"
"She has told me a lot about you," he said, pausing as his dark, sharp eyes flickered over to Deku. "Both of you. She speaks of the two of you fondly...and often."
"And your point is?" he retorted abruptly, growing suspicious as to what the man might be hinting at.
"I'm glad she has good neighbors to look out for her. That's all," the Manager assured the distrustful man.
The Manager led them through a corridor that reminded them of a school hallway. They arrived at a set of double doors that distinctly resembled the doors of a gym. However, these glass and metal doors opened to a grand ballroom. On the stage, a DJ played music. At the moment, a slow classical tune played at a lower volume from the music of the concert to give everyone's ears a break. Bars were set up in each corner of the room and round tables surrounded a dance floor in front of the stage.
Servers in white shirts, black vests, and black pants carried around silver trays of hors d ouvres and wine. At the moment, people were still getting drinks and milling about, saying hello and talking. No one had yet taken to the dance floor.
Takara stood several yards away speaking to a couple who congratulated her on such a great performance. Her eyes moved about the room, searching for her friends, while she spoke to them. When her eyes met Bakugo's, a big smile broke out across her face. Thanking the couple for their kind words and excusing herself, she hurried over to him.
"Hi," she said breathlessly, standing in front of Bakugo.
"Hello," he rejoined. "Great performance. The ballerina was stunning. She fit the song perfectly. Understated but impactful. I quite liked it."
"Thank you," she gushed in a whisper, her body visibly vibrating with excitement from his kind and positive review. Her eyes skirted down his body and back up to his face quickly. "And you look incredible. You really should wear a suit more often. You make that suit look good."
"Wow," mumbled Kirishima at her eloquent return flattery.
"Is that...Bakugo?" Kirishima asked. "When did he...when did he become so well spoken...and nice?"
"He has his moments," Deku replied, stepping up beside him to speak to her next. As if to one up Bakugo, whether intentional or not, he threw his arms around Takara's shoulders in a shocking public display of affection.
"Oh, my," Uraraka gasped at the sight; mostly because she had never seen Deku be so forward.
"That was breathtaking. Simply amazing," Deku complimented her.
Takara hugged him back making the others jaws drop in unison.
"So the three of you are really good friends, I see," Kirishima murmured to Bakugo, nudging him in the ribs with an elbow.
"Shut up," he growled in response, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm going to go get a drink."
"Oh, by the way," Deku declared, bringing her attention to Kirishima and Uraraka to begin introductions.
They exchanged names and handshakes and bows before deciding to follow Bakugo's lead to get a drink. After getting their beverages, they joined Bakugo at a table far away from the stage but near a bar so they could converse amongst themselves and keep their drinks filled.
"This is so nice. Thank you so much for this evening," Uraraka said to Takara.
"Oh, it's no problem at all. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. Oh, before I forget," she said, laying her hand over Deku's that was close to hers on the table. "There is a charity event next month. I would like all of you to come to that as well. I'll buy an entire table. You can bring along two more friends, and I'll send my manager out to pick you all up. Oooh, or better yet," she said, bouncing in her seat with childlike glee. "You all can come over to my apartment. Just bring your clothes to change. We can have a cook out and swim...just have a party all day!"
"Are you sure that's a good idea? You need to be able to play right?" Deku reminded her, his eyebrows drawing together with concern.
"Oh, I'll be fine. Charity events are a little more relaxed since they're strictly for fun. Come on!" she exclaimed, squeezing his hand. "Let's do it! It'll be fun!"
"This girl is great," Kirishima remarked, a massive grin on his face. "I like her already. No wonder you guys are so close."
"We should invite Tsu and Jiro," Uraraka suggested.
"Jiro plays the guitar," Bakugo added. "Maybe you two could play something together."
"Oh, I'd love that." Takara finished off her Moscow Mule, fiddling with the handle of the shiny copper cup.
"Want another drink?" Bakugo asked, standing up from his seat. "I'm going to the bar."
"Do you mind?"
"If I did I wouldn't have asked, would I?" He picked up her cup and walked away.
The DJ put on a slow romantic ballad and turned up the volume as if requesting people to go to the dance floor.
"Would you like to dance?" Deku asked her, turning his hand over under hers to hold her hand.
Glancing around, she saw that Bakugo was stuck at the end of a pretty lengthy line of people waiting to order drinks at the bar. It looked like there would be plenty of time for at least one dance.
"Sure," Takara replied, standing up up from her chair for Deku to lead her to the dance floor.
"Well, this is bound to be interesting. I had no idea there would a show after the show," Uraraka murmured, noting the angrier than usual expression on Bakugo's face as he watched his two friends walk to the dance floor hand in hand. "I can't wait to tell the girls about this."
"What do you mean?" Kirishima asked, genuinely bewildered.
"Deku and Bakugo have always been each others biggest competition. It appears they've found something new to fight over," she said, following Bakugo's line of sight to Deku on the dance floor as he took their new lady friend into his arms.
"You don't mean..." Kirishima rejoined, allowing his words to trail off.
"I do."
"How do you think this will turn out?"
"I don't know. In a most unexpected way I'm sure."
On the dance floor, Deku rested his hand at her waist, holding her hand in his hand as he led her around the dance floor. He had learned the basics of ballroom dance at university by taking a class as a filler course to get easy credit. It also improved his coordination and agility, enabling him to pull off some impressive and surprising moves when fighting with criminals to catch them off guard.
"You look very dashing tonight Deku. I can't wait to see you dressed up in a tuxedo," Takara said as they moved amongst the other dancers in the box step of a waltz managing to make their steps match the timing of the rock ballad.
"A tuxedo huh? It's going to be a bit difficult to get Kacchan into one," he commented doubtful Kacchan would be going to the charity concert.
"Mmmm, we'll see. I have faith in him that he will wear the tuxedo. He's as prickly as a porcupine on the surface, but he truly has a heart of gold," she said.
"Don't let him hear you say that, but you're right," he agreed, lowering his hand to her hip. "What's the charity?"
"I support children's hospitals. More specifically the neo natal ward for premature babies. I'm going to visit the local hospital on Monday as a matter of fact."
"I don't have to work until Monday night. Is it okay if I go with you?"
"Sure. I don't mind at all. I'm sure they will be thrilled to have a hero at the hospital. Don't be surprised if they ask you to visit the older children," she warned him.
"I won't mind one bit," he replied, spinning her around in a big circle.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, giggling ecstatically. "You're just full of surprises."
When the song was over, and despite another song fit for slow dancing beginning, Deku led her back to the table where her drink waited for her. As she reached for her cup, Bakugo took her by the hand to drag her back to the dance floor.
"Come on," he said, "my turn for a dance."
"O-okay," she stammered as he swung her around and pulled her into him forcefully.
Once she was in his arms, his grip on her became much looser and gentler. He still held her close, one of his arms locked securely around her upper back under her arm which rested lightly on top of his and her hand lying on his shoulder. Their hands were locked and their elbows raised parallel to the floor. He was leading her in an American Tango. He must have taken the ballroom dancing course too.
"Am I as good a dancer as him?" Bakugo asked her, turning her to change direction back across the dance floor.
"You're very good, Bakugo, uh, I mean Katsuki," she quickly corrected herself.
"Yeah, but am I - "
"Hey," she interrupted him, purposely stepping on his foot.
"Ow! Dammit, that hurt!" he yelled in her face making the other dancers stop and stare at them. He did not seem to notice and kept on dancing despite the stares and the pain in his foot.
"It's not a competition, Bakugo," she said, not using his first name intentionally this time. Her hand lifted from his shoulder to press to his cheek. "I like you for you. Not because you're better than Deku in some way. Neither one of you are winning or losing at some supposed race here. God, you're not in high school anymore, Katsuki. You're both popular heroes well on your way to the top. Why - "
"There's always winners and losers. If you're not number one then you're still a loser," he muttered.
"Oh, Katsuki," she sighed, lowering her hand back to his shoulder. "Just relax and enjoy the evening."
The night continued on, full of drinking and dancing. The crowd began to thin out around one. They left around three at the insistence of her manager. He drove her guests home first then deposited her and her two neighbors at their apartment complex.
At the bottom of the stairs, Takara lifted her foot to place it on the bottom step. Instead of moving forward, she continued falling backwards, right into Bakugo's arms.
"All right then. You're too drunk to walk obviously," he said, standing her back up on her feet.
"I'm fine. I - OH!"
Spinning her around like he had on the dance floor, she shrieked and giggled. Bending down, he pushed his shoulder into her belly, lifting her up to carry her like a sack of potatoes. She cried out and laughed like a madwoman as they bounced up the stairs. He jostled her more than necessary on purpose with each step.
"Yah, mule!" she yelled, slapping him on the ass.
"Hey! Stop that shit!" he hollered back at her.
"Be quiet you two before you wake the whole complex and get us into trouble," Deku admonished the loud and uproarious duo. "Let's put her to bed first."
Deku typed in the code to unlock the door of her apartment. She had their code as well. They had exchanged them for reasons such as this. He held open the door for Kacchan to enter with the inebriated Takara. Rather than stopping at the living room, Bakugo took her straight to her bedroom.
"Turn on a light will you?" he asked Deku when he entered the room behind them.
He flipped the switch as requested to dispel the darkness in the room. Bakugo carefully lay her down on the bed then glimpsed around.
"Huh," he grunted. "This is not what I expected."
"Me either," Deku replied, surprised by the sparse furnishings and stark color scheme of black and white.
The bed was a plain rectangular black platform with drawers built into it and a queen sized mattress on top covered by a cloud like white duvet. There was a square black end table with a white vase bottom lamp with a white lamp shade beside the bed. A black chaise lounge sat in the corner opposite from the bed. A white blanket had been thrown over the back of the lounger and a round fuzzy white pillow lay in the seat. Books filled the small three shelf bookcase beside it turning it into a cozy reading corner.
Takara sat up with a groan. Reaching behind her head, she attempted to unzip the dress. Her uncoordinated arms would not allow her to reach the zipper.
"Hey, guys...can one of you..." She was still trying to reach the zipper but managed to accidentally slap herself in the face. "Ow."
"Pitiful," Bakugo muttered, shaking his head.
"I got it," Deku said, taking her by the hand to stand her up.
He unzipped the dress, his face blushing darker and darker by the second as he revealed more and more of her bare back. His eyes widened, and he was nearly purple when the zipper finally stopped at the lowest park of her back and her dress gaped opened to reveal her entire back and a few millimeters of her butt crack. The only thing that kept the dress from falling was her holding the front against her body with both hands. Glancing over her shoulder at him, she smiled then shuffled off to the bathroom.
"Damn," Kacchan muttered under his breath once the door was shut.
"You saw?"
"How could I not?"
"So what do we do now?"
"What do you mean?" he questioned Deku, sincerely confused as to what he meant.
"I don't think we should leave her alone," he said, taking off his jacket and draping it over the back of the chaise.
"Why not? She's a grown ass woman and can take care of herself. Besides, I'm beat," Kacchan yawned, stretching his arms over his head.
"Then go home," Deku returned a more forcefully. So much so he appeared to surprise himself. "I'll stay."
"I guess we should both stay," he stubbornly insisted, removing his jacket too but carelessly tossing it into the seat of the lounger.
Takara emerged from the bathroom. Her face had been scrubbed clean of all the heavy make up. The clean skin was pink she had scrubbed so thoroughly. Her hair had been brushed and pulled back into a low ponytail. The distinct smell of mint meant she had brushed her teeth as well. She wore a red tank top and red and white plaid shorts that looked like men's boxers.
"Thank you, guys," she mumbled, crawling under the puffy duvet. "You should go home and get some rest. We can go out for breakfast later. Or lunch. I doubt we will be up early enough for breakfast."
"We can stay with you," Deku offered, sitting down on the bed at her head with his back against the wall.
"I'll be fine. I've always been by myself before when I've gotten sloppy drunk. I'm accustomed to waking up alone and hung over. I don't need a baby sitter...or two," she slurred, her words barely understandable.
"We're staying. Move over," Bakugo ordered her, pushing her to the center of the bed. He lay down on top of the cover, turning his back to her.
"Ugh...do whatever you want. Can someone turn out the light?"
~\'/~
Later that day, Takara awakened to find herself in the most unforeseen circumstance. To her front lay Deku, her face pressed into his chest. His hand lay on her shoulder, holding her close. Behind her, she could feel someone spooning against her, his arm laid over her waist. That someone could only be one person.
Rather than feeling uncomfortable in her position between them, she rather liked it - a lot. The fingers of one of her hands clutched the soft Egyptian cotton of Deku's shirt. Her other hand lay on top of Katsuki's arm at her waist. Her fingers grasped the taut forearm muscle pressing into her palm. Selfishly, greedily, she wanted to hang on to both of them as long as she could.
As she lay there clinging to both of them, she came to the startling conclusion she might have fallen in love with both of them. How would she ever choose between them?
What if neither one of them actually wanted her? The way both of them held onto her presently and the way they took turns dancing with her last night, vying for her time and attention, told her that was definitely not true.
Katsuki moved, his arm enveloping her waist to pull her closer to fit his body more securely to hers. Sensing the movement in his sleep, her body being drawn away from his, Deku gripped her shoulder more firmly, pulling himself closer to her. Their affectionate embrace, even in their sleep, made her wonder if it were possible not to have to make a choice at all. Why should anyone be left out of the relationship?
*What the hell am I thinking?, she chastised herself.
She decided she should get up before she had anymore big ideas while lying between them. Her belly growled. The thought cooking breakfast for all of them crossed her mind which she believed would be a fantastic idea. Although she had mentioned going to a restaurant, she did not feel like doing anything but staying at home today.
Inhaling and stretching her body in a straight line between them, Takara made both of them relinquish their hold on her and simultaneously turn their backs to her so she could shimmy her way down to the end of the bed. Before getting up, she glimpsed back at them but did not give in to the temptation of returning to her spot to snuggle between them.
The first thing she did in the kitchen was grab a bottle of water and two pain reliever tablets for her headache which was actually not too bad considering all of the drinks she had last night. She left the bottle of pain relievers out on the counter for the two sleepyheads.
Deciding on a simple American style breakfast, she scrambled eggs and fried thinly sliced pork belly in the place of bacon. As she was dropping slices of bread into the toaster, she felt the warmth of a presence at her back.
Before she could turn around, a pair of arms slipped around her waist. A tingle rushed through her body as the arms enveloped her in a sweet embrace. The hands of the man who sneak attack hugged her pressed to her belly. Her abdominal muscles tightened in response to the not exactly unwelcome touch.
Takara glanced down at the hands, the palms of which lay flat against her belly. There were no scars on those hands. Then she realized the man standing behind her was much taller than her.
"Bakugo," she gasped.
A soft pair of lips pressed a gentle kiss to sensitive patch of skin behind her right earlobe. Her knees weakened in response to the affectionate and intimate peck.
"Morning," he whispered into her ear, his lips grazing the outer curve. "It's Katsuki, remember?"
"K-K-Katsuki," she stuttered, her lower lip trembling.
"That's better," he murmured, kissing her neck just below her ear.
She bit her lower lip to stop the tremor as well as to hold in the moan of delight from his enticing and tender touch.
"Wh-what are y-you d-doing?" she stuttered when his lips contacted the side of her neck a little lower.
"What does it feel like I'm doing?" he asked, one of his hands lifting from her abdomen. "We slept with my arms around you last night. What's the problem now?"
"But the kiss?"
"Tell me you don't like it, and I'll stop."
His fingers drifted up her arms and across her shoulders. A self-satisfied chuckle rumbled deep in his chest when she inadvertently shivered as goosebumps raised along the electrified trail left his fingertips.
"You shouldn't ..." Her words died away on her tongue when his velvety smooth lips delivered the lightest kiss to her cheek. "We...we...c-can't..."
"Because of Deku?" Katsuki questioned her, dropping his hands from her shoulders and backing away. "You're in love with him."
The blunt, matter-of-fact statement caught her off guard, almost causing her to drop the plate of food in her hand. Quickly setting it back down on the counter with a slight clatter of ceramic against marble, she decided to busy herself with putting two more slices of bread in the toaster.
"What in the world would make you think that?" she asked him in return, keeping her back to him.
"Don't play dumb with me," he snapped at her. "That day, when you were playing and singing the song, I could see your thoughts. I could feel your feelings...your feelings for him."
Takara turned to look at him, resting her hip against the counter mostly to hold herself up as her knees shook like gelatin. To her surprise, Katsuki appeared more sad than angry as he gazed into her eyes. For the first time since she had met him, the emotions in his red orbs were not masked by the perpetual anger he seemed so comfortable with expressing above all other feelings.
Taking a breath, hoping her mouth would form the words, she stepped forward to place her hand on his chest over his heart. She smiled as his eyes shifted from hers down to her hand then back up.
"Katsuki, what makes you think I'm not in love with you too?"
When the meaning of her words soaked through his thick skull, his narrow eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.
"Wha - "
"Morning, guys," Izuku greeted them as he walked the few steps from the short hall to the kitchen area. He rubbed his eyes like a sleepy child and yawned like a roaring lion.
"Morning, Izuku," she greeted him in return. "Hungry?"
"Starving," he yawned, stretching his arms above his head.
Takara could not tell which man was more adorable: the flabbergasted Katsuki or the sleepy Izuku. To offset things before the situation became more awkward, she picked up the plate laden with food and poked Katsuki in the belly with it to get his attention.
"Take this," she said sternly, poking him again when he did not respond. "I'm sure you're hungry too."
The blonde's eyes returned to their normal restricted and annoyed state. However, his mouth tilted into a lopsided, almost mischievous, grin before he said, "You have no idea. I'm more hungry than I've ever been in my life."
