Chapter 7

Weeks had passed and Misa's mood had greatly improved. Whether it was seeing her therapist again to clear her head or hanging out with her friends more after work, she wasn't sure. What she was certain of, was the presence of Bakugou around her. After the admittance of Bakugou making Misa's "hook up" list, they talked every morning and every night after work. It almost became routine for Misa to wait for these calls, so much so that when he didn't call Thursday night, she became worried. His phone went straight to voicemail when she tried his cell.

"Okay...don't panic. He's probably working late. Or...killed by a villain. Damnit." She cursed, dialing Todoroki's number quickly.

"Hey Misa, how can I help you?" The usual calm demeanor of the Icy Hot hero sounded.

"Hey Shoto, any chance you know where Bakugou is? I haven't heard from him all day." Misa asked, twirling her hair nervously around her finger.

"Yeah, he left a little early today to see his parents. He said he'd come out for a drink with us tonight though." Todoroki told her, bringing a resounding wave of relief over Misa. "Did you think something happened to him or something?" The question stung Misa as embarrassment crept onto her cheeks.

"No, no...just...a concerned friend is all. He's usually quick to pick up his phone." Misa tried to explain herself, hearing a small chuckle escape from Todoroki.

"Right. So, will we see you tonight? Kaiya said you weren't sure if you'd be out in time." Misa looked around the barren office and clocked the time.

"Yep; I'll be there. No point in sticking around here doing nothing."

"Great! We'll see you soon then." They hung up and Misa managed to catch her breath. Bakugou was fine. Why did she immediately panic when one call was skipped? He was the Number 2 Hero; he was fully capable of taking care of himself. Why did she care?

Putting in a little more effort into her outfit than usual because she knew Kaiya and Mina would look stunning, Misa showed up to the new club in a strategically torn purple cocktail dress and sparkling stilettos. A far cry from her usual comfort style. She found Kirishima and Mina at a table as soon as she walked into the club, her ears pounding with EDM beats. Kirishima's eyes bulged as she came up beside him, making Mina choke on her drink.

"Wow. You look sexy as hell!" Mina gushed, her eyes draggin up Misa's outfit. Kirishima was still frozen, his jaw dropped before Misa smacked his arm.

"I'm awake. Sorry Misa! You...look so good. Not that you don't normally...but those heels!" Kirishima rambled, causing both girls to laugh at him.

"I figured with this place being new and nicer than I'm used to, I should scrub up a little more." Misa blushed, tucking her wavy hair behind her ear. Kaiya and Todoroki joined them with a tray of drinks in hand. "Hey guys!"

"Everyone looks amazing tonight! This is going to be so much fun!" Kaiya squealed, adorned in a flowy, white cocktail dress and red heels.

"And our last member has arrived." Todoroki announced, his eyes on the entrance door. Misa turned and saw a suited Bakugou, his shirt unbuttoned slightly and his hair gelled to calm his spikes. Misa's heart raced as he crept closer, smirking at her as he did so. "The gang's all here now." Todoroki smiled, shaking Bakugou's hand in greeting.

"Sorry I'm late. The trains were behind." Bakugou nodded, kissing Mina and Kaiya on their cheeks; but lingered longer on Misa's. "Hey you." He winked, taking his drink of choice from the tray. Misa smiled and took her own drink, toasting to a great night with great friends.

The girls took to the dance floor almost immediately while the boys watched on. "This is a cool club, just what this area needed." Todoroki mused, admiring the club. Bakugou agreed, but Kirishima's focus was on the dance floor.

"Dude. You okay? You're eye-fucking the dancefloor." Bakugou teased, sipping on his whiskey.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm just...really in love with that girl." He blushed, seeing Mina twirl in beat with the music with her friends. "Sometimes I think...I'm not good enough for her." He mumbled before being smacked by Bakugou on the arm. "Hey! What?"

"You two...make sense. Friends forever and you compliment each other." Todoroki cut in before Bakugou could say anything. "It shouldn't matter about 'good enough'"

"Plus you fuck like bunnies according to Misa." Bakugou added, causing the men to laugh. "That's an important factor too."

"Trust me. I have often wondered if I was good enough for Kaiya. She reminds me that I make her happy and we have a great life together. Nothing else matters. We're happy and I can't imagine my life without her." Todoroki said once the laughter died down.

"Then what the hell is taking so long with the damn ring?" Bakugou teased him, already knowing the answer. Todoroki smirked and shook his head.

"It's coming. When you have perfection and everything you didn't even know you wanted or needed...you don't want to lose it." He said, his eyes finding Kaiya on the dance floor.

"You two sound so sappy. Lovebirds." Bakugou mumbled, sipping his whiskey more. Kirishima and Todoroki shared knowing looks before the redhead nudged his best friend.

"You could have that too. All you have to do is ask her." He told Bakugou, nodding his head at Misa. Bakugou followed his gaze and saw the girl dancing against a stranger, with a wide smile on her face. The sporadic lights colored her hair in a rainbow, making her eyes glow.

"Talk about not being good enough." Bakugou mumbled before Kirishima smacked him.

"You know...she would never think that about you."

"You two work well together. We're all happy you found each other again after your break ups. Why not try?" Todoroki queried. Bakugou bit his tongue to stop the first thing that popped into his head to be heard. But he let it out.

"I'm scared I'll lose her." Before the comment could be further queried, the girls reappeared at the table. "Having fun?" Bakugou asked the trio, who nodded their heads.

"Why don't you dance with us?" Kaiya asked, pulling Todoroki to the dance floor. "It'll be fun!" The normally stoic man turned to his girlfriend and chugged his drink back for some liquid courage. "That's my man." Momo purred, leaving the group behind.

"Come on Kiri! Your turn to show off those new moves!" Mina challenged, blinking her puppy dog eyes up at her boyfriend. He rolled his eyes playfully and tossed Mina over his shoulder. "Kiri!"

"What? You wanted me to dance, let's go!" Misa laughed as the couple tore down onto the dance floor, leaving her and Bakugou alone. Her cheeks burned as she felt his eyes dance over her dress.

"You look amazing." He whispered, tickling her ear with his breath. Shivers ran down Misa's spine as she turned to Bakugou, seeing the fire in his eyes.

"You clean up pretty nicely yourself."

"So who are you trying to go home with tonight?" His question took Misa off guard, her eyes wide with confusion. "A girl doesn't buy a thigh length dress without a reason." He reminded her, causing her to laugh.

"Whoever I choose to go home with. My bets on Kirishima and Mina though." Misa laughed. "Or maybe someone else who plays their cards right." Bakugou's heart began racing at the idea of someone else going home with Misa that night; but he kept his cool in front of her.

"Or maybe I can throw my hat in the ring." He teased, causing Misa to narrow her eyes. "What? Am I not worthy of the Feline Heroine?" Misa smirked under Bakugou's intense glare and decided to play along with his tease. "I already made your hypothetical list anyway."

Misa's cheeks blushed at the reminder, but chose to remain strong. "Hm...what would the press say? Shira and Dynamight are caught leaving a club together?" She countered, inching a little closer to him. They were just flirting right? Playfully? Bakugou's eyes burned into Misa's as he subtly licked his bottom lip.

"Could be worse headlines." He whispered. Misa knew they were crawling into dangerous territory now; but she would be lying if she said she hated the way Bakugou was looking at her.

"You don't have it in you." Misa challenged him, causing Bakugou to chuckle. "If you did...you'd have done it already."

"Maybe I like to take my time. To taunt. To play." He countered, his fingers grazing over Misa's exposed rib cage. "You couldn't handle me." He returned, seeing Misa bite her lip slightly.

"I've handled you just fine." She answered him, losing her will power at each moment. "The question is though...what would you do to me...if you do manage to get me?" Her brain became foggy as she could smell the sweet nitroglycerin scent exuding from her friend. The sense of want and heat between the two of them almost became too much before the lights slammed on.

"Closing time! Thank you all for coming!" The owner announced as the crowd dissipated. Bakugou and Misa shared a long, panicked look before following the crowd through the exit; Bakugou's hand clasped around Misa's.

"That was awesome! Thank you for joining us guys!" Mina cheered, hugging each person.

"It was great. Nice to do something different for a change." Momo added, accepting Mina's hug. Looping her arm around Todoroki, the couple bid everyone goodnight.

"Coming Misa?" Mina asked, her hand wrapped around Kirishima's. The Feline Hero debated joining her roommate back to their apartment; but staying with Bakugou was much more inviting.

"Ummm…" She started before Bakugou interrupted her.

"Yeah Misa; you don't want to be walking alone at night. Who knows what kind of trouble you could run into around here?" He told her, sending a wink her way. Misa's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his dismissal of her. Weren't they having fun?

"Right of course." She quickly said to cover up her hurt, turning to say goodnight to Bakugou. "Be safe getting home."

"Keep your phone close." He whispered as they hugged. Misa's heart jumped at the low growl he let out before breaking the hug. Kirishima and Mina waved goodbye to Bakugou as Misa listened to the blood pounding in her ears.

After she showered off the makeup and club glitter from her body and tucked herself into bed, Misa's phone buzzed. A message read:

B- I'm sorry for missing our phone calls today. The parents had my attention. I thought that this would make up for it seeing as you seemed pretty...interested tonight?"

Misa's jaw dropped at the picture Bakugou had sent her. He lay in his bed, his hair freshly washed and spiking already, letting small droplets trail down his forehead. He was shirtless and leaving little to the imagination under the sheets. It took a moment for Misa to remember to breathe before responding.

M- I hope you weren't hoping I'd return the favor? I'm already tucked away for the night.

B- Nope. That was all for you.

M- It did nothing for me. I've seen better.

Misa knew it wasn't true. Bakugou knew it wasn't true. But it was still fun to tease the explosion hero. Her phone buzzed again.

B- Liar.

M- If you say so. Goodnight Katz. :)

B- Sleep well.

Misa smiled and tucked her phone away in her nightstand and reached for the accessory that she needed to release some tension. Bakugou's picture had riled her up; he riled her up all the time. She knew she was in trouble and tried reminding herself that this was just for fun. Playful flirting. Nothing serious...right?