CHAPTER 17
The next day, Bakugou was in the training facility ready to see the kids for their lessons when he smelled the familiar perfume he had grown to love over the past few months; cherry blossom and vanilla. He turned on his heel and saw Misa leaning against the door frame, her face unreadable. She approached him slowly, not meeting his eyes until they were feet apart. "I thought you had a date today?" He croaked out.
"I canceled. Someone wouldn't get out of my mind." She answered him. Her eyes flooded with unspoken words and feelings that Bakugou knew too well. "Go out with me." She said, not a trace of uncertainty in her voice. Bakugou froze at the demand and searched Misa's golden eyes for answers to his million questions. "Katsuki...will you go out with me?" She asked again, seeing the confusion in her friend's eyes.
"Yes...but I'm supposed to ask you."
"You told me to make a decision." Misa smirked, taking a step back from him. "Ready to train the kids?" She asked, stripping her jacket off to reveal her sports bra. Bakugou was still frozen in his spot when the kids came bounding over to the pair for their training. Cheers of happiness sounded as the kids noticed that Misa was there. "I can do thirty push ups at one time now!" Akabane squealed, flexing his little muscles at Misa.
"Good job! I'm so proud of you. Come on everyone! Line up like normal for your stretches." Misa told the group while Bakugou looked on in amazement. The strength and confidence that Misa radiated at the moment made his heart race. Leaving Ayami in the dust had allowed Misa to be who she really was. "Coming Katz?" Misa asked him, snapping Bakugou out of his trance.
After the training with the kids, Bakugou and Misa sat in a corner booth in a nearby restaurant chatting. "Akabane is going to do well at UA if he stays focused. He's very strong." Misa noted, rubbing her thumb up her icy glass. Bakugou didn't add on to her comment as he was distracted by the illuminating light catching Misa's eyes. "Dude. Earth to Katsuki." Misa chuckled, nudging her friend.
"I can't look at you?" Bakugou questioned, sipping on his whiskey.
"I look terrible. My hair is all sweaty and I don't have any makeup on. Save your staring when we go out." She poked him gently. "When is that by the way?"
"You asked me. You tell me." Bakugou countered, hearing Misa growl. "It's only fair."
"Fine. We have an earlier shift Friday and off the weekend. Why don't we go to that Italian place Deku suggested in the group chat months ago? I can afford it now!" Misa giggled as Bakugou scoffed.
"I'm paying dork." He nudged her, gulping back the last of the whiskey. "Sounds good to me." Misa smiled at the easy atmosphere around them as they ordered another round before heading to their apartments. "What made you decide on me anyway?"
"Well after you left the dinner last night…our talk in the kitchen stayed in my head. Amongst other things." She mumbled, a slight blush on her cheeks.
"You got a little hot and bothered?" He teased her before she entwined her hand within his.
"I played with myself so much last night but I could not finish. Totally your fault."
"That's hot." Bakugou whispered, tightening his grip on Misa's hand.
"Yeah well, that's why I chose you. You tease me and you promised me a mind-blowing orgasm. Once you do that, then I'm done with you."
"You'd toss me away like yesterday's trash?" Bakugou asked with an amused look on his face.
"Yep. As soon as I recovered from the orgasm. Bye bye Bakugou." Misa smiled as they came to her apartment. "Think about that tonight. I'll see you tomorrow." She winked, kissing Bakugou's cheek.
"Get some rest, Flower."
The week had crawled by in Misa's opinion and when Friday finally arrived, Bakugou came with disappointing news. "I need to work on one last thing before I can go; so I'll just meet you at the restaurant." He told her when she met him at his office.
"But...it's not the same." Misa pouted in her civilian clothes. Bakugou smirked and took Misa's hands in his.
"We will have plenty of other dates to do properly, okay? Everything else will be perfect. I promise." He whispered, pecking Misa's forehead before anyone saw them.
"Fine. Don't work too hard." She mumbled before leaving the office.
When choosing her outfit for the date, Misa thumbed through her closet at the options. Deku had said it was a nice place when he took Ochako so she knew she had to do more than jeans and a shirt. It would be interesting to see Bakugou dressed up outside of his usual jeans. A memory pricked at her from her disastrous date with Sumo months ago and an idea popped into her head. She reached for her black, thigh length dress and hoped Bakugou would remember what he said all those months ago.
Her hair straightened, her dress and red shoes on, her makeup perfect with winged eyeliner and smokey eyeshadow, Misa knew she was ready.
The warm breeze tickled her as she waited outside, hearing people whisper about her as they passed. She didn't wear a full face mask so she was easily recognizable out of her hero costume, especially when people saw her fangs. A few people waved at her and asked for a picture, which she happily obliged to. As she waved goodbye to the couple, she felt a presence behind her.
"Well, at least you weren't waiting alone." Bakugou's voice sounded. Misa turned to see the man in a black suit jacket, red shirt and black slacks. His eyes wandered down Misa's body and she could hear his breath hitch as he realized her dress of choice.
"Do you remember?" Misa asked him innocently, tucking her hair behind her ear. Bakugou reached for her hand and looped her arm through his, pulling Misa to his side to whisper into her ear.
"How could I forget?" Shivers ran down Misa's spine at the husky voice and nuzzled further into his arm. "You look amazing."
They sat down in a private area at the back of the restaurant that was primarily reserved for heroes and celebrities. "No cameras. I like that." Misa smiled and took in the beautiful surroundings of candles and white table cloths. "I've never been here."
"I've been here once before after Deku mentioned it, the food is to die for." Bakugou smirked, looking at the wine list. "Do you want wine or liquor?"
"Wine would be best for dinner...liquor for when we go home." Misa winked at him, causing Bakugou to blush.
"What have I gotten myself into?" He asked, causing Misa to laugh.
"A lot of trouble; but fun too."
"Good evening, welcome to Salvatore's. Can I interest you in drinks to start?" The waiter asked the couple. Bakugou ordered a bottle of wine and some appetizers for them while Misa took in his appearance. Black and red were good colours on him; but besides the clothing; Bakugou looked genuinely handsome. Long gone were the days of his constant scowl and quick temper of high school, now he was gentle and smiling.
"Thank you sir." The waiter said, allowing Bakugou to return his attention to Misa. She looked distracted and in a dream, gazing at him in thought.
"Earth to Misa? Hello?" He smirked, waving his hand near her face, snapping her back to reality.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know where I went there." She laughed, sipping on her water. Bakugou chuckled and ran his eyes over the blushing girl for a moment. She had really grown since their high school years and he was fortunate enough to still be in her social circle to see her transform into the beautiful woman in front of him. "Anyway, I was going to tell you about my conversation with Kaiya today."
"Is she still worried about Icy Hot proposing?" He asked her incredulously.
"Kinda. They have been together a long time, Katz. I can see why she is concerned." Misa explained, smiling as the wine appeared.
"Well, tell her to be patient a little while longer. He has a plan." Bakugou whispered to her, causing Misa to choke on her water.
"Really? He told you something?" Misa asked excitedly. Bakugou rolled his eyes and smirked.
"I went ring shopping with the guy. Never thought I'd say that in my life." Bakugou scoffed as the memory replayed in his brain. "Kaiya will be happy." Misa was smiling broadly at the news and he laughed. "You seem happy."
"She's my best friend; I'm so happy for her." Misa clapped her hands happily and raised her glass to toast. "To our friends and the future."
"Whatever that may hold for all of us." Bakugou finished, clinking his glass to hers. They continued their casual conversation and went through almost half the bottle of wine before the waiter returned for their main course orders.
Misa regarded the menu half heartedly, an inkling of sadness on her face when Bakugou saw her discreetly breathe in.
"Get what you want Mi...Shira. You look amazing no matter what you eat." He whispered.
"You said you've been here before, you pick something." She smiled to cover her insecurity. Bakugou seemed pleased with her response and ordered a medium rare steak and veggies for her. "Sounds perfect." She whispered as the waiter left after taking Bakugou's order and more wine.
"Silly girl." He scoffed at her and grasped her hand gently. "Can I ask you something?" Misa nodded her head. "Would you have waited for me to ask you out if I kept...chickening out?" He asked carefully, bracing himself for Misa to snap at him.
Instead, she regarded the question for a moment and giggled."I took the date with Sumo because I was lonely. I don't think I could have waited much longer with you. I asked you because I like you a lot, Katsuki." She answered him, squeezing his hand. "I don't think I've ever stopped since…" She stopped herself and gulped her wine back to distract Bakugou.
"Since high school?" He asked her, seeing her blush. "That kiss was enough for you to like me? It was a stupid game" Misa groaned and tried to gather the proper explanation to make sense for him.
"I liked you before the kiss and then when that kiss happened, I kinda...went into a spiral. I thought about you a lot and wished you'd notice me more than what you were focused on." She tried not to sound pathetic but as the words came out, she cringed at her own feelings. "I sound pathetic."
"Wait no, hold on." Bakugou stopped her apology and smiled. "You thought I didn't notice you?"
"You were focused on being number one and over taking Deku the whole time. I thought that maybe after we graduated I would try with you but then Shinso came to me." Misa rambled, knowing she was getting nervous. She never told anyone this, not even Momo. Bakugou started chuckling and poured her some wine to fill the empty glass. "Why are you laughing?"
"The fact you think I didn't notice you. I saw you all the time and I did have some kind of crush on you. I'm an idiot though, I didn't know what to do with those feelings." He explained. "I wish we would have been honest with each other."
"I wouldn't take back the time I had with Shinso, or you with Camie. You did look genuinely happy with her." Misa pointed out, seeing Bakugou agree with her statement.
"Yeah, I loved her. She just wasn't the right fit for me. She still saw me as the hot-tempered explosion boy from UA."
"You've changed." Misa nodded. "It's not a bad thing. I think you're great. You always have been."
"Whatever." He smiled at her and took his wine glass to his lips.
"Well now that a decade worth of secrets have come out, any more questions?" Misa laughed, seeing their meal approach the table.
"Actually yes." Bakugou told her, his mouth watering from the scent of his meal in front of him. "But after dinner."
They ate in a comfortable silence as they enjoyed their meal. They interjected with comments and stories until the meal was finished and the wine was gone. "I am so full. That was delicious." Misa beamed as the table was cleared.
"I'm glad you liked it. Better than a salad right?" Misa scowled at him in jest as Bakugou handed the waiter his credit card.
"What was that question you wanted to ask me after dinner?" Misa asked but Bakugou shook his head.
"Later."
They exited the restaurant and got into Bakugou's car. "Now?"
"Later." He told her, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Misa pouted and slumped in the passenger seat, causing Bakugou to laugh. "Pouting? Really Misa? Those big eyes don't work on me missy."
"Yes they do. You're just really stubborn." She retorted and stuck her tongue out at the man. They arrived at her apartment and she invited him up for a night cap.
"You just want to know what my question is." He laughed at her as they entered the apartment. Misa smacked his stomach as she kicked off her red heels. "Aww..now you're tiny again."
"I am not tiny! 175 centimeters is normal!" Misa argued and mixed the two of them a drink. Bakugou laughed and watched her work. The focus on her face did not take away from the softness she portrayed; that's why when Misa was angry, everyone could see the fire in her eyes. Bakugou loved that fire. She handed him his drink and clinked her glass to his. "Thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun." She winked at him.
"You're welcome. I did too. Would you like my question now?" Misa nodded excitedly while Bakugou laughed and took a long sip of his drink. "Will you be my girlfriend?"