"Sparky, I swear to god."

He can't take much anymore, not when Kaminari might as well be talking to himself at this point. Bakugou keeps his eyes on the horizon as he and Kaminari stroll across the empty street, drenched in sweat with duffel bags on their shoulders after a good few hours at the gym. The electron hadn't shut up since they left.

"What?" he asks, as if to be offended. "I'm just sayin', dude, me and you? We'd make a perfect team!"

"You and me," Bakugou returns. "Not me and you, moron."

"Oh, sorry Officer Grammarly, didn't think you payed attention in English class."

"Paid," he corrects once again. "Not payed."

It's the little bits of life like this that actually makes him feel glad to be waking up in the morning. He kicks a rock off the side of the road, Kaminari's complaints being drowned out by the sound of his own thoughts. A lot has happened this week. He barely even recalls what he ate this morning, and living in the present isn't exactly enticing at the moment.

"Hey, Blasty," the other man starts, picking something from between his teeth. "You get one of those letters from Hawks?"

Oh, right. The letter. Bakugou can at least remember that important detail, how he found it through an intern waiting for him at the agency. A candidate for a partnership. "Yeah, I got one. What, he sent you one too?"

"Hell yeah he did. A lot of heroes got one, the festival this year is going to be sweet, ain't it?"

"Sure."

"That reminds me," he digs around his pocket for his phone and quickly shows Bakugou an email he was sent a few days prior. "I'm not exactly supposed to tell anyone yet, but check this out, Jirou got a gig!"

"Hah?"

Reading the email sent by the musician herself, he confirms Kaminari is telling the truth. Jirou forwarded Hawks's email to him, allowing the two to read it verbatim.

'Yo, Earphone Jack. How's it going? Doesn't matter, listen up. As you may have read, I'm tossing in a bar and dance floor at the Summer Festival this year, and in that letter I mentioned hiring a special musician for the occasion. Here's the catch; it's you. I'm hiring you, so get together the greatest songs you can muster out and perform like it's the last day of your life. I'm kidding, take your time, I know I should've told you sooner, but hey, you're the best person I know for this sort of thing.

~Sincerely, Hawks.

Also keep this secret.'

Well.

So much for the secret.

"Pretty nifty, huh?"

Sure, but what about the secretive part?

Good for her, is the blonde's honest thought. Good for her. Jirou's got something good going for her. Kaminari's girlfriend has something good going for her.

"By the way, how're things with Utsushimi?"

Of course. Bakugou saw that one coming from a mile away. He cringes at the mention of her name, shooting the other male a cursed glare. Unfazed, Kaminari urges him on, a smug grin on his dumbass face.

That's it.

Glowering, the explosionist makes a complete halt and quirks a brow. "Why do you care so much? Every fucking time we have a conversation it ends up being something about Utsushimi this, Utsushimi that, what the hell are you invested about, you weirdo?"

There's visible panic in the other's eyes for a split second before it's replaced with a rather bold tone on his end. "Hey, I'm just curious, man. I mean…" and as if he were to push the button to activate a nuke, he brings out the dreaded statement that curses Bakugou's ears, "you haven't had any luck with girls, so this is kinda a big step for you, right?"

Kaminari dodges the incoming explosion with little effort. The grinding of Bakugou's teeth would've spooked him ten years ago, but right now he's got a little quest to complete.

"That, too," says Bakugou to Kaminari, holding him threateningly by the collar. "Every other conversation always ends up like that."

"Like what?"

"Don't make me repeat myself, bastard."

"You mean, you're totally undateable?"

This time, the dodge takes some effort, but Kaminari manages to wriggle out of Bakugou's trembling hands to prevent himself actually getting killed. He laughs, hysterical and loud, enough to bring him to tears.

Does this look like a fucking joke to him?

The thought of having to deal with this conversation again another day puts him in the worst moods he could have ever possibly been in, but of course Kaminari has no idea what this feels like.

So what if he's been single all this time? It doesn't affect him in any shape or form, so why bother? Sure, the thought of having a girlfriend sounds nice, or being liked by someone enough to consider it love…

God damn it…

It's unhealthy. Like a swamp of some sort, he sinks further into this dreadful feeling of… jealousy? Anger? He doesn't care anymore, he's felt this way multiple times before, too many times he lost count and considers it a normal everyday emotion. Meanwhile Kaminari's enjoying his best life, what with his career and girlfriend at his side 24/7.

Fuck.

"I was only asking because you're going to the Summer Festival with her, right?"

…!

For once, listening to the idiot gave leeway.

He had entirely forgotten about that stupid festival. How he agreed to go to said festival. With her. With that woman he walked through the park with. Who he sat next to in that movie theater. That woman he accidentally held hands with…

…

He can barely recall what he ate this morning, yet his hands haven't forgotten the feeling of her own.

It only picks up more when Kaminari continues, "I was wondering, since like, we usually go do our own thing there? You guys could hang the whole night. You and Utsushimi. So you won't be alone the whole time, yeah?"

"Are you fucking crazy?"

…

He blinks.

Bakugou's staring at him with one of the most wild expressions Kaminari has seen in his entire career. He can almost hear a pin drop.

"She basically only asked to walk around for a few hours doing jack shit, I'm not gonna follow her around like some entitled pet."

"Dude, don't you want to hang out with her?"

There's a noticeable stutter in the blonde's step. "It's not like I want to, idiot, there's nothing else better to do at that circus."

A gleaming grin brightens on the other's face. "Right."

…

Walking with Utsushimi…

Isn't that what couples do at the Summer Festival? Usually a guy and a girl walking together are dubbed a couple, right? Bakugou's not too familiar with the standards of the festival, but she is the one who asked, so he might as well entertain her for a few hours.

He wouldn't tell anyone, but… he really… wouldn't mind being mistaken for her boyfriend… even if it's just for one night…

It's just for one night… his one chance to have the feeling of being with someone. Suddenly he recalls the look on that girl's face at the movie, how she somehow looked… what's the word… better than usual.

…

"Hey, this is my stop," says Kaminari, departing from Bakugou and entering an apartment complex. "I'll tell Jirou you said hi."

"Don't you fucking dare."

"Cya! OH, wait, I forgot to tell you! Togata called Midoriya yesterday and said he'd be returning from America next week. He's bringing Eri!"

At the mention of the girl's name, Bakugou is dropped into a dumpster of memories. He hasn't seen her in… six years? Seven? How old would she be now? The move to America was rough on her, so he'd heard, but he never really got the chance to converse with her one on one beforehand…

"Eri, huh…"

"Yeah. She apparently wants to get here in time for the festival, she always loved the candy apples they served there. Anyway, cya later, Bakugou. Have a good evening."

Candy apples…

The blonde merely rolls his eyes. He doesn't say a word as he continues to his own accommodation, rather sticking to his thoughts to process the new information. Eri and Togata… he barely even remembers what she looks like, but he can pick up a memory of her jovially chomping down on a sweet apple treat.

Hmm…

Does Camie like candy apples?

Bakugou can't fathom why the thought popped into his head. But, it wouldn't hurt to see if she does, right?

It's like magic. Thinking about her for some reason puts a smile on his face.

Maybe…

Maybe this year won't be so bad after all…