When Last is Better
by the Black Rose
...
"I'll go first!" Katsuki called out as he vaulted the bed with one hand.
Ochako sighed. 'The number of times I hear that in a day….'
Her boxer-clad boyfriend raced into the bathroom. The muscles of his broad shoulders rippled down his back.
She grinned. 'Does that qualify as hulking, yet?' Ochako tapped her chin. Her heart rate picked up. She fought the urge to slip into the shower with him.
'I hate cold showers.' She shook her head. 'Even though we could definitely warm things up.'
...
Firm lips seized hers; insistent. Rough. Katsuki ripped her tanktop over her head.
His knee wedged between her thighs, as he pressed her backwards. Her calves grazed the edge of the bed.
A feeling like falling. Heated breaths. Large, calloused hands against her skin.
Katsuki bent and slid his boxers off. Ochako craned her neck to catch a glimpse of the toned muscles of his ass.
...
'I mean, there are perks to him being first….'
Uravity yawned and stretched. She ignored the simmering heat in her abdomen, and gained her feet. The pro hero and sidekick at the startup "Creative Endeavors" Rescue Agency; she shuffled into the bathroom. Her puffy-eyed reflection stared.
A metal clunk! Alerted her to her boyfriend's emergence from the shower.
"Yo. Your turn."
She pivoted. And even though they'd been dating for over a year, and living together for a couple of months….
Ochako couldn't help but stare.
Katsuki rubbed a towel over his hair - while the 'total boy' dripped water onto the floor; missing the bath mat by several inches.
But, in the moment, she couldn't have cared less. Water drew living paths down his neck; small rivulets coursed over well-sculpted pecs, to his abdomen. Droplets glittered in the blond trail of hair that led from the base of his belly button to the top of his—
"Hey, you're not the only one that likes a free show in the morning."
Ochako swallowed and tore her eyes away (no really, her eyes were moving) from sinewy thighs and his semi-erect—
"Earth to Cheeks!" He slung a second towel around his waist.
She glanced up and met Katsuki's gaze. Her face burned. Powerful arms crossed over his chest. One corner of his mouth curved up.
"Get moving. Get naked. Pick an order. Or you'll be late." He ducked his head. "Again."
Ochako huffed. "Yeah, yeah. I know. But, at least my boss understands that moving can have residual effects—"
"Don't take your friendship with Ponytail for granted."
She stripped her sleep shirt over her head and shimmied out of her panties. Ochako checked the water temperature with the palm of one hand.
"She's still your boss. And her 'joint venture' with the Endeavor Agency is in an early phase."
"Translation: unprofitable." She glanced over her shoulder and caught his eyes. His whole face lit with a smile. His smile.
The one that looked like 80% pure mischief, 20% total glee.
Total glee in making mischief.
"What does that have to do with being on time?" She slung body wash on her loofah and scrubbed at her skin.
"It's just the stress she's under."
"Look at you. All considerate of your bff's girlfriend."
"IcyHot and I aren't! Gah! You and Ponytail need to quit with your girly gossip."
She turned around, dipping her head backwards to wet her hair; suds streamed down her torso and legs. The hot shower fogged the glass - obscuring her boyfriend's view of his 'free show'.
"Speaking of. I take it you're patrolling with Todoroki, again, this afternoon."
A grunt sounded from her boyfriend's direction.
"Do I need to talk to Momo and negotiate an arrival time that you both can agree on? So you can stop going in hours earlier - trying to be the first one in?"
"Damned IcyHot!"
"You're both being ridiculous." She rinsed the shampoo from her hair, and slathered conditioner over the ends.
"Not everything has to be a competition on who can be first."
"Says the person who can't get to work on time."
She shut off the water. A towel dumped on her head from above.
"I'm going first."
His footsteps thudded from the room. Ochako dried herself off. She sighed.
"Maybe there's still time to change his name from Great Explosion Murder God DynaMight - to the 'I'll go first hero': Might B2 Stubborn."
That Evening….
...
"Hey babe. When you get this…." Crackle! "Momo, Mina and I decided to go grab a drink after work while you guys are still on patrol."
"Ochako!" Someone hissed in the background.
'Probably Pinky.' Katsuki rubbed a hand over his forehead.
"Come on. I need your help to drag Class Rep away from her 'boss lady' routine."
"Be right there."
'Tch. Worst message ever.'
"Anyway, we're going to that new pub: The Principal's Office. It sounded like a place we could actually get Momo to go. You should bring your bff with you and join us when you're done with patrol. Be safe. See you tonight!"
Bakugou growled and ended the connection to his voicemail.
"What is it?" IcyHot exited the locker room; he shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. His still-wet red and white hair slicked off his forehead, revealing the full span of his scar.
"Cheeks. And Ponytail. They went drinking."
Shouto shrugged. "You're her boyfriend, not her mom. Besides, Momo doesn't drink much. And I'm sure they're—"
"Idiot! They were all over the news today. You didn't see their big rescue?"
"Yeah. I did. But, they're pros. Like us."
"When we did our training to intensify our quirks, Ochako had to get used to the nausea that came from overusing 'zero gravity', remember?"
"Not really. I'll take your word on it."
"What she didn't find out until after school, is that the lightheaded sensation she still gets from overuse—"
"Combined with alcohol…. Oh."
"Makes her a different kind of 'light weight'." Bakugou groaned.
"I can call Momo."
"She told me where they're going. We just need to head over there. Before."
"Before what?"
"Just before. Before anything. Tch. Idiots."
….
Bakugou threw aside the door and held his arm out to prevent Half 'n Half from entering the pub before him. "I'll go first."
"Shocking."
He scanned the average-sized crowd. Maybe better than average for a 'school night' - per the advertisement outside. The inside actually held some resemblance to Principal Nezu's office.
Wood flooring stretched the width and breadth of the pub. A loft ran along one side of the bar; double-stacked bookcases spanned from floor to vaulted ceiling. Bakugou could just glimpse, through some wrought iron spires - an area with a leather sofa and some coffee tables. Glasses tinkled and clinked. The scent of wood and tobacco filtered through the air.
"There." IcyHot pointed at the far end of the bar. The three women in question-
"Hey, fancy meeting you guys here." Dumb Hair's voice cut into the background noise.
"Kirishima."
"I figured it was best to make sure my girl got home safely. They had a killer day today, huh?"
Half 'n Half nodded. "They did. It was pretty impressive. And good visibility for Momo's new agency."
"Yeah! That's what I was thinking! What about you, Bakugou? I bet you're proud of your girl, too. Am I right?"
"Tch. She's being an idiot." His vision focused like a laser beam on 'Uravity'. She was going to go home and call it a night.
"Huh?"
"I'll explain later. For now, let's just try to keep up with him."
As the three men approached, two pairs of eyes caught his. Pinky placed a finger to her lips, and gave a slight shake of her head.
'Shit. She's already-'
"I'm first! I'll go first! That's all I hear day in, day out!" Ochako's soprano voice attempted to sound low and gruff.
'Tch. She's already imitating me.'
Momo glanced at him, then back at her employee. "Uh, but, I'm sure there are times when that's good, though, right?"
"Shumtimes. He can be sweet. Like, when he's first in the shower, he warms up the water to just the right temperature. And when he's first to the coffee in the morning, he always makes me a cup - the way I like it."
Dumb hair placed his hand on Bakugou's shoulder. Katsuki shrugged it off.
"He's also not afraid to be the first to say he's sorry. When we fight. Not 'if', but 'when'. Because we fight. But…."
A soft snore.
Pinky slapped her forehead. "Gah! This girl. She had one margarita!"
"It's from overusing her quirk, apparently," IcyHot offered.
"Hey, Ochako. Ochako?" The 'alien hero' with the pink skin, pink hair and corrosive acid quirk shook Bakugou's girlfriend.
"Huh? Oh. Yeah. I was saying." She rubbed the back of her wrist across her mouth. "He was my first kiss. My first-"
"Your first lay!" Pinky slapped her thigh and cackled.
Katsuki glanced over at Red Riot. "Take her home."
"He had to be the first one to confess he liked me. The first to say he's in love with me."
"Those are all, rather sweet." The owner of Creative-Endeavors nodded.
"Isn't there anything that Baku-gremlin doesn't have to be first at?" Pinky flashed a shit-eating grin at him and winked.
"Now, Eijiro!"
"I'm on it," Kirishima said with a shake of his spiky red mane. "Mina, honey. Let me pay your tab and take you home."
"Hey, sexy. I want you to be my man."
"I am your man."
"I have the best taste!" She grabbed his shoulders and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Ochako called out. "Awwww, you don't have to leave? I was just about to tell you…."
Pinky and Dumb Hair stopped. Something about those words...
'What is she going to say?'
"Oh! Yes, I know! There is onnnnne thing that DynaMight doesn't have to be first at." Ochako held up her index finger.
Bakugou moved. His hand swiped at her shoulder, but she slumped forward onto the bar - effectively 'dodging' his attack.
"He always lets me 'go first' in the bedroo-"
Katsuki slapped his hand over her mouth and pulled her backwards. Dazed brown eyes met his as she tipped her head. The skin around her temples crinkled.
"Awwwwww, such a considerate lover." Pinky smacked his cheek with her palm just a little more than necessary.
"I've got her." Dumb Hair met his eyes. A stupid grin pulled his features into an even more idiotic expression. "Good luck with yours, lover boy."
"I'll kill you, you weird-haired bastard!"
"I haven't heard that one in years. Good to see you, too. And you, Todoroki."
"See ya." IcyHot's bland tone replied.
Ochako stood up and turned around. A drunk smile on her lips, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hey, you."
Bakugou sighed. He pulled a few bills out of his wallet and slapped them on the end of the bar. "You need to go home. And eat." He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
"I held up an entire bridge for like fifteen whole minutes. Just e-now, e-no."
"Just enough time to get people to safety. We really couldn't have done it without you, today, Ochako." Ponytail smiled; her dark brown hair fell down around her shoulders. She tipped her head at stared at Half 'n Half.
"Come on, hero." Bakugou leaned down; he grabbed her around the waist and slung her over his left shoulder. "Let's go home."
"I'll go first," she said and stretched her arms out.
"Tch. It's not always a competition, you know."
Epilogue
Momo patted the now-vacant bar stool beside her. Shouto nodded and slipped into the seat.
"Would you like something?"
"Water. I doubt I have anything to worry about with your single glass of wine. But, it's always better to be safe."
"Hmmmm. In that case, I'll just pay the tab and we can go home. I'm exhausted."
"I can imagine. That was no easy rescue."
"I doubt there are many rescues that qualify as 'easy', but it took everything we had. If even one detail had taken too long, or not gone the way we planned-"
"Take the win. Don't overanalyze. You did the job. You'll do it again tomorrow. And the next day. This is the time to rest."
She smiled. His warm heterochromatic eyes sparked fire in the overhead lighting. Almost two years together, while he was still coping with 'family dynamics', and she struggled, daily with the effort of running her own agency…. But, they were committed to one another. To making things work.
"Then I want to rest with you. At home."
He smiled, and took her palm in his. "Yeah. Sounds good."
They started towards the door; she shifted her hand to his elbow.
"I do have one question." His voice sounded husky. It sent thousands of tiny thrills through her body.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. What was it that Bakugou could possibly tolerate - not being the first at something?"
Momo's mouth twitched. She pressed her lips together, to keep the giggle inside. 'Oh, Shouto. You are so adorable.'
She leaned into him and mouthed a kiss against his cheek. "The same thing you finish last in, dear." She tipped her head and rested it on the outside of his shoulder.
"The same thing? What do I not mind, not being the best at?" He opened the door to let her walk through.
"No, not best." Momo called over her shoulder. "Just not first."
The door closed. She spun around. Standing apart from the rest of the crowd, her clueless and beloved boyfriend stared at the ground.
Completely oblivious to the world around him.
His features blazed a dark crimson red - the same color as his hair.
'Aw. I have the best one.' Momo opened the door; she stepped inside and pulled her boyfriend out of the pub with her.
