*)O(*
Heavy, angry footsteps marked his path as he turned yet another corner. Patrol at this point was routine, yet today he kept looking around his area as if it was the first few weeks on this path. He wanted to fight something, someone. He dared anyone to make a move. His mood had curdled all day. Punching something other than a sandbag sounded wonderfully therapeutic.
Izuku and Uraraka were obviously closer than he was with either of them. How easily it had been for them both to call each other cute. It was so natural for them. The inability of his to be honest was like a cheese grater against his mind. How he'd closed up and was unable to reply was- He struggled to find the correct word for it until it popped up as he thought of how he'd blushed so clearly.- embarrassing.
I didn't help that he'd obviously pissed Uraraka off as well. She's been avoiding him all day. He was almost proud of the fact that they could live so close to each other and she could disappear so well when she was angry with him. Curses fell from his lips in near silent mutters that would have had Izuku smiling with pride. He knew, now, why she'd left like she did. How his dishonesty must have hurt her. It wasn't his fault she couldn't understand what he really meant. It was. She knew him, though. He should stop acting like a child. Izuku's face lit up his mind. Sad, curious, embarrassed, worried, a look similar to his, he guessed. Deep emeralds looked up at him. 'I didn't mean to make her angry, but it's true, isn't it?' Izuku bit his lip, looking at where she walked away again. 'Yeah.' Was all he could get out. The flare of irrational jealousy set his body on fire. When would he look at him like that? Nothing was going to take his mind off that morning. He could still hear the way her voice had teased him when she'd called him 'Kacchan.' He could remember that look of dread that she tried to hide right before she ran away from them. "Ground Zero! Ground Zero!" Some small child's voice called out to him. Pink and purple spotted hair bounced as it came running up to him. "You're on patrol again!" Kiki cheered as she fearlessly started to climb up his body before he even had the chance to realize it was going to happen. Some deep part of him relaxed, glowing with familiar pride. "Hey, little octopus. How are we doing today?"
"We're great! We get to see you!" "Kiki! I told you not to bother Ground Zero while he is working." A tried father sighed, already knowing that it was going to be useless. The older man also knew what was about to happen. Bakugou did too, now. "Catch!" Was all the warning he got before the girl suddenly reversed her sticky quirk and was shooting up into the air. It had been frightening for all involved the first few times, Kiki's dad especially. Now he watched as she shot off into the sky, shading his eyes to make sure he was tracking her properly. He was waiting for her to arch before taking off to grab her midair and make sure she landed safely. The first few times had been a trial in how high she was willing to go. Now she purposely shot as high as possible. She was a daredevil. It sparked an understanding nostalgia inside his heart. The large speck Kiki had become seemed to stay still for a breath. Now was his time. He shot off the ground, aiming with a hard practiced ease. He knew once he cleared most of the buildings he would have to readjust for the wind and he was getting ready to do just that. From the left of his vision he saw something green flicker. Almost in front of him he saw pink soaring up at a much slower pace, but still too fast. Fucking idiots, what were they doing here?
"That kid's going to fall!" Oh, he'd said that out loud. It clicked at the same time that none of them had decided they weren't going to be the one to catch Kiki. Bright, happy giggles at seeing him turned into a worried look. She didn't like new people. This was about to suck. He was closest so he opened his arms up and hoped he was smiling. The moment she was inside his arms was the moment Deku and Uravity knocked into him. A terrified shriek tore from Kiki's mouth as she pressed herself into him and he could feel her sticking to him. She was sticking to everything right now, he knew. That was how Deku and Uravity were suddenly falling with them. They were tumbling through the air and Bakugou had no control over their momentum anymore. His arms were beginning to adhere to his sides and he knew that the effect would be spreading for the other two as well. Before he could even say anything he felt a slap on his back and the clear feeling of becoming weightless set in as he was still being pulled down. "Deku! Break the fall!" Shouting over the rushing air, he was hoping that the idiot heard him. One spin and a tug later they were nearly floating in the air. He felt like a balloon... like a seasick balloon. "Kiki?" He asked, clearly worried. He wanted to scream at the two idiot currently fused with him but he knew that the girl needed him right then. "G-Ground Z-ze-ero?" Fuck, she was crying. She was probably scared out of her mind. He had been, too, he couldn't blame her. "Hey, little octopus." He soothed, his arms were still stuck, but he smiled down at her as she clung to him and immobilized not only him, but two very strong third years. They may never live this down if the media got ahold of it. "We're okay, little octopus. These guys aren't here to hurt us."
"They tried to grab me."
"I know, I know. You trust me, right?" He looked at their positions. It was safe to land like this, but it would be uncomfortable. Uravity looked like she was already going to be sick. They needed to get down soon, but they were still fairly high up. He didn't want to fall anymore and it probably wasn't a good idea to scare Kiki anymore. "Of course!" "Then you have to let my arms go, but nothing else, okay?" "But, I-I-"
"I know, but look up at me." One purple and one blue eye looked at him. "I believe in you. Just take a breath and only let go of my arms. Like a sticker, or something, just peel it back a little." The eyes had already shifted to a red and green, but they still looked at him with a kind of pure hope that made Bakugou feel like the single greatest person alive and also the biggest liar in the world. "Do it like you're trying to annoy your dad." He teased. "Bak- Ground Zero, we shouldn't be incouraging children to-"
"You two can shut the fuck up." He bit out. He grit his teeth as he finally looked up at Uravity and Deku. "We were having fun until you two showed up. Now I have a scared little girl that doesn't know you two aren't bad guys. She doesn't have full control of her quirk yet and she might very well throw us all when she tries to let go."
"We were just worried-"
"Well stop. What the hell do you think you're doing stepping into another persons patrol area anyway?"
"This is right on the boarder."
"Same!" Uravity backed him up. Nausea was fighting through her determination. "Shut it! Let's let the kid do her thing. Just be ready." He said, annoyed. When he felt her letting go he was surprised. She was already doing what he'd asked and was doing it well. Her quirk was a mutation quirk. Every one of her pores was like a tiny suction cup. It resulted in a lot of sticking to things. The drawback was that when she tried to 'let go' she ended up throwing whatever it was that she had stuck to, unless that thing was bigger than herself and then she would be the thing thrown. The harder she clung to something, the harder it was to safely let go. It didn't help that her body could 'melt' a little. When she 'melted' it was even harder to let go because her pores were larger and therefore, stickier. She also had a color changing aspect, meaning that she could blend into different objects. 'Little octopus' had just fit too well. His arms were free. She was still hard stuck to his chest, her little arms melted around his neck. Uravity's hand was stuck on her back, leaving her floating in an awkward angle slightly above them. Deku's arm was stuck against her side, so he was almost beside Bakugou. "Make sure you catch her when we land. I've got Kiki." He grumbled as he lifted an arm and let off a small series of explosions, slowly and safely getting them closer to the ground.
*)O(*
She was used to the nausea by now, so it only took a few moments for her to get her bearings when they landed. She was still completely thrown off guard by the way Bakugou had handled the little girl. He had been sweet and kind, patient. She knew he had all of those things inside of him, but she'd never seen them used so openly before. There was clear evidence that he and this little girl had some kind of history together. A petrified father ran up to them. "She's okay, sorry if we scared you. These idiots thought she was in danger." Bakugou frowned their way. "Just give her a minute, I think she has something she wants to show you." Bakugou spoke to the man first but then looked down and the color shifting child in his arms. "Like a sticker." He told her. Uraraka looked on as understanding and a giant smile spread across the girls face. Then her hand was free. The little girl giggled and Uraraka could see the surprise on Deku's face as he was let go of as well. Then, the girl was popping free of Bakugou as well. "Dad! Dad! I figured it out! I can let go now! I can let go!" She was cheering, sticking her hand to her dad's shirt and then slowly letting go. The older man seemed stunned. "No more throwing things?" Uraraka was a bit lost on the whole situation now. "Kiki! I'm so proud of you!" The dad picked up his daughter and spun her a little. Kiki laughed, blushing. "Ground Zero, thank you so much!" The dad belted as he started to walk away with the girl. Kiki wiggled out of her dad's arms and ran at Ground Zero, jumping into a hug. "Thank you, Ground Zero! I'll always be your biggest fan. Don't forget me when you're a pro, okay? I'm going to be your sidekick, don't forget!"
"Never, little octopus." Ground Zero promised. Just like that, the girl ran off to her father and the two were gone from sight before she really understood everything that had happened. A sharp stinging pain sprouted in her head. "Ow, Kacchan, what was that for?"
"Yeah," she whined, rubbing the top of her head. "That hurt." She cooed.
"You two idiots almost got all of us killed!"
"But we were-"
"Hey, we-"
"I don't give a damn. Stay out of my area and let me handle my own shit. Get back to your patrols, now."
He was angry. Really angry. Rightfully so, to some degree. She was indignant. _She_ was not a child. "Not until I get the information I need for a report." She fixed him with a stare. "There was a civilian child flying through the air with no way to break her own fall. I need an explanation." Oh, the glare he gave her sent heat to every inch of her body. She refused to step down. He was not going to intimidate her. She stood on equal footing in this matter. He would either respect that or she would report his inability to cooperate and apparent willingness to endanger small children. He looked away from her, over to Deku. Something gave inside of him. "Fine, but I need to finish this damn patrol." She followed beside him as he stomped his path forward. Deku joined followed them both. She almost felt bad that he was trailing behind them. Bakugou started telling his story. It was a month and half ago. Kiki's quirk had just manifested. She was a bit late getting it and they almost thought that she was quirk-less. A heavy pause landed on the conversation and some kind of tension she didn't understand swept through them. He explained the girls quirk and her issues with how it worked. There had been property damage. There were incidents of her harming other people, and herself. For someone so small the force she was able to exert on objects was highly dangerous. He told of how he'd been called to the scene. Glass was everywhere. Some kid was laying in a pile of it. Kiki was standing in the middle. She'd been bullied. The little boy had been sticking glass pop bottles to her after making her use her quirk to hold onto them. He'd pull and make one break, hurting Kiki. That was when Kiki had reversed the suction. Glass exploded, throwing the tormenter. So, Bakugou'd walked up to her. She stuck to him by accident. When he convinced her to go ahead and 'push' he'd caught her. Since then when she saw him they would play a game, seeing how high she could go. She couldn't help but stare at him. He'd never told her about it. A stinging feeling burned against her eyes. She felt horrible for Kiki. The girl has gone through plenty. Uraraka could understand not wanting to be touched after going through something so horrible. Kiki still ran to Bakugou, trusted him. It was astounding. That he could be so gentle, patient, with a child made something 'motherly' ripple through her. He would make a wonderful father some day. "Kacchan, oh, uh, Ground Zero, that's amazing! You never told me what happened that day. Now I understand why you came in covered in glass." "You were covered in glass?" She didn't remember any of this. She should have. Why didn't she?
"She still had some bottles attached." Something dark in his tone let her know she shouldn't ask. It must have been hard on him. Even if he was _good_ at being _good_, that didn't mean it was easy. "I won't do a report. She doesn't need to be pulled into answering any questions." "Right, and next time, I'll look out for a flying girl around here." Deku agreed with her. "Get back to your patrols, I'll see you two tonight at dinner." Bakugou smiled.
*)O(*
It was his turn to cook. He'd gotten back first and had been worrying about what to cook the entire time. He was no where near as good a cook as either Kacchan or Uraraka. He bordered on being incapable, to be honest. If it wasn't katsu or miso and rice, it was sure not to come out right. He already knew that the other two were burned out on either option. He wondered what would be something simple and easy to cook that he couldn't really mess up. Not a lot of things were popping up. He was going to fail at this. He would give up and just go buy something at a corner store. Nothing that he could make would be good enough anyway. They'd all had a hard day today and a bad meal was not how he wanted to finish it, not for himself and not for them. They deserved better. They needed someone who was just as good as they were. "Are you just going to stand there and look at the stove like it's trying to gain sentience and kill you?" The teasing voice hit him out of no where and he spun to look at who it was. Todoroki smiled at him, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "I promise it won't come alive." Midoriya smiled back at him and felt himself relax a bit. Todoroki was his best friend right after Uraraka and Bakugou. Don't get him wrong, Iida was great and was neck and neck for that title, but sometimes Iida could get a little over bearing. Todoroki had become a different person since that first year and now teasing banter was thrown between the two of them like it was second nature. "I don't know what to cook."
"You aren't going to make more katsu?"
"No, I'm sure that they are tired of that. I've made it the past three times-" A hearty laugh cut him off, "You three are so- Never mind. I'll help. Tell me what you want to make and I'll do my best."
"Really?" "Yeah, come on, we have to have something simple in here."
Soba. At least it was the hot kind. It turns out that Todoroki didn't know many recipes either. Beggars couldn't be choosers.
They were almost done when he heard Bakugou and Uraraka come in. Playful shoves and the light tone let him know that everything was okay with them. It must have meant that it was just him and what he'd said that morning that was the issue. He was the problem here. He should have just went to his room and hid there. Maybe he could find a reason to dip out of eating with them. Something _heavy_ draped over his back. Silence fell over the two newcomers. "Izuku, they're here."
"Uh, yeah, I know." He wondered what was up with Todoroki, as he kept himself balanced to handle the extra weight. "I'm going to go to my room. I like my soba cold." His friend stated, but didn't move. Was it just his imagination, or did he actually get heavier. "Save me a bowl, would you?" Todoroki asked softly. Midoriya raised an eye brow, why was he whispering? Then the weight was gone and Todoroki was walking away. Midoriya shook his head and brought the bowls to the table. Two sets of eyes bore into him as he moved. Tingling electricity replaced his skin. "Thank you, Midoriya." Why was Uraraka's voice so cold? "Todoroki-" she paused and seemed to _calm_ _down_? "Helped?"
"Yeah! He was super nice. I didn't know what to make and-"
"Why was he draped all over you, touching you?" Bakugou _growled_. What was up with these two? Sure, Todoroki had been weird, a little, but what did that have to do with anything at all? Midoriya raised an eyebrow at them both. "I don't know, he was probably just trying to be funny. He asked me to save him a bowl, though." Reminding himself to do just that, he sat with his own bowl and began to eat. It wasn't that bad. Both of them looked down at their bowls like something was going to crawl out of it and latch onto their faces. "Is, is it not good? It doesn't taste bad, I promise. I could make something else."
"It's fine. It's just," Bakugou paused. "I was expecting katsu or miso."
"But isn't this better? I always make those things."
"Yeah," Uraraka answered. "You might make the same thing all the time, but you're really good at them." She seemed to resolve herself and took a tentative bite. It seemed to pass the 'not poison' test. Bakugou began to eat too. Izuku had no idea what to say. He was thrilled to hear her say that she liked his food. He was also rather disappointed that it seemed neither of them wanted to eat the soba. He'd tried really hard and paid as much attention to what Todoroki had done as possible, hoping to be able to recreate it again. It was all useless. He was useless. He couldn't do anything right. He was just in the way. A deku, shitty, bothersome, deku. He'd even forgotten to leave. Now they'd had to put up with him. They were happier without him around. "Deku!"
He flinched at the sound. The accuracy of the word left him feeling like he was a child again. Red eyes that stared at him cemented the feeling as it pulled his soul down with it. "Izuku?" Worry- laden and urgent, Uraraka called to him. He needed to stop. None of this was their problem. Not his feelings for them. Not how he felt right now. Breathe and answer. "Sorry, I was spacing out. What's up?" He was getting better at smiling, no matter what. "I'm not going to repeat myself if you don't want to listen."
"Bakugou, quit that." Uraraka chided. "He was saying that the food is good."
"No, I said he better have made sure he paid attention to what-ever-the-fuck it was that Icy-Hot did." Bakugou riled.
"Same thing," shrugged Uraraka. "What?" Was all he could think of saying. "The food's good, nerd." "See, was that so hard?" Uraraka address Bakugou who just grunted and ate. She smiled, soft and warm. "It really is good."
The tilt of the world was thrown off. His mind reeled from the polar shift. Every negative thought burned away like paper: bright, flashy, possibly dangerous, but gone too soon to be a real worry once they were ashes. In their place was the desire to be better. He wanted to cook as many things as Bakugou. He wanted to be as creative as Uraraka was with ingredients. It would be some work, but he knew he could do it. He would do anything to hear that they appreciated him. He might need some help. Maybe Todoroki would be willing?