"Bakugo! You! Me! BURGERS! TONIGHT!" Kirishima Eijiro sloppily dressed looking like had ran a marathon.
"What the hell do you want." Katsuki stood still clad in his costume. A small crowd began to gather. "I'm on partol, you idiot." His cool yet gravelly voice slipped out through clenched teeth.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do, Mister!" Eijiro stomped closer to the man. Just about the same height the pair butted heads.
"About what."
"About you and Tsu!" Eijiro's voice was booming, the crowd's attention peaked.
"What do you know?" Katsuki's eyes narrowed, shooting a deathly glare into his friend.
"How about the fact that you ki-" Katsuki's hand came down with a similarly thunderous boom. His cheeks turning a light pink as his teeth grit into a threatening scowl.
"AHA! I knew something was happened. You can't hide it, Boss!" Tatsuya exclaimed happily, popping himself into the conversation.
"Wait who's this dude?" Eijiro pointed at the young man, backing off from their exchange.
"My crap-for-brains sidekick."
"Hey!" Tatsuya shouted. Eijiro chuckled.
"Since when did you start accepting help."
"Things change."
"Not for you!" Eijiro shouted. Tatsuya laughed.
"You lookin' for a fight. I kill your ass!" Katsuki raised his voice butting heads with the dyed redhead again.
"Bring it on!" Eijiro grinned. "Look's like someone's got my back. Ain't that right, Kid?" Eijiro turned to Tatsuya with a wild look in his eyes.
"Hey, I'm game. Just stop callin' me 'Kid', okay?" Tatsuya replied stepping to Eijiro's side.
"You got a name then?"
"Magma Drake, Sir. But Tatsuya is fine too."
"Good kid you got here Bakugo, well let's go!" Katsuki felt the veins in his neck bulge, in his anger a moment of revelation.
"Dammit… So that's what he reminds me of." He spoke under his breath, turning away beginning to march off once again. "C'mon newbie, we're still on the clock. And don't you dare fall behind." Tatsuya worriedly followed.
"And you..." Katsuki shot another glare at Eijiro. "Don't follow." He ordered as if he were a master talking to his dog.
"Come on, it'll be a double date!" Kirishima added in quick pursuit. "If you're gonna cheat, do it with someone remotely interested..." Bakugo replied without even a glance back to his old firend.
"Not you and me, dude! Me and the Missus, and you and Ts-" Kirishima got into proximity, planting a hand on Katsuki's shoulder. He quickly tripped the redhead, sweeping his leg with a swift hooking kick to the ankle. "Keep a look out Magma and I swear, if you follow me…"
"On it Boss."
Katsuki quickly grabbed Eijiro by the collar, dragging his body into a side alley. "I don't know what you two are planning but back off. I don't need you two meddling in my affairs." he pointed at the man's nose. "I definitely don't need you two playing around in my love life." his gaze sharpened, his brows tucked inwards, his teeth bare for the world to see. Years of dealing with the man led most of his fellow alumni to have some bearing on how to manipulate a conversation with him. Kirishima Eijiro, though not the greatest of negotiators was well versed in this skill.
"Who said anything about love man?" Eijiro shrugged with a smug look, he smoothly slipped out of reach keeping his relaxed posture all the while, this would piss Katsuki off easily. The audible growl of his voice only proving the man's point. "It's just a fun little get together between old friends. Besides, we've got some wedding talk to go over with the two of you too." He smiled over his shoulder.
"I still haven't agreed to helping you, asshole." Katsuki stubbornly turned away.
"Oh come on now, Mina's dead set on a western style wedding. That mean's I gotta have a wedding court and I wouldn't feel right asking Kaminari or Sero to be my best man." He begged, despite being sure Katsuki's pride already meant he'd eventually agree. "Tough crap and I'm not going to do it."
"It'll be great for your public image. The paparazzi eat up stories of our little 'miracle class.' What more, seeing a new side to you, will have your popularity skyrocket, Mr. Bachelor." Kirishima nudged on. In a way he was right, their entire year in all departments, churned out some of today's most successful upstarts, Katsuki included. "I'm sitting in the mid one hundreds, despite heavy competition in my niche. And why? Because I've got a great public image! You may be the highest in our class, but you could be so much more if you actually tried to make better public relations." He bartered with the sandy blonde. "I put a golden opportunity in your lap. All you've got to do is help me out a bit before the wedding. Heck! Tonight might just be enough until the date." Katsuki rolled his eyes with a scoff.
It could possibly work, early estimates of the monthly rankings show he might just move up a place because of his work with Tatsuya.
"Fine..."
"Perfect! Tonight, the burger joint down the street of our place."
"Earth to dumbass, I don't know where you live." Katsuki gave a knock to Eijiro's forehead.
"We just moved into the same building as you. We live on the 14 floor, Neighbor." Eijiro waved off animatedly jogging out the alley.
"… WHAT!?" Katsuki roared. This issue had to be dealt at a different time however, he marched out behind Eijiro. "Come on, Magma. Time for the next street." He grumbled, taking up old habits, gnashing his teeth, slumping over and generally looking more thuggish than most possible criminals.
Later that evening, Katsuki despite all his bemoaning, followed through. Knowing if he hadn't they'd come knocking at his door. He ran a bit late, since he was on the third floor, he commonly took the stairs. He checked his phone, dreading any possible text messages he may receive from the annoying couple.
Froppy: I'm at the station, running late right now. Sorry you guys.
Pinky: No worries, Tsu. Bakugo is totes late too… We'll be in the booth in the back.
Katsuki grunted, shoving his phone back in his pants pocket. The baggy material dragging on the ground by his heels, so much so that the hem was frayed and torn. His shirt a tight black shirt. The look reminiscent of his old hero costume, the night was warm but held with it a nice breeze. Katsuki looked down the road. The city lights illuminate a path on the peaceful street, he felt free to take his sweet time, until…
Froppy: I'm kind of lost. Where was the place again?
Pinky: Oh gosh! Tsu just stay put, Eiji will come get you.
Riot: Okay Tsu, where are you right now?
Froppy: Nearing an apartment complex, one with a big tree next to it.
Riot: Oh just keep going then, that's our place, its down the street.
Froppy: Hold on, I think I see someone.
Katsuki read the last line looking around. "Hey!" A familiar voice called to him. Tsuyu stood in front of her. Her long teal hair tied up into itself making a bow, her blouse tucked into her high waist long skirt, she carried with her a shabby old bag slung over her shoulder. She surprisingly wore some rather large, somewhat obscuring glasses. She approached him with with a hop in her step. A smile spread across her lips, she looked up to him, her hair slight frazzled and her glasses fogging up at it's edges.
"Look who decided to be a team player." She joked.
"He was surprisingly convincing." He sounded annoyed.
"Public opinion?" She guessed bowing ahead, her bag flapped about leading her readjustments as they began to walk.
"You know me so well." He answered with a tinge of sarcasm. "It's definitely a plus."
"Think of it this way. He'll owe you and I mean really owe you." She tilted her head at him. She had a mischievous smirk on her face. She played with the strap of her bag.
"What about you. What do you get out of this?" He looked at her.
"Nothing. I'm her friend, that's more than enough reason." She replied puffing her chest out, her hands clasped behind her back, fingers interlocked. "Though it doesn't hurt my pride too much being the maid of honor." She looked to the sky, the stars barely visible but surely still the.
"What does that even mean?" Katsuki had no real concept of western style weddings. He'd seen wedding photos from relatives he barely even knew, but otherwise it was a pretty alien concept.
"They're pretty much in charge of making sure things go smoothly from the Bride's end."
"So what? Does the Best Man do the same thing?"
"Exactly, you are pretty much in charge of the going-on's of Eijiro's bachelor party to his schedule on the wedding day."
"Sounds like a bunch of free labor." He rolled his eyes.
"It's all worth it to see their smiling faces, I'd say."
"Well you're the sentimental one."
"And you wouldn't die if you showed some yourself." She went into the statement with full confidence. It was almost… commendable.
"Whatever… we're here." He pointed to the neon sign. It was a diner, known for its western style foods. "Looks nice." Tsuyu admired the picture of the animal mascot seemingly carrying the logo on a platter. "Its usually crowded." Katsuki grunted walking in ahead of her. The steps led to an automatic door, the cool air rushed out
"Come here often?"
"Not recently." he turned to look back at her. "By the way. What's in the sack?"
"Some personal items and a few notebooks." He gave her a raised brow?
"What for?"
"Notes of course." Still he gave that incredulous look.
"Welcome, will that be a table for two?" the waitress asked from beyond the front desk.
"We're here for a table under Kirishima?" Tsuyu answered with her most courteous of voices.
"Back here!" Mina shouted from the furthest corner of the restaurant. It was luckily a slow night, so only a few people seemed to be disturbed by the sudden outburst. Besides that, no one was going wild for the arrival two top 100 heroes. Tsuyu waved as Bakugo marched on ahead taking the initiative to take the outer seat next to Eijiro. His head rest on an open palm, propped up by his elbow, he tapped his fingers impatiently as Tsuyu took the seat across from him.
"What are you two doing together?" Mina asked a wide grin plastered on her face.
"I saw him right when he was about to leave. I just had him escort me the rest of the way."
"So should we get started?" Eijiro asked positively beaming at his bride-to-be. Katsuki grunted in turn reaching over to grab a menu.
The next hour was spent with Mina and Tsuyu engaging in wedding planning, Eijiro on occasion would add some input as Katsuki barely said a word other than confirmation that he was actually listening. Eijiro, though not fully aware of the way weddings worked either, gave increasingly outlandish suggestions, mostly as a joke, but sometimes with earnest.
"Hold on. I need to go to the restroom for a bit." Mina announced shifting past Tsuyu. She shot a look at Eijiro who was in the middle of a large bite of his burger.
"M-me too." Eijiro nodded, slamming the sandwich down. The pair walked off leaving Tsuyu and Bakugo to their own devices. They ate in silence for a bit, it was a nice kind of silence. A trade of glances here, a grunt or cough there. The soon-to-be married couple seemed to be taking their sweet time. Tsuyu took one more look at Katsuki from beyond her notebook. Their eyes met, Katsuki sighed setting his burger down.
"What?"
"You know you'll have to make a speech for their wedding right?"
"What!?" His eyes widen as his brows furrowed.
"It'll be easy, say something nice about the groom or the couple then congratulate them." Tsuyu made her concise explanation dipping a fry into her ketchup.
"Oh that bastard… That dumbass just wants me to say some nice crap about him, doesn't he?" Katsuki pouted, crossing his arms as he slumped against the leather of the booth seat.
"No, I think he honestly thinks of you as one of his best friends. If you ask me, we'd probably both agree you're the best person for the job." He could see it in her eyes, she meant every word. Her gaze felt warm… almost comforting. Her smile, inviting…her lips… he reflexively began to scowl. He quickly took a bite of his burger.
"Oh wait." Tsuyu looked at Bakugo with a discerning eyes. "Hold still, you've got a bit of ketchup on you." She reached up wiping away at the corner of his mouth, her thumb brushed against his lower lip. She felt her face grow hot she pulled away, memories of the night before rushed back.
"Hey Katsuki?"
"Hmm?" Katsuki answered, his own face dusted pink.
"About last night? I'm sorry..." She bowed slightly. She awkwardly twiddled her thumbs.
"It's fine. I don't mind." He felt a smile form on his lips.
"But I-" Tsuyu tried to explain herself.
"I get it. You're not over him. Can't be blamed for getting a little lost in the moment." he was comforting her. Something that would have been equivalent to hell freezing over just a few years ago.
"I… Thanks." She nodded, setting her hands on the table.
"Don't even worry about it, we were a bit out of it. Besides… You weren't all that bad, Asui." He teased.
"Hey..." Tsuyu felt the heat of her face grow.
From around the corner, The Kirishima's looked on. Both slack jawed at the feeling of warmth between the unlikely pair.
"You seein' this!?" Eijiro loudly tried to whisper.
"Shh! I know! Where the heck was this Bakugo all these years!?"
"I have no idea."
"Oh god… They almost look cute together!"
"Look! She just laughed!"
"EWW! He's smiling!"
"We should get back to them then."
The pair quickly made their way back to the booth. Tsuyu noticed them first shifting in her seat to allow Mina back in. Katsuki stood up and leaning one hand on the table, he glared at them.
"Took you two long enough." He growled.
"Oh calm down, Katsuki. Let the lovebirds enjoy their little tryst."
"Oh shut it, you two. Let's get back to business." Mina huffed.
They ironed out more hiccups over the next hour, closing time was coming quickly as the group disbanded. Mina and Eijiro made their way ahead, quickly going home. Tsuyu made off for the station.
"Should I walk you there?"
"I should be fine, Thanks."
He nodded heading back to his apartment. Tsuyu walked alone with her thoughts, maybe her she wouldn't be alone someday soon.