(A/N) this chapter was rewritten in may 2024, and thus has a different style of writing
Every day Kuri failed to talk to Bakugo, it became clear that she was terrible at the art of making a new friend. She barely managed to shimmy her way out of the enemy zone the night of the school festival, when Bakugo charitably believed that she didn't hate him, but Kuri was definitely on thin ice.
Bakugo never looked at her—not during class, at the dorms, or even when they happened to ride the elevator together. Kuri knew this because she couldn't stop herself from gazing at him. Her eagerness to establish a friendly repertoire (plus his attractiveness) made it hard to look away, and his visible discomfort and wariness around Kuri hurt her heart. To think just a few words he overheard could do so much damage… Then again, his off-put looks might've just been due to all her staring.
Kuri's best attempt at friendliness left much to be desired, but it wasn't exactly easy to start conversations with the most aloof guy in class. Especially when Kuri and Bakugo hadn't been conveniently paired up during any class activities for the past month.
By the beginning of winter break, Kuri had only managed to squeak out a paltry, "Hey," a few times she encountered him in the hall. Bakugo always acknowledged her with a nod, but his eyes didn't even bother to graze over her.
Now that they were released from school and free to cozy up in the dorms or take a few days off to spend time with family, Kuri bet she would have an opportunity to have a full conversation with Bakugo. Their class had organized a Christmas party to celebrate the start of break, even though it wouldn't take place on the twenty-fifth due to everyone's travel plans. Kuri had plans to visit her grandparents in the snowy wonderland that is Hokkaido, so she had to make the party count and jump-start that friendship with Bakugo.
"Kuri, let's join the decoration team!" Mina chirped, grabbing her arm and squeezing it affectionately. "Ochako and Izuku said we should help out, plus enough people are cooking already."
"Um, okay," Kuri said, trying to hide her reluctant attitude with a smile. She glanced at the group she had been too slow to join, standing in the kitchen area while they discussed the plan for the night. Bakugo stood with his arms crossed as he gave orders to the others.
It figured that on the one day Kuri had resolved to talk to Bakugo, she would be unlucky enough to spend the whole day away from him. As part of the decoration team, Kuri embarked on an hours-long adventure into town to buy balloons, streamers, and the like. She enjoyed herself because she hadn't had many chances to go off campus, but her desire to befriend Bakugo lingered in the back of her mind.
When everyone was back at the dorms in the evening, preparing for the party, the decoration team had their hands full figuring out where to put everything they had purchased. Despite the hustle and bustle of adhering streamers to the ceiling—Kuri would jump and use her outstretched hand to press tape and the streamer above her head—she kept glancing at the person she couldn't seem to evict from her brain.
"I wish I could have joined the cooking team," Kuri lamented as she grabbed the next streamer.
"Sorry, Kuri," Mina said, handing her a piece of tape. "I didn't know Bakugo would be cooking until the last minute, so I didn't have time to arrange a spot for you."
"How would you have pulled that off even if you knew?" Kuri asked.
"Make empty promises about how good you cook?" Mina shrugged, earning a laugh from Kuri.
"That wouldn't be a lie, though," Kuri said as she jumped and stuck the streamer to the ceiling. "I can cook. I actually made a lot of food during my free time over the summer."
"Seriously? I can't believe how little I know about you," Mina said, shaking her head.
"Well, we've only known each other for a couple months," Kuri chuckled. She unwound more of the roll of streamers while Mina fiddled with the tape dispenser. "Are you any good at cooking, Mina?"
"Meh, I can do the basics, but it's not my thing," Mina answered, sticking another piece of tape on Kuri's hand. "You're a big help with the streamers, but I bet the cooking team would've been a more entertaining match."
Kuri sighed and jumped again. Mina was right about the entertaining aspect because the repetitive action of putting up streamers gave her mind too much room to daydream about cooking with Bakugo. Such frivolous ideas went unappreciated when she had just barely missed out on making them reality.
"If only a spot would open up…" Kuri mumbled when she went to Mina for another piece of tape. She shot a glance at the kitchen ten or so meters away, hoping for a glimpse of Bakugo, only to see a commotion arising. "What's going on over there?"
Mina turned to look, too, squinting and humming thoughtfully. Sero and Ojiro were engaged in a tense conversation while Bakugo leaned against the fridge, unfazed. The rest of the cooking team was still hard at work, but their actions seemed more frantic and rushed.
"I have no idea what they're doing," Mina said. "So, might as well take a break from this and ask!"
Mina latched onto Kuri's wrist and mischievously dragged her in the direction of her crush, whom she wasn't exactly on good terms with, and Kuri hesitantly stumbled along after her. She averted her eyes as Mina approached the kitchen and tapped Sero on the shoulder.
"Hey, everything alright over here?"
"Not exactly," Sero grimaced, then shared a look with Ojiro. "Sato's got a fever so we went to lie down a while ago."
"Is he okay?" Kuri asked, concerned. "Do we need to take him to the doctor?"
"He had some medicine, so he should be better soon," Ojiro said. "But the real problem is he never started making the cake."
"We thought he would feel better eventually, but it looks like it's up to us now," Sero added. "But the rest of us still need to finish our own dishes."
"Then, what exactly is Bakugo doing?" Kuri asked, gesturing to the guy who was clearly not working. At the mention of his name, Bakugo looked their way and narrowed his eyes. Kuri stiffened as Bakugo's red irises trained directly on her. It was the first time in nearly a month that they made direct eye contact.
"Not making a damn cake, that's for sure," he said. "You extras just need to pick up the slack."
"Basically, he's done cooking," Sero sighed, and Kuri turned her attention away from Bakugo, her cheeks suddenly flushed. "So we're figuring out how to time everything so dinner and dessert can be ready soon."
"Do you need more help?" Mina blurted, clasping her hands and leaning forward, very obviously hoping for a positive answer.
"You want to help?" Ojiro asked. "That'd be great—"
"Okay, Kuri, you're on the team!" Mina exclaimed, patting her on the back.
"What?! Just like that?" Kuri exclaimed and tried to turn to Mina, only to see her friend had dashed back to the decorating team. Kuri's shoulders fell, feeling guilty for possibly cursing Sato by wishing for a vacancy on the team, but the only way to make up for that was to bake. She looked at Sero and Ojiro with a determined smile. "I can bake as long as you give me the recipe. I may not be as good as Sato, but I promise I've got some skill!"
The cooking team breathed a sigh of relief once Kuri took on the job, and Sero gave her the recipe Sato had written. She rolled up the sleeves of her festive red cardigan, donned an apron, washed her hands, and got right to work alongside the other busy cooks in the kitchen. However, Bakugo was not currently at the stove or prepping at a counter, and instead seemed to be arranging several large aluminum trays on the tables in the dining area.
The only reason Kuri even wanted to cook was to have quality time with Bakugo. Sure, it was good to help since Sato was decommissioned, but what about her personal issues? She really wanted to get back on Bakugo's good side, or else she feared the rift between them would grow until it was irreparable. Though, one could argue Kuri had never been on his good side. Regardless, she wanted to be closer to him, but his high walls stopped her at every turn.
At least Bakugo's absence helped her focus on the task at hand. While humming along to the Christmas music someone had set to play from the television in the common area, Kuri gathered the cake ingredients from their various locations in the kitchen and made the batter. While mixing it all together, Kuri looked out to the window that faced the garden in the center of the building. In the low light, Kuri could see snowflakes landing on the bushes outside, covering them all in fluffy white powder.
Kuri was only pouring the batter into the pan when it seemed the rest of the cooking team had all finished their duties and brought their food to the tables in trays identical to the ones Bakugo had earlier. With the sudden influx of food came a crowd of Kuri's hungry classmates, eager to taste-test what their friends prepared. Kuri listened to their excited chatter from afar while she put the cake pan into the oven and positioned herself back at the counter.
As usual, Kuri had nothing but bad luck; she couldn't talk to Bakugo and now she was missing out on food! Kuri wished the cake-making process could be faster, but she couldn't exactly speed up the oven unless she wanted to risk burning the sponge cake. Thus, she kept following the extensive recipe and hoped that her friends wouldn't eat everything before she got a chance to try. Since she was working beside the other cooks, Kuri had a preview of the many tasty menu items, and she could barely keep from salivating at all the delicious scents of savory sauces and aromatic herbs. To think that the food would probably be cold by the time she got to it made her sigh in frustration.
Kuri was making whipped cream frosting, muttering to herself about how long it took to make a cake when a figure suddenly appeared at the sink beside her. Confused, she glanced over and discovered that her unexpected companion was none other than the blond boy she wanted to talk to most. He rolled up the sleeves of his black crewneck and pulled on yellow rubber gloves before turning on the faucet, letting the water run over the monstrous pile of dishes the cooking team had accrued throughout the afternoon.
"Stop staring, Bunny," Bakugo said without looking at her. Kuri's heart leapt into her throat, and she averted her gaze as soon as he caught her.
"Sorry," Kuri said as she turned off the mixer and set aside the whipped cream. "You finished cooking a while ago, so I'm surprised you came back."
Bakugo didn't respond to her comment but procured something from the cabinet under the sink. Kuri shot a furtive glance his way and a bottle of clear blue soap caught her eye.
He's actually going to clean them…?
Kuri supposed it made sense. He had finished cooking the fastest and wasn't that into the festivities, so why not just do the dishes to ensure he would be left alone? Plus, Kuri was sure that by the end of the party, no one would want to clean up, and they would leave the mess to be dealt with in the morning. Bakugo just happened to be one of the responsible few who had the foresight to clean early.
Surprisingly, he chose to do the dishes while Kuri was still in the kitchen. She was out of his way, but why would he want to be near her after how she treated him? Not that she was complaining, because this was finally her chance to talk to him!
Go, Kuri! Be brave!
"Hey, I actually need the sink for a second," Kuri said apologetically, pushing a bowl of strawberries along the counter toward him. Bakugo groaned frustratedly and stepped back, holding his bubble-covered gloves in the air while Kuri quickly rinsed the fruit. Her hands slightly shook as the cold water ran over them, and she worked up the nerve to start a friendly conversation. Kuri managed to come across as more relaxed than she felt when she cheerily said, "I'm excited to try what everyone made today."
Bakugo had no response for her besides a disinterested hum to indicate he heard what she had said. Usually, he was a bit more charitable, so the extra-cold shoulder stung. Nonetheless, she cleared her throat and spoke again while cutting the leaves and stems off the strawberries.
"What did you make?" she asked, shooting him a curious glance.
After a beat, Bakugo answered her question.
"A shit ton of fried rice. Probably too much."
"What? You can never have too much," Kuri grinned. "And I'll finish it all, if necessary."
Kuri's attempt at a warm and friendly attitude was met with half-hearted indifference.
"Save room for your cake," he said while focusing on scrubbing a pan. At least Bakugo cared enough to give her sound advice…?
"Don't worry, I have room for everything!" Kuri asserted. She kept cutting the stems away, making a pile in the corner of her plastic cutting board. "I'm guessing you're not trying the cake, though. There's probably too much sugar in this for you."
"What do you mean?" Bakugo asked, and for once, Kuri could see from her peripheral vision that he glanced her way.
"You told me you don't like sweet stuff, didn't you?" Kuri asked, swiveling her head and locking eyes with him. Bakugo raised his eyebrows slightly, and the overhead lights reflected across his ruby irises. Kuri's lips parted slightly to take in a quick breath, taken aback by the eye contact.
"Oh, yeah," Bakugo said, quickly darting his gaze back to the sink. He returned to vigorously scrubbing a small pot. "I'm surprised you remembered."
"Of course I did!" Kuri beamed. She hoped Bakugo would take her remembrance as an indication of her good intentions. After all, why would Kuri bother to know his preferences if she didn't like him? Then, Kuri thought of another way to demonstrate friendliness—and learn more about Bakugo because she liked him anyway. "But I'm curious, what's your limit when it comes to sweet things? Do you eat fruit?"
Kuri took one of the strawberries whose stem was already removed, and held it out toward Bakugo. He glanced up from his work at the fruit Kuri lightly gripped between her thumb and forefinger, eying it suspiciously.
"I'm not that picky," Bakugo scoffed, rolling his eyes away from her. "I'll make exceptions for ice cream and stuff."
"Really? Then prove it," Kuri said, extending her arm further so it was only ten centimeters from his mouth. Bakugo scrunched up his face and leaned away from her offering.
"You've lost it if you think I'll eat out of your fucking hand," Bakugo said, giving her a warning glare. He turned his head away, and Kuri retracted her arm.
"So much for not being picky…" Kuri muttered, popping the fruit into her mouth and delighting at how sweet and juicy it was despite strawberries not being in season. Bakugo sure missed out.
"Leave one out for me, then I'll eat it," Bakugo mumbled. Kuri perked up immediately, and she grinned.
"Sure thing!" Kuri exclaimed, trotting off to get a plate from the cupboard and set a single strawberry aside. She left it on the counter for Bakugo to grab once he finished washing the dishes. "Anyway, it's too bad you won't get to try my cooking. My family says I'm pretty good."
"You could've just made something besides cake."
"Well, I felt I owed it to Sato to follow his recipe, but I can definitely make something for you another time!" Kuri said. "I'll just have to think of the right occasion…"
"Don't go out of your way for me."
Kuri looked up from the cutting board, where all the strawberries were lined up and prepared to be used as cake decorations, and turned to face Bakugo. His face had hardened again into a mask of detachment.
"Why not?" Kuri asked, setting down the paring knife in her hand. "You know, I was serious when I said I wanted to be friends. I'm sorry for what I said before—"
"I don't get you," Bakugo sighed, shaking his head.
"Hm?"
Kuri tilted her head to the side and quirked an eyebrow.
"If I'm so rude and annoying, why keep talking to me?" Bakugo asked, turning to Kuri with an exasperated look.
Kuri hesitated before answering, drawing her arms closer to her body while she deliberated over her thoughts. While she stood there wordlessly, Bakugo turned back to the sink and rinsed the bubbles off the last of the things he had to clean—the bowl Kuri used to mix the cake batter. After placing the bowl on a drying rack, Bakugo rinsed out the sink, but before he could remove his gloves, Kuri found the words she wanted to say.
"Because I'm still getting to know you," she blurted, the sentence frantically tumbling from her lips before he could walk away. That answer seemed to intrigue Bakugo because he froze momentarily, with only one rubber glove off. "It's only been a couple months since I got here, and I've seen some of your bad sides, but the good parts intrigue me. Like the fact that you're here washing dishes while everyone else eats."
Bakugo glanced at the rack of sparkling clean dishes and removed his other glove, leaving them both to dry by the sink.
"So you'll put up with me because I do chores?" Bakugo deadpanned as he turned the faucet on again to wash his hands.
Kuri giggled and turned back to the cutting board to gather the strawberry stems and throw them away.
"And I think you're funny," Kuri said with a wide grin.
"You just like to laugh at me," Bakugo muttered, rolling his eyes. He walked behind Kuri to reach the spot where she'd left him the strawberry.
"You're worrying too much about the details," Kuri said, waving away his grievance. "For now, let's just try things out. Being friends could be more fun than you expect."
"Bunny, you really make no sense," Bakugo said before popping the bright red fruit into his mouth. The change in his expression was subtle, but Kuri could tell he liked the taste. She grinned at him.
"Do I need to?"
Kuri's phone suddenly jingled a little tune—her timer for the cake. She gingerly but quickly fished it out from the back pocket of her jeans, grimacing as her sticky fingers touched the screen to shut off the timer. While she scrambled to rinse the strawberry juice off her hands before donning oven mitts, Bakugo took his leave.
"Hurry up and finish your cake," he said over his shoulder. "Your real friends are waiting for you."
A blast of hot air hit Kuri's face as she opened the oven, shocking her about as much as Bakugo's statement had. Her "real" friends… What made anyone else a more legitimate friend than him? Did he not recognize her efforts? Or was he saying he would never feel friendly toward her?
Kuri carefully pulled the cake pan out of the oven and placed it on a rack on the counter. When she glanced back in Bakugo's direction, he was already gone, disappearing somewhere into the crowd of their classmates. The sight of everyone having fun without her made a lump form in Kuri's throat. She stood next to the counter, her fists balled up, then turned back to the portion of the counter where her collection of cake toppings sat and resolved to save the decorating for later. She could at least have some dinner before finishing the dessert. Plus, the cake needed at least a bit of time to cool.
While Kuri packed up the whipped cream and strawberries to store them in the fridge, she reflected on her short conversation with Bakugo, who became harder to understand by the day. Kuri was disheartened by the lack of confirmation about their budding friendship, but she sensed that despite everything, they had grown closer. It always was like that between them; even though Bakugo put up his walls around her, he gave her a small window to peek through. It was only a matter of time until he gave her a door, too.