Leaning back against the kitchen counter Uraraka allowed herself the few minutes of peaceful silence before she would hear the ongoing knocks at the door, followed by Kiseki's cries of being woken up from one of his naps. Despite her agreeing to hang out with her friends after the interview, she couldn't help but wonder if it was such a good idea right now since all she really wanted to do was get some nice sleep to finish off her day.
But she had put off hanging out with them a few times already and didn't have the heart to tell them no, even though she knew that they'd understand.
Which left her with time to think about stuff right now. One of them being that tomorrow would be her last day being partnered up with Bakugo, and she was having a hard time trying to convince herself that that's what she wanted.
After all this time away, it felt nice to pretend like nothing's changed when it came to working together again, which she always enjoyed doing. But she knew that it could only last so long and would be for the best in the long run. She was sure he was just as eager to get back to working with Kirishima too.
When she heard the front door open, she didn't have to turn to see who it was when she caught the tail end of the conversation between Kenzo and Riku as they continued to argue.
"I'm telling you if you took as much time in learning something new as you do taking care of that shit you call a bar, then you could be running a few of them instead of working in one you damn runt."
"This from a guy who can't stay in one place long enough to make an earnest living." Riku frowned at Kenzo when he roughly shoved past him to get to the fridge. "Besides, I love what I do Kenzo."
"And running a bar is earnest living?" Kenzo bitterly scoffed as he snatched two beers from the very back of the fridge before downing the first one in one go.
Sitting himself down on a nearby chair Riku shot his brother and annoyed glare before it changed into a welcoming smile when his eyes met Uraraka's. "Hey cat girl, always nice to see a friendly face after staring at that one." He pointed at his older brother who quickly walked over to him and nearly shoved him off the seat. "Real mature Kenzo." Riku said over his shoulder as his older brother stopped to sniff the air, letting out a low growl afterwards.
"Lock that damn window." Kenzo sternly said as he frowned at something outside. "Don't need anymore strays in here then there already are."
"Why? Is she back?!" Uraraka energetically asked as she made to stand next to him but stopped when she saw his furious gaze. After being around the ex-villain long enough she came to realize that he seemed more at peace when he changed into his cat form, finding it somewhat relaxing for him.
Not to mention it allowed him to get in and out of places he normally wouldn't. Which at first she found odd since she had always figured that with his quirk he wouldn't mind turning into something else-which of course he would if the occasion called for it- but unlike that time he attacked her in the forest during their second year training camp in the form of a bear or at the school, he surprisingly preferred smaller animals instead.
But because of that, he seemed to attract other unwanted attention at times and was unable to get rid of them all whenever they came knocking at their window.
"You open that window mouse, and I promise you that boy of yours will be motherless." He warned, which only made her press her lips together to hide a small smile.
"Hey it's not cat girls fault you got stray cats following you left and right." Riku bristled. This was exactly one of the many reasons Riku decided from a young age never to use his quirk as much as his brothers. Although having a quirk like Kage's wouldn't be so bad depending on how you'd use it of course. Which much to their regret their youngest brother never understood.
"Hey, knock it off!" Kenzo suddenly appeared next to him when Riku's expression turned sour at the memory of what happened to Kage.
"I'm not allowed to think now?"
"Glad we got that straightened out." Kenzo huffed before raising the second bottle to his lips.
"Word of advice cat girl, be glad you don't have any sibl-OW!" Biting his tongue Riku angrily got to his feet just as Kenzo put his drink down.
"Think twice before finishing that sentence little brother."
"Great." Uraraka deeply exhaled at the same time that she could hear knocking at the door, Kiseki begin to fuss and both brothers began to use their quirks to change forms before settling on wrestling on the floor as two cats. "Seriously?! Are we doing this again?" she tiredly asked as she defeatedly raised her hands to go get her child and answer the door right after.
So much for her peace and quiet.
X
Ten minutes.
Ten minutes was the exact time it took him to enter the apartment building and get his damn feet to move. He wasn't even sure what the hell he was doing here to be perfectly honest. All he knew was that after everyone's interviews concluded, instead of heading back to the Agency like some of the others, he found himself jumping on his motorcycle hoping to go for a little drive and clear his head before his second shift started.
He couldn't afford to be distracted over something as meaningless as a stupid interview that everyone was forced to do eventually. It was all to get those damn people off their backs and hope their ratings would go up in the process. Nothing more.
It was only logical that during their time together at UA their whole class would form a tight bond that wasn't easy to break, even he could acknowledge that. So, it wasn't surprising that none of them would ever talk bad about the other and could always count on each other if the situation called for it, but needless to say it never stopped them from competing with each other from time to time like they did back in school. This wouldn't be any different.
So when he suddenly took a sharp right turn instead of going straight, he surprised even himself knowing that he may as well get this shit out of his chest now before he had work to do.
X
"Thanks again for letting me tag along." Ojiro gave Uraraka one of his timid smiles on his spot on the floor next to Hagakure.
"Anytime." Uraraka smiled back as she placed her child inside the small playpen once she heard some more ruckus in the kitchen. She was just about to tell them both to knock it off when there was another loud knock on the door.
"Oh Kaminari was in the mood for pizza today." Jirou explained while her boyfriend sheepishly smiled back.
Nodding, Uraraka was expecting to see the pizza delivery guy, not what was actually standing in front of her when she opened her door. Or rather who.
Blinking twice she was surprised to see Bakugo's emotionless face staring back as he tilted his head with his hands in his pockets and a medium-sized box neatly tucked away under his right arm. "Bakugo? W-what are you doing here?"
He had continued to ask himself that very same question all the way here until he found himself finally knocking on her door. When he saw her face change from surprise to confusion he opened and closed his mouth not entirely sure what to say. "I…I actually came here to see-"
"Bakubro?" Kaminari poked his head out when he heard Bakugo's familiar voice outside the door. "Hey dude what are you doing here? Thought you were working another double."
Bouncing his eyes from Kaminari to Uraraka's expectant one simply made him shrug in defeat when he realized that whatever reason he came here for would have to wait. Or maybe this was just fates way of telling him to fuck off and forget about it. "I came to see Sparky over there, since he obviously told me where he'd be."
"I did?" Kaminari's eyebrows nearly lifted to his hairline in confusion before it quickly changed into something Bakugo would rather not acknowledge as being moved by his concern. "Aw Kacchan, you came to check up on me?"
"Shut up." Bakugo mumbled as Uraraka stepped aside to let him awkwardly pass which is when he caught the small figure inside the playpen raising and lowering his little legs before letting off a loud squeal.
He still remembered how his chest felt when the boy wrapped his tiny fingers around his own and it made him swiftly look away as he passed by everyone who waved in greeting but were too busy keeping their eyes on the TV screen as usual.
"You're more than welcome to stay if you like." She forced a friendly smile, but he could see it didn't quite reach her eyes making him think that maybe this wasn't a good time after all and that maybe he should leave.
"No it's fine. Like dumbass over there said I have another shift at work to get to."
"You know I can hear you!" Kaminari's offended voice could be heard from the living room which only made them step further out of earshot.
'So he came all the way here just to tell Kaminari he couldn't stay?' She curiously eyed him and was about to say that very thought but stopped herself when she saw the way he continued to uneasily look around the apartment.
The awkward silence that dragged on became unbearable and Bakugo decided to break it by clearing his throat."A-anyways I also came here to give you this." He outstretched his hand to give her the box he'd been holding.
"What is it?" she suspiciously eyed it before his impatience got the better of him and he moved a little closer until she finally accepted it. Meeting his gaze once more she allowed the box to float in front of her before carefully opening it and letting out a small gasp in surprise.
"I know the old hag has had some of these in the attic and figured you could use them." He nervously rubbed the top of his head when she didn't say anything right away. "It's just one of the many boxes she's hoarding."
She gave a faint smile after tenderly trailing her fingers along the fabric of one of his old baby clothes and was having a hard time picturing him even fitting into one of these.
"Before you say anything, you don't have to use them if you don't want to. I only asked her the other day when I stopped by in case you wanted to."
She was about to decline the gift, as thoughtful as it was. But upon seeing how much this was actually unnerving him too when he began to look like he was about to dart out of her door any minute, she decided against it. "Thank you Bakugo." She quietly said, hoping he could see how much she truly appreciated it by placing it against her chest. "I'm sure Kiseki will love them too."
"Whatever. They were in the attic collecting dust anyways. Might as well put them to good use." He mumbled, getting uncomfortable by the minute.
She knew that that was his way of trying to not seem like he was doing her any favors or being nice simply for the joy of doing it, but nonetheless found the gesture sweet.
When a sudden clatter made them both whip around, Bakugo was the first to move towards the kitchen only to find two cats- one black and one orange wrestling on the floor. "The fuck?"
"Don't mind them." She said now standing next to him as they stared down at the two furballs. "If you two don't knock it off now I will put you outside." Her tone hardened as she placed her hands on her hips.
Ever so slowly both cats began to untangle themselves before sitting down facing her, but not before Kenzo took another good smack to the back of Riku's head with his paw.
"Oh shit, don't tell me you're a crazy cat lady Round-face." Bakugo annoyingly groaned as he dragged his hands down his face.
Gaping in offense Uraraka now glared at him. "What-I'm not! They're not mine-" When Bakugo raised a questioning brow when a small cat continued to tap her little paws against the window and meow, Uraraka couldn't do anything but admit the truth. "Ok that one maybe..."
Allowing the cat inside Uraraka tried to ignore the small hiss that escaped Kenzo when the small white cat made its way over to him and he quickly moved away.
"Hey Coco." She smiled down at the cat who jumped to follow Kenzo before using his quirk to change back along with Riku. "She's just a regular visitor and she's so cute!" Uraraka gushed but just as quickly her smile slowly faded when she saw her temporary partners face twisting with rage.
"You…" Bakugo growled ignoring the way his palms began to smoke.
It didn't take her long to realize that with Kenzo's beard now no longer visible, it also made it easier for people to recognize him for the person he used to be.
"Bakugo wait…"
Clenching his fists he could feel the small cracking of his quirk as he took a menacing step towards Kenzo while Riku shared a look with Uraraka. "I'm going to kill you."
"I'd like to see you try kid." was Kenzo's only reply as he sneered back.
He was just about lunge at the guy when Uraraka jumped in front of him. "Don't!"
"What. The hell. Is HE doing here?!" The fury in his eyes made her take a cautious step back as he grits his teeth unable to control the range inside him.
"He um…" Looking back over her shoulder she saw Kenzo casually pull out another beer from the fridge before he gestured towards Bakugo. "Lives here…?"
"WHAT?!" All of his anger was now directed at her as his eyes grew the size of saucers. Not sure if he even heard her right.
"Hey, could you guys speak up a little? It's harder to hear you from here!" Mina shouted from the living room.
"Ooh and bring me that bag of chips while you're at it please!" Kaminari added.
"The fuck Uraraka?!" Completely ignoring the others, Bakugo couldn't for the life of him figure out what the hell she'd been thinking. Didn't she remember the shit they all had to go through thanks to Toga and her new league of villains? Didn't she remember he worked for those assholes? And he was one of the reasons they got captured and locked up in that old hospital in the first place?! "What were you thinking?!"
"Bakugo calm down." She evenly said, which did little to ease his anger, but nonetheless saw him give her time to answer. "And no, I haven't forgotten ok."
Nodding his head his eyes flicked from Kenzo then back to her. "So you're just stupid then."
"What?!" She furrowed her brows.
"Fine whatever, you're unsmart." He corrected. "How the fuck is he living here with you and…" working his jaw he took a quick glance over his shoulder where he could still see Kiseki happily playing in his playpen and the thought alone made his blood boil. "The hell is he doing here Uraraka? And you better give me a good damn answer or I swear I'll kill him right here."
Taking a deep breath in, she tried not to let the way his tone harden into an icy stab get to her knowing exactly what he may be thinking. "K-Bakugo, a lot's changed since we joined Hawks."
"No shit." He huffed before another thing she said caught his attention. "Hawks..." Pressing his lips together, he made a mental note to go see the Pro later. Unaware that that same Pro currently felt a shiver run down his spine not knowing why. "Of course. You're one of the useless fucks working for him now aren't you?" He now remembered him as the same guy from before when he still had a beard. How the fuck did he not realize it was him?!
"Useless?!" Uraraka quickly made his eyes snap back to her. Ok so maybe this was the second time in as many minutes he's insulted her, but could you blame him? Who in their right mind would allow an ex-villain anywhere near their child?
"Correct me. I dare you." Bakugo dangerously narrowed his eyes at her. "Have you completely lost it?"
Sucking in a breath through his teeth Kenzo couldn't help but find the scene of the two ex-lovers entertaining. But Unbeknownst to the explosive hero, this wasn't doing him any favors but could understand that not everyone was still warming up to the idea of him being here. Regardless of the honest fact that he would never let any harm come to the little boy, not if he could help it.
"You know what, maybe I have lost it. Because now, I'm working with you." She fired back but stopped herself when she realized she was letting her own frustration get the better of her. This wasn't Bakugo's fault, but nonetheless he had no right to start judging someone when he didn't know the full story.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" he frowned.
"Look Bakugo, I realize this doesn't make any sense right now-" she only paused when she heard him scoff. "But Kenzo has been helping us this whole time. Even before we realized it, he'd been working with Hawks while being with Toga's group." When she saw his crimson eyes unconvincingly glare over her shoulder at the man she continued. "He was the informant that was mentioned this whole time."
"Are you shitting me?" He angrily frowned down at her. "We fought him at the school when they attacked!"
"And the training camp forest." Kenzo chimed in. "Not to mention I saved Toga from killing you back in mouse's dorm room."
"Kenzo, you're really not helping here." Uraraka exhaustingly looked over her shoulder.
Absently touching the back of his head, Bakugo's eyes widened in realization when he remembered blacking out right before he was taken that night after the dance. "You. That was you?! You fucking hit me in the back of the head!"
"You're alive kid. Show some gratitude."
Taking a step forward, Bakugo had to force himself to breathe through his nose when he saw her pleadingly shake her head. "You hit me. And I can guarantee that I'll sure as hell will return the favor asshole." With that he swiftly stomped out of the kitchen, snatched the bag of chips from the counter and threw the bag towards the back of Kaminari's head.
"Ow! I said please!" The stun gun hero whined as he let his eyes follow Bakugo until the door slammed shut after him.