Chapter Text
They danced around each other like incompetent, blushing idiots, and it made Bakugou sick. They were both capable heroes in training, even Bakugou could admit that, yet they were incapable when it came to each other. It was infuriating.
‘Bakubro-‘ Kirishima’s soft voice broke through Bakugou’s grumpy reverie. ‘You’re glaring again.’
‘No I’m not.’ Bakugou spat, without waiting to be told what it was he was glaring at.
Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck.
‘I thought things were better between you and Midoriya these days?’
‘He’s still an idiot.’ He muttered, just as Mina arrived by Kirishimas side.
Having caught the tail end of their conversation, she followed Kirishima’s line of sight, landing over at Uraraka’s desk, where she and Midoriya were talking - if you could call stammering and blushing talking.
‘Wait-‘ Mina grinned, her already bright face lighting up. ‘Is it uraraka? Do you have a thing for Ochako?’
Bakugou glared up at her.
‘Don’t be fucking wet.’ He snapped.
Before anyone could say any more, Aizawa turned up, quietening them. Kirishima and Mina slunk off, exchanging what they believed to be knowing grins, and Deku returned to his own desk behind Bakugou. Bakugou turned his glare to the front of the class.
—
Bakugou’s bad mood lasted throughout the day; to most people, it would seem no different to any other day, but Kirishima knew his bro better than that. His hits hit a little harder in gym class, his curses a little harsher. He ate lunch in relative silence, barely even taking the time to shout at the others they hung around with. Kirishima was a straight forward man. He was not good at hiding his feelings or keeping quiet, and Bakugous obvious frustrations were wearing him down. By the end of the day, as they walked back to the dorms is frosty silence, he couldn’t take it any more.
‘What’s going on with you, bro?’ He asked; Mina, Sero and Kaminari were walking together a little further back, so he figured it was safe to ask. Bakugou didn’t answer.
‘You’ve been off all day. Something is obviously bothering you. We were only teasing earlier, me and Mina, but was she, like, on to something? Do you have a thing for Uraraka?’
Bakugou turned to glare at him now.
‘Don’t be stupid.’ He spat.
‘I mean, it would sort of make sense.’ Kirishima said. ‘She’s a great girl - and I know you think she’s strong-‘
‘I don’t have a thing for Uraraka.’ Bakugou sighed.
‘What’s eating you then, man?’ Kirishima asked.
Bakugou glared at his dense, interfering friend, before dropping his gaze to the gravel beneath his feet. He kicked at it a bit.
‘It’s just the two of them.’ He said through gritted teeth. ‘They’re so – obvious. And yet they’re both so fucking – oblivious. They blush and stutter and it makes me feel sick.’ He glanced at Kirishima. ‘You must have noticed it.’
Kirishima looked at him for a moment, his brows lightly furrowed; Bakugou was about to tell him to forget it, and forget ever asking him anything ever again, for that matter, when he nodded.
‘Yeah, I guess I’ve noticed it.’ He said. ‘You mean the fact they like each other?’
‘Yeah.’ Bakugou shrugged. ‘I guess. It just winds me up. There’s more important things going on – just get on with it.’
Kirishima laughed – he guessed his best buddy was a pretty straight forward guy too. He could see why two people, who clearly liked one another, not making any moves to get together would be annoying. Especially to someone like Bakugou, who seemed to have no interest in romance or the slow burn of it all. Kirishma chuckled again.
‘We’re all heading out to the lake tomorrow.’ He said. ‘Maybe that’ll finally be what gets them together – warm, sunny weather, a romatic picnic.’ He punched the air as Bakugou glared fiercly at him.
‘Whatever.’ He said. ‘So long as I don’t have to see any of it.’
–
The morning broke beautifully, even Bakugou had to admit that. He had half been hoping the whole thing would be rained off, so he wouldn’t have to spend the day with a bunch of bumbling extras and their ideas of fun.
He thought about making up an excuse – needing to work out, or study – but Kirishima would never hear it. He would harden himself to explosions and carry Bakugou out to the damn lake himself if he had to.
There was a part of Bakugou, deep, deep, deep, deep down that was grateful for Kirishima’s persistent friendship – it was always good to have someone you could trust and rely on in this field, and if Bakugou was honest with himself, he could both rely on and trust Kirishima. He was an idiot, and way too happy, and his hair was fucking stupid, but he was a friend.
And Bakugou didn’t want to let a friend down, not really. So he showered, dressed, and met the gaggle of extras down in the common area.
True to form, Kirishima was beaming, mouth full of shining, sharp teeth, when Bakugou joined them. He thumped Bakuogu on the back, ignorng the glare it earned him, and broke into an excited rabble about barbequed meats and sports games. The room was rowdy as everyone else gushed about the perfect weather, the food, the games, the chance at swimming in the lake, and Bakugou was able to block most of it out.
Kaminari arrived soon after with his shit eating grin; he tried to thrust a cool box at Bakugou.
‘Hold this for me bro. I told Sato I would help him carry over the deserts he made.’ He said.
Bakugou eyed the box held out to him suspiciously.
‘Whats in it?’ he asked.
‘Just some drinks, man.’ Kaminari grinned.
‘No.’ Bakugou growled. ‘Whatever’s in there isn’t going to be legal. I’m not risking my neck for you – I’m already on thin ice. I get caught with this they could stop my remedial lessons. I’m not risking my lisence for your dumb ass.’
Kaminari tried his best to look offended.
‘Why would you assume that, man?’ He asked, but Bakugou just sighed.
‘Just look at your dumb fucking face!’ He spat.
Kaminari turned indignant to Mina, who was now cackling at the exchange.
‘What’s wrong with my face!’ He cried.
‘Never mind, Sparky, I’ll hold it for you,’ She laughed. ‘Never mind Iida over there!’
Kirishima thumped Bakugou on the back – again – before he could reply.
‘Yes! Stick to your convictions! So manly!’ He cheered.
Bakugou swallowed a growl, closing his eyes against the rising anger for a moment.
‘Just – just give me something else to carry.’ He said.
–
The sky outside was dazzlingly blue, devoid of any clouds, and the cool air hit them as soon as they stepped out. The faint scent of freshly mown grass wafted towards them lazily over the warm air, along with that familiar, unmistakable yet difficult to place smell of summer. Trees, flowers, grass, hot asphalt.
The basket Bakugou had been handed was not heavy, but as the sun rose to its peak, he soon found himself sweating, his loose tank sticking to his back. They reached the cool of the trees and many of them sighed audibly as the temperature dropped; their feet cracked over the dried leaves and twigs that littered the ground, left to succumb to the summer heat on the dry floor. The mossy scent of nature was stronger amongst the trees.
Bakugou’s gaze fell on Deku as the smaller boy walked ahead of him, happily chatting with Todoroki as they carried their own share of picnic provisions – another basket not dissimilar to the one Bakugou held, and an array of blankets. Typical Icy-Hot, he scoffed, too prim to sit on the floor.
Bakugou glanced behind him- Uraraka was a little further back, talking quietly with Tsuyu as she carried the portable BBQ. Her face was a little pale beneath the mottled sunlight that filtered in through the canopy above, and Bakugou guessed she was using her quirk to lighten the load. He thought about what Kirishima had said yesterday as he turned to face the way he was waking again, his gaze ghosting back over Deku. Maybe some free, relaxing time in the sun would be enough to give them that final push together, force them to face their feelings.
Bakugou’s stomach twisted; it seemed to constrict and tumble in a way than numbed his teeth. He swallowed past a sudden constriction in his throat and looked down at the basket in his arms. It wasn’t that heavy – maybe he was dehydrated. It was pretty warm out today.
He readjusted the basket in his arms and kept walking – the so called perfect picnic spot was not far off now.
–
Bakugou had to admit, the clearing they ended up in was a good spot. He didnt know who had found it – he hadnt been listening – but they had done a good job. He probably would have found it himself soon anyway, or undoutedly someplace better, but this would do for now.
He dumped the basket down with the rest of the provisions and joined Kirishima over on a rug Mina had spread out. He let their conversations wash over him for a while as the smell of the BBQ joined the rest of the summer smells in the air.
–
Within the hour, people had set up a football pitch, with discarded jackets and shoes as goal posts. Bakugou was reluctant to join at first, until Kaminari goaded him, and his competitive ego took over.
A rule of no quirks was established, which was fine by him, he was strong enough and fast enough to win easily without his quirk.
Momo, less confident on the rules of football (outside of kick the ball into the goal) had opted to act as referee – if only to ensure everyone’s integrity in remaining quirkless. The others had agreed to play, after establishing that Dark Shadow did not count as an extra player.
Bakugou strongly believed he had no flaws – none that would matter, anyway. If asked, his classmates may have suggested his inability to work as a team was a rather significant flaw, but he would have disagreed. He dominated the field by himself, had maintained control of the ball and scored two goals alone. The maniacial grin that only replaced his usual scowl in battle was on full show, much to the unease of some of his weaker classmates. But he didn’t care. He was on a run, on a high. The only blemish in his good mood was Deku – he had expected him to struggle. The quirkless loser was slow and heavy without his flashy, borrowed powers, much like he had been during his abysmal entrance exam. Except he wasn’t.
Deku had been training hard, working on his strength and stamina, and without the use of all their quirks it showed. He no longer fell behind the others – in fact he held his own. The gap that had always been between them was no longer so vast, or so obvious. Bakugou wanted to be angry about it – and he was – but a part of him also felt lost. He couldn’t help but glance at him from time to time as the game went on – his legs were clearly powerful, built up from his new shoot style, and he moved with a prescription akin to how he moved around in the air – certain, powerful – moves he had stolen from him, in fact.
His messy curls were dark with sweat as they clung to his now red face, but he did not look out of breath. His brows were furrowed in determination as he chased the ball, dodging around Sero easily and deftly. It made Bakugou’s cheeks heat up in a flush of riteous anger.
Suddenly the ball came towards Bakugou. He hadn’t kept his eyes on it - he went for it, but too late, and lost it to Ojiro. He cursed, suddenly feeling like his head was spinning.
Angry – perhaps at himself – he charged after him, his palms sparking.
‘No quirks!’ Momo called, but it didn’t matter – a chorus of cheers and groans went up from all around as Ojiro scored – the fifth goal of the game, and the deciding one.
A burst of anger ricochet in Bakugou’s chest for a moment as he watched the opposing team flock to a briliantly beaming Ojiro. He knew he was being irrational, he knew pro heroes didn’t let their emotions get the better of them – but he was still learning, damn it!
Ignoring Kirishima’s calls of ‘good game!’, Bakugou stalked away from them and headed towards the cool draw of the lake. His tank was stuck to him, he had exerted himself, and his muscles ached. Normally he would revel in the feel of worked out muscles, but he just felt on edge. He needed to get to some where quiet and cool for a bit. The ground beneath his shoes grew damper as he walked, until the glistening surface of the lake came blissfully into view. He tugged his top off over his head and discarded it on the bank as he kicked off his shoes. His shorts would dry, he thought to himself as he stepped down into the water – besides, he wasn’t going to give perverts like Kaminari reason to gawk or talk.
His thoughts were momentarily torn from him as the water splashed over his calves – it was colder than it had looked. The hot summer air of the day around them had deceived him, the bright blue of the sky reflecting off of the calm surface like a succubus. Bakugou got his breath back bit by bit and waded out further, careful not to slip or cut hit feet on the bed below.
He’d barely got mid-thigh before the others appeared, sweating and cheering. Some followed suit, stripping off their shirts and shoes and jumping in, whilst others were content to paddle. He sighed – he should have known peace was hard to come by with these idiots around.
Kirishima splashed out heavily to Bakuogu, grin all sharp and stupid, chest bare and red spikes beginning to sag in the heat. Bakugou opened his mouth to speak when suddenly he found himself forced unceremoniously under the water – his breath was ripped from his chest as his knees hit the floor, water rushing up over his head and into his mouth.
He came up coughing, his throat burning, shaking his head like an angry dog as he looked around for whichever idiot had a death wish. His eyes – and his sparking hands – were on Kaminari within seconds, as Mina screamed about electrical outputs shocking them all. They could all die together for as much as Bakugou cared, shocked to death, their bodies left to float to the top of the lake like sad, dead fish.
He dunked Kaminari beneath the water and held him down for as long he could – until Kirishima and Sero dragged him off. Kaminari had kept his electricity to himself, but he re-emerged red eyed and spluttering, his hair plastered to his face. That was enough for Bakugou – for now.
‘Touch me again and you’ll wish you drowned!’ He screamed as Kirishima pulled him back.
Kaminari just tilted his head and set to knocking the water out of his ears.
‘Please! Keep the rough-housing to a minimum!’ Iida called, and was promptly ignored as Mina jumped onto the back of a not quite recovered Kaminari.
Bakugou let himself fall back until his shoulders were below the surface, doing his best to ignore whatever Kirishima was saying to him. In front of them, Sero was balancing Jirou on his shoulders as she fought to knock Mina off of Kaminari’s. The idiot had recovered from his almost drowning too quickly for Bakugou’s liking – he felt around at the bottom of the lake, his hand ghosting over the sand and gravel as he sought out a good sized rock. A quick rock to the head should sort him out.
A laugh that he knew from childhood broke through his thoughts and he looked across the water to see Deku. He was with his usual crowd, and Bakugou didn’t know who or what had been funny, but Deku was still laughing. He was still wearing his top – an over-sized green shirt – but the bottom half of it was wet as it hung below the surface of the water. His curls had dried erratically, the salt from the sweat hardening them, and his freckles stood out in the sun as he laughed.
Bakugou found himself watching the nerd as he laughed, then as he seemed to catch his breath and wipe a wet hand across his eyes and chuck a grin at Todoroki. His eyes dragged to Todoroki, who smiled his own subtle smile back – then Todoroki’s own mis-matched eyes shifted to Bakugou, likely drawn by the feeling that someone was watching him – he had been trained as a hero since his quirk had manifested. He may had been dense, but he was perceptive. Todoroki’s smile slipped, but his face did not fall into its usual impassiveness as he looked on. That irritated Bakugou. Since they had been taking remedial lessons together, Todoroki seemed to consider Bakugou a friend. It pissed him off.
Bakugou saw Deku turn to look his way then, too, clearly eager to see what his friend was looking at. He spotted Bakugo and grinned, lifting a hand to wave. Splashes of water fell from his skin as he moved, glistening in the air before landing back in the lake. His green eyes were wide and open, the water between them sparkling in their depths.
Bakugou kept his eyes on him for a moment, but he did not return the smile or the wave. It didn’t seem to phase Deku, though, who turned his attention back to Todoroki and the others, grin still in place. It irritated him that he was no longer put out by Bakugou, but he wouldn’t have been able to articulate why.
Bakugou pushed himself up out of the water and headed over for the bank; he suddenly felt cold.
–
Bakugou left the group behind and headed back to the clearing; a few others had stayed back or returned earlier and were milling around in the sun. He chucked his damp top down on the grass and spread out on one of the blankets, folding his arms beneath his head. He closed his eyes and revelled in the heat of the sun above ghosting over his face. With his eyes shut, he was able to hear the various sounds of the woodland around him – the tittering of the birds in the trees, the occasional rushes of the wind through the leaves. His skin had dried off nicely and his shorts were getting there by the time his class mates began to filter back through the tress, wet and rowdy, high off of afternoon swimming. They came in droves, drawn by the smell of the cooking meat on the BBQ someone had started up by their rumbling stomachs, and before long Bakugou’s peace was shot.
He pushed himself up to sit as he heard Kirishima coming over, blinking slightly in the sudden light. He wanted to scowl, but was unable to as the still slightly damp red head thrust a burger under his nose. He took it, cringing slightly as a concoction of sauce oozed from the sides, but the rumble of his stomach was thanks enough.
Kirishima sat down heavily beside him, rivulets of lake water running down his still bare chest.
‘Don’t be too mad a Kaminari, man.’ He said sloppily through a mouthful of meat.
‘Huh?’ Bakugou frowned at him.
‘For dunking you. You stormed off.’ Kirishima said.
‘Oh.’ Bakugou said. He shrugged. ‘His jokes are going to get him blown up one day.’
Kirishima shrugged with a grin.
‘Probably.’ He said.
They were quiet for a while as they ate, each lost in their own thoughts. Bakugou barely even realised others had joined them until Mina spoke. He looked up to see Uraraka, who was holding out a basket of baked goods.
‘Bakugou, do you want one?’ She asked, all smiles and sweet sincerity. ‘It’s alright,’ she added when he didn’t respond, ‘I didn’t make them.’
‘Sato did!’ Mina gushed, rolling her shoulders in delight. ‘They’re amazing!’
Bakugou blinked at Uraraka’s smile and felt his insides burn acidic. He shook his head.
‘No.’ He said. ‘I don’t do cakes.’
‘He’s sweat enough already.’ Kirishima grinned, reaching across to grab something himself.
‘You definitely meant salty.’ Sero grinned, and Bakugou wanted to punch him in his perfect straight teeth.
Deku bounded over then, floppy curls and goofy grin to match Uraraka’s. Uraraka offered the basket to him, but he declined, holding up a hot dog he had just made up. The sudden movement caused sauce to dislodge from the bun and run down his fingers. He groaned, before quickly bringing his hand to his mouth to lick it away.
‘You’re so messy!’ Uraraka giggled, her voice a little higher than usual.
Deku chucked her an awkward smile before licking his way along the outside of the bun, his tongue scooping up the excess sauce, then taking the end of it into his mouth in one motion. Bakugou watched as sauce spilled over and dribbled down the corner of his lip and over his chin.
The day had heated up – Bakugou was too hot again, and his heart rate had picked up rapidly. He could feel it stammering in his chest. He swallowed, and found his breath shaky.
‘You okay bro?’ Kirishima asked, snapping Bakugou’s attention so suddenly he began to cough.
‘Yeah -’ He spluttered. ‘Yeah – it’s just – it’s fucking hot.’
‘Mm.’ Deku swallowed what was in his mouth and nodded down at Bakugou. ‘Do you want a drink Kacchan?’
‘No. Yeah. I – I’ll get it.’ Bakugou said, trying to shake himself out of whatever weird state he had just fallen in to. He took a few steadying breaths then got up and headed for the cooler – one Kaminari hadn’t brought.
He stayed over by himself for a little while as he slowly drank. It seemed to work, the cool soda cooled him down and his heart rate slowly returned to normal. He looked over at the people he had left on the blanket, all chatting animatedly and laughing. Deku and Uraraka were still there, sitting side by side, their bare arms touching.
Bakugou wondered whether he had been out in direct sunlight too long; his face felt hot and he seemed to be having trouble breathing deeply. He usually loved the heat, but he was fair haired, maybe the hot sun burning down on him had given him a touch of sunstroke. He was indestructible, but weirder things had happened.
He finished his soda and took another one, vowing to remain in the shade for the rest of the afternoon.
The shade helped, but Bakugou remained a little out of sorts for the rest of the day. They ate some more, played a few games, and Kaminari cracked out the beers he had so sneakily brought.
The day cooled and people settled into smaller groups, talking with one another and making the most of their free time. Most of Bakugou’s strange bodily reactions dissipated over time and were forgotten as he sat and talked Hero tactics with Kirishma. He was reluctant to let Kirishima know he had had a good day for fear of being dragged out more often – but it hadn’t been bad. He was pondering this when Kirishima nudged him.
Bakugou looked up to where Kirishima was looking – over on their own blanket, Deku and Uraraka were sitting close together, their shoulders touching as they talked lowly to one another. He frowned lightly as his eyes drifted down to their entwined hands, resting gently on Deku’s thigh.
An odd, heavy feeling settled in his chest, restricting his breathing from his lungs up into his throat, which felt tight. The food felt heavy in his stomach as it churned and he had to fight to stop his hands igniting.
‘Looks like you got your wish, dude.’ Kirishima grinned.
Bakugou nodded. If this was what he had wanted, then why did he feel so uneasy?