Chapter Text
At long last the final day loomed over them, and Shouto felt gleeful as he straightened his bowtie for what would be the last time. He met up with Bakugou who waited for him by the gate and they were off.
Camie and Inasa were waiting for them by the station, but proper introductions were thrown aside in lieu of catching the train whose doors were about the close. Shouto's arm nearly got squished by the door but oh well.
"eyyy," Camie greeted him as they flopped on two empty seats. "how u doin'?"
"Good," Shouto offered. He was doing good; it was his last day of work and he was ready to end. "Yourself?"
"feelin' bougie. but mannn we shouldve done it lyk u guys," Camie said, gazing out the window as the sun descended and night lights started to flicker on. "coulda been our last day 2."
He shrugged. "How many days do you have left?"
"3."
"Hmm."
Pulling up a game on his phone, his thumbs clicked away, and Camie watched in interest as the cats rolled around. He didn't quite know the purpose of the game but it was cute and relaxing, and that was what mattered.
It might have been too relaxing because before he knew it, a hand roughly dragged him out of the train, his arm nearly getting squished yet again.
"Pay attention, Icyhot!" Bakugou yelled. "Shit, you better not be this inattentive at work."
"I won't," Shouto sulked. His arm hurt, which was definitely going to have repercussions later.
"takin' care of ur mans, huh," Camie said to Bakugou, lip turned up to a teasing smile.
"Hah?! Shut up!!" Bakugou snarled, and gave chase.
"Haha! They are fired up today!" Inasa boomed, walking next to Shouto.
"Yes..." Shouto wondered where their energy came from, and whether he could have some.
"It's your last day today, correct?"
"Yes..."
Inasa smiled wide. "You and Bakugou have been working hard!"
Huh. Shouto had never thought of it like that, only focusing on finishing as soon as possible. "I suppose."
"Are you dating Bakugou?"
It threw Shouto off the loop, and he paused his languid strides as his brain short-circuited. Dating... Bakugou...???
"Dating... Bakugou?" He repeated, testing out the words he would have never thought to combine, but here they were. It was surprisingly nice to say, and he said it again under his breath.
"Yes!" Inasa said shamelessly. "You two seem very passionate around each other!"
"Ah..." Did they? It was always hard to judge a relationship when you were in it; but perhaps from an outsider's perspective... "Well. I'm not dating him."
A little piece of his heart wilted, though he wasn't quite sure why.
"I see. Do you want to?"
Shouto didn't quite know when Inasa had turned into gossip central, a romance journalist invading his personal feelings, but. It was probably a recent development seeing as they had never discussed feelings at this intensity before.
He thought about the strange concept. Dating in general had never been in the forefront of his mind, although the talk he had recently had with Bakugou had gotten him thinking. He thought about the walks they had shared, quiet ones, snarky ones, comforting ones, and all the meals they had, memories shared just between them and no one else. All the talks, the teasing, the natural banter, the yelling; then to Bakugou himself and the way he carried himself, all confident and brash but a secret, big heart that cared so deeply.
"I think," he said slowly. "I do."
Inasa inquired no further, only giving a hearty chuckle and a smile that seemed proud.
.
Service started like any other did, and he got to work as soon as the doors opened for customers. While he had gotten used to it, it was still comforting that Camie was with him at the front, providing a tiny safe space for him to go to if need be.
Of course, with his luck, there were complications on his last day.
"Can I have your number?" A customer asked him, around his age with wide eyes and a saccharine smile.
Ah. He had received numbers but never had one so bold to outright ask him right in front of their family before.
"I- don't have a phone," he floundered, even though he could feel his phone snug in his pocket.
The girl pouted disbelievingly. "You don't have a phone?/"
He nodded. "They are... Carcinogenic."
"aye gurl, dis bae is off limits," Camie said, swooping in to refill the waters that were already full.
"You're dating her?" The girl asked, wrinkling her nose.
"nah, if thangs go rite, he'll b datin' sum1 else soon tho," Camie said conspiratorial-like. "plates b waitin' at da pass bruh."
He nodded, bowing slightly to the aghast customer before taking his leave. He hurried to the kitchen and made it just in time to see Bakugou about to finish plating. Slowing down, he looked at the blond for some time, thinking dating.dating?dating...!
Apparently he wasn't as sneaky as he'd hoped for. When Bakugou met his gaze, he was smirking, as if he knew eyes had been on him for a while now.
"All yours, Halfie," Bakugou said.
All yours. Involuntarily, he flushed and he grabbed the plates without a word, leaving the kitchen. When he put down the last plate on the table, he turned around to see all his classmates by the door.
What... They all trampled inside, heading towards the front desk. It seemed like they had made a reservation and he wondered if it was coincidence that they had showed up on his and Bakugou's last day, or if they just wanted to show their support... knowing them, it was likely the latter though, and his mood rose to high spirits when he saw a couple of them wave frantically at him with huge grins. He returned the gesture with less grandeur, a slow wave of two beats before Yuu told him to wrap up more cutlery.
After grabbing the container of cutlery from the kitchen, he set it down next to Camie and they started quickly. Fork, knife, corner tucks, roll, repeat...
"those ur classmates?" Camie asked.
He looked over at the large table where they were all assembled; groups all meshed together as they chattered and laughed and gained attention from nearby tables. Iida was trying to get them to settle down but already they started their antics. Kaminari was balancing spoons on his nose and Sero was adding more to his face.
"...yes," he said reluctantly, but despite the aloof guise, he felt his heart swell with fondness.
"dey seem nice," she said, sending him a smile.
"Yes," he confirmed, more sure this time. "They really are."
"cute 2," she continued. "u n bakubae still mah ua favs tho."
Well. Seeing how they were the only two people she knew from UA, it wasn't the hugest compliment, but. "Ah, thank you."
"my otp <3"
"...otp?"
Before she had the chance to clarify, he saw a customer wave him over and he sighed, but obliged.
"Hello, are you ready to order?" He inquired once he reached their table, which was devoid of dishes, menus in their stead.
"Hello, yes! I would like the tuna poke bowl..." the customer rattled off orders for their entire family, children all on their phones. Shouto felt a kinship with the youngest who seemed to be playing the same cat game he had been earlier.
He wrote all the orders down, confirmed them, before taking his leave with a small smile.
"Ah, Todoroki-kun, can you take the order for table one as well right now?" Yuu said before Shouto could go to the kitchen.
"Of course."
Table one was actually combined with two other tables in order to house all his classmates. He quickened his pace to the table, figuring it was going to be a long process of getting everyone's orders.
When he arrived he was met with a plethora of greetings, and he smiled softly at their enthusiasm. While their wild shenanigans seemed out of place in the restaurant, at least they had dressed to the occasion, looking more freshened up than what he had last seen them as: sweaty and beat up from the training.
"This place is so fancy," Uraraka said to him as she ordered a heavy meal of a rare teriyaki steak with a heaping of roast potatoes and a salad as a side. "It must be nice to work here!"
He hummed, writing the orders down as people yelled it out. "Fancy does not always equate to a great working environment. But I suppose it's not the worst job."
"I guess wanting to be a hero sets a high bar for other jobs," she said with a teasing smile.
Wanting to be a hero... He supposed, somewhere along the way of having to become a hero, it had become his aspiration too; to be a kinder hero to people who needed help. Whether that was out of his own goodwill or pure rebellion, he did not know, but if that was his end goal, did it matter what motivation fueled it?
"I suppose," he settled on saying, writing down the last of the orders before leaving with a nod.
Back in the kitchen he relayed the many orders he had scrawled down, but the chefs didn't pause a beat. Pans kept moving in constant motion, sauces were whisked, meats seared, potatoes roasted; he kept reading.
"How many people are in one fuckin table?!" Bakugou asked.
"Eighteen," Shouto replied. Then, teasingly: "you might know them actually."
He saw the realization dawn on the other, rifling through an array of exasperated expressions before settling on a bone-deep tiredness and wary acceptance. It looked like what Camie would call an 'FML' expression.
Hiding his smile he went back to the front, tending to customers and other duties that had to be done. After working five days with the same responsibilities, a routine had quickly been formed into place and he made quick work of following it. He found it strange, of how in the start he wanted to know how to do things immediately, to do well. Now... Now that the work was familiar - a smile here, menus placed there, finished dishes placed in the dishpit, finished dishes placed in front of customers, walking to and fro and to and there and to and back again for water refills, extra sauces, dropped cutlery, food, another smile - he found it slightly tiresome and wanted a slight change in pace.
He found comfort in the fact that it was his last day, his classmates were here and Bakugou was there too, along with his friends from Shiketsu so it wasn't a lonely ordeal, not like his training was.
Time went by quickly. Can-I-have-your-number girl seemed to have already left with her family and another replaced her easily, falling into the same spiel of all customers at a restaurant that wanted food, food, food...
Eventually there were eighteen dishes lined up on the pass, and Yuu helped him carry them all over to the large group. He had to admit, seeing people's expression of delight when you brought them food was always nice to see, a certain pride associated with making others happy. It was especially true now, and watching their faces light up sparked some levels of his own joy; a mutual feeling even if he wasn't the one eating, but:
"You should take a break too, Todoroki-kun," Yuu said when the last plate was served, and pointed a thumb at the kitchen. "Take one with your friend and eat!"
Well. How could he refuse that?
Shouto told Bakugou the good news which apparently wasn't good because his expression was reluctant, looking at the kitchen, loud with clattering pans and sizzling seafood, to the front, holding even louder people with sizzling gossip.
"A dinner with extras," Bakugou said, like it was a movie title no one watched. "I think the fuck not."
"Sit next to me," Shouto offered. "You can sit at the edge."
"Fuckin-fine," Bakugou answered, slightly more agreeable much to Shouto's amusement.
"Ok," was all he said, repressing his feelings with a smile that came out anyways. Gah. "Can you make a teriyaki salmon donburi?"
"Tch. Whatever."
Having nothing else to do, Shouto watched Bakugou cook. He seasoned two pieces of thin salmon filets with salt and pepper before lightly brushing them with a premade teriyaki sauce and let them sit for a few minutes. During that time he got out two bowls and spooned in a good heaping of rice to both bowls, fluffy and still steaming hot.
Oil went in the pan, then a knob of butter, and when it melted down to a pool of gold, Bakugou slid in the pieces of salmon, making a satisfying hiss as they hit the bubbling surface. As they cooked on one side, the vegetables and garnish were prepared: a simple fan of avocado and julienned cucumbers as well as spinach gomae topped with additional white sesame seeds.
The fish was flipped and basted before the rest of the teriyaki sauce was poured in with a cornstarch slurry to thicken the thin marinade to a gleaming glaze that mirrored Shouto's awe.
Someone that can cook. He remembered his only requirement for what he looked in a person those many weeks ago, and. Well. Bakugou could definitely cook. He watched as the other finally finished plating, the fish put on the side of the bowl, greens on the other, and spring onions and white sesame seeds completed the look: a simple, stunning visual of Bakugou cooking at his finest.
"It looks good," was all Shouto offered, but Bakugou just smirked.
"Course it fuckin' does!" Bakugou said proudly, grabbing the two bowls and marching off.
Shouto grabbed the chopsticks and two cups of water before hurriedly catching up to the blond who was almost at the table. He saw Camie at the table, but when they approached she gave a sly look before leaving to the kitchen. Huh.
"Bakubro, you look so manly!" Kirishima said.
"Cute headband," Ashido commented offhandedly.
Bakugou growled but did not take the headband off. He waited for Shouto to arrive and take his seat first. Huh. It seemed Bakugou really did want to sit at the edge of the table.
Even in the outskirts of the large group, they included them both in conservation, not minding their volume level as Ashido hollered across the table. Shouto winced, but when he met Yuu's eyes, the elder merely gave a fond smile at them all.
"Camie told us you had popsicles!" Uraraka blurted out of nowhere.
Conservations were halted in favour of agreeing. "Yeah! We want popsicles!"
It was so out of the blue, but a sudden chant of 'popsicles!' rose in volume until Bakugou quieted them with a glare.
"This ain't a fuckin' ice cream shop!" He groused.
"It doesn't have to be to serve ice cream," Sero replied sagely with a shrug.
"Where are the popsicles?" Shouto asked, because now that he thought about it, the sound of having one was more appealing by the second.
Uraraka beamed. "She said they were in the walk-in cooler!"
That made sense. Shouto had never spent too much time in there, so he dragged Bakugou along to help carry them all.
"We sell real fuckin' desserts," Bakugou complained, but walked with Shouto anyways. "Why'd they want shitty popsicles they can get at a konbini?!"
Shouto shrugged. The direction their classmates' minds went always threw him off the loop, so who was he to say why they wanted what they wanted. Instead they made their way through the kitchen, and he saw Inasa look at them with a grin as Bakugou opened the door to the walk-in cooler, which. Wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Inasa gave out smiles like he gave out apologies with bleeding foreheads so it didn't seem like anything sinister was going on until the door closed behind them with a loud whack!
"Don't slam it that hard, dumbass," Bakugou grumbled as he perused the shelves for popsicles. "Unless you wanna stay longer to pay for the damage. And help me look, don't just stand there!"
"Hmm." How to phrase it... "I didn't close the door."
"Hah?!"
Bakugou stomped to the door, yanking the handle but it seemed that as the door closed, so did any chance of their freedom, and they were stuck. He banged it. "OI!"
"The door seems to be stuck!" came Inasa's voice from behind the door.
"yeee, soz bois," Camie said. "ur classmates still want em popsicles tho."
Popsicles had been downgraded to Shouto's lowest concern at the moment.
"FUCK THE POPSICLES!" Bakugou yelled. "LET US OUT!"
"thatd b a bit cold bruh but whatevs. n we're all workin' to getchu out dw. eta... 30 mins?"
"It's cold as fuck!" Bakugou continued pounding at the door.
"ur not alone bakubae..."
"I'm still here," Shouto agreed. Hmm. "If you're cold, we can huddle."
Shouto couldn't tell if the red splotched on Bakugou's cheeks were from the cold or something else. "I'm not cold!"
"You just said you were," Shouto pointed out, and got a glare in return.
He decided to sit on the ground, leaning on the wall next to a shelf of fruits. If it really did take them thirty minutes to get the door unstuck, he might as well get comfortable. Bakugou on the other hand... Shouto watched as the other had started shivering slightly, but he made no comment.
Soon his gaze was trained to the rolling cats. He had pulled up the game on his phone and continued the level, tapping away at the screen with a smile.
"Oi, move over."
Looking up from the screen, he saw a red-cheeked Bakugou gaze at him. Ah. So the huddle offer would be taken up after all. Shouto scooched so the blond could sit by his warm side, and he emanated more warmth than usual to make up for the cold temperatures.
Now that Bakugou was beside Shouto, he felt the need to turn off his phone, and they sat in silence.
"Why d'ya stop playin’?" Bakugou asked after a beat.
"You're here," Shouto answered, which came out slightly wrong since he felt the other bristle beside him. "I mean- maybe we could talk instead."
He didn't know where he was going with this. Talk instead... He didn't know when he'd switched to wanting to talk than watch cats prance around instead but here they were. Potentially talking.
"Alright," Bakugou indulged. "What d'ya wanna talk about?"
Shouto's mind blanked but his mouth had other plans apparently. "Who is actually on your mind?"
He wondered if Bakugou even remembered their conservation, but he was quick to retort with, "whose on yours?"
Ah. So maybe Bakugou did know? Shouto spared the other a look, and it was returned with red eyes holding something-
"You," Shouto blurted out and didn't regret it.
"Huh," was all Bakugou said, and.
Well. That wasn't exactly the ideal reaction of a confession. Then again, it hadn't exactly been a real confession had it. Maybe it was time to stop half-assing these moments pertaining to Bakugou...
"I like you," Shouto said with all the confidence he could muster, which admittedly wasn't a lot. Feelings were never his forte, and understanding someone else's always ended in confusion, but.
Maybe, just maybe, this one would not. Bakugou's lip quirked up in a half smirk – all confidence and usual brashness – and a half smile, a soft vulnerability to it that Shouto wanted to comfort.
"I like you too," Bakugou repeated, revealed, confessed and Shouto melted a bit.
"So..." Shouto said and stopped. He didn't know where he was going with this sentence. Are we boyfriends? Dating? What happens now?
"So." Bakugou repeated, and Shouto gave out a small petty glare at the mock.
But for all the repetition happening, Bakugou broke the chain by placing his hands on Shouto's face. They were cold, still so cold but all he could feel was a warmth spreading from the fingertips through his nerves, lighting them alive like he was an unlit candle all along, waiting for Bakugou to light the match. And he did.
Or, they both did, leaning in simultaneously to indulge in a kiss that was tender, rough but oh so gentle and faintly teriyaki tasting; the scorched sweetness emulating what Shouto felt his insides were. Their teeth might have clacked but his heart clicked and clacked too, beating to their tune.
They broke apart, and Shouto couldn't help a giddy, silly smile from breaking out but he saw Bakugou do it too; a wobble of facial contortion before a true smile gleamed. Beautiful.
"We found the key!" Inasa boomed suddenly. "Give us a minute!"
"There is no fuckin' key," Bakugou said but grinned boyishly all the same, like his good spirits would stay for a while. Shouto hoped they would.
"They were all in it from the start," he realized. Camie at their table, heading to the kitchen to Inasa; all the chefs, the staff, his classmates...
"Those meddling idiots." It was said in a fond tone that replaced the meaning of the words with a thank you that would never be verbally spoken.
"Ah, we should find those popsicles," Shouto said, the cold treat flashing in his mind suddenly, but a hand gripped his.
"I have em with me, Icyhot."
The door was wrenched open.
"yall b lookin cozy af," Camie said.
"We are," Shouto agreed and saw Bakugou's cheeks redden further, much to his delight.
They left the walk-in cooler, each carrying a box of popsicles and each other's hearts, but it only showed through their intertwined pinkies as they walked back to the front.
(Of course their classmates noticed immediately, and cheers broke out, all among the lines of finally.)
fin.