Work Text:
Hitoshi rarely did the more physical aspects of villain work, but it didn't mean he was unfamiliar with it. He was on the back-line for raids if they needed him there, and stayed back at the base running communications. So it only made sense when one of the more... unprofessional villain gangs decided to challenge the organization he worked for, that he just stay back at the base. Unlike the majority of the villain leagues, they made such a show out of it with violence and terrorism. Hitoshi's bosses had a much quieter plan.
Small moves to take over the weaker groups and merge them until a sort of monopoly was made. They let the runts in their organization run as crazy as they wanted. It made the police think their organization was another hodgepodge of people trying to “break the system” and not the size of an agency. Hitoshi even got paid for his job. He gathered information and worked out strategies. He also handled interrogations when he needed to. He didn't get his hands too dirty, and instead learned how to patch up the ones that came running into the base bruised and bloody. Who knew dental floss would be a decent tool to do impromptu stitches with? Or that some of the alcohol the bosses kept worked as disinfectant to sterilize needles. It was certainly an interesting realization to him at least.
At the base he stayed until their fighters came back. Some were hurt—a few of the others' men were far stronger than predicted and did a lot of damage—but they were patched up quickly. No one died, and the worst injury was a broken finger. The large man that took over the branch of the organization Hitoshi was currently helping out dismissed them all for the night. Hitoshi stayed back, making sure to gather the information from all the men that lingered. Quirks they saw, how many people, fighting patterns. None of them really could answer the last one, but Hitoshi doubted they'd be able to explain it even if they had been paying attention. It wasn't his job to scold and punish them, so he just moved on. He typed the information up then headed back to his apartment.
The good part about getting paid, especially as much as he did, was that he could afford a decent life. He didn't go over the top, like some of his coworkers, but settled with a modest sized apartment close enough to the organization, but also in close proximity to his favorite coffee place. It made the mornings a lot easier and faster.
It was very late as he walked home. The city was still glowing, though. The street lights and clubs and 24/7 stores. The sidewalks were pretty empty, though. Most people either in one of those lit up buildings or at home or in a car. Hitoshi was never bothered by the dark alleys he had to go by, or the creeps that might be inside them. He might not try to get his hands dirty, but it didn't mean he didn't have a knife and gun on him at almost all times if it came down to that. His quirk was usually enough to get himself out of situations, but there had been a few times he broke some noses. He wasn't surprised by the druggies stumbling down the sides of streets, and ignored them as they did the same to him. A group of women passed him, huddled together and walking quickly. He glanced up at them and was pretty sure they were scared of the possible dangers. He hoped that they would be okay.
Hitoshi saw a lot of people like that out at this time despite their obvious fear. He reached his building and paused outside as his work phone went off. It was his boss asking for the report. He texted back that it was typed out already and should be on the shared drive. He walked inside the entrance to his building and went over to the elevator. He hit the button to call it down and did something on his personal phone while he waited. The building was extremely tall, so it took awhile for the elevator to get down sometimes.
The doors slid open a minute later and he stepped inside, hitting his floor number—eleven. Another person walked in, footsteps heavy and sloppy. They didn't reach for a button, and there was a thud as they leaned against the elevator wall.
Hitoshi looked up, ready to ask what floor they were heading to, but stopped. It was an ash blond guy with bruises and cuts all over his face and arms. Probably some on his the rest of body that Hitoshi couldn't see. He was in horrible shape. Nothing that couldn't be fixed, but stitches would probably be needed and he should be going to a hospital.
“Tenth floor,” the guy spat. Hitoshi blinked at him. He probably shouldn't be even thinking this. Being involved in what he was, you learned to trust no one even if they proved otherwise.
“Why aren't you at a hospital?” Hitoshi asked. The guy scoffed and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and wincing involuntarily as he put pressure on one of his grazes.
“Too much hassle,” the guy growled. The door closed and they started going up. “Just hit the shitty button.”
“Some of that needs stitches,” Hitoshi commented. The guy at least looked concerned for a second. Hitoshi was being a real idiot today. He would probably regret this. “I got first aid stuff in my apartment, at least let me make sure you don't die from infection.”
The guy was scowling and glaring at him. He eyed Hitoshi up and down for awhile, long enough for them to get to the eleventh floor and the doors to open. Hitoshi took one step out, so he was blocking the doors and waited. He raised an eyebrow and the guy grumbled and shifted. The blond pushed off the wall and stepped out into the hall. Hitoshi walked to his apartment door, hearing the other follow him.
Neither tried talking. Hitoshi hadn't expected the guy to, and he knew better than to ask questions. Asking too much usually got you in more trouble than you were before. Hitoshi unlocked the door and ushered the guy in. He told him to go to the bathroom and pointed him in that direction. The blond went without a word. Hitoshi dropped his bag in the kitchen and took a deep breath. His hands always had a slight tremor to them due to the coffee he drank constantly and the pills he took. Steady hands were kind of a necessity to this kind of stuff though.
Hitoshi walked back into the bathroom. The guy had taken his dirty t-shirt off, and was inspecting a particularly nasty gash on his chest. He looked up when the door opened from the half-shut way it was. He huffed and sat down on the closed toilet. Hitoshi grabbed his first aid kit, along with the extra stuff he had.
“How'd this happen?” Hitoshi asked as he kneeled in front of him and got the disinfectant spray out. The guy eyed him suspiciously before cursing when Hitoshi sprayed the disinfectant on. It was the strong kind that stung like hell, and Hitoshi probably should have warned him. “Sorry.”
“Got caught up in some inter villain shit,” the guy said. Hitoshi knew that he was probably talking about the siege his organization pulled on the small one. He felt a small bit of guilt, but dismissed it. It wasn't like he was the one fighting. Hitoshi just nodded and hummed as he started cleaning the injuries. “...You're not freaking out.”
“I've heard and seen worse,” Hitoshi said with a shrug. He got out the proper stuff for stitches and put the needle in the chemical sterilizer. “It's kind of the neighborhood--” he paused to pull on plastic gloves so he didn't get germs on the needle “--You got a name?”
The guy didn't answer as Hitoshi got ready to stitch the cut shut. He winced again as Hitoshi started. He worked quickly—less chance of his hand trembling and screwing it up. It probably hurt a little more, but the guy didn't complain.
“Bakugou,” the guy said as Hitoshi neatly finished the stitches off. Hitoshi grabbed more towels and disinfectant, moving onto the other bad ones first.
“Shinsou,” Hitoshi answered the unasked question.
He smiled before spraying more disinfectant, making Bakugou jolt and give him a murderous look. Hitoshi had been on the receiving end of worse looks, so he was completely unfazed. They didn't talk any more, except for Hitoshi directing him when to move so he could check every injury. A Band-Aid package and lots of gauze later, and Bakugou's bleeding wounds were all cleaned and covered. Hitoshi got him some ice for the bruises and offered to let him stay overnight on his couch.
Bakugou, surprisingly and reluctantly, accepted. Hitoshi got some extra blankets and pillows and let Bakugou set himself up. Hitoshi didn't have any actual meals to make or ingredients. Everything he had was instant, microwavable, or prepackaged. Except for the coffee, but he doubted Bakugou wanted any of that. He heated up some leftover takeout and put it on the table next to the couch. Hitoshi told Bakugou the basic warnings—don't move too much, don't pick at the stitches, don't mess with the bandages, etcetera. Bakugou just nodded.
Hitoshi went back into the bathroom and downed his pills with practiced ease. He had to run back to the living room, where Bakugou was typing something on his phone. Hitoshi turned off the lights in the kitchen. He flicked on the lamp next to the couch before turning the main light off.
“Hey,” Bakugou said. Hitoshi hummed to show he was listening. Bakugou was looking at him over the back of the couch. He was still shirtless so it didn't irritate the stitches. “How the hell are you not freaked out about this shit?”
Hitoshi shrugged and wished him a goodnight before vanishing down the hall. He flicked the lights off as he went and curled up in bed. Not answered probably set off red flags for Bakugou, but he just didn't want to deal with that right now. He waited for the pills to do their job and savored the few hours of sleep he got, not worrying about the basically stranger on his couch. He'd call in and take a day off tomorrow. Have a day of relaxation, and have time if Bakugou was still asleep when he normally had to leave.
X X X X X
Bakugou stayed a lot longer than just the morning but Hitoshi couldn't find it in him to complain. He wasn't horrible company.
Hitoshi had been awake at the crack of dawn, as per the norm. Bakugou was out cold, taking up the entire couch and snoring quietly. Hitoshi went about his usual morning business. He made himself a cup of unhealthily strong coffee and a small breakfast. He sent the message to his boss right away so he didn't forget. He knew that his boss would agree. His job was important, and he was good at it, so they let him take some time off when he needed or wanted to withing reason. Hitoshi also took a quick shower and put on one of his huge comfort sweatshirts—the type that went to mid thigh—and shorts. He had accidentally slept in his clothes from the day before.
Bakugou woke up a few hours later. Hitoshi was curled in an awkward but comfortable sitting position in the recliner next to the couch with his laptop. He glanced over when Bakugou started sitting up, but went back to the meaningless browsing. Bakugou groaned and pressed a hand to his chest. Hitoshi knew that feeling—the ache that came after bad injuries. He was ready to ask if there was anything Bakugou needed, when Bakugou stood up abruptly on his own. He let out a his, but stubbornly walked down the short hall to the bathroom. Hitoshi snorted when he was gone and shook his head in amusement. Stubborn people like that were his favorite.
When Bakugou came back, Hitoshi put on a meaningless TV show and Bakugou got himself a bag of chips. He made a comment about Hitoshi having shit food, and Hitoshi just shrugged again. One way or another, they ended up watching a show Hitoshi had been meaning to together. Bakugou added his own commentary and a lot of it was admittedly funnier than the jokes the characters were making.
Hitoshi never really believed that whole time flies when having fun shit—time seemed to fly when he was doing work and that wasn't too fun—but before he knew it, the clock hit two p.m. Bakugou hadn't noticed either, as they both made fun of different shows they watched a few episodes of before switching. The realization came when Hitoshi's phone went off with his “take your lunch break, stupid” notification. Bakugou was really determined to leave at that point. Hitoshi didn't blame him. Spending the night on a stranger's couch was weird enough, spending a day with them was weirder. Were they still strangers? Acquaintances, Hitoshi decided.
Bakugou put back on the shirt from last night and got his shoes back on. He at least said bye before leaving the apartment and going wherever. Hitoshi went back to what he had been doing, and spent the whole rest of that day browsing the internet for whatever. He got up for food and to go to the bathroom, but that was about it. Soon the day was over and he took the pills again and lied down until he fell asleep.
The next day, he knew he had to go in to work or risk staying there overnight working. Hitoshi dragged himself out of bed, showered and got dressed like the morning before. He made himself two cups of coffee. One for drinking on the way there, and one to heat up at the office when he needed it—he always did.
It was raining that day. Hitoshi pulled on his jacket as he left his apartment and went to the elevator. A woman was in there already. She barely glanced up at him as he stepped in. It's the way it was with a lot of people he passed in the building. Mostly business people, with the occasional college student here and there. When they reached the ground floor, the woman strode out of the elevator swiftly, practically flying out the door. Hitoshi wondered if him observing all these things was weird, but it was a default setting for him with what he did for a living.
Hitoshi took his time walking out of the elevator. He was double checking the he needed to get done today that his boss sent him. More typing and organizing their records. Some minor negotiations with the leaders of groups they already took over, just making sure they were going to listen and knew the consequences if they didn't. He stopped a little to send a message back and a door clanged open. He glanced back and did a small double take. Bakugou was exiting the stairwell. He did seem like the type to torture himself with stairs instead of the elevator like every sane person.
Bakugou was aggressively texting someone on a phone with a charred looking case. He stopped a little when he saw Hitoshi, but kept walking. Hitoshi held the door for him but Bakugou didn't thank him. He also seemed like that type.
“Try not to die,” Hitoshi said when Bakugou started going off in the direction opposite where Hitoshi was going. Bakugou stopped and looked back, frowning in confusion before he caught on. Hitoshi smirked at the look on his face.
“You, too, shithead,” Bakugou scoffed, rolling his eyes. He still had bandages on his arms and a few of the bruises were turning yellow. He turned back around and walked away.
Hitoshi snorted and went in the other direction. He went back to his phone. Seeing Bakugou again was unexpected. Maybe he'd always passed him, and just noticed it now. Things were weird like that sometimes.
Continuing to see Bakugou was more unexpected, but not unwelcome. They both seemed to leave at around the same time in the morning—Bakugou always took the stairs—and they both got back at the same time depending on the day. If Hitoshi left around the time he was actually supposed to, then they ran into each other again. He made an effort to leave on time, but he had a lot of stuff to do regardless if he missed a day or not, so it didn't work out. Bakugou took the elevator up with him the days that Hitoshi was home at the right time. He asked what Hitoshi did that made him leave so early and get back so late. Hitoshi just told him he worked in record keeping at a huge company. It wasn't a complete lie.
Naturally, he asked Bakugou the same thing, and the blond said he was an assistant manager. He stuttered, though, and it took a little too long for him to get it out, so Hitoshi thought otherwise. Hitoshi didn't ask, and changed the subject. Bakugou had some more injuries some of the days, and ended up at Hitoshi's apartment again to get the stitches out when the cut was healed. He stuck around after. They watched some more TV and Hitoshi got delivery. He didn't exactly understand how they started hanging out like this, or why Bakugou stuck around, but soon they were talking more and more. A shared sense of cynical and sarcastic humor went a long way, it seemed. There was also some kind of tension. Hitoshi noticed Bakugou looked at him a little too long at some points. He also would have been lying if he said he hadn't been impressed that first day when Bakugou didn't have his shirt on.
One of the days Hitoshi got back extremely late—into the early hours of the morning—Bakugou was pacing in the lobby. He lost his keys and the landlord wasn't around for almost a week. Hitoshi probably should have thought a little more before offering that Bakugou could stay with him. His mouth worked faster than his brain. A rare and kind of disturbing occurrence to someone who's life basically depended on him keeping his head. Bakugou seemed surprised, too. He still accepted. Hitoshi asked why he didn't just go to one of his friends. Bakugou said they lived in shitty places and he didn't want to deal with them more than he had to. Hitoshi understood that. He rather not deal with anyone he worked with if he didn't have to, even if he really didn't consider them friends.
Bakugou had a bag with him that had over night stuff already. He said that it was because of some things in his work and in case they had shitty weather and he had to stay somewhere. Hitoshi doubted that he knew that assistant managers rarely had to stay overnight anywhere, but he'd take the weather excuse. They ate more leftovers, mock-arguing about something stupid, and then Bakugou started getting ready to sleep. Hitoshi messed around on his personal phone for a while, before deciding he should, too. He went into the bathroom, where Bakugou was brushing his teeth with far more aggression than needed. Was he allergic to shirts at night or something? Bakugou stepped to the side and Hitoshi opened the drawer in the sink cabinet. He pulled out the pill bottles and took what he needed to without a second though. Bakugou spit out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth. He gave Hitoshi a suspicious look as Hitoshi downed all the pills at once with a quick drink of water. He asked, of course he did and Hitoshi probably should have been more careful with his pills. Hitoshi gave him the least sharing answer he could. Bakugou was obviously concerned for whatever reason, but Hitoshi ignored it and went to his room for the night.
The morning was slow but they still both left at the same time. Bakugou took the elevator with him to continue whatever shitty thing they were saying back and forth. Hitoshi wasn't even completely registering what they were saying, but it kept him busy and Bakugou wasn't complaining. When they got outside, Bakugou told him not to die and walked away. Hitoshi was smirking when he walked into the building. Of course something had gone wrong in his absence and he had to fix it. So he was beyond pissed when he got back. He had given Bakugou his extra key just so they didn't have to worry about being back at the same time.
Hitoshi didn't care about not making noise. He got like that when he was annoyed, especially when it came to the people he worked with. A bunch of elitists with sticks up their asses who thought because Hitoshi didn't have a degree or any “qualifications,” he wasn't fit for his job above them. They were villains Hitoshi didn't think the usual workplace hiring rules applied so they could suck it. With that thought, Hitoshi slammed the door shut behind him and threw his bag to the side. He was ranting under his breath as he marched into his room. Bakugou got startled by the loud noise of the door and whipped his head around to stare at Hitoshi.
“Dude, what the hell,” Bakugou said loudly so Hitoshi could hear him as he marched down the hall. “Hey!”
Bakugou came after him. Hitoshi went to slam his door, but Bakugou pushed it back open. Hitoshi really did try to push it back closed, but Bakugou was a lot stronger and practically knocked him back on his ass with the force. Bakugou grabbed him by the arms before he could fall. Hitoshi huffed and glared at him.
“Please let me go,” Hitoshi said coldly, putting on his best dealing-with-villain voice. Bakugou frowned and pulled him up so he was on his feet at least. He didn't let go. “Bad day.”
“No shit,” Bakugou said, rolling his eyes. “Try not to decapitate me with your crap bag throw next time.”
“Oh,” Hitoshi muttered. Yeah that was on him. Whoops. “Sorry.”
“Yeah,” Bakugou snapped.
“And my throw is not crap, excuse you,” Hitoshi continued without a second thought. Bakugou blinked at him and scoffed, grinning a tiny bit.
“It is,” Bakugou said.
Hitoshi shook his head and they went back and forth for a bit. When they decided to stop, they stayed like that for probably a little too long in silence. Hitoshi had closed his eyes and calmed himself down from the spike of anger. When he opened them and look at Bakugou, who was still holding onto him, the other was staring at him.
“Arms,” Hitoshi said. Bakugou immediately pulled back with a muttered curse. He jammed his hands into his pockets and Hitoshi rubbed the places on his arms where Bakugou had gripped him. It actually kind of hurt.
“This is gonna sound like bullshit but... uh,” Bakugou started. He stopped and shifted awkwardly on his feet. Hitoshi frowned and tilted his head to the side. He had a few guesses as to what Bakugou was going to say and he went through them mentally. “Crappy time to ask when we're practically living with each other but you wanna go out?”
That wasn't one of the expected, but, still, not completely unwelcome.
X X X X X
And Hitoshi thought he was stupid for just agreeing to patch up Bakugou that first night. Trying to have a relationship seemed stupider. He didn't like that his brain immediately went to the “what if Bakugou is use as leverage” because if he was being honest? He might not do anything. It was a bit frightening that something like that was a valid thought and course of action. But it came with the job. He was too far on the logical side of the organization's operations to not think so.
Until that happened, if it did, Hitoshi would indulge in it.
Hitoshi never really had a crush or any type of relationship. An upbringing with semi-absent parents that didn't really care about him led to a level of detachment. People never got close and anyone who tried was shut down. He pretty much went right into villain work after high school. So many people had called him the villain kid already, but that wasn't why he did anything. did it for himself. He needed money, and, due to asshole parents who basically kick you out once you're out of school regardless if you have plans or not, he didn't have anything besides the little money he saved up. Finding information was pretty quick when people had to do what you wanted. Selling it was even easier when people were desperate enough. Needless to say, he was busy almost 24/7. He didn't have time for the minor pre-established relationships he had with people, much less making new ones. Dating was out of the question, pretty much.
Bakugou didn't seem to have any experience either. He was awkward as all hell, and waited until he was able to go back to his own apartment to actually say where he planned to go for the date. He seemed to want to take control of it, so Hitoshi let him. Bakugou said that they'd go to a movie or something. There was a new one playing that they talked about seeing beforehand. Hitoshi had weekends to himself, and so did Bakugou so it worked out.
It was a little chaotic. Besides living in the same building, their planning and timing sucked. They got there a bit late, but Hitoshi was putting his foot down on wanting popcorn and drowning it in butter. So the movie was about to start when they got to the theater and someone got huffy at them because they blocked their view one of the previews. Bakugou flipped them off and Hitoshi stifled laughter at their indignant gasps. The movie wasn't half as good as the trailers made it out to be. Hitoshi whispered some of his nitpicking to Bakugou who either shushed him or swatted his shoulder. When it was over, Hitoshi made fun of him for actually enjoying the action-gore-fest. Bakugou pointedly ignored it and then they went and got something at a fast-food place.
Bakugou got a salad and Hitoshi relentlessly mocked him for it, then refused to share his fries. Hitoshi pushed everything about his job and the dangers it had to the corner of his mind and let himself enjoy the stupid banter. After they finished eating, they walked back to the apartment building. Bakugou was trying to justify him getting salad at a place famous for burgers. Hitoshi shook his head in mock disappointment.
A group of guys in dark clothes were walking towards them. Hitoshi noticed them first, and that they were looking over at Bakugou and him. He had his knife hidden in his shoe for emergencies, and a small gun in his jacket. Paranoia was a pain, and he probably had too much, even if it did help him get by with all his organs functioning and inside his body. Bakugou noticed the guys and stiffened a little. He walked a little closer to Hitoshi—so at least the paranoia wasn't only him.
“Yo, Bakugou!” one of them said. Hitoshi's hand twitched and he wanted to grab his gun at least to just hold it. It was relaxing to know he had a weapon in his hand in case. The group walked over to them and Bakugou reluctantly stopped, making sure he was in between Hitoshi and the others. “What's up, dude?”
“None of your goddamn business,” Bakugou growled. The tone shift in his voice was sharp and Hitoshi's hand twitched instinctively. “What do you want.”
“We're just saying hi, man,” the guy said, shrugging a little. He nodded at Hitoshi. Hitoshi caught a glimpse of his face from under his hood and he felt like he should recognize the guy. Some kind of flicker of recognition in the back of his mind. He couldn't put a finger on why or where he'd seen him. “Who's your friend?”
“I repeat. None of your goddamn business,” Bakugou stated flatly. Hitoshi narrowed his eyes a fraction and he tried to put a name to the guy's face. Or at least where he'd seen it. He guessed he looked like he was being confrontational because the guy scowled and raised an eyebrow.
“The hell you looking at?” one of the others snapped. Bakugou glanced back at Hitoshi and nudged him.
“Sorry contacts feel funny,” Hitoshi lied. Bakugou knew he didn't need glasses, but also knew better than to comment. Seriously, he knew that guy. He knew his face and it annoyed him beyond belief he couldn't place it. The two guys glared at him and the first nodded slowly.
“Anyway, Bakugou, you comin' tomorrow or not?” another asked.
“Not, now piss off,” Bakugou said.
The guys lingered and Bakugou grabbed Hitoshi's upper arm. He tugged Hitoshi roughly and started walking forward. Hitoshi stumbled a little but Bakugou didn't slow down. They went all the way back to the apartment building without another word. Halfway there, Bakugou loosened his hold and switched to holding Hitoshi's wrist. Hitoshi tried to shut down the dozens of red flags going off in his head. It occurred to him that he and Bakugou didn't know too much about each other's lives. That would be a thing they'd have to fix.
Bakugou glanced over his shoulder as they walked inside the lobby. Hitoshi watched his expression change to one of relief as they stepped in front of the elevator. He hit the button while Bakugou sighed in relief. The elevator came fairly quick and it was empty. When they were inside, Bakugou hit the door close button repeatedly.
“That won't make it work faster,” Hitoshi said. The doors slid closed. Bakugou went to shove his shoulder, and realized that he still had a tight grip on Hitoshi's wrist. He let go immediately and pulled back, crossing his arms. Hitoshi smirked.
“Sorry 'bout those guys,” Bakugou grumbled as the elevator went up.
“It's okay,” Hitoshi shrugged. “Although they seem pretty... aggressive?”
“Yeah,” Bakugou scoffed. “I'm not exactly an exception, you know that, right?”
“I do,” Hitoshi said, nodding. “But you make it cute. Like a puppy or something.”
Bakugou lit up. His face was bright red and it looked like there was smoke coming off of him. The flush was even going down his neck a bit. Hitoshi started laughing and quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. Bakugou cursed and wiped his palms on his jeans. He rubbed his hands over his face next and groaned.
The doors opened on his floor and he walked out. He wished Hitoshi a good night over his shoulder. Hitoshi waved at him as he vanished around the corner. The doors closed again and went up to Hitoshi's. Despite the fun of making Bakugou blush like that, he couldn't shake the thing in the back of his head that told him he knew that guy.
There wouldn't be a lot of places he could see a person's face. Randomly on the street, maybe? No he wouldn't remember someone that easily. There had to be some kind reason he remembered a guy's face. He stepped out of the elevator and down the hall. He went into his apartment and froze when he closed the door. Shit he knew exactly where he saw that face. The surveillance videos he had gone over when researching the group they had fought a while back. The one just before he patched up Bakugou. That guy was one of the more important ones, too. Things were connecting in his head now.
Bakugou was involved with villains if not one himself. If it was the group they had been fighting—were still fighting, technically—then things would get complicated.
X X X X X
“Continuing to fight these people would be horrible decision on our part,” Hitoshi's boss started. He liked to insist on having private conversations with Hitoshi about major things. Hitoshi guessed it was because he was the one handling a lot of that stuff record-wise, and that he—unlike the other big guys—wasn't in it for his own benefit. He got paid regardless of what happened to the organization as long as it didn't go belly-up “I believe we should try to convince them to join the empire of sorts we're creating.”
“They're gaining a large following, looks like,” Hitoshi said. He was going through news reports and the hundreds of 'official' villain forums. “Unlike us and a lot of the ones we've taken over, they're not afraid of the media. Taking them in might put our project more in the open.”
“Enough to bring police attention, I presume?” his boss sighed, rubbing his temples. Hitoshi hummed and nodded. “Well ideally, if our organization stayed out of it directly, then it would be relatively safe.”
“We do have lawyers,” Hitoshi said. He searched up another news site, looking for more information on this other group. “And given the jobs that are here specifically, they'd have no reason to think we're a villain organization.”
“If we go through with this decision, will you be willing to do damage control?” his boss asked, standing from the chair he had been sitting in. Hitoshi frowned and raised an eyebrow. His boss sighed and crossed his arms. “You seem to understand how the media moves far better than your coworkers even if that's supposed to be their job.”
“I'll take the compliment, but I'm kind of always busy,” Hitoshi sighed. He shrugged helplessly. “Information and record keeping takes a lot of time, so I'd need some help if you want me taking over image consulting, too--” He smirked “--And I'd need some compensation.”
His boss chuckled and nodded. Hitoshi was also one of the only people willing to joke with the bosses, so maybe he liked talking to Hitoshi because of that. Unlike almost everyone else, Hitoshi had made himself a necessity so he could get away with some things.
“At least consider it, Shinsou,” his boss said. “It might become a necessity. And I'll look into getting you some help.”
“Competent help, please,” Hitoshi said as his boss turned and strode out of the room.
The man huffed and waved before closing the door behind him as he walked out. Hitoshi probably would end up getting some shy, sheepish assistant that stumbled on every other word. He actually had one a while ago, a trainee more-so, and the poor girl was scared shitless at every slightly negative comment.
Hitoshi did not expect in any capacity that what his boss proposed that early morning would happen the very next day. Yet, when he came in a little late—he had stayed past midnight the previous day, so he had an excuse—there were small little gatherings of people all talking about how they were taking in that group. According to what one of the girls he talked to, the bosses went down last night and sorted out all the preliminary things. The big meeting was today and Hitoshi had to be there in under an hour for note taking and general management.
His boss found him a few minutes later and told him the same thing. Which meant Hitoshi had only around thirty minutes to get everything he needed. They weren't leaving the building since they had a large meeting room that the other group agreed to have the negotiations there. It still didn't mean that Hitoshi had enough time because of course no one texted him to let him know he should be there early. Luckily, he had a lot of his things presorted from habit and emergency meetings that he got called into out of nowhere. So it was the most crucial things that was presorted and the info on the group he'd gathered. Even with it only be two things that weren't buried under other things, he still almost got there late and had to run back to get his coffee. He chose the wrong day to wear his boots with heels—they weren't that tall, but he still wasn't completely agile in them.
The meeting room was purposefully clinical. A large table in the middle with plush, pristine chairs placed around it. Empty walls, save for large map of the city with areas marked out from previous ones. There were two doors, one on either side of the room for each group to enter through. When Hitoshi was running out to get his coffee that he left in his office, their side had already sat down and gotten settled. They were told not to wear the usual masks they wore to most meetings. This meeting was just that important considering their recent and past disputes. It had been a bit of an ongoing rivalry that only escalated now. Complete trust was necessary, and all identities would be out in the open for both sides.
As Hitoshi ran back, some of the assholes laughed at him and pointed out obnoxiously that he was late. He flipped them off and just continued without pause. The exhaustion from the lack of sleep in recent days was catching up to him hard, and he hoped that the coffee would keep him from seeming rude. His brain had completely dismissed the whole Bakugou might be involved in villain work thing. He tried to slip back into the meeting room unnoticed.
“Who's this?” one of the other side's men snapped. Hitoshi recognized him immediately, a heavy hitter for them in combat.
“He's our record keeper and information gatherer,” Hitoshi's boss answered swiftly. Hitoshi nodded in greeting and quickly took his seat. “Are your other men coming soon or should we begin?”
“Just a moment,” the leader said. “Deepest apologizes for this delay.”
“Better than the others,” Hitoshi said under his breath as he wrote down the time and date of the meeting. It earned him a smack on his shoulder from his boss and he winced. He fixed his mess of things so he was taking up minimum space and could do his thing without the hassle.
The other group didn't comment on him getting hit. They all waited for a few minutes and then one of the receptionists came into the room and told the bosses that the rest of the other group's crew had arrived. The leader of the others seemed to relax in his seat and huffed. Hitoshi made a note about that in the corner of his secondary notebook. He had a system of all that shit, and it was probably way too complicated, but it worked.
Another minute later, and the door on the other end of the room opened. The guy Hitoshi had recognized was there, walking in like he owned the place with all the false bravado he could manage. It was almost laughable how he surveyed the room and the people near Hitoshi. He paused when he looked at Hitoshi, and more people started walking in behind him. Hitoshi smirked and leaned forward with his elbow on the table and continued writing some preliminary stuff down. Some of the new comers sat down at the table, and others stood near the wall. They took awhile walking in, each taking their own time to look around the room.
Hitoshi recognized most of them and he wrote down their names as he went. He'd cross reference it with the data he had on their hierarchy afterwards. It seemed like only some of them were there, but enough that they were serious. He pointed as much out to his boss silently and the man nodded. Some of the people from the other group seemed suspicious of that. Hitoshi was ready to go full into his business mode when the last person walked into the room. He crushed down any of his surprise and went right back to writing.
Bakugou was doing the same thing that the first guy had down, looking over the room and people. Hitoshi caught his eyes widening fractionally before he was called to sit down next to the boss of their group. Even better. He was a higher up in the other group. Hitoshi shoved any of those thoughts to the back of his mind and took a big sip of his coffee. His boss stood up and the meeting began.
Formalities first. What each side wanted out of this deal. What did they want to stay the same. How much influence each side would have over the other. If there would be some kind of joined decision making. Then it was on to details and things that only the two leaders understood. The income and influence each had on their own.
Hitoshi had to do his own little speech about the different organizations they'd taken in then took over. Now that he was reciting it all, he realized how many there actually were. Their organization was huge, and he knew that, but when he got in charge of explaining that—a coffee addict with a bad case of insomnia and far too much time on his hands—it was sobering. He really didn't get how he got in charge of keeping track of all the important records for that big an organization when he barely remembered if he took his pills or not. Regardless, he could see the shock on some of their faces when he finished and moved onto the other important data they were sharing.
After he said everything he needed to, it was the other record keeper's turn. The guy was probably barely legal and was a nervous mess. He was like the trainee Hitoshi had all those months ago. It reminded Hitoshi of a mouse. He got through it all, though, and Hitoshi was pretty sure he was the only one who picked up on the guy's little mistakes. So Hitoshi sent him a small reassuring smile that seemed to work a bit.
The meeting moved onto other things that Hitoshi could half pay attention to and still get enough written down for his notes. For the entirety of it, Bakugou was quiet and shooting looks Hitoshi's way. Hitoshi never bothered to look at him directly. He didn't need the tension multiplying by acknowledging Bakugou's presence. It was a backwards way of thinking, he knew it.
As the meeting went on, getting into the more boring parts of it, Hitoshi started running out of coffee. He waited impatiently for there to be a small break in the conversation and asked for an official one. People agreed almost immediately—near three hours of all sitting and talking got to people—and Hitoshi was able to run back to his office and get his second coffee. Out of the meeting room, the lower ranked ones from either side talked with each other. The higher ups seemed to hesitantly start talking, but Hitoshi could feel the awkwardness coming off them in waves when he sped by. Bakugou had seemed to vanish, but Hitoshi probably did, too, to everyone else.
Hitoshi walked over to the kitchen space on that floor and started heating his coffee up again in the microwave. He leaned back on the counter and drummed his fingers on the edge of it. When was Bakugou going to find him was the question. He knew that Hitoshi always brings two coffees, and should figure out why Hitoshi called a break. Then it was just a matter of him finding the kitchen area. Hitoshi had to wait there for his coffee to heat up, anyway, so Bakugou had time to try and find it. Maybe he should time it so he could either mock or praise Bakugou for however long it took.
Around when Hitoshi's coffee was half done, Bakugou showed up. The thoughts about timing him or start mocking him went right out that metaphorical window as Bakugou rounded the corner. He had his hands jammed into his pockets and was looking around searchingly until he notice Hitoshi. No one else was near by, so he marched right over with that pissed expression. Hitoshi found himself biting his bottom lip and shifting back like he could go any further. He'd say he was a pretty confrontational person but it didn't mean he liked being confronted like that. Bakugou had no such hesitation or reluctance and he walked right into Hitoshi's space. He slammed his hand on the counter space next to Hitoshi and scowled.
“Why the hell didn't you tell me you worked for villains?” Bakugou hissed. Hitoshi glanced over at the microwave.
“Why didn't you?” Hitoshi asked. Bakugou stopped at that. “We're both guilty parties. So let's not do the whole you lied by not telling me thing? I did tell you that I worked in record keeping, and you said you were an assistant manager. Both technically true.”
“...Stop being right,” Bakugou snapped. “This is kind of a big deal, asshole.”
“Think of it this way,” Hitoshi said. He looked up and smiled at Bakugou, who had a mixed frustrated expression on his face. “At least our organizations aren't trying to utterly destroy each other now. That would have been far awkward. Especially if I had to interrogate you which is part of my job that I can tell you about since you know who I work for. And what do you do? More specifically?”
Bakugou sighed and leaned against the counter next to him. He crossed his arms over his chest and slumped his shoulders a bit. “I run the offensive shit, making sure that people know what the hell they're doing going into a fight,” he explained. “I used to just punch shit and make a scene, but then they 'promoted me' or whatever and now I have a bunch of weak-ass wannabes trying to fight on the front lines.”
“Then we both deal with idiots all day,” Hitoshi chuckled. Bakugou scoffed and rolled his eyes. “At least you can punch them and say it was training.”
“Never thought of that. That's smart,” Bakugou muttered. Hitoshi laughed and took his coffee out of the microwave as the timer went off.
“I'm brilliant, when will you realize that?” Hitoshi said, grinning smugly as he opened the thermos. Bakugou rolled his eyes again. “One more thing before the meeting hell continues. That guy recognized me. The one asshole who stopped us on the street? How will you explain being out with the record keeper of one of the biggest villain organizations?”
“...No one cares what that asshole says,” Bakugou said flatly. He pushed off the counter. “And I'll figure it out. Who gives a shit?”
Hitoshi nodded and took a sip of his coffee. His boss would be fine with whoever he was involved with as long as he came to work and did what he was supposed to. If Bakugou could do what he said, then Hitoshi would be fine with it.
They walked back to the meeting together. No conversation, no physical contact, just walking next to each other. Apparently that was enough to draw attention from the people Bakugou worked with, though. Most of them were giving Hitoshi funny looks when he and Bakugou passed them, even more when they sat down closer to each other than before—still obviously separate but closer and noticeably so, apparently. Hitoshi defaulted into his business mode and took the overly detailed notes as usual.
The meeting ended fairly quickly, compared to some of the others he'd had to sit through. It still took another hour and a half to sort every last detail out. When it was dismissed, Hitoshi had a days worth of notes and things to file. It would be annoying but it would keep him busy.
As everyone was leaving, Bakugou caught him before he buried himself in his office. He seemed shocked that he wasn't just allowed to leave after that. Bakugou had free day after the meeting and could do whatever he wanted all day. Hitoshi said he could come with him to his office and hang around there until Hitoshi went home if Bakugou wanted company. Bakugou actually did accept, but ten minutes in, he was vocalizing his regret. Apparently he didn't realize that Hitoshi's work was probably the most boring thing to someone who fought for his job. Hitoshi's boss came in just after Bakugou finished one of his small whining streaks and Hitoshi threw an old notebook at him. The man was caught off guard, despite how he tried to hide it. Hitoshi interrupted him before he could start asking questions and told him that he and Bakugou knew each other well. No specifics. The man nodded with a little hesitation and then went back to what he was there for.
Bakugou and Hitoshi went back to the apartment together when Hitoshi finished. It was past midnight. Bakugou had passed out on the small couch that Hitoshi's boss used some times for the meetings. He snored a little and Hitoshi just laughed when he glanced over and found him out cold. Hitoshi finished all that he needed to do and woke Bakugou up.
They went back to the apartment building together, and Bakugou was half asleep the whole way there. Hitoshi tried to drop him off at his own apartment, but got somehow dragged down by a drowsy Bakugou who was a lot clingier than Hitoshi would have thought. There was no escape once Bakugou got his arms around him and surprisingly, Hitoshi was okay with that. They'd deal with the villain thing later.