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Shit!
Pain arched up his back as Ground Zero was forcibly pinned to the pavement. The shredded woman holding down his arms and legs must have weighed a ton, as her super jacked, muscle form gave her the strength of a grizzly bear on PCP.
No matter how much he struggled, Bakugou couldn’t move an inch – he was in a real shitty predicament right now. As the crazed villain’s grip on him tightened and her immense weight crushed his chest, making it harder to breathe, the explosive hero couldn’t think of any clever way to get free and end this battle quickly.
Nothing else to it, huh?
A couple tiny sparks were the only warning she got before a massive explosion seared her ripped clothes and burned her loose hairs. The ground around them was smoking as several car alarms were going off, and the thick limbs atop the steaming hero were quivering. A satisfied smirk smiled up at her shocked expression, but it was quickly wiped away as she blinked back her surprise and dug her knee into his stomach.
“Shit!” He found himself hissing out on his sharp intake of breath. Continuing to struggle was no use; she’s not even fucking weakened by that? Gritting his teeth, Bakugou quickly looked around but saw nothing of use to help him; none of the heroes that were holding the public back would be of any use in this situation either. There was no time to wait for someone else to show up – and there’s no fucking need to.
Despite the ache in his forearm, more crackles sparked, and the woman on top smirked down at the hero in her grasp, bracing herself for this one. There was nothing that could prepare her for the two simultaneous bombs that were five times more powerful than the last one, exploding in her face. She was thrown back instantly, slamming into a brick wall, her eyes glazing over as her unconscious form slumped forward and lay in a heap of slowly shrinking muscle.
Whoops.
Ground Zero couldn’t find it in himself to feel bad for her, especially not when his arms were laced with a crackling pain that only worsened with the nausea he felt upon sitting up. Looking around, he saw a ginormous, perfect circle of ash surrounding him, and he was worried for a second he’d disintegrated the parked cars. Yet upon a more thorough inspection, he saw that they’d flown several meters away, and the reason why he couldn’t hear their alarms was because the ringing in his ears overpowered everything else.
Looking back to the crowd that had been watching, enthralled by it all, he was pretty certain they were cheering for him, but he couldn’t hear it. Wincing, he stood up, fighting back the urge to vomit. He couldn’t show how hard that fight had hit him, not in front of an audience, so he somehow made it to the police line without passing out while the law enforcement broke out the quirk suppressing handcuffs.
Journalists and officers tried to talk to him but being that he was still waiting for his hearing to come back fully, he just waved them off; he’d gotten quite a reputation for his rough public persona, and his flippant attitude toward interviewers.
It was not as easy to wave off the paramedics who insisted on grabbing his attention. The sounds surrounding him were blurry at best, but at least the ringing was dying down; he could even begin to make out “Ground Zero” being repeated somewhere near his head. Yet even with the high-pitched noise in his ears gone, his senses were starting to fade again, and he stumbled. The pain in his arms continued to throb, and he could still feel that villain kneeling on his stomach. Oh shit, he might actually puke.
“Ground Zero! This way…” Who was that? Things were getting blurry, but there was a flash of green hair that brought back unexpected memories. At the touch of a hand clasping his shoulder in an attempt to lead him toward the ambulance, Bakugou jolted away, yet that quick movement was too much, and he found himself on his knee.
His hearing was back, and the sudden increase in volume, the sound of people running to and fro, talking to each other rapid fire, the crackling of a fire somewhere, a multitude of alarms blaring in the distance, it all overwhelmed him. And to top it all off, the last thing he saw clearly before it all started going black was the face of his childhood friend, surprising him so much that that was probably what put him over the edge. Those fierce green eyes holding his blurry gaze as that mouth pleaded for him to “hang in there” stole his entire focus as he wasn’t even concerned with the fact that he was probably about to puke on this freckled fuck’s shoes.
“Deku?” That shut him up for a second – it was long enough for Bakugou to be smug about it before his vision was gone and he tipped forward, probably into the other man’s arms as he didn’t feel rough asphalt against his cheek.
The last thing he heard before everything shut down were two random voices speaking over the other.
“What did he call you?/Woah, you know Ground Zero?”
..........
Waking up after passing out felt like coming out of a dream. His first thought was that he must have slept for eight whole hours, but then he felt the sharp pain in his forearms, and noticed the jolting movement surrounding him was due to the fact that he was in a moving vehicle and not just his nausea and realized it could only have been minutes. Despite what he knew was good for him, he began to sit up, trying not to show how much his head ached from that action alone.
“Ah, Ka- Mr. Ground Zero! Please, take it easy.” There was that damn voice again.
Looking to the sound, Bakugou found his childhood friend, dressed in a paramedic uniform, standing over his cot with a concerned furrow in his brow. There were…a lot of thoughts that crossed his mind in that moment, but he could only ask one question.
“How long was I out?”
As he glanced down at his wrist, Deku pressed a button on the side of his watch and replied, “One minute and 38 seconds.” Groaning, Bakugou leaned back until he was lying down on his cot again, ignoring the throbbing in the back of his head. “We just started driving, so it’ll still take us five minutes until we’re at the hospital.”
“The fuck?” That had him back up again, causing Deku to instinctively reach out to make sure he didn’t faint again. “Why are we going to the hospital? I’m fucking fine!” The other man stared at him incredulously, causing Bakugou’s irritation to spike.
“You…you literally passed out. Do you not remember?” There was a curious look on the motherfucker’s face before his already huge fucking eyes widened as he thought of something. “Mr. Ground Zero, I’m going to ask you a couple of questions, please answer to the best of your ability. What’s your full name?” Yet Bakugou swatted the hand that rested uncertainly on his shoulder, a grumpy frown taking over his expression.
“Fuck off with that. I’m not concussed.” Though Bakugou had said it with absolute certainty, Deku looked unconvinced.
“That was a pretty immense explosion; do you wear earplugs while on duty, Mr. Ground Zero?” The explosive hero rolled his eyes, annoyed as the short time he had with his paramedic was being wasted on stupid shit like his health.
“Yeah, no shit. And stop fucking calling me Mr. Ground Zero, Deku.” Hearing his old nickname in what must have been a decade now, Deku gulped, averting his gaze.
“Oh- okay…Kacchan.” He was slightly irritated with how much better that felt, and the spark of nostalgia that lit in his chest. “Anyway, you overused your quirk back there, and we’d like to at least get you checked out before-”
“Oi, you really fucking think a weakling like that could cause any permanent damage?”
“Ah, no. But that doesn’t-”
“Then how about you drop me off at my agency, or I could bust the fuck outta here and head over there myself.” There was a flash of frustration in Deku’s eyes, but Bakugou didn’t really care, as there was no way it could match his own.
“Kacchan, quirk overuse is a serious thing,” came his somber voice, laced with concern.
“What would you know about it?” Bakugou found himself spitting out, overwhelmed by the emotions he hadn’t felt since middle school rolling over him. Hurt crossed the other man’s face while his fists balled up, his jaw clenching.
“I went to school for this, Kacchan.” God dammit. How old was he again? Just because this was Deku didn’t mean he had to act like he was fifteen, insecure and unable to handle a crush.
“…Sorry.” The look on Deku’s face was startled, too surprised to hold on to any anger he’d felt.
“Uh, it’s- it’s okay…” His expression showed how wary he was, but he tried to continue on as if there were no awkward tension between the two of them. “I’m sorry for inconveniencing you, Ground Zero, sincerely, but we need to make sure you’re good to go out and continue your hero work. We know it’s a dangerous job and we don’t want your career cut short by something as minor as an unresolved injury.” Those big ole green eyes were pleading as they stared into his own, begging him to believe him. Looking away, Bakugou (begrudgingly) nodded once, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.
The sigh from the paramedic was small but just audible enough for Bakugou to hear the relief in his voice.
“Uh, thank you for not exploding me. And…you’ve probably heard this a thousand times by now but…thank you for saving everyone back there,” Deku said with utter sincerity.
He was right; Bakugou had heard it a thousand times. He’d heard it from victims he’d save, who always said it as if it were personal – as if he had saved them , and not just a random citizen; as if it wasn’t just part of the job. He’d heard it from police officers, who knew that it was just part of the job, and wanted their number two hero to continue keeping up the good work, “fighting the good fight.” When he heard it from Deku, it was different (he was different, always had been…) He said it with awe and pride.
Maybe it was nostalgia, blurring the past and altering memories, but it felt like a dream, like it couldn’t possibly be real. Studying the man as he went back to messing around with his equipment, Bakugou thought about all the questions he instinctively felt like asking, questions whose answers were more than obvious. So, you’re a doctor, huh? Why’d you choose this job? How were you able to move on knowing you couldn’t accomplish your dream?
As time went on and Bakugou had grown, understanding his own emotions more, he’d come to accept that he’d never actually hated the other boy, but he’d tried not to put more thought into it. He honestly never thought he’d see Deku ever again. And now that they were together in this tiny compartment, alone for the next two and a half minutes, he had no clue what to say. He’d just apologized, right? So perhaps he could leave it at that and carry on with the original plan to never see the green-haired man that reminded him of dense forests, late night adventures, and tear-stained faces, ever again.
The way Bakugou was taken away from the vehicle and Deku stayed back felt wrong – the whole reunion was awkward, but the further away Ground Zero’s gurney made it from his ambulance, the more he dismissed the thought from his head. Why did he want it to be anything more? It happened, and now it was over. He was being checked over by some other doctor, and he would never see Deku again. Nothing to worry about.
............................................................
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!” As he stood over the fallen villain, Bakugou took his hand away from his temple to see a large, red stain on his gloves. Head wounds always bleed a lot, he told himself as he made his way to the police line as they rushed passed him with their special cuffs. Flashes from journalists and their cameras were annoying in his peripherals, but he simply ignored them as they dogged him for questions. His vision was clear, and his balance was just fine, so there was nothing wrong. Of course, the green haired fuck in the white uniform didn’t seem to agree.
“Mr. Ground Zero, please just sit down!”
“Fuck off, Deku.”
“Just for a second, Kacchan,” Deku said, pouting as he studied the other man’s bloody temple. “Promise I won’t take you to the hospital this time!” The explosive hero eyed him warily, and after several seconds, he grumbled and followed the paramedic to the back of his truck.
“Make it quick. They’re fucking lost without me.” He was pretty certain the doctor was smirking as he stood over him while he sat on the edge of the ambulance, waiting for him to clean his wound.
“Don’t worry, Ground Zero, we know how important you are.” Fuck, Deku, what the hell? This man really needed to stop talking like their awkward tension was just a secret they were sharing between the two of them. Bakugou decided to scowl at him the entire time he cleaned his wound, making sure not to flinch at the sting.
At least, at first, he thought that would be intimidating, but as he continued to glare at that face hovering above his head, he noticed those eyes flicking down at his own every so often, and suddenly he felt much less terrifying than he’d originally thought. With his gaze darting far, far to the side, Bakugou then decided to turn his head to make it slightly more difficult for his paramedic to do his job. Of course, karma was instant, and that immediately backfired.
“Ground Zero, if you could look this way for me…” Feeling the soft touch of cautious fingers gently guiding his chin straight forward again, facing the man before him, Bakugou felt an overwhelming heat wash over him, and he couldn’t stand it.
“Whatever!” He growled, smacking the other man’s arms away as he stood, forcing Deku back as his mouth gaped in shock. “Doesn’t need stitches, then I’m fucking fine!” The paramedic blinked several times before his brow furrowed, confused and distraught.
“Kacchan, I just need to bandage your wound, it’ll only take a second!”
“Good luck trying when I’m miles away from here,” Bakugou said, raising his middle finger before stepping away to explode out of there, trying to rid his mind of the picture of Deku’s frustrated face. Maybe next time don’t fucking touch me like that nerd!
............................................................
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
His leg was on fire; he could barely look at it after the split-second sneak peak of the nasty angle it was at had burned into his mind’s eye. His foe lay in a heap beside him, but he could hardly consider this a victory as he was also incapacitated next to them, his leg definitely broken in at least one spot. Recovery Girl would certainly give him hell for this.
“Ground Zero!” Closing his eyes, Bakugou inhaled a deep breath. You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.
He was 25 and had been a pro hero for years now; why is it that in the past month he’d run into Deku three times after never seeing him for a whole decade? This is fucking bullshit.
The green haired man slid to kneel beside him, a first aid kit in his hand as he took in the scene. As his gaze landed on the broken leg, his already round eyes widened, and he called over to the ambulance for his partner to bring a splint. Aw fuck. Bakugou fell back onto the ground, his arms raised to cover his face as he ignored the stabbing pain at the jolting movement.
“It’s okay, Ground Zero! You’ll be up on your feet in no time. We’ll get you to Recovery Girl, and you’ll immediately feel better, I promi-”
“Shut the fuck up, Deku,” Bakugou breathed out, trying to tether his consciousness in the sea of pain. The other man was silent, but peeking out from his arms, Bakugou could see concern more than anything else etched on his face. Why the fuck was he so freaked out? Certainly he’d seen much worse injuries, being that he seemed to take care of heroes often. Sure, it was painful, but it was also just a broken bone; like he’d said – Recovery Girl could fix it up real quick.
The other medic was there, sitting down next to Deku and sizing up the injury. They made sure to grab the downed hero’s attention before doing anything so he wasn’t startled.
“This is probably going to hurt a little…” As they set his broken limb, he hissed through his gritted teeth, a deep scowl settling on his face to hide the pain. When his vision cleared, he saw the splints on either side of his calf, being held upright by the extra. “Midoriya, can you tie these for me?” The green haired man nodded as he unraveled the tangled cloths, determination in his eyes as he reached out for Bakugou’s leg. Then he stopped, hesitating for a second before looking up to catch the explosive hero’s eye, worry prominent in Deku's expression.
“Is this…okay?” He was asking for permission, and Bakugou couldn’t help the way his heart sank at that realization. Swallowing, he held the other man’s gaze and nodded once.
“Just do your fucking job.” Then he looked back at his leg, avoiding the other man’s eyes, rich pools of green filled with emotion as they tried to trap him in an endless cycle of nostalgia and regret. He watched as those hands gently lifted his leg, every move careful and controlled. As he looked on, Bakugou noticed scars covering the wrists and fingers that handled his injury – something that definitely wasn’t there in his memories.
When they were finished, the driver was there as well, having brought over the gurney. The police had made sure to stay out of the paramedics’ way as they apprehended the unconscious villain, trying not to let the number two hero notice their concerned looks as he was hefted onto the stretcher.
“I’m going to be lifting you up now, Ground Zero,” Deku’s soft voice sounded in his ear from behind him, letting him know what he was going to do.
“Yeah, yeah, just fucking get me outta here already.”
When he was in the back of the ambulance, Deku hooked him up to an IV, and this must have been the first time he didn’t threaten a medic to release him immediately. The ride was silent for the first minute, his paramedic checking over the equipment in the back with them as Bakugou stewed in his cot.
“Um, that was an impressive fight, Kacchan,” Deku said, breaking the silence. Yet Bakugou scoffed, crossing his arms.
“Couldn’t have been that great if I broke my fucking leg,” he grumbled, clearly more upset with that than Deku at the moment.
“Well…it’s because it was a difficult fight that it was so impressive! With the way you were moving out there, I can’t believe you didn’t break something sooner!” There was a glint in the other man’s eyes as he recalled the battle, and Bakugou felt the corner of his mouth rise ever so slightly, remembering how his childhood friend would praise him for the smallest of things when they were tiny.
“Ain’t you got a job to do? Why are you fucking sitting around and watching me fight?” The hero smirked as he watched Deku's face turn pink and his eyes dart away.
“Well, I-I was watching a livestream on the way over because I needed to know what injuries had been sustained in the battle…”
“Mhm,” Bakugou hummed, relishing in the way the other man refused to look him in the eye. “Once a nerd, always a nerd.” Deku said nothing, simply rolling his eyes while he monitored his patient’s IV drip. “I see you still got that hero kink.”
“Kacchan!” Deku exclaimed, finally looking back at him, appalled. “It’s- It’s not a- I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Bakugou couldn’t contain his amusement at how flustered he’d made the other man, certain the pain meds were making him too comfortable with the familiar stranger.
“Please, you’ve always been obsessed with heroes. It’s why you work with us, eh?” Deku said nothing, knowing full well he couldn’t deny that. “I’m fucking used to it; everybody’s a fan of heroes,” Bakugou continued, this medically-induced relaxed feeling driving him to maintain their conversation.
“Of course,” Deku responded brilliantly. “Heroes keep us safe!” Yet Bakugou watched his beaming face with a wary expression.
“Ya know, not every hero does it for the public. A lot of us are selfish.” Deku was silent for a couple seconds, his gaze trained on the IV bag instead, unreadable to Bakugou.
“I know,” he finally said, just a murmur. “Everyone has different reasons for doing their job. But…in the end, for whatever reason they do it, they’re still saving people. It’s their job to.” Seeing the wistful look in his childhood friend’s eyes had the drugged man’s heart twisting, feeling a sudden urge to beat up every hero that took their lot in life for granted – including himself.
“How can you be so god damned hyped for heroes when you’re a whole entire paramedic?”
“Huh?” Deku asked, startled. “What do you mean by that?” The irritable blonde scowled at him, but he still answered.
“You probably save more people on the daily than me, yet here you are, acting like we’re some untouchable beings who can do no fucking wrong or something.” He was annoyed by the way the other man stared at him, shocked, but he refused to take it back.
“I- I don’t- I never…Um.” The medic was clearly at a loss for words, so Bakugou took pity on him and continued.
“I’ve known you my whole freaking life, Deku. Of course you found a fucking way to be a hero without a goddamn quirk.” Though he’d tried to help the conversation along, in his delusional state, he’d ended up halting it entirely. There was no way his doctor would be able to recover from that.
Luckily, before the silence grew too awkward, the vehicle stopped, and Bakugou was transported to a room, away from the gawking man. Thankfully, Recovery Girl was already at the hospital that day, and he was able to go home and rest up, thoroughly embarrassed as he tried to fall asleep and forget about everything he’d said and done - ever.
............................................................
“You know, Kacchan, for the number two hero, you really get injured a lot.” The voice of the green haired paramedic was teasing as he bandaged up a long but shallow cut on Bakugou's forearm. Normally, the explosive hero would just let it scab over, but the field medic was insistent, practically begging him to let him help. A couple minutes getting off his feet had sounded nice, before he knew that this asshole would be mocking him.
“You fucker,” he growled, scowling at Deku as he smiled slyly at the knot he was tying. “You try getting into the top ten without a couple scrapes, asshole.” Despite his harsh tone, Deku’s smile widened as he finished up his bandaging. Standing back, his eyes glinted back at the hero that looked over the expertly tied cloth.
“Of course, Ground Zero. We’re all grateful for everything you’ve sacrificed for us.” Even though he’d been amused seconds before, the medic sounded genuine as he thanked the hero. Nodding once back at him, Bakugou placed his hands on the edge of the ambulance, getting ready to stand and get back to patrolling. “Hey, Kacchan?” Looking up, he saw hesitation on the other man’s face; he was biting his lower lip as his eyes had glanced away, to the side. “I never uh...got to thank you. For what you said, last time…” Deku shuffled his feet, his hands squirming as they clasped each other, still not making eye contact.
Feeling his own eyes narrow, Bakugou didn’t like the awkward feeling in the air, especially not when he had to hold back a blush at the memory.
“Oi, I was high on morphine then, don’t think too much into it.”
“It wasn’t morphine, Kacchan…”
“Whatever it was,” Bakugou continued, glaring at him, “You used too much of it! Gonna get me addicted to opiates and shit,” he grumbled, finishing it off with crossing his arms across his chest. Yet the other man had the audacity to roll his eyes in response to his concerns.
“Please, Kacchan. I know how to do my job.”
“Bet,” Bakugou said, taunting the medic. “Watch me fucking OD one day and it’ll be all your fault.” Deku seemed slightly exasperated now as they continued bickering.
“I’ve studied for over a million hours on this; why are you so certain that you know better than me?”
“Give me the books, I can do anything better than you,” the hero responded, smirking at his childhood friend. Yet his didn’t take so well to his goading.
“Why?” Came Deku’s slightly incredulous reply, his voice quieter now. “Is it because I’m quirkless?”
“Tch, please,” came Bakugou’s immediate response, exasperated. “I’ve met plenty of heroes far less capable than you. Fucking idiots who got lucky to be gifted with a power they barely know how to use.” He’d been quick to reply, but he meant every word of it. Ever since the last time he’d spoken with Deku, he’d thought a lot about how life didn’t seem to allocate its resources appropriately.
Though Deku was caught off guard by his statement again, it didn’t render him speechless this time. He was silent for a couple moments, looking pensive before speaking again; and when he did speak, it sounded too fragile for Bakugou’s explosion-weary ears.
“Do you...do you think I would have been a hero if I had a quirk?” Yikes - that was a heavy question to drop on anyone. Thankfully, Bakugou responded well under pressure.
“The fuck are you asking me for?” He asked, completely incredulous. “It would’ve been up to you, dipshit. Though, knowing you, fucking duh. Wouldn’t have mattered what you got - you probably coulda gotten the ability to spit real far, still would’ve found a way to use it. Fucker.” Though he made sure to end that speech with an insult to even it all out, the other man’s face still lit up annoyingly.
“...Really?”
“Yeah, well, not like it’s hard to use your quirk right,” Bakugou said, still trying to back track slightly. Though seeing that Deku was no longer moping felt slightly satisfying to the hero definitely overstaying his welcome in the back of this ambulance.
At that statement, however, Deku smirked and said, “Coming from the future number one hero…”
“Fuck yeah,” Bakugou said, leaning back on his hands now, giving his paramedic a lazy grin. “Better switch on your TV and watch me overtake that Lemillion fucker tonight.” Thankfully, Deku’s face was back to being it’s bright, sunshiney self, though Bakugou would never admit he was grateful for it in that moment.
“I don’t know, Kacchan, he’s pretty strong...He kinda reminds me of All Might, actually…” The number two hero’s grin sharpened a little, growing as he felt a fierce fire overcome him.
“I don’t give a shit. I’ll beat them all. Can’t really call myself number one till I surpass the greatest hero ever.” There was a gleam in Deku’s eye that sent Bakugou’s heart racing, his veins pulsing with adrenaline.
“Well...now I’m even more excited.”
............................................................
The paramedic standing next to his slightly jostling cot was silent, their lips pursed as they studied his busted lip and bruising eye, holding steady in the moving vehicle. Bakugou didn’t give a shit about the awkward silence; he was also grumpy at having had his face smashed into the side of a building. Besides, talking would only aggravate the crack in his cheekbone, so he didn’t really feel up to it.
“Kacchan...what’s going on?” There were several emotions hidden away in those big, green eyes, but the medic only let concern show through in their tone.
“What the fuck do you mean? I’m just sitting here with my busted ass face. Nothing’s ‘going on’,” he growled defensively, knowing full well what Deku was actually getting at.
“You know what I mean,” his doctor said, gently calling him out. “It used to be you’d get injured a couple times a month. Now, I’m seeing you back here nearly every other day. And it’s not like the amount of villain attacks is growing, either…”
“Whatever, nerd. I’ve had a stroke of bad luck recently,” Bakugou grunted, crossing his arms and leaning back as he avoided Deku’s eye contact.
“Bad luck for two whole weeks?” The man was looking at him with sympathy, which he couldn’t fucking stand.
“Oh yeah? Well you’re here everyday; never gotten treated by a different medic for the last two months. You my personal doctor, or something? Trynna be my guardian angel or what, nerd?” He spat it out, simply in an attempt to divert the conversation from himself; he wasn’t prepared for the slight pink tinge that illuminated the other man’s face.
“Uh, well, I requested this sector, so that’s why I’m sent here whenever there’s an emergency…” Red eyes narrowed as they studied the man that now refused to hold his gaze, and he decided not to press the subject further.
“Well, maybe assholes are going after me now that I’m the number one, you ever think about that?” He murmured, barely more than a whisper. It was...bullshit, seeing as how Ground Zero could more than handle himself against any foe.
It wasn’t that his moves had gotten sloppy, but he was a little more careless in his actions. He’d been even more fierce during battles, yes, but also he sometimes would be the cause of his own injuries from the reckless force of his attacks.
“Yeah...I guess so…” Who was Deku to argue the reason for his increase in injuries? Despite the conclusion that they’d come to, however, his childhood friend still looked distressed, and Bakugou couldn’t stand the way that caused his chest to churn.
Sighing, he said, “I guess if you’re going to be the one showing up every time, I should be a little more careful.” Seeing the other man’s head perk up as he watched him carefully, he smirked slightly. “Can’t be relying on such an inexperienced doctor like you all the damn time.”
Trying, and failing, to prevent the corners of his mouth from quirking up, Deku responded, “Hey! I’ve helped you every time you’ve gotten injured for two months now!” His voice was teasing again as he continued; “And with the amount of injuries you’ve sustained recently, I’m plenty experienced by now.”
“Shut up, nerd,” Bakugou said, unable to contain the lopsided smile on his face that became too painful and resulted in a wince.
“Ah! Sorry Kacchan - do you want some pain medicine, or-”
“Would you stop with that, already? Fucking hell, ow. Stop making me talk, fuck! ” With his hand rising up to hold his own cheek, Bakugou had closed his eyes in an attempt to simply swallow the pain. They cracked open when he heard a gentle voice right in front of his face.
“Kacchan, let me see…” Large, green eyes floated in front of him, a spattering of freckles leading to the mouth that was once again pursed in concern. Fingertips gently guided his chin up and this time, he let them. He felt his hand slowly fall away and his gaze steadily held Deku’s as the other man studied his bloodshot eye.
Watching the way those irises flickered as Deku took in the swelling and discoloration that seemed to grow with each passing minute, the professional hero tried not to gulp noticeably. If Deku was going to be cool about it, then so would Bakugou. He wasn’t used to such intimacy - had never really wanted to be - but this was Deku, motherfucking Deku. Fucking asshole, with his long eyelashes, stupidly vibrant green coloring, and his genuine kindness and compassion for literally everyone.
“You know,” the explosive hero’s voice was small as he murmured, the tone raspy due to his dry tongue. “Nothing you can do about a broken face.” Deku was silent for a couple more seconds as he continued to take in Bakugou’s injury, mouth scrunched up at the hero’s words.
“I know,” the paramedic finally said, “it’s just…” and he pulled away, taking his fingertips with him, causing Bakugou’s mouth to turn down ever so slightly. “Wish I could, you know?”
Before Bakugou had the chance to think up a response, the ambulance stopped and was put in park, signifying the end to their conversation.
“Well, don’t fucking worry about it. You’re never gonna have to see my fucked up mug ever again.”
“Please,” Deku said, “We both know you’ll be back here in two days time.” The hero simply flipped his medic off before the doors opened and they carted him away to an exasperated Recovery Girl.
............................................................
The sound of sirens wailing in the distance were muted by the crackling of fire and the heavy smoke in the air. The thick, gray haze was enough to choke a human being, but luckily Ground Zero had been given an oxygen mask before entering the danger zone. Unfortunately, it didn’t help his stinging eyes search through the rubble of the collapsed building.
This time, there were no villains, as the cause of all the destruction had been due to the vicious earthquake that had ripped through an entire street. Fortunately, it was after hours, and the building had been mostly empty, though the janitorial staff was not so lucky. Additionally, anyone who’d been outside during the freak accident would have been caught up in it all as well, and there was no telling how many people needed rescuing until every inch of the place had been searched.
Fucking climate change, Bakugou thought as he propelled himself higher into the sky for a better vantage point. After a second of hovering midair, the number one hero caught sight of a dusty figure moving and immediately made his way to them. As he got closer, he recognized the dirty paramedic uniform, the mop of green curls, and the second body on the ground that they were giving CPR to.
Despite the frustration he felt building up inside of him, Ground Zero didn’t want to interrupt the medic at work, so he quietly stepped in front of him, across from the unconscious body, squatting so that he was eye level with the busy man. He noticed him, but didn’t even stop to acknowledge his presence, exhaling small huffs of breath with each pulse on the civilian’s chest as his oxygen mask flopped about his neck.
True to his word, Bakugou hadn’t seen Deku since he’d broken his cheekbone, reassuring the population that him being the number one hero wasn’t just a fluke and he was done getting thoughtlessly injured. During those past two weeks, his eyes had been craving the sight of green curls and freckles, but he hadn’t wanted to find them in the middle of a disaster zone.
Ground Zero hated wasting time, especially in emergencies, so it was lucky that right after he showed up, the civilian started breathing again, and the paramedic was able to help her drink from a bottle of water as she sat up. While the man in the dirty white uniform murmured comforting words to the civilian as she gathered her surroundings, Bakugou simply glared at him, growing impatient.
“Oi, you both need to get the fuck out of here, now,” the hero finally interrupted, his voice stern as he stared pointedly at Deku.
“I...I think I sprained my ankle…” the victim said, her voice rough from the smoke in the air. Of fucking course…
“I got you,” Bakugou said, hefting her easily into his arms and standing up, watching the medic follow him to his feet. The civilian’s arms wrapped around his neck in surprise, looking ready to pass out again.
“My...my sister...I was just with her….” There was no one else in sight, and Bakugou inwardly cursed to himself. He’d have to figure out how to explode back to the ambulances while carrying this trembling woman, then come back and find her sister, all the while knowing Deku was fucking running around in a goddamn disaster zone, still not wearing his mask, that fucker -
“Don’t worry, I’ll find her!” And he was off, running into the distance before the number one hero could even come up with a plan.
“Oi, DEKU, motherfucker,” he cursed, realizing that Deku wouldn’t be coming back whether he’d heard him or not. “PUT YOUR FUCKING MASK ON DUMBASS!” Seeing the thumbs up he received as the other man kept on running, Bakugou scowled, clutching the victim with one arm as he freed up the other to prepare to blast off. “Hang on and cover your ears.”
“Uh, Ground Zero, how am I supposed to do both?”
“Figure it out!” He waited barely a second, letting her shift around to ‘figure something out’ before he was airborne, finding himself at the police line in less than a minute. When he set her down, she still leaned against him as the EMTs came over with a gurney.
“Thank...thank you for saving me, Ground Zero,” she said, flustered, pretending she hadn’t screamed most of the way there.
“I didn’t do shit,” Bakugou grumbled, his mind elsewhere at the moment. “It was that damn Deku who saved you.”
“Who- you mean the green haired man? Why did you-”
“You better fucking thank that asshole for saving your life when I drag his sorry ass back here!” Bakugou pointed accusingly at the victim as she was being laid down on the stretcher, the medics glaring at the famous hero as he accosted their patient. Yet instead of waiting for anyone’s response, Bakugou walked off far enough away to propel himself into the air; but before he could blast off, a police officer stopped him.
“Ground Zero, they’re sending in the sniffers, you should wait back here until you’re needed.” The explosive hero hesitated, frowning as he thought of the idiotic paramedic who was still out there, searching for that sister.
“Yeah, sure. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go get a snack. Want anything?” And then he was a mile above the ground, jumping around on bursts from his hands, searching for that green he knew so well.
It didn’t take too long until he spotted it, right next to a collapsing wall.
Shit!
He wanted to freak out, but that asshole hadn’t moved, even though a big ass wall of cement had fallen right next to him, so something was up. Then he saw the figure in pink next to his childhood friend, high-fiving him even, and Bakugou found himself scowling as he descended toward the two. Fucking figures. He’d thought that wall had tipped over rather slowly.
“Yo, Round Face.”
“Hey Ground Zero! This guy just found a woman trapped behind the rubble, can you help me get her out?” Evaluating the situation with a careful eye, seeing the woman on her stomach with her hands covering her head as she shook like a leaf, Bakugou’s eyes narrowed.
“Fuck. Yeah.” Together, the three of them helped the victim out of her prison, Uraraka doing the heavy lifting as Bakugou pushed aside smaller debris, Deku pulling the woman out, making sure she had no other injuries.
“Hell yeah! We did it!” Uraraka said, smiling brightly as she took in the woman leaning against Deku for support, her cheer infectious to the freshly freed victim.
“Thank you...all of you...I thought I was going to be trapped there forever…”
“Yeah, well, you got someone else waiting for you over there,” Bakugou said gruffly, pointing in the direction of the wailing sirens and flashing lights in the distance. “Uravity’s gonna take you over there to show em you’re alive. Ya fucking got that?” The woman nodded at him, clearly still dazed from it all, and Uraraka gently grabbed her hand, using her quirk to make her easier to carry in her arms. Once the sister was seated comfortably in the hero’s grasp, clinging to her neck, the brilliant woman in pink turned around to flash another smile at them.
“Thanks for your help, you two! See you back at the line!” When she was gone, Bakugou immediately turned to Deku, his arms crossed as he stared him down.
“There might be more people out there...we’ve gotta keep moving.” Bakugou hated the determined look on the other man’s face, knowing that he was about to put an end to it.
“Nuh uh. We’re heading back.”
“What?” Deku asked, shocked at that. “But...why? They can’t have possibly searched everywhere by now…”
“They’re bringing out the sniffers, anybody with a searching quirk. Ain’t nothing we can do with our eyes at this fucking point.” Seeing Deku frown, he rolled his eyes, having known it would be difficult to convince the paramedic to return.
“Okay, but they’ll still need paramedics for the people that can’t be moved.”
“Then head back and join a goddamn team! You shouldn’t be out here alone, fuckface. We don’t need an extra person to rescue from some fucking debris!” Now Deku was starting to look offended, but the explosive hero couldn’t give a damn about what the medic felt right then.
“I know how to handle myself,” Deku muttered, his voice tight as his tone was terse. “This is my job, Kacchan.”
“Yeah?” Bakugou responded, not so easily intimidated. “Well this is mine.” And before the other man could respond, he was scooped up into Ground Zero’s arms, instinctively wrapping his own around the hero’s neck as his feet lost contact with the ground.
“Ah! Kacchan, wait-”
“Cover your ears, Deku.” He waited just long enough for the man in his arms to find a way to block his hearing while also still clinging to the hero for his life as he knew they would be flying soon.
When they were in the air, Deku cracked open one of his eyes, having squeezed them both shut tight. Taking in the magnificent view, he found it unnecessary to cover his ears after the initial blast, and could readjust his grip on the scowling hero’s neck as he held him with one arm. They were only in the air for about a minute, the flight being jumpy due to the method of travel, but seeing the catastrophe stretching for roughly a mile in diameter had the paramedic’s eyes darken. There was still so much to do…
Eventually they landed, and Deku was set down, wincing as he pulled his arms away. The hero’s eyes narrowed at that, and he grabbed the other man’s wrists, turning his hands over to see jagged cuts, probably not deep, but still red with fresh blood.
“The fuck?”
“I was...moving debris out of the way…”
“Is this where all these came from?” Bakugou asked furiously, motioning to the scars along the sheepish medic’s arms.
“Well, to be fair, the majority of them came from one freak accident with a fridge-”
“Was it in another disaster zone?” Bakugou asked, dryly. Taking note of the way Deku didn’t respond, Bakuogu released his hands and stepped back, giving them both their space. “Fuck, Deku. Who’s gonna fix you up, huh?”
“It’s fine, seriously!” Crossing his arms, the green haired man glared up at him, trying not to pout as he frowned. “I’m not preventing you from doing your job, so let me do mine!” For a second, Bakugou simply stared at him, revealing nothing to the other man.
“Where are the bandages?” He finally said, startling the paramedic.
“Uh, I have some right here,” he replied, immediately digging into the pouch strapped to his belt and pulling out a roll of cloth and cotton. “Why, are you hurt?” He had immediately switched from his fierce, defensive attitude to one of concern as he looked the exasperated hero over, blinking when he stole the items from his hands.
“Just give em to me.” Then, grumbling to himself about “stupid fucking shitty Deku,” Ground Zero stepped in close again and turned over the paramedic's cut up palms and carefully pressed the cotton to the wounds, wrapping the cloth around his scarred hands, tying tight, but not too tight. When he was finished, he took another step back, finally looking up at the pink face that stared back at him in disbelief.
“Um...I- I could have-”
“But you didn’t,” Bakugou said, still trying to appear irritated. He watched as Deku looked over his bandaging, studying it - as if there would be a single flaw in it.
“You’re...really good at this…” Yeah, that’s right. Fucker.
“I know basic first aid, asshole. I’m a hero.” Rolling his eyes, Bakugou leaned back as he prepared to leave and find something useful to do. “Now that I’m done doing your fucking job for you, will you let me do mine?”
Those green eyes narrowed as he took his first few steps away, clearly not content to simply let that go.
“Kacchan, I’m just trying to help-”
“I swear to god, Deku, if I see you out there alone , I’m gonna blow your ass up!” Before he could see the other man’s face turn pink again, he whipped back around and made his way to the police line, waiting for further orders. Seeing Uraraka just as she was helping the rescued sister settle on a gurney, Bakugou found himself next to his fellow hero, scaring her as she turned and he was right beside her.
“You going out with a team?” She nodded at him, and he looked over their surroundings, trying to appear nonchalant as he continued. “The medic from before wants to join up with you.” Blinking once first, she smiled wide, shining brilliantly in the dusty atmosphere.
“Aw, he wants to work with me? That’s so sweet! Where is he? He was super helpful!” Bakugou nodded over his shoulder in the direction he’d come from, then said nothing as she spotted the green man and pushed past him to ask Deku to join her team.
Tch. Probably’ll be the highlight of that nerd’s day. Whatever, Bakugou thought as he tried not to look over and watch that freckled fuck’s face light up upon being asked by Uravity to join her and some other hero motherfuckers rescue some civilian fucks.
............................................................
“Huh?” Deku blinked at the black clad hero as he stood before him, presenting the medic his shoulder. Studying it closely, the curly haired fuck saw a pink patch of skin - a mild abrasion, barely even bleeding. “You want me to...bandage it?”
The explosive hero scowled at him, clearly not a fan of his questioning tone.
“I’m fucking injured, you dipshit. Ain’t it your job to heal me?” Again, Deku stood there for a second, at a loss for words. He would gladly give the hero an antibiotic ointment and an adhesive strip, but normally Ground Zero would shove off anyone trying to stitch him up; seeing the easily irritable hero come up and ask for a band aid had the paramedic pinching himself.
“Okay, um...follow me.” Shoving his hands in his deep pockets, Bakugou made his way after the medic to the back of the ambulance. Leaning against the side of the vehicle, the blonde man waited for Deku to rifle through his pack and pull out a thing of neosporin and some cotton balls.
“Better not give me that Hello Kitty shit,” Bakugou said, crossing his arms. At that, Deku smiled, and continued to search through his bag and pulled out a little box of Pokemon themed band aids.
“Actually, I give these to kids sometimes…”
“That’s fucking right,” Bakugou said, ripping the box from his hand and digging through it to hand his medic a charizard one. “How else are the villains gonna know how fucking badass I am?” He asked, watching Deku squeeze some ointment onto a cotton puff.
“Oh, I don’t know, Mr. Number One Hero.” With a small smile on his face, Deku gently guided the other man’s shoulder more toward himself, rising up on the balls of his feet to better see the scrape he was dabbing. “I guess you could beat them to a pulp?”
“Tch,” he responded, lowering his shoulder for easier access. “Too much work. I want those assholes to know not to fuck with me from one look.” The grin on Deku’s face was wide now and he peeled the bandage open, his gaze flicking up to Bakugou’s face before darting back down to make sure he placed the strip correctly.
“I don’t think you need to worry about that, Ground Zero…”
“Eh? You making fun of my face, nerd?” The hero pulled his well taken care of injury back, rolling his shoulder as he bared his teeth in a menacing smile that his childhood friend hardly found threatening.
“Not at all, Kacchan.”
“Yeah, sure,” Bakugou muttered, smoothing over the orange dragon Pokemon on his skin.
“Is that all you needed?” Deku asked brightly, his face all sunshiney and shit. “Or did you want someone to kiss it, make you feel better?” Behind that radiant smile was a smirk, revealed only through the glint in those green eyes.
“What, you offering?” Bakugou asked, revealing a genuine smirk, at which the other man was not totally prepared for.
“Uh, well, what-whatever the number one hero needs…” Deku trailed off, flustered by his own statement. The explosive blonde frowned slightly, leaning forward to hold his doctor’s gaze steady.
“Don’t make promises you can't keep,” he said, a little too seriously for the moment.
“I...I’m not…” Red eyes studied that freckled face, silent for several seconds.
“Mhm,” was all he finally said, shifting his weight as he made to leave.
“Uh, ah! Kaccan, wait-” Bakugou stopped, turning back to the red-faced man. “I...I didn’t get to say it before but...thank you.” The professional hero quirked an eyebrow, prompting the other man to continue. “Your help back then was invaluable-” he was talking about the earthquake nearly a week ago. Bakugou settled into his stance to keep on listening. “You saved so many people that day,” Deku said, his eyes seeming to glimmer at that statement. “It just shows how you’re not only powerful, but also resourceful and- and I’m sorry for rambling, it’s just. It was...very impressive.”
Having crossed his arms, Bakugou continued to stare at the man thanking him for doing practically the same thing he had done that day. What was truly impressive was how that seemed to go directly over Deku’s thick head.
“It’s nothing…” Bakugou murmured. “Just part of the job.” Yet those green eyes gleamed, clearly not believing him.
“Yes, well, we’re all grateful for everything you do for-”
“Would you cut it out with that ‘we’ bullshit?” Bakugou snapped, frowning again in irritation. “I’m getting fucking sick of it!” Deku was taken aback, unsure of how to respond.
“Um. Why- what are you-”
“Stop speaking for ‘everyone,’ asshole; say what you really fucking mean!” Blinking rapidly, Deku stared at him, trying not to blush again.
“I- I appreciate- Um.” Then the smaller man’s shoulders relaxed as he gulped and steadied himself. “I think it’s really cool, what you do, Kacchan. I...thank you.”
With a nod at the other man, Bakugou said, “That’s it.” Then he turned around again to leave, speaking over his shoulder before taking the first step; “See you around, Deku.” And he blasted off, the paramedic still shook up from that encounter.
............................................................
“So you see the latest Marvel movie? How fucked up was that?” Bakugou asked, disgruntled as he sat on a cot in the back of an ambulance, watching his paramedic shuffle through his supplies and pull out a blood pressure cuff.
“No, I actually haven’t had time to see any of the recent ones…”
“Good, don’t,” Bakugou said, smirking at the man wrapping the cuff around his bicep. “They don’t even care about the plot anymore; they just want your fucking money, and they know you’ll give it to them, the fucking jerkoffs.”
The hero relished in the way the medic smiled at that, his scarred hands squeezing the pump and pressing the stethoscope against the inside of his elbow. It was silent as Deku counted quietly, his green, green eyes never straying from his watch. Bakugou took that time to study the constellation of freckles, and the way those eyelashes hovered as he looked down, his lips moving slightly as he counted to himself.
After a second, Deku released the pressure in the cuff, pulling his stethoscope off and setting it down.
“Your blood pressure is better than normal, as is to be expected,” the paramedic said, his eyes flicking to Bakugou’s arms again. “Do you still feel light-headed?”
“A little,” Bakugou said casually, leaning back against the vehicle’s wall. “Maybe I just need to sit down some, eh?”
Midoriya tried not to smile wider, wishing for his cheeks' sake that Kacchan would go back to work.
“You know...you’re getting injured a lot - again. You’re not just trying to visit me or something, are you?” He asked, jokingly.
Yet, as he sat up straight to make it easier for Midoriya to reach for the cuff on his arm, Kacchan looked him dead in the eyes and said, “Yeah, actually.” Halting in his movements, Midoriya could only stare back for a moment before blinking and chuckling instinctively.
“Haha, ha...Who knew Ground Zero had a sense of humor?” He ripped the velcro apart when a gloved hand gripped his wrist, holding him in place as those eyes were mere inches away from his own.
“What’s so funny about me wanting to see you?”
Breathing? What’s breathing?
For a second, Midoriya’s body was immobile, his eyes flickering over that sharp, beautifully brutal face, seeing it was 100% serious.
Instead of responding to the hero’s question, Midoriya reached into his back pocket, his gaze refusing to let go of Kacchan’s. He produced a cell phone and unlocked it with his finger print, watching the other man’s face as he said:
“Phone number?”
After another second of silence, Kacchan used his free hand to grab the device, averting his eyes simply to punch in his number and add his contact, sending himself a text. When he finished, the blonde man went back to holding Midoriya’s stare, locking the screen and reaching around the man still in his grasp, leaning in frustratingly close as he found that back pocket and slid the device in again.
Fuuuuuuuucckk.
It seemed Midoriya’s dreams were coming true all at once, and it was unfair for anyone to expect him to remember how to breathe in that moment. Though Kacchan pulled back his hand like an unexpected gentleman, their proximity did not change, causing Midoriya to gulp as his mind froze over.
“Your-your blood pressure...is...it’s, uh...It’s a number, I’m pretty sure…”
“Mhm, mhm,” Kacchan hummed, nodding his head, his eyes the most captivating thing Midoriya had ever seen, surrounded by the pure black of his mask. “Tell me more.”
The grip around his wrist loosened, and Midoriya found himself slipping his hand into the other man’s, feeling fingers slowly close around his own.
“You...you’re not showing any signs of a concussion,” Midoriya murmured, wondering if it was just him, or is Kacchan’s face getting bigger? “Your eyes are red, but not red. Clear, and really pretty, just like when we were kids…” The hand from before was on his waist now, laying lightly above his hip, the bicep providing a very nice resting spot for Midoriya’s gentle fingertips.
“Mm? Fascinating,” Kacchan murmured, his eyelids lowering as they were so, so close. When Midoriya heard the sound of a throat clearing from the door of the ambulance, he blinked in confusion, trying to figure out what it meant.
Oh.
Jumping away, Midoriya looked over to see his coworker, who's arms were crossed and hip cocked as he smirked at the two childhood friends.
“And, yup, looks like everything’s fine! You’ll live to fight another day - good for you!” Midoriya blurted out, much too loud, completely flustered as he moved about the vehicle, anywhere but near the cot. “I gotta go...uh talk to someone...about something. Like, people, places, things, and other such nouns!” And before anyone else could say anything, Midoriya’s feet were on the pavement and he’d made his way to the other side of the vehicle, locking himself in the passenger seat.
..........
“So how the hell did you snag Ground Zero? ” While he was in the middle of eating his lunch, Midoriya’s teammate approached him, pinning him when he couldn’t escape. Swallowing his bite, the paramedic took as much time as he could before needing to reply.
“Um...I wouldn’t say I snagged him…”
“Well, whatever you’d call it,” his coworker continued, that smirk making a reappearance. “He was super grumpy after you left.” Feeling another blush creep over his face, Midoriya was grateful for the buzz from his phone, allowing him to look away from the persistent EMT.
“Well, he’s always grumpy…” The green haired man trailed off as he was startled by the name he saw on his screen, a small smile growing on his face, despite himself.
Kacchan:
How bout we make some time to see a movie
The other medic quirked an eyebrow at his glowing expression, waiting for Midoriya to remember he was in the middle of a conversation. When the thoroughly-freckled man looked up to see his coworker staring expectantly at him, he jolted slightly.
“But, he’s not that bad, when you get to know him…” As Midoriya returned to his phone, trying to contain his obvious elation, the other EMT rolled his eyes and walked away, allowing him this moment to set up a date with the boy he’s chased after for over a decade.
............................................................
This time around, Deku was the one seated on the gurnee, Ground Zero’s hands taking their time to check over the medic’s body.
The back of the vehicle was dark as the doors were closed, the ambulance still as it was parked on the street. The other EMTs were more than enough for the light brawl that had taken place a couple minutes ago, so the hero didn’t feel too bad about stealing away into the back with their best medic and pushing the latter up against the cot, showing him that he wasn’t always a gentleman.
They panted breathlessly as they examined each other’s tongues with their own, coming to the conclusion that further inspection was required. Bakugou’s thumbs found their way in Deku’s waistband, tugging the smaller man closer so that they were flush with each other.
“Kacchan…” He breathed against his lips, his fingers lightly tugging his spiky locks. “We shouldn’t...be here…” Yet despite what he said, his arms were locked around the explosive hero’s neck, his back curving forward as the other man began to lean over him.
“Please, I’ve been back here so often I pay rent for this bitch.” The sound of Deku’s laughter echoed in his mind as he pressed more kisses against his cheek, warmth flooding in his chest.
“Okay but...we have that date tonight…”
“You can wait that long?” Bakugou murmured incredulously. The face beneath his lips lifted as Deku smiled even wider, those arms around his neck tightening.
“Well, I have wanted to do this since middle school…” The kisses on that freckled cheek slowed to a stop, Bakugou pulling away to study his childhood friend’s face, disbelief prevalent in the hero’s frown.
“Really?” Deku’s eyes darted away and he began to squirm in Bakugou’s grasp.
“Ah, well, I-I know it’s probably pathetic, since you didn’t like me back then, but-” The paramedic was cut off by a light flick to his forehead, his face scrunching up adorably in defense mode.
“Shut up with that,” Bakugou said dismissively, his eyes narrowed at the other man. “This isn’t just cause of your hero kink?”
“Kacchan!” Deku exclaimed, exasperated. “I don’t- I don’t have a hero kink! Why- mmrph!” Once again, the medic was cut short, but this time Bakugou went straight to the source, jamming his tongue in the other man’s mouth. One of his hands traveled lightly up the other's waist, resting gently on his back, fingers splayed as he held him close.
As this carried on, Deku settled into it again, realizing what Bakugou had meant, and the green haired man reciprocated eagerly, happy to show the other man exactly how he’d felt about his childhood friend for most of his life. When they parted again, breathing lightly against each other, Deku held Bakugou’s hazy gaze.
“I’ve liked you for a long time, Kacchan,” Deku murmured softly.
After nodding a couple times, Bakugou found himself whispering, “Me too.”
They resumed their activity, both quietly ecstatic, but they were immediately interrupted by a sharp knocking and a voice shouting through the door.
“Midoriya! You in there?” It was that same fucking EMT, always cock-blocking them. Bakugou shared a disappointed look with the medic, the latter giving him a wry, yet sympathetic smile.
“Yeah,” he called out, loud enough to be heard through the door. “Ground Zero just needed a little special attention.” At that the explosive hero smirked, despite being pushed aside by the man jumping off the cot and making his way to open the door.
The sunshine was startling to both of them as they squinted at the figure waiting outside of the vehicle. It only took them a couple of seconds to take in Deku’s undone buttons at the top of his uniform, the way his collar was popped and the shirt was only half tucked into his pants. Looking over at the hero, they then noticed his missing gauntlets, mask askew, and the thumb that was rubbing over his bottom lip.
“Yeah, I’m sure he did,” he said, a sly smile growing on his face.
Deku blushed as he realized the state he was in, rapidly pushing his shirt back into his waistband after jumping down, trying to quickly put himself together again, his coworker chuckling while shaking his head as he watched.
Meanwhile, Bakugou was casually strapping his gauntlets back on, easily stepping off the vehicle between the two medics. As his date for the night was struggling to figure out what else needed to be fixed, Bakugou snuck a quick peck on his cheek, startling him into holding his gaze.
“See you tonight, Deku.”
“Ye...yeah. See you, Kacchan.” With another smirk, Bakugou turned and left, walking away smugly as he heard Deku’s flustered voice rise up behind him, speaking to the EMT. “Do...don’t look at me like that!”
“...Kacchan? Really?”
Thankfully, the journalists didn’t notice Ground Zero until he’d blasted off, and Midoriya was grateful this time that paramedics were invisible to those parasites.
............................................................
Walking into the movie theater, they were immediately assaulted with the smell of freshly buttered popcorn and the sound of teens laughing with their friends, parents asking their children what they wanted to drink.
As he ordered their tickets, and then their food and drink (after some complaining on Deku’s part) Bakugou could feel the weight of those green eyes on him, causing him to grow a little paranoid.
“What?” He asked gruffly when they were on their way to the theater. Rubbing his jaw, he said, “If there’s something on my face then fucking tell me-”
“No, no! Your face is- fine,” Deku said, quick to reassure. “It’s just...I’m so used to seeing you in costume. It’s strange seeing you without the mask.” Bakugou scowled at the other man, narrowing his eyes warily.
“Too civilian for ya?” The green haired fuck had the audacity to chuckle at that, grabbing Bakugou’s arm as his hands were preoccupied holding the bucket and his drink.
“Kacchan, please. I told you,” they said, smiling gently at the blonde. “I’ve liked you since we were kids. It’s actually...nostalgic, seeing you this way.” Somehow Bakugou understood what his childhood friend meant by that. Even though it was a simple uniform, Bakugou had only ever seen the man dressed in his paramedic outfit. Now that he was standing next to him in plain shorts and a stupid t-shirt that said “flannel,” it felt like he was meeting Deku for the first time in years all over again - as if everything that had happened over the past several months wasn’t real until now. And being that the nerd had only ever seen him in a hero outfit, he could only imagine what it must feel like for him.
And speaking of nostalgia…
They walked into the theater, having decided to see a remake of a cheesy horror film that came out when they were kids. They’d snuck in to see it, and despite how scared Bakugou had been, he’d put on a brave face for the terrified boy who’d ask to sleep over at his house after that.
“This feels like a sick joke,” Deku said, chuckling as they sat down. “You know I’m not a scared little kid anymore, right?”
“Tch,” Bakugou muttered, not even looking at him as he rolled his eyes. “Don’t come crying to me when you wanna make a blanket fort and hide away from the monsters afterwards,” he said, referencing exactly what they’d done that night when they were kids.
“Don’t act like that’s not exactly what you had planned for tonight, Kacchan.”
“Shut up, asshole! You’re gonna ruin the surprise!” He tried to stay mad at how Deku shushed him while giggling, rather than fixate on the way he’d grabbed his arm again, or even the way that hand slid onto the armrest right next to his. “I’m gonna fucking punch you after this.”
“Not too hard, you might bruise your knuckles,” he said automatically, his hand finally making the first move and tangling together with his date’s.
Fucking paramedic, Bakugou thought to himself as he squeezed that hand in return.
After a lot of hugging, gasping, and jumping in surprise, they eventually went back to Bakugou’s apartment and made that promised blanket fort, the paramedic feeling no reason to have any fear that night as he fell asleep in his hero boyfriend’s arms, surrounded by twinkling fairy lights.