Work Text:
It would have been your preference to not end up in an arranged marriage but sadly you didn’t have much choice. It wasn’t that you were in love with someone and couldn’t stand the thought of being without them. No, you were single and had been for a long time. Well forever technically.
Maybe that was why your parents had set you up with Bakugou Katsuki. Well set up was a polite way to put it. More like guilted into and slightly threatened into an arranged marriage. Your parents were great heroes with great quirks that were passed down to you and you were following in their footsteps as a hero.
They wanted you to have children that would also have a great quirk. There way of doing that was to have you marry Bakugou Katsuki. If you refused not only would they be upset but they had threatened to kick you out of the family agency and denounce you which would end your dreams of taking over the family agency. You considered starting your own but if they denounced you publicly you would drop so hard in the ranks you wouldn’t be able to.
It was a bad situation altogether but you supposed that there were worse things than getting married. You just weren’t sure if it was better or worse that you were familiar with Bakugou. The explosive hero, Ground Zero, was known to all. He was an impressive hero with a powerful quirk it was no wonder that your family picked him. You had worked with him enough to know that his personality was a bit much. Fitting to his quirk.
Your mother had insisted that you meet him for dinner, you were thankful she didn’t insist on attending with your father. At least you could try to pretend this was just a blind date and not the first official meeting that would end in you marrying someone you hardly knew.
There were very few things in your power so one way you decided to get your internal revenge was by dressing down for your first meeting. A part of you hoped he would be so unimpressed with you that he would back out and you would be free. Maybe if you had more time you could establish your own agency before they found another suitor.
The dinner was at one of, if not the nicest restaurant in town. You were certain sweat pants and a loose shirt were not to dress code but that was the point. You internally snickered at the look the hostess gave you as you told them you were here for a reservation under Bakugou.
Approaching the table you almost felt bad when you saw how nice Bakugou had dressed for the date.
“You’re dressed nice.” He comments sarcastically.
“Only the best for my betrothed.” You said giving a curtsy before sitting down. “Can’t say I’d ever imagined I’d be here with you.”
“I can say the same thing.” He said.
You ordered a drink, something strong to get you thought the night. Bakugou wasn’t your favorite person, granted you couldn’t say that you knew him very well but your interactions had always been tense at best.
“So why did you agree to this?” You questioned.
“I have a few reasons.” He said but you already knew he wasn’t going to elaborate.
The rest of the dinner was awkward. You discussed details of the process. It was very taboo arranging marriages in this day and age so it was to be kept secret. You would ‘date’ for a few months before planning the wedding. You have a few drinks ordered something expensive and left him with the bill going home to sulk about your new life ahead of you.
You hadn’t expected him to text you that night asking if you got home okay. You smirked at his dismissive response when you asked why he was worried about it.
Bakugou text you that week asking if you were free. You knew that for things to look normal you had to have the appearance of dating even if you would rather avoid him, enjoying the rest of your single life that was fading away quickly.
You figured he would take you out to dinner every once and a while and you would be done with it but he took the time to plan out dates. Taking you to the zoo, to festivals, even to amusement parks. It caught you off guard that everything he planned were things that you enjoyed doing. He would even get you little gifts that you loved, not that you would admit it.
Perhaps what surprised you the most was that he tried to get to know you. The great Bakugou Katsuki, arrogant, hostile, and explosive was taking the time to ask personal questions. You almost resented him for it but after a few dates you realized something.
As much as it gave you a sense of instant gratification to be rude or annoy him in the long run it would only hurt you both. If you had no choice but to marry him did you really want to shoot down his genuine attempts to start a relationship?
You supposed that was how you started to fall for him. When you took the time to answer him genuinely and ask him questions back you realized that he wasn’t the man you thought he was. Underneath all the attitude was a good man who cared and had a good sense of humor. Someone who had been formed by his childhood and the way his parents treated him and was trying to change that. Someone who wanted to be a good hero and help people.
There were even times that you could forget that you didn’t choose him. Sitting with him at dinner laughing at something stupid he said while he nearly pouts at you, how could you remember that this was set up?
It was a beautiful night, a perfect end to a lovely day with Bakugou. He had taken you to all your favorite places, you had eaten your favorite food and now you were in a beautiful part of the city. Lights sparkled around the two of you as you walked through a nice park.
The two of you stopped to take in the view, standing side by side, arms brushing against each other.
“I know that these aren’t normal circumstances but I was hoping today could make things feel a little more normal.” Bakugou said looking over at you before getting down on one knee, presenting a small velvet box to you.
The ring was beautiful, not what you expected. So many would go for the typical ring, silver, shiny with a big diamond on it showing off how expensive it was. But this was exactly your style. It was delicate and detailed with a unique gem, not showy or expensive but your favorite gem stone. Your breath caught in your throat as he stood, sliding the ring onto your finger.
“Bakugou, it’s perfect.” You nearly whispered.
“Call me Katsuki.” He said.
“Thank you, Katsuki.” You said looking up at him. How did he look so perfect in this light? His features so striking and soft at the same time, his red eyes boring into yours with emotion you hadn’t expected from him. When had you fallen so hard for this man? The man just months ago you couldn’t stand.
With his proposal the media went crazy and wedding planning began. It was easy to pretend that you and Bakugou were a normal couple before but with planning underway it was a reminder that this hadn’t been your choice. You were almost upset with yourself that you nearly didn’t care anymore.
Bakugou was good to you, he was considerate and respectful and sometimes it felt like he loved you. Not just the shallow love that many people had for each other but a real kind of love. The kind of love that meant you would do anything just to make sure the other person was happy.
You were at Bakugou’s place cooking together in the kitchen when he brought up a subject you had been hoping to avoid.
“You know, we’ve never kissed before. We’re getting married in a few weeks but no kissing.” He said.
“We’ll get to that at the wedding.” You said not looking away from the vegetables you were chopping, hoping he would drop the subject.
“Are you blushing?” You could hear the smirk in his voice without looking over.
“I don’t know what your talking about.” You turn to look at him with an annoyed look on your face.
“I know a flustered girl when I see one.” He teased. “Have you ever kissed anyone before?”
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” You defended. Okay, you could admit that your future husband probably had some business with the topic but you were embarrassed and had been hoping to not bring it up and get it over with at the ceremony.
“Do you want to have your first kiss in front of a crowd?” He asked. “What if you bump your nose into mine? Or hit your teeth?”
Crap. You hadn’t considered the ways things could go wrong. Unfortunately he made a good point, you didn’t want to embarrass yourself in front of who knows how many people. Your mother was relentless with the guest list. How many people could you invite to a wedding?
“Okay, you have a point.” You admitted. “I don’t know how to fix that.”
Bakugou looked at you like you weren’t getting something obvious.
In one quick movement Bakugou went from standing at your side to pushing you against the counter. Suddenly his tall, wide figure felt so imposing in front of yours with his red eyes intense. His hands held the counter behind you, caging you in. There was no escape. He leaned in slowly, your breath frozen in your chest.
“I can think of one way to fix it.” He said in a raspy tone, his lips near your ear. Your heart was pounding in your chest, cheeks burning. “If you’re interested.”
Just like that the topic of your first kiss was very interesting and something you wanted to address right away. You nodded softly, leaning in to him. He met you the rest of the way, one of his hands moving to you cheek preventing you from bumping him accidentally. You silently thanked him for helping you not make a fool of yourself, even if it was just the two of you. He tilted your head before pressing his lips against yours gently. A softness that months ago you would consider impossible for this man.
After a moment he leaned back with a satisfied grin on his lips. You looked at him with hazy eyes, surprised at how emotional you felt. How could one action make you feel so much closer to him?
“Thank you.” You whispered, eyes drifting back to his lips. A part of you wanted to lean in for another kiss but the other part of you wondered if that was too much. This was an arranged marriage and just because Bakugou had been nice to you it didn’t mean he felt that way about you.
As quickly as you felt close to him you now felt miles away. You stood up straight before going back to chopping vegetables. Just because you fell in love with Bakugou Katsuki didn’t mean that he felt the same way.
It was a week till the wedding. One part of you was thankful your mother was so overbearing, making all of the choices for the event. The other part of you, a smaller part wished you could have a small wedding with loved ones in a private place. That same part wished that the man you were marrying loved you back.
Bakugou had texted you asking if you could talk, normally that would make you nervous but you knew that it was probably just something about the wedding. So here you were at his apartment.
Bakugou opened the door, letting you in before leading you to the living room. You took a seat on the couch.
“Do you want anything to drink?” He asked standing there.
“I’m good right now.” You answered. “What’s up?”
Bakugou let out a sigh before sitting down next to you. He ran his hands through his hair nervously before finally speaking.
“Do you want to cancel the wedding?” He asked.
Your heart dropped. Did he not like you so much that he was ready to back out of the contract. No doubt he knew the repercussions, your parents were ruthless they would drag his name through the mud. The worst part was him asking made you realize that you did want to marry him.
“Even if I did want to I don’t have a choice.” You admitted. You never explained how your parents had forced you into this.
“What do you mean?” He questioned.
“If I don’t marry you my parents will kick me out of the family agency, denounce me in public make it impossible for me to get another job much less not drop to the bottom of the ranks. All my hero dreams gone.” You explained.
An emotion you didn’t recognize flashed across his face before he let out another sigh.
“Your parents approached me, offered me the opportunity to marry you, promised that they would help me in the ranks and my agency.” He said. “That’s not why I agreed, I have no interest in help. I don’t need it. They threatened something similar with me if I didn’t agree.”
It was sad, a part of you wasn’t even shocked that they had forced Bakugou into this too. Your parents had a lot of influence it wasn’t a joke.
“I’m sorry, they’re awful people.” You said as you looked down.
“They don’t scare me, they might be powerful but I’m a top ten hero, I was mentored by All Might, all of my friends are pro heroes, I have my own influence.” He said. “The reason I agreed was you.”
“Me?” You questioned looking up in confusion.
“I’ve always liked you, wanted to get to know you but you never gave me the time of day. I know that this wasn’t the best circumstances but I don’t regret getting to spend this time with you, to really get to know you.” He said. “I never intended on going through with the wedding unless you were one hundred percent okay with it.”
“Katsuki I-” You started but he cut you off.
“I love you, it was too easy to fall in love.” He said. “I care about you more than anything. I don’t want you to feel forced into anything. Back out of the contract, work at my agency, and I’ll make sure your reputation doesn’t suffer.”
“Katsuki.” You said quietly, tears welling in your eyes. He loved you. “Katsuki, I love you too. We could just save the trouble and get married, if you wanted to.”
“I don’t want you to feel like you owe them anything, I don’t want you to feel trapped.” He said. “I want to propose again and make it feel perfect, not like it was expected because of a contract.”
Not only did he love you but he was willing to risk himself to free you form your parents grasp. Tears spilled down your cheeks and you nearly tackled him as you wrapped your arms around him, pressing your face into the crook of his neck.
“Thank you, Katsuki.” You sobbed. “Thank you so much.”
“Anything for you, princes.” He said as he wrapped his arms around you. “Anything.”
Bakugou did as he promised. His team at his agency was able to compile all the evidence that your parents had forced you into this contract. He gave you a job that you enjoyed far more than working at your parents agency. He even promised to help you start your own agency if that was what you wanted to do. Your parents were torn apart in the media, losing almost all of their power and influence.
You were free. Not only were you free but you had Bakugou. You moved in together, loving the time that you spent with him in and out of work. Bakugou proposed again, making it even more special than the first time. You had a feeling it was coming when you couldn’t find your ring.
You had the wedding you wanted, small and with close friends and family in a secluded destination far away from the city.
Marrying Bakugou had felt like the worst thing that could happen to you at first but as you walked down the aisle towards him dressed in a nice black suit it was hard to imagine you could ever feel that way.
Bakugou Katsuki was the best thing that had ever happened to you.