Chapter Text
Tapping his foot rhythmically, it was such a pain that he couldn’t just wear his fucking boots. No, he had to wear shitty, toe pinching shiny shoes just because they were “formal dress.” That was basically code for “pretty looking, but unbearably uncomfortable,” he had found. Much like the silky orange fabric wrapped far too tightly around his neck, nothing on him felt pleasant, even despite him wedging his fingers into the knot and loosening it the best he could.
Garnet gems scanned the gala in a scowl. He could be doing literally anything else. He wasn’t a pretty rich boytoy to be paraded in front of the media like this. He was a fucking Pro Hero, and he should have been storming some damp alleyway in his COMFORTABLE and efficient combat boots about to kick some villain ass- or at least scare them off the streets for another day.
Only no.
Bakugou fucking Katsuki was fucking dragged to a Pro Hero Charity Gala by his PR team threatening to bench him. Over the years, Bakugou had grown more accustomed to calming his rage. Of course, he had setbacks, but he was on a good track. There was just one thing that not even Best Jeanist’s insistence could sway him on: he refused to be a toy for the media. He had minimal PR events- if any, and all of his interviews were carefully catered to make sure that they all remained strictly professional.
Honestly, he wouldn’t even be at the stupid Charity Gala if it weren’t for a big bourgeois newspaper company published yet another “Hero Or Villain?” article on him- which he was certainly used to by this point in his career. Hell, he was practically used to them getting out of high school. They weighed heavy on his chest in middle school, and, fuck, did they hurt first year at UA. However, he learned a lot about dealing with accusations like that. The only problem specifically with the article in question was that it went over the damages he had done at a particularly gruesome fight- even going so far as to say that the casualties were his fault. A lot of haters protested that he needed to pay for the damages somehow, and, despite his insistence of just taking a pay cut on his next few gains… that was how he ended up at the Pro Hero’s Charity Gala; one of the biggest, gaudiest fucking excuses for fans to shamelessly flirt with their favorite Pros in stiff ass suits.
Bakugou, unfortunately, had to sign up for three different events: “Dancing The Night Away,” where each guest paid big money to dance with their favorite Pro for a single song; “Speed Dating,” which was where he had to sit through five minutes of fans asking him questions before moving on; and, lastly, a simple “Signature Signing” and signature signing. The three least taxing events, in his opinion- even if he didn’t know the official schedule. All of them were short and sweet, meaning he didn’t have to worry about spending too much time with a handsy guest or someone who was boring or annoying or anything else on the list of “shitty company.” He pitied the poor fools who volunteered for the “Buy A Date With Your Hero.” Sure, they didn’t have to pick from the weird ass schedule that looked like it was for an Elementary School Field Day, but they had to stand on stage looking pretty as some rando bought their entire night.
“You know you could have just signed up for the ‘Buy A Date With Your Hero,’ and that would be it, bro,” Kirishima chuckled, looking up at the stage as the guests started to filter in.
“Yeah, right. Who would pay to spend the night with Blasty over here?” Kaminari cooed as if it was some secret. He knew that was the explosive Hero’s least favorite kind of teasing, but Bakugou had dipped on Game Night for the second time in a row, “He can’t even keep his friends company, bro, what would he do with a date?”
“Uh, dude, anyone who has seen his abs would jump on that shit-” Kirishima joked, rubbing his hand from where Bakugou had smacked it away from his pec, “You don’t gotta talk business to admire the framework.”
“Shut the fuck up, would you dumbasses?” Bakugou snapped back, glaring at his friends who really didn’t seem to care at all.
“Welcome Heroes and fans! To the Pro Hero Charity Ball! Kicking off the festivities, we have the ‘Buy A Date With Your Hero’! That’s right, ladies and gents! The highest bidder gets to spend the entire night with the Hero that they bid on!” a shrill voice rang through the speakers- already giving Bakugou a headache.
Most all of the Pros in the crowd had also been given the betting cards to ‘drive the prices up’ whenever the crowd got quiet, so, of course, the self-deemed “BakuSquad” was dicking around and messing with the cards. The explosive blond wanted to be mad at them, but they were drowning out the announcer’s stupid fucking voice explaining the rules of the auction to the public.
“I pity the shitty fool who thought it was a good idea to sign up for that kind of bullshit,” Bakugou laughed, rolling his eyes as the curtain was pulled back to show off the ‘chosen Heroes.’ Then, immediately, the howl of laughter beside of him told Bakugou exactly what he was going to see when his eyes jerked up to the stage.
Emerald gems seemed to be locked on him from the start- like they had predicted where Bakugou was going to sit and focused his attention there. Dark freckles popped out as they stood proudly beneath the white light. Forest colored curls were accentuated by the stark black and white of his suit, drawn in by the crisp, sheen silk tie that shone as brightly as his hair. Crooked fingers uncurled sheepishly in an embarrassed half wave directed at Bakugou.
Of fucking course.
“And last, but certainly not least! Rising in the ranks, it’s Pro Hero: Deku!”
“Of fucking course shitty Deku would sign up to be some fan’s boytoy for the fuckin night,” the explosive blonde grumbled to himself. The emotion in his voice was unknown, but it didn’t go unnoticed by the peanut gallery beside of him.
“You know…” Kaminari spoke up as the announcer started to show off the first Hero, “They said that we’re supposed to drive up prices, but they never said that we couldn’t buy a date for ourselves.”
Everyone knew that statement was definitely directed at Bakugou, who was pretending that he wasn’t biting his lip or shifting from side to side. His friends had spent years taking note of his growing interest in Midoriya, but they also knew that confrontation was going to get them put in the hospital. Of course if he did buy Midoriya for the night- a shitty word choice, but there wasn’t a better way to describe it- it would be a service to the idiot who looked like he was about to have a heart attack just standing on the podium waiting to be called.
If he did end up having the winning bid, he would have to spend the entire night with Midoriya… However, Midoriya wouldn’t make fun of his clearly annoyed faces throughout the events he had signed up for. Bakugou would have to listen to every new piece of Hero media available, but the annoyingly comforting mumbles filling the silence during their breaks had to be better than the jokes his so called ‘squad’ would make at his expense. There would be gossip and shit about him, and his PR team would hate him for that… which made it that much more enticing.
So caught up in his internal monologue, Bakugou found himself caught off guard by a yell in his ear, “Bid for Deku!” only to see a far too enthusiastic blond waving his stupid hand enthusiastically.
As did one, two, three, four, and, fuck it, Bakugou’s hand went up too.
The longer the bid went on, the more intense the blond got. Sero was wheezing, Ashido was writing a fanfic on her phone, and Kirishima kept Kaminari in a tight hug so that he would stop upping the bid. From the moment it was presented as a challenge, Bakugou’s vision was a blur- so much so that upon hearing “THE WINNER IS-” followed by his stupid little number sent a wave of euphoria through his veins... Then he blinked, lowering his card as he watched curious emerald eyes scan the crowd while crooked, scared hands fidget awkwardly.
His blood went cold as hell settled in.
Not letting his dread or anxiety show, Bakugou strode forward with feigned confidence, searching his skull for a viable excuse as to why he just bought the entire night with his old classmate and a coworker that he hadn’t actually worked with since they were in high school.
The moment his uncomfortable dress shoe hit the first stair on the stage, everything stopped. No cameras were flashing- other than Ashido’s smartphone, since she never puts the thing down; the entire crowd hesitated.
“I’m in your care,” Midoriya bowed, the only one not frozen by the shock of who had ‘bought’ him for the night. It wasn’t until the announcer spoke up that emerald eyes even looked up to meet Bakugou’s own from where he stood with a fake confident smirk.
“So, um, Pro Hero: DynaMight… thank you for participating in our program, um…” it was clear that no one was expecting him of all people to pay for a night with another Hero. In a brilliant moment to save face inside of his head, Bakugou thought to himself about how good he had always been at defying expectations.
Ruby and emerald locked together in that moment as time froze. The look on Midoriya’s face was unreadable, but, at least, it wasn’t upset as Bakugou studied it for a moment. The blond turned to the announcer- a much safer bet than his childhood friend and rival.
“So, uh, what is your reason for choosing our, uh, program today?”
“Well, extras keep giving me shit about how I’m ‘not doing enough’, so I figured what better way than supporting the charity directly and rekindling an old flame from high school. Wouldn't you agree, Deku?"
"I um! Uh! I-" Midoriya stumbled, growing brighter by the second. Shit, he was flushed to the ears, waving his hands in an attempt to dismiss his lack of words.
Even the announcer was looking embarrassed as they went on about a few things Bakugou didn't hear as he approached Midoriya, pulling him into a side hug and grumbling, "Play it cool, nerd."
Of course, Midoriya fumbled with the bottom of his suit, looking bashfully at the blond, "T-thanks, Kacchan," he mumbled back, trailing behind Bakugou who looked way too smug for the situation.
"A-and that concludes Buy A Date With Your Hero! Enjoy the rest of your festivities and have a good night!"
Bakugou walked away confidently with Midoriya following him in a picture perfectly reminiscent of their childhood. As if to be the icing on top, Midoriya kept opening his mouth to talk but shutting it immediately after.
"To start out the night, we have Dancing The Night Away!" rang on the intercoms via someone's extra's quirk: Project.
"Ah, shit, I signed up for that shit. Come on, Deku. It's not that long of an event," the blond reassured, looking over his shoulder at Midoriya's indistinguishable expression.
"Yeah, Kacchan, whatever you say!" the forest haired Hero smiled awkwardly, emerald eyes averted, "You've always been good at dancing- well you've always been pretty good at everything, but you're always really graceful, and it looks nice when you dance, and I just-"
"Deku."
"Ah, s-sorry."
"Why are you so fucking nervous? Shit, you're acting like you got picked up by some strange fan." Bakugou stopped, turning around to face Midoriya with his hands about as crossed as they could be in his stiff ass suit sleeves.
"Well, we haven't really seen each other much since high school-"
"We've worked together on scenes."
"Yeah, of course we have, Kacchan, but we haven't really hung out, or, well, even really talked about anything that wasn't really battle strategies or casualty counts or… work related…"
In that instant, Bakugou felt nervousness settle in his own gut. Midoriya was right. As his interest in the nerd grew, the amount of time he spent in the other's presence shrank. It just became more awkward to hide his growing fascination, so, in perfect Bakugou fashion, he opted into avoiding Midoriya all together. The only time they really saw each other was at disaster scenes, or passing by at joint fan events, and Bakugou may or may not have bought a plushie or three of Midoriya as he started doing merch deals.
Letting out a tch, Bakugou looked away. Turning back around, he strode forward once more, "That shit doesn't matter. We've known each other for ages, for fucks sake."
"Speaking of that, uh Kacchan-" Midoriya attempted to pipe up, but he was cut off.
"DynaMight! I was just saying this to the other participants, but, since you have a date, the first dance of the night is for you and your date!" one of the volunteers seemed all too happy stating that fact as they walked up to Bakugou, sneaking a glance at Midoriya.
"We uh! We don't have to! Kacchan, you know I can't really dance well; grace has never been my forte, so you can just-"
"Deku."
Midoriya paused, all of him coming to a complete halt as he heard his Hero name and old nickname enter the air, “Y-yeah, Kacchan?” He seemed so hesitant- frightened almost, and it was almost like they went back to their middle school years, only Midoriya was now a mountain of a man and not a stick twig twink.
Bakugou let out a breath, trying his best not to sigh. Of course his dreams would be shattered like that. There was no way Midoriya could feel the same weird squishy feeling that the blond did every time they locked eyes. “Ya don’t fuckin’ have to, but,” he dropped his voice a bit lower, “It would get me out of at least one awkward ass dance for the night.”
“Well I wouldn’t want to embarrass you… especially not with everybody on you for ‘buying’ my night to begin with, the last thing I would want to do is trip over everyone in the middle of the dance floor and make a laughing stock out of myself and you and-”
“You didn’t have a fuckin problem back in gym class,” Bakugou sourly remembered how happy Midoriya looked dancing in class with some other extra. He definitely was not jealous thinking about the lack of bregrudgingness on the freckled boy’s face as he was led through dance lessons by their former classmate.
“Kacchan, that was middle school, for one-”
“Yeah, so what? Are you saying that you can’t even remember something that far back? Shit, I thought you had fucking stars in your eyes.” Nope. Not jealous.
“It wasn’t my fault our class didn’t have enough girls in it! And I did not have stars in my eyes! I don’t care how attractive my partner was, he was still an asshole to me every other day of the year.”
“Uh-huh, sure,” Bakugou rolled his eyes as if the sarcasm in his voice wasn’t enough to make Midoriya puff up with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
“What does that have to do with anything, anyway! I just said I can’t dance!” Midoriya huffed, rubbing his arm and looking around. The blond was well aware that his actions were going to be a nightmare for his PR team, but it seemed like the green haired Hero was extra self conscious of it.
“And I said I know that’s a bold faced lie, Deku,” by this point, the explosive Hero was getting impatient. Of course, he could just say that the more time he spends with Midoriya, the less time he had to spend with people he didn’t know, but Bakugou knew his childhood friend enough to SEE the way Midoriya would deflate at that sort of statement. “What? So you’ll fuckin’ dance with a shitty, snot nosed middle school brat, but not with me? Am I not good enough for you, huh?”
“Kacchan you are unbearable!” Midoriya whispered under his breath, just loud enough for Bakugou to hear it. If crimson eyes could have sworn there was a dusting of blush over dark freckles, but the blond pushed it aside.
“Is that why you won’t dance with me?”
“Last call for the dancers!” the announcer rang out, since there were several people at the event all clamoring around.
“Fine! If you want a stupid dance that bad!” Midoriya huffed, grabbing Bakugou’s hand and pulling him out onto the dancefloor, “But don’t get mad at me when I step on your feet!”
Bakugou laughed victoriously as the music cued up and they settled into their positions. As a wayward revenge, the blond ignored the song actually playing and instead did something completely out of tune.
“Kacchan!”
Midoriya spun around; although it wasn’t like the Hero had a choice being firmly lodged in Bakugou’s arms. Of course, his cry was met with a dismissive, “Hm?” as Bakugou kept doing the same thing he was.
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Midoriya was visibly biting back laughter as they moved almost completely against the music- no doubt drawing quite a bit of attention in their small corner of the dancefloor.
“Doing what, Deku?” Bakugou kept his face completely flat as he wildly spun his date as if they were completely alone- like in a kitchen together on a Sunday morning, listening to the radio hum around them.
“I know you can dance better than this in your sleep!” Midoriya protested, fighting snickers at how stupid they looked twirling in each other’s arms, dancing to a tune that was definitely not playing on the intercom.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Seriously, Kacchan, I’m getting dizzy over here.”
“What’s that? You hear a dip in the song?”
“Kacchan don’t you dare dip me-” Midoriya couldn’t help but burst into giggles when his partner did the exact thing he had just threatened to prevent. The broader male frantically gripped Bakugou’s shoulders as he leaned into the dance to the point where Midoriya’s back was almost parallel to the floor and one of his legs swung out as a counterbalance.
They were both laughing when they came up, but the freckled Hero was the first to protest, “No, no, no, no! No you don’t!” he managed through bubbling giggles.
“Don’t what, Deku?” Bakugou teased back, grinning from ear to ear as his facade completely faded.
“You’re not leading me like this!” exasperation filled his voice as Midoriya tossed his head back with laughter.
“Well then do something about it, Deku!”
“Maybe I will!” Midoriya huffed, initiating an odd display between the two- not that their previous actions were anything of the normal- as the forest haired Hero fought for the lead. Cuing him in on the unhidden fact that he was walking right into Bakugou’s plan, the blond gave the position away without a fight.
The song might have only been a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity to them. Everything after Midoriya took the lead was smooth, both of them so lost in laughter that it didn’t even occur to either of the pining idiots just how close they were.
“Can’t dance, my ass.”
“Kacchan, you didn’t have to sabotage half a song to prove that. Ugh, I hope no one caught that on camera.”
Emerald gems rolled in their sockets as the music died down. The bulky Hero almost started snickering again, but his smile froze as his eyes returned to normal and saw just how little distance there was between him and the piering crimson gaze in front of him. If Midoriya didn’t know any better, he’d say there was fondness in the way his partner looked back at him, but he did know better; it was Bakugou who never bothered to return his texts in the years they had been apart.
“I, uh, should go- let you get ready for your next dance,” Midoriya fumbled, averting his eyes and immediately dropping his hands, “Have fun, Kacchan!” It was painful to detach, but the Hero made sure to get as far away as possible without rousing any suspicion.
Resisting the urge to scoff, the blond turned around- not at all bothered by Midoriya’s sudden distance or standoffishness. No. If anyone was bothered by the way Midoriya jumped from his partner like the blond was on fire, it was definitely not Bakugou. Not at all. For the record, he didn’t even spend the next hour and a half mulling over that or glancing over to where Midoriya was standing in the crowd. Normally, Bakugou was attentive, studying as many details as possible- both out of respect and the Hero vigilance installed in him ever since the first villain attack he had ever been in. It was a vigilance that only grew, throughout schooling at UA and every issue he had ever faced in his now professional career. Unfortunately, all of that instinct and training went out the door during the last half hour when forest fluff suddenly disappeared from the scarlet eyes scanning the crowd.
Many DynaDeku shippers joined the fandom after that, but at least none of the fans got yelled at or blasted even when they stepped on Bakugou’s toes. Even people that weren’t fans of either of the Heroes saw the tension between the two.
Really, the only ones that didn’t were the two in question.
The moment the last dance of the allotted time period came to an end, Bakugou curtly dropped both of his arms, leaving the fan with a short, “Good night,” and a small nod. Of course, the fan huffed, but, as the rest of the dancers flooded out of the ballroom, they received several back pats and Looks Of Understanding. There was nothing on the Hero’s mind other than Midoriya as Bakugou swerved into the surrounding crowd, frantically hoping to catch a glimpse of green.
“Oh! Kacchan!” Midoriya stumbled as they both collided the moment Bakugou’s dress shoe slammed into the open area.
“Where’d you go?” Bakugou demanded- but not in a worried way… in an annoyed way. Clearly it didn’t have enough annoyance, since Midoriya was still being as aloof as he was when they had parted. The nerd scratched the back of his neck and laughed sheepishly, taking a full step away from his partner’s chest.
“I just went to get some air, since-” “Yeah, yeah, crowds aren’t really your thing. ‘Should’a fuckin’ thought about that before you decided it was a good idea to be the main event for a big ass publicity stunt, huh, Deku?” Midoriya stood stunned, emerald eyes going wide as the blond cut him off. Of course, it was all an elaborate insult, but the forest haired male couldn’t stop himself from mumbling out loud, “You remembered that?”
It was the blond’s turn to freeze at that comment: immediately growing still as he remembered the first publicity stunt they had ever been to as students. Bakugou hadn’t ever been into the publicity thing, so it was only expected that he would end up on the balcony halfway through the dinner party Endeavour had hosted when he ended up resigning. Even if his popularity had certainly plummeted after The Incident, news of him stepping down circulated like, well, the same news that had delionized him. Regardless, Todoroki Enji hosted a lavish ceremony where Midoriya, Bakugou, and of course Shouto, Fuyumi, and Natsuou had all attended.
Everyone knew that Midoriya had stage fright and general anxiety, but no one had ever pegged the people pleaser to be the first one out on the deck during a party. Bakugou didn’t either, until he cursed at the cold air and heard a laugh. With one hand over his heart and the other in a ready fist, the blond was visibly confused when he saw tired green eyes looking up at the sky.
Emerald reflected the stars as Bakugou realized just how far gone he was… They had gotten closer interning and fighting together, but, in the same way young Midoriya’s extended hand turned their world around, that moment made Bakugou realize that he was far too comfortable for his liking. Even through their easy banter, ‘What the fuck are you doing out here?’ to ‘I’m not really the best with crowds,’ and the soft lull of conversation that fell between them, that night poked a fire of discontent and awkwardness that would eventually lead to Bakugou having his own arsenal of unread messages and unanswered calls.
“Well, you’re stiffer than your square ass friends during interviews, and you still have those dumb nerd habits of yours. You haven’t exactly changed much-” and that wasn’t what he meant to say. Fuck.
“Yeah,” Midoriya shriveled up, rubbing his arm over his dress sleeve. It wasn’t coincidence that he shoved his right hand in his pocket either, hiding the scarred skin and crooked fingers.
“I didn’t meant that shit, Deku,” Bakugou immediately corrected himself, placing a hand on Midoriya’s shoulder to better connect, “You’ve come so fucking far since then. Don’t ever sell yourself short on that shit-” The blond pulled his hand back, grumbling in the back of his throat as he tried to find the right words, “Fuck, I just mean that your personality hasn’t changed. It’s a relief, you know?” His voice got periodically lower as he spoke; Bakugou practically murmured the last sentence.
It got Midoriya to smile, though; at the very least, the corners of his mouth turned upwards as he let out something between a breath and a laugh. “Thanks, Kacchan. You’ve changed so much-” emerald gems looked at the ceiling wistfully, “But not at all- all at the same time.” It was then Midoriya’s turn to mumble, “You really are amazing, Kacchan…” before he could even stop himself.
“Yeah, well, a lot of that is your fault, shitty Deku,” it was said like a tease, but Bakugou was truly grateful for everything that Midoriya had helped him realize. He helped him embrace and accept his own weakness; he taught him that there’s more to being a Hero than just glorious wins; but, above all, Midoriya taught Bakugou that he could be loved- even with his flaws and insecurities. Sure, the BakuSquad was Bakugou’s first honest friend group, but, without Midoriya, he would never have learned to rely on them or trust them not to leave him when things got rough like past “friendships” had.
“You’ve always been capable of great things, Kacchan, ever since we were kids. I’m just lucky enough to witness them-” well, he certainly hadn’t expected to blurt that out- under his breath or not. Bakugou’s eyes went wide and his face might have flushed at the admittance. “Which reminds me, um-”
Jade met garnet as they locked eyes as their tender moment was ripped off like a bandaid by a loud voice announcing, “Next up is the Signature Signing! Unfortunately, runoff tickets were already bought up during Dance The Night Away, but on the other side of the venue is Hunt With My Hero! Tickets are still up if you want to go on a classic scavenger hunt on a team with your favorite Hero!”
“Fuck, sorry Deku. I signed up for that,” Bakugou didn’t know whether he wanted to curse or breathe thanks to fate. Clearly, Midoriya had something heavy on his mind or his eyebrows wouldn’t have the stupid crease and his lips wouldn’t be in a tiny frown. He could have sworn the nerd mumbled an ‘I know,’ but without proof the blond could only continue, “You can wait in behind the scenes for me. We get a break after this, alright?”
Midoriya looked away slightly with what scarlet gems would have sworn was embarrassment, “Uh, yeah, sure, Kacchan! I’ll see you when you’re done!”
Bakugou walked away, narrowing his eyes as he subtly watched Midoriya linger about. Of course, the explosive Hero didn’t expect the night to be like some sort of dream where they both fit together like puzzle pieces- as if nothing bad had ever happened between them, but this was a lot more awkward than Bakugou had hoped for. It was absolutely his fault for all but ghosting his childhood crush, but that didn’t stop him from wanting their night together to go differently.
Either way, the unavoidable disappointment made the objectively short line of fans in front of his booth feel like it was never ending. Sure, it was nothing compared to opening merch lines or well known anniversaries, but Bakugou didn’t have a lot of patience to begin with. Sitting down at the booth, it was a struggle not to scowl through every overly sparkly or bright outfit, through every ‘I’m such a big fan’ or ‘My (friend, relative, significant other) is such a big fan,’ and, realistically, Bakugou knew that he was pretty much failing.
“Next!” he called out, biting back a sign as he clutched the poor pen in his name a little tighter, “Name?” Bakugou didn’t bother with inscriptions or shit like other people did, but he was at least kind enough to ask for a name.
“Is Midoriya too formal? Ah- maybe I should go with Izuku. Although, Kacchan saying ‘Izuku’ feels a bit too in- weird. Should I just go with ‘Deku’ after all?”
Bakugou couldn’t fucking believe it. Well, he /could/, seeing as Midoriya was the biggest Hero nerd on the fucking planet, but that didn’t stop the blond from raising his eyebrows at the familiar voice.
“Really? Deku- fucking really?”
“What!” Midoriya jumped, all of the concentration leaving his face as he focused on his childhood friend, rather than the name he wanted on his poster.
“Don’t tell me this is where you went when you disappeared-”
Flushing like a strawberry, Midoriya looked away, mumbling, “Actually I pre-ordered the ticket last night… I just had to pick it up before the event…”
“Deku-” Bakugou didn’t even know where to begin, “What would you have done if you had an actual date? Why would you buy a ticket- Wait, shit, we work together! Why would you PAY for my autograph?” He had a hundred other questions, but Midoriya spoke back up before he could say much else. “Actually, I had planned on my date getting the signature for me. I even prepared to buy them a ticket of their own, and, of course, I planned on getting someone else to get the merch for me! You won’t sign stuff I ask you to because you think it’s pointless!”
“Yeah, well, we work together, Deku! You’re a Pro Hero, too!”
“I was a fan before that, and I’m still a fan now!”
“Ugh, fine, shitty nerd,” Bakugou rolled his eyes, realizing how stupid it was to argue. He could feel his stomach flutter with butterflies at the realization that Midoriya still thought of him enough to collect his merch and value his signature. Of course, a small part of him supplies the idea that maybe Midoriya valued his superficial self because the real Bakugou wouldn’t give him the time of day- despite constantly thinking about green eyes, green hair, and the green suit that kept getting just a little bit tighter every time he saw it.
[Glad to know you still think about me, nerd - DynaMight]
“I’ll see you in the waiting room, dumbass.” He couldn’t help but give Midoriya a grin as he shooed the other Hero away with a wave and a call of, “Next!” If anyone asked, it didn’t happen, but Bakugou let a fraction of a small smile show when he watched Midoriya giddily clutch the signature to his chest- and, just maybe, that image made the signing that much more bearable.
Unlike the last event, the signing seemed to speed through after Midoriya had left, and it wasn’t too long before Bakugou was slipping through the doorway of the “Heroes and Staff only” entrance, scanning the floor for Midoriya. Emerald eyes were focused on their phone in hand, foot tapping anxiously.
“Well there he is! Mr. I Planned To Ask My Date To Get Me A Signature From One Of The Guys I Work With At Least Once A Week!” Bakugou rolled his eyes.
“Kacchan!” Midoriya jumped up, shoving his phone into his pocket as if there was something on it he didn’t want garnet eyes to see something on the screen. “Once a week is an exaggeration! And it’s not like you’d give me your signature otherwise!” he whined, walking over to Bakugou.
“Okay, Heroes! You all have a twenty minute break before the next set of events! There are drinks and snacks in the corner, but remember that dinner is still here to come!” one of the staff members announced with a smile, waving to all of the Heroes in the room. Quite a few of them were already in, but there were a few like Bakugou who were coming back from events. A lot of those wearing tuxes took off their over jacket- especially the ones that just got back from A Hunt With My Hero.
“Man, that was exhausting!” Kirishima cheered as he walked over to his friends, “How was the signing?”
“It was whatever. Nothing special,” Bakugou snuck a glance towards Midoriya while the freckled boy was focused on the redhead, “It wasn’t too bad.”
“I’d love to hear more about the scavenger hunt!” Midoriya beamed, before biting his lip, “But can I, uh, talk to Kacchan quick, Kirishima?”
Kirishima’s face immediately washed over with realization and his sweat ran a bit cold. Of course, the BakuSquad was always there to be Bakugou’s wingmen, but none of them actually had a way to confirm the fact that Midoriya’s feelings were more than platonic. “Yeah, sure! Just go easy on my bro! He still has the rest of the night to go!”
“Shut up, Shitty Hair! Deku couldn’t hurt me in a million fucking years!” a lie, he knew, “Go easy my ass!”
“Of course!” the redhead laughed heartedly before turning around and walking away. Crimson eyes watched from across the room, worriedly flicking back to his friends, but at least he was far away enough for them to both be comfortable.
“S-so, Kacchan, I just wanted to ask, you know, why did you choose to participate in the auction-”
Bristling defensively, Bakugou knew that question was coming, but he still didn’t have a good enough answer to satisfy the nerd without giving away everything the hothead worked to hide, “Didn’t you hear me on the stand? There’s plenty of pros, to very few cons. What? Are you complaining?”
“No, no, no! I’m not complaining at all, and, yes, I heard you on the stage, but I just-” Midoriya fumbled, still mulling over the blond’s word choice. [Rekindling an old flame] he had said, making it sound like they, well, held a torch for each other. Of course, Midoriya was absolutely enamored with his childhood friend, but he still wouldn’t quite call their relationship ‘an old flame.’ Besides, Bakugou was the one that cut off contact after high school! Midoriya just wanted to prove to himself that it was just a slip of the tongue for the blond… He just wanted to kill his crush for good.
“Blasty! I’m so proud of you!”
Pink and black hair came into view before Midoriya could get anywhere. Ashido had launched herself at the blond, arms extended in a hug. Of course, the pink skinned girl used the hug as an excuse to whisper in Bakugou’s ear, “You’re finally out on a date with your man!”
“Yeah, you’ve gone a handful of hours without blowing anyone up!”
Sero pulled up, laughing himself.
“Keep fucking talking, and see how well that goes, hah!” Bakugou raised his arms threateningly, refusing to blush at his friends’ accusations.
“Hey, Mina! Hey Sero! I- um- I was in the middle of talking to Kacchan, though. Can I please just finish quick?” Midoriya hesitantly spoke up with a tiny wave. Unfortunately, it was enough to make Ashido and Sero both share shit eating grins. They were both completely confident in their ‘gaydar,’ completely disregarding Bakugou denying the idea that Midoriya had feelings for him. Kirishima had very little actual doubt, but he at least respected Bakugou’s insecurity over the matter.
“Ooooh~!” Ashido cooed, “Yeah, yeah, of course! We’ll leave you to it!”
“Fuck off, Raccoon Eyes! You too, Soy Sauce Face!” Bakugou snapped as his friends left. Deep down, he knew that they both meant well, but it got exhausting sometimes: always being pushed into different things… He knew that they always had his back, but it was still difficult to open up to them about some things.
Turning back to Midoriya, the blond reminded himself to breathe, letting some of his anger seep into the ground, “What did you want, Deku?”
“You- uh- I mean. This wasn’t like a dare or anything, right? Did your PR team put you up to this?” Midoriya couldn’t stop his own insecurities from creeping out.
“The fuck? What?” Bakugou stepped back. For once, nothing rushed into his head that could fuel a freak out, “Where the fuck did you get that shit from?”
“Well, I know that you’re only here because your team threatened to bench you after… you know- which wasn’t at all your fault!” at least he was adamant about that, “So I just figured maybe they also put you up to the participation thing. I mean, it makes sense, given the whole ‘supporting fellow heroes’ thing, and it shows you directly contributing to the cause, and-”
“Cut that shit out-” Bakugou spoke without thinking. He couldn’t exactly tell Midoriya that his PR team was going to kill him for the definitely impulsive decision to buy Midoriya’s time for the night, but he couldn’t let the nerd convince himself that Bakugou was only hanging out with him because he had to. “Shit, even if someone did influence my decision, I can make my own choices and say no. You know that, right?”
“Y-yeah, of course! I just meant- I just wondered what you meant by-”
“Alright Heroes! Break’s over! We’re into the second part of the night! Time to have fun!” the staff called cheerfully, stabbing Midoriya in the throat. He looked over at Bakugou, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights. They both scoffed, rolling their eyes as they walked over.
“You were saying, Deku?” Bakugou whispered over as they walked.
“It-” emerald eyes looked around at the prying ears and let out a sigh, “It can wait, Kacchan.”
Together they walked out of the comforting back room and into the party.