Chapter Text
“This wasn’t part of the deal.” Bakugo’s tone was low and deadly as he spoke through his gritted teeth.
“Because I knew you wouldn’t agree to it if I told you from the start.” his manager responded in the same way, her deep red lips formed into a big fake smile while they walked through the crowd that moved out of their way.
“You are so getting fired.” he continued to quietly argue with her, boiling inside.
“Do it, I dare you.” She threw another smile for the paparazzi while placing a strand of her dark red hair behind her ear. “You’ll never find anyone who puts up with you like me again.”
He didn’t comment on that, just mumbled not so flattering words to himself, earning a victorious grin from Akuma. The woman was an absolute devil but that was her advantage compared to Bakugo's previous managers who quit one week into the job, unable to deal with his personality.
Speaking of him, the Number Two Hero was in a horrible mood; he’s been awake for almost 24 hours now, his muscles were getting sore from all the fighting and now when he finally had a day off he had to spend it on fan gatherings, photoshoots and interviews.
When he sat down at his designated place at the convention, he felt lightheaded for a second; the noise around him melted into one sound and the flashing of cameras burned his eyes. And yet he didn’t allow any of this to show on his stoic face.
That’s one thing he didn’t want to show; weakness.
His manager leaned into his ear, her blood-red irises glowing while she watched him through half-closed eyelids.
“You want to be number one? Growling and punching won’t get you all the way there.”
With that being said, she threw the crowd one last smile and headed backstage, leaving Bakugo to his suffering.
Despite his publicly known attitude and personality, people still formed quite a lengthy line in order to get his signature on their posters, magazines and merch that included the Number Two Hero. Maybe it was just his current warn out state but with each signature he gave out, the anguishing feeling in his chest grew.
The faces of his fans who came and went were a blur, all he could clearly see was the number 2 that showed up on the items he was handed.
It was like the number was taunting him, mocking him for always being one step behind.
For the last five years he remained as the second one, never managing to surpass that Lemillion guy no matter how many villains he took down. And sure, the current Number One Hero had that position for a reason but that damn smile of his that was present in every picture, interview, magazine and video was starting to piss Bakugo off.
He continued to silently sign stuff, adding a “you’re welcome” here and there and trying to keep his composure when he was forced to take a picture with a fan. It’s not like he didn’t appreciate them and their support, it’s what got him where he is but today they were really getting on his already thin nerves.
After two hours of this only one person was left.
He’s here again.
A thought crossed his mind when a figure in his last year’s winter hoodie collection handed him a piece of paper.
The guy wore a medical mask, his eyes were covered by black sunglasses despite summer being over and the hood completely covered his hair, enabling Bakugo to see the color of it.
This wasn’t the first time Bakugo saw this guy.
He was always present no matter where Bakugo was; at conventions, doing live interviews and he was even at a few fight scenes. He was always wearing a similar attire that hid his identity. Normally extreme fans would be kept under a close watch but this guy was harmless, he never harassed him or even tried to speak to him. He’d just silently ask for a signature and disappear as fast as he could.
But to say that he wasn’t a bit weird would be an understatement.
Bakugo looked at the paper he got; it was an independent article that was published in some small magazine last month and the content of it focused on his past missions and how they shaped his current self. Nowhere in there were any mentions of him being the Number Two Hero, making it stick with Bakugo even after one month of reading it among the other articles had passed.
The pen in his hand moved with confidence while he avoided writing over the words and stopped next to the anonymous name of the author; Kedu.
He averted his eyes to his watch that started beeping, signaling that his work was done.
He got up from his seat, every bone in his stiff body cracked as he stretched.
The guy that was in front of him was already gone.
He went straight into his private section backstage and the first thing he did was get out of his costume. He placed his hands on a desk and leaned on them, looking at his worn out expression in the mirror; he had dark circles under his eyes and it wouldn’t be bad if he shaved.
His naked torso exposed the scars his body accumulated over the years, the longest one aligned with his ribs, right over his heart.
That one was almost a fatal one.
He ended up putting one of those pain relief cooling patches on his shoulders, lower back and neck before putting on some civilian clothes and heading out. Just as he was getting outside, Akuma almost crashed into him.
“I’m going for a stroll.” he informed her as he walked away.
“Hold it!” she snatched the hood of his jacket “You forgot you got an interview after this? ”
“I got over an hour before that.”
He pushed her hand away and put on the hood alongside a pair of sunglasses.
He was just planning to make a circle around the convention, trying to blend in with the crowd despite his built that even in disguise was getting him a few side eyes. As he walked past stands of merchandise he recognized the ones belonging to his former U.A. colleagues, ones he hadn’t met in a long time.
And then he halted when the well known red, blue, white and yellow colors came into his field of vision.
Despite it already being almost 5 years since the former Symbol of Peace passed, people still actively talked about him, cherishing his achievements and his legacy.
Bakugo was on the move again but his mind refused to make a single thought, only his body moved forward, trying to walk away from the events behind him.
He eventually stopped in front of a billboard showcasing Heroes, his image currently shown. The guy up there was the physical embodiment of confidence, the smirk on his face beamed with pride.
But the current Bakugo didn’t feel that way, especially now when the number two was so widely placed next to his figure.
The image changed and the golden number one appeared, followed by an image of the always smiling Lemillion. Bakugo clenched his fists and gritted his teeth; if only he could destroy the billboard without causing a ruckus.
Then again, Akuma would definitely chew him out for that. He scoffed at the thought of his manager and the interview that waited on him.
He needed to head back but his legs refused to move, holding him in place.
He needed a change, one that he could shape with his own hands.
But what exactly could he do?
He couldn’t change that he was number two.
He couldn’t change that Lemillion was the new Symbol of Peace.
He couldn’t change All Might’s fate.
Hell, he couldn’t even change his own manager.
He averted his eyes from the billboard in anger, feeling like he needed to punch something despite the pain in his muscles.
He spotted a familiar figure a few feet away; the masked guy had his back turned to him but Bakugo recognized the hoodie and the sunglasses the guy took off in order to take a better look at the merchandise.
Perhaps there was one thing he could change.
Without hesitation he walked over to the guy and pulled back his hoodie, revealing a bush of green hair.
The color seemed all too familiar.
“Hey!” the guy yelled out and turned around but froze when his eyes met with Bakugo’s sunglasses covered ones.
Both of them recognized each other despite the long time that passed since their last encounter.
“Deku? ”
The world around him fell silent, only the green eyes remained.
And they carried the memories of the past he so desperately tried to forget.
“Isn’t that Ground Zero?! ”
A female voice suddenly yelled out and before he knew it, Bakugo was surrounded by a pack of fans.
He tried to look over their heads and spot his target but it was too late; Midoriya was already gone.