Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“And of course, last but not least, two salmon rice balls for your lord and savior of the grocery shopping.” Y/N announces to the crowd gathered in the communal dorm kitchen.

"Am I missing anything? Any last requests?"

"How about you shut up and we get going, dumb ass? I'm not waiting all day." Bakugou scoffed in response. Y/N's eyebrow cocked in annoyance as she set her ink pen down on the counter with a loud click.

"You were the one who offered to go with Fumikage and I to do the weeks shopping if I'm not mistaken." No one is making you come, dumb ass." She emphasized while folding the sheet on lined paper her list had been written on. A few hushed 'oohh's and 'aahh's came from the crowd that began to disperse. She held the paper out to him and after a second he snatched it from her with a growl and shoved it into the back of his jeans pocket. Y/N smirked and walked over to Fumikage across the common room to grab her rolling shopping cart and purse filled with the weekly allowance of 1-A.

Bakugou watched her go while waiting, leaning on the white countertop. An elbow nudged him away from his concentrated stare. Not everyone had left.

“I thought you were gonna be manly and finally do it!” Kirishima grinned at his fiery friend while wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Bakugou huffed, obviously bothered by the comment.

“I’m not asking her out while bird brain is with us,” He paused, glancing at the aforementioned pair a few yards away chatting, “But I promised her I would go.” His gaze softened then as quickly as it did, his gruff attitude returned.

“Hey, loser! We’re going shopping!” Y/N called out to the boy as she stepped towards the front door, tailed closely by her shadowy friend. Kirishima’s grin only widened as he pushed Bakugou from the counter and to the two that stood waiting for him.

“Go get ‘em, tiger!” Kirishima teased. The blond groaned loudly.

“I’m only going because I know you two idiots aren’t going to buy the right stuff.” Bakugou growled, shoving his balled fists into his pockets and his body through the door in front of the others. They rolled their eyes in unison.
“Text me if there’s anything I forgot!” Y/N called out following Fumikage who pulled the squeaking cart behind him. Kirishima nodded with an eerie knowing smile that Y/N didn’t understand but decided not to ask about.

With a hand around the strap of her black canvas bag and plenty of sunscreen applied, Y/N turned out the door and closed it behind her.

…

The road to the general goods and grocery store was a fairly long one. All together with the hours of picking items for everyone and the trek by foot, the weekly shopping was a half a day trip or more.

Once a week, every week, the entirety of 1-A gathered downstairs in the open kitchen dining hall around that week’s chosen shoppers to make a list. One by one, each person, including the ever sleepy Mr. Aizawa, would give their requests and money towards the purchase. Some weeks were heavier than others depending on the previous week’s activities and required more people to go alone and carry. Rikido Sato in particular usually added around 10 pounds of baking materials and his apologies for those who had to bring them home. This week was one of those. L/N F/N and Fumikage Tokoyami were armed with a full sheet of lined paper filled with items and about $250 in cash shoved into a small change purse.

After much convincing from that red haired best friend, Bakugou Katuski chimed in, grumbling that we would also join their party, hoping for some one-on-one time with his newly found crush Y/N. Thankfully for him, she agreed and even more so that she didn’t notice his blush.

Coffee

Black Tea

10lbs bag of rice

Red bean paste

Dark Soy Sauce

Bonito Flakes

Dried Seaweed

Kombu

Chapter Text

“So…” Fumikage Tokoyami Began, wheels of the metal cart squeaking behind him, “What are you really doing here?”

Bakugou’s shoulder’s stiffened in his once confident stance. Before he could replay, Y/N came sprinting up to them. Her shopping bags crinkled in her hands as they approached the outer gate of UA that connected them to the outer world.

“Wait for me! I’m not as tall as you guys!”

“Then get longer legs, short-ass” Bakugou teased her though he had stopped to wait as the gate opened up. She finally caught up and stuck her tongue out at him. He stuck his out back at her. Fumikage raised an eyebrow at him, beginning to put the pieces together. Bakugou noticed and immediately turned to walk into the forest beyond the gates.

Around them were the sounds of the trees. Birds chirping, the rustle of a chilly spring breeze ruffling the leaves and budding pink and white flowers. The rough air whisked the petals down over the three and landed at their feet. Y/N sneezed violently and shivered almost dropping her shopping bags. 

“Are you okay, Y/N?” Fumikage stopped her to ask, concerned for her lack of warmth. Before him she stood in her signature chunky black combat boots, black jeans, thin t-shirt, and a light cotton over shirt. Another breeze whipped through the trees and chilled her to the bone, making her shiver once more. A few yards away Bakugou groaned loudly while struggling to pull off his skull printed black hoodie over his shoulders without taking his shirt along with it. If there was anytime to make a move, this was the one. He finally yanked it off, exposing only a few inches of toned pale stomach, and threw it at her face. Her bags dropped.

“Bring an actual jacket next time, idiot. I can’t be here to save you everytime.” He told her, his voice ever so slightly shaken from the sudden cold against his once warm skin.

She caught the mass of fabric, though barely, with a huff. It smelled of burnt sugar and a simple clean shampoo. Y/N immediately slipped it on and relished in the newly acquired warmth. This might be what hugging him felt like. Protected. Warm. Sweet. She would make sure to return it to him of course, but until then, this hoodie was hers and only hers. Just the hoodie, though, no one- nothing else and definitely not him. Not Bakugou Katsuki who hated everyone including his own family and friends. Not the Kats- Bakugou that bullied her and called her names. Not the beautiful and kind man in front of her sacrificing the only protection from the cold for her. Certainly not him.

Fumikage cleared his throat, breaking her of thought and the tension unknowingly brought by the usually fiery hero-in-training. 

“We should keep going…” He said, trying not to feel like the third wheel he obviously was. Correction-obvious to him and only him.

Bakugou turned forward quickly to lead the group down the hill to town, cheeks bright red from the sight of Y/N in his oversized clothing. How could he not blush at the slight? Yes she could absolutely take care of herself, especially in battle. She had proven that fact time and time again while studying at UA. But still, she was small to him, fragile in the cold. And he could protect her just this once. So how could he not blush? Though if he was asked about it, he would blame the spring chill.

The rest of the journey down the hill to the main road was generally quiet with a few chats between T/N and Fumikage. How Mr. Aizawa’s test “sucked ass” and the new mods to their hero costumes. The only truly quiet one was Bakugou who led the group from a small distance, alone with his annoying thoughts of Y/N. 

Why she wouldn't leave his mind he didn’t know. She was his complete opposite. She was caring, soft spoken, funny, and kind. Friendship came naturally to her. Same with her provisional hero license. Even her quirk was completely different. Y/N could use shadows to form any non-living object and even enhance her own body with it. They were day and night, sun and moon, fire and ice. Except for one thing, cooking. Even though it took her some time to master her quirk, she was a master in the kitchen. Usually taking on new recipes to try on 1-A, she fed the whole dorm many a time. It hit him that way.

…

During early mornings before a big test or heavy training day Y/N would prepare a feast for the rest of class to take her and everyone else’s stress away. Bakugou, being the old man that he is, was awake during these times and found himself keeping her company at the breakfast bar, criticizing her technique. She mostly ignored him knowing that he was full of shit and being an ass. He would sit and grouch.

The morning of their last major math exam was different. Knowing she would be down there already working, Bakugou rushed to get ready and go down stairs. Instead of the usual sounds of clacking measuring cups and pans, he was greeted with a tired figure slumped on the floor covered in flour. Without a second beat he rushed over to see what was wrong.

“Hey! What the hell happened?” She jumped at the sudden noise.

“Ugh” She yawned with teary eyes, “Leave me alone, asshole. Breakfast isn’t happening today.”

“What do you mean no breakfast!? What the hell am I supposed to eat if you don’t make anything?”

“Nothing.” She spat back to his shock, her stiffened shouldered relaxed again and she looked down at herself. “I stayed up too late trying to study and I’m just so fucking tired, Bakugou. I know if I don’t, everyone will be so disappointed but I just can’t . Not by myself…” Y/N wanted to say more but didn’t, figuring it would all come out as gibberish. 

Bakugou sighed, already regretting his softness. 

“You’re not alone, dumb-ass, “He extended a hand out to her, “You’ve got me.”

Her jaw dropped ever so slightly in disbelief. Who was this person? Coming to the conclusion that she had probably passed out on the kitchen floor and dreaming, she took his calloused hand and pulled herself up from the white floured floor. 

“Go get cleaned up. I’ll take care of this.” He gestured to the mess she had made. Not wanting to fight, she handed her apron to Bakugou and left the kitchen for a quick change in her dorm room. He smiled softly and donned his new ‘kiss the cook’ hero costume.

Upon re-entry of the communal kitchen space, Y/N’s eyes lit up to the sight before her. As the warm light of the rising sun creeped through the large windows of 1-A it shined over the form of the golden blond boy kneading biscuit dough and humming gently to himself. She noticed the black ties of the apron knotted neatly in a bow low on his back. He worked diligently developing the mixture into a uniform consistency, his shoulder muscles flexing through his training uniform with every push and pull.

“Are you just going to watch or are you gonna help?” His voice perked up while he still worked the dough. Y/N nodded and rolled up her sleeves and joined him in the process. With the recipe laid out before them, the two cooked in silent synchronicity. Bakugou, who had taken on the biscuit making, formed and baked them while Y/N made sausage patties from scratch with eggs and cheese to top the sandwiches with. It was a very American dish but sure to please. Soon most of the dorm had woken and began their early morning training. Bakugou excused himself so that he might get ahead of ‘shitty deku’. Y/N rolled her eyes but thanked him for his help and sent him on his way. Assembly wasn’t difficult. One by one each sandwich was put together and wrapped in waxed brown paper and labeled. All except for one that sat in red for her fellow chef to find. 

By the time Bakugou had come in and found the rest of 1-A enjoying their breakfasts after gym time, Y/N was dressed and ready for class. With her black leather book bag slung around her shoulders and the ruby red sandwich in hand, she approached him.

“Hey! I just wanted to thank you personally for uh- this morning. This is for you.” Hands out in offering and head slightly bowed, she smiled at him. It knocked the breath from him. Faltering, he snatched it from her and pushed past with a ‘whatever’ and headed quickly to his room. Once there he relaxed, sitting at his desk and looking over the gift.

Still warm, the bright red wrapping was sealed with a black cat sticker giving a thumbs (paws?) up. He pulled carefully so as not to rip anything and was pleasantly greeted with the pungent smell of chili. Red. Hot. Burning. Chilis. Taking a huge bite confirmed this. Vinegar and heat shot up his nose and down his throat. Hot sauce dripped down his fingers and from the corner of his lip onto his chin. It burned so good. A special extra extra spicy breakfast sandwich made just for him. It was hot, salty, smokey, and sweet. His mouth watered as he devoured the rest in just a few bites.

‘Just for him…’ Bakugou smiled at the thought.

‘Just for him from Y/N…’ His chest ached.

His smile dropped into anger.

‘Shit’

Anger at his feelings.

‘NO’

His feelings for Y/N.

“FUCK!”

Chapter Text

“Aww...how cute! Aren’t they, Kuro-kun?!” A  high voice squealed as it came through the ominous trees followed by a dark tall body to the left of Y/N and Fumikage who were trailing behind Bakugou. “Too bad we have to interrupt!” A flash of beige and large shiny teeth swiped by the two narrowly avoiding a collision with Y/N. Fumikage hit the ground with a hard thud a few yards away, Toga Himiko kneeling on his chest with a single knee and licking the fresh blood that now stained her silver knife and Fumikage’s death metal t-shirt. Y/N staggered backwards in shock at the sudden attack before shaking it off and assuming a fighting stance. A dark gleam shined over her eyes. Behind her the popping of small explosions came running closer towards Toga and her captured victim.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” Bakugou growled now just a few feet away and reaching out with an open sparking palm. Toga pressed her bloody knife to the throat of the dizzy Fumikage who lay there feeling powerless, slowly slipping into unconsciousness.  Dark shadow hovered near his head, nervously assessing what damage could have been done. Toga held up a manicured hand.

“We’re not here for you,” She directed at Bakugou who stood in front of Y/N daring not to move an inch, “Any closer and your friend here gets it. Now that wouldn’t look very good for a couple of heroes, would it?” She paused to cock her head to the side with a wide smile. “We’re actually here for the girl. Guess she caught Shiggy’s eye. Lucky you with all your admirers!” She grinned wide showing bright white teeth that looked sharp enough to tear through their flesh in one bite. Her eyes moved up and down Y/N’s body and a blush spread across her face. “Hehe...So if you wanna just go into Kurogiri’s portal, we’ll leave you alone. ‘K?” Kurugiri appeared before them, his purple and black portal opened. It was happening again. Another attempt to take heroes to the side of villainous evil. First Bakugou, now Y/N. 

“Fuck you.” Y/N spat at her in disgust. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Let him go and we won’t kill you.” A dark mist swirled around her body and up around to her hands from the deep shadow of the tree’s leaves. With a swift outward movement of her hands, a black pole arm formed. As she grasped it, she pointed the sharp black spear towards the villains. Bakugou grinned, proud of her choice of words. Proud that of all the girls at U.A., she was the one he liked. 

“Dark shadow!” Y/N called then charged with Bakugou hoping that the two would understand her quickly formulated plan. Understanding her tone, the bird-being quickly swooped in for the knife while the explosions blinded the villains. Toga narrowly dodged and jumped gracefully out of the way, blade plunged into Fumikage’s abdomen. He groaned. 

“I told ya’!” She sang while pulling more weapons from her thigh strapped holsters. Bakugou let off his explosion in her direction, hand swooping right over her head. Using the friction of the worn concrete under her, Toga thrust forward towards Y/N who was now crouched over her bleeding friend’s body. A black force propelled her back onto the ground while another swallowed Bakugou and spit him back out farther back from the battle. Y/N stood back up, seething with anger.

“Why are you here?!” She yelled at Toga who regained her stance and ran up again.

“Weren’t you listening? Shigiraki wants you!” Another shield formed to block the attack but Toga just sprung over it and landed a kick to Y/N’s chest. With an ‘oof’ she staggered backwards but quickly regained her composure and formed another polearm.

A few yards behind them another fight had begun. 

“Fight me, you coward!” Bakugou howled trying to catch the shadowy figure that evaded him. Explosions burst from his hands as he followed the form. The dance between the two was quick. Too fast for the untrained eye between bright light and dark. Kurogiri seemed to know exactly what was coming for him and was able to avoid each attack. It was no use. His usual fighting style wasn’t working. He had to change it. Bakugou thought (unfortunately) of Deku. When one version of a hero isn't working, use another. At the next explosion, he added a roundhouse kick from the other direction, awarding him with a solid hit to his rival who staggered to the side and into another blast. Finally an upper hand until a warp gate appeared below him. He reappeared in the air several yards above his previous location. Without much time to think of survival, Bakugou thrust himself forward with a burst of his quirk to his target who held a gun pointed at him.

A shot rang out. Birds flew from the trees in haste. A needle tipped dart pierced through the skin of Bakugou’s left upper arm. He yelped and quickly ripped it out. But the damage had been done. A quirk tranquilizer. His usual spark had been snuffed. The hot power that normally coursed through his veins turned ice cold. His muscles screamed in sudden exhaustion. Bakugou had no quirk. Falling from his previous burst fueled flight towards Kurogiri, he slammed the right side of his body onto the concrete path with several sharp cracks. He was not far from the fight between Y/N and Toga who giggled with delight when she spotted her next victim.

“Bakugou!” Y/N cried, turning her head from her attacker.

A brown shoe connected to her stomach, pushing the air from her lungs in one blow. Y/N skidded as she hit the ground, her body thrown across the path like a stone skipped across water into the trunk of an old tree. Leaves came raining down over her. She coughed violently, clutching her chest and covering her mouth. Black ooze came dripping through her bruised and aching fingers. The first sign of quirk over use. It splattered onto the ground underneath her.  But she had to push through. They were not going to take her, at least not alive. Pulling herself up clutching the rough bark of the tree and taking a shaky breath. Her legs quivered but still she persisted, gathering more and more shadow into her hands forming a short sword and a small shield. The muscles in her arms screamed at the weight. She ignored it. Toga gigged, holding a bloody fist to her lips in fake bashfulness, and skipped over with glee.

“You’re so cute, Y/N-chan. Just give up! I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself...,” She lunged, her own blade colliding with the short sword, “When I could be the one to!”

Y/N gritted her teeth and pushed back, swinging the weapon towards her enemy who jumped back with gymnastic ease. Needles and knives whipped around her seemingly from every direction. With each block she felt the slice of a hit. Her skin burned, bloody and exposed under the ripped hoodie she wore. Another cough racked through her. More sludge poured from her mouth. Her sword dissolved in this moment of weakness. Toga pounced with the opportunity and plunged a needle into her side, ripping through the soft black fabric. Y/N continued coughing into her palm.

“Good! You finally gave up! Just for me!” Toga giggled. There was no response. Toga leaned in to see the face of her victim. Blackened eyes met her gaze, matching tears dripping heavily down her cheeks. Taken aback, she noticed the color of the extracted blood that had been sucked up the tubes into her pack. It looked as dark as ink. Y/N’s hand grasped the syringe and pulled. Toga stepped back in shock. The smell of her blood weighed heavy in her lungs like a fog. 

Y/N’s arms raised. A black scythe flickered in her hands. She stepped forward shakily, trying to keep her consciousness. Blinking hard, she tried to clear her sight but with no avail. Unable to see no longer, the weapon faded from her grip. Her head turned to where Bakugou had been and back up to her opponent. 

“Y/N!” Bakugou called, reaching toward the form that protected him with a wince. With his quirk frustratingly gone and several broken and badly sprained limbs, he felt worthless. Powerless. Unable to do what he needed too. Unable to fight back. She swayed in front of him, that black ooze dripping from her mouth and eyes. How had she not passed out already? He knew the basics of her quirk and had seen the first stage of her quirk overuse many times while training but this was new. She had been pushed beyond her limit. It was most likely filling her lungs with liquid shadow. He had already seen her pitch black eyes. She was going to kill herself if this didn’t end soon. Another cough wracked her worn body. More black liquid expelled from her open gasping mouth. 

“C’mon....! I told Shigiraki I would bring you back alive. Just give up!” Toga crossed her arms, pouting.

“N-No…” Y/N choked out, taking her time to try to breathe. “I…” And she collapsed, crumpling to the ground. The blows of her fight finally setting in.

“Finally!” Toga exclaimed in delight as she skipped over. She struggled to lift the barely breathing body over to Kurogiri’s portal. 

“Put her down! Fuck! I’ll fucking kill you!” Bakugou screamed, trying to scrape himself up from the ground but failing. “Fumikage! Get the fuck up, you idiot! Fuck!” But Fumikage did not get up and Toga did not put her down. Instead, Y/N’s unconscious body was dragged out of sight through the black portal and they were gone. 

“FUCK!” He screamed again, hot tears now streaming down his face in anger. Y/N was gone and it was his fault.