Chapter Text
Holidays aren’t really Bakugou’s thing.
He’s not super religious, and even though his parents are pretty well off, he isn’t the type to fall for that consumer marketing bullshit that giant corporations somehow have a crazy hold over.
He’s fine with birthdays. He doesn’t want some crazy celebration every year with gifts and galore, but when he’s number one, it only makes sense for Japan to turn his birthday into a national holiday. After all, he was about to be the very best hero in the whole world; it’s pretty much a requirement.
When that happened though, he would make sure some weird tradition isn’t incorporated with it. Because right now, not being able to use the fucking kitchen is a pain in the ass.
It was the day before Valentine’s Day, and all the girls had banned any of the guys from using or entering the kitchen until the holiday was over. Sato was the only exception, as he always baked a cake for the entire class for every holiday and birthday. That, and the girls had requested his expertise as they went on their chocolate making quests.
It fucked with his schedule. He couldn’t go in to get snacks or water, or even make his protein shake after coming back from his evening gym session.
The dumb girls had made such a commotion about their tasks, and the whole thing had set some weird energy in the guys for the rest of the night. They’re all stuck in the common room, mingling and slyly trying to peer into the kitchen or eavesdrop every so often.
Kaminari and Mineta were bouncing off the walls, praying to every god and figurehead in hopes to receive lots of chocolates. Sero fed off their anxieties, making fun of their ridiculous requests; but even Bakugou could tell that he and a few others were just a tiny bit bashful, secretly hoping that they’d be on the receiving end as well.
“Okay fine, just one, please!” Kaminari was on his knees, begging with his hands up to the sky. “Just one chocolate from one super hot girl!”
“She doesn’t even have to be hot!” Mineta was right next to him on all fours. “I’ll take average! Even below average! Please! I’ve never gotten chocolates before. You can’t do this to a growing high school boy!”
“Aren’t you two overreacting? We’re definitely getting chocolates from the girls,” Sero grinned wide from his place on the sofa. “They did it last year. And if we’re being honest here, all the girls in our class are cute!”
“Yeah, what’s all the fuss?” Kirishima asks, sitting right next to him.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Kaminari was quick to shake his head in disapproval at the naivety of the two. “You don’t get it. Those are obligatory chocolates from a friend.”
“So?”
“So!” He stands up, a hand coming up to his chest as he begins to speak passionately from his stomach. “This isn’t about the chocolate, it never was! We are in the primes of our youth! Even though we’re heroes in training, we deserve the privilege, no, the right, that every young boy goes through! Evolving from obligatory chocolates to confession chocolates is a right of passage. It’s proof that we are growing up, becoming men, and getting closer to the sweet, sweet salvation that every girl harbors; the beauty of her-”
A pillow smacks him right in the face, ungraciously toppling him over from where he’d been standing on the coffee table.
All the guys that had been listening to his speech turned to see Mina standing there, arms crossed with a deep scowl on her face. Jirou’s next to her, equally annoyed.
“Anybody else got anything to add?”
They all collectively shake their heads no, not wanting to experience her wrath or risk their chances of getting any chocolates.
“We came out here cause we wanted to double check our list on who prefers dark chocolates and milks,” Jirou held up her phone, turned to the notes app. “But honestly, after hearing that, I think we’ll just give what we want to give.”
“If you’re lucky,” Mina scowled.
“For the record, we were just listening!” Sero speaks up. “Not on his team or anything.”
“Kaminari speaks for himself. He is not a representation of all of us,” Tokoyami nods solemnly.
“Well, I think we’ve got a good grasp of who’s on his side,” Jirou’s eyes glance over to Mineta who starts sweating at the association.
“The rest of you better not be thinking the same gross things as him!”
“Mina, I think we can agree that Kaminari and Mineta are normally on a different planet,” Todoroki says calmly. As dense and socially inept as he is, even he was aware of where Kaminari’s speech was going.
“Will you fuckers just hurry up with the kitchen already?!” Bakugou yells from where he’s laying on the couch. “I need to grab my shit!”
“K-Kaachan…” Midoriya attempts to calm down the blonde.
“Dude, we told you guys the kitchen’s off limits until tomorrow!”
“Bakugou, you should be a little more understanding,” Mina shakes her head and crosses her arm. “Some of us are working very hard on very special gifts. You could be one of them.”
“Like I give a shit about some dumb chocolate!”
The two girls eye each other, annoyed and exasperated at his ignorance. Mina sighs one last time before they return to their chocolate making. “At least try to be on your best behavior tomorrow, will you?”
xxx
Walking to school is fucking annoying. There are girls flitting about, giggling with their dumb chocolates and fancy boxes. Some guys are pulled to the side, littering the pathways as they look googly eyed at their presents.
And even right next to him, Kirishima wouldn’t stop wow’ing over all the cool and girly boxes he saw.
Bakugou just didn’t get what was so great about this holiday. Yeah, it was supposed to be about love, but chocolate companies just turned it into this weird gift giving competition. The whole thing was a scam to get girls to spend their money and time on sugary treats. If they were so in love with somebody, wouldn’t they just confess on any other normal day, rather than doing it the same exact fucking time as the rest of the population?
He shoved past some loser at the shoe locker, taking up way too much space because he was bragging about what he’d found in his locker. His scowl grew deeper the more he walked through the halls; stupid extras were making such a loud fuss over nothing.
In what was supposed to be a safe spot in 2-A, he kicked his feet up and grunted at the chocolates that Hagakure and Yaomomo dropped onto his desk as they passed out their treats to every single guy in their class. He barely glanced over at the sweets, the crinkly and pink packaging holding the squares or bonbons.
Stupid.
He redirected his attention to the windows, trying his best to ignore Deku’s annoying muttering behind him. In middle school, he’d just throw away any chocolates given to him. Now that he was older and had grown soft with his 2-A classmates, he resorted to just stowing them away, occasionally snacking on the treats while studying.
Bakugou wants this whole day to be over with. He’s not interested in hearing people gush about love and gossip about confessions. It’s a distraction and there’s nothing he hates more, than when the conversations eventually turn their focus on him.
It happens every time. At some point in the day, he knows one of the guys will joke or question about his taste in girls or who he’s received chocolates from. It’s not like he’s embarrassed or anything; he just prefers not engaging in stupid discussions. He prefers to keep to himself when it comes to personal matters like that.
Not that he really had any… He’s never had a girlfriend before. A crush though? That was something new he was still coming to terms with.
“Hi Bakugou.”
He would’ve ignored the greeting, if not for the feathers that had invaded his peripheral. Bakugou turns his head, seeing you standing at the side of his desk, great wings folded behind you with an angelic smile on your face. He blinks and moves his legs off the desk, finally showing some respect as he sits a little straighter. Not all the way, just a little.
“Hey,” he responds back gruffly.
Your eyes dart down to the pink packages on his desk, a little nervous as you look back up at him. “You got chocolates already?”
“Ah,” his mouth curves into a scowl. “Ponytail and No Face.”
“Oh, right,” you nod, biting your lip. You glance around the class for a second. “Looks like everybody’s passing around their chocolates already.”
“You doing it, too?”
“Um, no,” there’s a pink blush growing across cheeks. “Not this year. I mean, I didn’t make chocolates for everybody this year.”
“Right.” He tries not to get too disappointed. Last year, you made chocolate dipped potato chips. He remembers it being the only salty and decently made present he’d received. He ate the entire thing while studying on the first day.
You tilt your head, like you’re trying to study him. The movement makes him notice a dark spot on your face.
He raises an eyebrow and points at his face, mirroring the spot. “You got something right here.”
“Huh?” Your eyes widen and you slap your hand over your cheek.
“You eatin’ chocolate or somethin’?”
“Y-yeah, I must’ve not noticed,” you blush even harder and turn away. “Sorry, bathroom!”
He watches you dart out of the classroom, even though the warning bell has already rung. The tiny bit of hope that’d been building up since last night has now been extinguished, now that he knows you haven’t made any chocolates this year.
xxx
During morning break, everybody clamors up to the windows, invading his space. Bakugou grits his teeth and refuses to follow their idiocy, simply listening to them announce the events that are supposedly happening outside.
“Oh my god, oh my god! She’s confessing to Iida!”
“Who is she?!”
“She’s a first year!”
“God damn it. Even Iida has more game than me?!”
“Is he the first in our class to get a confession?”
“Forget that, he’s the first in our class to get chocolates from somebody outside of the hero course.”
Even you’re curious about the confession, having flown up to get a better view from all the tall heads who are blocking the way. Your feet float just a meter above the desks. It’s not an issue, but in Bakugou’s case where he’s sitting down, if he so much as looks up, he probably might get an upskirt shot.
He makes sure to set his eyes down at his desk, staring holes through the wood. As bad as his crush has grown, he would never want to violate you.
That way of thinking unfortunately isn’t common though; because for somebody short like the grape pervert, even standing he’d be able to get a good view. Bakugou’s expression grows crazed once the culprit realizes this and moves closer to sneak a peek.
The ash blonde is too fast though, grabbing him by the head and holding up his other hand to demonstrate a few explosions as a threat.
“What the fuck do you think you’re looking at?!”
His outburst catches your attention, and as you look down to see Bakugou and Mineta right below you, you realize the predicament and gasp, immediately landing back on your feet.
“Nothing! I wasn’t looking at anything!”
“Like hell you were, you little shit!”
If Bakugou was exploding on somebody else, the others probably would’ve stopped him. But it’s Mineta, so they already know something fishy is going on. Sero rounds up the little perv real quick, and everybody simply rolls their eyes or admonishes him.
Bakugou leaves it to them, sitting back down on his desk with his arms crossed. He’s angry, because nobody should be looking at you like that, but then you’re getting real close and cupping a hand over his ear as you whisper ‘thank you’.
And it dissolves any sort of ill will. Any thought in his head, really.
xxx
During lunch, he scarves down his food and tries to get away from his friends. Normally he doesn’t mind being around them, but the guys won’t stop talking about Valentine’s Day. They follow him to the vending machines outside the building.
Kirishima has received chocolates from Mina, as expected, and it’s made Sero and Kaminari tease him for any romantic plans he’s got lined up.
“Ah yes, chocolates from the girlfriend,” Kaminari sighs. “Must be nice having your girl give you something.”
“You’re just bitter cause Jirou didn’t give you anything special,” Sero snickers. “Shouldn’t have made that stupid speech last night.”
“How was I supposed to know she was listening?! And it’s not like I was wrong…”
“Dude, you acted like this whole holiday was a ticket to having sex,” Kirishima cringed. “That’s not manly.”
“Can a guy dream?!” He wails and kicks the vending machine. “And it’s not like I was serious! I would never force her or anyone.”
“You’re nasty, man,” Sero laughs. “Just be happy they didn’t beat you up. Only Mineta’s gotten hurt today so far.”
“Wait yeah,” Kaminari turns to Bakugou. “What’d he do? You never told us what happened.”
The ash blonde almost crushes the can of juice he’s holding. “Fucker was being gross.”
“Doing what?”
“Mrp scor…” He grumbles. They all look at each other, wondering what’s got their normally blunt friend to beat around the bush.
“Huh?”
“He was fucking trying to look up Wings’ skirt!” He spats.
“Oh,” Kirishima blinks before his face turns to disgust. “Yeah, he deserved that then. Good job, Bakugou! Real manly of you to protect her!”
“Yeah, maybe she’ll give you some chocolates as thanks!” Sero gives him a thumbs up.
“I don’t need any dumb chocolates,” he finishes the rest of his juice, and crushes it with his hand before tossing it into the recycling. “It’s all just sugar and tastes like shit.”
“Well, it’s not the healthiest, but come on! Holiday spirit!” Kirishima grins and slaps him on the shoulder. “And wouldn’t it be great to receive something from [yl/n]? The two of you have been getting along great recently!”
“Actually, yeah,” Kaminari snaps his fingers. “You two have been hanging out waaaaay more. I can really see the love in the air.”
Sero’s eyes widened. “You’re not dating, are you? You said you were just going as friends to the Reversal Dance.”
“Will you fuckers just shut up?”
This is what Bakugou didn’t want. He didn’t need his friends or extras prying into his personal life. The last thing he wanted was all of the Bakusquad to harass him about his feelings, especially when he was still trying to process them. The Reversal Dance had been a great success, and the two of you have certainly been very close - he’s just not sure about next steps.
He doesn’t know if he’s ready (or if he’ll ever be ready) to jump into a possible relationship. The responsibilities and all the shit he’ll have to do sounds crappy. Flowers, dates, always texting you good night; all that boyfriend stuff is a bit much… He likes having feelings for you and what the two of you do now. It’s fun and he’d prefer that it stay this way.
No point in making it complicated.
“Not dating, but they’re just close cause they work a lot together! You know, Endeavor’s agency and Hawks’?” Kirishima tries to help deflect.
“Oh, so Midoriya and Todoroki are close to her, too?” Kaminari scratches his chin. “Hm… Must be nice. [Yl/n] is a real catch. I wouldn’t mind getting into a tousle with her, if ya’ know what I mean?”
“Yeah, she’s really pretty,” Sero agrees. “If she were dating somebody though, I think it’d be Todoroki. The two kind of just match, right?”
Bakugou clenches his fists and looks away. That’s the last thing he wants to hear right now. The image of Icy Hot and you together? That’s trash.
Kirishima must notice the tension in the blonde’s shoulders and tries to lighten the mood. “Aw, don’t worry Bakugou! I’m on your side! You and [yl/n] would make a great couple.”
“Shut up…” he growls lowly.
“Yeah, Todoroki may be a prince, but you’ve got uh…” Kaminari squints. “Personality?”
“Oh, yep, yep!” Sero’s voice jumps a pitch as he laughs and elbows him. “That dazzling personality of yours has got her whipping up a real good surprise behind your back!”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Bakugou finally explodes, catching them off guard as their eyes widen. He’s had enough of all the mushy gushy love talk and teasing.
“Baku-”
“NO, fuck off!” He screams. His face contorts with the same level of anger that only surfaces in rare occasions. “Why the fuck would I ever want something as stupid as chocolate?! You think I can’t buy that shit myself?”
Kirishima’s expression rapidly changes, his mouth gapes open and his eyes dart wildly while his best friend continues his rant.
“You’re all a bunch of idiots! Who the fuck gives a shit about some dumb holiday that forces capitalism down your throats? You think I want some shitty chocolates made from some shitty woman?”
“Bakugou,” Kirishima hisses.
“I’m here to be a fucking hero, not to skip around and eat candy. This whole day has gotten your heads stuck so far up your asses, you’d think you’re trying to eat your own fucking shit since it’s the same color!”
Now, even Sero’s bringing his arm up, trying to shake his hand in a motion to stop their leader.
“Dude…” Kaminari whispers, eyes wide but he isn’t staring at him at all.
“What?!” Bakugou screams.
“Bakugou… Bro…” Kirishima cringes, a pitiful look in his eye as he violently jerks his head, signaling to something behind him.
Bakugou’s brow wrinkles and he finally turns around, following their gazes. The area is no longer empty; you standing behind him, wings drooping as you have a horrified expression on your face. Behind you, Yaomomo and Hagakure are standing a short distance away in utter disbelief at his tirade.
He takes in your face, and the very noticeable box in your hands. It’s black, with cardstock on top that has a little explosion that mimics his hero costume.
Holy shit.
He’s rendered speechless. Everybody is in a standstill, because of how badly he has royally fucked this up. There’s no way you didn’t hear all that, considering how loud he’d been screaming.
He needs to fix this. He opens his mouth, but his mind doesn’t even know what to fucking say. A strangled voice comes out of his throat, because what words would even help? If this were any other girl, he’d probably just yell whatever popped in his head, but this was you, and he actually cared about your feelings and what you thought.
His hands twitch, sweaty with the want to let out some explosions - anything to fill in this silence
You bite your lip and cast your eyes down. He swears he sees them get a little glassy.
God. He’s made a lot of girls cry from his rude attitude but never has it affected him.
Kirishima calls your name, wanting to help diffuse and steps forward. It makes you panic though because you’re shooting forward and shoving the box into the blonde’s hands. You don’t say a word, and your time working with Hawks has got you out of the vicinity in the blink of an eye.
Your friends call for you, but Bakugou can only stare at your wings as they disappear into the sky.
xxx
You don’t return for afternoon classes.
The guys fill in Jirou and Mina on what happened, so the angry stares burning into his back just increase. Word travels fast between the girls, and it seems the whole class knows about his disrespect to one of the nicest faces of class A.
Bakugou knows they’re glaring, but he’s too busy focusing on the box he’s got in his lap. He hasn’t opened it yet, but he thinks it might be a cake or something, because it feels too heavy to be just chocolates.
He wonders how long it took you to make it. How long it took you to search up a recipe; did you have to do a practice round first? Your friends came with you as support, which meant you were probably nervous to give it to him in the first place. He couldn’t blame you, he was an asshole. Anybody would be nervous to give something to him.
And now his words have proved that he really doesn’t deserve anything.
Classes fly by and he doesn’t pay attention to any of the lessons. Ironic, because he made fun of people who got distracted by Valentine’s Day. He doesn’t even realize the bell signaling the end of the day has rung, or that the others are grabbing their things and shooting him the last few glares they can spare before they’re out the door.
He’s only knocked out of his guilt when Aizawa calls on him.
“Bakugou, detention.”
“Huh?” His head whips up, shock evident on his face. “For what?!”
“For not paying attention in class,” he grabs his things and gets up, shooting him a side eye over his shoulder. “And for speaking harshly to your classmates. How many times have we gone over this? I thought we were over this behavior once you became a second year.”
His jaw drops open. Even his fucking homeroom teacher knows about what he did?!
“I expect a three-page essay on the impact of your words and what you will do in the future to prevent this from happening again. Oh, and,” he stops right in the threshold of the large door. “You better apologize. I want this fixed by tomorrow morning.”
His mouth is still open as the lazy pro strolls right out, closing the door behind him to leave his most violent student alone with his thoughts.
xxx
After dinner, Bakugou’s stuck standing outside your door.
He needed to talk to you. Nowhere in sight after school or during dinner, he knew you must’ve been hiding after the shit show he accidentally performed. There wasn’t any noise on the other side of the door, but the lights were on so you must’ve been in there.
He had tried calling you earlier but you didn’t pick up, so this painful conversation needed to be done in person. It was probably better anyways; seeing your face would allow him to gauge your reaction as he apologized.
With a deep breath, he gave two firm knocks on the wood.
His pulse is going crazy and his hands are sweaty as fuck. He hasn’t been this scared since he’d been kidnapped by the League. You were no villain though! You were just a classmate that he had feelings for.
Maybe that’s what made this so much harder… With the League, he could tell them to fuck off. Yeah, his life was in danger but he knew exactly how to act. With this, he couldn’t yell or curse his way out of it. He had to face you, and his shitty feelings, head on.
The door clicks and slowly swings open, your head slightly tilted as you look out from where you’re hiding behind it.
“Uh, hi,” Bakugou cringes at how awkward he sounds.
You open the door a little wider, revealing the oversized t-shirt and pajama pants you have on. Your mouth flattens into a thin line. “Hi.”
“You uh, you didn’t come back for class.”
The corner of your mouth quirks downwards, and your eyes follow as well. “I wasn’t feeling well.”
“Right.”
The two of you are consumed in an awkward silence. With your window open, there’s only the faint noise of those who are outside and the wind rustling the leaves. Bakugou tries to search for anything he can use to bring up the elephant in the room. He eventually decides that beating around the bush is a bad idea.
“I just came to say… thanks. For that. The chocolates or whatever.”
“Di-did you open it?” You look up at him. Your eyes are a little puffy, pink from most likely crying.
“Er, no…”
You bite your lip, eyebrows furrowed. Was he supposed to open it before coming here? His main priority had been to resolve things with you.
“Listen, I know I said some fucked up shit, but it wasn’t about you,” he spews out angrily. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
“Which part?”
“Hah?”
“Which part was I not supposed to hear - the part about not wanting shitty chocolates from a shitty woman?”
His eyebrow twitches. That may have been the first time he’s ever heard you swear. “Uh, well…”
“Or the part about not wanting to celebrate Valentine’s day because you’re just here to be a hero?”
He scowls. “Well, am I wrong? We’re all here to be heroes, aren’t we?”
“We all are, yes,” your expression drops to something more distraught. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t do other things too, right? Holidays, make friends and memories, have fun, relationships…”
He snaps his mouth shut, shoving his hands in his pockets and shrugging. To him, that’s the only thing that’s been on his mind since he was a child. Become number one. There are a few blips here and there, like the war and Deku coming out with One for All, but he’s been able to manage and not change his mindset. Until you came in, at least.
You’ve been plaguing his mind like some damn disease; in a way that was even more distracting than Deku. At least with Deku, it's been a competition all along. It helped boost him and gave him more drive if anything. You, on the other hand, were more of a distraction…
You crept up during any moment of the day, even if it was during valuable time while he was out on patrol or training. His eyes searched for you unconsciously, and when that stupid bird brain and bird shadow were out and about, he couldn’t help but get his hopes up because that meant you were somewhere nearby as well.
Yeah, you gave him some good fuzzy feelings but he didn’t know what to do with them. He knows conventionally what he should do, but all the responsibilities and little things that a boyfriend does don’t really fit his character.
Can he even do that stuff well?
“Not for me, no,” he says gruffly. “Not interested in any of that extra shit.”
Your face softens, looking up at him forlornly. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Even if… I said I liked you?”
Your voice is quiet. And Bakugou’s heart is going to accelerate out of his chest with the way it’s beating. Yes, he’d held onto this inkling this entire time - that you did indeed return his feelings; but he never expected to hear you actually say it. The happiness bubbles up in his stomach like soda, swelling to pride in his chest; but your question lingers in the air and he’s forced to swallow down what he’s known all along.
“No.”
The words feel so wrong coming out of his mouth. He wants to punch himself. This wasn’t planned, but it’s unconscious. A word vomit. It’s exactly what most people would expect him to say - heck, even that’s what he thinks he should say.
“Oh.” The hurt is evident on your face. That feels even worse.
“Yeah,” he says quietly.
“I see,” you plant a bitter smile on your face. “Well, that’s good to know. I hope you like the giri chocolates then. You know, since we’re friends.”
“... Right,” he awkwardly shifts on his foot. “Uh, so we good?”
“Mhmm,” you say, but you’re not looking in his eyes. Your hand is already getting ready to push the door closed. “I’ll see you in class, ‘kay?”
“Yeah,” he hesitantly turns to go back towards the elevator. There’s a brief second where he pauses, turning back to your room but the door is already clicking shut.
And any sort of feeling he may have had is drained out of his body. Bakugou knows for a fact that he’s just made this even worse.