Chapter Text
The U.A. School Festival was in full swing, and Class 1-A’s performance had gone off without a hitch. The lights had just dimmed on the stage as they closed out their set, and their classmates were buzzing with excitement, already riding high on the adrenaline of a successful show.
“Did you see the audience’s faces?! They loved us!” Mina cheered, practically glowing as she spun around, throwing her arms around Jiro. “They were singing along with us!”
Jiro chuckled, shrugging off Mina’s hug but smiling all the same. “Yeah, yeah, alright! I told you my setlist would work.”
“Your guitar solo was killer, Jiro! And Bakugou, you were practically drumming flames!” Kaminari added, throwing Bakugou a thumbs-up from across the room.
Bakugou scoffed, folding his arms. “Of course it was. If I’m involved, it’s gonna be the best.” Despite his usual prickly attitude, a hint of pride showed on his face.
The students were all scattered around backstage, some packing up equipment, others chatting away. Kirishima was chugging water, trying to catch his breath from their intense dance numbers, while Sero and Hagakure were still half-dancing as they started to wrap up the cords.
Meanwhile, Kaminari and Mina had clambered onto a raised platform near the back, bouncing up and down as they let out all the leftover excitement.
“Let’s hear it for the band!” Kaminari cheered, hopping up and down with his fists in the air. “We rocked that stage!”
“Yes, Kaminari!” Mina yelled back, laughing as she jumped along with him, almost slipping as her foot snagged a cord.
They were both laughing, riding the high of the performance, and Kaminari felt like he could jump up and touch the ceiling—until his foot suddenly caught on the edge of the platform.
“Whoa—!” he gasped, the world tilting as he lost his balance. Kaminari's heart dropped as he felt himself start to fall, the floor rushing up to meet him.
In the split second before impact, a pair of strong arms wrapped around him, stopping his fall just inches from the ground. He looked up to find Bakugou holding him—bridal style, no less—with an intense glare directed down at him.
Kaminari blinked, stunned for a moment, and then registered that he was still in Bakugou’s arms, very much not hitting the ground.
“Thank god! Oh my god… I almost crashed.” Kaminari’s relief slipped out in a shaky laugh as he instinctively wrapped his arms around Bakugou’s shoulders, still feeling a little dizzy from the scare. He glanced down at the floor beneath them. “That was close!”
Bakugou’s scowl deepened, and he growled, “Denki…”
From behind them, Kirishima was grinning. “Whoa! Bakugou to the rescue!” he called, nudging Sero, who raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.
Kaminari’s cheeks turned pink, realizing just how close they were. “Uh… thanks, man,” he mumbled, his voice trailing off. He tried to shift, but as he did, a sharp twinge shot through his ankle.
Bakugou began to lower him to the ground, but Kaminari’s arms tightened around his neck.
“I think… I twisted my ankle or something,” Kaminari said, wincing slightly.
Bakugou raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “What do you want me to do about it?”
“Could you, uh, maybe just… help me to a chair?” Kaminari suggested, feeling the heat of embarrassment flush through his face. He didn’t want to admit it, but something about Bakugou’s strong grip made him feel unexpectedly safe.
Bakugou rolled his eyes. “Fine. Just don’t drool on me, you idiot,” he muttered. Adjusting his hold, he lifted Kaminari higher, clearly exasperated but careful nonetheless.
As they moved toward the chairs at the side of the room, their classmates kept the jokes coming.
“Aww, you two look adorable!” Mina teased, winking at Kaminari.
“Shut it, Pinky,” Bakugou snapped, though he couldn’t shake Kaminari’s grip on his shoulder.
When they finally reached the chair, Bakugou practically dropped Kaminari onto it with a huff. “There. Now can you stop acting like a damn princess?”
Kaminari rolled his eyes, gingerly flexing his foot. “I’m not! I really did twist my ankle.”
Tsuyu popped over, eyeing Kaminari’s ankle with her usual calm demeanor. “Do you want me to get Recovery Girl, Kaminari?” she asked, concern flickering in her large eyes.
“Nah, I think I’m good,” Kaminari replied, grinning sheepishly. “I don’t wanna worry her over a little thing.”
Uraraka, who had been watching the whole scene with a grin, leaned in close. “You know, Denki, it looked like you were about to sweep Bakugou off his feet.”
“Ha! As if!” Bakugou crossed his arms, looking away. “If you’re done gawking, get back to work! We still gotta clean up this mess.”
Bakugou set Kaminari down carefully in one of the backstage chairs, his hands releasing him quickly as if the whole thing had been no big deal.
“There. Now stay put,” Bakugou muttered, looking away. Without waiting for a response, he strode off to rejoin the others, leaving Kaminari sitting there with a lingering warmth from the contact.
Kaminari leaned back, still trying to process the fact that Bakugou had actually caught him like that. He stared after Bakugou for a moment, his mind swirling, when he was pulled out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.
“Kaminari!” Tetsutetsu called, coming up with a grin, followed by Kendo and a few more of their classmates from Class 1-B. “We saw you almost go down up there! That looked brutal, man—are you alright?”
Kaminari grinned, brushing it off. “Yeah, yeah! Just a little misstep… You know, all the excitement and all.” But he couldn’t quite mask the wince as he shifted his ankle.
Kendo immediately noticed, her eyes narrowing with concern. “Are you sure? That ankle looks swollen already. You should definitely go to Recovery Girl.”
“Oh, it’s not that bad!” Kaminari said, laughing a little too loudly. “Besides, I don’t wanna make a fuss…”
“Not making a fuss!” Tetsutetsu boomed, giving him a hearty slap on the back. “We’ll help you over there!”
Kaminari felt his face warm at the kindness from his friends. He wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of this much attention, and it was… nice. Almost embarrassing, but in a good way.
“Really, I can—” he started, but Monoma cut him off with a smirk.
“No need to be so proud, Denki,” he said, crossing his arms. “We all saw Bakugou carry you here like a delicate little princess. It’d be such a shame to limp around like this if you don’t get it looked at, don’t you think?”
Kaminari flushed, waving him off. “Alright, alright. Fine, I’ll go.”
“Good!” Kendo said, stepping to his side and gesturing for him to lean on her shoulder. “Here, I’ll help you up.”
Kaminari couldn’t help but smile as his friends crowded around him, half-laughing, half-fussing. He felt grateful for their support, a warmth blossoming in his chest as they all insisted on helping him get to Recovery Girl.
“Just try not to break anything else while you’re walking over there,” Monoma teased as Kaminari limped along, leaning on Kendo’s shoulder.
“Ha ha, very funny,” Kaminari replied, sticking his tongue out. But inside, he was grateful—and he couldn’t help sneaking one last look over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Bakugou in the distance, deep in conversation with Kirishima.
With his friends by his side, Kaminari headed off, unable to shake the lingering thrill of that almost-fall and the way Bakugou’s fierce gaze had locked onto him just moments before he’d hit the ground.
As Kaminari and his friends from Class 1-B made their way toward the exit, a few of his classmates from Class 1-A noticed the scene and hurried over, with Kirishima leading the charge.
“Hey, Kaminari! What’s going on?” Kirishima asked, nodding at Tetsutetsu and Kendo. “I thought you just needed to rest a bit, but now you’ve got a full escort!”
Kendo adjusted her hold on Kaminari to steady him, glancing at Kirishima. “His ankle looks a bit more swollen than we expected, so we figured we’d get him to Recovery Girl just in case. Better safe than sorry, right?”
“Swollen?” Sero stepped forward, concern flashing across his face. “Shouldn’t he be keeping weight off it, then? Leaning on Kendo’s shoulder might just make it worse.”
“Good point,” Tetsutetsu said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “He should probably be carried. Just to be safe, you know?”
At this, both Class 1-A and Class 1-B fell silent for a moment, and as if on cue, everyone’s eyes drifted over to Bakugou, who was nearby setting up chairs. He immediately felt the weight of their stares and glanced over, scowling.
“What?!” Bakugou snapped, narrowing his eyes as everyone stared at him.
Kirishima grinned, giving Kaminari a light pat on the shoulder. “Well… if he really shouldn’t be walking on it, maybe someone should carry him. You know, since you already did it once…”
Bakugou’s scowl deepened, a faint flush appearing on his cheeks. “Why the hell would I do that twice?!”
“Come on, Bakugou,” Mina chimed in with a playful smirk. “You’ve got the strength for it!”
Before Bakugou could fire back, Kirishima held up his hands. “I’d totally do it myself, but I’ve gotta stay here to help with the heavier cleanup. Besides, you’ve already shown us you’ve got the reflexes for it!”
Sero joined in, chuckling. “Yeah, and my arms are kinda sore from all the props lifting earlier…”
“Same here,” Mina added quickly, giving Kaminari an apologetic look. “Sorry, Denki! I’d carry you, but I’d probably trip, and we don’t want both of us ending up with twisted ankles!”
The others began offering equally flimsy excuses, leaving Bakugou glaring at them all, fists clenched.
“Unbelievable…” he muttered, but as the seconds ticked on and everyone continued looking at him expectantly, he let out a frustrated growl. “Fine! But this is the last time!”
Kaminari’s face lit up, both thrilled and slightly embarrassed as Bakugou stalked over. Without a word, Bakugou bent down, sliding one arm under Kaminari’s knees and the other behind his back, lifting him effortlessly into a bridal carry. Kaminari’s cheeks flushed as he instinctively wrapped his arms around Bakugou’s neck, holding on.
Kendo and Tetsutetsu exchanged glances, barely hiding their grins.
“Well, thanks for helping him out,” Kendo said, giving Bakugou a respectful nod, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Make sure he gets there safe!”
“Whatever,” Bakugou muttered, his voice gruff but his hold steady as he carried Kaminari out of the room.
The others from Class 1-A and 1-B watched them go, exchanging smirks and nudges once Bakugou and Kaminari were out of earshot.
As they made their way down the hall, Kaminari couldn’t help but grin, leaning his head slightly closer to Bakugou. “Hey, thanks for this. I owe you.”
“Don’t thank me,” Bakugou muttered, rolling his eyes. “Just… don’t do anything else stupid today, alright?”
“No promises,” Kaminari teased, earning himself a mild but exasperated glare from Bakugou as they continued down the hall, the warmth of Bakugou’s hold making his ankle feel a little less painful.