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"Oi." Bakugou exclaimed at Tenya in the dorm kitchen and Tenya quietly cursed himself for just thinking he had a great day.
He stared at his cup as if it could make up an excuse for him not to talk to Bakugou.
"Can we start this tomorrow, perhaps?" Tenya said, already kind of tired from Bakugou's energy, "I want to have my last evening off in peace."
"I can't tomorrow."
Now that was interesting, "Tomorrow is Monday," Tenya said matter-of-factly, finally raising his head to look at Bakugou.
Bakugo scowled, "You think I don't know that, dipshit!?"
And then something amazing happened.
Bakugou exhaled heavily, bowed his head sharply and balled his fists. All while staying silent.
Tenya leaned onto the kitchen counter, extremely intrigued now.
"I have a meeting with All Might and nerd early in the morning tomorrow." Tenya's eyebrows did a weird thing he didn't want to unpack. "It's too late to do my shit now and I won't be able to do it before Aizawa axes my head off in front of everyone to make me an example."
Tenya vaguely understood the idea behind his words, but "Don't you think that's too extreme for Aizawa?" He wanted to add that Bakugou has done worse things than not do his homework once in three years, but Tenya's snark would be unnecessarily rude as Bakugou has approached him himself, alone, and clearly to ask for something. Tenya had manners unlike some people.
"I don't want to find out."
A pause, "What am I supposed to do about it then?"
Bakugou scowled harder, raising his head. Tenya saw an insult nearly come out of his mouth, but Bakugou's mouth snapped shut just in time, "Can you make a copy for me?" he forced out.
Tenya blinked at Bakugou for a second
God knows how many times Tenya had seen Bakugou's handwriting while helping Aizawa grade.
The man — at some point completely stupified at the answers — decided to put Tenya to work at grading the worst tests not to look at them, all while laughing at Tenya's expressions.
(Suspiciously, month after month the overall class demographic grew, the marks bettered by themselves, and Aizawa was stubborn enough to not re-grade after Tenya, so Tenya was just demoted to grading top of the class while laughing at Aizawa's expressions and sighs instead.)
With that said, well, he'll manage.
Manage to copy the boy's style that is.
First he has a couple of questions though.
"Me?" Was the first and honestly the main one.
"Will you do it or not, quit wasting my time," Bakugou quipped back and Tenya grimaced so hard he quite literally couldn't readjust his face.
This was a nonsense conversation about a nonsense topic.
"A 'please' would help greatly, Bakugou-kun."
Bakugou scowled right back, turned around and left the kitchen presumably to go sleep.
Tenya sighed, made a huge swig of his tea and sighed again.
It will cost him a maximum of ten minutes and the payout will be Bakugou avoiding him for months because he'd feel like he owes Tenya something.
Absolutely worth it.
He's not doing this alone, though, thank you very much.
"And then he just left." Tenya said at last. Shouto blinked at him a couple of times, then looked down for a second, contemplating. "So now I'm debating whether I should bother at all. Bakugou is. Special... And probably already doing his homework because he's also stubborn..."
"Perhaps." Said Shouto drowsily, shuffling on the floor to get comfortable and putting his head onto Tenya's bed.
"Sorry for wasting your time," Tenya finally sat down at his desk, deflating.
"It's fine. I think he just has a crush on you." Shouto said simply, like he was just throwing the thought into the air, but ultimately wasn't really joking. Tenya barked out a laugh and the boy just shrugged back, "Think what you will but it checks out for me."
Tenya shook his head. They both needed to go to sleep now. Bakugou made a good point.
"No, really." Shouto looked up. "I don't think you notice how much he interacts with you when he doesn't need to. Remember when he asked you to bring him soap when Kirishima was right by him in the stall?"
"Well, I was right by the soap and Kirishima showers naked because 'being embarrassed is not manly'. What's your point?"
"So you do remember."
"...We have a long day tomorrow."
"Okay," Shouto sounded smug and Tenya was not having it, "What about when he trusted you to buy him proper ingredients last time you went out?"
"He was sick. And he lets Midoriya buy him spices too. You're reaching now."
"At this point of knowing Bakugou and Midoriya's relationship I would think half Midoriya's brain is not working if he suddenly forgets Bakugou's exact favourite milking factory and green onion produce farm."
Tenya shook his head.
Shouto saw him starting in to get upset, so he stood up "Midoriya is Midoriya. He is an outlier for everything regarding Bakugou. You, however, have been getting special treatment more and more lately, without noticing." Shouto made a dramatic pause and said like it was a finisher for his argument, "He folded your laundry."
"Now, Shouto, our—"
"Do you really believe he didn't recognise his clothes from yours on the first glance? I know for sure if my zipper tore his laundry bag open in the washer he wouldn't talk to me for months. Moreover, he would burn all of his clothes if my hat randomly got into his bin. Yet he, first," Shouto started counting and Tenya — with insurmountable amount of horror — started seeing his point, "let your hoodies and shirts share a washer; second, didn't flip his shit; third, didn't even say anything; forth, put your clothes into a neat pile? Do you hear me? Genuinely. Not even the crush part. Just. The suspiciousness of it all. What could it be?"
"He could've felt guilty and thought it was something from his load."
"He would've bought you a new bag then." Shouto said with the kind of certainty he wouldn't talk even about himself with. "Bakugou hates feeling guilty and owning to people."
Tenya was out of excuses. "Fine. But he doesn't have a crush on me. There must be something else."
"Call me when you come up with that 'something else' then." Shouto said at last and left.
Tenya didn't sleep that well the whole night.
"Bakugou."
Aizawa said blankly as Bakugou sat down and faced him the next day.
The boy showed up all quiet at the very start of their third (and last) period of the day with Aizawa.
Bakugou opened his mouth and Tenya suddenly was hit with an urge to jump out of the window.
If Bakugou says one excuse Tenya's life is over. There's no way Aizawa would let something like this slide.
'Ah, yes, Aizawa-sensei. I know you watched me grow up, trusted me most out everybody in the class, and gave me so many different second chances, but here I am, lying to you in the most blatant way, but this time it's at least academic and not about trying to murder someone, am I right?'
If Tenya knows correctly no one from their class has ever done anything like this and also it was frankly incredibly moronic of him to not say anything to Bakugou before handing in his homework in the morning.
"You forgot to do the last assignment of your homework," Aizawa continued as Bakugou's teeth loudly clacked together.
The man raised his eyebrow, but Bakugou closed his eyes to play it of as incomprehensible exasperation at himself.
Tenya's ribcage slammed itself closed like a double-sided fridge.
This was stupid of him to do.
Tenya has helped his classmates cheat in middle school before and all he got back was all the fault pushed onto him with three different people saying 'I didn't ask you to do it' which stun so bad he cried for two days at home.
Bakugou could've just asked for an extension, Aizawa's not that cruel.
Bakugou can just say Tenya tried to fuck him over with an unfinished assignment by himself, that Bakugou was going to do it in the evening.
Bakugou could be angry because of lost points.
"Ye-ah. Da-m-n." Bakugou stretched out quietly instead, as if cringing at himself.
"Language. This this the first time you've ever done it, so I'm allowing you to finish the written answer this once."
And that was the end of it.
The lesson started and Bakugou's answer was done within it's first ten minutes. (A big amount of time, but he was very clearly incredibly distracted and Aizawa presumably knew why.)
"That was..." Tenya started as they were walking back to dorms.
"It went good," said Shouto.
"You looked funny for a second there," said Ochako.
"Hey Bakugou," said Shouto again and Tenya hoped very hard he wouldn't try to check if his theory has any weight to it right here in front of everyone. "Where's Midoriya?" Ah, that's right, Shouto did look completely lost today without being able to follow anyone.
"How the fuck am I supposed to know?" The man barked back without even turning.
"Bakugou, please just answer," Tenya tried not to roll his eyes, nervously fixing his glasses instead.
Bakugou huffed, again, not turning, "I dunno, crying somewhere, leave me alone." He sped up like that would help against Tenya.
Shouto elbowed him so hard Tenya had to inhale sharply not to yelp.
"See?"
Tenya scowled. No, he didn't see.
Uraraka looked at them weird, but didn't have a chance to ask anything because Mina was first.
"See what? Blasty has been very quiet since he came back."
"I have a theory and I'm determined to prove it right."
"Ohh." Mina manoeuvred around everyone to grab Shouto's elbow. "Let's hear it."
Tenya glared at him so hard Shouto wasn't sure if he was allowed to even say no.
"Do you think," Mina started with a whisper, "that our boy has a crush?"
Shouto's eyes sparked as he looked down at her and Tenya groaned so hard Ochako giggled, "It is very disrespectful to gossip about your peers."
"Hush, killjoy, adults are talking."
"Ask me to assist you with anything one more time." Tenya shook his head, walking away faster the same way Bakugou just did.
Mina tried to stop him, scrambling immediately, but Shouto held her back, promising he'd help with whatever she needed instead.
Tenya huffed and left them behind. He can chastise them later.
Ochako followed only to be polite. There was no way she's not asking every detail from Mina afterwards.
Bakugou said Midoriya was crying (probably in his room then) since the morning.
Tenya told Ochako to maybe text him or ask him if he needs anything as they both go get water for everyone and restock the water coolers their dorm had.
When they were done Ochako went outside to either float up to Midoriya's balcony or meet up with Mina. Either way Tenya's not going to change her mind, so he's not going to even bother trying.
Tenya himself felt off after his hands weren't busy, so instead of going up to his room he decided to go around the common room and check if anything needed cleaning up.
Bakugou, it turns out, was on the couch the whole time him and Uraraka were at the entrance and Tenya nearly met his grandpa while thanking gods he didn't entertain Ochako's questions about 'the theory'.
"Are you okay?"
Bakugou just hummed.
Tenya wasn't going to give up that easily.
He put his bag on the ground and sat somewhere past the halfway point of Bakugou's body. They weren't close enough friends for Tenya to sit in front of Bakugou's face, but they were close enough physically, for him to take off his glasses, which he did.
They say in silence for some time. Tenya tried to hold himself in the most kind and patient manner he could and soon enough Bakugou's movements on his phone turned into quick scrolls back and forth, probably on his home screen.
"All Might," he started quietly, probably for the first time explaining the situation to anyone because Tenya was one of the first people to come back and actively start asking questions ask, "said he wanted me and Deku to inherit the Might Tower."
Tenya nodded at first, then cringed hard.
Bakugou hummed again, "Nerd did the same thing, then started crying and hasn't stopped since."
Tenya held the silence for a while. "My grandma started talking about inheritance about fifteen years ago. And hasn't stopped since."
Bakugou nodded. It was mostly meant as a joke, but Midoriya needed it more at the moment and Bakugou wasn't in the mood for laughing. "All Might has finally reached the point of retirement where he's thinking about the future." Bakugou nodded again. Tenya tried very hard to pick his words correctly, because otherwise Bakugou would flip, thinking Tenya wants to console him, "It's nice... I'm proud of him."
Bakugou didn't say anything else for a minute.
It was very quiet.
Tenya didn't want to break the air between them, so he carefully and slowly stood up to leave before Bakugou gets annoyed Tenya is watching him for too long.
He felt mostly satisfied with the interaction. He was proud of Bakugou too, thought the boy was lying there looking like he sucked a lemon dry.
Tenya asked quietly, "I'm assuming you're not accepting? Because you can do it by yourself and you don't need anyone's shitty agency to give you a headache?" so Bakugou wouldn't look so broken. It really hits you hard, realising people's mortality, that is. Tenya knows.
"Shut up," Bakugou answered with absolutely no bite to it whatsoever and Tenya huffed out a laugh at that.
The main door opened distantly a second later and Tenya picked up his bag quickly trying to look like he wasn't scrambling to get away.
"What were you talking about with cheeks?" asked Bakugou and Tenya cursed.
The perfect response by every social rule in the situation would be to reveal a secret or at least be vulnerable in response.
But there's no way Tenya could do that.
Thankfully (Tenya was not thankful in the least) other people walked in and Tenya could look away and grimace at them instead of coming up with an lie to Bakugou.
"Iida-kun!" Uraraka started and Tenya frantically shook his head. "Bakugou totally likes you."
Bakugou froze still looking somewhere in front of him, then slowly looked up to Tenya, then to the ceiling. Tenya froze with his jaw on the floor. The whole world seized to exist in that one moment.
Shouto didn't care for freezing much though, "Mina helped me expand the list with moments where Bakugou acted suspiciously around you and we are determined to prove his crush." Mina frantically nodded behind Shouto.
Tenya closed his eyes shut very tightly and looked up, hiding his lips and balling his fists.
"So," Uraraka continued and Tenya tried to cut her off or say something, but at this point it wasn't his place. Bakugou was listening too and the whole conversation was about him, so... "Mina remembered how Bakugou once tried to text you a proper response for like an hour during lunch and at the end just left you on seen."
"He probably didn't want me thinking he was being polite." Tenya quickly answered, trying to establish (at least with Bakugou if no one else) that he didn't believe anyone.
Mina shook her head, "He tried to say thank you, but couldn't word it right."
As if on purpose the worst person possible came down the stairs in that moment.
"Kero. Are you annoying Iida-kun again?"
"Think for a second," Shouto cut Tenya's incoming lecture, "Is there a possibility that Bakugou has a crush on Iida at the moment? Have you noticed him acting weird?"
Tsu looked at Bakugou, because unlike everybody else not seeing him from behind the couch she stood on the stairs right in front of his feet, looked at Tenya, looked at everyone else huddled at the entrance, glanced to the kitchen to check if anybody else was present, and finally shrugged, "Yes, actually. Now that I'm thinking about it."
Tenya groaned loudly, "Not you too."
"Yes!" Mina jumped up to her and shook Tsu's shoulders gently, "I remember when Iida said something about his favourite dessert and Bakugou..."
Mina trailed off.
Because well.
Her and Bakugou's eyes met.
She looked like she stopped breathing.
Bakugou roze and the room became completely silent.
Tenya sighed one last time and everyone took off screeching.
Todoroki blocked off the entrance to the boys dorms, so mathematically it made more sense to go after Uraraka and Mina.
So Bakugou went flying.
A couple of seconds later it already sounded like all three of them were on the second floor of girls' side of the dormitories, but Tenya couldn't bring himself to demand Bakugou to come back.
"He does have a crush on you," stated Tsu, who did not gossip about Bakugou, thus, deserved none of his ire and stood in the same place. They had a mutual agreement on that, apparently — Bakugou didn't even look at her.
"Please don't add to it," begged Tenya.
"I only say what I see," answered Tsu.
And you know what...? At this point they convinced him. Just a little bit.
Hopefully not at the cost of their lives.
It's not like Bakugou really had a crush on him, but Tenya could potentially possibly maybe see where the theory came from.
Tenya slowly rammed up his quirk and took off after everyone. It was time to stop them.
"Bakugou, Do Not Harm Them! You can just report—!"
There was a muffled scream, then Bakugou yelled back, "For what, dipshit!? For telling the truth!? Let me kill them f—!" His voice cut off abruptly, as if he just realised who he was taking to, then there was a terrible moment of dead silence and an even more genuine roar of rage Bakugou used only when fighting villains, then even more petrified shrieking, that had like two more girls mixed in.
Tenya heard a distant croaky giggle and face planted onto the stairs.