Chapter Text
“Kacchan!”
Bakugou was used to waking up early in the morning, his biological clock ringing at about 5 am. His routine consisted of a black tea, a run through the school’s gardens followed by a shower and some time to revise his notes for the morning classes, or hitting the gym, depending on the day. He was used to being the only one up at that hour, with only the calming sounds of nature to surround him (which was necessary for his ears, in the face of a day filled with annoying noises generated by equally annoying people); for this reason hearing someone calling his name surprised him.
He turned around, finding Deku in front of him, sipping from his water bottle a liquid of a particularly unnatural colour, and wearing clothes with decidedly mismatched colors: on his feet, instead of the usual red shoes, he had green sneakers with black and white details, matching his hair, a fluorescent yellow thermal shirt and a pair of bright pink shorts.
“Is it peacock mating season? Or did some highlighter explode on you this morning? Your outfit is really an eyesore,” he commented ironically, and Deku rolled his eyes in response.
“Good morning to you too,” he ran a hand through his hair.
“Why are you up so early?” Deku wasn’t normally awake at that hour; he had rarely run into him, only when he decided to extend his run, or if he got up or left the dorms later than usual.
“I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to go out. You know I have a hard time sitting still and doing nothing.”
Bakugou simply nodded, and they both continued running.
“I wanted to ask you…” Deku began.
“No.” Bakugou interrupted him.
“Let me talk at least,” he insisted, stopping and looking at the other.
“If it's your idea, it's probably shit, so of course I'm biased.”
“Actually, it’s Kirishima's.”
“Even worse.”
Deku snorted; “He really is impossible,” he thought.
“He suggested going to the movies this Friday, they're showing Miyazaki's ‘The Boy and the Heron’.”
“Okay. That's still a no.”
Deku looked at him annoyed.
“If I'm not mistaken, most of the extras go home on Fridays, since it's the only free weekend the school gives us each month. Only you, me, dunce face, shitty hair, the half-and-half bastard, and Kirby go home the next day. Is that right?”
“Right.” Deku understood where this was going.
“So this is supposed to be the great company for this weekend?”
“Right,” he replied once again.
“Hell no, I'm not coming.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“But Kacchan! They're your friends, we're your friends!” he insisted.
“And with all the love in the world, I don't think it's necessary to see each other on the free weekend as well.”
The blond slowly resumed his pace, determined to ignore what the other had to say. Deku immediately followed him and continued: “First: you're an asshole. And second: you can't refuse, I already bought you the ticket.”
Bakugou didn't even have time to consider the fact that Deku had included a curse word in his sentence, something he didn't think belonged in his vocabulary.
"You did what?!" He stopped, glaring at him.
"I know you like his movies, and I figured you'd say no, so I got them for both of us, so you can't refuse." A hint of a smile appeared on his face.
"I could do that anyway."
"And I could always offer the ticket to someone else," he retorted, and for some reason this annoyed Bakugou; he didn't like the idea, "but I'd be really upset, so make sure to clear your schedule."
As soon as he finished talking, green flashes emanated from his legs, and in an instant, after a leap, the boy disappeared from his friend's sight, hidden by the nearby grove. More confused than before, Bakugou continued running.
The following days continued as usual.
They didn't know yet that it was precisely that everyday life, that routine, they would soon’ve missed.
It was a couple of days later, on Wednesday, that after a long day of practice and classes, the boys found themselves in the common room. Sero announced that he'd heard from Mina that the girls had organized a sleepover that evening and the lads were looking for ideas on how to spend the evening, after Kaminari and Mineta's initial suggestion of breaking into the girls' room had been voted down by a democratic vote.
"I'm going to bed." Bakugou started to leave.
"Come on, Kacchan, don't be boring." Kaminari earned glares not only from the person concerned, but also from Midoriya in front of him.
"My mistake, sorry. Bakugou. It'll be fun, I promise! We just have to find something to do."
“Exactly, and while you think about it, I'll wait for you in my room.”
“Wait, idea,” Kirishima exclaimed.
“Let's hear this bullshit.”
“Kami, what if we opened a few bottles from the stash in your room?” The two boys exchanged a knowing look.
“Fuck yeah, we can!”
“Stash? Of what?” Todoroki asked.
“Of alcohol, what else?” Sero replied.
“Alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited in the dorms, and in general at school. We absolutely can't—” Iida was interrupted by the other boys.
“Come on, rep, it'll be fun,” Tokoyami tried to persuade him.
“And besides, no one will find out if we don't make a mess,” Mineta added.
“Okay, okay. I suppose we can do it, if we're discreet.” Nods of approval from the rest of the group indicated that the boys were all in agreement. Maybe they'd get drunk. Just a little.
During the short walk to Kaminari's room, the boys asked how the group had actually managed to hide alcohol in the dorms, given that regular surprise checks were conducted. Once the host, or rather, the room's owner, arrived, he opened the closet and removed a wooden board, the same color as the cabinet, to reveal several bottles of spirits, as well as lighter drinks: beer, wine, rum, vodka, even liquors.
"I'll get the shot glasses."
"We shouldn't be doing that. After all, we're not of legal drinking age yet." Iida mused, while the other classmates reassured him that nothing bad would’ve happened.
To liven up the evening, the group opted for a board game, Monopoly, obviously in a somewhat improvised version with alcohol: in addition to the required fee, they had to drink a shot proportional to the tax to be paid to the bank or other players. They were too many to play individually, so the group randomly split into pairs or trios: Midoriya and Todoroki, Shoji and Iida, Mineta and Kirishima, Bakugou and Koda, Sero, Kaminari and Ayoama, and finally Tokoyami, Sato and Oijiro.
“Let the game begin!” Sero exclaimed excitedly.
The participants began arguing about the rules of the game: “Properties are distributed at the beginning of the game, there's no arguing,” Midoriya stated.
“What the fuck are you talking about? You can only buy them if you stand on them; at most, they're put up for auction. That’s cheating!”
“Those are the rules, Kacchan, I didn't write them!”
“Well, I'll sue Mr. Monopoly, then. In the meantime, can we play the way that actually makes sense?” Bakugou retorted.
“What Bakugou suggested sounds more fun, actually. That’s how I usually play,” Shoji said. A few nodded. Deku snorted at his defeat, and the participants took turns rolling the dice and began playing.
After a few rounds, Midoriya and Todoroki were leading in terms of assets, with the three green properties: Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street. They were followed by Koda and Bakugou, who, however, owned the coveted Mayfair and Park Lane, complete with hotel and the resulting exorbitant tax. They were all a little tipsy, but clear-headed enough to keep playing. Iida and Shoji had bought properties in the middle of the board, investing primarily in houses; Sero, Kaminari, and Aoyama were in deep debt; Mineta and Kirishima owned two of the three yellow properties; and Tokoyami, Sato, and Oijiro refused to give them the third unless they raised the ridiculous offer of 100,000 M., and they owned all the stations.
"Midoriya, it's your turn."
He took the dice and rolled. He moved his token, the duck, 1, 2, 3, 4... shit, 5, 6,... 10. Mayfair. 200,000 M. tax with the hotel. It wasn't that he and Todoroki didn't have enough money, more for the fact that according to the improvised rules on alcohol penalties, this was equivalent to four shots, with the glass filled to the rim. Four different spirits, at that, which, he had quickly realized, wouldn't do wonders for his already shaky lucidity. Bakugou sneered at him and held out his hand to collect the tax.
"Come on, pay up, nerd." Annoyed, he counted the bills and placed them on the rich pile of the players next to him, ignoring Bakugou, while Sero filled the glasses.
"Should I fill you a larger one or four separate shots?"
Deku seriously considered all the life choices that had brought him to that point. “Goodness All Might, why me?” he thought.
“Fill a big one.”
The answer raised a few eyebrows.
“You’re really going to drink all of that?” Bakugou asked.
“We can always pay the tax to avoid the penalty,” Todoroki told him. Indeed, it was part of their new regulations, and they had enough money for that.
“Yes, Deku, pay the tax. That drink might be a little too strong,” Bakugou teased, seriously convinced that the boy would refuse. Deku took a deep breath. He already felt tipsy, but after that provocation, he wouldn't have backed down. Kacchan thought he wouldn't be able to, well, he would prove him wrong. Maybe.
“Give me the glass, Sero,” he ordered in an almost threatening tone. His eyes were fixed on him.
“We can share it if you want, it seems like a pretty large amount of alcohol,” Todoroki suggested.
“We can’t, it’s my turn, I have to drink it all.” The other looked at him worriedly. Deku grabbed the liquid and hesitated for a moment before downing the contents of half a glass, filled with a mix of rum, vodka, cheap gin, tequila and likely tonic. His throat burned, he struggled to breathe for a moment, and he began coughing furiously. The boys around him stared at him with wide eyes.
“Are you okay, Midoriya?”
“Everything alright?” they asked. He stared into space for a moment, trying to compose himself.
“I’m fine, I’m fine, let’s continue!” Some of the boys cheered or high-fived the still-stunned Deku, who passed the dice to Tokoyami, and the game continued.
After a few turns, Sero, Kaminari, and Aoyama withdrew from the game and the properties were auctioned off, leaving the rest of the group to play Monopoly while, on the couch, they tried to decide what to play on Kaminari's Wii (there was a heated debate between Mario Kart and Wii Party).
“Shit! We have to pay you,” Koda complained; Bakugou snorted while Deku watched them smiling, satisfied, and Todoroki was lost in his own world, too distracted to fully pay attention to the game.
“Fhanks,” Deku muttered, snatching the bills from him; he placed a hand on Bakugou's shoulder and moved closer to him, so that their foreheads almost touched. Bakugou looked at the boy in front of him, confused and perhaps a little dazed from the (fewer) shots he'd taken.
“Jou're goin to lose, I can feeeel it.”
“Yeah, sure, Izuku. Keep on dreaming."
“Nd I'll prove to jou that I can handl a fiw drvnks.”
The blond studied him for a second, then burst out laughing. “Come on, it’s your turn.”
After the game ended, with Bakugou and Koda’s comeback, the boys played a few rounds of Mario Kart, with a mastery that their sober selves would have been ashamed of. If they had been in real life, they would surely have been arrested for drunk driving. Kirishima managed to complete a full lap in the opposite direction before realizing it. Deku had passed out on the couch; he had taken two or three more shots after the 200,000 M mega drink. Once a few races were done, they moved on to Just Dance. Bakugou returned to his friend's room after a quick visit to the kitchen, with some ginger and honey tea (he'd read it was good for hangovers, even though he wasn't feeling all that bad) and a cup of coffee. He not-so-tactfully woke his friend lying on the couch, who stood up and, confused, accepted the coffee. "Maybe this will help you perk up. Come on, Mr. ‘I can handle my alcohol’." He heard some groans from the boy, but couldn't make out any meaningful words.
After a short while, the celebrations ended, and the boys, more or less in decent shape, headed for their rooms.
“Get up.”
Deku had laid down on the sofa after finishing his coffee, that must not have had much of an effect, and was maybe asleep, maybe passed out. Bakugou began shaking him, as to verify on of the two hypothesis.
“Deku, wake up, party’s over.”
Kaminari looked over at him, preoccupied.
“He could stay here, I can let him sleep on the sofa, it’s fine.”
“I doubt that’s a good idea, in his condition,” said Bakugou as Deku awakened, confused and stunned.
“Mhh? Vhere ‘re ve?”
“Wonderful, we’ve officially lost him. Come on, get up, I’ll take you to your room."
The boy nodded and idly tried to do as he was told. Bakugou grabbed him by the arm and pulled Deku towards him.
“Ouch!”
“Can you walk straight?” asked the blonde, ignoring his complaint.
“Shure!”
He staggered forward, holding on to the boy, nearly falling within a distance of two meters. Bakugou then lifted him off the ground and hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Help, I’ll fall!”
“You won’t, you imbecile. Just stay still.”
Deku groaned something, once again unintelligible. Bakugou nodded Kaminari goodbye, and the two left the room.
“Wow Kashan, ure rilly ströng.”
“Yeah, yeah, ‘zuku. Just stay put, we’re almost there.”
In front of the dorm room, Bakugou pulled his friend off his shoulders, holding him up and making him lean against the wall while he tried to open the door. It was locked.
“Shit, where do you have the keys?” A pointless question, considering the boy couldn't even tell where he was at that moment.
“Perfect. They must be in your pockets.” Bakugou carefully felt at the height of the boy's hips, trying to figure out where those damned keys were. They weren't in the pockets, and Deku wasn't wearing a jacket.
“Maybe…” he shifted Deku so he could access the back pockets of his pants.
“Well, this situation isn't weird at all. Totally normal. Not embarrassing at all,” he muttered to himself. He felt the keys in one of the pockets and took it, then opened the door.
“Come on, head inside, lean on me.”
Once inside the room, he made him rest on the bed, and the boy collapsed onto the mattress.
“At least take off your shoes, you moron!”
Deku sat up and began tugging at his shoes, trying to get them off.
“The laces. Good heavens, I can’t do this. I’m a babysitter now.” He helped him untie his shoes, then turned to leave.
He was already at the door when he heard sobs and moans coming from the boy behind him.
“Kaschan! Sowy, I ruined the evening for you guys, I’m sowy, I didn’t miin to…” Deku burst into tears.
“No, Izuku, calm down. We had fun and we drank, you didn’t ruin anything for anyone.”
The other boy ignored him, continuing his wailing. “I’m a prty pooper, I shvldn’t hve come, I’m sowy.”
“Deku, what the fuck, stop it.” Bakugou reached for the nightstand and grabbed a pack of tissues and the boy’s water bottle. “Come on, drink and dry your face, you’re all red.”
He did as he was told, then continued his despair and went on apologizing. Bakugou contemplated going to the infirmary to steal some sedatives or something, if not for the fact that Deku was pretty drunk and a mix of drugs wouldn't have helped his situation.
His train of thought was interrupted by an unexpected and unfamiliar warmth and two arms wrapped around his neck. Deku was hugging him. Not that it bothered him; it was just… unusual. Basically, their relationship had improved and grown with them; after the events of the war, it was difficult for them to feel indifference towards each other, but they weren't exactly the hugging, touchy-feely type. Or rather, Bakugou wasn't exactly the hugging, touchy-feely type, which is why he found surprising that strange, unexpected warmth. After a few moments of bewilderment, he returned the hug.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Deku nodded, but Bakugou noticed he was still crying. He straightened the covers of the unmade bed (how could that boy be so messy?) and made him lie down.
“Calm down, what the hell happened to you?”
He sat down at the foot of the bed next to Deku, who replied something like, “… afraid… hate… prty…” between tears and sobs.
“Okay, breathe.”
He was curled up, like a kitten, his back to Bakugou who couldn’t make out the meaning of his words. He moved closer to him, resting his back against the headboard, his knees pulled to his chest. He waited for his breathing to become more regular. He handed him another handkerchief.
“What were you saying?”
The other hesitated for a moment. “’m afraid jou'll hate me ‘cos I ruind the prty.”
“Nobody hates you, Deku. Only me, sometimes, when you’re being an idiot.”
He heard him snort.
“Like you’re doing now, so try to fall asleep so I can go to my room.”
Deku blew his nose and returned to his curled up position. He was about to fall asleep. Just a minute and he’d be gone, Bakugou told himself. The bed was comfortable, he just had to force his tired, alcohol-drowsy body to get up. Just a minute.
Bakugou woke up with a start. His head was pounding and he was confused. He looked around for anything familiar. Was it a dream? He should have woken up early to run; then he remembered staying out late the night before, and the drinking. He wondered if his hangover was the reason he felt so alienated.
“Why does this room feel so different?” he asked himself.
Then he saw him: lying on the bed, his green hair disheveled and his mouth half open. He had fallen asleep in Deku’s room. In Deku’s bed. With Deku. It wasn’t a dream, this was a nightmare.
“No, no, no. Shit. Shit.”
Deku jumped up and looked at him, still stunned.
“Kacchan, he- KACCHAN?! What are you doing here?”
“I fell asleep. Holy shit. It’s 7:40, I have to get ready.”
“What happened? Why—”
“You got drunk, were staggering, I took you to your room, you started crying over one of your usual bullshit things, and I fell asleep.”
“WHAT?!” Deku exclaimed, alarmed.
“I don't have time to explain, I have to go, bye.” And with that, he darted out of the room.
Unfortunately for him, he wasn't fast enough.
“Bakugou, what are you doing here? How come you're not in class already?”
He turned, only to find Sero, Kaminari, and Kirishima in front of him.
“I was late at the gym, I'm going to change.” He tried to cut short, making up an excuse. A pretty lame one, considering he wasn't sweaty.
“You never go to the gym this late. I thought you were going to skip the workout after last night.”
“Yeah, yeah. I have to get going now.” He walked away, turning his back on him. He thought he'd escaped, he'd hoped, but he was interrupted again by one of the three imbeciles.
"How's Midoriya? Yesterday you—" Kaminari trailed off. "Wait, you wouldn’t pass by this corridor, or even down this floor, to get back from the gym."
It was already a rare event in itself that Kaminari managed to connect two neurons and fire the synapses of his brain, so much so that on another occasion he would have been amazed by his flash of genius. However, on that particular occasion, he strongly desired to strangle him, or at least dig a hole deep enough to crawl in and bury himself.
"Are those not the clothes you were wearing last night? Don't tell me—" Kirishima insisted, brutally interrupted by Bakugou.
"Shut up. One: it's none of your fucking business, two: go fuck yourself, and three: I fell asleep, it obviously wasn't intentional."
The three of them looked at each other with a grin and started giggling.
“You mean you accidentally wandered into his room and just as accidentally ended up in his bed? You don't want us to think you were left on the floor,” Sero teased.
“I repeat, go fuck yourself. I have nothing else to say to you, I have to go change.” He turned his back to him to walk to his room. He needed to hurry; class was starting in 15 minutes.
Once in class, he tried his best to avoid both Deku, which wasn't exactly an easy feat considering the boy was sitting in front of him, and that bunch of idiots he had the misfortune to have as friends. After a while, he managed to ignore their presence and their irritating muttering, perceiving them more as white noise in the background, albeit annoying.
After class, he headed to the cafeteria and took a seat at an empty table, instead of sitting with Mina, Sero, Kaminari, and Kirishima as usual. He couldn't stand their silly questions; he'd get annoyed and snap at them. He opted for the wiser option of ignoring them once again, at least until the Deku thing was water under the bridge; they'd forget about it, and everything would go back to normal. He saw a notification pop up on his phone:
Shitty hair:
Bakugouu, stop ignoring us 🥲
We’re sorry!! 🥺
We won’t make fun of you anymore
I know you’re reading my texts :(
Bakugou looked up from his phone and saw Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero, sitting a few tables away, looking at him with scowls and wide, whipped-dog eyes, while Mina watched them amusedly. He read their lips as a "sorry."
Bakubro 💪🏻:
You’re forgiven
But that’s where the conversation ends
Now let me eat in peace
Shitty hair:
Bakubroo 😭🫶🏻
We love youuu! ❤️
He liked the message, then continued eating.
“Kacchan.” He looked up.
Deku had sat down across from him. “Could you at least give me an explaination? You weren’t exactly thorough this morning.”
He was right (not that he’d ever admit it out loud). He’d been thinking more about his embarrassment in talking to him than the fact that the boy was practically clueless.
“What do you remember?” he asked.
“I don’t know… Monopoly?”
“We played Monopoly most of the night. I’m afraid you’ll need to be a little more specific, Izuku.”
He nodded. “We drank,” he added.
“Well, no shit.”
“Let me finish! Sero made me that super strong drink. Gross.”
“Anything else?” he asked.
“We kept playing, then I don’t remember much. Did Todoroki and I win?”
“You’d certainly like that. Koda and I won.”
“Ugh,” Deku complained. He continued, "I vaguely remember falling asleep on the couch while you guys were playing something, then I drank some coffee and we left. I think. I don't know, Kacchan. Nothing embarrassing or indecent happened, right?"
Bakugou felt his face heat up.
"Eww, no. My god, Deku, why would you think that?"
"So, would you please tell me what the fuck happened, then?" Deku raised his voice slightly; Bakugou hadn't expected such a reaction.
"Okay, alright. You couldn't stand, so I carried you to your room, and once we were in, you started crying, like I told you."
"Crying, but why?"
"What the fuck do I know? You were sad because you thought you'd ruined our night and all, you were afraid we'd hate you and stuff."
"Alcohol has a bad effect on me."
"Definitely," the blond guy replied.
“And in all this, you ended up in my bed because…?”
The question made him nervous, mostly because he didn't know how to respond. “I was worried about you and wanted to wait for you to calm down.” No, he couldn't possibly say something like that. Bakugou knew it was the truth, he knew he cared for Deku and had shown it on more than one occasion, but he also knew (it had always been difficult for him) that he wouldn't be able to tell him something like that. He was a man of action, not of sweet, sappy words.
“I was afraid you'd choke on your tears and sobs or something. You were in a really bad shape. I wanted to wait for you to fall asleep, but I wasn't that clear-headed either, and then, you know, the tiredness…”
“And you fell asleep. That's all?” he asked.
“That's all.” The boy looked at him, then stood up with his now-empty tray.
“See, it wasn't that difficult. I honestly thought it was much more tragic.”
It wasn't clear to Bakugou what he meant by his last implication. What could have happened that was so tragic? Deku should have been grateful if something had happened between them. "Tragic, he says. How dare he?" he thought to himself. "Why the fuck did your mind go there, Katsuki?! The 'something' shouldn't happen. Period."
"Bye, Kacchan, see you."
The boy turned, set his tray down, and left the cafeteria.
In the afternoon, Bakugou decided to go to the study hall to revise. It was more spacious and bright than his room, and he realized he was more productive and less likely to get lost in thought if outside the confines of his room.
He got distracted only for a moment, hearing footsteps approaching. He saw Deku enter the room, who suddenly changed direction to choose a table further away. The one Bakugou sat in was among the most spacious; he used it even on the rare occasions when his idiot friends joined him. However, the classroom was still empty, save for two or three students from Class B, and a little more space to put his notebook, tablet, and the rest of his things was useful.
Occasionally, Deku would study with him, not in the sense that they reviewed together; theirs was more of a silent companionship, and occasionally they shared earphones, listening to background music or white, brown, or other colored noise (Bakugou didn't exactly understand the difference and let Deku choose); so he didn't understand his attitude. It seemed obvious to him that he wanted to avoid him, but proud as he was, he tried not to let it bother him.
He wondered if he'd done something to offend him. Of course, the boy was a touchy guy and could easily have been upset about not winning at Monopoly. They'd talked, they'd more or less cleared things up. Geez, why couldn't that boy just talk? What was he supposed to imply with his passive-aggressive behavior? Then he remembered that he himself wasn't the most communicative person in the world, and realized it was better to talk to him. He wouldn't be able to concentrate on his studies, anyway.
"What's wrong?" The boy looked up from his books, then went back to analyzing them.
"I have work to do, Kacchan."
Bakugou remained seated across from him, hoping that his annoyed look would distract him and force him to talk to him (or and would incinerate him, he was undecided). Irritated, he grabbed his arm to drag him out of the room. There were only a few people there, but he still preferred not to make their argument public or get kicked out for raising their voices.
“Ouch, leave me alone!”
“Are you going to keep ignoring me for long?” he blurted out, once they were out of the room, in the corridors. The boy looked up to meet his gaze.
“I don't know. Remind me what you've been doing all morning.”
Touchè. He wasn't entirely wrong; he could have been more direct with him.
“And for what? I mean, it isn't like... anything happened.” He blushed slightly, Bakugou pretended not to be equally embarrassed.
“My goodness, you're so sensitive.”
“Excuse me?! I’m sensitive? I woke up confused, hungover, with you on the bed, running away, refusing to give me explanations, and pretending I didn't exist in class, and I'm pretty sure you said something to Kirishima and the others.”
“What the fuck do they have to do with this now?”
“I don't know, you could have told them some mean things about me or something.”
Bakugou fell silent, feeling his heart sink in his chest.
“I'm glad you think so highly of me, Izuku.”
Deku realized he'd said too much and, more importantly, said things he didn't mean.
“Wait, Kacchan. I didn't mean… Sorry, wait.”
Bakugou, who had turned his back on him to leave, turned back to him.
“You know I don't mean those things. I just felt annoyed that you talked about it with them first, not me.”
“Believe me, I wish they hadn't known anything. I didn't even tell them anything; they saw me in the hallway and made the wrong assumptions.” He paused.
“I'm sorry I didn't confront you right away.” he concluded.
“Of course, I understand that, tough as you are, you have a hard time admitting that you feel emotions too.” He looked at him, smiling slightly.
The blond responded with a light punch on the shoulder.
“Hey!” Deku complained.
Bakugou held out his hand, showing his open palm.
“Everything okay?”
He shook it.
“Everything okay.”
They headed back to the study room.
“What music do you prefer for studying? I brought earphones,” Deku asked.
“What colors are missing from your noises? I was thinking about fuchsia,” the other joked.
“Idiot, there's no fuchsia noise. There's pink if you want.”
Bakugou laughed.
“Where do you get this crap from? You're incredible, really.”
“I know, thanks. Now we have to study.”
⏾
“He’s still not picking up,” Uraraka said, then hung up the phone as it went to voicemail.
“I believe he fell asleep,” Todoroki added.
“No, shit, Sherlock,” Bakugoi continued.
“We have to take the bus now, or we’ll miss the beginning of the movie.” Kirishima went on.
Reluctantly, the rest of the group agreed and when after a few minutes the vehicle stopped at the platform, they got on the bus and arrived at the cinema about 15 minutes later. Once they reached their destination they got in line, some for popcorn, for chips, drinks, or candy, waiting for the screening room to open.
“Deku, you there??” They heard Uraraka on the phone; “Are you coming? Are you running right now… what do you mean ‘sort of’? …Okay, bye.”
The group looked at her questioningly.
“He’s catching up with us, I think. I haven’t had much time to figure out where he was or anything.”
Once the food line was over, the group saw their friend rush in, wearing a pastel green raincoat, trying to catch his breath while looking around for his classmates. He saw Kirishima and Kaminari waving their arms and ran over to them.
“There you are, where were you?”
Deku breathed heavily, then replied, “I might have fallen asleep and had to run to get here in time.”
“Run? But it’s pouring! And how did you manage to get there so quickly?” Uraraka said.
“I might have used my quirk to get there on time. There’s not much traffic on the rooftops, after all.”
His friends stared at him, astonished.
“You’re insane. Anyway, the theater just opened. Let’s head in,” Bakugou noted.
They headed for the entrance line and had their tickets checked.
“Sorry I'm late, here's your ticket.” Deku handed it to the boy next to him, who took it.
“I thought you'd bail, even after all this trouble… forcing me to come,” the other boy said.
“Hey! You know I'd never do that, and no one forced you, Kacchan.”
“Uh, right.”
“I just slightly pressured you into coming, it's not forcing.”
“Whatever you say.”
Katsuki saw the boy looking at the large bowl of popcorn he was holding. “I got these to share, if you'd like.”
“Really? Thanks, Kacchan.” Deku looked at him, smiling.
“No problem; you got me the ticket after all.”
“Wait a minute, weren't you saying a few moments ago that I forced you to come?”
“Oh my god! Shut up for once, before I regret it and leave you here.”
Deku reached out for a handful of popcorn, but the blond stopped him by pushing his hand away.
“You're not allowed to eat these before the movie starts. You'll only finish them a few minutes in, otherwise.”
The boy snorted, “You're so annoying.”
The group then entered the room and Deku sat between Bakugou and Todoroki, to whose left was Uraraka, while to the right of the second boy were seated Kirishima and Kaminari respectively.
“I can’t wait to see the film, I’ve read so many theories about it,” Deku started.
“So you’ve spoiled yourself the movie already,” Bakugou told him.
“No! Well, a bit maybe, but I was just too curious. They say this will be a sort of summary project of all Miyazaki's works, with references to other films as well as his life.”
“And death,” the blonde added.
“Mh?”
“It’s one of the main themes.”
“Oh, so you’ve done some research too!”
“What, you thought you’d be the only one who was curious?”
The two of them went on comparing theories until the lights went off and the movie began. Bakugou handed Deku the bucket of popcorn, placing it on his lap, and leaned on the armrest between him and the boy, who responded muttering a “Thanks.”
As the movie progressed, Deku continued to make comments and observations about particular scenes and events, their meaning, babbling to himself, until his attention was diverted by the boy to his left.
“Midoriya, I’m sorry to interrupt your musings, but I think they’re bothering the people in front of us,” Todoroki said, and he immediately noticed some dirty looks from the row in front of them.
“Oh, yeah, sorry, sorry, I’ll be quiet,” he replied awkwardly.
“A very rare occurrence,” Bakugou commented.
“You’re so rude,” he said, and in response, the boy put a hand to his chest, feigning offense. The two let out a light laugh, which annoyed the people around them, who ordered them to be quiet.
They looked at each other, trying to suppress another laugh. The blond gestured for the other to be quiet and whispered, “Otherwise we’ll miss the movie,” and Deku nodded. The two returned their attention to the screening, and attempted to grab some popcorn from the bucket at the same time; their hands brushed delicately before they could quickly withdraw them. “Sorry,” Deku said.
“It’s fine,” the other replied, avoiding meeting his gaze.
“Why so embarrassed? We just touched hands, for God’s sake. Get a grip, Katsuki,” he thought.
When the film ended and the lights came back on, the group slowly stood up, some stretching after sitting for so long, others commenting on the finale.
"I thought it was truly brilliant, full of meaning, and the animation is so beautiful, I could never get tired of it," said Deku.
"I'm not sure I truly understood the ending, honestly," Kaminari added.
"No, please, don't encourage him, he might never stop talking."
"Very funny, Kacchan. Anyway..." and he began explaining all the metaphors and references to other past Studio Ghibli productions, while Kaminari looked at him slightly confused, and the others listened attentively.
They approached the exit, and Uraraka turned to the others with a smile: "Well, now that the film's over, how about we go to the arcade?"
"Great idea!" Kirishima exclaimed enthusiastically.
They headed toward the arcade attached to the cinema, greeted by the retro neon lights. Kaminari ran toward an F1 racing simulator, immediately proposing a competition to Todoroki, who, although reluctant, accepted the challenge with a half-smile, while the others scattered between the various games. Uraraka and Kirishima tested their skills at Pac-Man Battle Royale, the multiplayer version of the classic game.
Bakugou approached the Basketball Shooting game, looking challengingly at Deku, who immediately understood the situation and reached the other boy.
"Ready to lose?" he asked competitively.
"You'd like that," the blond replied.
Both stood in front of their respective spots, the machine turned on, and the red light of the countdown timers began to flash. The basketballs appeared, and the match began.
Bakugou was quick and decisive, his hands moving with lightning speed, bluntly, but still guaranteeing him a basket with every shot. On the other hand, Deku used a more fluid and controlled technique, focusing on accuracy. Each shot was calculated, his gaze fixed on the basket as he released the ball with a precise movement.
Their scores quickly increased. Bakugou smiled confidently, while Deku remained focused on the game, determined to win.
By mid-game, the two were almost tied. After a shot, Deku turned slightly toward Bakugou, observing his focused face, slightly frowning, and his cheeks slightly flushed from the effort. He immediately tried to turn his attention back to the game, but was caught off guard by a ball hurtling toward him at full speed, hitting him square in the face.
"Ow!" He brought a hand to his face, covering one eye that began to water from the impact.
"Fuck, Deku, are you okay?" the boy asked in a worried tone. "Shit, I missed the basket and the ball bounced back at you. You alright?"
"Don't worry, Kacchan, I'm fine, I've faced worse opponents than a basketball," he said ironically. The rest of their friends approached to make sure everything was okay. Uraraka abandoned the slot machine, which still hadn't brought her the luck she'd hoped for (despite the other kids trying to persuade her it was essentially a legal scam, she'd taken a chance on a whopping 1,000 ¥). Todoroki joined them, as did Kirishima and Kaminari, who had finished their Mortal Kombat match. Deku reassured them that everything was fine; after all, he was just a little red, it didn't seem like anything serious.
"Do you want me to get you some ice?" Uraraka asked.
"No, thanks. I'm fine now," he smiled in response. His gaze then fell on the scoreboard of the game that had just ended: Bakugou had beaten him by a few points and, obviously, he hadn't had time to retrieve with more shots.
"What? Surprised?" the boy provoked.
"Hey, that's not fair! I want a rematch."
"Forget it, I won, get over it," Bakugou retorted.
"You must have hit me on purpose, at the very least."
"Yeah, I admit it: I was just waiting to hit that slap-worthy face of yours" Deku gave him a not-so-restrained punch on the shoulder, glaring at him.
"Okay, who wants to be humiliated in the bowling alley?" Bakugou asked, catching the group's attention, who responded enthusiastically. Each one of them went to grab a pair of bowling shoes, laughing and joking as they got ready.
Deku grimaced, remembering all the times he'd been terribly bad at the game as a child.
"Let's hope I don't miss too many shots," he muttered under his breath.
Bakugou chuckled, seeing him deep in thought. "Don't worry, maybe you'll score more than 20 points this time."
"It's been a while since you've seen me play, maybe I've improved, who knows," he retorted.
"Of course; I’m sure it was part of All Might's training," Bakugou replied sarcastically, to which Deku stuck out his tongue.
"Very mature of you, nerd."
"Just don't hit me in the face with this ball this time, or are you going to use it again as your strategy to win?"
"I don't think I'll need it against you, but I can always use it as a tactic to shut you up."
They started playing, and the match began with Todoroki, who, with calm and precision, immediately landed an impressive strike, seemingly with minimal effort. Kirishima and Kaminari followed suit: Kirishima nearly hit the spare, immediately complaining that he'd only missed two pins, and Kaminari threw completely off target, with too much force, sending the ball into the gutter on both occasions.
"I see you have an… interesting technique," Todoroki commented with an amused smile.
"Come on, Kaminari, try not to destroy the lane!" Kirishima joked.
Uraraka subsequently managed to match Todoroki's score, missing only one pin out of ten after two throws. Bakugou followed, and with a strong, forceful throw, he scored a strike, ending his turn with a satisfied smile. When it was his turn, Deku took a deep breath, grabbed the ball, and concentrated, but his first throw missed.
"Don't worry, Deku, it's just a game!" Uraraka reassured him.
Todoroki approached him.
"Do you want some help?" he asked calmly. Then the boy showed him how to improve his grip and how to aim more accurately, positioning himself behind Deku. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Try this," and gently guided Deku's hand.
Bakugou's eyes remained fixed on the two.
"Are you okay, Bakubro?" Kirishima pulled him from his thoughts.
"Yeah, I just got distracted."
He and Kaminari looked at him questioningly, then returned their focus to the game.
With his friend's advice, Deku threw again, managing to hit several pins. It wasn't a strike, but it was definitely better than his first shot.
"Not bad, Midoriya," Todoroki said with a smile.
The game continued with ups and downs for everyone. Uraraka managed to get a couple of strikes, surprising everyone with her hidden skill. Kirishima and Kaminari continued to joke around, trying to distract each other during their throws, causing some rather comical results.
When it was Deku's turn again, he tried to remember Todoroki's advice. With a bit of luck, he managed to hit another decent throw, and with each turn, he managed to perfect his delivery more and more.
"You're getting better, Midoriya!" Kirishima said.
"You're not as bad as I remembered, or maybe you needed the assistance." Bakugou prepared for his turn. With his trademark eagerness, he aimed for the pins, but his shot was inaccurate, only hitting three. Deku couldn't help but chuckle, while the other boy scowled at him.
"You know, some people really do know how to make themselves useful and help a friend in need."
"But seeing you fail is far more satisfying." The boy returned his focus to the lane, finishing his turn with two missing spare pins, cursing under his breath.
"You're losing your touch, Kacchan. You wouldn’t want me to win, would you?"
"Go to hell, Deku." Bakugou pretended to threaten the boy with a small explosion.
The group continued playing, getting closer and closer to the end of the game. Before the final round, Bakugou and Todoroki were in contention for victory, with scores of 95 and 91 respectively, followed by Uraraka with 86 and Deku, who had managed to recover from his initial mistakes and reach 82 points, then Kirishima with 75 and Kaminari with 60 points.
The rankings remained unchanged in the subsequent round, until it was Bakugou's turn: Todoroki almost made it to the spare, Kirishima managed to accumulate a few points (unfortunately for him, not enough to surpass his friends), while Kaminari had given up, aiming haphazardly, more focused on having fun than anything else; Uraraka scored a total of 6 points, while Bakugou managed to knock down all the pins in both shots, earning an extra shot. He grabbed the ball and positioned himself, ready to shoot, but felt the object slip from his hands, which were now too sweaty. The ball slowly continued towards the pins, only knocking one over.
“Fuck!” He snorted. “Well, I’m still in the lead. Come on, Deku, let’s finish this, and try not to hit the edges this time.”
“You’re especially pleasant today.” The boy grabbed the hot pink ball and focused on aiming. For the first time in the match, the ball followed the desired trajectory, hitting the triangle of pins squarely in the center, knocking them all over.
“Strike!” Uraraka approached him excitedly, giving him a double high five to congratulate him. The boys congratulated him, and the round continued. Two more throws.
On his second shot, Deku repeated the gesture with the same focus and determination. Once again, the ball hit all the pins. Second strike.
“I can’t believe it!” Kaminari shouted, laughing and patting Kirishima on the back.
“Midoriya is killing it!” He nodded enthusiastically.
“Go for it, Mido, you’re great!”
It was time for the final throw. Deku caught the ball and, with a final deep breath, threw it. It rolled perfectly down the lane and, with a satisfying thud, knocked over all the pins. Third strike.
"Three strikes in a row! I can't believe it!" Uraraka exclaimed, hugging Deku.
Todoroki approached them. "Impressive, Midoriya."
Deku looked at the scoreboard. He had reached a score of 112, knocking Bakugou out of first place. "Did I... win?" he asked incredulously.
Bakugou looked at the scoreboard, his expression a mixture of disbelief and disgust. "What the fuck...?"
Deku smiled shyly. "Looks like you're not invincible after all, Kacchan. Maybe I'm not so bad."
"That's pure luck!" Bakugou blurted out, still incredulous.
"Of course, Kacchan," Deku replied with a slight smirk. "Maybe you should just train more."
Bakugou glared at him, then elbowed him in the side.
"Ouch! Will you stop already?"
"How dramatic, I was even gentle."
"As gentle as a bison can be! Seriously, don't take it personal. At least I won fairly." Deku taunted.
"Again with this? I told you it wasn’t on purpose! But I have to admit, you're really tempting me. Shall we repeat the incident with the bowling ball?"
The two continued to bicker while the rest of the group changed their shoes and headed for the exit. They then reached the bus stop, still elated by the evening they'd just had. Uraraka excitedly chatted with Todoroki about a new movie that was coming out soon, which she'd seen advertised in the theater, while Kaminari and Kirishima tried to upset Bakugou, who was still sore from his defeat.
He, walking beside them with his arms crossed, replied irritably: "You're seriously testing my patience. I advise you to stop."
The two, now immune to the boy's threats, ignored the fake-intimidating warnings, continuing to pester their friend even once they got on the bus. The vehicle took them to the stop closest to the high school in about 20 minutes, with a slight delay due to traffic, after which they got off.
They arrived at the dormitory after a few minutes' walk, guided by the artificial light of the street lamps, and once they reached their destination they bid goodbye and went to their rooms.
Bakugou remained in the kitchen, pouring water into the kettle to make tea.
"It's a draw, then."
The boy inserted the plug into the socket without turning around. "Mh?"
"We're tied. You won at basketball, I won at bowling. We need a tiebreaker."
Bakugou opened the tea bag box, looking for a light tea, suitable for the evening. "Is this your way of asking me for a challenge? Maybe at Ground Beta, while we're at it."
"Very funny. But no, I know it's already late for your curfew."
The other boy threw a sponge at him, which he promptly caught, then placed it on the kitchen table, as Bakugou approached.
"There's a movie coming out soon, Poor Things; Uraraka was telling us about it earlier. It would be nice to go, since it doesn't look like you had such a bad time tonight."
"Forget it." After a few moments, he poured hot water into the cup, adding a little sugar, the spoon clinking against the ceramic.
“Need I remind you that you owe me for the tickets?”
“Are you blackmailing me?” Bakugou took a sip of his tea, his gaze fixed on Deku.
“Of course not.”
The blond raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, just a little.” He smiled at him, and Bakugou couldn't help but notice that his eyes seemed to shine, like sparkling emeralds.
“Goodnight, Kacchan.”
“Night, Deku.”