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kenzdolls · 1 month ago

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𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

𖤐 synopsis: when intrusive voices from you quirk return with new threats in the middle of the night, you seek comfort from katsuki.

𖤐 trigger warnings: intrusive thoughts, self-doubt, fear of loss of control, and mild sleep disturbances.

𖤐 pairing: bakugou katsuki x fem!reader

𖤐 side note: this is a part two of ‘whispers in the dark’ because of the owner of this idea asking for a part two, so, tysm @montybooks

sleep had evaded you for hours. you'd tossed and turned in your bed at the u.a. dorms, trying every technique you knew to quiet your mind. counting sheep. deep breathing. focusing on happy memories from earlier that day—bakugou's hand in yours as you walked back from afternoon classes, the subtle way he'd positioned himself between you and mineta when the shorter boy had tried to approach you.

but as midnight approached, the whispers had returned with a vengeance.

you'll never be strong enough…

he only pities you…

what if you lost control during training?

what if you hurt someone?

what if you hurt him?

the last thought made you bolt upright, cold sweat beading on your forehead. that was new. the voices had never specifically targeted bakugou before.

he thinks he can save you. how cute.

but we've been with you so much longer…

you pressed your palms against your ears, knowing it wouldn't help but desperate to try anything. the darkness in your room seemed to shift and undulate, responding to your distress. a side effect of your quirk—shadows naturally bent toward you, especially when your emotions ran high.

"stop it," you whispered into the darkness. "leave me alone."

never alone. we are part of you. we are you.

your phone glowed on the nightstand. 12:03 am. too late to be bothering anyone, but…

"next time they start talking, come find me."

bakugou's words from earlier that day echoed in your memory, temporarily drowning out the malicious whispers. he'd been so certain, so unafraid. so different from everyone else who'd learned about your condition.

before you could talk yourself out of it, you grabbed your phone and a hoodie, slipping it over your sleep shorts and tank top. you padded barefoot to your door and peeked out into the hallway. the girls' floor was quiet, everyone sensibly asleep.

you made your way to the stairwell, avoiding the elevator that would announce your movements to the entire building. the boys' floor was on the one above yours. you'd never been to bakugou's room, but you knew which one it was—third door on the right. you'd noticed it during dorm tours at the beginning of the year.

he'll be angry. he'll reject you.

you're bothering him. weak. needy.

your hand hesitated, poised to knock. maybe this was a mistake. maybe he hadn't really meant it when he said to come find him.

he was just saying that. no one wants to deal with your problems in the middle of the night.

before the voices could convince you to turn back, you forced yourself to knock—three soft taps that sounded thunderous in the silent hallway.

no response.

see? he's ignoring you. or sleeping peacefully without a care about your suffering.

you were about to retreat when you heard movement from within the room. a thud, a muffled curse, then footsteps approaching the door.

it swung open to reveal a sleep-rumpled bakugou, hair even wilder than usual, wearing only a black tank top and gray sweatpants. his eyes were narrowed with irritation until they focused on you—then they widened slightly, the annoyance instantly replaced with concern.

"they're back?" he asked without preamble, voice rough with sleep.

you nodded, suddenly embarrassed. "i'm sorry. i shouldn't have—"

before you could finish, he grabbed your wrist and pulled you into his room, closing the door quietly behind you.

"sit," he ordered, pointing to his bed.

his room was surprisingly neat, you noticed. the walls were lined with hero posters, mostly of all might, with a few books about quirk theory stacked on his desk. a weight set sat in one corner, and the faint scent of nitroglycerin—bakugou's natural scent—permeated the space.

"i really am sorry," you said, perching awkwardly on the edge of his bed. "i just… they were saying things. new things. worse things."

he doesn't care. look how annoyed he is.

but bakugou didn't look annoyed as he sat beside you, close enough that your shoulders brushed. despite the hour and being woken up, his eyes were alert, focused entirely on you.

"what kind of things?" he asked.

you stared at your hands. "that i might hurt someone with my quirk. that i might… hurt you."

you felt him stiffen slightly beside you.

"as if you could," he scoffed, but his tone lacked its usual bite.

we could show him. we could show him how powerful we could be.

"that's the thing," you whispered. "sometimes i think they might be right. what if i lost control? my quirk… it feeds on negative emotions. fear. anger. what if one day i can't stop it?"

bakugou was quiet for a moment, considering. then he did something that surprised you—he took your hand, lacing his fingers through yours.

"you know what i think?" he finally said. "i think your quirk isn't the problem. it's the fear."

you looked at him, confused. "what do you mean?"

"you're afraid of your power," he explained, his thumb absently stroking the back of your hand. "always have been, probably. so you hold back. you keep it all bottled up until it finds other ways out. like these voices."

he's wrong. we are your true power. let us show you.

you shook your head, trying to clear it. "the doctor said—"

"doctors don't know shit about quirks like ours," bakugou interrupted. "they have their theories, but they're not the ones living with it."

he thinks he knows better than professionals? arrogant boy.

"what would you suggest, then?" you asked, genuinely curious. no one had ever approached your condition from this angle before.

bakugou's free hand reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear with unexpected gentleness. "you need to stop being afraid of yourself."

"that's easier said than done," you murmured, leaning slightly into his touch.

"i know," he acknowledged. "but think about it. when are the voices loudest?"

you considered the question. "when i'm stressed. when i've used a lot of my quirk. when i'm tired or afraid."

"and when are they quietest?"

the answer came immediately. "when i'm with you." it was true, even now—though still present, the whispers had faded to background noise the moment bakugou had pulled you into his room.

something like satisfaction flashed across his face. "and why do you think that is?"

don't listen to him. he's trying to take us away from you.

you frowned, ignoring the voice. "i don't know. maybe because… because you make me feel safe?" the admission made heat rise to your cheeks.

bakugou nodded. "and when you feel safe, you're not afraid of losing control."

there was wisdom in his words that surprised you. for someone so explosive, bakugou had remarkable insight into the nature of fear and control.

"so what do i do?" you asked softly. "i can't be with you every second of every day."

no, but we can. we're always here.

the corners of bakugou's mouth quirked up slightly. "wouldn't be the worst thing."

your heart skipped a beat at the implication, but you tried to stay focused. "i'm serious, katsuki."

"so am i," he said, shifting to face you more directly. "look, i'm not saying it'll be easy. but you need to start trusting yourself. your power isn't evil just because it's dark."

we could be so much more if you'd just listen…

"the voices disagree," you said wryly.

bakugou's eyes narrowed. "what are they saying right now?"

you hesitated, then decided on honesty. "that they could make me more powerful if i'd listen to them."

"and what do you want?"

the question caught you off guard. "what?"

"what. do. you. want?" he repeated, emphasizing each word. "not what the voices want. not what your parents want. not what the doctors say you should want. what do you want?"

no one had ever asked you that before. you'd spent so long trying to suppress your quirk, to be normal, to not succumb to the whispers, that you'd never considered what you might actually want.

"i want…" you began slowly, "i want to understand my quirk better. i want to use it without being afraid. i want to be a hero without worrying that i'll turn into a villain."

bakugou nodded approvingly. "good start."

empty dreams. we know what you really want.

you swallowed hard before adding, "and right now, i want the voices to shut up so i can sleep."

his expression softened almost imperceptibly. "lay down."

"what?"

"you heard me. lay down." he shifted to make room on his bed.

your eyes widened. "bakugou, i can't stay here—"

"why the hell not?" he challenged. "you need sleep. the voices are quieter around me. simple solution."

put that way, it did sound logical. but still…

"what if someone finds out?"

he rolled his eyes. "who's going to find out? and who gives a damn if they do?"

he just wants to take advantage of you.

the voice was weaker now, less convincing. you knew bakugou better than that.

"the voices think you have ulterior motives," you said with a small smile.

bakugou snorted. "tell the voices i have some fucking honor." but there was a hint of pink across his cheekbones that told you the thought had crossed his mind.

after another moment's hesitation, you gave in to exhaustion and lay down on his bed. bakugou stretched out beside you, far enough away to be respectful but close enough that you could feel his warmth.

"better?" he asked, his voice softer than you'd ever heard it.

you nodded, already feeling the whispers receding further. "much."

"good. now sleep." it wasn't a suggestion but a command.

a comfortable silence fell between you, broken only by the sound of your breathing gradually synchronizing with his. the voices had faded to barely audible murmurs, unable to penetrate the sense of safety bakugou's presence provided.

just as you were drifting off, you felt his hand find yours again in the darkness.

"hey," he said quietly.

"hmm?" you mumbled, already half-asleep.

"tomorrow after class. training grounds. you and me."

you forced your eyes open to look at him questioningly.

"we're going to work on your quirk," he explained. "no holding back. full power. i can take it."

alarm shot through you, momentarily banishing sleep. "katsuki, i don't think—"

"that's the problem," he interrupted. "you think too much. you're afraid of what might happen, so you never let yourself find out what will happen."

he doesn't know what he's asking for.

for once, you were inclined to agree with the voice. "it's dangerous."

bakugou's laugh was soft but genuine. "everything about being a hero is dangerous. but we train to control it, not avoid it."

his confidence was infectious, and you found yourself nodding despite your fears. "okay. tomorrow."

"good," he said, satisfied. then, more hesitantly, "and after that… maybe dinner? off campus."

your heart stuttered. "like… a date?"

even in the darkness, you could sense his discomfort with the explicit labeling. "call it whatever you want. just say yes."

a smile spread across your face. "yes."

he gave your hand a squeeze before releasing it. "now seriously, go to sleep. i need my rest if i'm going to deal with your darkness tomorrow."

the way he said it—not with fear or pity but with determination and maybe even a hint of excitement—made something warm bloom in your chest. as if your quirk was a challenge he was eager to face, not a burden he was reluctantly accepting.

this won't last. nothing good ever does.

but for once, the voice seemed distant and unconvincing. bakugou's steady breathing beside you was far more real, more immediate.

"katsuki?" you whispered, not sure if he was still awake.

"mm?" came the sleepy response.

"thank you."

he shifted slightly closer, his arm brushing against yours. "don't thank me yet. wait till after i kick your ass in training tomorrow."

you laughed softly, knowing his bravado was his way of saying "you're welcome." as sleep finally claimed you, the last thing you were aware of was the complete silence in your mind and the comforting warmth of bakugou beside you—a beacon in the darkness, keeping the whispers at bay.

for the first time in as long as you could remember, you slept through the night without a single nightmare, your shadows calm and still around you both.

taglist: [open]

mutuals: @https-bakugo @haikyuubby @va-3 @lotusstarr @tulippanes @gh0st-g1rll @luvseraphh

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shotorozu · 10 months ago

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ooo i saw your pick me girl hcs from awhile back and loved them! can i request something similar for ashido/kirishima/kaminari but with the reader encountering a “nice guy” instead? thank you <33

NICE GUYS DO FINISH LAST

characters . . .

ASHIDO MINA, KIRISHIMA EIJIROU, KAMINARI DENKI, BAKUGOU KATSUKI, TODOROKI SHOUTO

notes . . .

a quick one because i was getting overwhelmed with writing this one request for my comeback 🧍‍♀️ (a lil sneak peek: it’s todobakudeku as ex husbands)

female! reader

MINA is actually offended that this guy thinks it’s going to work. like.. calling you short (even if you might not be), trying to compare hand sizes with you, the self deprecating humor— she’s actually going to throw up in her mouth… 🤢 though, she already clocked this guy’s tea iykwim… she has interacted with guys like him before, and she knew from the very beginning what he wanted— especially when he tried to replace her. the wicked witch and the audacity of this bitch…

“she’s not gonna pick you… if you’re really that nice, you’d stop being so sad… 😹”

if the advancements didn’t stop, she’d basically do whatever she could to make sure he knew that your ass was a fruitcake and not interested… even if it was laughable on her end.

“let’s go my scissor sister!!”

“girl??”

EIJIROU is an actual nice guy… he doesn’t need to say it for it to be known, so maybe that why he knew exactly what was going on the moment he heard this guy flap his lips… he was ashamed that this guy actually labelled himself as a “nice guy” because honestly it was even starting to confuse him like… what if he’s the one that’s not nice for thinking this way? he’s literally gaslighting himself at this point 😭

but because EIJIROU’s so nice, he’d actually pull the dude aside, speak to him from one man to another man, and tell him that he doesn’t need to do all of this because you’re just not interested (oh, and y’all are dating!!)

“hey man… i’m telling you this because i thought you’d want to know, but she’s not interested. might never be, so like… quit it, dude.”

but when the dude pretends the conversation never happened, that’s when he starts getting visibly angry… he’ll be more firm when it comes to telling him off, and he’ll get in between y’all. if you wanted to tell him off yourself, then he’d be right behind you with his arms crossed.

DENKI laughs because he thinks this isn’t a serious thing at all like… there’s no way somebody actually acts like this, right? this is all fiction. he quickly realizes that this is in fact NOT fiction, and this dude is dead serious— and this is when DENKI starts to panic. he alternates between laughing (because not even mineta is that ridiculous) and being gobsmacked at this behavior. it has him lowkey paranoid, because he wonders if he has ever acted like that towards anyone, even if he meant well.

similar to kiri, DENKI is the type to pull the guy aside and tell him what’s up. except, he’d do it so casually, the guy would probably think he’s joking. now, DENKI’s scared because the guy was trying to rope him in his shenanigans (even though he’d never resort to such tactics!!)

he’ll try to joke that being a “nice guy” is out of style (except he’s not really joking) and because this guy genuinely freaks him out, he’d just focus on creating distance between you and that dude.

“bro was gooning so hard 😭 that was not sigma 😹”

KATSUKI practically implodes, when he first sees it, but it’s such an expected reaction— the nice guy doesn’t even think twice about it. KATSUKI looks annoyed— pissed off, when this rando goes up to you and pats you on the head with his unwashed hand, but after the nice guy momentarily goes away, KATSUKI turns to you and tells you to ignore it. not because he thinks you can’t deal with the problem, nor that it isn’t worth dealing with appropriately, but because he doesn’t want you to worry about someone like him any longer. there are better things for both of y’all to worry about, and this will no longer be your problem.

KATSUKI doesn’t even give the dude the luxury of a warning, the next time he sees him and they’re ALONE?? he’s approaching him with such speed, it has the guy shaking in his boots. the nice guy literally regrets trying to be all nice to you for ulterior motives, and he makes it known— but KATSUKI doesn’t care anymore.

“i was just being nice! can’t a guy be nice anymore??”

“oh so you wanna die—”

“sheesh, okay! fine! i’ll stop. the bitch doesn’t deserve it anyway…”

“… say what.”

KATSUKI did in fact deal with it, and you never had to think twice about him again (excluding the times you laughed about it to him.)

“ngl i can’t believe he thought that’d work.”

“well he’s a fucking dumbass. focus on stretching.”

SHOUTO is so confused, because he can’t understand why anyone would actually act this way, and for ulterior motives too. he can’t understand lying about who you are to get something— especially if that somebody is you, and especially if someone just wants that attention. it’s one thing to have a crush on you, sure (he gets that because he literally does), but it’s another thing to make you uncomfortable in the process of trying to get with you.

SHOUTO looks puzzled— insulted even, when he sees this guy pat you on the head and call you short. not just because he literally touched you and made you uncomfortable, but also because he could’ve been wrong too 😭

SHOUTO wouldn’t try to hide the fact that he’s trying to get in between of you. he’s literally like a sturdy foundation, unable to be moved— even if the guy tried to push him aside (also… that’s certainly a choice..)

SHOUTO is blunt with it. he will try to correct him on your height— even if he doesn’t need to. nice guy probably already knows that you’re not actually that short, but SHOUTO needs to make things known.

“please get it right. she’s not short.” (he’d say, if you’re not)

“you’re quite wrong, she’s not that short.” (he’d say, if you are)

and he’d just watch the color drain off his face with secret satisfaction, and the room atmosphere would go awkward afterwards (but does he GAF, nope…)

“you didn’t have to annihilate him like that,” you’d tease SHOUTO later, and then sarcastically remark, “i thought he was a nice guy”

“they finish last. at least, according to a saying.”

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tinyraptorhands · 24 days ago

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Pro Hero, Pro Mama, No Problem pt. 7

(TW; breastfeeding, Mineta being Mineta. Special message in honor of mother's day at the end.)

"If it isn't the Bakugo clan!" Kirishima greeted you three with his famous sharp smile, patting Katsuki on the back. "And here's the tiny baby Bakugo!!" He grinned, Katsumi looking up at him curiously. "Could I hold her?" He looked to you first, then Katsuki. Katsuki looked to you.

"Oh, uh, yeah-" you said, but suddenly Katsuki cut you off.

"Wash your damn hands first!" Katsuki barked, holding Katsumi tighter. You blinked up at him, and Kirishima nodded quickly.

"Ah, yeah, 'course! My bad!" He gestured for you all to come in. As you both slipped off your shoes in the genkan, you heard more chatter coming from inside. The smells of pizza and fried foods hit your nose, and some soft rock was playing in the background.

It felt like back when you all would get together. You had to drag Katsuki to come to these kinds of things.

Now it was the other way around.

"(Y/n)! Omigod, you're here and-" Mina stopped dead in her tracks. She zeroed in on Katsumi. "Oh. My. God."

Katsumi burbled, her head leaning against Katsuki's shoulder. "Not. A word. Raccoon eyes." He huffed. Mina looked like she was holding in a scream. A scream of pure, cute aggression induced glee.

She wasn't the only one.

When the three of you moved into the living area, the girls gathered around you.

"Oh my goooosh!" Hagakure gestured wildly, Katsumi's red eyes looked at the seemingly dancing clothes in front of her. Her eyes then landed on Jiro, who looked like she was holding in a squeal of her own, her usually calm face replaced with a wobbling grin. Momo had stopped helping serve tea, bee-lining for Katsuki-or rather, Katsumi and Ochaco was waving a little stuffed Deku in front her.

"Oooh, hewwo Katsumi chaaaan~!" Ochaco cooed. Katsumi's eyes looked over at her. And of course, she immediately latched onto the Deku doll.

"Oi, don't grab it, brat!" Katsuki said, his voice not really reprimanding.

"Oh, it's fine! It's for her anyways!" Ochaco said. Katsuki huffed.

"Really?? A Deku doll??" He grumbled, and Katsumi began to gnaw on the felt fabric of the Deku doll's hair.

"Told you he'd complain, ribbit." Tsuyu came up to the group, and smiled. "Hello, little Katsumi chan."

Katsumi continued to chew on the doll. You smiled gratefully at them all. "Sorry, she's teething at the moment." You explained.

You both suddenly flinched at the sound of things being knocked into, and a curse or two. But then...

"Okay! I'm ready!!" Kirishima came back, and you and Katsuki turned...

Only to see him with elbow length rubber dish gloves, with pillows taped to his body, and a medical face mask.

"...Shitty Hair. What the hell are you wearing?" Katsuki deadpanned. You held in a laugh.

"Baby safety, dude!" Kaminari came up from behind him, in similar garb. "We figured we should be as clean and safe as possible!"

"And now my elbows hurt!" Sero called out from the kitchen. "I tried telling the four of them they were going overboard!"

"Four?" You and Katsuki echoed, and sure enough, Todoroki and Iida came walking in from the kitchen.

"We're ready." Todoroki said, a serious look not at all matching the weird get-up he donned.

"Indeed! Proper baby handling is a no-brainer! And we're being extra cautious! Don't worry you two!" Iida clapped his hands on both you and Katsuki's shoulders, "we'll be careful when holding our neice!"

Katsuki balked, then blurted, "N-neice!? Oi, who said anything about-"

You hushed him with an elbow to the ribs, making him grunt. "While we appreciate your...uhm...efforts, you only really need to wash your hands..." you stated. You could hear the girls giggling in the background, and Jiro sighing heavily.

"I tried telling them that," Sero came in, still rubbing his elbows. "But noooo, they had to be extra about it."

"So...Can we hold her now!?" Kirishima looked starry-eyed. You and Katsuki exchanged a look.

"How about you loose all that crap, and you can hold her for as long as you want, Red." Katsuki said, and looked to the other three. "That goes for you three, too."

"Are you absolutely sure-" you both cut Iida off.

"Definitely." You both said.

Kirishima looked like he was holding a live bomb, his arms extended away from him. He was sitting on the couch with you, Katsuki and Midoriya-the latter looking a little pensive since he got here. "Oh God." Kirishima stared at her. "Its like I'm being judged by a baby Bakugo."

You chuckled, taking the tea offered by Momo. "Its okay, just hold her up to your chest, like how Katsuki was holding her..."

As Kirishima maneuvered her, Katsumi's eyes blinked wondorously at his hair.

"Aah..." she cooed, the girls all in the room melting at her noise. Katsumi began to fist his hair, making grabbing motions. You inwardly winced when you heard the crunch of product in his hair, hoping Katsumi wouldn't get any in her mouth.

Kirishima looked at her. "Damn, dude..." he turned to Katsuki. "Shes beautiful." His eyes were watering. Katsuki smirked.

"Tell me somethin' I don't know." Katsuki said proudly, sipping on a beer. You chuckled.

You smiled as a few photos were taken, and soon Katsumi was being passed around, the kitchen sink getting a workout in hand washing.

Everyone had gotten their turn, and then some.

Except...

"Hey, Mineta!" Kaminari, who was bouncing Katsumi in his arms looked over at the uninterested grape hero; "don't you wanna hold your neice??"

"Hell no!" Both Mineta and Katsuki said. Then Mineta looked at Katsuki, offended. "Wait! What's your deal!? Why can't I? Not that I want to-"

"Because you're a creep. No amount of hand washing or visiting a soapland weekly is gonna wash your gross away." Katsuki stated, taking Katsumi out of Kaminari's arms abruptly. Mineta scoffed.

"Oh please. She's just a baby." He then smirked, saying a little too loudly to himself, hand on chin, "But if she gets her mom's looks, maybe in 18 year's time-"

"No!" Everyone stated bluntly, Katsuki the loudest.

"Oh, come on! You all act like I'm diseased-"

"Maybe not physically, but the mind..." Momo trailed off.

"Hey!" Mineta whined. "I bet that kid'll love me when they get old enough to see how cool I am!"

"I'll kill you before that happens." Katsuki hissed, holding a now sleepy Katsumi tighter. "Ain't no kid of mine is gonna be influenced by you, grapist."

Mineta rolled his eyes. "Whatever, babies are gross anyway."

"Die." Katsuki said bluntly.

You rolled your eyes, and looked over at an unusually quiet Midoriya who sat to your left. "Hey, Midoriya-are you alright?" You asked softly, facing him fully as Katsuki bickered with Mineta. "You've been rather quiet."

"Hm? Oh, uhm...yeah. I was...I mean, I've just been concerned." He said, rubbing the back of his head. "Don't mind me, (y/n)."

You frowned. "Well, now I'm concerned. Whats wrong?"

He looked at you, then away. "Uh, well...I just don't want you passing out again..." he looked at you, his eyes looking into yours. "It scared alot of us."

Oh.

Right.

They hadn't seen you since the gala.

You gave him a small smile. "I'm...okay. Really. Things like this," you nodded to everyone, who was now trying to get Katsumi to smile- "I'm okay with."

He smiled softly. "I know it might not be much. But you can count on us if you...need to talk. We might not get it entirely," he chuckled, so did you, "but we'll listen."

You would've hugged him, if a certain husband didn't flip shit. You patted his hand instead. "Thanks, Midoriya." You said softly, your voice catching.

"Anytime, (y/n)."

"Katsumi dono, your beauty is ephemeral. Your eyes hold a fire the likes I've never seen." Tokoyami waxed poetics as he held her again, his face still stoic.

"Thats nice of you to say, Tokoyami." You said, smiling-humoring the man. Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, thanks EdgeLord." He huffed. "But seriously, give her to (y/n). She's gotta feed her."

Tokoyami looked...uncharacteristically torn. "Yes. Of course." He gently handed her back to you. Koda patted him on the shoulder silently, smiling softly in his usual quiet way. It seemed the 'prince of darkness' was enjoying holding her, Dark Shadow whined a bit at the loss.

"You can hold her again before we leave, I promise." You said softly. Tokoyami blushed, and nodded his head with a grunt. Dark Shadow made some happy noises.

You then looked towards Kirishima, hiking up Katsumi's diaper bag. "Which room did you say I could use?"

"Oh!" Kirishima got up, smiling. "Guest bedroom, down that hall, first right you see!" He grinned. "Got it all set up for you. Even put a water bottle in there for ya! Bakugo said you get real thirsty when feeding her!"

Katsuki looked away, blushing. You smiled at Kirishima gratefully. "Thanks, Kiri." He nodded, sharp teeth grinning. Katsuki watched you leave, and then went back to his seat by Denki.

As you followed his directions, you found yourself in a decidedly clean room. There were still some boxes that Kirishima clearly threw in to be stored, but there was a nice full sized bed, with clean black linens. You placed the diaper bag down, and noted the promised water bottle on the oak nightstand. You smiled softly, and propped yourself up on the pillows, settling in for a feeding.

You heard the voices of the others in the other room, muffled but carrying over to you. Katsumi's soft suckling sound was the only other sound in the room.

The peace was nice.

If not a bit isolating.

You started to feel a little lonely. Everyone out there was having fun.

Laughing.

Drinking.

Talking.

And once again, you felt so...

Very...

Alone.

You bit the inside of your cheek.

No, no one had forgotten you. You knew that. You knew you were the only one who could feed Katsumi right now.

But damn, if it didn't feel-

A soft knock on the door startled you slightly. "Oi, it's just me."

As if Katsuki had super senses, he came in quietly, shutting the door behind him softly.

"Everyone was getting annoying." He huffed, and looked at you. His gaze softened. "How's the runt?"

"Shes okay. Getting sleepy, I think." You said, voice barely above a whisper as you looked down. Katsumi's eyes were flickering, fighting off milk-induced sleep. "...or milk drunk." You chuckled softly, brushing a few hairs away from her face. He walked over, sitting on the other side of the bed. Without a word, he propped himself up, bringing your head to his shoulder. You sighed softly, inhaling his cologne. "...Thank you." You said softly.

"Mm." He hummed, looking down at Katsumi. "...She's getting bigger."

"I know." You smiled warmly.

So did he. "Everyone's goin' nuts. Sayin' they're gonna have her be their sidekick. Callin' dibs already. Tch," he clicked his tongue, "as if I'd let her be a sidekick. Kid's gonna be a hero, right outta the gate."

You chuckled. "Pretty sure she has to start somewhere."

"Then she'll start with me." He retorted. "Kid's gonna be amazing. And I can protect her better that way."

You raised an eyebrow, "Protect her, huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He ran a hand over her head, the whisps of hair catching slightly on his calloused hands. "I...want her working with me. Or you....preferably me." He said.

"And what if she doesn't wanna be a hero?" You asked. You felt him stiffen for a moment-only to regain himself.

"Then...I still wanna protect her. No matter what she chooses." He stated, resolute. You smiled.

"Well, that goes without saying. We're both pretty powerful. I'm sure she'll be fine, no matter what." You said, suddenly taking on the role of comforter to alleviate his worry. You reached up, swiping a blonde tuft of hair away from his face.

He caught your wrist, and pressed a kiss to your palm. "Mm. Yeah...." he murmured into your hand, eyes closing. "No matter what."

"No matter what, little Katsumi," you looked back down at her, eyes closed as she continued to suck, "we'll protect you."

After all, you both were heroes...

But parents, first.

((Sorry if this one is short! I've been kinda busy lately, and since I wanted this out by mother's day, I had to cut it a bit short. I'm terrible with group scenes, if I'm honest. Also, I figured out how to edit font and crap! Yay!))

Alsooo... Happy mother's day, to all the moms out there. The moms who gave birth, were chosen, have adopted kids, miscarried, lost a child, grandmoms, aunts, single parents, sisters, the ones who haven't given birth, pet moms and the ones who are still trying for a child! You all are amazing, and valid! Have an amazing day!

#bakugo x y/n #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugo katsuki #reader is a mom #bakugo x female reader #mha x reader #mha #Reader has post partum depression and anxiety #happy mother's day

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ltadoriyuujl · 5 months ago

Text

your orbit is the best place to be

☆ earth is large and space is infinite and yet you still can never be more than 2 degrees of separation from the boy made of stars that has held your heart in his hands forever.

☆ bakugou katsuki x reader, 7.2k words

☆ no cw, bkg gets jealous, mineta is there as the worlds sleaziest plot device

☆ a/n: wow my first official tumblr fic! a million thank yous to all the oomfs that kept me motivated enough to finish this. @teddybeartoji @ms0milk <3 you guys

“Man, it's been ages since we've been to a station. I don't know about you guys, but I'm so ready to get off the ship.”

“Tell me about it. I'm honestly starting to go a little crazy in here.”

“I'm definitely excited. A buddy of mine told me the, ahem, ‘working girls’ of Iltari-7 can suck the silver off a new cybernetic.”

“Fucking hell, Denki, what kind of degenerates do you hang out with and why are they giving you hooker recommendations?”

Boisterous laughter bounced off the chrome walls of the lounge as your face screwed up in disgust. Most of the crew of the Aldera were scattered around the room, reclining and relaxing in various positions. Kirishima Eijirou, first mate, copilot, and the one who had spoken first, was seated on a stool by the small bar, his muscular back resting against the table so he could face the room. Sero Hanta, the ship's mechanic and gunnery chief, sat cross-legged on the floor, the parts of some new passion project littered around him. And Kaminari Denki, one of the best software engineers this side of the galaxy and the current source of your ire, was sprawled on the old couch positioned directly across from your own chair.

“C'mon, cut me some slack, Doc. A guy can't get lonely?” Denki’s grin was large and unabashed, even as he tried to feign hurt. The corners of your own mouth started to quirk up.

“You say that like the rest of us are imaginary or something. I'm touched that you value our friendship so deeply, Denki,” you replied, your tone dry despite the amusement on your face.

“Love you too, but friendship doesn't get me-”

“And that is my cue to leave.” You swung your legs down from their perch on the center table, a second round of laughter ringing out as you stood. “I'm going to talk to our esteemed captain, see if I can negotiate an extra day in port.”

Kirishima snorted as you passed him on your way to the door. “Good luck. Cap says 3 days, so really we're looking at 2 and a half. But hey, if anyone could get him to budge it's you, Doc.”

Solidly ignoring the implications of that statement, you pulled open the lounge door, stepped out into the hallway, and slid the door home again with extreme prejudice. The howls of your crewmates were audible from behind the thick steel as your legs began to carry you towards the bridge.

Bakugou Katsuki, captain of the Aldera, was something of an enigma to the larger spacefaring community. Only a handful of people even knew his full name, half of them being the ship's crew and the other half either on Earth or scattered through the far reaches of space. To most, he was the fearsome Dynamight, scourge of the endless night, the man who haunted the nightmares of hardened Federation admirals. The reward for his head was large enough to buy a small moon. He wasn't just a space pirate, he was the space pirate.

He also set the ship's day/night simulation settings to the Tokyo timezone so he could get 8 hours of sleep no matter where he was in the galaxy. He didn't drink, didn't smoke, and his only vice was the adrenaline of a fire fight. You'd been there when his arms were almost blown off, and kept him alive long enough to get them replaced by top of the line implants with veins that carried lighter fluid instead of blood. He'd knocked out one of your front teeth when you were 6 and he was 7, and there was a very faint scar on his left shoulder because you bit him immediately after. When he'd shown up to your dorm in the middle of the night, freshly defected with nothing to his name but a stolen ship and a handful of flight school buddies and asked you to come with him to the stars, you'd been gone before your RA was even awake enough to investigate the racket.

Lost in recollection, you almost ran face-first into the bridge door, catching yourself just in time to avoid being laid out by an inanimate object. Katsuki's first order of business as an outlaw was calling in a couple favors from some below-board mechanics and getting the whole ship remade into the specimen it was today. The Aldera, formerly the S.S. Yuuei, was refitted with brand new guns, shields, and stealth tech. Your captain also had the onboard AI stripped to barely more than glorified autopilot and, despite Denki's grumbles about the boredom of his post, the decision wasn't without merit. It disabled the Federation failsafe of remotely hijacking a vessel through its operating system, but while it was no doubt a great safety measure that had allowed you all to evade capture more times than you could count, even 5 years on the run wasn't enough to erase a lifetime of being used to automatic comforts and there was surely more security footage of you smacking into doors than you'd like.

You're forced to squint as you step into the navigation room, the sunny “high noon” lighting at stark odds with the inky blackness outside the plexiglass window that dominated the room. Katsuki's form was visible in the captain's chair, right where you suspected he'd be. Vermillion eyes darted to yours as you moved to stand next to him, and with a small huff he dismissed the holopad he was reading and turned his full attention to you.

“Doc.” Your title rolled off his tongue and fell at your feet, almost slimy with sarcasm. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Hello to you too, Captain. I'm great, thanks for asking. I love that our first conversation of the day is starting off on such a good note.” Your tone was sickening in its faux sweetness, and the snort you received in return made you roll your eyes good-naturedly.

“We've known each other way too long to bother with idiotic small talk.”

“Yeah, but you should be nice to the person who keeps you and your crew in fighting shape.”

“That person is me, and I've told you how I feel about your wellness tips.”

You flipped him off, though the grin on your face matched his. Talking with him was always easy.

“Seriously though, did you need something?” Katsuki asked, his hands flitting over the ship's console as he minutely adjusted the course. “We should be docking within the next 4 hours.”

You let out a hum of acknowledgement, your gaze turning to the multitude of stars twinkling outside. “I told the guys I was going to ask you about getting another day in port, but really I just needed to get out of the conversation. Denki was starting to talk about station whores and that is not a topic I have the energy for right now.”

Katsuki made a disgusted noise. “If that dumbass catches anything I'm venting him out of the airlock.”

“It honestly might be the best course of action. You abducted me before we got to the ‘alien STI’ section of the curriculum.” You had to bite your lip to stop yourself from doubling over in laughter as he groaned. The glare he fixed you with was venomous, but it'd been a long time since his irritation could get under your skin.

“If I recall correctly, and I'm pretty fucking sure I do, you basically tripped over yourself to come with me. You had a bag packed and everything!”

“It was my overnight bag. Who knew midnight hookups and spontaneously going off-world required such similar supplies?”

A shadow passed over Katsuki's face, his features clouded by an expression that you almost recognized, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He huffed and started to fidget with the controls again, obviously trying to occupy his hands.

“Whatever, you were still embarrassingly eager. All ‘Oh ‘Suki, I'd follow you anywhere’.” The pitch of his voice rose mockingly and you gasped in indignation. If he wanted to go low, you'd take it to hell.

Bracing one hand on the back of his chair and the other on the armrest, you leaned as far into his space as you were able without falling into his lap. Katsuki fixed you with a hard stare but, bullheaded man that he was, refused to give any ground. Your faces were inches apart, and you could hear him dragging in each breath with purpose, desperate not to let his pulse quicken in your presence.

“Since your memory is apparently so good, Captain,” your voice was low, bordering on sultry, “remind me, which one of us begged? What was it you said… ‘I don't want to do any of this without you?’ At 3 in the morning no less. If we're going to talk about eagerness and desperation, let's start there.”

Your faces were still close, closer than they really had any right to be. Red began to color Katsuki's ears and cheeks, but his mouth was set in a grim, determined line. You two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, unstoppable force and immovable object. Finally, your captain scowled and turned his head away from you, breaking the deadlock. You bit back a whoop of joy at your victory in whatever odd dominance play you two had been engaged in, settling instead for a satisfied smirk as you straightened up again.

“Doesn’t matter who said what anyway,” he muttered under his breath, and you could almost see the wounded animal that was his pride settling hard in his chest. “We’re both here, aren’t we? Five years and you haven’t jumped ship yet.”

Your expression softened, and you reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. “You’re never, ever getting rid of me, I can promise you that. We’re stuck with each other, ‘Suki.” You felt the tension leak out of his frame and something like longing mixed with affection and took root in your lungs. For all the ways he was different, more grown-up and mature, he was also still the boy that drew his own star maps, the one that sat with you on the roof of his house and taught you how to recognize each constellation until you could point them out blindfolded.

His eyes were on you again and you withdrew your hand, suddenly conscious of the change in atmosphere. Clearing your throat, you took an awkward step back and turned halfway towards the door in an attempt to escape before you said anything you'd regret. “I'm going to double-check the supplies in medical. Make sure my shopping list is complete and all that. I’ll, uh, catch you later, Captain.” Your retreat was hasty, despite your best efforts at keeping calm, and you only allowed yourself to breathe once the cockpit door was shut behind you.

“Ah, good old station air!”

The Aldera was nestled comfortably into a dock in the Iltari-7 ship port, a small swarm of mechanics already seeing to any necessary repairs. You'd all wasted no time disembarking and Denki looked about ready to kiss the dubiously clean ground.

“You know, it's weird how every single port manages to smell like the same combination of recycled oxygen, burnt fuel, and piss,” you remarked, stretching your arms languidly above your head. “It’s almost comforting at this point.” The men around you let out various noises of agreement before delving into a conversation about whether or not the smell was natural or purposely manufactured.

You tuned them out, your eyes glued instead to the distant form of your captain barking instructions at some poor dock aide. You couldn't quite make out the words but you’d be willing to bet it was something about making sure there wasn't a paint chip out of place when he got back. He was clad in his favorite faded leather vest (originally from his days in the Federation Academy, it was now so covered with studs and patches it was barely recognizable as Federation property) and a fitted black shirt and pants combo that showed off his figure in a way that was deeply detrimental to your sanity.

Eventually he finished scaring the piss out of the innocent and stomped over to where your merry band was waiting. He reached into the satchel resting on his hip and dug out 4 cards.

“The keys to our hotel rooms,” he said as he shared them out. “You lose it, I’ll kick your ass and take the money to replace it out of your next paycheck.”

Kirishima whistled as he turned the small piece of plastic in his hands. “Damn boss, what kind of place did you find that still uses physical keys?”

“The kind of place that doesn’t ask about shit like existing criminal records.” You glanced down at your own key card before slipping into the small satchel you kept hidden under your coat. The mild inconvenience of having to worry about a physical object was a small price to pay for peace of mind, especially considering how during a pit stop last year you’d all woken up in the middle of the night to Federation officers in the lobby of the inn you were staying at. Personally, you weren’t eager to experience another mad dash to the hanger in nothing but your nightdress.

Katsuki rolled his neck, a series of pops sounding out as he did. “Alright, housekeeping. We’re here for 72 hours, no more than that. I don’t give a shit what you do with that time as long as you don’t get sick and don’t get arrested. If I call you to check in and you don’t pick up, I’ll hunt you down and you won’t like what happens when I find you. Any questions? No? Great, scatter.”

Sero and Kaminari didn’t need to be told twice, the two of them practically bolting down the street. Kirishima gave an exaggerated salute before heading off as well. You were just about to start making your way to the nearest depot when a large, familiar hand enveloped your elbow. You looked back and cocked a quizzical eyebrow at your captain. “Not you, Doc. You’re coming with me.” You scoffed and tugged your arm out of his grip.

“I have actual plans, you know. Since when do you have business where my presence is necessary?” The look on his face did little to inspire any measure of confidence in you.

“Word on the net says the guy who's offering to fence our haul has delusions of chivalry, or some shit like that. Apparently he doesn't scam chicks, so if you're at the meeting with me we might actually get a better deal.”

You blinked once, twice, brain desperately trying to interpret the words that had come out of his mouth in a way that didn't make you want to beat him over the head. “You want me,” you began, the words rolling slowly out of your mouth, “to be your date…to a haul negotiation.”

“Date is a strong word.” The blonde man didn't look nearly bashful or penitent enough for the request he was making, and you felt a muscle twitch in your jaw. “You'd just be there to help smooth things out.”

“Ah, so you want me to be eye candy. That's such an improvement.”

“I'll buy everything on your shopping list.”

“My shopping list is full of medical supplies. For the ship. That we all fucking use.”

“That new headset you've been itching for, then. With the fancy AI and diagnostic capabilities.”

“The one you said was unreasonably expensive?”

“I won't even bitch about it.”

You crossed your arms and looked away from him, a scowl painted on your features. On one hand, the request was demeaning and just subtly misogynistic enough to really get under your skin. On the other hand, more money was always a good thing, and you were honestly a little curious to meet a man with such an interesting set of principles.

Plus, you really wanted that headset.

“You also owe me a favor that I can cash in at any time.” You fixed Katsuki with your best “dead serious” glare. He threw his hands up in surrender, but his grin could only be described as shit-eating.

“You drive a hard bargain, but we have a deal. Now come on, let’s see how fast we can get this over with.”

Whatever you'd expected the mysterious fence to look like, it wasn't anywhere near the reality. The man on the other side of the counter was short, so short he needed a step stool to make eye contact with you. The rest of him looked honestly pretty human, no extra limbs, digits, or facial features. The most bizarre thing about his appearance was the texture of his hair (or whatever it was that was on his head), which resembled large squishy purple balls.

“Well, well, look who it is!” His voice echoed through the space, briefly covering the noises of the small gadgets and trinkets littered around the “pawn shop”. “Dynamight, can I just say what an honor it is to have you in my establishment? I mean, you're something of a legend to us guys on the, ahem, other side of the law.”

Katsuki grunted in response, his nose twitching like he was trying his damndest not to wrinkle it in distaste. The other man either didn't notice or didn't care, his attention switching immediately to you.

“And what fine company you've brought as well!” He was still addressing “Dynamight”, but his smile was directed entirely at you. “It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. I'm Mineta, the owner of this here establishment and a professional…well I like to refer to myself as a ‘procurement specialist’ in polite company.”

“You hear that, ‘Suki? We're polite company.” You couldn't keep the smirk out of your voice as you responded. “Is ‘smuggler’ too dirty a word for you, Mineta?”

To his credit, the small salesman didn't rise to your barb, his customer service smile still fixed to his face. “Well no, but it doesn't exactly look great on a business card, does it?”

You chuckled airily. “Fair enough.”

Your captain, apparently fed up with the back and forth banter, leaned on the countertop with an unimpressed expression. “Are you two going to yap all day or can we talk business?” The words seemed to snap Mineta out of his casual demeanor and into work mode, and he zeroed back in on the outlaw before him.

“Of course, of course.” He reached under the counter and pulled out a holopad, setting it between all 3 of you. The shopkeep pressed some buttons and a number was projected into the air. “20,000 credits” read the hologram, for sure not an amount to scoff at, but one look in Katsuki's direction showed he was less than enthused.

“Is this some kind of joke?” The blonde's voice wasn't quite a snarl, but definitely close. “I sent you a scanned content list and you decided 20k was a decent number for a haul that good?”

Mineta frowned, but his tone was still calm as he replied. “Well, this is a negotiation. If you think I'm lowballing, you're welcome to put out an offer.”

“50.” Your eyes almost bulged out of your head at the number he spat out. The cargo was valuable for sure, but not 50 thousand fucking credits worth, and Katsuki of all people should know that. Then, his eyes met yours, and your role in this particular dance finally clicked into place in your mind.

You pressed against the counter, arms folded over your ribcage to subtly push your chest up. You gave the blonde your best chastising look and pout combo, setting the stage for your performance. “‘Suki, come on. Aren't you being a little unreasonable?” You paused to shoot Mineta a warm smile. “Ignore him, he's woken up on the wrong side of the bed every day for 5 years.”

Mineta's expression instantly brightened, and you didn't miss the way his eyes darted to your tits and lingered there. Hook, line, and sinker. “I understand,” he began, slightly lifting his heels off the stepstool to lean closer to you. It took all your composure and professionalism not to move away. “It's a grueling line of work you two are in. That said, you seem to bear it with nothing short of the utmost beauty and grace, miss.” Someone was laying it on thick. You forced yourself to giggle and hoped it came out halfway believable.

Katsuki grimaced at the exchange and moved closer to you, but you paid him no mind. Your eyes were fixed on the prize, now. “How about we try again, hm? I do think 50 is a bit much, so maybe we can try 40?” In truth, you didn't believe the items you brought to the table were worth a dime more than 25k, but if batting your eyelashes and playing ditzy lined your pockets with a little something extra then you were going to milk this, goddammit.

Mineta still looked unsure, but was obviously more receptive to the high offer than before. “Well, considering it comes with the Dynamight name attached to it, I suppose it is worth a little more, yes. I'd have no trouble reselling…can we compromise at 35?” A good number. A great number, in fact, but you wanted to see how far you could push.

“37, final offer. We worked awfully hard to keep this raid quiet, you know. The feds don't even know about it, which means they won't be on lookout for the stuff. Don't you think we deserve a little extra for making your job easier?” You kept your tone light and playful, going so far as to reach out and run your index finger under Mineta's chin, tilting his head up slightly to meet your gaze. A full body shudder passed through the man, and again you suppressed the desire to recoil.

“I think,” the salesman's tongue darted out to wet his lips. “I think that's fair.” You retracted your finger as Mineta began to fiddle with the holopad again, the 20 swiftly replaced with a 37.

You beamed as you retreated from the counter, allowing Katsuki to occupy your spot and handle the specifics of closing out the deal. The smile on your face was the peak of self-satisfaction, and it only grew when you heard the telltale chime of a money transfer. As you made your way out of the shop, you sent a silent prayer of thanks to whichever god was responsible for handing out perfect racks. You also shot a small kudos to the patron saint of sleazy idiots, for good measure.

As soon as you were both definitely out of hearing range you whirled on Katsuki in delight, but your expression faltered when you caught sight of the storm brewing in his features. He looked irritated, on the edge of downright pissed off, and it effectively dampened your own mood. Tugging on his arm, you steered him into a nearby alleyway in an effort to avoid prying eyes and ears.

“What's up with you?” you asked once you were sure there'd be no unwelcome intrusions to the conversation. “I thought the deal went great.”

He scowled and crossed his arms as he leaned against the rough synthetic brick of the alleway. His face was casted down, very pointedly not looking at you. “‘m not pissed off about the deal,” he mumbled, and your confusion only grew.

“Then why are you pissed off?”

Your captain scoffed. “Maybe because that bastard looked like he wanted to fucking eat you,” he ground out through gritted teeth.

For the second time today, you contemplated strangling him. You raised a hand and pinched the bridge of your nose, trying to gather your patience. “I thought the whole point was that my job was to be arm décor. Was the end goal not to get him to think with his dick and not his head? I mean, you brought me as a sex object and now you're mad that the guy wanted to have sex with me!”

“I know what the fucking objective was, I just-” His mouth snapped shut, but the look in his eyes and the set of his jaw told you everything you needed to know. He looked the same as he did earlier when you mentioned your past hookups, the same as he always did when he caught you in the hallways of wherever the crew was crashing at, waving goodbye to whoever had warmed your bed the night before. Same dark eyes, same twisted up mouth, same neck twitch. You'd assumed before that he was just being protective, but the truth was glaring in your face brighter than any neon sign.

Bakugou Katsuki was jealous and you were pissed the hell off.

“How long?” you demanded. His expression morphed from petulant to confused as he looked at you.

“What?”

“How long have you had feelings for me?” You willed your voice not to crack, though the equal parts anger and yearning that bubbled to the front of the emotional storm brewing in your chest made it a herculean task. This wasn't fair. He didn't get to do this to you, not 5 years in, not when you'd finally made your peace and were on your way to killing the pesky adoration you'd spent far too long grappling with.

“I- That's not what this is about-”

“Don't even try to pull that shit. This is my favor, I'm cashing it in right now. Tell me the truth, how long?”

You stared at him. He stared back. The alleyway was silent except for the low whirring of the machinery under Katsuki’s skin. The foot of distance between you felt impossibly charged and volatile, like one false move would trigger a city-leveling explosion. Just as your eyes started to burn from strain and the pressure of the tears behind your eyes, Katsuki ducked his head again, breaking the stalemate. Normally, winning two battles of will against him in the same day would inflate your ego to unmanageable heights, but the moment was too bittersweet to fully appreciate your victory.

“I don't know.”

“That's not an answer.”

“It's the truth.” Crimson eyes met yours, and the naked vulnerability in them almost took your breath away. “I don't remember how long I've wanted you. Feels like forever.”

Your knees felt weak and your mouth was dry and every night you spent staring at the cold chrome ceiling of your ship quarters with longing and want ripping through you came rushing back in cold clarity. The storm in your chest broke, and the roiling waves of emotion threatened to choke you. You needed air, and space, and maybe to slap him then kiss him stupid.

“Right.” The word felt foreign, almost wrong, on your tongue. It wasn't what you wanted to say, but it was all your traitorous vocal cords would allow you. Katsuki's brow furrowed and his lips parted, and you were far too emotionally fragile to hear whatever he was about to say.

Beating him to the punch, you blurted out, “I’ll see you back at the hotel,” before spinning on your heel and striding out of the alley as quickly as your legs would carry you. Half expecting him to follow you or call you back, you were filled with both relief and disappointment when he made no move to go after you. His gaze burned against the back of your skull until you disappeared around the nearest corner.

It was well past sunset (or “whatever star this trash heap orbits”-set) when you finally made your way to the hotel. The building itself was nondescript, the paint on the outside was faded, and it was altogether generally unimpressive. Only the flickering sign that matched the stamp on your keycard signified it as the place you were looking for. At least the inside was free of any foul scents or mysterious stains, which automatically put it above at least half of your past accommodations.

You trudged up the steps to the second floor and prayed on all that was kind and good that this place had hot running water. You'd calmed down significantly since you'd ditched your captain, but a hot shower would give you the chance to sort out the last stubborn remnants of your emotional turmoil. You turned the corner into your hallway and were wholly unsurprised to see the last person you wanted to acknowledge standing right next to your door.

Katsuki had dressed down since you'd last seen him. His worn leather vest and fitted shirt were gone, leaving him in only a white undershirt that was definitely a size too small. Desire flared in your gut, unwelcome, and you forced yourself to suppress a groan. Clearly he had no intentions of making the conversation you two needed to have easy for you.

His head snapped in your direction as you approached, and your heart clenched at the flash of uncertainty that ran across his face before he managed to school it back into careful neutrality. You stopped in front of your door, placing a hand on the handle as you turned to look at him.

“We should talk.” His voice was low, gentle, like he was scared you'd run again if he disturbed the air too much.

“Is that an order, Captain?” you asked in response, fluidly inserting your keycard into its slot until the light on the door turned green. Pushing it open, you looked back over your shoulder, one eyebrow arched. Katsuki’s jaw clenched as he visibly swallowed.

“No. It's not an order.” You hummed and jerked your head towards the inside of the room, signaling for him to follow, before pushing the door open wider and stepping in.

Flicking on the light, you surveyed the space. It was decently furnished, with a large couch taking up the opposite wall and a loveseat slightly adjacent to it, a hard light projection of a coffee table the centerpiece of the room. There was a small but seemingly functional kitchenette off to the side, and a door set into the wall on your right that you assumed led to the bedroom.

You moved towards the small table in the kitchen, shucking off your coat and draping it on the back of one of the two dining chairs present. Your satchel followed, tossed carelessly onto the table as you strode towards the couch. The color was likely a rich navy blue once, but time and wear had turned it much lighter in places. It was comfortable, at the very least, and you sprawled over it, head resting on one armrest while your legs were tossed over the other side.

The man you'd known almost all your life slumped into the loveseat, his arm inches from your head. You shifted to be able to see him properly. He was sweating bullets with the harsh blue glow of the coffee table illuminating half his face from below. One of his best looks, in your humble opinion.

He inhaled, long and deep, before exhaling just as thoroughly. He opened his mouth, glanced at you, glanced away, and closed it again. It struck you that while you were aware of both his feelings and your own, you'd never actually expressed to him that you reciprocated his affection. Come to think of it, fleeing the second he confessed probably hadn't done his confidence any favors. You winced slightly as guilt squeezed your insides, and reached out to drop a (hopefully) comforting hand on his knee. His eyes snapped to the appendage, and his gaze crawled up your arm until he finally managed to settle on your face. You tried your best to project encouragement, and he drew in another deep breath.

“10 years.” You blinked, your features suddenly clouded with confusion.

“What?”

Katsuki huffed like you were the one being difficult and adjusted his posture, leaning over the arm of his seat to be closer to you.

“You asked me how long I've had feelings for you, so I did some soul-searching or whatever the fuck and decided 10 years was the answer. Ever since you showed up to my house on my 16th birthday, clutching that crystal telescope lens that I'd been eyeing for ages. I asked you how the hell you afforded something like that, and you told me you'd saved 4 months’ worth of allowance plus walked every dog in the neighborhood 5 times over. You had this big goofy grin on your face like you hadn't dropped a crazy amount of money just so I could have a clearer view of the same star systems I'd already memorized.” He paused, working his jaw as he contemplated whether or not to continue. A squeeze from the hand on his knee seemed to thoroughly convince him.

“I honestly almost told you to take it back, to return it and get your money back and use it on literally anything else. But you were just…you were so fucking happy about it, going on and on about how I'd finally be able to personally count Jupiter's moons or something like that. I didn't have it in me to reject it, I mean, it was literally the nicest thing anyone ever did for me up to that point. And when we finally got the chance to slip up to the roof and slot the new lens in…the sights were beautiful. Better than I'd imagined, better than the ads. Your shoulder jostled mine when you went in for a look and it was like I'd eaten a whole swarm of butterflies. It was the first time I'd ever felt like that around you, around anyone really. I guess that's when I knew.”

10 years. You're not quite sure how you expected him to answer, but what you got was certainly more than you anticipated. Every interaction between the two of you in the last decade flitted through your mind, colored by this new information, and your chest tightened almost painfully.

“Wow,” was all you managed to say when you finally opened your mouth. His whole body tensed, and you blurted out your next words before he could get too deep in his head. “Do you want to know when I came to terms with my feelings?”

He inhaled sharply, his eyes boring into you like twin suns. “Your feelings?” His voice was almost a whisper, and you offered him a gentle smile.

“What, you think you have a monopoly on pining?” He huffed out a laugh as you repositioned yourself, pushing upright and shifting until you were leaning over your own armrest, putting the two of you eye to eye.

“When we were 17, and I was sitting with you in the nurse's office at school and watching you get your knuckles wrapped because Enzo-”

Katsuki's groan was loud, cutting you off mid-sentence. You snickered, amused that the mention of your first boyfriend was still enough to get him riled up.

“Can I continue, or do you still have curses to pile on him almost a decade later?”

“I definitely do, but you can keep going as long as you don't say that idiot's name.”

“Well, what do you want me to refer to him as?”

“Preferably ‘that worthless bastard’ but you can get creative with it if you want.” You rolled your eyes, but you were fighting a losing battle trying to keep a smile off your face.

“Fine, whatever, moving on. You were getting your fists taken care of because you'd fucked them up in the process of beating my ex's face to a pulp.” Katsuki tsked in annoyance at your word choice but you forged on. “On account of him cheating on me with one of the student trainers.”

“And I'd do it again too.”

“Am I ever going to get to finish my story?”

“Sorry.” The man across from you at least had the good sense to look sheepish at your scolding tone. You shook your head in exaggerated exasperation.

“Like I was saying, you, me, school clinic, split knuckles. The nurse was ripping you a new one while she bandaged you up, and all I could do was sit there and replay the moment in my head. The way we ran into that prick at lunch and I immediately got choked up and hurt all over again. The expression on your face when you looked at me. Next thing I knew there were like 3 people pulling you off him, and he was a sort of groaning person-shaped heap.” Slowly, as if handling something wild, you moved your hand to settle on top of his. Your thumb brushed gently over the long-healed skin and his breath hitched as a faint shiver ran through him.

“Even when they threatened you with expulsion, you never looked regretful or remorseful. As far as you knew, the end of your space pilot dream was staring you in the face and you didn't so much as flinch. One look at me and you'd been ready to throw it all away. That's when my crush kicked into full gear, and saying it all out loud is making me feel kinda stupid for not realizing how you felt about me sooner.”

You chuckled, but the sound turned into a soft gasp as Katsuki flipped his hand up to grip yours, the hold firm but not painful. Your eyes moved from where your palms were connected to his face, and the intensity you found there made your heart beat faster.

“You wanna know when I knew I loved you?”

For a brief, beautiful moment, every mechanism in the universe ground to a screeching halt. The stars stopped burning, the planets stopped spinning, your breath caught in your throat and your heart paused mid-beat. His words rung in your ears like church bells, deafening in glorious cacophony. Even after the natural order resumed, you still felt nailed to your seat. You nodded mutely, not trusting your voice to be steady enough not to shatter the moment.

“When I woke up,” he began, his grip on your hand tightening marginally, “in that shady implant center, brain fried from hours of pain and being in and out of consciousness. Everything hurt like hell, and my new arms felt heavy and weird. Then I turned my head to look at the ceiling, and there you were. Your eyebags had eyebags, your hair was a mess, and you had a nasty bruise peeking out from under your collar where a laser blast had hit the protective mesh in your coat. Despite all that, you were beaming like you'd won the lottery. Plus you were directly under one of those old-fashioned fluorescent bulbs and it was casting a flickering halo around your head. I swear I thought you were an angel. Sometimes I still do.”

You made a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh as you blinked back the tears gathering at your waterline. Unthinking, you stood from your seat and moved to stand in front of Katsuki. Your hands were still intertwined and he used that connection to tug you forward, his other hand moving to settle on your back as you fell gently into his lap, your knees on either side of his thighs.

“Never took you for a sap, ‘Suki.” Your unoccupied hand drifted to play with the baby hairs at the nape of his neck and you laughed softly at his exaggerated eye roll. You liked this version of him, the type that existed for your eyes only, bathed in artificial light yet deeply human.

“Yeah, whatever.” His hand on your back was big and warm, and you felt almost embarrassed by how much it affected you. The synthetic nerve endings in his arms were bad at detecting heat, a necessary failsafe to facilitate his explosions, but now all you could think about was if he could feel the warmth of you through your shirt.

“You know, it’s sorta funny.” Katsuki’s head tilted slightly, his eyes fixated on you. The center of his attention was both a wonderful and slightly terrifying place to be. “You liked me first but I loved you first.”

“That so?” he asked, a smirk curling his lips as the palm at your back slipped under your shirt to trace patterns over your spine. The feeling of his digits dancing over your bare skin almost robbed you of rational thought entirely, but you pushed through.

“Call me cliché, but the night you showed up to my dorm and begged me to run away with you was so romantic from my point of view. It’s a miracle I didn’t swoon into your arms like one of those fainting damsels in a shitty romance novel.”

“There you go again, saying I begged. I asked politely.”

“Call it whatever you want, starboy, you were the one who made an objectively unnecessary detour while you were an active fugitive just to fulfill a promise you made when we were kids.” Your expression was as smug as humanly possible, but he seemed wholly unphased. You weren’t sure when in the course of the conversation his attitude had pivoted from nervous wreck to playboy.

“I promised we’d see the galaxy together, and we have. I’m a man of my word.” It was your turn to roll your eyes in an exaggerated arc, tugging lightly on his hair in reproach.

“Holy shit, I can’t believe I didn’t clock you earlier. Denial is truly a hell of a drug. You want me so bad it makes you look stupid.”

Katsuki scoffed and pushed you even further into him, eliminating almost all space between your bodies. “Don’t throw stones from glass houses, Doc.”

You huffed and pulled your hand away from his at last, both palms moving to cradle his face. His newly free hand immediately took up a position at your waist, mirroring its twin. “Say my name.”

The first syllable managed to slip past his lips before you crashed into him.

You poured almost half a lifetime of longing into the kiss, and your other half responded in kind. It was deep, desperate, and more than a little messy. His lips molded over yours like they belonged there, like the very notion of parting from you was absurd. Your fingers curled over his jaw and left small crescent indents on his cheeks as his tongue poked at the seam of your mouth, a request that was eagerly granted. His hands tightened on your sides and you were grateful for the sensation, for something to ground you as you dived into him over and over.

When you finally parted, lungs strained and panting, you were sure there were stars in your eyes. He pressed his forehead against yours, unwilling to let you pull away too much, and you happily obliged him. The two of you spent a minute simply trading breaths, the world outside your intimate bubble entirely unimportant. You turned your head to press a kiss to his cheek, chaste and almost shy. You could feel the muscles in his face moving as he smiled.

“...so about that headset-” He sealed his lips over yours again, and you’d never been happier to shut up in your life.

#bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugou x reader #mha x reader #bkg x reader #daisy writes!#a very warm thank you to @/cafekitsune for the divider!#bakugou katuski x reader

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cyb-by-lang · 7 months ago

Text

Cascade

Someone a while ago asked me about what Kei's school life in Shell Game would've been like if she was a kid in 1-A as opposed to 1-C, so here's some noodlin'.

(Kei replaces Mineta's slot because I don't feel like dealing with him.)

The facet of being a UA student that bothered Kei the most (immediately) was the scrutiny. The celebrity. The total inability to fold herself and her flat expression and sleep deprivation back into the comforting anonymity of a world without widespread cell phone usage. Every other rando in Japan—arguably the world—knew the school’s reputation and its uniform. The more invested enthusiasts knew the names and faces of all the hero kids in each year and ranked them based on their apparent promise. Kei’s entire being retreated from the spotlight as though possessed by a cockroach.

The runner-up of annoyances was being trapped in high school again. She’d done her time one life ago and resented that the experience just pigeonholed her into bilingual missions now. But explaining that to Sensei wasn’t on the table, so away she went.

In the end, though, there was a small silver lining, as thin as cobweb. Unlike general education students, the two heroics-focused classes had occasional permission to use their Quirks to achieve their goals. Such as winning a sports contest between students, but still. It was something.

“Gekkō. Your turn.”

Kei jolted back to life like the engine of a forty-year-old car, covering her mouth with one hand as she yawned. Sure, Bakugō’s big boom ball throw had startled her awake, but she’d slept like total garbage last night. The stress from anticipating a new development in any mission made staying asleep an impossibility.

So she’d kind of sleepwalked through the first few rounds of fitness tests. A lot of the other students’ Quirks didn’t help with their performances—exemplified by the invisible girl and the boy with electric powers—and so Kei didn’t meaningfully stand out. It helped that the students with physical Quirks usually really excelled at very specific tasks, but were dead average elsewhere. Kei barely needed to work to keep in the middle of the pack, only using her water manipulation for effect.

And now everyone was looking at her.

Dammit, Kei thought. She rolled to her feet with a little huff and made her way off the sideline with the air of a two-toed sloth dragged out for a quirky sports movie.

“Do you need a reminder of what the rules are?” Aizawa asked, his voice as dead as Kei sort of wished she could be in this exact moment.

“No, Aizawa-sensei,” Kei replied as she passed him. An instant later, she caught the tracker-equipped softball without looking, thought it had been thrown at her head. Not like it would have done any damage even if it made contact.

“Then quit wasting our time.”

Kei didn’t even remember her placement during the UA entrance exam, but this still felt targeted. The numbers didn’t matter. She’d already known she was in, so the only consideration left was keeping the extent of her powers under wraps.

It wasn’t like Kei didn’t get why Aizawa “Eraserhead” Shōta hated her presence in the class. Her enrollment in UA was basically anathema to the entire purpose of the program. Sensei and the principal couldn’t just cut the guy entirely out of the loop without causing Kei logistical problems when it came to doing her job. At the very least, an uninformed teacher might ask questions when Kei inevitably ran out of the classroom to deal with some crisis. Just because Aizawa looked like he wouldn’t care if his students fell down an open manhole cover, but that was the trouble with judging by appearances alone.

I could take over the moment it leaves your hands.

Be my guest.

Kei tossed the ball in the air, clapped her hands together, and summoned a blob of water that expanded in sync with her hands as she pulled them apart. When the falling softball landed amid the watermelon-sized sphere, it warped briefly into an image of Isobu’s curled-up shell before stabilizing. That was a telltale sign even to people without worthwhile chakra detection abilities—as long as they knew.

So, basically Aizawa. Kei didn’t need to look in his direction to feel his glare.

There we are. Isobu’s power reached forward to engulf the brand new source of ammunition.

Then the blob, the captive softball, and some simulacrum of Kei’s dreams shot off into the void. Only the thinnest possible thread of water connected Isobu’s new toy to Kei’s index fingers. Kei and the a couple of her classmates watched its erratic balloon-like course until, inevitably, the thread snapped.

Eventually, there was a beep from Aizawa’s phone. “Five hundred and fifteen meters.”

Kei rubbed at her eyes, already done with the entire affair. At least this data might be useful for Kei and Isobu’s future adventures in mass hydrokinesis. Perhaps Isobu’s range would be even larger if they added more of his chakra. Running those experiments would have to wait for another day, though.

“Next,” said Aizawa. Going by the way a couple of students jumped, the next contestant was already on deck and suffering from stage fright.

Kei wandered out of the chalk with barely any uptick in energy levels. She even yawned again. If the teacher wanted her out of the way faster, he could damn well throw her out.

But because this mission clearly wanted to establish the kind of pattern embodied by a combat deployment—boredom followed by intense spikes of activity, and then more boredom—Kei didn’t get a chance to nap. She found herself blinking away the drowsiness to the sound of Aizawa verbally ripping a kid to shreds.

And it wasn’t Kei’s fault. Or even related to her.

Novel.

While Kei had sat down and read brief profiles on all of her classmates on the Saturday before the term started, their names occasionally slipped her mind despite how painfully on-the-nose they could be. She’d get that data into her head later; for now, all Kei needed was a list of powers.

Part of the reason Midoriya (today’s sacrifice) stuck out to her was how his name didn’t contain even a hint of his Quirk—just like hers didn’t. Because she didn’t have one. Going off the logic displayed by his classmates’ parents and their naming choices, Midoriya’s personal name should have had something to do with turning his own skeleton into dust.

With his capture weapon and hair floating like the entire scene was underwater, Aizawa laid out everything wrong with the nervous kid’s approach to the ball toss. Given that the test in question was literally throwing a softball and this kid tended to hover around the middle of the pack, maybe he’d been planning to use his hyper-destructive Quirk to finally get an edge. Like any kid sitting through someone else getting shouted at by a teacher, Kei pretended not to hear the specifics.

It was still sort of difficult not to, even with her classmates trying to build a small reservoir of side chatter to insulate themselves.

There was a lot in Aizawa’s lecture about “basic competence” and paraphrased warnings about not breaking all the bones in his body. Because, well, someone who did that would probably need to be carried off a battlefield on a stretcher if not in a body bag.

“With your power,” Aizawa was saying, his voice as flat and cold as an executioner’s blade, “you can’t become a hero.”

Midoriya’s expression said he knew damn well what was at stake now. If he couldn’t figure out how to throw a ball without laying himself out flat, he was screwed.

The real question was if breaking bones was the prerequisite to accessing that monstrous strength, or just a shitty side effect of having no control? If it was the former, the first time the kid fell off a jungle gym or crashed his bike should have made the news along with a crater.

While the other students consulted among themselves whether they’d ever heard of Eraserhead before—which disengaged Kei even further from the conversation in favor of naptime—Aizawa withdrew from the chalk circle to let Midoriya figure his shit out. He’d either fly or fucking die.

Aizawa probably didn’t care which. At least, not out loud. Better that this catastrophic failure happened in school and not in the field with lives on the line.

Kei shaded her eyes and awaited some conclusive result.

Midoriya didn’t disappoint; one colossal BANG later, the softball was rocketing off into the distance with a smoke trail marking its trajectory. But unlike the utter travesty that characterized his entrance exam footage, the kid that turned to face the group did so with all limbs intact. He’d destroyed only one finger in the process of setting off his Quirk this time.

Kei frowned while the other students cheered. Aizawa, too, looked excited to find improvement so close on the heels of his first sharp criticism.

Sure, Blasty McSplode had a problem with Midoriya’s (qualified and still bone-breaky) success and then needed to be wrestled into submission for being a loud jackass literally a foot in front of the teacher, but that wasn’t Kei’s problem. Or, at least, his attitude wasn’t an interesting problem for Kei to puzzle over.

Midoriya’s, though… There’s something wrong here.

Hm?

I don’t think his Quirk requires him to destroy himself to use it. If it did, he should’ve figured out how to minimize the damage way before he got here. Kei pressed her curled fingers against her lower lip as she thought. Damn, I usually just shrug off questions like this…

But this secret may affect your risk assessment process when dealing with all of these humans.

Maybe. But hell if it’s not a personal question. “Hey, what’s the deal with your Quirk totally pulverizing your vulnerable teenage skeleton every time I’ve seen it used?” That’ll go over well.

“Gekkō,” said Aizawa, interrupting Kei’s thoughts with more school nonsense. He’d apparently picked her out as a zoned-out straggler. “Finish your tests. Side-hops and grip test, go.”

Kei sighed internally and trotted off to a different part of the field.

#shell game #cascade #snippet #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #catch your breath fanfic #crossover #keisuke gekko #isobu

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