Chapter Text
So We Meet Again
You pulled open the glass doors to the Bakugo hero agency with a huff. You hadn’t seen these class A meat heads since high school and had been enjoying the peace of working for 13. You were less than thrilled to have been sent to go work with Bakugo on an upcoming mission. You checked in with the secretary and then headed to the elevator. There was no elevator music and you smirked- you had a theory that the incessantly happy tone would’ve pissed off Bakugo. Your face quickly resumed its usual resting bitch appearance as the elevator slowed to a stop. Your large gothic boots stomped menacingly in the hallway as you followed the secretary’s instructions to Ground Zeros office. The door was open but the prickly hero was turned toward the window. You knocked once before stomping into the office. He turned and scoffed, “who the fuck are you?”
Your eyes met his and glared. You didn’t really expect him not to remember you- you had been in 1B but you were also in the top 50 for heroes despite being solely rescue. You held up the folder you carried, “I’m the one in charge of making sure no one dies when you inevitably blow up the office tower next week. 13 sent me.”
He scoffed again, “I need 13, not some intern. Why don’t you come back when you have a license.”
You almost activated your quirk- you were seconds away from dropping him to the ground in hunger pains. But a familiar laugh cut through. Kirishima. You felt a hand on your shoulder as his voice called to Bakugo, “Man I wouldn’t push her- she kicked my ass every time we sparred at school. I know that look all too well and you do not want to be on the receiving end of it!”
You looked up at the much taller adult red-head and moved to stop his foot. Your boots were weighed down with lead but he seemed to be prepared and hardened on contact. You were somewhat satisfied to see him grimace, “Damn Hangry did you put more lead in those boots?”
You scoffed and shook his hand from your shoulder. You’d known someone from Fatgums agency was also assigned but you’d assumed it would be Tamaki. Years ago in high school, you’d had a crush on Kirishima. But by third year he and Bakugo had gone official. Which was part of why you’d assumed Tamaki would be assigned- surely it was a liability to our hero couples to work on the same mission.
You pulled a chair out at the conference table and sat waiting for the two idiots to join you. You pulled out your notes and what plans you had made. The mission was sensitive, dangerous, and had the potential for hundreds of hostages or injuries. Some of the people in need of rescue would likely need assistance that really only you could provide. You watched the two out of the corner of your eye. Kirishima rapidly crossed the office space to give Bakugo a kiss on the cheek and then forcibly drag him to the conference table. He glared at you, flipped his hearing aids off, and then rapidly signed to Kirishima, “we can handle this without her”
Kirishima turned beet red, looking between you and Bakugo to see if you had caught on. Without missing a beat you signed back, “see you say that but you can’t blast bad guys and sign to victims at the same time. We can hold this meeting with sign or voices. Take your pick Blasty Ass.”
Bakugo at least had the decency to look surprised. His eyes moved to your pink hair, purple eyes, and signature black rose nose ring. You could see the gears turning in his head and the lightbulb suddenly click. His hands angrily flew through the signs, “Fucking Class B extra”
He turned his hearing aids back on but said nothing. Kirishima laughed lightly, “There! Now that we all remember each other how about we hear what the rescue hero has planned?”
You breathe heavily as you help two dazed civilians out of the tall brick building. One of the main villain’s lackeys had a flash grenade quirk and had set it off way too close to the people you were trying to rescue. Bakugo, being used to loud noises had been the first to recover and had rapidly knocked the villain out and he and Red moved on to find the main target. Your ears still rang and you had some spots in your vision but you were still in better shape than the two leaning on you. Suddenly a searing pain shot through your shoulder. You cursed and guided your two civilians behind a concrete pillar before re-emerging to face off with the thug. All he held was a finger gun pointed at you. You ignored your injured shoulder and moved toward him rapidly. You moved in an odd pattern trying to prevent his aim from striking you again. You had to get close enough to where those you were protecting were out of range. You radioed in as you ran, heavy boots thundering across the floor, “Red Riot, Ground Zero, this is Hangry. I’ve taken fire from a quirk on the fourth floor. I’m engaging the culprit now. Civilian status unchanged.”
The radio crackled and a strained voice came back, “Red Riot here. Main target has been captured. En route to assist.”
The villain began firing his quirk again. You couldn’t see anything but suddenly the same searing pain coursed through your leg. You fell but worked to get to your feet. You had gotten close enough. Your quirk activated and the man fell to the ground clutching at his stomach before passing out. You sighed and deactivated your quirk. You’d hit him with the full strength of it- the one that could trick the body into thinking it hadn’t had nutrients in weeks. You placed quirk canceling cuffs on him and left him for Red to bring to the police. You slowly worked your way back to the civilians. Blessedly they had come back to themselves a bit more. The taller one thanked you and insisted that he walk in front of you down the stairs. You helped the smaller one to her feet and let her lean on your good side. You were halfway to the third floor when your radio cackled again. The now very familiar voice of Kirishima in your ear, “Hangry, Ground Zero, I found the villain on four. Taking him outside now via stairs.”
Within seconds you heard his voice behind you, “Wait here for me to dump this guy with the police and I’ll be back to help you.” And he was past you with the unconscious villain over his shoulder.
You griped under your breath about being a strong, independent woman, who didn’t need his help. But you knew your wounds were bad enough that moving would probably result in some blood transfusions. You motioned for the two civilians to rest on the stairs. They both looked at you, finally, the tall one spoke, “Thank you. We didn’t expect anyone to save us. Much less three top heroes. I’m sorry I don’t know your name.”
You watched him closely and realized he was talking in a way that made sure his lips were clearly visible to the quiet girl beside you- not at you. On a whim, you signed to her as you spoke, “No thanks are necessary. We chose to become heroes for this exact purpose. I’m glad we were able to help you. I’m Hangry- a rescue hero. It’s nice to meet you.”
You smiled gently as their faces lit up. The man grinned ear to ear along with the girl, “you know sign! We’ve been trying to communicate for ages and I’ve never been able to understand what she tried to tell me!”
The girl was happy crying as she rapidly signed back to you, “I never knew heroes knew sign! Thank you Hangry! Please can you tell him I value his friendship over the past months here? My name is Sakura”
You couldn’t help but smile as you signed “sure” and turned to him, “she says she values your friendship during your time here. Her name is Sakura.”
He was grinning wildly, “I’m so glad I know your name now! I will learn sign so we can talk!”
Before they could continue both Red Riot and Ground Zero appeared. Both with concern in their eyes. Red smiled and helped the two to their feet to finish evacuating the building while the huffy blond picked you up without asking. You weren’t willing to make a scene in front of the other two but you were for sure going to tell him off. You did sign at him to put you down and let you limp out. You didn’t need the media harping on about useless rescue heroes with non-rescue quirks being a burden to heroes. You had to lean on him though as you stumbled out. Immediately a medic pulled you into the tent that was set up and looked you over. Your ears had stopped ringing and only the blood loss and pain were an issue. The medic rapidly healed you with instructions to take a week off and that you’d be a bit sore for the next day or two. You thanked them and headed out to face the media.
You collapsed into the booth at the bar. Kirishima had invited you out for victory drinks. You’d almost said no because the entire time you and the other two had done the paperwork for the mission Bakugo had glared silently at you. You had no idea why and it was a bit disconcerting. You heard Kirishima's laugh before you saw them. Your heart had time to do a quick flop before you could see them. This time fully distracted by Bakugo. Somehow as an adult, someone (probably a certain loud red-head) had gotten Bakugo into jeans and a button-down. The dark blue and grey showed off hints of the muscles underneath and seemed to fit his constant grumpy mood in a very bad boy type way. You cursed internally at somehow managing to develop a crush for both men over the course of the week. You were especially pissed that despite Bakugo making it clear you weren’t welcome you’d still developed an attraction to him. You were even more pissed that they were both gay and Kiri still half flirted with you.
You stood to wave over the crowd. You’d put minimal effort into your outfit after the day you’d had. A simple black skater dress contrasted with your pale skin and pink hair. You wore pink gothic boots and fishnet leggings. Your favorite solar system choker was around your neck and you’d only applied pink lipstick for makeup. You saw the exact moment Kiri spotted you because the big red goof lit up like a kid on Halloween. You saw him pull Bakugo through the crowd toward you. You sank back into the booth and took a sip of the water the waitress had brought you. The medic hadn’t been kidding about the soreness. Kiri slid into the space across from you first, eyes flitting between you and Bakugo. You looked up to see Bakugo just staring at you. You signed over the noise of the bar, “you gonna sit blasty boi or stand there catching flies?”
He glared and slid into the seat beside Kirishima. The waitress came by to take orders. You were uncharacteristically nice and chipper. You rarely smiled except around your close friends-and essential workers. Kiri looked at you like you were possessed as you profusely thanked the waitress for taking your order and when she rapidly brought over your drinks.
You watched Kiri gawk for a moment, long red hair de-spiked and pulled into an easy bun. His own button-down was black and you appreciated how elegant he looked. He grinned as he caught you gawking slightly, “See something you like?”
You glared but blushed, “Just trying to figure out what company made your shirt.”
Bakugo let out a firm “tch” and rolled his eyes. It appeared he still wasn’t talking to you. You were getting pretty sick of it, rapidly signing to him “Got a frog in your throat blasty?”
He glared before carefully leaning forward to be closer to you. Your own glare met his with Kiri rapidly trying to pull his boyfriend back. Suddenly Bakugo spoke over the din of noise- not so loud to draw attention but enough your glare intensified, “You fucking idiot how the hell did you manage to get hurt today? W-You should’ve been more careful!”
Kiri face-palmed as your eyes lost some of their glare. How dare he blame this on you! You hadn’t heard the villain and his quirk was silent as well! You moved closer, “Well blasty boi! Pretty hard to hear a silent quirk over the ringing in my ears! I did my job though so fuck off! Me getting hurt doesn’t even harm our stats!”
At this Bakugo’s nostrils flared, “You shouldn’t have been where a villain could find you!”
“Well, that was supposed to be your job right? That’s why we cleared the floors from the bottom up!” Your hands were flat on the table as you argued with him.
Bakugo looked like he was imploding. Out of nowhere he downed his drink and got up and stalked in the direction of the bathroom. Kiri rubbed his forehead, his voice soft, “damn it this wasn’t how this evening was supposed to go.” He looked at you, “look. We’re both really torn up you got hurt. I know he sounds all grumpy and like it’s your fault but he’s actually really pissed he didn’t get to that guy first.”
Your eyes narrowed, “I’m fine. I’m a hero. It comes with the territory. I’m not some fragile person that can’t handle themselves. In case you and Blasty didn’t realize- I took that guy down with two holes clean through my body.”
A sick sense of satisfaction washed over you as Kiri cringed. You knew you shouldn’t be drinking but you downed the white-Russian, vodka and Kahlua burning slightly through the cream. You hated being treated like you had to be protected. And Kirishima should’ve been the first to realize you didn’t need it. You’d won every spar against him in college and could probably still take him even without using your quirk. Your face remained bitchy, more than normal. The red-head sighed, “You know that’s not what I meant… we both……. Ugh, I’ll be right back- next round is on me.”
You glared at him as he left to presumably get Bakugo. Your face immediately turned into happiness and ease as the waitress came back and you ordered another round of cocktails as well as some tequila shots. The drinks had come back and five minutes passed before Kiri was able to get Bakugo back to the booth. The red-head seemed determined to put the negativity in the past. He grabbed a shot, some salt and made a toast, “To a successful mission, old friends, and good times.”
All three downed the shots. The conversation ebbed and flowed as the three of you relaxed. No one really got drunk. You were too hurt and were still nursing your second cocktail. Surprisingly Bakugo got the most inebriated out of the three of you. But it improved his mood. He slowly warmed slightly as Kiri flirted with the both of you. You chose to brush it off as his personality. But it didn’t stop the pain in your heart watching them. Even as Bakugo started making small jokes and harmless jabs at you. You checked the time as you felt the day settle in your bones. Two hours had flown by. You stretched, “Well boys I think it’s time I headed back to my apartment.”
Kiri and Baku both looked at their watches, a slight surprise to see it was already 11pm. You stood and grimaced. Before you could process the blond was holding your elbow and standing beside you, “Fucking hell you damn extra. You’re sleeping in our guest bed. You need to rest that leg.”
You glared at him. There had been no menace in his tone, but you still didn’t like being treated like you were fragile. You pulled your elbow from him, again wincing as it was your bad arm. You turned to put down some money to see Kiri putting his wallet away after paying- and way over tipping. You were the only one you knew who overtipped that much. He’d met the check amount and then some. You glared at him- he had no business being this nice and causing feelings. Then he just grinned at you and fucking winked. You shot him a glare and pushed away from the table- forgetting your manners for a second in the haste to get away from some very confusing feelings. The bar was crowded though and you were small. You pushed and ducked through drunk people hoping it would take the taller men longer to catch up. It didn’t work. You were halfway to the door when you felt Kiri behind you. He didn’t say anything but moved past you to use his size to part the crowd. You rapidly found yourself outside. You gratefully breathed in the cooler night air. He paused and you felt Bakugo hover behind the two of you.
Kirishima smiled that stupid grin, “Our apartment is a block away. You live alone right? Our guest bed is open and we’d feel better if you let us at least make you breakfast and let your injuries finish healing?”
He was much less forceful about it. You sighed. You normally loved your apartment but it was on the fifth floor of an older building with no elevator. Your leg had screamed at you the entire climb up to and down from your apartment. You tch-ed and glared, “fine but I’m not walking up any stairs.”
Kirishima looked like he was about to implode with joy that you agreed. He took off, slightly in the lead as Bakugo fell into line beside you. You said nothing to him and watched Kirishima’s back as he walked. You heard a huff from beside you and glanced at Bakugo- he was kicking his shoes along the sidewalk, clearly huffy and moody again. You rolled your eyes before he spoke, catching you off guard, “fucking hell… You’re pretty badass you know? Lead fucking boots on a fucking rescue hero. How’d you learn sign?”
You squinted at him- this was way too soft for normal Bakugo. He was pointedly looking at the restaurants and bars lining the sidewalk- avoiding looking at you. You tsked before answering, “I learned in middle school after I decided to be a rescue hero. There was a deaf girl in the class- no one ever bothered to tell her when there was a fire drill so she’d just suddenly see everyone get up and flashing lights. I learned the year before she transferred to my school so I was the only one who got to know her. We still keep in touch. She’s a fucking genius at organization and detailed work.”
You weren’t sure why you told him everything. He certainly didn’t ask for your life story- and you fully expected him to tell you off. Instead, you saw his face soften slightly- in fact, it could have been a trick of the light. He looked at you from the corner of his eyes as you heard Kiri mumble something about “so cool” as he listened to your conversation. Bakugo looked up at Kiri, “Shut up Shitty-Hair.” the blond rolled his eyes as Kiri laughed lightly.
You glared at both of them, “Why do you ask Blasty? You’ve never cared before.”
Kiri stiffened slightly before relaxing, an odd tension suddenly filled the air. The huffy blond rolled his eyes, “I care because most people don’t bother to just learn sign. That girl at the building today wouldn’t stop going on about you. You might have a new number 1 fan.”
He almost sounded proud, a tone of voice that immediately had your glare deepening. What the hell was with soft Bakugo? You turned to Kiri, “He’s drunk right? This isn’t normal”
Kirishima laughed with that warm, soul melting laugh as Bakugo grumbled and tsked, “Believe it or not this is his normal around people he likes. Consider yourself privileged.”
You were indignant but couldn’t argue it as Kirishima held the door open for you and Bakugo. The lobby of the apartment building was surprisingly full. You rapidly realized why as there was an active bar. Upon closer inspection, you recognized several other pro heroes milling around. Great- just what you needed- the potential for rumors. You sighed as Kiri lead you around a corner to a stairwell. You were about to protest when a squeak left you instead. Bakugo had picked you up again without warning. You glared at him, but then sighed and tucked your head against his shoulder to avoid hitting the walls. Fuck he’s warm. You felt him swallow hard as your head bumped into the crook of his neck. On the landing, Kiri turned to make sure you two were okay. You glared at him as he chuckled lightly, “You two go in front of me.”
Bakugo moved around Kiri and headed up the stairs. You said nothing and decided on focusing on the breathing of Bakugo as he climbed. His breath never changed from a steady relaxed pattern. Due to years of wearing weighted boots, you knew you weren’t the lightest- especially since you were built pretty curvy to begin with. Add in some serious muscles and you would’ve expected some amount of sweat after a few floors. But he carried you easily. A slightly rough step bumped your head into his neck further, before you could correct it you were suddenly hit with the smell of caramel. You suddenly realized it was Bakugo and that it was intoxicating. You felt yourself blush. You squirmed as they started walking down a hallway- you were fully capable of walking on a flat surface. Bakugo just frowned and tightened his grip on you- silently making it clear he was not going to put you down. You glared and activated your quirk. You heard his stomach rumble and his crimson eyes pierced yours, “I’m not putting you down. Your leg clearly hurts when you walk.”
He looked back up mumbling something about “fucking prideful extra needs to be careful and accept help occasionally.” Kirishima chuckled and you released your quirk. You felt him relax slightly as the hunger pains ceased. You glared but decided against arguing. In truth his scent was intoxicating and you wanted to relish it before never speaking to the two of them again. Kiri paused outside a door and unlocked it before holding it open. Bakugo flushed slightly as he carried you into the apartment and set you down on the couch with far more care than you expected. Kirishima closed and relocked the door before ducking into the kitchen. You heard the sink run and watched him return with a glass of water. He sat it down and sat beside you. He pulled the hair tie out of his hair, red strands fell around his face. You watched, slightly mesmerized. He didn’t notice and leaned back against the couch.
“You made quite the impression on Katsuki this past week. I haven’t seen him that worked up since the first year of high school. I’m pretty impressed.” Kirishima smiled at you.
You rolled your eyes, “He didn’t even realize we graduated the same year from the same school and the same program. However, I will admit this is better than calling me an intern.”
Bakugo chose that moment to return, “If you had grown with the rest of us I wouldn’t have gotten confused,” he handed you two pain killers, “Here. I made the guest futon for you as well.”
You took the pain killers and swallowed them with the water. Bakugo sat down on the other side of Kirishima and face planted into his shoulder. It was a bit disorienting to see Bakugo being nice and vulnerable. Kiri patted his head understandingly. You sighed, “Thank you both for your kindness. I think I’ll go to bed if that’s okay? It’s been a long day.”
Kirishima smiled as Bakugo made a grunting noise, “Of course! We’re headed that way as well. Room on the left- the bathroom is across the hall. Sleep tight!” He held out his arm for you to use to stand.
Taking it with a huff you got to your feet, “Night. Do me a favor and don’t bang if we share a wall?” You didn’t wait to see their faces. You picked up your water as Kiri laughed over a strangled sound from Bakugo. He promised they wouldn’t and waved you off.
You easily found the room. It was small of course but neat and cozy. The futon was made up with fluffy blankets- perfect for a cool night. Bakugo had even laid out what had to be one of Kirishima’s t-shirts and one of Bakugo’s sweats for you to sleep in. You sighed and stripped, pulling the shirt over you. It fell to your knees and you huffed. You tossed the sweat pants to the pillow and collapsed on to the bed. You barely got the light off and the pants snuggled close before you fell asleep.