Chapter Text
"Pssst."
Okay so Bakugou, in his twenty-two years of life, had been called a lot of negative things - stubborn, rude, loud, violent, the list just goes on - but he's never been stupid, and he's never been called stupid. So when he hears some random hiss of a call at some ungodly hour of the night in a badly-lit road after he's spent the better part of the last fourteen hours dying in uni classes, he knows better than to go looking for the source.
The source, however, seems hellbent on finding him.
"Hey, you", the source says from around the corner a few steps ahead.
A blond in a cheap black suit and a wrinkly white shirt steps out.
Bakugou shoves past him.
"Aw, come on, I don't mean you no harm", the blond says, stepping easy into Bakugou's space. "You just look so lonely, man."
Bakugou shakes the blond off his elbow. "Piss off."
"Are you sure, man? You really look like you could use some company." The blond puts his hand on Bakugou's shoulder, this time, and Bakugou snatches it up by the wrist.
"This is what some people look like when the only thing keeping them sane is coffee shots."
The blond blinks at his captured wrist for a moment, like maybe he might get scared, but no, he reacts with coyness and Bakugou is quick to drop it.
"Oh, then you're just tired? Would you like a pick-me-up, man? It'll be real nice, I swear, and you'll be so refreshed afterwards."
Bakugou growls. "Leave me alone. Why are you like this?"
The blond laughs, almost, and in a moment of curiosity Bakugou turns to look at the blond's sunken eyes.
"I got bills to pay, man. I'm not even all that expensive, come on, won't you help some poor soul pay off some debts?"
"I have enough debts on my own, fuck you very much."
"That's what I'm offering here, yeah."
"Hey, piss off, I'm just a broke uni student. I don't give a shit how cheap or good you think you are, you're not worth it."
The blond laughs, for real this time. "Hey I'm a broke uni student too, but if I keep going like this I'm gonna be off-debt pretty soon."
Bakugou frowns. "You're a uni student?"
"What, don't I look the part? I don't know what course you're in but I have a lot of classmates that look like whores."
Bakugou stops walking. "Listen, could you afford yourself?"
The blond shrugs. "Once or twice. And if I can, then so can you, right?"
"No", Bakugou growls. "Your job has you fucking swimming in cash. Mine barely covers food and half a bill."
The blond's eyebrows rise. "Hey if you want me to hook you up with my mates..."
Bakugou rubs his temple. "No, I'm not gonna turn to prostitution at the first sign of struggle. And I'm not interested in you, so stop fucking following me!"
He storms off, and thankfully the blond doesn't follow.
Bakugou ducks into the convenience store for some matches and coffee. He refuses to change routes so he won't cross the insistent blond again, but when he passes the same corner, the blond isn't there. Bakugou figures he either found some company, or was at least smart enough to realize he shouldn't stay in the same corner all night.
Bakugou makes his way to his apartment and stuffs himself under his blankets. Blessed oblivion, at last.
The next day unfortunately manages to be even worse, somehow. Classes are difficult and Bakugou seriously contemplates braining himself against a wall several times. By some stroke of luck he manages to eat properly.
He's barely halfway home before he sees more than feels a knife to his throat.
"Okay", he hears, "give me all your cash and we'll both be on our merry ways."
Bakugou grabs his attacker's hand and twists it around, grabs her shoulder, pushes her to the side of a building. She drops her knife, thankfully, so Bakugou doesn't have to break any wrists. Yet.
"Who the fuck thinks it's a good idea to attack a student", he growls. "I mean fucking clearly, if you're gonna attack someone don't let them be young. Young people don't have money and are always ready to fight. Shit, you too, even, you're young - would you calmly put your hands up?"
His attacker steps on his foot and pulls herself around until she can wiggle away. Bakugou is between her and the knife, though.
"Listen", she says. "Money doesn't grow on trees and I gotta eat."
"So what, you rob people?"
She looks to the ground.
"Oh my god you've never robbed anyone before. Fucking figures."
"Hey, like you could do any better!"
"I fucking could! Shit, you're worse than the annoying guy from yesterday!"
She recoils in confusion. "Who?"
Bakugou waves a dismissive hand. "Some weird-ass rando tried to get my money yesterday. Do I have a target on my back or something?"
The girl goes to scratch her head, is stopped by her tight hood. "You just look dead on your feet."
Before Bakugou can protest, he hears a voice behind him.
"Pinky!"
"Pikachu!" the girl calls and runs past him.
Bakugou turns and finds her hugging the blond from yesterday. "Shit, you know each other, great. Leave me alone."
"Do you know him?" Pinky - what kinda nickname is that - asks.
Pikachu laughs. "Yeah, tried him yesterday. Didn't bite, though."
Pinky bends down and picks up her knife. Bakugou only now notices that it's small even for a kitchen knife.
"Ya changed your mind, man?" Pikachu asks, head tilting to rest on Pinky's shoulder as he gives an easy grin.
Bakugou grumbles. "Leave me the fuck alone."
"Okay", Pikachu laughs. "Good luck in your classes."
Bakugou doesn't see either of them the next day, or the day after that. He's not even sure he could recognise Pinky, if he's honest, with how she had her hood tight around her head when they met, like she had something to hide.
On the third day, Bakugou sees Pikachu chatting with a group of friends. Pikachu sees him but looks back at his circle quickly, refusing to turn the group's attention to Bakugou. Huh.
On the fourth day he's extra pissed because his classes were stupid and the world was stupid and he might be stomping on the sidewalk a little more aggressively than he usually does. He almost wishes Pikachu would come bother him, if only so he'll have someone to yell at. Or maybe that Pinky would make the same mistake twice, so Bakugou would get a fight.
Neither of those things happen and he punches the wall of his apartment in frustration.
He has to run to the convenience store to get some rubbing alcohol, decides to get some chips as well, since he's going out already.
He barely manages to turn the corner of his block before he sees Pikachu again.
Which, on one hand, shit, Bakugou's not in the mood to yell right now so he's only annoyed to see him. On the other hand, even shittier, because Pikachu holds eye contact with him for five seconds before he turns his attention to the ground. Bakugou sees him swallow from across the street, then Pikachu finally raises his eyes and meets his company with a smile.
Bakugou marches right over.
"There you are!" he growls. "What the shit are you doing here?"
Pikachu and whoever the other person is both startle as they turn to him.
"Me?" Pikachu asks with a thin voice. But he gives Bakugou the same look he gave before.
Last time Bakugou saw that look it was directed at Uraraka, and he'd nearly lost a tooth.
"Yes, you! You've got some fucking nerve, showing your mug here after what you did!"
"Hey", the other guy says, stepping forward and putting a hand in front of Pikachu - and Pikachu flinches away from it. "Don't... don't talk to him like that."
Bakugou snarls. "Who the piss are you? I don't give a shit, fuck off or you're the one paying."
The irrelevant one steps back. "What-- why? What did I do?"
"I couldn't give less of a fuck! This is between me and him! Don't go messing if you can't fucking pay up!"
The other one blinks, then hurries away.
Pikachu only exhales when he can't see the other anymore. "Oh my god", he breathes. He turns to Bakugou, and there's that fucking look again. "Thank you so much."
Bakugou frowns. He hates that look. Fucking Deku used to make that look all the time. Seeing it on Pikachu, now, it's the first time Bakugou is disgusted to have caused Deku to wear that look, and he wonders if Uraraka really should've knocked Bakugou's tooth out back then.
He offers a nod. "Bakugou."
Pikachu blinks. "Huh?"
"Bakugou. My name is Bakugou."
"I'm Kaminari", he says, and tucks his hair behind his ear. There's a black highlight there. "Thank you, really. Can I-- and I mean this in the least suggestive way possible, can I repay you somehow?"
Bakugou pulls a face.
"In the least suggestive way possible", Kaminari repeats, just to be clear. "I don't wanna get indebted."
Kaminari blinks, rushes to pull his phone out of his pocket.
"Just a moment-- Yes? It's me, yeah, I'm fine. No, he-- he's gone. You don't have to send anyone. Oh. It's okay, I'll just wait for him, I should be getting home anyway. Yeah I'm not staying out after that." Kaminari looks to where his earlier company walked off to. He glances to Bakugou as the person on the other end of the line speaks. "Of course not, when have I ever handled it myself? No, some..." he pointedly looks to the ground. "... some guy jumped in to help. Yeah. No, he's not interested, actually. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. You too. Bye."
He stuffs his phone back in his pocket.
"Did you fucking say 'you too'?"
Kaminari crosses his arms. "I officially don't have time for this. Tell me what I can do for you before my ride gets here or we're parting with me owing you big time and I can't do that. Not in this line of work."
Bakugou groans to the sky. "Do you have any change?"
Kaminari blinks. "Excuse me?"
"I was gonna get some chips. Gimme some change so we can say you bought them for me and we'll call it even."
"I don't-- I don't carry money with me. I mean duh, where would I put it?"
"You're worried about your money but not your phone?"
"This is my work phone. It's easily replaceable."
Bakugou rubs his temple. "Fine, then, I dunno. Stop bothering me and we'll call that even."
"Oh no, that was a given", Kaminari says. "You pretty much lost all chances of being a customer when you ran that other one away."
A car pulls up next to them smack dab in the middle of the road. The driver's side opens up and a tall guy yells over the roof of the car. "That better not be what I think it is."
"No, no, no", Kaminari says. "This is the guy who stepped in."
"Good", the tall one says. "Now get in here."
"Wait, do you have some change?"
"What?"
Kaminari leans into the passenger side and opens the glove compartment.
Bakugou exchanges a confused and awkward look with the tall guy.
"Here", Kaminari says, offering some coins to Bakugou.
Bakugou counts them. "This is too much. Just how many chips do you think I'm going to buy?"
Kaminari shrugs. "I don't care. Buy something else, too. On me."
"That was my money", the tall guy says.
"Oh I'll pay you back", Kaminari groans. "Now let's jet, this guy really hates my guts."
"If he hates your guts then why did he step in?" the tall guy says as he climbs in after Kaminari, and he drives off just as quickly as he'd arrived.
Bakugou counts the change in his hand again. It's enough for chips and rubbing alcohol, and he buys a highlighter with the last of it.
Back in his own apartment, his homework seems too dull for him to focus on.
"Did you hear?"
Bakugou pays no mind to the small talk behind him, focuses on his lunch instead.
"Hear what?"
"About that PE student who got caught stealing from the donations?"
"Oh, what? Who'd do such a thing?"
"I don't know, I didn't get a name. But can you believe that? Stealing from therapy donations? And to think this would happen in our uni..."
"Surely, he got expelled."
"I haven't heard of anyone getting expelled, hm... Maybe they haven't decided on it yet."
"Wait, when did this happen?"
"Oh, I don't know."
"Are you serious? Are you even sure it happened?"
"Maybe it's just a rumor!"
Bakugou wolfs down the rest of his lunch and storms out of the cafeteria. He'd been down at the secretary office in the morning, and he knows the theft did happen. The student got excused after he returned the money.
Bakugou grits his teeth.
To his left, the thieving PE student notices.
"Thanks for lunch", he says, glancing between Bakugou and the ground as they walk. "And uh, for not telling those girls back there that it was me. And for defending me at the office - wow I actually owe you a lot, don't I? I don't even know your name."
"Bakugou."
"Kirishima. Thank you, Bakugou."
Bakugou grits his teeth harder. "I know you've-- you've done it before. No, shut up, it's written all over your face, this is just the first time you got caught. Just, fucking-- why would you do that?"
Kirishima smiles, and Bakugou is in pain just from looking at it. "I have mouths to feed. I'm sorry."
Bakugou scoffs. "Alright, get lost. Don't you have class or some shit."
"Thank you, I'll pay you back", Kirishima calls over his shoulder as he speed walks away.
"Fucking don't", Bakugou growls under his breath.
It's unfortunately only hours before he sees Kirishima again.
He spots the bright red spikes of hair from across the parking lot as he walks through it. Kirishima high-fives someone and they exchange a quick word before they see Bakugou pass by.
"Wait", the other guy says. "Are you-- you are! Hey!"
Bakugou turns and glares.
The other guy is smiling. It looks like his face was built for it. He's the tall guy that picked Kaminari up, and now that Bakugou sees his smile, he realizes that the guy had been glaring daggers over the roof of his car.
"Hey, I wanna thank you for helping out my friend. He told me about it", the tall guy says.
"What? No, I didn't", Kirishima says. "I didn't even get to tell you that I needed help in the first place."
The two exchange a look.
"No", the guy says, eventually, "My other friend. The uh, the blond one." He looks at Bakugou. "Thank you."
Bakugou huffs. "Whatever."
"Wait, you're the one who helped- Pikachu?" Kirishima says, visibly struggling to keep himself from saying Kaminari's name. "Oh my god, now I owe you even more!"
The tall guy whips his head around. "What did you owe him before?"
"Who gives a shit?" Bakugou snarls. "Can you all just stop fucking bothering me? Shit!"
"Absolutely not", Kirishima says before his friend can protest. "I officially owe you dinner or at least a book. Actually, do you want us to drop you off somewhere?"
"Dude", the tall guy says. Bakugou wishes he could pick up something else on this guy's appearance, it's getting tiring to think of him as The Tall One.
He's not sure if he should step away from the staredown the two have going on, or if he should step between them to interrupt it. While he enjoys playing hero very much, this particular bunch are making him regret every single moral he's built up.
"Fine!" the tall guy says, apparently losing the staredown. "Fine, we're giving you a ride. But no dinner."
"But--"
"No buts, Red! We're just giving him a ride for Pikachu and whatever the fuck it is he got you out of."
"I know Kaminari's name", Bakugou frowns. "And Kirishima's."
The most unsettling thing on the planet is when a face like that, made to grin that triangle of a grin, shifts into a snarl so deep that Bakugou almost takes a step back. Almost.
"How."
"I just told him", Kirishima says, "Dude, calm down."
"What about Kaminari?"
"He told me himself", Bakugou says. "When he was thanking me."
Now it's Kirishima's turn to glare, but his doesn't look so wrong on him. "When he was what?"
Bakugou curses his phrasing. "Not-- not like that, come on, flat-face, tell him, you picked him up, right?"
"He didn't-- did you just call me flat-face?"
"Well I don't have your fucking name, do I?"
His face eases into a soft frown. "It's Sero."
"Bakugou."
Sero turns around. "Come on, we're dropping you off wherever you want."
Kirishima trails after him. "Wait, tell me, Kaminari, is he--"
"He didn't do shit for Bakugou. Dare I say Bakugou couldn't be less interested if he tried."
Bakugou snorts behind them. "That's an understatement."
Kirishima looks at him over his shoulder, gives an easy laugh. "Man, I dunno. I mean, Kaminari? Do you have eyes, Bakugou?"
"What are you, his pimp?"
"Nah, his pimp is way better at this than I am."
Sero unlocks his car and they all pile in. "Well then don't fucking go pimping for him, shit." He looks at Bakugou through the rear-view mirror. "Where to?"
"Actually, you know what?" Bakugou says. "Coffee. Buy me coffee and we're all even."
Sero starts driving.
"We should invite Kaminari", Kirishima says, looking out the window. "For coffee, I mean."
"Should we?" Sero asks, sparing another glance at Bakugou through the mirror.
"Do what you want", Bakugou crosses his arms. "Shit, I wouldn't be surprised if you knew Pinky at this point."
"You know Pinky?" Kirishima turns around.
"She tried to stab me once."
Thank god they're at a red light because Sero absolutely loses it for a hot second. "That was you? Oh my shit, who'd look at you and think you were a good target?"
"That's what I told her", Bakugou grumbles.
Kirishima taps away on his phone. The screen is cracked. "They say they'll find us there in like fifteen minutes."
Bakugou taps his foot on the floor of the car.
Black coffee.
Flat-face likes his coffee black . Bakugou feels like he should be offended, somehow, that even Sero's choice in coffee is plain.
Kirishima orders a hot chocolate which. Bakugou is vaguely conflicted about.
Still, it's all worth it seeing the looks on their faces when he takes the first sip of his eight-espresso-shots coffee without a care in the world.
"You're not human", Sero says. "It's not even cooled down yet."
"Fire cannot kill a dragon", Bakugou smirks. "Now tell me how come you have to play taxi driver for your friends."
Sero shrugs. "I have a lot of time, I don't mind driving them around. Tell me what you were doing that night when you helped Kaminari out."
"I live around there. By the way, tell the asshole to stop coming at my neighborhood."
Kaminari slides between Sero and Bakugou. "Which asshole?"
"Holy shit", Kirishima says, clutching his heart. "You scared me half to death."
"Yeah honey, people usually give a greeting before they start talking shit", Pinky says, dragging a chair between Kirishima and Sero. "Hi, I'm Ashido. Nice to meet you."
Her hair is pink. Holy shit.
"Bakugou. Wish I could say the same."
Ashido takes a sip of her drink. "Don't be an ass. I'm sorry for trying to rob you, okay?"
Bakugou pinches the bridge of his nose. "Are you all fucking here because you think you owe me something?"
"We're not fucking here", Kaminari says.
Sero slaps him up the head. "I love an innuendo as much as the next guy but now is not the time."
Bakugou sips on his coffee. "Are you two...?"
All four of them trade looks. Interesting.
"Kind of", Kaminari settles on. "Eh, a little. Sorta."
"A little sorta?"
Kaminari shrugs. "He pimps for me sometimes."
Sero blinks. "That's all you could get as the most defining trait of our relationship?"
"This is getting shitty", Bakugou says. "When you mentioned your mates, I thought you had some kind of office or structure, not-" he gestures at them "-your literal mates."
Kirishima laughs. "Like we're some kind of animals. No, Bakugou, there's an office."
"Is there? Y'all make it look like you're all very down on your luck. I mean come on, a prostitute, his pimp, a robber, a thief? Some crew you are."
"I'm not his actual pimp", Sero rolls his eyes. "And come on, you can't be so rich that you've never had to work in your life."
Bakugou tilts his head. "No, I have partial scholarship because I'm just that good. Yes, shithead, I work for my education too. Wait, Kirishima, you go to my uni. And Kaminari, you said--"
"I go there too", Kaminari nods.
"What about you two?" Bakugou says.
Sero shrugs. "I'm not studying anywhere."
"I'm not studying at uni", Ashido says. "I'm taking online courses for now."
Bakugou scratches his jaw. "How the hell did y'all manage to get so in debt that those jobs were your best choices?"
Kirishima laughs and shrugs. "Stuff happens! Not all of us can get scholarships, Bakugou."
"And hey, how did you get so in debt?" Kaminari says. "You said you were broke."
Bakugou crosses his arms over his chest. It doesn't seem like any of them pay any mind to the gesture. "Stuff happens. Also I live alone and I'm trying to prove a point to my folks."
Ashido plants her chin in her palm. "Must be nice, to be able to get that far just to prove a point. Having something to fall back on if your plan fails."
"Nothing's gonna fail", Bakugou growls. "Shut your mouth, I know what I'm doing. All I have to do is keep my scholarship - y'all seem like you'd sell your goddamn organs just to get by."
Ashido circles her finger around her cup. "It's not that bad. We have Sero's car and a roof over our heads and we're getting the classes we want. We just." She looks at the table. "We just have to get food sometimes."
"Wait, you all live together? Oh my god they're your literal mates."
Kaminari laughs. "Ishly, to both."
Bakugou facepalms. The goddamn need to play hero is overwhelming, but he refuses to be swayed by it.
"Bakugou?"
Bakugou picks his face out of his hand to look at Sero.
"What do you do for money?"
"Not much. I proofread a lot of bullshit, mostly."
"And that's enough?"
"Well, the scholarship helps."
Sero frowns. He shouldn't. "How do you keep your scholarship?"
"How do you fucking think? I study. I work on projects, I don't miss classes." He shoots Kirishima a glance. "I don't steal from my own department."
Kirishima bites his lip. "I... that... that sounds like a lot, Bakugou. Can you even afford to spend this time here, now?"
Bakugou hates the looks they give him. He hates hates hates "More or less. It's fine, you're driving me, I'm saving a fuckton of time on transportation."
"Shit", Kaminari says, eloquently. "We're holding you up, then?"
"Oh no don't you fucking dare", Bakugou says. "That's it, anything any of you think you owe me, I'm tossing it out the window. Stop fucking thinking you owe me. In fact, fuck all of you, I'm paying."
Kaminari puts a hand over his mouth.
Ashido is the first to pick up her jaw. "You can't do that! Especially if you're trying to make us even!"
"You", Bakugou growls. "Especially you, can fuck right off. I've done absolutely nothing for you."
"I tried to rob you."
"I beat your ass."
Ashido blinks. "Actually, that's fair. Okay."
"Bakugou, come on", Kirishima says. "I know we're pissing you off and slowing you down but getting us more indebted--"
"You're not", Bakugou growls. "You can't slow me down. I can't afford to slow down, or stop, or so much as take the time to recover from literally anything."
Kirishima bites his tongue.
Bakugou downs the rest of the coffee. "I'm paying. And then we're outta here, if you're driving."
"You-- sure. Yeah, okay", Sero says. "Do you want me to drive you to uni tomorrow? Or, wait, it's Saturday tomorrow. On Monday?"
"Joke's on you, I have a project to work on tomorrow", Bakugou says. "And yes, you're driving me. Now stay here, I'm going to pay."
"So where to, Bakugou?"
"Just drop me off where you came to pick Kaminari up."