Ch. 40 A Good Night to Get Drunk

It seemed like a good night to get drunk.

At least that's what Denki Kaminari thought.

Bakugo had been perfectly happy staying home, alone, and re-reading one of his favorite books before these two guys showed up. His book tonight was the one you had chosen from the shelf the day you told him about your quirk. You'd picked it at random, not knowing that it was one he'd read more times than he could count.

"It's Friday night, guys, and we are going out. There's a bar I saw the other day on patrol," Kaminari told Bakugo and Kirishima. "We could go there. It's in kind of a rough area, so I don't think any fans would bother us."

"You mean those screeching teenagers that show up everywhere you go?" Bakugo muttered.

"Are you sure you don't leak your location to them?" Kirishima asked.

"I mean.... Sometimes...." Kaminari admitted.

Bakugo rolled his eyes. He put his book down on his table and continued to regret the fact that he had allowed Kaminari and Kirishima to come over.

"What can I say, my fans are the best!" Kaminari yelled as he went into the kitchen.

"Come out with us. We haven't seen you in ages, man," Kirishima urged. He knew his friend was hurting, despite how much Bakugo tried to hide it, and he hated seeing him like this. "It would be good for you."

"I thought it would be best to lay low for awhile."

"Are the police still bothering you?"

"It's all a fucking mess," Bakugo groaned. "I'm not supposed to do any patrolling until everything is cleared up, but y/n apparently won't talk to the police and set things straight, so nothing is happening. It's like we're in a standstill."

"They really think you raped her. That is so messed up. Why won't she just tell them that you didn't?

"I don't fucking know."

"Have you tried calling her?"

"No. Both the police and my attorney said that I'm not supposed to have any contact with her. I have a couple friends on the force who said they'd try to get in touch with her, but so far nothing. It's like a concrete wall we can't get past."

The police had told him to stay away until everything was settled, but he also remembered Dabi's words outside the hospital. As angry as he was about this whole situation, he knew what that guy was capable of and didn't want to be the reason anything worse happened to you.

The guys had filled him in that you were living with Todoroki now, anyway, and as much as the mere idea made Bakugo want to destroy an entire city, he at least knew that you had someone near you who could protect you. He hoped.

Kirishima turned on the tv and started flipping channels until finally turning it to a hero news show.

"Oh shit," Kirishima suddenly said. "I'm sorry, I'm going to change it," he said, fumbling to find the remote again.

"What are you talking about? ....Oh."

Images of you and Todoroki flashed on the screen. Walking down the street, him holding your hand, while the reporter spouted what he was sure was complete bullshit about your mysterious romance.

"How do I even do this? Your remote is so confusing!"

"It's a power button, dumbass. Give it here." Bakugo took it from him and turned off the tv.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's fine."

"We both know it's not. Until you told me what the police were saying, I didn't even realize that the two of you were like that," Kirishima said. "I mean, I kind of guessed, but she's so nice and you're so..."

"What the fuck are you trying to say?"

"Nothing! Nothing. Just that I didn't realize how serious you were about her until I saw all of this play out."

Bakugo picked up his book again, remembering the time you spent together that night. But then he remembered you coming home, bruised and exhausted from god knows what.

"It isn't just the accusation. I'm not going to drag you into it, but there's a lot going on other than just this."

"All I know is that you can't spend every day here avoiding everyone. We're going out, even if I have to drag you."

"Like you could."

"Try me!" Kirishima grinned.

Kaminari walked back in balancing three shot glasses. "Before we go!" he said proudly, handing them out, practically shoving one into Bakugo's hand. "I already called an uber."

Bakugo stared at the shot glass in his hand for just a second. He really hadn't done much of anything these past few weeks. Well, anything other than ignore Hawks' calls and wonder how you were doing. He'd gone in to work a few times, just to see if there was any new information on the League or Dabi, but so far, nothing. The League had been strangely silent lately. Too silent.

They had time for two more shots before the uber got there, so combined with the drink they took with them in the car, all three young heroes were feeling pretty good by the time they got to the bar.

It did indeed seem like a good night to get drunk.

---

"What book are you reading?" Shoto asked. He was putting on his suit for his event tonight, and you forced yourself to keep your eyes on your book instead of on him as he put on his shirt. You were successful... mostly.

"It's nothing you'd be interested in," you told him, showing him the cover. "It's a romance. A... friend... read it and liked it a lot, so I thought I would try it out."

"Is reading your favorite thing to do?"

"My favorite thing? I don't know."

"I know you like to work, but if you put that to the side, what do you like to do the most?"

"Well...." You had to really think about it, which wasn't easy when Shoto was standing there in his suit looking like... like that.

"You know I like to read. I guess I also liked to draw and paint when I was younger. I didn't have a lot of friends growing up, so art was something I could do on my own."

The last thing you'd drawn were ideas for a redesign of Bakugo's agency, but that felt like years ago. Those aren't terrible, he'd told you. Now that you knew him better, you realized that he was actually giving a compliment back then, in his own weird way.

But then again, you didn't really know him at all apparently.

Shoto nodded his head. "I'd like to see something you've drawn one day, if you'll let me."

"I don't know. I don't really do that anymore."

"Why not?"

You didn't really have an answer to that.

"I have everything taken care of for you here," Shoto said, "so why not start drawing or painting again? Or whatever you dream of doing. I want to see you smile, y/n. That's all."

"I appreciate what you're saying," you said, "I really do, and it would be fun to start doing art again, but... I need to get my life together. Dreams can come later." Way later, once you figured out how to get rid of Dabi and get out of the League.

Shoto's phone rang, and he answered, walking out of his room while you went back to your book.

"No," you heard him say in the other room, "I was told that the police would not need to do any further questioning. Don't they have everything they need? I don't want them here."

It wasn't unusual to hear Shoto talk with other heroes or the police on the phone as part of his job, but there was something in his tone of voice this time that felt off, something too quiet, too hushed.

"I said I don't want them here. You owe me," he told the person on the phone.

What is that all about? You stared at the words on the page of your book but didn't actually read them.

"Red or black?" Shoto asked, suddenly coming back into the room.

"Oh, um, what?"

"The red tie or the black one?"

Shoto picked up two ties from his dresser and held them up for you.

"Both are fine? Where are you going again?

"Benefit dinner for the hospital."

"That's right."

"And you're going to work."

"Yeah. Maybe the red one?"

He put the black tie back on his dresser. "Help?" he asked. Helping him with his tie was literally the least you could do, given everything he had done for you.

"I wish you were coming with me," he said as you tied the tie. "Don't you ever get a night off?"

"Do heroes?"

"Well, no, not really. But you're a bartender..."

"Hey now," you said, giving the tie a little yank. "Bartending is a necessary and important occupation."

"I could stop by after my event."

"No," you said quickly, probably too quickly. To cover, you busied yourself with smoothing down his tie and making it line up perfectly. "It's for the best if we're not seen together in public, especially after this morning."

Both of you cringed. This morning Shoto had the idea for the two of you to walk around the corner to get a cup of coffee, just to get out of the house for a second. But photographers had immediately hounded you both, peppering Shoto with questions about your supposed relationship.

Have you bought a ring yet, Shoto?

Are you redecorating for a baby, Shoto?

Are police really investigating a jealous ex of hers, Shoto?

He'd had to pull you with him, just to get down the street. Even worse, in the rush to get away, you'd come home without the coffee.

When you asked him about the last question, he'd brushed it off and simply said that the press will make up anything for a story.

"Y/n," he said, staring down at you. You were still holding his tie, and his hands went up to hold your own, clasping them together against his chest.

"Yes?"

"It's no secret that I want us to be more than... roommates."

"I know," you said, dropping your eyes. "And you have to know how incredibly appreciative I am of everything you've done for me these past few weeks. My rooms are so nice, way nicer than anywhere I've lived before. I don't know what I would have done without you. Really."

"You don't have to thank me."

"But I do. You've helped me so much. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you."

"I'm not expecting you to," he said. "Y/n, even if you never want to date, I'll still be there for you. Of course, I would like it if we did officially date..."

Really, with him staring at you like that, why were you hesitating?

Shoto hadn't shown any sign that he was as much of a hypocrite as the other heroes you knew, but Bakugo hadn't either. However, you had to admit to yourself that your instincts when it came to men were problematic at best.

Truthfully, you felt like you were the hypocrite now, willingly accepting a hero's help because it was convenient for you to do so.

Or was it that you were lying to him every day about what you did? Or not lying, not exactly, more like leaving out the part that you worked for the most wanted villains in the city.

Part of you knew you were afraid of what Dabi would do as well. You'd been given this grace period to heal after the fall, but now that you were back to working full time, would he be as forgiving?

But then there was Shoto, right in front of you, holding your hands and taking care of you in a way that no one else ever had.

You unlocked your hands from Shoto's and slid them up around his neck.

"Thank you for being so patient with me," you said quietly to this kind man who wanted to see you smile, who gave you everything you wanted and more, who hadn't left your side for weeks while you recovered. 

Shoto's hands went around your waist, bringing you closer to him. "For you, anything."

Shoto's kiss was gentle, until it wasn't. Simple, and sweet, until your back was against the wall and his hands explored the soft skin of your hips and lower back. He was going to be late for his event, and you were going to be late for work, but as you untied his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, throwing them on the floor to join your own clothing that he'd already slipped off you, neither of you seemed to care.