Chapter 10 - Softie

Bang bang bang. Go away. You curled into your blankets.

Bang bang bang. If I ignore them, they'll leave.

BANG BANG BANG.

"What?!" you hissed as you threw open your door. Bakugou looked down at your disheveled appearance, a faint blush crossing his cheeks.

"Put on some pants Ashtray. It's time to train." He left the door open as he walked down the hall, leaving you staring at an empty door frame with serious bedhead and a naked lower half, having only worn an oversized T-shirt to sleep. You groaned as you closed the door, quickly brushed your teeth and threw on a simple green tank and black workout leggings.

He was already stretching when you walked out the back door a few minutes later, throwing daggers with your tired eyes. "Why are we getting up at five?" you tried to sound harsh, but a yawn escaped your lips on the last word.

"Because winners don't fuck around. Now fight me." You perked up.

"Excuse me?" The boy's hands sparked and popped, sounding deafening in the silent morning air. You thrust out a weak tendril, wrapping it around both his wrists and pulling sharply downward before rasping, "We can't do this here you idiot. The sun's not even up. And besides, we can't use our quirks out of designated gyms."

He tugged on the faint strand and broke out of the hold easily. "No quirks." He smiled smugly. Bakugou had at least six inches and twenty kilos of pure muscle over you. Of course he would suggest something so base.

"So, you just woke up early this morning and wanted to punch a girl?" you said, the sarcasm rich on your tongue.

"I know you're strong. Let's see you move without that goddamn smoke," he challenged. You could see the growing fire in his eyes. He wanted to train, but he also wanted to best you. Well, touché buddy. You got into a fighting stance. Bakugou cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders before mimicking your footing. "Ready?"

You shot forward, dropping low, going for the shins to bring him down. You wouldn't be able to handle his height and weight from standing. He did fall, but kicked up with his right foot, which landed squarely in your stomach, sending you over his head and somersaulting several paces behind. You groaned but quickly got up, regaining your stance as the blond smoothly kicked up, landing on his feet from his reclined position. He wore a wicked smile.

This time he charged toward you, a wide right hook missing your ear by millimeters. With his side vulnerable, you brought your knee up to his ribs and heard an audible grunt as he pushed back. The fact that you'd gotten a solid hit seemed to piss him off. He came at you with a sweeping roundhouse kick which connected with your shoulder and sent you flying to the ground.

Before you could even breathe, he was on top of you, pinning both of your arms above your head. You wrapped your foot around Bakugou's ankle and with the momentum of your hips, tossed him to the side enough to release your body, finally yanking your wrists painfully from his hold. He growled, that devilish smile still on his face.

He stood. With you still on the ground, he tried rounding toward you again. On all fours, you planted a strong back kick into his kneecap, causing him to stumble. You grabbed one of his arms, already facing the ground in an attempt to brace his fall, and yanked it hard behind his back, flipping him over onto his front. Then, with all your weight, you crashed down on him. His stomach to the ground, you pinned the still captured arm behind his back and then grabbed for the other. He writhed free of your hold and used the free elbow to crack you in the chin. Fuck! You saw stars.

It had given him enough time to roll over on top of you, changing your positions, this time pinning both your arms and legs with his own. You tried to throw him, but it was no good. He could sense your frustration as he smirked down at your helpless form.

"Stay down this time!" he spat. The sweat dripped from his hair.

"Get off me, you asshole!" you roared back, primal instincts taking over.

"Does that mean you give up?" he laced his words with such sweet venom. You broke the rules. You lit a finger and drove the smoke it created into his eye.

"Fuck!" He released your wrists as he grabbed his now inflamed eye. "You bitch!"

"Sorry," you said in a sulk, as you propped yourself up on your elbows. "I guess I just don't like to lose." You looked up in a half apology as he squinted down at you, his one eye twitching slightly from the irritation.

He was still on top of you, a position you suddenly realized was extremely intimate. You rolled out from beneath him, his hips falling to one side, and turned away as you felt a flush cross your cheeks. Getting to your feet, you waited a breath to let your face return to its normal color before turning around and holding a hand out to Bakugou, who was still seated on the ground.

He ignored the offer and instead patted the grass next to him as an invitation to sit. You did.

"You started off strong going for the knees," he began, his chest still rising and falling quickly from the exertion. "But I expected it, accounting for the differences in our height and weight. I knew you'd want to take it to the ground fast." Your eyes widened as he laid out your strategy move by move.

You listened to his analysis, fascinated that he could think so many steps ahead. He continued for several minutes, giving a play-by-play as if he had been a simple spectator and not in the fight himself.

"So, what can I do better next time?" you asked with genuine interest.

"Be faster than me," Bakugou laughed, as if it were an impossibility.

"If that's all-" you stood up, holding out your hand to him once more- "then let's go again." His devilish smile returned.

***

You lost all six matches. But you'd learned a lot. When you and Bakugou entered through the dorm entryway together two hours later, the rest of the class was awake and puttering around the common area.

"What happened to you two? Were you attacked by villains?" Hagakure yelped as she laid eyes on your dirty, sweaty, and all together exhausted forms. Her outburst had caused several other heads to turn.

"Nothing as serious as that," you waved away her statement. "We were just sparring." You gladly accepted the glass of water Ochako offered you. Izuku brought a glass to Bakugou, which was swiped from the boy, chugged, and then shoved back into his still outstretched hands.

"C'mon Ashtray. Clean yourself up. You look like hell." Bakugou started up the stairs.

"Me? You look like you were dragged through a hedge backwards." You followed.

"I look like a fucking Adonis compared to you, you hag."

"That's fucking rich coming from..." Your voices echoed down the stairs to your classmates below.

"Did I black out? Were they just teasing each other in a 'I'm-not-going-to-murder-you' way?" Sero said, a spoonful of oatmeal still poised at his lips.

"I was Bakugou's partner for a whole month and all I ever got were death threats!" Kaminari shouted, protesting your behavior.

"They almost seemed like they were getting along." Izuku still held the empty water glass.

The classmates glanced between one another at the sudden turn of events. Kirishima only gazed up the stairs. Todoroki frowned towards his hands resting on the breakfast table.

***

Two nights later you laid out on the couch in the empty common room, your legs dangling over the arm. Everyone had gone up to bed, but you couldn't put down your latest book. With the hard cover hovering above your nose, you didn't register his presence until he dropped onto the cushion closest to your head, nearly screaming at the sudden intrusion to your fantasy world.

"What's up Blasty?" You tried to play off your surprise casually, laying the book onto your chest and staring upside down at the explosive blond.

"I need your help. You can't ask any questions and we can never talk about it after tonight. And someone may or may not get injured," Bakugou huffed out, arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, I'm intrigued." You swung your legs over the arm of the couch and sat normally beside Bakugou, leaning into him slightly.

"Meet me down here at midnight. Wear black."

"Isn't that way past your bedtime?" He snarled at you.

"Just fucking come Ashtray?" he said, exasperated. You nodded warily, surprised at your innate trust in the boy. That seemed to be enough of an answer for him, and you watched as he marched upstairs.

***

Midnight came quickly and you tiptoed down the stairs dressed in all black. Your hair was braided off your face and hidden beneath a hood. You peered around the dark common room until you spotted Bakugou's silhouette beside the front door.

He was also dressed all in black. His blond hair was tucked in a beanie and he'd even gone so far as to put black grease below his crimson eyes, like a sports player might wear to guard against glare. You appreciated his commitment to the outfit.

"Do I get to know where we're going?" you whispered as you approached him.

"Next door." You were taken aback.

"Next door, next door?"

"Did I fucking stutter?" he hissed. "We're going to 2-B's dorm. That fucking parrot stole something from me and I'm gonna get it back."

"Hold up. I have so many questions. The parrot? And what did it steal?" You followed Bakugou out of the large front door, keeping your voice as low as possible.

"Monoma or whatever the fuck his name is. The kid that copies people's quirks. He's always had something against our class, and now he's gone so far as to steal from me. Well, he thought fucking wrong!" Bakugou whisper shouted into the warm night air.

MONOMA NIETO, HERO NAME: PHANTOM THIEF—QUIRK: COPY. COPY ALLOWS MONOMA TO UTILIZE A QUIRK AFTER COMING INTO CONTACT WITH ITS RESPECTIVE USER. MONOMA CAN HOLD UP TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF COPIED QUIRKS WITHIN HIS BODY, DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH HE TRAINS HIS QUIRK. THE EFFECTS OF THE COPIED QUIRKS, SAVE FOR THOSE THAT PHYSICALLY CHANGE THE STRUCTURE OF HIS BODY, WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN ACTIVE EVEN IF MONOMA SWITCHES OUT THE ASSOCIATED QUIRK.

"So why do you need me?"

"You're gonna help me break in," he said nonchalantly. You stopped walking for a second and Bakugou turned on his heel to look at you. "Fucking leave if you're too much of a wuss."

"I'm not being a wuss. I'm just thinking of the best way to break in," you said smugly. A small smirk appeared on Bakugou's lips before he turned around and continued walking toward 2-B.

"Do you know which room?" you asked as you approached the boy's side of the dorm.

"Third floor, second from the front." You both eyed the building. "Well, fucking get to it Ashtray."

"What?" You furrowed your brow.

"Your shitty rope thing." You almost laughed at Bakugou's intention before lighting your fingers and pulling in the smoke.

"You know this wouldn't take so long if you had told me to start storing smoke earlier," you teased as the explosive boy paced back and forth. He glared at you as the darkness of the smoke crept past your wrists and was hidden by your long sleeves.

"Ready?" he whispered and pointed toward the balcony of Monoma's room. You nodded, feeling your reserves swimming just under your skin. You released thick dark tendrils into the air, and they latched onto the railing. Tugging on the ropes to ensure their purchase, you waved at Bakugou to begin his ascent.

"I better not fucking fall Ashtray," he hissed as he started to pull himself up the building, his feet skimming the brick. You just rolled your eyes and waited for him to reach the third floor before assuming the same position and pulling yourself upward.

"Well?" you said when you reached the top. You pulled back in all your smoke.

"His goddamn window is locked. I could blast it, but it'll make a lot of noise." You could see Bakugou's frustration grow as he realized he hadn't planned for this.

"Step aside junior." You shifted to the side, your hips colliding with his on the small balcony. You released one thin tendril and snaked it into the window lock. Your face puckered in concentration as you twisted the smoke to the left and right, but finally heard the satisfying click of the lock opening. You smirked up at Bakugou over your left shoulder. He eyed you with something akin to amusement.

"When we get in, you cover his eyes and mouth and pin him down. I'll hunt for the stolen stuff. And don't let him touch you," he breathed.

"You really wouldn't have been able to do any of this without me, would you?" you teased, filled with the adrenaline of the scandal. Bakugou 'tsk'ed but didn't say anything else as he slowly and quietly opened the window.

Monoma was asleep on his back, his blond head on the side closest to the window. His blankets were thrown from his body in the late-spring heat, even with the air conditioner turned on. Other than a backpack and three textbooks, there were no trip hazards on the floor.

You sent out six tendrils, one for each limb and two for his eyes and mouth. You prayed his quirk couldn't work on your smoke alone.

Bakugou counted down on his fingers. 3...2...1.

You captured each part of the sleeping boy's body with ease. He struggled against the new restraints and tried to scream, but the smoke gag covering his mouth held. You held fast, ensuring he couldn't cause too much noise shifting the bed by anchoring a foot again the frame and pushing down.

Bakugou bent to whisper in the boy's ear, but you made a slight grunt. The explosive boy looked up at you and you glared back, trying to silently indicate he shouldn't reveal who you were by speaking. Bakugou pouted but pulled away. He would have loved to scare the absolute crap out of a snot like Monoma.

You kept your hold as Bakugou began scanning and poking at things in the room, hunting for the stolen items. He pulled open each of the draws in the dresser, finally landing on the bottom left where you heard a definitive growl. Bakugou pocketed an item you couldn't see. You peered toward the drawer in the darkness and tapped your foot on the ground to get the explosive boy's attention.

He looked up at you, suddenly confused. You now held Monoma's reins in one hand and were miming with the other. You pointed to the drawer, seeing possessions that clearly belonged to other members of your class. You acted out Mina's big dark eyes, Kaminari's short-circuit movements, Sero's elbows, Kirishima's spiky hair, Todoroki's half and half sides. Bakugou clearly understood after the first few moments but pretended not to comprehend just to watch you play charades and make a fool of yourself a little while longer. Once you realized, you ended your mimicry by flipping him off.

Bakugou found a plastic bag in the bathroom and shoved all the items into it before signaling toward the window. You nodded, keeping Monoma down as you both backed out of the window and onto the balcony.

This would be the tricky part. You didn't know if you could lower yourself and Bakugou to the ground while keeping Monoma pinned. You lit the fingers of your left hand and pulled in even more smoke.

Convinced you had enough, you released one long thick rope from your hand, making sure the series of tendrils in your right still held. The muscles in your arms and chest were fatiguing, but you couldn't complain.

Bakugou quickly descended from the balcony, doing his best to ease your burden. Once on the ground, you didn't have a choice but to release Monoma and begin your own drop. Your rappelling was sloppy and jumpy, but you knew you didn't have time to waste. When you were ten feet from the ground, you held your breath and let yourself fall, praying Bakugou would be there to catch you.

Strong arms wrapped around your waist and under your knees. You exhaled as Bakugou sprinted into the darkness of the tree line that surrounded the dorms, out of sight of the now searching Monoma from his third-floor window.

Bakugou waited in the shadows. He still held you in his arms and you could feel the quick rise and fall of his chest from the run. You looked up toward his face, his chiseled jawline, those searching scarlet eyes. Your pulse quickened as if you'd just run as well.

You released a sigh as Monoma left the balcony and Bakugou snapped from his concentration, realizing he was still holding you. He practically dropped you, your hero training the only thing that prevented you from falling directly on your ass. Your body suddenly felt cold without his contact, even in the warm night air. In the darkness you couldn't see the pink that crossed his cheeks.

"We should go back to the dorm in case he told someone," you barely breathed. Bakugou simply nodded and started walking toward 2-A.

***

Once on the porch, you finally let yourself fully exhale, releasing all the smoke you'd been storing. Bakugou pushed open the front door, and you followed, pulling your hood from your head and unzipping your jacket. Bakugou too quickly removed his extra dark layers and tossed them over the back of the couch.

"That was..." you broke the silence. Bakugou looked at your perplexed face before the both of you burst out into laughter. You tried to cover your mouths to stifle the noise in the quiet common room, but your chuckles and wheezes still permeated the space.

"That was one of the crazier things I've done in a while," you finally said, whipping a laughing tear from your eye. Bakugou smiled at you.

"Where the fuck did you learn to pick locks?" You bit your lip, suddenly a little embarrassed.

"In middle school my friends always asked me to pick the lock on their parents' liquor cabinet. I got really good at it." You scratched the back of your neck.

"So, this wasn't the first time you've acted as an accomplice," he teased. "And remind me to never be on your team for charades. What the fuck were those moves Ashtray?" He grabbed your wrist and pulled you to sit down next to him on the couch, his demeanor alive and playful, so much different from the hostility he typically displayed.

"Oh, fuck off on those. You knew exactly what I was doing two seconds in and you still acted dumb, you little shit." You ripped your wrist away and punched him in the arm. He grinned at your ineffectual jab.

"I do appreciate you getting into character for our little rendezvous though. Did you really need the face paint?" you laughed. Before you could think better, you grazed your thumb across his cheek, touching the sleek black grease. His skin is so soft. It smudged as Bakugou's hand came to swat your finger from his face. Your gaze lifted to his crimson eyes at the contact.

"Oh, sorry." An awkward silence passed between you as you held his stare. You felt the same fluttering feeling as you had at his birthday party. Sensing your cheeks redden, you turned away, pretending to admire the carpet.

Your tone turned softer, "Thanks for catching me though. I know we didn't exactly plan that one out."

"That was definitely stupid. How did you know I'd even catch you?" he replied, a slight breathiness to his tone. You could still feel his gaze on you.

"I trust you," you perked up, saying it as if it weren't obvious, "because you're a hero and my friend."

"Your friend?" Bakugou scoffed.

Really? That's what he's taking offense at?

"You can't honestly say that after all our training and sparring and whatever the fuck that criminal activity was that we're not friends." You leaned to the side, knocking your shoulder with his.

"I mean, I don't completely hate hanging out with you," he said, not making eye contact. You smiled at his inability to admit something so simple.

"So, what did our nighttime escapade get us?" you finally asked, gesturing toward the bag. Bakugou lifted it from the ground and dumped the contents onto the coffee table. It seemed like there was something from everyone in the class - one of Izuku's notebooks, Kirishima's Crimson Riot trading card, Mina's autographed picture of a dance celebrity, Ochako's clearly hand-knitted winter hat, Satou's grandmother's recipe book, along with many more.

You had expected Monoma would have stolen something related to each person's quirk, almost as a way to better his copies, but these items all seemed much more personal. And then one caught your eye. Your fingers moved hastily toward an old faded photograph.

"That asshole," you whispered under your breath. Bakugou's expression turned from anger to concern.

"That's yours?" You nodded, picking up the film delicately between your thumb and index finger. In the picture a young man was smiling at a small [h/c] haired girl on a swing.

"I thought if he took anything from me it would have been one of my masks or something disgusting, like a pair of my underwear. But I feel even more... violated by this."

"Who is it?"

"My dad." Bakugou could tell by the pain in your tone not to push on the subject. You took a deep breath as you held the photograph against your chest. "Did you get your thing back?" You tried to add some new brightness to your question.

"Yeah."

"What'd he take?" At seeing your vulnerability, Bakugou opted to not dismiss your question. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a black and green ashtray.

"That's..." You looked up from his palm into his crimson eyes once more.

He did all of this to get that back?

"Don't read into it. I just didn't want that asshat to have it," Bakugou said and rose from the couch, heading to the stairs, trying to appear nonchalant. You stood and gestured toward the coffee table.

"You're just going to leave all these here?"

"They're not mine," he said matter-of-factly over his shoulder.

"So, you essentially took me on a little secret mission and came back with all your friends' stolen belongings and you're never going to tell them it was you?"

"Neither are you. Tell anyone and I'll kill you."

"You're really a softie, aren't you?" you called after him. He turned to glare at you before trudging up the stairs to bed. You smiled as you heard him 'tsk' at the top landing.