Chapter 38 - Kitten

Everyone was down on the back porch five minutes later, dressed in beachwear, the girls all in bikinis and the boys in swim trunks. You tried not to think about the visible scratches on Bakugou's back, and – oh my God did I leave burn marks?

"So, what's first?" Kaminari threw his arms around your and Mina's shoulders.

"We have the whole house and everything in it at our disposal." Yaoyorozu started counting off on her fingers. "Bikes, surf boards, snorkels, paddle boards, chairs and umbrellas if you just want to lie out, a volleyball net we can set up..."

"I've never tried surfing before!" Kirishima perked up.

"Great! We can get them out of the equipment shack and anything else you all might want to try. I'm just going to lie out if anyone wants to join me for a bit," she added.

You grabbed Bakugou's hand and dragged him down the back stairs toward the equipment shack. Once again, calling it a shack was a massive understatement. It was more of a warehouse, full of anything one could possibly desire for a day at the beach. You walked into the 'shack' and pulled several surf boards from the wall, handing one to Kirishima, Sero and Bakugou before grabbing a black and silver board for yourself. The rest of the gang decided to set up the volleyball net on the sand.

"Have you ever surfed before?" You caught up to Bakugou, your board below your right arm.

"No, but how hard can it be?"

"I'm pretty sure it can be very hard," you answered. He 'tsk'ed and walked into the water. He laid down on the board and paddled out into the bay. In no time at all he was standing on the board and riding a low wave.

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

"Is there anything you're not good at?" you called out from shore. He laid on the board a second time, preparing to swim out again.

"No. I'm amazing. I thought you knew that Ashtray." He winked and you felt your cheeks redden. He had certainly been good at that. Playing it cool, you rolled your eyes and walked into the refreshing water. You paddled out to where he waited, legs on either side of his lime green board.

"Are we making this a contest?"

"I've been trying to get up all month and haven't managed it for more than a few seconds. So, no you competitive ass. I'm not having any more contests with you today!" He raised a knowing eyebrow. You splashed water at him and then straddled your own board.

"You're no fun." Bakugou looked over his shoulder as a moderately sized wave approach. He laid down on his front and started to paddle in time with the wave. You remained seated, waiting for the next surge and watched as he easily rode the crest toward shore.

A minute later you stumbled disastrously as you tried to stand on your board. You swallowed a mouthful of water and came up gagging only for another wave to crash down on your head. Your body spun. The sand was no longer beneath your feet and you weren't sure which direction was up. You couldn't use your quirk. It was useless in the water. Squinting your eyes open in the stinging sea, you tried to identify the sunlight at the surface and kicked toward it. Your head broke through the surf and you coughed out before the current pulled you back under, panic rising in your chest.

Popping noises? The rush of the water around your head stifled the sound. Louder. A second later strong arms wrapped around you and dragged you from the surf. You stared up at Bakugou's chiseled jaw, your cheek pressed to his chest.

"You okay [y/n]!?" Kirishima called out. Your friends rushed over, surf boards and volleyballs scattered on the sand behind them.

"BACK THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" Bakugou barked out. He set you down on the edge of the shore, water still lapping at your feet. He crouched down beside you, worry in his eyes. You coughed violently a few times but held your thumb up as a sign of 'okay'.

"I'm a goddamn hero. I'll be fine," you finally croaked out, the saltiness scratching your throat.

"That's my girl." Bakugou smiled, the fear subsiding. Yaoyorozu handed him a towel which he wrapped around your shoulders. You blinked the salt water from your eyes and smiled back at him.

"Thank you Katsuki."

"You getting back out on that board?" It was a new challenge, one that you were thankful for. He would never let you give up.

"Of course I am." He extended his hand and you took it, pulling yourself up off the sand. "Will you show me how not to suck?" He smirked and grabbed your board from the ground, handing it to you before finding his own further down the beach. You swam out to where the waves were big enough to ride.

"Ready?" You nodded and stepped up onto the board.

***

"What's for dinner?" Kaminari shook his hair out like a dog. He was the last one to walk up the long staircase back to the porch as everyone refused to be in the sea at the same time as the sparky boy. That amount of salt plus electricity really would have killed everyone. You were almost sure you saw a fish or two float to the surface.

"Tou-san's our chef. He usually makes dinners, but we can order in if you'd prefer." Yaoyorozu collected the used towels from everyone and dropped them into a basket by the sliding glass door.

"What's the kitchen like anyway?" Jirou asked.

"You haven't seen it yet?! It's nuts!" Kirishima started toward the massive kitchen as everyone followed behind. You watched as your friends' eyes widened at the sight of the near professional kitchen tucked behind the mossy atrium.

Tall white cabinets covered the back and right walls with glass shelving so you could see the delicate light blue and grey porcelain that resided inside. A giant island took up most of the footprint with white marble cascading even down the sides of the massive structure. Bar stools were propped along its left side with easy swivel-ability to see out the floor to ceiling windows that looked onto the bay. Built into the back wall were four ovens beside a range with six burners. To the right was a towering double wide refrigerator as well as a stainless-steel sink which could have held every pot you'd ever used. Cooking gadgets of all shapes and sizes were tucked away in the drawers and cabinets, not to mention the mountain of food in the pantry and refrigerator.

Your eyes landed on Bakugou and you caught the near glee in his expression. You nudged him slightly wondering what was on his mind.

"Bro! Make something for us!" Kirishima called out, taking a seat on one of the stools.

"Fuck off. I'm not cooking for you," Bakugou spat but his eyes still bounced over each appliance, admiring.

"Then will you make something [y/n]? Your food is always so delicious!" Mina cooed as she took the seat beside Kirishima. Before you could answer Bakugou barked out a laugh.

"Tsk. Not better than mine!"

"Are you kidding me?" You crossed your arms over your chest and glared at him.

"One decent curry and some cookies doesn't make you a chef Ashtray." Your friends' eyes volleyed between you, slightly nervous of the escalation that promised to occur.

"And you cutting a few vegetables for your mom doesn't make you one either."

"You're both amazing!" Kaminari draped his arms around your and Bakugou's shoulders, but quickly dropped them as the ash blond started to growl.

"Fine. I challenge you to a shokugeki!" you stated with passion.

"A fucking what?" Fuck, I've been reading too much manga.

"A cook off. Our friends will judge who makes the best dinner." The fire in Bakugou's eyes lit and you felt your own pulse quicken. "Yaomomo, is anything in the kitchen off limits?" You turned to the dark-haired girl.

"I'll tell Tou-san he can have the night off. The kitchen and everything in it is yours." She scurried off toward the foyer.

"I thought you said no more challenges today Ashtray," Bakugou said, a cocky smirk already playing on his lips. A flush rushed up your neck. "Rules?"

"No recipes. No checking your phone for tips and tricks. One hour." You were making things up on the fly but had faith in your own abilities to succeed.

"Shitty hair!" Kirishima looked up. "Give me your headband." The redhead pulled a white bandana from his pocket and threw it to Bakugou. The explosive boy wrapped it around his forehead, truly getting into character. You grinned at his commitment while braiding back your own hair.

"Ready?" he practically purred. You nodded and sprinted to the refrigerator.

The kitchen was in a tizzy with you and Bakugou sliding past one another but never colliding. It was like a perfectly choreographed dance. You shifted your cutting board to the island, and he swept behind you with a bowl in hand. You preheated the oven as he started dicing cabbage, a second bowl already in the refrigerator.

After twenty minutes your meat went into the oven. You glanced over your shoulder and Bakugou was busy whisking together a sauce. You tried to peek at his ingredients and noticed oyster sauce and ketchup.

Grabbing nearly every spice and condiment in the pantry you got to work on your own sauces.

"You forgot the kitchen sink [y/n]," Sero heckled from the bar stools. You counted out nine small bowls, one for each of you. All your friends watched as you measured and poured, tasting with small spoons every few minutes.

"They're all different?" Mina whispered to Jirou. The punky girl shrugged and continued to watch, mesmerized at how smoothly your hands bounced between ingredients. The smell of your pork in the oven began wafting through the kitchen eliciting near moans from the German flag trio.

"Stealing this." You grabbed half a cabbage from Bakugou's work station.

"Hey fuck off, that's mine."

"Not anymore Kitten." You placed it down on a cutting board and ran your knife through it, creating thin strips of green. You tossed it in a bowl and paired it with a second red cabbage and slices of carrot. You were about to sit back and wait for your meat to finish when you got an idea.

Appetizers.

Returning to the refrigerator you pulled out a tuna filet.

Damn Tou-san, you know how to pick a nice looking piece of fish.

You ran your hands along the flesh ensuring there were no small bones before picking up your knife once more and dicing the beautiful rosy fish. The tuna was tossed into a bowl and drizzled with soy sauce and sesame oil before you sliced in some green onions and sprinkled red pepper flakes and sesame seeds. With five minutes left on the meat you hurried to the range and grabbed a wok. Hunting through the pantry you pulled out soft wanton wrappers.

Just then the burner beside you sizzled to life and an amazingly sweet yet savory scent filled the space. You looked over as Bakugou ladled thick pools of batter onto a flattop. He looked surprisingly at peace for how fast and precise each of his movements were.

"Well now I know what you're making," you teased, eyeing the obvious signs of okonomiyaki, a delicious cabbage pancake which was typically topped with – he took out the slabs of pork belly that had been marinating in the refrigerator and gently placed them atop the pancakes. Your mouth started to water as you fried your wantons almost too crispy. You saved them just in time and brought them back to your work station.

You scooped a spoonful of tuna poke into each wanton cup and pushed them toward your friends.

"[y/n] wins! She's even giving us appetizers!" Kaminari nearly sang, holding his left hand up to declare you the automatic winner. You smiled as your timer beeped and you scurried toward the oven looking smug.

"NOT SO FUCKING FAST!" Bakugou pulled another platter from the refrigerator and quickly dropped chilled summer rolls before your classmates.

He deveined shrimp and rolled rice paper? When the fuck did he do all that?!

Bakugou smirked as he saw your jaw hang low, returning to his flattop.

***

Your friends had made warm humming sounds as they ate each of your appetizers, but now was the moment of truth.

You silently cursed as Bakugou laid a sizzling okonomiyaki pancake, topped with pork belly, Japanese mayonnaise, a tangy brown sauce and a mountain of green onions before each of your classmates. He pushed a plate to you slowly, his expression gloating.

You platted your own pork atop a pile of coleslaw and served it alongside a small bowl of rice, then passed the nine bowls of sauce to each of their recipients.

Why did our recipes have to be just similar enough? But dammit, his looks so good.

"Whose do we eat first?" Todoroki asked lifting his chopsticks from the table.

"I WANT TO EAT BAKUGOU'S! Oh, sorry [y/n]," Mina chimed, already digging her utensils into the dense pancake.

"Might as well eat the better meal on an empty stomach. Why save room for the lesser dish?" Bakugou smirked. You kicked his shin from behind the island.

"ITADAKIMASU!" your friends cried out as they dug into the okonomiyaki. You reluctantly lifted your chopsticks and took a bite, making sure to get a little piece of everything.

Fuck. It's absolutely delicious.

You focused on not moaning, but clearly everyone else around the island wasn't trying hard to hide their delight.

"This is amazing bro!"

"Who taught you how to cook Bakugou?" Yaomomo dropped her ladylike facade and started speaking with her mouth full.

"I used to watch my mom and nana. I just picked it up. It's kinda fun I guess." Bakugou's tone was genuine. He enjoyed this. And he was very very good at it. Taking another bite your gaze rested on the explosive blond, arms crossed over his chest beaming at his creation. You bit your lip, wondering what other surprises he had up his sleeve. You shook the thought away, remembering this was a competition.

"Okay. Stop pigging out and try mine before you have no more room left." You inched your plates closer.

"You have your work cut out for you [y/n]," Sero said, taking a last bite of Bakugou's creation. You ignored his comment.

"Please pour the sauce on the pork and enjoy," you said. You held your breath as everyone drizzled their sauces atop the piece of meat and took their first bites.

Bakugou looked at you mockingly before placing a bite in his mouth. His smug expression turned to one of surprise and contentment before quickly shifting back to annoyance.

Yeah bitch, you know you like it.

"This sweet and salty sauce is amazing!" Kaminari shoveled rice into his mouth before taking another bite of the pork.

"Sweet and salty? It's clearly soy and oranges." Sero smacked Kaminari on the back of the head.

"No, it's not. It's like the sauce you use on soba," Todoroki chimed in.

"IT'S FUCKING SPICY. ARE YOU ALL MORONS?!"

"You're all right." All eyes turned to you. "I made a special sauce for each of you based on your favorite foods. We all know Denki likes junk food and Shouto likes cold soba. Based on the way Katsuki ate my spicy curry on his birthday I knew he'd want his sauce to have a kick."

"YOU MADE CUSTOM FUCKING SAUCES?! ARE YOU SERIOUS ASHTRAY?"

"I knew whatever you were going to make would somehow be amazing and I needed to counter that," you said nonchalantly. The vein in your boyfriend's neck started to throb.

"Well, I think it's fantastic," Jirou commented. "How do we vote?"

"Privately please. If I don't vote for Bakugou's he'll hurt me." Kaminari glanced between the two plates.

"ARE YOU SAYING YOU'RE NOT GOING TO VOTE FOR MINE?!"

"I thought you said cooking was fun. Jeez, chill. And obviously he's going to vote for me." You poked Bakugou in the ticklish spot between his ribs. He recoiled and snarled.

"We can write our votes and drop it in a bowl." Yaoyorozu went to the cabinet and pulled out a blue bowl before opening a drawer and grabbing a sheet of paper and a few pens. She ripped the paper into seven pieces, omitting you and Bakugou, and passed the strips around. The kitchen was silent for a long moment before all the pieces were collected. She handed the bowl to Todoroki.

"Not IcyHot! He'll probably rig the vote," Bakugou protested, crossing his arms over his chest once again.

"I'm literally just going to read names. Besides I'm not afraid to say out loud that I voted for [y/n]." Todoroki dug his hand into the bowl as Bakugou's hands began to pop.

4-3 [y/n].

"[y/n] wins," Todoroki said in an unenthused tone. You gave a quick curtsy. Your friends applauded you as Bakugou started throwing a tantrum. You couldn't really believe it. If you were being honest, you would have voted for Bakugou's plate over your own. Bakugou grabbed your wrist and spun you toward him glaring at you with those crimson eyes.

"FUCK THAT! WE'RE DOING THIS AGAIN TOMORROW NIGHT ASHTRAY!" You couldn't help but beam up at him.

"Okay Kitten. You want a rematch? You got it." You kissed his cheek, instantly making the angry boy calm and blush.

"AWESOME! WE'RE GOING TO GET TWO MORE AMAZING DINNERS TOMORROW!" Kaminari cheered.

***

AngryKitten: Why aren't you in my bed Ashtray?

You: Because I'm snuggling with a cuddlier guy in mine.

You heard his feet smash onto the floor of his room a moment later, no doubt having flung his blankets off the bed. You hoped he hadn't burnt any fabric. 3...2...1...you counted in your head before your door slammed open, Bakugou nearly ripping the delicate paper of the traditional slider door with his quirk sparking in his fists.

"WHO THE FUCK?!" he shouted but froze when you held up your stuffed cat, Murder with your left hand.

"He's been keeping my bed warm while my boyfriend's been away," you teased, playfully petting the fleecy head of the stuffed animal. Your room was dark, only illuminated by the dim moonlight through the wall of windows. But even in the darkness you saw the immediate fight leave his body. He slid the door shut and marched toward your bed, pouncing on you and tossing the cat across the room.

"Hey! Don't be mean to Murder!"

"Murder can suck it. You're mine." You looked up into your boyfriend's face, streaked silver with moonlight, a cunning grin shining through it all. You narrowed your eyes, accepting the test. You shifted your weight and rocked your hips, using a move you'd perfected from a thousand and one sparring sessions, and flipped your positions, landing on top of Bakugou.

"It's my bedroom. And I say be nice to Murder," you laughed as you pinned his hands beside his head. You had missed this, the stupid little competitions and the easy way you could tease one another. Your face softened as the nostalgia hit you and you leaned down to plant a single gentle kiss on Bakugou's lips.

"That's... not what I was expecting," the boy said as you pulled back.

"What were you expecting?"

"Well, when a girl jumps on you in just a t-shirt and panties, typically something a little more... aggressive?" You realized your position and what had happened earlier that day. Your cheeks went pink.

"I could punch you or light you on fire if you'd prefer something more aggressive." You tried to cover for your sudden blush, even if he couldn't see it in the darkness. Bakugou laughed and you rolled off him, turning to your side and propping your head on your elbow. He turned to face you and did the same, placing his free arm around your waist and pulling you closer to him. You stared into his eyes for a long moment, admiring how the moonlight reflected off the bright crimson. You could get lost in those eyes.

"What are you staring at Ashtray?" The nickname almost sounded endearing.

"Just you. Sometimes I forget how handsome you are Katsuki."

"Because you get distracted by my abs?" he teased, trying to push away the compliment.

"Can you blame me?" He let out a soft chuckle, pulling you closer. You snuggled into him, resting your head against his chest. You could hear his heartbeat, steady and content. "Thank you for saving me today Katsuki." He hummed into your hair.

"And um, thank you for the other thing as well," you mumbled coyly - this time a proud chuckle.

A long moment passed as you just held onto each other. "I really missed you [y/n]." His tone was soft. He kissed your forehead tenderly. A warmth spread in your chest.

"I missed you too Kitten." You felt him deflate as he 'tsk'ed.

"Still with the pet name?" You smiled against his chest.

"Absolutely Kitten. Until you love it."