The Tinker

Chapter 11 - Expectations

"CHECK THIS SHIT OUT!" Kaminari strutted through the door of classroom 3-A, a proud smile on his face as his peers turned to him. He was pointing towards his new belt; it was made from flexible black material and had metal plating every few inches with yellow accents. "Just got it today!"

"I mean it looks nice, but what does it do?" Sero asked, bending down to inspect.

"It collects my electricity passively. It can store up to 5 million watts, and I can use it without short circuiting," he bragged, holding his arms up and turning left and right to show it off. "These metal plates are high-conduction batteries. Y/N totally killed it."

The equipment did look nice, and if functioned the way Denki said, Bakugou had a lot to look forward to-- but he didn't want to get his hopes up. He still didn't know what Y/N had planned for him, after all. He pulled out his phone to text her.

BAKUGOU: Now that Pikachu's belt is done, my shit better be next.

A phone notification sounded from the back of the room. Bakugou whipped around in bewilderment to see Y/N at the back of the room, blowing bubbles with some American brand bubblegum as she read the text he sent. He scoffed. "The fuck are you doing here?"

She popped her bubble and shrugged. "You know as well as me. Aizawa told me to sit in this period."

The conversation was cut short when Aizawa entered the room. "Sit down, class, I've got an announcement," he deadpanned, standing at the front of the room with his hands in his pockets. Once Kaminari and Sero were back at their desks, he started again.

"In two weeks, UA is going to be hosting a recruiting event for third years," he said. "That means you guys." Kirishima started whispering something, but Aizawa shot him a look and he quieted down. "Agencies from all over the world, including America and Europe, are going to be attending to recruit you."

After that, it was more difficult for Aizawa to keep the class quiet. Excitement rippled through the room and the students were gushing to plan.

"Will it be formal attire?" Yaoyorozu asked, raising her hand.

"That's the other thing. You'll be required to wear your hero costumes and address each other by your hero names. It's absolutely crucial that you do so. This is why I called Y/N in for this lecture," he said, nodding in her direction. "If any of you are in need of new equipment, enlist her help as soon as you can. She'll likely be very busy helping everybody, so I recommend negotiating with her sooner rather than later." 

Y/N gave the class a lazy salute. 

"Now, any questions?"

~~~

After Aizawa's announcement, Y/N was excused to her workshop to continue her tasks. Bakugou's gauntlets were one of the more difficult pieces she had worked on. While before she had excelled in small gadgets, she was now having to challenge herself in making more complex pieces.

She had finished up the blueprint and was now in the process of getting the right materials. She had to be careful in her choices. Bakugou was a reckless individual, always taking the offensive; as such, she had to make these gauntlets seriously durable. Bakugou-proof, she thought. After doing extensive research, she landed on titanium. It had a ridiculously high melting point, which should keep him from warping the material, and it should keep his body heat insulated enough to draw more sweat from his hands.

Her phone buzzed, interrupting her train of though.

BAKUGOU: Answer me, fuckface.

Y/N: God you're impatient. I ordered the materials I need, they should be here in a few days.

BAKUGOU: Why didn't Kaminari's take this fucking long?

Y/N: His materials are hella easy to get. You're high maintenance dumbass

BAKUGOU: This shit better be worth it

Her phone started ringing, so she picked up apprehensively. "Yeah?"

"Hey girl, it's Mina! I got the pool reserved for the gang later. You in or what?"

"I dunno, Bakugou's been on my ass about his gear. I should probably keep working," she sighed.

"He's on everyone's ass about everything. Don't let him get to you, sis. You deserve breaks like the rest of us." She had a point.

"Alright, I'll come," she resigned. "When are we meeting up?"

"Hell yeah! We're starting right after school. Bring a towel and sunscreen. Skin cancer isn't cute. See you later girly!" Click.

Y/N sighed and looked back at the worktable with her blueprints, mulling over the plans. She always did what she could to make the highest quality equipment, but she knew Bakugou had high standards. Part of her was getting nervous. What if he didn't like it? She realized that the desire to impress him was growing the longer she knew him.

It was hard not to want Bakugou's respect. With his academic and physical prowess, he had made a distinct name for himself. He held everybody to the same standards he held himself. If his gear didn't meet his expectations, Y/N wasn't sure she'd be able to come back from that kind of disappointment. But if he did like it... well, that could be a big win for her career, especially if he was going to be the #1 hero like he claimed.

Bakugou was strong, not just physically, but mentally. She was pretty sure he had no weaknesses. He faced every fight with a grin and knew exactly what he was doing. How often do you meet people like that? He was pretty good looking too.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door swinging open and slamming against the wall. Speak of the devil. "What did I tell you about knocking?" she scorned.

"Shut up. I want to see the plans," Bakugou demanded, walking over to the table and scanning for what he came for. He found the blueprints and snatched them up, studying them intently.

"Hey! That's my only copy, if you fuck it up with your damn--"

"Calm down, I'm just looking!" He snapped. Y/N rolled her eyes and walked to his side to look at the plan with him. She tried to push down the knot of anticipation in her throat. Please like it.

"Well?"

"Titanium?" He asked, looking down at her.

"It's got the highest melting point. Should keep you from burning them up. You need something that can keep up with your heat," she said, jabbing his palm. Bakugou subconciously puffed his chest out at the unintentional compliment.

"You think it can keep up?"

"It should. And once I attach it to the battery, it should keep your hands warm--"

"I don't need a fucking hand warmer."

"I know you don't need it," she said, snatching the plans back from his grip. "I'm just trying to make you stronger."

"Trust me, Tinkerbell, I'm the strongest I can be."

Y/N sat back down with the plans, taking the pencil from behind her ear and chewing on the eraser. Her confident demeaner was crumbling. She looked nervous, glancing at him quickly.

Bakugou watched her, curious what she was thinking. He did like the blueprints she had drawn, and if they came out like she planned, he knew they would last him for a really long time. "What's got you so wound up?"

"Nothing. I just... want you to like it, that's all. Fuck off." She was beginning to look flushed, and she continued to bite down on her pencil, her other hand clenched.

He wanted to reassure her, let her know that she didn't have to be so damn stressed. He'd seen her work before. If she really had worked with Hawks, she had to be good.

Without thinking, he pulled the pencil from her mouth and set it down. "Bad for your teeth," he grumbled, standing up and walking out.