The Tinker

Chapter 13 - Pancake Batter

Bakugou woke up the next day ignoring the events from the day before. He was sick of getting those damn stomachaches. It was Saturday, and he wasn't going to let himself drown in confusion again. Confusion. That's what it was.

He still woke up at 6:00 AM. Bakugou liked feeling ahead of everybody, and one way to do that was wake up first. He enjoyed the solitude, too. The kitchen was empty this early and he actually got some damn peace and quiet. Well, he usually did.

A loud crash sounded from the living area and Bakugou rolled his eyes in frustration. So much for that morning alone time. He stretched away that groggy feeling and walked out of his dorm room, going to investigate the noise. No one else was ever up this early; he had a bad feeling about it. He definitely wasn't expecting what he saw.

Y/N was in the kitchen, a bowl of batter in one hand and a frying pan on the floor in front of her. Bakugou made eye contact and gave her a what the fuck are you doing look, and she sighed in frustration. "I know, I know this looks bad, but I swear I know how to cook--" she almost dropped the glass bowl she was holding but got her balance back at the last second. "You put eggs in pancake batter, right? I'm pretty sure I remember eggs go in pancake batter." Her question didn't seem to be directed at him, but to whatever God she seemed to be praying to.

Bakugou scoffed at her. He picked up the frying pan and set it on the burner. "Why are you making pancakes when you clearly don't know how to make pancakes?" He asked, crossing his arms at her.

"I do!" She protested, setting the glass bowl down on the counter next to her and stirring it quickly. "Or... I did, I guess. I don't remember the exact ingredients... or how much... but I'll figure it out. Shouldn't be that hard. I build fucking machines every day, I should be able to handle pancakes."

"You sure, Tinkerbell? Cause I'm pretty sure pancake batter isn't supposed to make dough," he deadpanned. "What the hell did you put in this?"

"Um... eggs and flour, so far, but I was gonna add other stuff--"

Bakugou couldn't help it. He laughed. Y/N stared in bewilderment at the sound. She was pretty sure she'd never heard him genuinely laugh before, but... she liked it. His powerful, dominating aura faded away and he seemed gentle. Her cheeks felt warm watching him. It took a moment for her to snap out of it and remember that he was laughing at her. "I'm doing my best, you dick!" She shoved his shoulder, but he didn't stop laughing. "It's harder than it looks!"

When he finished laughing, he walked over to the pantry and grabbed several more ingredients. "Pancakes are one of the easiest recipes in the damn book," he bragged, a smile still on his face. "The only problem is you're missing, like, half the fucking recipe."

"Then tell me how to do it!" She snapped, face flushed.

Bakugou snatched the bowl of batter from her. "I mean, if you were trying to make flatbread, you were doing fucking awesome," he joked, rolling his eyes. He threw her dough into the trash and trudged around the kitchen, gathering to correct ingredients and adding them to the bowl.

"I didn't peg you for a baker," Y/N said.

"It's not that fucking hard," he snapped. "You're just shit at it." After mixing the batter, he greased the pan with butter and poured a perfect circle of batter onto it. The pan sizzled and a mouth watering smell started filling the kitchen as he cooked.

"Woah, that smells good," Y/N gasped, sticking her finger in the batter and licking it.

"What the fuck? Don't be gross!" He spat, using his foot to nudge her away as he flipped the pancake. "You're gonna get salmonella, dumbass."

"Katsuki, I've been eating cookie dough all my life and haven't once gotten salmonella. I'm immune."

"Like hell you are. Get your hands outta my batter."

Y/N giggled at his anger. In only a few minutes he had taken full control of the situation, limiting her to a barstool.

"Woah, you guys makin' pancakes? I want some!" Y/N turned and saw a shirtless Kaminari with some bangin bedhead.

"Fuck off, extra," Bakugou barked, but Y/N elbowed him.

"Sure dude, he'll make you some," she said, grabbing the bowl of batter and starting to add more ingredients.

"Oi! Don't fuck with it, you'll ruin it," Bakugou ordered.

Y/N rolled her eyes. "Fine, then swap me. I'll flip pancakes." Bakugou hesitated, looking at the spatula and up at her. Y/N's jaw dropped, offended. "Okay, I may not be great at making the batter, but I can flip a fucking pancake, Kat," she growled, grabbing the spatula and shoving him over before he could protest.

He grumbled something under his breath, but made his way over to the batter to make more.

"Yooo! Pancakes!" Now it was Kirishima, also with amazing bedhead. "Can you make me some too?"

Bakugou sighed in frustration. "Just go wake up the whole fucking class, why don't you?" He snapped.

"Hey, good idea!" Kirishima beamed, not realizing Bakugou was being sarcastic. Y/N laughed as Kirishima dashed down the hall, knocking on doors and inviting people out for breakfast.

"This is fucking ridiculous. I'm not their chef," Bakugou said, clearly not planning on stopping. Despite his verbal complaints, he continued putting his all into the batter. Y/N hid a smile from him. He liked to pretend to not care about his friends, but she could tell he loved them. He was just really bad at showing it; or maybe he was good at it, considering he was making them all breakfast.

One by one, their friends made their way to the dining room, eagerly awaiting the sweet smelling pancakes the two were making. Y/N was having a blast, and even Bakugou didn't look as angry as usual. Uraraka joined them in the kitchen temporarily, pulling out syrup and powdered sugar. She cut some strawberries and bananas and put them in a bowl for toppings, taking the back to the dining table.

Once the batter was made, Bakugou handed it to Y/N and started plating the complete pancakes. They smelled absolutely divine. He walked around the table, passing everybody a plate. The gang showered him with thanks and praise, and he grumbled and brushed it off, telling them to be quiet. "It's not a big deal. Just fucking eat."

Once everybody had their helpings, Y/N handed Bakugou a plate. He took it gladly, having worked up a hell of an appetite serving everybody else. When he went to thank her, he noticed batter on her cheek. He rolled his eyes and, without thinking, used his thumb to gently wipe it off her face.

Y/N looked up at him as he licked the batter off his thumb, not breaking eye contact. She felt her body heat up watching him, but broke the silence. "You're gonna get salmonella," she mocked, poking him with the spatula.

He scoffed, breaking eye contact, and went to sit down at the table next to Kirishima, who clapped him on the back and thanked him for the food, leaving Y/N with a pounding chest and a red face.

Y/N used the last of the batter to make her own pancakes, then joined them at the table. It was a beautiful morning, and she couldn't remember the last time she felt this at home. She looked up at Bakugou, who stared for a minute before turning away with a hint of red in his cheeks. She looked down and smiled, taking another bite.

He looked handsome when he wasn't so angry.