The Tinker

Chapter 14 - Joyride

TINKERBELL: Your fancy ass material is shipping in today, so it'll only be a few more days

TINKERBELL: Oh also you should send me your pancake recipe

TINKERBELL: It's for a friend not for me, I know how to make pancakes

Bakugou snickered at the texts Y/N had sent him that morning as he walked out of the dorm building, but was interrupted by the woman herself making far too much noise on the street. She was hunched over next to her motorcycle, clearly trying to attach some kind of cardboard box to the back. Once again, he was astounded at her pure lack of common sense. "You can't tape a box to a motorcycle, Tinkerbell," he shouted. 

She turned to look at who had yelled at her, then scowled. "I don't really have other choices, Kacchan," she retorted, turning back to the box and wrapping another layer of duct tape around her makeshift contraption. Bakugou bristled at the stupid nickname.

"Don't call me that," he snapped. "Where did you hear that nickname?"

"Midoriya, duh!" Y/N called without looking up. "I didn't know you guys were childhood friends. That's pretty cute dude!"

"We aren't friends," he argued. "And you're gonna kill somebody if you ride on the road with that stupid thing."

"Then come with me, and make sure I don't kill someone. You're a hero, right?" She challenged, tossing him her extra helmet. He gaped at her.

"Absolutely the fuck not. I am not letting you end my life on that shitty bike."

"She's not shitty. She's been with me for years, and she's in perfect condition," she beamed, slapping the side of it. "I didn't think the great Katsuki Bakugou would be scared of a little motorcycle," she teased, climbing on.

"I'm not. Fuck you." He shoved the helmet over his head and climbed on behind her. "If I die on here, I'm bringing you with me," he growled, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Good boy. Hold on tight."

Before he could yell at her for calling him that, she was kicking off and the torque of the bike was increasing, sending them off down the street. Bakugou knew then that he hated motorcycles.

He wasn't scared, he just... didn't like not being in control. And Y/N was not a pleasant driver. She was going way too fast for his liking, and he found himself clinging on tighter and tighter every turn she made. It was only supposed to be a 5 minute drive, right? He decided to stare at the back of Y/N's helmet to distract himself. 

Holding onto her waist confused him. Half of him wanted to let go and let himself die on the road, but the other half of him wanted to hold on tighter and bury himself deeper into her oddly comforting presence. Against the loud sound of the engine and the sharp turns, she provided a stability he couldn't describe.

And she smells nice, too. Like coffee and sunscreen.

To stop himself from thinking too hard about it, he decided to yell at her. "Why are you taking the damn bike anyway? It's a five minute walk, you lazy ass!" He shouted over the wind.

"I'm not strong enough to lift that box all the way there!"

"Why didn't you say that sooner?! I would've fucking carried it for you, dipshit!"

"Too late for that," she laughed, pulling into the small area for bikes next to the entrance of the main UA building. 

Bakugou quickly let go, realizing how tightly he had been gripping her, and took off his helmet. "You're a shitty driver."

"No, you're just a baby," she said, bending down next to the box taped onto the back. "See? It worked! No one died. Now I just gotta..." she pulled out a small pocketknife, slicing through the duct tape and lifting up the box with a grunt. "See? I couldn't have lifted this thing that far, I can barely hold it now." Her voice was strained as she struggled not to drop the heavy thing.

Bakugou rolled his eyes and grabbed it from her. Y/N was right, it was heavy, but he lifted shit like this on the daily for his workouts. "And you called me the baby?" he teased, walking into the building with ease. Y/N's face felt warm seeing his muscles flexing under his shirt.

When they walked in through the front doors, Uraraka spotted Y/N and gasped, dashing over to her. "Y/N! There's a gift for you in your workshop!" 

"A gift?" Y/N asked, clearly confused. "From who?"

"I shouldn't say, I don't want to ruin the surprise," Uraraka squeaked, holding a finger to her lips. "But I wanna know what it is so bad! Come see me at lunch, okay?" She gave Y/N's hand a reassuring squeeze before heading down the hallway.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Y/N muttered, walking faster now. Bakugou kept up the pace, his mind racing at who left her a gift. Does Y/N have a boyfriend? Or an admirer?

Y/N reached the door and threw it open quickly, rushing inside to see the supposed 'gift.' She flicked on the lights and turned to the table. "Oh god," she grumbled. 

Bakugou followed behind her and set the box down on the floor, looking up to see what she was upset about. On top of her work table was an enormous yellow box with a satin red bow tied on top of it. It was clearly a lavish gift, and Katsuki felt his stomach turn, not knowing why.

"Jesus, Y/N," Bakugou mocked. "And you think I'm high maintenance?"

Y/N clearly wasn't listening, something overwhelming clouding her thoughts. She rarely looked this serious-- she was nearly always making things lighthearted, but she walked over to the table with a solemn expression on her face. It only added to Bakugou's confusion.

She set her bag down and reached to untie the bow on the top of the over-the-top present. When she did, the sides of the box drifted down and revealed a massive, intricate machine that Bakugou couldn't identify. "The hell is that?"

"It's a 3D printer," Y/N said. "I... can use this to help me make gear. Should make my job easier by a lot." She wasn't moving, wasn't smiling, wasn't breathing.

"Then why do you seem so pissed? Shouldn't that be a fucking good thing?"

"It is," She replied, lifting up one side of the box to reveal a golden card. "It's complicated."

"Try me."

Y/N bit her lip, deciding if she should tell him. "It's from my old agency. Y'know, the one that let me go."

Bakugou's brow tightened into a glare. "Seriously?" He could feel his anger rising. "They had the fucking nerve to reach out to you?" 

"If he has anything, it's nerve," Y/N grumbled, crumbling up the golden card and tossing it into the trash.

"He?"

"Keig--" Y/N stopped herself. "Hawks."

She used to work for Hawks?