Family First (Bakugo x female reader)

Chapter 13

TW: brief talk of suicide

Bakugo ends up inviting Gunther to join us Friday with his friends. Gunther declines. He's got a date which turns out to be a second date with a guy that has 'incredible stamina'.

"I'm surprised you asked him to join us Friday." I say, walking next to him back to my apartment.

"I just figured you'd be more comfortable if there was more people there that you knew. Shitty hair doesn't really count." He shrugs and I reach for his hand, touched by the thought. When our palms touch, he scoots my hand to hold onto his forearm. I pull my eyebrows together and move my hand back down to his, trying to lace our fingers together. Once again, he moves my hand back up.

"What's the deal? I want to hold your hand."

"Don't do that"

"Why?" I ask, slowing my pace, feeling a slight sting of rejection.

"It's not about you" he steps in front of me, facing me and stops. "It's my quirk. I secrete nitro glycerin and I don't want to accidentally blow your arm off." I take a moment to process what he's saying.

"Do you often accidentally blow people up?" I question, trying to hide my teasing tone and stifling my smile.

"Don't make fun of me right now."

"I'm not! It's a genuine question." Curling my toes in my sneakers is helping keep my face neutral, but the absurdity of what he's saying is making it very hard not to laugh.

"I don't usually."

"Then what's the problem? You had your hands all over me last night."

"...you..." he starts, face scrunching "forget it." He turns and starts walking away.

"No no no" I start a quick pace to get next to him "finish that sentence"

"Buzz off" his lack of swearing is throwing me off a little.

"Come on Bakubabe, we did a puzzle together, there is no closer bond than what we now share." I link my arm through his, trying to respect his no hand holding boundary.

"There's so many things wrong with that sentence" he looks over at me, his mouth a hard line with a slight tilt up on one side and eyebrows drawn together, but his eyes have a playful squint to them.

"There's nothing wrong with that sentence." I poke his side as we continue to walk in silence back to my apartment.

He steps off the elevator and stops right in front of the table, resting his hands on the back of one of the chairs. His back is to me and there is visible tension in his shoulders.

"You..." he starts and audibly swallows, composing himself. I give him a moment and shrug off my jacket, and take off my shoes, putting both items neatly away. "You make me nervous. I sweat more when I'm nervous."

I go over to him with a soft smile on my face and wrap my arms around his waist. He puts his hands over mine and I feel him relax into my hold as I place a light kiss on the center of his back.

"I don't think you'll accidentally light me on fire just because you sweat more." I finally say and he turns around in my hold, resting his chin on top of my head.

"I don't think I would be the one to hurt you, but if I was holding your hand, you would get an excess of my sweat on your skin. I know the likelihood is slim, but I can't stop myself from thinking that we would run into a villain with a fire quirk and then what would happen if they got too close to you and used their quirk? You would be highly flammable."