maneuvering through

Burned Bridges

*Apologies for the expletives in this chapter 😅. I, myself don't like cursing. I just feel writing the chapter from Bakugou's POV.

Bakugou, through the years and by incessant prodding of his friends, learned to spend his downtime unwinding even for no apparent reason. Most times he allowed himself to be dragged by whoever had the nerve to ask him if he wanted to hang out. After all, he never actually said no to each of the invitations, his answers always came off between a sneer, a barely-there nod, and a grunt. Sometimes a scowl or a roll of his eyes, nevertheless, he always came by. It suddenly felt unusual to not receive any sort of annoying messages from one of the idiots, except Kiri and Mina, though he was yet to make do with his vague approval when shitty hair asked him to cook for their supposed baby shower. He couldn't still get a grasp over the fact that Kiri was going to be a father soon. Too early in his opinion, yet the hardening hero seemed to embrace his new reality with open arms.

'Tch'.

Kirishima puts up with his brash personality back then, why couldn't he do the same for him in this situation, when things weren't going to be as they were? Now that he's going to have a kid.

Raccoon face was eight months far and was twice the b*tch now than she already was. He knew his cooking was lit and to their baby's liking but hell, he had to, in a way, deliver a fcking ramen to the woman.

'An 'effing ramen she could have on takeout anytime yet had grown a certain tongue for his cooking.'

Kiri hadn't filed for leave yet to be with his wife until labor so he had to, himself, deliver the food he so graciously provided, from expenses to the actual finished product. Excluding the time he allotted throughout the duration. Shitty hair owed him more than a bottle of beer.

A classic curse.

How did he allow his reputation to sink to this depth? He was supposed to be the best, the Lord King Explosion Murder...

With a frown, he marched through the busy streets, signing autographs and obliging photo ops now and then. Looking up from signing a picture (he cringed most of the time) he squinted to make out a clear view of what seemed like a bush of annoyingly green hair waving to the retreating back of a cab. He had a backpack on, and from what he could see, it was Round face's voice yelling goodbyes from the cab.

Without acknowledging the said hero, he turned on his heel and retraced his steps, only for a fan to scream out his name. His shoulders flinched, close to terrified to pivot back again when the nerd hero he was avidly avoiding greeted him with a heart full.

He chose to stay and lent a minute to a child fan, signing the cover of his journal where his face was plastered to his chagrin.

He gritted his teeth, he almost stretched his signature past the grinning face on the cover. Bakugou was nice enough not to swear in front of a kid but a child-friendly smile? He needed years for that.

"Kaachan!"

'Damn it! He actually had to scream that dumb shitty name.'

His grumble didn't stay for long. After he signed up for the cause of his temporal crisis the said All Might protégée had his wide-eye grin all over his face. The said fan turned to get a photo with them together and left twice happier than him before he saw fcking Izuku.

"I'm sure I might see you around here, Kaachan!"

Turning with an annoyed face, he snorted, "I was hoping the opposite." Fully turning another way.

As usual, Izuku ignored his mood, "What brought you out on this weather, Kaachan? I thought you disliked the cold."

"Why not? You're even here," jerking his chin on the hero, "Shouldn't you be in Okinawa? Round face brought you here?"

He knew he was spot on when Izuku scratched the back of his head, blushing stupidly at the memory the two probably shared before parting as he saw them.

"Uh...kind off... Running in and out of cities to gather the paperwork for you know... the agency."

He knew what the nerd was talking about. The damn idiot was attempting to start his agency.

"What about All Might? Isn't he supposed to do it since you're busy with whatnot?"

Without asking which way to go, the two began walking in companionable silence. It was a great change and progress from being the ultimate rivals to being the ultimate hero duo.

"He is. I told him I'll take care of the paperwork from agencies here." His lips twitched at how transparent the green-haired nerd could be, giggling nervously to himself.

"You and half-and-half are the absolute simps. Might as well build them a statue or something..."

He loathe the sheepish smile that came over the nerd's face.

"True that...."

He rolled his eyes at how dumb and submissive the two had become. His opinion of the two aside, he somewhat reflected if he would end up drunk in love and so whipped for his nonexistent girlfriend just as the two.

Shivering to the spine at the thought he tossed the idea aside thinking he didn't need the distraction. Better them than him. The dumber they went, the wiser he think he was. Looking ahead of his way again, he stopped in his tracks to spot another distinct set of hair colors. Stopping momentarily, his scowl escalated. Unlike him, he wasn't looking anywhere but the pavement he walk on, unmindful of where his feet led him at. What was shocking though was, despite the famous mop of hair, no one dared approach him for an autograph or photos. Pedestrians evade him like he was carrying a scourge. Squinting his eyes, he noticed the shadow thrown all over his face. Darkness that repelled prying and invasive noses away.

The nerd paused to a halt the same time he did. "That's Todoroki-kun, isn't it?"

"Who else dumbass? Do you know anyone with the same shade of hair?"

(Let's ignore the fact that some zealous fans dyed their hair to match the hero.)

Izuku beamed like he always did whenever he saw a familiar face. 'Don't call him you dumbass!'

"Todoroki-kun!" He waved a hand as big as making an arch in the air. While Bakugou huffed at the brief attention they got, hoping none would approach them for another bunch of signing cringey photos.

The half-and-half acknowledged the call, albeit he wore the saddest and most depressing expression he had on. It was the first time he saw the bastard look so depressed he actually felt a tinge of sympathy for him.

"Oh," Izuku whispered, enough for him to hear, "He looked so...conflicted..."

"Newsflash, nerd..." Taking a step forward, "seems like we're hitting cold cans."