Days in a Crucible [BakuIida]

Chapter 8

After Bakugou leaves on Saturday morning, Iida decides to go to the gym. When he returns to his apartment, Bakugou is back too - and he's cleaning. The floors have already been swept, Iida can see, and Bakugou's since moved on to mopping. "Don't wanna feel like I owe you anything," is all the explanation he gives when Iida asks.

"Can - can I help you?"

"No!" Bakugou seems offended by the very idea. "Get out of here, you're in my way!"

So Iida takes a hasty shower and flees his own home. Bakugou's being productive, so Iida wants to be, too; he goes grocery shopping, taking his time in the hope that Bakugou will be done when he returns. But as he shops, he has a smile on his face at the entire situation - Bakugou is cleaning his house. How surreal.

On the train ride home, groceries in his arms, something occurs to Iida. It hits him like a sledgehammer, as sudden as if someone else had whispered it in his ear. He's smiling and thinking how glad he is to not be coming home to an empty house, and it dawns on him: I'm happy.

It's the most natural thing in the world. He isn't sure why the realization is just settling in now, but it fits him so well he knows instantly it must be true.

---

Iida is fumbling with the lock to his apartment when his phone rings. His work phone, he realizes with a start. He isn't on call, but there's always the chance of something big happening, some villain the rest of the agency can't handle; he feels obligated to answer even though he technically does not have to. Setting his groceries on the ground outside his door, Iida answers the phone with shaking hands.

It's Fujita. "Hello Iida, sorry to bother you," she says, and from her tone he can tell it's not an emergency - she sounds professional, businesslike, not like there are villains overwhelming the agency. Iida relaxes a little. "Do you have a minute to chat?"

"Yes," he says, shifting his phone to his other hand so he can finally unlock the door. Bakugou's in the kitchen, and Iida sees his curious gaze as he comes over to help bring the groceries inside. "What's up?"

"I got an update on your case just now," she says. "The two women involved both pled guilty."

"Oh," Iida says. "Okay." He isn't sure if that's a good thing or not. It probably is. "That's good."

"Yes," Fujita says. "I'm crossing my fingers the men plead guilty, too, so you can avoid a trial, but we'll just have to see. And... one more thing." Her tone seems suddenly much less confident. Iida gets the feeling she has news that's harder for her to say.

"Yes?"

"I've heard rumors they're, uh... they're trying to cash in."

He sees Bakugou watching him closely, but Iida's unsure how much of Fujita's side he can hear through the phone. "What do you mean?"

"A friend of mine who's in the industry says they're contacting people, trying to get a piece about them run," Fujita says. "Their take on what happened, their side of the story... Obviously her magazine didn't take them up on that, but someone definitely might. Some publishers just think of the money and don't care about anything else."

"Oh," Iida says. He swallows dryly, then realizes he's still standing in the doorway of his apartment, door still open. He shuts it, leaning against it heavily. Bakugou's watching him, the groceries still on the ground. "Uh. Is that... is that legal?"

"Yes," Fujita says, sounding apologetic. "I suppose they'd probably wait until after sentencing to publish it, but I can't imagine everyone's going to turn that kind of interview down. It was a big deal, you know? Everyone's hungry for a follow-up."