𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔯𝔱𝔢𝔢𝔫

word count: 1740

Bakugo POV

"Katsuki! WAKE UP! You're going to be late for your school camp!"

I scowl at my mother's yelling. "Shut up, old hag! I'm coming!"

I drag myself out of my bed, throw on sweatpants and a black v-neck t-shirt, and stomp down the stairs into the kitchen.

"Good morning, darling," Mitsuki greets me. "I made you breakfast so you have a healthy start, you have a big day ahead of you!"

"I don't even want to fucking go," I grumble.

"KATSUKI!" she screams, "You will go and you will be nice and socialise with your classmates!"

"Fine! Fine! Whatever!" I shout at her and shovel my eggs into my mouth.

"Is your duffel bag all packed?" she asks sweetly. God, this woman. I swear to fucking god she's bipolar.

"Yes."

"Good. Now get out of my hair." She shoos me from the house and throws my bag after me. "Have fun!"

I trudge down the street to go to the school, where the we're supposed get on the bus there. They could've driven the bus to our houses, but noooo, they had to make it difficult for us.

I arrive at U.A.'s gates and am greeted by a hyperactive Mina. "Bakugo!" she screams. "I'm so excited!"

"Don't care," I grunt.

"Why so grincheux, Bakugo-kun?" Aoyama chimes in. Those two best friends are fucking glued at the hip, I swear .

"I have no damn idea what that means, but I'd suggest you watch your mouth," I snap.

"Chill, Bakubro," Kirishima appears behind me.

I start to make an angry reply, but Aizawa-sensei calls our attention. "Class, load your luggage underneath bus #1 and then find a seat. Don't go on bus #2, that's for class 1-B, they're also coming on this camp. I'll be sleeping for the whole ride, so I'm hoping you won't be too stupid. Whoever you sit with on the bus is your camp buddy, and you're responsible for each other."

I dump my luggage in the underneath compartment of the bus. "Dunce-face," I snap, "You're supposed to leave your bags under here."

Kaminari stops halfway up the stairs into the bus, clutching his backpack. "I left my suitcase there, but I have snacks and fun stuff in here!"

I grunt. Then I see Racoon-eyes wandering over to bus #2. I roll my eyes. "Racoon-eyes!" I yell. She turns around. "Wrong bus, idiot! Get your lesbian ass back over here!"

She giggles and runs over. "Nice to see you care about us, Bakugo."

I scrunch my nose at her and hiss, stomping up the steps to the bus. Damn. Playing the parent to those idiots has left me with not much choice of a good seat.

Ponytail sits next to Punk-rock girl. Mina and Aoyama are, of course, next to each other, squealing. Frog-girl and the emo bird look pretty cosy... I could go on, but I don't really care about who sits with each other.

"Bakubaku!" Kaminari waves me over. He's sitting next to Kirishima, but he points to the empty seats behind him.

Maybe I won't have to be responsible for anyone else. No camp buddy... sounds great. I take the seat. Even though across the aisle is damn Icyhot.

I pull out my phone and plug in my earbuds, leaning my head against the window.

"Kacchan?"

I look up to be met with Deku's wide, emerald eyes staring at me intently. He is wearing, of course, an All Might t-shirt. "What?" I snap.

"C-can I sit with you?"

Have Deku be my camp buddy? This is a huge fucking mistake. "Fine."

His face lights up in surprised happiness, and he looks like he did when he was five. "Thank you, Kacchan!"

"Just sit down already."

"Oh, r-right." He takes a hasty seat as the bus starts up. I can't resist glancing over to Icyhot's seat next to Four Eyes. Half n Half looks pissed. My mouth twitches into a smirk. Game fucking on.

In front of me, Kaminari shuffles around in his massive backpack and pulls out a bag of wasabi peas. He struggles to open the bag.

"Give it to me, bro," Kirishima takes the bag and pulls it open.

"Thanks, bro," Kaminari takes a handful of the snack and passes the bag back to me. "Want some, Bakubaku? We know how much you like spicy food!"

"Tch," I grunt, but take a handful.

"What about you, Midoriya?" Kaminari offers.

"Um, no thanks..."

"You sure?" Kaminari waves the bag in the air temptingly.

"Don't wa-" I start to say.

"Woah!" Kaminari cries as the bag spills all over Deku's and my seat.

"What did you think was going to fucking happen?" I demand.

"Sorry," he says apologetically.

I roll my eyes and bend in my seat to pick up the esca-peas. Pun intended.

Deku leans down to grab a runaway just as the bus lurches over a pothole in the road. His head cracks against my skull, hard.

"Ow, shit," I grunt, lifting my head up and rubbing it carefully.

"S-sorry," he raises his head also. He looks at me and his brow creases in worry. "Oh my gosh, Kacchan, you're bleeding!"

"Huh?"

"Hold still," he tells me, pulling out a band-aid - someone as accident-prone as him probably always needs a constant supply - and unwrapping it. He pushes my blond spikes off my forehead.

I wince as he touches the tender spot above my left eyebrow.

"Don't pull away," he commands.

I let him press the bandaid onto the cut, watching his expression as he concentrates. "You'll probably have a bruise, too," he informs.

"Your fault," I grunt, and flick his shoulder, but I'm teasing and he knows it, because he smiles slightly.

It's fucking cute, and I don't want it to be. I shove my hands into my sweatpants pockets to hid my fists.

"Okay... so the wasabi peas were a flop," Kaminari concedes. "But wait, I have a snack and a game all rolled into one..." he imitates a drumroll with his fingers. "POCKY!" He pulls out a packet of the chocolate flavoured ones. "Do you know how to play, guys?" talking to Deku and me.

"Yes," Deku responds. I nod.

"Okay, well, Kiri and I will go first." Kaminari balances the pocky in his teeth and offers the other end to the redhead. They start inching closer, but then Kaminari snaps the stick.

Kirishima laughs. "Your turn, Bakubro!"

"Huh?!" I leap up from my seat. "I ain't doin' it with that damn nerd!"

Beside me, Deku fidgets in his seat. I glance over to Icyhot, who is watching me cooly. Fine, I'll do it, just to spite that bastard. "Oh, fuck it!" I yell. "Give me that."

I take a stick of pocky, sit back down, and put the breaded end in my mouth. "Take it, nerd," I mumble around the stick.

Deku takes the icing-coated end. I wish I was hoping that he'll break it, but I'm secretly wishing for us to end in a kiss. At least I have an excuse for kissing him again, then.

Our faces move closer, biting carefully until there's barely any of the treat left. Neither of us drops it as I take the final bite, landing my lips on Deku's. They taste faintly of the chocolate pocky.

I allow our lips to rest in a kiss for a few seconds, before pulling back.

Deku's face has turned bright red, even to the tips of his ears. He gives a little, embarrassed laugh and turns his head away.

"Wow, Bakugo, I didn't think you'd actually do it," Kirishima comments.

I ignore him. To Deku, I say, "Don't be embarrassed, you make it more awkward."

He turns back to me. "O-okay,"

Kirishima clutches a hand to his heart dramatically. "So manly! Comforting the opponent after an emotional battle!"

"Shut up, Crocs," I growl.

I pull out my phone and untangle my earbuds from where I wrapped them around it, pushing them into my ears.

I go to star out the window, but I notice Deku's gaze lingering on me. I sigh, almost imperceptibly. Ugh. Fuck these damn stupid feelings. I offer him my left earbud wordlessly.

He takes it with the smallest of smiles, and my stupid heart trips over its own beat.

I hit play on Spotify, and the g-note fills my ear. When I was... a young boy...

Deku glances at me, his features written with surprise. "Kacchan, you listen to My Chemical Romance?"

"Did someone say MCR?!" Tokoyami's head pops over the seat a few rows behind us.

"Oh my god, really?" Jirou calls out from the front of the bus. "Bakugo's emo?!"

I hit the pause button on my phone. "Shut up, damn idiots!" I yell.

Deku chuckles next to me.

"It's not funny, nerd!" I snap.

"When I was a young boy," Tokoyami yells.

"My father took me into the city!" Jirou sings, her voice surprisingly good.

"To see a marching band!" the bird shrieks back.

"He said "Son when you grow up'..."

"Will you be the saviour of the the broken!" I shout back, despite myself.

"THE BEATEN, AND THE DAMNED!" the three of us scream.

Aizawa lifts his head from where he was sleeping against Hizashi's shoulder at the front of the bus. "Shut up, you emos."

"Shota, I'm pretty sure you listen to that stuff too, after Shinso got you into it," Hizashi raises an eyebrow.

"I do not," he says unconvincingly.

"Ooh, called out," Jirou teases.

I don't want to laugh with these people, I don't want to let them get close to me, but I do. I laugh, real belly laughs, the kind where the skin around your eyes creases.

"Bakugo's actually laughing! Is he okay?" Kaminari gasps.

"Just take it when you can get it," Jirou advises.

I calm my laughing but decide not to get angry at their backhanded comments. It's not worth it. I surprise myself with that thought. It feels strangely freeing to not blow up over that.

I glance at Deku again. He's studying my face closely, but when he sees me look at him, he turns away and blushes.

The bus pulls up at the camp as I curse myself for the thousandth time about these goddamn feelings I have, because I undeniably like Deku.