Roommates

Rainy Day

BAKUGO'S POV

After another long shift, I was finally free. I've hit my quota everyday this week, so my boss hasn't stopped me on my way out the door in a while. I've been in a permanently bad mood since I left Ashido's house, and that definitely has a part of why I'm hitting my quotas. I'm rushing through the process, and not trying to convince anyone to pay anything. The boss said I needed to hit my quota, which was impossible if more than five or six people wanted to set up a payment plan. They haven't said anything about me not making money, so it is what it is I guess.

When I stepped outside, I instantly regretted not checking the weather before I left. It was raining today. Since winter was on the way, it was a cold rain too. I made sure my phone wasn't sticking out of my pocket before zipping my jacket up. It had a hood, but it wasn't going to help much since it was raining really hard. Usually I could hear it in the building, but my mind has been anywhere but where it needed to be recently. I ended up not being able to sleep at Ashido's last week, and ended up telling her I wanted to take a break. Work has me stressed out, and I was struggling to keep up with her. She didn't take it well and practically kicked me out.

I stepped outside, instantly clenching my entire body when the cold rain began pouring over my head. It felt good in a way, but that wouldn't last long. I began my journey home quickly, not wanting to be outside longer than I needed to be. My mind went back to Ashido, as it usually does. She's never yelled at me so much. She's never called out all the things wrong with my fucking life. I know I'm working a dead-end job that I fucking hate. I know I need roommates because I hate the idea of not being able to do the things I want because of money problem. I know I have a lot of childhood trauma and bullshit that I need to work through. I already knew everything she told me, but it hit different when someone else saw it too.

As I made my way across the street, a black Honda that I knew all too well pulled up next to me on the road and honked it's horn. I folded my arms in front of my chest and walked to the passenger door, opening it quickly. The warmth from the heat felt incredible, but I would feel bad if I soaked his car.

"I'm soaked." I said, leaning in a bit, but not enough to get water everywhere. "I've only got six blocks left anyway."

"Get in!" Midoriya yelled over the sound of the rain as he grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and set it in the back. "It's just water. It will dry." I didn't need to be told twice as I opened the door further, sliding into the seat.

"Thank y-you." I stuttered through my shivering teeth.

"Why didn't you drive today?" He laughed, pulling back onto the street.

"I didn't check the weather." I groaned. I usually don't, and I end up regretting it about half of the time. "How was work?" I asked. I didn't want to get a lecture about being stupid, so changing the subject was my best option.

"It was good!" He smiled. "I didn't have any super large groups, so it was pretty easy."

"That's good." I replied.

"How about yours?" He asked, sending me a quick glance. He looked exhausted. He was up later than I was last night, and left before I did this morning. However, his tiredness wasn't the first thing I noticed.

"Where's your lipgloss?" I asked, resisting the urge to relax into the back of my seat. I didn't want to soak his car anymore than I already am.

"Oh, my boss doesn't like it." He replied simply as he turned down our street.

"How could he not?" I scoffed. It was weird to me at first, but now it's more weird to see him without it. It's like a part of his personality.

"Some people are naturally weirded out by that kind of stuff." He shrugged. He didn't seem too bothered by it, but it pissed me off. "It's never worth the fight." He added as he pulled up to the apartment.

"Well, one day you'll be an amazing author and will be able to wear whatever the hell you want to wear." He flashed me a smile and turned the car off. He told me he was working on a book right now, but he never told me what it was about. He dodged the question, so I figured he wasn't ready to share.

"Hopefully." He laughed. "When we get inside, why don't you take a shower? I'll make something for dinner."

"Deal." I usually cooked, but I couldn't complain when he did. He was a good cook surprisingly. He always made something unusual too, which was always awesome.

"You ready to run?" He asked. The rain hadn't let up one bit, so it was still coming down hard. We both opened our doors and ran up the sidewalk. Midoriya's laughter filled my ears as he avoided the puddles. That was a sound I would never get tired of.

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"What is this?" I asked as he filled up a bowl for me. It smelled delicious, but I didn't know what it was.

"It's pulled pork with chicken, and macaroni and cheese." I looked at it questionable as I took the bowl. I've had all of these things separately, but not mixed together.

"You'll like it." He laughed, making himself a bowl. I've never disliked anything he cooked before. I grabbed a pop from the fridge and made my way to the table.

"Thank you." I said as he walked over with two forks.

"No problem." He smiled widely. He ended up putting the lip gloss back on when we got home. He looked more like himself, which made me smile. "I have a question." He said, taking his seat.

"What's up?" I asked as I took a bite of the food. No surprise, it was fucking delicious.

"Since we went to Creati's, I've noticed you've been decorating more and more in here almost everyday." He started. "Is that something you like doing? Interior decorating?"

"Surprisingly, yeah." I shrugged. I've never had much of a hobby, but decorating was quickly turning into my favorite.

"I have a friend whose moving next month. The city is about an hour away, so it's a little far. But he and his boyfriend are looking for someone to decorate their new home. I showed them the stuff that you did here, and they wanted to know if you'd be interested. They'll pay you." He explained. I couldn't help the low laugh that escaped my lips.

"I don't have any other experience other than my own place, they might want to look at a professional." I replied, taking another bite of my food.

"They don't want a professional, they want to meet with you." He shrugged. "If it's something you like, you could turn it into a job. Most real estate businesses are looking for someone to decorate houses nowadays."

"That's a real job?" I asked. It was no secret that I hated my job, but I also hated change. I've spent my entire life jumping from one thing to the next. I finally had a routine, was I really willing to break it.

"Yes," he responded. "You don't need to decide anything right now. They'll be out of town this weekend if you wanted to go take a look at their canvas." He put on his best pouty face, and let's face it, I'm a sucker for that damn face. I let out a heavy sigh in defeat.

"We can go take a look." He smiled widely.

"Thank you!" He shouted. As long as he was happy, I guess I was too.