Stuck With You | Katsuki Bakugou x OC [Book One]

Heroes Rising (Part Three)

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When Akira and Kaminari return to the call centre, everyone's turning in for the night. Empty plates are piled up at the sink - they could have at least waited for Kira and Kaminari to return before they ate, but Kira doesn't really blame them. She probably would have done the same thing. All but one of the computers have been switched off, and most of her classmates are already wearing their pyjamas. The interior is kept lit by a few pale lamps placed on the desks. Everyone looks exhausted, wiped out from the journey here and from the onslaught of sudden minuscule tasks that they had to do. Nothing major happened though. No one got hurt and there were no signs of any villains.

As Kira announces her arrival, her words are snatched away from her by an argument occurring towards the back of the building. Kirishima and Bakugou are in a heated discussion, something about responsibility and dedication, Kira can piece together that much. 

"Akira, you can go with him!" Mina suggests openly and her head whirls to her friend.

"Go with him?" She questions. "Go with who and where?"

Mina nods her head in their direction of the argument. "Seeing as Bakugou refused to help out all day, he's on night patrol duty."

"Oh, no." Kira shakes her head, waving her arms about. "I'm exhausted and I'm going straight to bed."

"I'll go with you, Kacchan!" Midoriya volunteers instead, being one of the few still wearing his hero outfit.

Bakugou rounds on his childhood friend, angered from his discussion with Kirishima. "No way in hell, you damn nerd!"

"Chill out, man," Kaminari mutters, stifling a yawn as he removes his shoes and vanishes up the stairs to the left of the entrance.

"I don't need any of your help," Bakugou adds, grabbing his shoes.

Instead of storming past Kira to the front doors, Bakugou dips out of the back door, sliding it shut behind him with a fierce slam, rattling its frame. Mina takes the opportunity to skip over to Kira and leans close to whisper in her ear.

"You should go with him."

"What?" Kira leans back from her friend in shock. "Why?"

"I know that you two have been on the outs for a while now," she replies, her voice still low and Kira's eyes widen. "I don't know if it was an argument or what, but now's your chance to fix it."

"Look, I realised something from my training with Shinso," she decides to tell him. "Until I can... fix the issue with my Quirk, I'm going to try and use it as little as possible."

"Fix it? Fix what?"

Kira closes her eyes with a heavy sigh. Mina's practically thrown her own words back in her face without realising it. How did she even know that something had happened between her and Bakugou anyway? However, now would be a perfect opportunity to confront Bakugou, to try and mend what broke between them, to see what lies behind that tough façade, but her hands tremble just thinking about being alone with him again.

"I don't know, Mina," Kira admits, her words an insecure mumble. "I'm tired and- and hungry."

Mina offers Kira a kind smile, her eyes warm and shining in the pale lighting of the call centre. "Those sound like excuses to me," she comments. "When will you get another chance like this?"

Kira's already gone back on her convictions, determined not to use her Quirk without having fully mastered it. She feels capable... to a fault. Her training with Shinso has given her some sense of security over her imperfections, so that she feels comfortable in her own skin. She used her Quirk earlier when she rescued those children trapped in the cave-in, even putting a stop to Dark Shadow before it got out of control. She saved that homeowner from their flooded basement and sealed up the broken pipe. She is capable, but she just needs that final certainty.