That night, Bakugou turned in as soon as the game was over. He wasn't going to quit, but it was still his goal to get out of there as soon as possible. He had to remove himself from the situation. If he looked at Y/N any longer, he wasn't sure if he had the self control to stop himself from doing something outrageously stupid.
Y/N had left shortly after him, thanking for the girls for the pick-me up and returning to her room. She didn't realize that she had been shaking until she laid down in bed. Sleep didn't come easy that night. The aching between her legs was demanding too much attention, but she refused to acknowledge it out of fear of caving in, or worse, texting him.
When Bakugou received a text from her the next morning, he almost sighed with relief. Their friendship wasn't ruined, and the silence was broken, meaning he no longer had to walk on eggshells. They could go back to normal... but what was normal?
TINKERBELL: Your gauntlets are done. Come in today so we know they fit
TINKERBELL: If they don't fit just pretend they do so I don't have to do all that work again
There she was. She seemed okay. What happened yesterday didn't seem to be bothering her, which was both relieving and... slightly disappointing. Had it had no effect on her?
BAKUGOU: I have shit to do in the morning. I'll come in during lunch.
He was desperate for a workout, needing a distraction badly. He texted Kirishima to join him, who was (obviously) more than happy to accept.
"What's got you so stressed, dude? You're wild today," Kiri asked, holding up the punching pads for Bakugou to hit. Bakugou wasn't holding back. Every punch echoed through the gym and made Kirishima grunt at the force, trying to stay up. "Haven't seen you like this in a long time."
"Fuck off, I'm fine," Bakugou grumbled, not stopping his assault on the punching pads.
"I've known you for years now, Bakubro. Did you lose a competition? Did someone piss you off?" When he saw his eyes light up at the second option, he grinned. "Alright, who's upsetting you?"
"Fucking nobody. Leave me alone." The punches grew harder.
"C'mon, who is it? Is it me? Or Kaminari?"
"No."
"Sero? Deku?"
"No!"
"Is it one of the girls?"
When Bakugou didn't respond, Kirishima laughed. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere!"
"Stop fucking interrogating me!" He roared, this time using his foot to kick one of the pads, but Kirishima didn't fall back.
"Was it Y/N? Did something happen in the closet? What did she do?"
"She didn't do shit. Drop it, Shitty Hair," he threatened, ceasing his assault to give Kirishima a warning glare. Kirishima rolled his eyes.
"Fine, fine." After a few seconds, he couldn't help himself. "Girls like gifts."
"I don't give a shit what girls like! If you can't be a good workout buddy then get the fuck out!"
"Okay! But... you should make a move, dude. Y/N doesn't look like she'll be available for long."
Bakugou stopped, his glare intensifying. "The fuck does that mean?"
"Nothing, bro. Forget it."
Even though Kirishima dropped it after that, Bakugou didn't forget it. What had he meant by that?
~~~
Y/N had completed the finishing touches on Bakugou's gauntlets just in time for lunch. She admired them proudly. Instead of the thick construction-like gloves he had before, they were now slim and tight-fitting. The palms were made from a flexible, high-conducting material that should easily keep up with his combat style. Around the wrists was a thick orange band that held the charge for his hand warming and absorbed excess nitroglycerin. They looked sick.
She cleaned up her workshop with her bit of free time, her heart beating in anticipation. Would things be weird? Every fiber of her being was praying that he would like them. What if he didn't?
She was nervous to see him again after the night before, but she wasn't given any more time to worry. The sound of the door opening had her whipping around. "Good, you're here, we can get started--"
It wasn't Bakugou. It was Hawks.
"Keigo? What are you doing here?"
There were so many things that she wanted to say in that moment as he walked through the door, but her body failed her. She couldn't think of what to say. She was angry-- no, furious, that he had dared to approach her after what he did. He wore that same overcoat, his messy blonde hair swept back, a few pieces dangling in front of his forehead. He had that familiar smile on his face. "Good to see you, babybird."
"Get out. I don't want to talk to you," Y/N stammered, trying not to show him the fear that was coursing through her veins. She turned back to her table, continuing to clean, doing what she could to distract herself from his gravitating presence. She could feel his deep gaze on her back.
Hawks walked over to her, sitting on her worktable. It made it impossible to ignore him. "C'mon, love, don't you wanna chat?" He tilted his head to the side, his wings fluttering a bit. "I think we've got some things to discuss." He sent one of his feathers to tickle her nose, and she brushed it off angrily.
"If you had listened, you would have heard me say no, Hawks," she spat. "The fuck are you even doing here?"
He chuckled at her anger. "Wanted to make sure you liked my gift. You do like it, don't you?" He made his way over to the printer, giving it a pat. "Had it made special for you, babybird."
"Don't call me that."
"You're angrier than I remember. Are the boys here not treating you right?" He reached a hand out to touch her cheek, but she slapped it away, pointing a finger in his face, furious.
"I'm fucking pissed, Hawks, but it's nothing to do with the boys here. You fired me after I lost my quirk. After a life altering injury. When I needed support. The nerve of you to show your face after--"
The door opened again, and this time it was Bakugou.
He had no idea what to make of the scene. Hawks was leaning over Y/N with a flirty look in his eyes, but Y/N had a finger in his face. A fire lit in his chest seeing Hawks that close to her, but another part of him was impressed that she was standing her ground.
"Bakugou. Good. He was just leaving," she said, glaring at Hawks.
Keigo seemed to understand that he was getting nowhere at the moment. "I'll call you."
"I think the fuck not. Get out," Y/N deadpanned, turning away from him and examining the gauntlets again. Hawks winked at Bakugou on his way out.
"The hell did I just walk into?" Bakugou muttered.
Y/N sighed, motioning for him to come over and sit on the stool and rubbing her eyes. "I dunno, dude. Hawks being Hawks. Come try these on."
Happy to not be talking about the #2 hero, Katsuki listened and took a seat next to her. He watched her pick up the gauntlets and give them one final examination before handing them to him. "Why are you all gussied up? You got a date tonight?" She teased.
"Fuck no. Gross. Patrolling tonight." He looked at her apprehensively. "I can put it on now?" She nodded at him, and he scoffed. "About damn time."
He slipped it on, adjusting to the new feeling. He clenched his hand a few times. Damn, the joints were smooth. He had more mobility now than he ever did with his other pair. He flipped his hand over, admiring both sides. Fuck. It was incredible. But did it function well?
He stood up, preparing a blast from his palm, but Y/N shrieked and grabbed his bicep. "NO NO NO! Some things in here are extremely flammable," she warned. His heart pounded at how close she was, getting mad at himself for the excitement over something so small. "We can go outside, c'mon." She pulled him out of the room and out the doors.
"Okay, now you can try. Go for it, big guy," Y/N beamed, crossing her arms. She looked radiant. He hadn't ever seen her this excited.
He suddenly felt nervous with her eyes watching him so intently. Since when did he get performance anxiety? No. This was a chance to show off. A small smile crept onto his face as he prepared a blast, aiming it towards the sky and releasing.
Y/N was blown back by the explosion, rolling back until she was flat on the ground. Once the sparks and smoke subsided, Bakugou ignored the ringing in his ears and made his way over to her. "Hey! You alive, dumbass?"
When she turned to look at him, she was laughing. "That was good, right? It's what you wanted?" There were soot marks on her face from the blast. He wiped them off for her, wanting desperately to lean in and kiss her. His chest practically ached at the thought. God, the gloves were perfect, and so was she.
"Yeah. Yeah, it's fucking good."