"So, we're really doing this?"
"Well yeah. Is there a problem, Kats?"
"Why the fuck do we have to court her since she clearly belongs to us?"
"... really? We might be soulmates but it doesn't mean that she'll fall for us right away."
"Bullshit. She likes us and she knows we can feel it, too."
"Katsuki, it doesn't work that way. You saw she was highly embarrassed because she felt like an intruder-"
"But I thought we made it fucking clear we want her to be part of it, too!"
"And you think just because of that she'll change her mind just like that? Come on, you said it yourself, she should take her time."
"..."
"Babe, you'll not getting out of this. Today is date time, so you have to be romantic, corny, charming ..."
Alright, I get it, dammit! Fuck..."
The blonde groaned while standing in front of the mirror, fixing his shirt collar. Shit, he'd never wear a tie but thanks to his damn stylist parents hell had to fucking freeze before he'd go out in a wrinkled outfit. Grey unbottoned shirt with rivets, beneath it his usual skull t-shirt and a new pairs of washed out designer jeans. Completed with brown leather shoes. That'll do.
Bakugou turned around to find Kirishima sitting on his bed giving him a thumbs up and a bright smile. With his red hair tied into a loose ponytail Kiri wore a more casual outfit with a red hoodie, sweatpants and sneakers. At least it looked good on him and he doesn't wear his damn crocs.
"Alright, let's go, Shitty Hair."
They decided to go with the rest of the squad to the training grounds to pick up Y/N from her first quirk training with Thirteen.
"Remind me how this is supposed to be a date with all the extras around."
Kiri chuckled and checked his wallet. This red sap couldn't wait to buy her something nice, could he? "It was Mina's and Kami's idea and they aren't this dumb to not give us some personal space at some time."
They'd better, Bakugou wasn't the most patient man, but he really tried. And this was way too important to screw up. But he already felt his patience chip away. So, he pleaded to the gods – or rather threatened them – to help him get their girl as quickly as possible.
...
"This ain't fair, Thirteen, I just started to sweat a little bit. Come on, one more round!"
The teacher giggled: "Don't be so stubborn, you just started to understand how your quirk works. Your palms are still shaking and this is supposed to be training for you to learn your quirk without self-harming. I will not support any recklessness."
Groaning, Y/N's shoulders slouched and went to grab her towel at the side. The Bakusquad was happy to see she could already lift a large boulder for a while before if fell back to the ground with a heavy thud.
Her being fit enough to use her quirk again made both boys swell with pride. Waiting in the audience area, Bakugou nudged Kiri and mumbled: "Look at these shoulder muscles."
"Mhm, makes me want to train with her.", Kiri hummed in appreciation.
Did Red always have to be this fucking vague with his compliments? Just in case, the blonde smacked him on the back of his head, receiving a dark chuckle. Damn, both of their voices changing didn't reach the final stage but hell, Shitty Hair better end with a bass voice!
"Oi! Y/N! You still on it? It's already past five. Come on, let's go!", Pinkie of course couldn't sit still anymore, making Y/N turn around while still cleaning her face with the towel.
Waving in apology, the girl picked her belongings and excused herself to the changing rooms. The squad took the opportunity to chill and mess around like usual. The explosive boy rolled his eyes at their stupid hollering laughs (Sero unintentionally almost ripped off Shinsou's eye brow while trying to catch Kami balancing on the fence. Fucking morons.) and decided to check his phone ...
until he heard Pinkie's shrill voice giggling: "Damn, if I didn't know she's a girl, I'd totally hit on her."
"HAH? The fuck you're talking about, Raccoon Eyes?"
"'m just sayin', she definitely rocks the androgynous look! And her cool attitude competes with yours, Shin."
"Not in a million years, Mina."
Bakugou's eyebrows rose in incredulity. Dumb pink bitch obviously has not only freakish, but also poor eyes. Pixie definitely looked like a girl should, who cares if she wasn't the curvy type?
Kiri laughed with the rest, but made one good point: "Do me a favor: She wears the boy uniform and probably likes the unisex type, so don't attack her with cute skirts, okay, Mina? Denki?" To which those damn babies whined.
"Hey, sorry guys, totally forgot about time. Let's go!", there she was, dressed in worn-out shirt and jeans. FIne, maybe this shopping idea wasn't that bad after all.
Right then, let's get over with this date thing. Bakugou had to remind himself to be nice today. With a bunch of annoying idiots around them. Fuck his life.
...
Those fuckheads really tried to test Bakugou's self-control. They were in the mall for only two hours but damn Raccoon Eyes never let go of Y/N, dragging her from store to store. They entered the fifth one right now and even Kiri started to get frustrated. They just wanted to spend some quality time with their soulmate, for fuck's sake! But shitass Pikachu and Pinkie wouldn't give them a chance.
And sure enough, Mina fucking bombarded Pixie Bob with girly clothes. Not that she needed rescuing, she fought Mina's persistence with her boyish charme: "Sweetie, it's nice that you think of me, but these adorable tops clearly suit you more."
"Yeah Mina, why don't let her try some cool prints like this!"
"... Sparky, this is neon animal print."
"I know! Ain't it cool?", the blonde's eyes beamed at Pixie waving this shitty hideous piece of fabric around.
Bloody hell, these fucking idiots ....
"This is no damn dress up game. If you want to fucking help, at least pick up her style choices!", fed up with their shit, Bakugou shoved Pikachu to the side and handed Y/N a stylish leather jacket. Yeah, should be around her size. He didn't miss her eyes lighten up (plus a little blush) and concluded with satisfaction that he, as usual, did a great job and found something she genuinely liked.
"Of course Bakugou knows how to dress sexy, with his fashionista parents.", the electric boy grumbled, still looking at his neon shirt.
To which Y/N chuckled, took the small stack of clothes from Mina and turned to the changing cabins: "Oh, I don't think I'll find anything that'll make me look 'sexy'. But I have a good feeling that there are some good pieces in here."
The explosive blonde was too stunned for a minute. The fuck she just said? Just as he was about to call her bullshit, Kiri's strong hand pulled him back by the shoulder: "Easy there, Kats, don't lose your cool."
Bakugou was about to give his boyfriend a piece of his mind, when he saw the look on Kiri's face looking after Y/N: "Don't worry Katsuki, it's on us to judge if she's hot or not and show it up to her..."
...
It was almost another hour later when the bunch of asshats finally decided to take a break from their shopping madness. Several bags full of clothes and shoes were piled up against the wall behind a bench, where a beat Bakugou just sat down and refused to move anymore.
Why the fuck people think the explosive boy repeatedly decided to not spend more times than necessary with them! Their hyperactive asses were frickin' exhausting!
Fucking Racoon Eyes is the worst! Thanks to this bitch this today is no date, after fucking HOURS we might have a fucking chance now to spend actual time alone. Finally!
The extras at last went in various directions to get some food and left them alone, goddammit. Kiri took the chance and offered Pixie to get them something to drink, to which she gladly agreed. So, she sat beside Bagukou and gave him a sweet smile. Pinkie insisted Y/N would stay in her new clothes and get rid of the old lumps already. And Bakugou was surprised she chose to wear the leather jacket. But instead on commenting, he decided to flex his tired muscles, leant back and groaned when his back audibly popped.
"You good?"
"Fucking peachy."
"... "
Shit, socializing was so not his thing. And now, of all times, Red had to leave. It would've been way better if the blonde himself had offered to get those drinks and Shitty Hair meanwhile would've charmed her off her feet.
"Excuse me, my dears, do you know where the flower shop is?", and now an old granny had to bother them. Whatever, Bakugou didn't pay any fucking attention to the stores in here so he had no idea where it was. Then, giving Y/N a side glance, the boy wondered if it would be too corny to get their new soulmate some flowers...
Meanwhile, Pixie stood up to show granny the general direction she had to go.
"Oh, thank you so much, my dear. You're a very considerate young man."
... fucking what?, Bakugou's head spun back as granny waved at her leave. Pixie visibly halted in her moves for a second, looking befuddled. Crap, this is why Bakugou didn't do social shit, he had no idea if he should laugh or not...
The soulmate bond quickly answered his question, Bakugou sensed amusement, but why did it taste ... bitter? The blonde was absolutely lost. What should he do? And what the heck was Red doing so long? Pixie looked down on herself, pulling at her shirt and glancing on her reflection in the next shopping window. Instantly, Red's words echoed in the blonde's head: "It's on us to judge if she's hot or not and show it up to her." Alright, shit...
Bakugou inwardly cursed his incompetence and grabbed her hand fumbling with the shirt hem. Puzzled, Y/N turned her attention to the boy giving her a frowny side glance. "Wha-"
He pulled her back down on the bench and lightly squeezed her hand. Damn, why were his palms always so sweaty?
He knew grandma didn't mean any harm, but the blonde's rage was still gnawing for upsetting Y/N. Yet, this hand in his was more important than any temper tantrums.
"Stop going nuts, old hag probably couldn't see shit anymore. Didn't even see the damn flower shop despite coming from the same direction."
Y/N snorted. "This not very nice, y'know?"
The blonde had to grin, he made her smile again: "Have we met? I ain't the type for nice and fluffy. That's what Red is for."
Her little snicker was short lived, so the explosive boy went on: "Who cares what the others say? Shitty people call me all sorts of things and if I gave the tiniest fuck about it, I'll never become the next number one hero. You look damn fine the way you look, we both liked you before it was clear that you're the third."
If you only knew how much you turned our heads! Often enough we had to fucking hold each other back before making some bad decisions...
Again, she snickered and squeezed his hand back. Bakugou dared to take another look at her ... good, her eyes had that glint again and she even looked flattered. Full success. Obviously.
But before any of them could say another thing, the blonde noticed a creeping feeling of distress that was neither his own nor from Pixie. Looking around, Bakugou spotted a group of high schoolers not far away of them. Normally, he wouldn't give a damn about any extras, but amidst them very distinctively was a mop of red hair.
The fuck ... ?
***
Okay, now she got a new set of pretty sneakers and sandals, so her wardrobe was set for now. Well, it got her around four full shopping bags, but she couldn't live another day wearing school stuff day in, day out.
Plus, it was so damn cute to see how Kiri and Bakugou tried to get Y/N for themselves, Mina couldn't help herself and tease the boys. Well, she had her own triumph when Y/N indeed bought a navy blue shirt with some rhyme stones on it. Mina herself chose it for her, she knew it would suit her. Take that, Blastyboi!
And now, they got their chance to finally make their little courting moves. Aw, the quirky girl hoped she'd catch them three in a plus ultra adorable situation-
Wait a damn minute, what was going on here? Kiri stood in midst of some other students, arms full of water and soda cans and these boys constantly laughed about something. But Kirishima's smile was obviously fake and strained. What...?
Oooh shit, Mina started to recognize some of the students. She knew those ugly faces from mid school, those were some of the boys who used to bully Kiri back when he wasn't ... the upbeat sunshine he was today.
Bakugou and Y/N sat further ahead on the bench, but they also figured something was wrong. And they were right, Kiri, their tall, warm, unbreakable friend started to shrink! Oh hell no, she was closer to him than Bakugou, so she had to act. She knew about about his wavering confidence. And those motherfuckers did, too, so they weren't impressed by his new look or toned body. Ooh, this was about to get ugly...
"The heck d'you think you're doing? Leave him right now or I'll acid your asses!"
Roaring laughter. "What? Ashido the dancing queen trying to intimidate us?", "Damn, Kirishima, I didn't know the famous shield from U.A. had to be saved by a fucking girl!", "Don't tell me you dumb blockhead were able to get such a cute girlfriend?"
Mina's ears were burning, but she stood her ground beside Kiri. She was a hero in training, after all. From the side, the pink girl saw the rest of the squad approaching them, Bakugou at the front, fuming and announcing his arrival with his usual palm explosions.
"The FUCK you're calling blockhead, you extras?"
The group jumped and made way for the exploding blonde, some of them shrinking under Bakugou's intense stare. But many still jeering and gloating like idiots.
Mina heard Kirishima mutter and she knew from his voice Kiri was completely overwhelmed: "Katsuki..."
"OOOH, Katsuki, you say? Pardon me, princess, I didn't know a prince AND a pink demon had to come for your rescue ...", of course, one major idiot had to hear it and make a dumb comment.
Bakugou cussed the hell out of him and growled like a maniac, how did some assholes dare to hurt his soulmate! By and by, the rest of the furious Bakusquad joined them, too. Kami even started let little zaps wander over his arms, effectively threatening them.
The students kept their distance, but didn't intend to leave that easily. One taunted that he remembered Bakugou as the 1-A problem child, the one who won the tournament but got kidnapped by villains. Another unfortunately made a valid point that the oh-so-glorified hero students wouldn't start a fight while being surrounded by cameras.
Sero snarled at them, each of them would gladly storm off to beat their loser asses. Most of them clearly were bark and no bite! But they had a point-
"They probably won't, but I will if you don't shut yer gab."
Oh yeah, Y/N was here, too! The mocking group turned around and Mina immediately understood why most of them froze in place for a second.
Her eyes were ice-cold, eyes only killers can have. Sheesh, they all knew about her past, but to see her threatening death glare in action was another issue entirely. It gave Mina goosebumps. Y/N wasn't bluffing. She would severely beat them up. Not that they didn't deserve it.
"Get lost, scum."
Idiots who didn't know when to stop always shout and laugh loudly to cover their scared, intimidated asses: "Fuck, I thought I heard a pretty girl's voice, but what do we get? A fucking butch! Man, this U.A. is such a freak show..."
Another set of explosions silenced their stupid laughter. Now Kiri found back his voice and gave them a dangerously deep growl: "Watch what'cha saying to my soulmates, asshole."
"Soulmates? Plural? Oh dang, shy Kirishima is a b-"
Y/N grabs the blabbering idiot by the collar and glared him down, silently daring him to finish that sentence. It got quiet again, they finally sensed that this situation was about to escalate every moment now. Mina sneered at the guy in Y/N's grip who clearly tried to not piss his pants.
Behind her, the pink girl heard Kami mumbling "Don't start a fight, he's just an idiot, leave him be ..."
Finally, the mall security got wind of the disturbance and showed up to dissolve the situation. It was about damn time! Y/N quickly let go and scurried over to the squad. Which took the hint, grabbed all of their shopping bags – Kiri dumped the cans held the whole time in one of them– and left.
Bakugou grumbled when exiting the mall: "Tss, what a bunch of dipshits. Come on, Shitty Hair, let's get back. You got all you need, extras?" All of them approved in silent hums.
Man, this mall trip should've been a great time together. And now it ended on a bummer note. In the end, the Bakusquad returned to school in silence. Not much was said, only small remarks here and there. But they were glad when the school building came in sight.
Now due to the previous demolition, all first years of U.A. now have been accommodated to one large spare dormitory. The common rooms were louder and more crowded, now with four classes instead of one in one building.
It was frustrating, after this long and tedious day they just wanted some quiet and peace. Then, on the other hand, the whole way back Kiri had been just miserable, retreating back in each separate rooms sounded just like the worst idea now. Okay, this meant the group wasn't dismissed yet, somehow they had to pull Kiri back up.
Time to cheer up! Mina put on her bright smile and turned to the rest of the Bakusquad: "Guys, look, the TV seats are still free! Let's see if we find a nice movie to watch, huh? Let me just dump my stuff in my room, I'll be back in a second and get some beauty masks!"
***
Dang it, you really felt guilty for not being able to help your soulmates when needed. You can feel Kiri's anxiety spiking, his mood plummeting... Bakugou took his hand and stormed off. The rest following quietly, even when Sero and Sparky tried to loosen up the tension, saying that the day still had been fun.
It didn't feel like fun. All of you three soulmates felt the weight of this sudden confrontation. It stung what they said to each one of you. But Kiri was devastated.
You tried to reach out for him, wanted to tell him that even shields need to be treated with care, otherwise it would be dented beyond repair. But Bakugou kept up a firm tempo at the front. You saw the blonde muttering some words here and there to the redhead, but they were too far ahead to understand them.
So, you just walked at a small distance, shopping bags hanging from your wrist and hands buried deeply in your pockets. Watching them from the side, like usual.
Today, you realized that your affection for the boys wasn't just due to the soulmate bond or because you watched them for a whole year. You really fell in love with them, their warmth and passion were even brighter than you imagined. To see how they cared for each other warmed your chest ... but now you wished you could do it, too. You were ready to finally show and give this love to them. Of course, you were thankful for what they did for you in such short time. But now, it was time you were there for them, too.
What happened to Kiri today made you – like the rest of the squad – mad. So why didn't you just run to the front to grab his other hand? Something held you back, but what?
Maybe it was this other thing which stubbornly stayed in your head and painfully jabbed you each time you thought about it. You knew you weren't a silly, pretty girl. You knew and you told Mina about it in the changing rooms. She giggled it off, saying that with your body and your looks there is nothing to be ashamed about. But the word "butch" in the end confirmed your doubts: You are nowhere near pretty or womanlike.
See granny, she thought she was talking to a male. Bakugou was as quick-witted as it was said about him, he immediately sensed it had been bothering you. He really tried to find the right words to console you, it was frickin' cute, but ...
You trained your body to be fit for combat, just like Mina, but when you compared your bodies in the dressing mirror ... heck, they even thought Mina of all people was Kirishima's girlfriend. You on the other side ...
Shit, stop it! This is no time to wallow in self-pity, Kirishima feels horrible, girl, do something!
Easier said than done, Bakugou – probably out of habit – took charge of comforting the redhead. You even saw a mild smile. So, you sighed and leant back, looking up at the first stars of the evening. A little idea bloomed in the back of your head. Maybe you knew a way to show him some affection ...
Later that evening, the Bakusquad lazed on the couches in front of the TV. Kami succeeded to challenge Kiri in some Mario Kart. It worked, Kiri's sharp-toothed smile came back and you all started having fun again. This was a good cue to retreat and prepare the little surprise for Kirishima!
It felt ages ago since you last touched a frying pan. Back then, you always made your older brother some Crêpe Suzette when he had an awful day. It wasn't so difficult to make and you were glad your hands remembered most of the steps. And the filleting of the oranges didn't end in a sticky mess, thank God.
The fruity smell threw you back into your childhood and you also got quite excited what face Kirishima would make ...
"Wooow, this smells amazing here!", "What you're doing?", "Oh, this looks good already!"
Suddenly, the kitchen counter was full of students from various classes, delighted about the sweet, mouthwatering smell. A tall guy with unusual plushy lips nodded in excitement: "Crêpe Suzette? You wanna flambé it, too?"
Oho? Someone seems to know about desserts. "Probably. Just need to find a lighter and cooking alcohol. But I doubt I'll find it in a student kitchen..."
In the end, you started to chatter with the school mates about this and that, promising to make extra portions for some of them ... until another wave of depressive soulmate emotions crushed down on you. Poor Kiri, you probably should hurry and not chit-chat with other students –
But then ... why should he even eat it? Just because your brother liked them, it didn't mean he would as well! And, jeez, woman, didn't he just yesterday tell you that he liked to train in the gym?! He probably would just eat high-protein food. And you want to present to him billions of calories?
Damn, those dark soulmate thoughts are real triggers! You quickly shook your head, finished the plates and handed them out to the awaiting students. (Iida gets an extra large portion, finally you were able to thank him for saving you) While saving the prettiest for Kirishima. This now wasn't about you, get a grip and be there for him.
As you took the plate to give it to him, you felt the fear worsening with each step. It felt like intruding, like bothering ... shit, Y/N, what's wrong with you? They could feel your distress, so keep it together.
With a forced smile you held it in front of him just when another round was over – Kiri came fourth while Kami lost in ninth place. Red eyes looked at you in wonder: "Huh? For me?"
"For you. I thought you might have something sweet today."
Speechless, he gave the controller to Kami ("Aw, not fair, why don't we get any....") and carefully took the plate and the cutlery from you. You didn't have the strength to look at him with that false smile anymore and turned to sit on your previous place.
"Thank you, Y/N." You heard clanking of the tools, before... "Oh WOW, it's good! Kats, you have to try it!"
JAB!
Dang it, why did it hurt? They said they wanted you in, so why was it so hard? You're sabotaging yourself, dammit! Instead for the couch, you now made a beeline towards the backyard door. You needed fresh air, hopefully it would clear your head.
It did and then it didn't. Cool night air threw your inner confusion to a halt. But instead, it clearly presented the facts to you: Showing affection felt like barging in. You still felt like you didn't belong in their circle. You didn't feel worthy of them, either physically or mentally. Rather, you saw yourself as a burden.
They were so sweet to you and surely your whole situation today was like a dream. No comparison to a couple of weeks before. You were blessed. But why was it so hard to just accept it?
"Man, I could use a smoke right now..."
"Minors shouldn't smoke, you know."
Damn, that scared you! It felt like you should jump up, but on the outside, you barely flinched. You really were exhausted as hell.
"Oh, hey, Koza..."