Bakugou and Ayano settled down into a booth, entirely relaxed and looking as if they hadn't just fought off a horde of mutated insects. Technically, it was the first time they had collaborated together out in the field but everything seemed so natural to them.
They each took a menu, slowly browsing through them. Bakugou peeked his head up from the menu, taking a glance at Ayano. She was looking intently through the menu. He could almost see the gears turning in her head. Even for some of the most simple and mundane things, she would calculate every step and weigh out all of her options.
He smiled, thinking that it was just like her. He admired her. Despite having just taken down a villain with him, she still looked absolutely flawless.
No...somehow, she looked even better than that to him.
Ayano eventually noticed his staring. Looking up from her own menu to give him all of her attention, she set it down on the table. She had wanted to say something, but felt as if she were paralyzed under his gaze.
The way that he was looking at her...
Just as they were about to lean into each other, their waitress returned with a tea set. "Here's your tea! Careful, it's hot! Are you both ready to order?"
Ayano quickly leaned back into cushioned booth. Bakugou glared at the young woman. "Learn to read the mood, will you?!?" He shouted at her.
"Katsuki! Just let her do her job." Ayano admonished him. She turned her head up at their waitress, shooting her a slightly apologetic look. "I'll have lunch set A, please." She ordered.
Unfazed, the waitress jotted it down in her notepad. Turning to smile at Bakugou, she asked, "And for you, sir?" The boy just mumbled under his breath, deciding to just get the same thing. "Right away then! I'll be back soon with your food!" The waitress cheerfully promised before walking to another table.
Bakugou was beside himself with discontent, frustrated with yet another interruption. As the waitress walked away, Ayano gently set her hand down on Bakugou's. The boy sighed to relieve the tension in his shoulders. He smiled at her, returning to a calmer state of mind.
Their food soon arrived but just as they were about to dig in, they were interrupted by a few more screams. This time, it was from children.
Looking out the window, Ayano's eyes widened as she recognized a few children from the orphanage and one of the caretakers chasing after them. The children marched into the café, bawling their eyes out and screaming bloody murder. "BIG SIS AYA!!! WE DON'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE FOREVER!!!!"
They tackled the young inventor before she could stand up from the booth. Her eyes traveled from the all the crying faces and then up to the older woman who was chasing them. Panting in between words, she tried explaining the situation to Ayano. "I-I'm so sorry, Aya-chan! I know you told them before that you wouldn't be able to see them for a while, but I was talking with the director a-and I was telling her how much we would be missing you and that I couldn't believe you would be gone for so long. One of the children heard me and told the others. Now they think that you're leaving forever and won't be visiting them ever again."
The children started crying even harder. "WAS IT SOMETHING WE DID?!? WE'RE SORRY!!!!" They hugged her tightly, rubbing their faces against her as they cried.
Ayano hugged them back in an attempt to calm them down. When it was clear that they wouldn't be appeased so easily, she sent a slight pleading look at Bakugou.
The boy groaned, putting his face into his palm. Raising his other hand, he waved their waitress over. "We're taking this to go." He bemoaned, motioning for her to take their plates as he grumbled a few obscenities.
Ayano nodded to him in thanks, getting up with the children still attached to her. They went on their way to the orphanage once they got their untouched food packaged.
For the children's sake and for his own sanity, Bakugou travelled a bit further behind from the rest of them. He was fuming. One could almost physically see a fiery rage surrounding him as he gnashed his teeth together. First the movie, then the villain, and now this?! He could not believe their rotten luck.
As they got close enough to see the orphanage, the rest of the children ran out to meet them. "Big Sis Aya!! Please don't leave us!!" They called out.
She hugged each and every one of them. "Now, now. There is no need for tears. Let's all go back inside." The children listened and walked back inside, but they didn't take their eyes off of her for even a second. They stared at her with teary eyes as they walked, as if she would disappear the second they looked away.
All of them sat down in the playroom with Ayano in the center. "A-Are you really leaving, Big Sis Aya? I-Is it because we were bad?" One brave child asked, voice staggering from trying to hold back tears.
"I am leaving, but it isn't because you were bad. I have to leave because I'm going to help people." She started off. "You are?" Another child asked.
The young inventor nodded. "Yes, just like how I helped all of you." This prompted the kids to look at their prosthetics, remembering Ayano's first ever visit.
"I'm going somewhere far away so that I can help as many people as possible. I promise I will return. Can all of you be good boys and girls while you wait for me to come back?" She asked. The children nodded their heads eagerly. "Good. I will be sure to bring back gifts for all of you when I return." The children yelled for joy at her promise.
"I can play with you all one more time today. If I do, you have to make sure you don't cry, alright?" She looked around at them expectantly with her eyebrows raised. The children shook their heads up and down fervently, as if they were bobble heads. They quickly stood up, tugging on her arms to force her to follow them.
Bakugou had been watching silently on the sidelines with a slight scowl. He was upset that their date kept getting interrupted, but of course he couldn't be too angry at the kids. After all, on some level, he was feeling the same way that they were about Ayano leaving. He could let this one time slide.
"Big Bro Bakugou!! Teach us how to fight villains!!" A couple of the little boys requested, completely oblivious to his temper. The blond saw Ayano in the corner of his eye as she smiled at him, calming him down. He looked down at the boys, flashing a devilish smirk. "Fine, but you better not cry because I ain't going easy on you brats!!"
The children promptly screamed in a mixture of fear and excitement as Bakugou wasted no time to start chasing them. "Big Sis Aya! Stop staring at your prince and come play house with us!!" The young inventor chuckled, giving in to the demanding little ones.
After a couple of hours of Ayano playing with the children and Bakugou chasing them around, the kids finally tired themselves out. Ayano and the other caretakers tucked them in for a well needed nap.
Ayano and Bakugou flopped into a pair of chairs, letting out a sigh of relief and exhaustion. Playing together with children was no easy task. Bakugou had already had the displeasure of doing so for his remedial training course, and he didn't like it any more this time than the last.
They blinked in surprise when plates of food were set down before them. It was the food they ordered back at the café but were unable to touch before the meal was interrupted by the kids. The director of the orphanage gently smiled at them as she placed the food on the table. "We took the liberty of heating up your food. It's the least we could do for interrupting your date." She explained.
The young couple blushed in unison at hearing another person calling it a 'date' so casually. Ayano awkwardly coughed into her hand as she picked up a glass of water, and Bakugou simply started chomping at his food. Several of the caretakers giggled at their antics, causing the couple to immerse themselves into the meal further.
"We really are going to miss you, Aya-chan. Not just the children, us caretakers too!" One of them exclaimed, the others nodding in agreement. "I know they promised not to cry when you leave, but that doesn't mean they aren't going to be a handful for the next year..." Another mentioned in dismay. The others deflated at that comment, dreading what was to come.
"I could visit the brats every once in a while." They all turned to the unexpected voice, the surprise evident on everyone's face. Bakugou blinked at them, his mouth full. "...What...?"
"...Katsuki, you don't have to do that because you think I want you to." Ayano cautiously explained.
"What? You think I can't do it!?" He asked, clearly offended. Ayano simply shook her head. "I never said that. This is just rather uncharacteristic of you. Most people would not consider you willing to be a babysitter." She explained.
"I'm not saying I'd come every day. Maybe just once a week or something. Those brats are gonna miss you, so I could just tell them some stories about you or whatever." He grew softer towards the end, getting a little embarrassed. He didn't want to seem soft for a bunch of stupid kids!
Ayano smiled at him. "I'd like that. I appreciate it. Thank you, Katsuki." The boy just chomped on another large portion of his food, as if to distract the others and himself from his embarrassment. His endeavor was unsuccessful, as he heard some of the caretakers giggling again.
After receiving the director's contact information and a bit more teasing, the couple left the orphanage hand in hand. They had been playing with the children and talking with the caretakers longer than they thought. Night had fallen with the moon illuminated brightly in the starless sky.
The couple walked in a comfortable silence as they usually did. There wasn't even a comment from Ayano about Bakugou's sweaty hands. When they were only a couple streets away from returning to U.A., Ayano broke the silence. "Thank you for today, Katsuki. I really enjoyed it."
The ash blond scoffed. "It was crappy at best. When you come back, I'll be sure to take you out on a real date." Clearly, he was still upset about the various interruptions and failed plans.
Ayano stopped walking to face him, holding both of his hands. "No, it was perfect. I could not have asked for a better date." The boy raised an eyebrow at her insistence. Of course, regardless of all the interruptions, he was still happy to just be with her one last time before she left but there seemed to be something more to her statements.
"I have seen you in action before, but those times were all part of training or some other event. Today was the first time I truly saw you out in the field. I have been making you support items for as long as we can both remember, but seeing you out there...working together with you...it was...exhilarating." Her smile grew more and more as she explained.
"It happened just this morning and yet, just thinking about it makes me shake with excitement. I thought, 'Is this what it will be like for us in the future?' Then, I thought, 'He's going to be the most amazing hero.' The thought almost made me cry. Seeing you like this...I was so, so proud. You really have changed so much, and you also haven't." Her eyes began to gloss over, becoming slightly teary.
With her cheeks slightly pink, Ayano gave him the most heartfelt and beautiful smile. "I thought, 'He's going to be the most amazing hero...and I want to support him, be with him for every step of the way.' Seeing you today, I was reminded of the reasons why I fell in love with you. That's why today was perfect."
Without another word and without any hesitation, Bakugou pulled her in for a deep kiss. His arms moved to wrap around her waist, and hers moved to wrap around his neck. The both of them pulling their bodies closer, wishing to savor each other's warmth. As they pulled away from the passionate kiss, their foreheads touched and their breath mingled together.
"...You really do know how to say some embarrassing things..." Bakugou repeated the same comment from earlier, although he wasn't exactly complaining about it.
Ayano chuckled. "Like I said, I only speak the truth."