Liquid Courage

18+ | Minors do not interact

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Female

Word Count: No idea, typing this at 2:30 AM from the mobile app haha

Request: Nope!

Warnings: Mild Smut, Angst, TW: Alcohol

Summary: Your a pro hero who’s been working her ass off to be in the top picks. To maintain that, you train at a Hero’s Only Training Ground to hone your Quirk alongside mentor Aizawa who’s bees helping you ever since you graduated high and college, but you’ve become a bit distracted by the most unlikely person to your friends… and of course, you drunk text him.

A/N: Heyo! I haven’t written a fic in a LONG time, so bear with me, please. I got this idea from a tiktok on Instagram based off of a line in Melanie Harlow’s book “Make Me Yours”. I haven’t proofread this yet, I’ll do that in the morning, and I think I may make a part two!

Being a pro hero was hard as it is, but you knew that Training Day was only getting harder and harder.

Not because you were struggling with your quirk, no not at all. In fact, Aizawa has made it clear that you were hitting a plateau and needed to consider making your training sessions a bit more challenging to try and push yourself out of the spot you were in. And even though you agreed with him, and understood what needed to be done, you also knew that meant you’d have to rotate from your training area which… would break your line of sight of him.

At first, you only noticed him when he became loud and obnoxious. Really leaning into the explosive behavior like he even needed to reassure anyone of who he was or what his hero name stood for. The area he was working on was a bit ahead of yours and to the side. You had a clear view of him, but he’d have to be turning around to even see you, which made this spot all the more irreplaceable. Your eyes could drift and wander to places they shouldn’t be and… no one was the wiser. You had memorized your training routine perfectly, throwing one punch after the other at the punching bag without even having to watch to see if they connected properly. This way, your eyes could be watching his training instead.

You admired how he put his all into every session he committed to. He didn’t work his way towards stronger hits over time or slowly try to progress through new maneuvers and feats, he just.. went for it. Bursting forward with all the momentum he could muster, his voice deep and full of determination as he shouted out his anguish while ascending on his target. Blow after blow causing explosive reactions that sent the sweet smell of caramel wafting throughout the training ground with hazes of black smoke in its wake. You hated how distracting that smell was at first but you’ve come to love it now. Yearn for it. The smell hits all strong you could almost taste it, and at its most palpable, it sent your head swirling with thinking of all the ways you wanted to get closer to him.

How much longer were you going to be able to keep this training rouse up until Aizawa intervened? How much more of just watching him work could you even take? More importantly, how much longer could you stop your lewd thoughts from intruding on your training sessions? With each punch you connected to that bag, your head started to overlay that heavy, thudding sound over visions of a headboard pounding up against the wall over and over. The chain’s rattled became the accompanying squeak of the mattress spring, and your rough pants and heavy breaths were slowly becoming his making. He’d be on top of you, one hand gripping your thigh against his chest while the other held onto your hip. He’d be slamming into your wet folds with a meticulous thrust that had your toes curling and your eyes glued to his. He’d warn you not to look away. If you looked away, he’d stop. He’d slow down to an achingly slow pace and you needed all that he could give you in that moment. Your eyes would be locked onto his, your breath rising higher and higher the closer you became and he’d… he’d…

You’ve had to catch yourself a few times before like this from dazing out completely during a workout at the thought of it. Each time your thighs would tremble, you’d clear tour throat, and focus back up, but you knew this had to come to a head at some point. This couldn’t stay in your head for much longer… and with the cow you made to yourself after you got out of bed, you knew that today: even was enough.

With all the strength you had left you channeled your quirk and slowed down the time and space around you to land your new max of three hits per second. You released your hold at just the right time that the impact of all three hits sent that bag flying down the course, slamming into a brick wall at the end. You got a few head turns your way with a few of your classmates cheering you on and pumping you up as you took the moment to catch your breath. You hadn’t realized it, but you were drenched in sweat. Your tank top was wet all over you back, neckline stuck to your skin, and your leggings didn’t even feel like you are wearing any at this point. And all the while, as you softly laughed at your friends and colleagues for their kind remarks and accolades, you only briefly were able to catch that piercing red glance from him.

You swear you almost wanted to activa te your quirk again just to last in that gaze just a little while longer. His back soaked with sweat, his hair dripping down his neck and forehead, just to see that eye staring at you from over his shoulder. The contact lasted for less than you ever wanted it to, but just as quickly as he looked at you, he was focused back on his targets even quicker.

You left the training grounds knowing what needed to be done tonight. And your friends were quick to help you prepare…

“Wait, wait wait…” Mina took another long drink of her wine, “Bakugou?! That’s the one you want??”

Momo and Tsuyu burst out laughing at her. “Mina, I swear we told you this before!” Momo giggled, “Y/N’s had her eye on him for a while~”

“I mean I get it, but… THAT HOT HEAD?! I thought we were talking about someone like Shouto or something!”

“Haha, no, sorry, Mina, I just… can’t explain it.” You started to mess with your hair before your eyes started to get lost in the cup before you, “Sure, we don’t really talk other than about things like form or job postings, but there’s just something about him that makes me want to know him… more.”

“Well then I think texting him is a great idea!” Said a slight inebriated Momo, “Maybe you two can start up a chat and find some common ground that way”

“Or just tell him how you feel, that might for well!” Tsuyu added, “But knowing Bakugou, either approach might time some time to truly benefit you”

Slamming down her bottle, Mina burst out with “Well either way, that’s what the liquid courage is for! So drink up, lady!” Causing the girls to giggle and toast as you all started to toss it back with conversations about what each other were going through with jobs at the moment.

Hours later though, you were now the only one up at your place. Momo had passed out on the couch, toppled by Mina, with Tsuyu conked out on the floor. Now at peek drunkness, you knew this was your shot. This was your chance to start up the conversation with Bakugou, telling him that you wanted to hang out sometime and get to know each other better. So just before passing out yourself, you crafted your text, and hit send. Quickly you launched your phone away from you, and slept until morning.

With the sun as your alarm clock, you woke up sometime in the afternoon to an empty home. Momo, Mina, and Tsuyu had headed up earlier in the morning and left you a note saying “Sorry we passed out before we helped with the text! We’re still here to help! xoxo” You smiled as you put it down, thinking back to how the night ended until you froze. The memory of drafting a text came flooding into your head and you quickly went searching for your phone. It took you about 10 minutes until you found it and then when you did… you wished you hadn’t. What you sent wasn’t anything like what you intended, and what was worse of all, was that they all went left on read.

To: Bakugou Katsuki

From: Y/N Y/L/N

- Bakugou, I can’t take it anymore….. im so tired of jsut watching you work& get all sweaty&& messy!It’s fucking time we handled this!…

- Yu knw what I’m talkng about, too. I saw you look @ me 2day…

- You wanna fuck me JUST as bad as I wanna fuk you, hmm? You want this pussy, don’t you, baby

- I know you do, and I relly wanna give it 2 yu

- You smell so sweet, bby. Like candy. I’ll treat your dick like a lollipopp … I’ll lick it from bse to tip. Your balls can be lke cherries, hmm?

- I’ll put them in my mouth an

“Ohhh nononononononono” you muttered as you read through all that you had sent. You thought this can’t be serious, you can’t EVER show your face now. You hurriedly took screenshots and sent them to the girls who had about the reactions you were expecting, if you’re honest with yourself. Mins thought it was all hilarious. Tsuyu was trying to explain the likelihood that Bakugou would have actually cared, and Momo tried to give you additional silver linings and things you can try to do to mitigate the damage.

Momo: Send him a “Sorry about that, please disregard these” text!

Mina: Noooo, nonono, tell him “oops, wrong person”

Tsuyu: Mina, the first text has the man’s name in it. Y/N, how bout you just tell him you were drunk and you didn’t mean it?

Their advice rummaged around your head all day. Working some of your jobs today took your mind from it all, but it only took a billboard or a poster to hVe it all flooding back to you. You checked your phone a few times throughout the day to see if thee was any response and to just… contemplate who’s advice you should even take. Momo had a good point, Mina… Nevermind, and Tsuyu had a good idea, too. But even when you pulled the chat up and readied your fingers to start to compose something, anything, you froze and just… put the phone away.

It went like this all day until you finally closed out for the day. Going to the training grounds with the other heroes was a no go, today, and maybe.. ever. Could you really show your face there again? Have Bakugou glaring at you while you do your sets? What a nightmare to even consider. So, you sent off a text to Aizawa telling him you wouldn’t be there today, and headed home to unwind and just rest from the insane 48 hours you’ve had.

It wasn’t until later that night that you had finally cemented on what you were going to say.

Momo’s suggestion just felt like it would work out best, so after only a few glasses of wine after a warm, cleansing shower, you pulled up the text to compose and…

Bakugou is typing…

“Nooooo nonononono!” You stared with wide eyes at your phone. You waited too long! You were convinced he was going to call you a freak. A weirdo. Say you were “down bad” and just another extra in the background of his life. You were pacing your room, panicked at what terrible comment he was about to make when you finally heard that notification ping on your phone.

To: Y/N Y/L/N

From: Bakugou Katsuki

- Don’t end the scenario now. Tell me, Y/N.

- What happens next?

- I didn’t think you had noticed me staring at you while you worked. Your form, the way your clothes stuck to your body after a long, hard session…

- I know you probably sent this while being drunk or something, but I’m hoping this is truly how you feel, because if so

- I’m ready to make it real. So… I’ll ask again

- Y/N, tell me.

- What happens next?

Time in a Bottle Chapter 10 Hitoshi

Editing sucks so here’s the rest! It was getting a little long

Pairing: Bakugou x fem!reader x Shinsou

Warnings: pet sitter au, aged up, quirkless, 18+, cursing, angst

Bakugou grumbles as they’re waiting for the address in the car, stealing his phone back. He tries to keep his cool but he knows it’s slowly ebbing away the more you fidget and silent tears fall. The urge to wipe away your tears grows and grows with the increasing silence between the two of you. There’s something that’s truly bugging him and he’s not exactly sure how to politely bring it up. 

“Why do you like Yuki less than Haru?” 

Your head pops up in surprise and you look at him with an unfathomable expression. Your lip trembles as your mind wracks with anything to say. “I, I don’t know what you mean..” you manage to whisper. 

“Cut the crap,” Bakugou growls. “Sure you love them both, but why don’t you have this same reaction over Yuki almost running away from me?” 

“Yu always comes back-“

“Don’t lie to me!”

“Why the hell do you care so much about my “dumbass pets”?” 

His hands grip the steering wheel tightly as he fights with the words that are on the tip of his tongue. “Because I care about you and your pets, alright?! You give Haru all this love and affection but Yuki gets almost squat.” 

You hit his shoulder and turn to face him. “That’s not true! You don’t know anything about me!”

A pair of firm hands hold onto your shoulders, forcing you to meet the fire in his eyes. The growing anger and frustration between the two of you is blazing away dangerously, the two of you breathing heavily. “But I want to know! You’ve been invading all my thoughts and now every aspect of my life and I don’t fuckin know why. And Shinsou,” he lets you go and rests his head back on the headrest. “He cares about you, too. We both do, otherwise we wouldn’t be risking our livelihoods for you. Just fuckin tell me-“

Two things halt his actions. One, a text from Shinsou with the address and what to say to the customer. And two, your eerily quiet nature as tears fall down your cheeks with your hands clasped tightly. “Princess…”

“Haru was the first “big girl” thing I did on my own,” you say with a shaky breath. Bakugou slowly backs the car out of the garage and heads toward their destination. The lulling of the engine calms the racing hearts of the two found friends. “She helped me through a really rough time and has been there with me through everything. And then he…” you trail off and stare out the window of the passing cars and cityscapes. Your fingers play along your knee as you bite your lip, holding back any potential feelings. 

Bakugou drives along in heavy silence, only the sounds of your ragged breathing and the navigation filling the void. How is he supposed to respond to something like that? Maybe he doesn’t. Or maybe he gets some help. Once they arrive about 15 minutes later, he pulls out his phone to text two people. Shinsou to let him know they made it, and Mina to get some answers. 

Bakugou rolls his eyes before pocketing his phone and stepping out of the car. You’re about to join him when he locks the door on you. You flail your hands in the air and he just shakes his head. He mouths that he’ll do it and you just wait.

The blond walks up to the apartment, taking a quick deep breath to prepare himself with what Shinsou told him to say. He raps against the door and waits. He’s met with a young woman, a few years younger than him with a bold smile on her face. He’s able to peek into her apartment and sees all the newly bought cat toys and scratching posts. The young lady breaks him from his lurking. “Yes? Can I help you?”

“Uh, yeah. There’s been a terrible mix up.”

Back in the car, your tears had finally dried. You fiddle with your left ring finger and feel the need to put the ring back on. You know you shouldn’t, but the lingering shadow is still eminent along your finger of what used to be. When you think of him, you think of Yuki and call Shinsou to walk him for you. He picks up after the second ring.

“Shinsou?”

“Are you okay? Talk to me, have you gotten Haru?”

You can’t help but smile at the concern in his voice and it calms you more than you realize. You breathe easy and lay back in the passenger seat. “Baku is getting her now.”

“Thank god. Kitten, I’m so sorry. I should’ve been more careful with the colored collars. I was supposed to let Himiko know the change and I didn’t.”

“Hey,” you coo over the phone, slightly startled by the power shift. “Look, I’ve calmed down from my earlier anger and I’m sorry for getting so mad, Shin. But don’t blame yourself, okay?”

You hear him sigh on the other line and you assume he lays his head back in his office chair. “Look at you caring for me now. Look let me treat you to something. I’ll walk Yuki right now, you name it I swear I’ll do it. I’m just, I’m so sorry.”

You smile at his dilemma and tighten your grip on the phone. “I know. Just make sure to walk him for me, okay? We’ll come back and figure this all out. Please Hitoshi don’t be too mad at yourself.”

You both pause at the name slip, but it’s a comfortable silence. The two of you smile on the line, enjoying the quiet between the two of you. The enjoyable silence gets interrupted by the sound of the car unlocking. You jump and see Bakugou at your window with a bundle in his arms and a new bruise on his face.

“Haru!”

You squeal louder than you thought possible, scaring both men in your vocal range. You giddily jump up and down and take Haru into your arms, fresh tears of happiness flowing out of you. “Haru I’ll never let you out of my sight again I swear!”

“Yeah yeah, let’s go.” You giggle at Bakugou’s insistence but fail to notice the small smile on his lips as he sits back in the car. He lifts an eyebrow when he sees you on the phone.

“Hitoshi we have her back! I’ll, wow I don’t know what to say to either of you.” You look over at Bakugou who’s started the car and say to the both of them. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, darling.”

You end the call by asking Shinsou to bring Yuki to the cafe where you will all share some food together and sit back in your seat. You give Haru nose kisses and comforting pets. “So what did she say?”

Bakugou’s eyes drift over to where you sit and tries to ignore the rapid beating of you or heart. “Obviously she was upset, but when I explained it to her and told her that she can get another cat for free, she was okay.”

You hum and go back to praising Haru with happy words and giggles. However for Bakugou, his mind couldn’t calm down. Since when did you call Shinsou by his first name? Will they get an answer for the difference of treatment between your pets? But most importantly, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he said to get Haru back. The crazy broad didn’t have to punch him though.

“Are you crazy? I just adopted her! She’s mine.”

“Look I know that,” he argues back. “But she’s taken, she has a home.”

“Then why was she on the adoption floor? I got Haru fair and square.”

“I know! But that cat belongs to someone I care about and might be falling for. And she is in that car, crying her eyes out because I made a mistake. We can let you adopt another cat free of charge but please…

“Give me back my cat.”

Masterlist

Taglist:@andrastesbeard@frostthecupcake@unlogical-ella@hunter-3000@fandomsgotmefucked@zireaels-igni@hisgoodpuppy@minninugget

Gemini Syndrome - ProHero!Bakugou x ProHero!Reader Pt 4

Link to Previous Chapter: here

Chapter Content Warning: Sexual themes and general suggestiveness (Minors DNI)

AN: Been feeling kinda down lately, so it seems like writing is my new outlet outside of drawing. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and getting more in depth into the relationship between the reader and Bakugou. I think I’ll be wiring one more chapter than expected (sorta like an epilogue?) to really tie it all in. As usual, I will include the link to Bakugou’s song so you can give it a listen! Lets pretend its all in Japanese for story sake LOL

Bakugou marched through his agency covered in a day’s worth of debris and sweat. His brows hung lower in his typical scowl causing the employees he passed to keep their heads down. Truthfully, he was just exhausted. Between filming and patrols, he found himself with little time to sleep or speak to you. The office was also getting a little suspicious due to his frequent excusals from work. More people than he thought watched the Masked Singer and it seemed like most of them were his employees. Every so often he would hear people chat in clusters about the show and who each person could be. Not a single person had guessed him and he wasn’t sure if he was relieved or offended. 

Like expected, he had survived until the semi finals. Each week he had elevated his performance and stumped you and the judges week by week on who exactly he was. Social media was alive with talks on just who was the elusive Hell Hound. He was pleased to find that he ranked in the top favored singers and had the most tweets week by week. However, what wasn’t exactly improving like he hoped was his relationship with you. After the watch party at your place, he kept in somewhat steady contact with you via text, but he hadn’t really seen you much at the agency for about three weeks. Bakugou was getting called to patrols with higher ranked heroes to address a recent string of villain activity north of Mustafu, meaning you stayed behind here on your usual routes with other lower ranking heroes. He wasn’t exactly sure where his indirect confession left you two, but clearly you had decided not to address it for now. He supposed he understood your hesitance since he was your boss and friend, but Bakugou was growing impatient. You didn’t push him away, so that must’ve meant you felt the same way? He wasn’t one to beat around the bush for too long if at all. For now, he settled for the glimpses through the mesh of the Hell Hound mask he got when he was on stage. Bakugou pushed himself past the door of his office with a small huff, his arms were sore from using his quirk since the morning. He was shocked to see a familiar face hovering over his desk.

You jumped at the noise of his sudden entrance, “Oh my god you scared the shit out of me—“

“Hah?” his face scrunched, “You’re the one who’s in an office that isn’t yours. The hell are you doing?”

You frantically hid something behind your your back and leaned on his desk in effort to hide it, “Nothing really. I just thought your desk was a bit messy, so I thought I’d lend a hand.”

His ruby eyes looked behind you, “It looks fine to me.”

His desk was in fact, spotless. He never left it a mess and made sure everything was in its rightful spot. Your shoulders dropped a bit and your eyes ping ponged between him and the floor. Was she looking for evidence?

Bakugou strode over to you, stopping less than a foot in front of you to inspect you closer. He hadn’t seen you up close in weeks so he wasn’t in a rush to kick you out. His eyes lowered to your hands and his gloved hands forced your hands into his line of sight.

“W-Wait! At least let me explain—!” You protested. Your strength was no match for his and he easily overpowered you. In your hand was a woven bracelet with two strings to tighten and loosen it. The accessory had a wave like pattern alternating between orange, green, and black. Strategically woven into the colored waves was his first name. His eyebrows raised ever so slightly and he finally looked up at you waiting for an explanation. 

“I could probably change it to just ‘Bakugou’… if you want?” You answered weakly. 

Bakugou picked it up and inspected it, “What is it?” 

“Uh, I thought it would’ve been funny if we actually got friendship bracelets. Now thinking about it, it was funnier in my head.” You exhaled deeply with an embarrassed laugh caught in your throat. You watched carefully for his reaction, but he spared you no hints. 

You spoke up again out of nervousness, “I thought since we hadn’t talked in a while I could’ve left it here as a surprise for when you came back. Like a funny prank?” 

“You give people handmade gifts as a prank?” He countered. Somehow he was always able leave you speechless to some degree. 

“W-Well I’ve always been kinda crafty. It’s great to keep me occupied off duty.” 

Bakugou could tell you weren’t lying, the bracelet had small imperfections that legitimized your explanation. He deduced that this was your odd, impulsive way of telling him you missed him. He smirked, chuckling a bit, and shrugged off his left glove to put the gift on. It fit just right on his wrist. 

He turned his wrist to admire the bracelet, “I’m keeping it.”

He paused for a moment and saw your wrist was empty, “I thought this shit worked in pairs? Aren’t you supposed have one, too?” 

“Oh um!” you jumped seemingly in a daze before producing one of your own from your pocket, “I wasn’t wearing it in case you wouldn’t wear yours. Would’ve been silly to have a one sided bracelet.” 

Yours had the same wave pattern but in purple, grey, and black like your hero costume. Your first name woven into it just like his. He gingerly grabbed your wrist, holding it up next to his so both your bracelets were side by side. Your eyes focused on his gaze expecting something out of Bakugou. 

“You could’ve just said you missed me.” He breathed out in a tone lower than usual. Heat spread across your face quickly and up your spine. Bakugou was eating it up. Your reactions were worth stepping out of his comfort zone. 

“Yeah well… you were busy doing top five stuff so I didn’t wanna get in the way.” You muttered looking down. 

He let out a breath that sounded like a laugh before lacing his calloused hands in yours. He hadn’t touched you like this in weeks so he found himself getting greedy. His thoughts were overflowing with thoughts of you. Wondering if you were okay, if you had eaten, what were you thinking about, and if he’d see you somehow. 

“You never seemed to care about bothering me before.” He uttered recapturing your gaze again. The ambience was getting tense and heavy again like in your apartment and Bakugou inwardly celebrated that Kirishima wouldn’t magically bust in like last time. 

“Does this mean you only see me as a friend still?” Bakugou felt a bit high. His subconscious was shouting at him to make a move, but he refused to do anything without your enthusiasm. 

You seemed to think about it before shaking your head no. 

“Good, cuz I don’t either.” His teeth bared themselves in a lopsided grin. He pulled you by the hand he held, placing his still gloved free hand on the small of your back. Your eyes fluttered closed giving Bakugou the green light to lean in himself for a kiss he’d thought about more than he’d like to admit. Mere centimeters away where he could just barely feel your lips, your hands pressed against his chest to stop him. 

“What—?” He breathed and you wiggled out of his grasp. Did he do something wrong?

“I can’t. I just can’t.” You exhaled with worry in your voice. 

“I don’t get it. We clearly are both attracted to each other, so why—?” He growled in irritation. He felt like he was a starving animal and his only meal was being dangled in front of him, only to be yanked out of his reach when he was close. 

“This is gonna sound idiotic, but I think I like someone else too.” You said so quickly he almost didn’t process it. There’s someone else? 

“And who would that be?”

“Since I started judging the show, there’s one of the contestants that I’ve started to catch feelings for too… I like you, Bakugou I really do. But until I know who is under that mask I can’t love you in good conscious.” You refused to look at him directly. Now that was a twist Bakugou wasn’t expecting at all. 

“It’s actually kinda ironic because I got invested because I thought he was you.” You finally looked at him directly, “But I know it’s not but I’m in too deep. I gotta know. I’m sorry.” 

Bakugou’s shoulders actually relaxed at this. He never thought he would be in competition with himself, but anything seemed to be possible with you involved. He puffed out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair searching for the right words to say next. Fuck it, he’ll take this to the end. He was going to win this competition and you no matter what. Revealing himself now wasn’t smart, it was too soon.

“Alright. I’ll wait.” 

You blinked in surprise, “I’m sorry, what?”

He rolled his eyes, “I said I’ll wait, idiot. If you think you like that other guy more than me after the show is over I can’t force ya.”

You stood speechless yet again. He knew this was awfully out of character for him but it was necessary for now. Your face melted into a soft smile of relief, “Thanks for understanding. It’s been killing me for days.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved you off and finally went to sit behind his desk to resume his work. You stood there with a tearfully thankful look. 

“Are you gonna kick me out of your office for rejecting you?” You asked. Bakugou simply shrugged, signaling you could stay if you wanted to. He would be lying if he thought he didn’t miss your random visits to his office. 

“Thanks, Bakugou.” 

“Katsuki.” He corrected. 

“Right.” You smiled while taking your usual seat in front of him. 

Mina delivered a swift smack to your arm in shock, “You’re joking!! And you pushed him away?”

The two of you sat in Mina’s dressing room to eat before getting ready for the semi final filming. You absently picked at your meal with your plastic fork, mercilessly poking at a strip of chicken. You recounted the incident from three days ago to her between you and Katsuki. Your mind was still reeling and you wondered if you made the best choice. 

“Yeah. He said he would wait and there’s no hard feelings.” You hummed. 

“That’s awfully considerate of him. He’s acting so strange. Normally he wouldn’t be so open to losing to someone else no matter how small the stakes were.” She tapped her fork on the empty edge of her food container in thought. She readjusted herself in the couch you both shared and leaned in, “But how romantic is it that he’s that determined to have you? Our little Bakugou has become a man.” She sighed dramatically. 

“Yeah well,” you began, “Romantic or not my heart is being pulled in two different directions and I have no idea who the other one is. Like think about it! What if it’s someone he and I both know well? Like Deku or Todoroki?” You posed. 

“To be fair, I’m almost certain the Green Bunny is Deku and the Penguin is Todoroki. So no worries there.” She quipped. 

“But what if! That’s just an example, but the point is that’s not going to go over well.” Your hands gestured wildly as an extension of your frustration. 

Mina eyed you for a moment before setting her container down on the table before you both, “So what if it is? Isn’t Bakugou still your obvious choice? From what you told me you guys seem to get along pretty well. Bakugou’s never had a girlfriend you know. So if he’s pursuing you this hard for a relationship of all things, it means he’s serious.” 

“I know.” You moaned, “And I like him too, so bad. No matter who shows up in my life I keep finding myself chasing after him. But the curiosity is still killing me. I just gotta know.”

“You know what would be funny?” Mina said already beginning to laugh, “If Hell Hound was him all along and he was just tricking us all.” 

“What makes you say that?” You looked at her suspiciously. She merely shrugged.

“Dunno. A hunch I guess? I just don’t believe Bakugou would be this calm unless he was competing with himself.”

You scoffed, “Oh please. He’d fight his reflection if he could.” 

That made Mina laugh so hard she nearly choked which made you laugh next. There was a soft knock on Mina’s dressing room door. 

“Ladies! You have two hours till set!” The PA from the other side warned. You sighed and moved to grab your stuff to get moving. 

“We’ll talk about this later?” Mina offered with a sympathetic look. 

“Yeah. Right now I’m gonna drown my sorrows in complimentary drinks and beautification.” You sighed.

“That’s the spirit!” 

Bakugou watched anxiously from his own dressing room in the opposite wing of the studio complex. His screen was displaying the show live right before him. His gut did a stupid little flutter when the camera panned to your face yet again to do your introduction for the fifth time. You had chosen a berry red dress that draped down your body. It was a bit more revealing than you normally wore, but you weren’t gonna catch him complaining. You wore your hair in a high ponytail with those same front pieces he was fond of framing your face as you always did. You were nothing short of stunning and it pained him that he was stuck on the other side of a monitor to watch. 

I gotta win two more times and it’s over, he thought. He was gonna miss doing this shockingly, but the Hound costume was getting real stuffy for his taste. He was sweating bullets in that thing. Thank god the crew cleaned it after every taping. 

It was the semi finals and the only four left were himself, the Green Bunny, the Penguin, and the Golden Retriever. Present Mic was the last one to go last week. Eleven, and Miruko were the episodes before that. If he had been paying attention closely that meant that his performance had to be even cleaner than before with less contestants to pad himself out with. He was gonna have to shake things up to ensure he stayed engaging for those watching. He brought this up with his vocal coaches and choreographers of course, who all agreed with him, and offered several solutions. 

“This is gonna sound risky, but I promise that you can do it if you train real hard. Shouldn’t be too hard for a pro hero, right?” Ren flashed a confident grin. She headed over to the stereo system and typed in god knows what before hitting play. The speakers in the studio filled the room with a slow, melodic RnB song he wasn’t familiar with. Granted, he didn’t know any of the songs he sang so far. The pitch was a bit higher than he was used to, but he felt confident he could do it. Bakugou actually wasn’t too bad after some coaching. 

“We know that the Hell Hound can be bad ass and sexy, but can he be soft? Sensual? Without losing his hard exterior? Versatility is the word of the week, my young protégés.” Ren turned to him fiddling her fingers like a scheming fly. His brow quirked up at the question. Hell if he knew. He went with his gut half the time and just waited to see what stuck when it came to “sensuality” or whatever else Ren had hinted to. 

“Sensuality isn’t exactly in my job description.” His modified voice responded causing the three trainers to exchange glances.

“Well,” Naoki began with a determined look, “Thats why you’re learning from us. We’ll teach you exactly what you need.”

By the end of training, Bakugou felt like he finally understood what they meant. The only way to find out if his work payed off was to perform and hope he wasn’t eliminated. He suited up in his Hell Hound get up once again once the buzzer in his room gave him the thirty minute warning. He briefly wondered if he would be able to keep the suit if he asked, despite how hot the damned thing was he had grown quite fond of it. He smoothed out the mesh shirt and adjusted the studded belt that hung on his hips. While inspecting himself in the mirror he decided to snap a mirror selfie without the mask on. Maybe once the thing was all over he could start using social media to capitalize on his inevitable new founded popularity. The idea made him grin. Slipping his phone into his back pocket, he shimmied the mask onto his head for the fifth time. 

You tapped the end of your pen on your notes impatiently as the cameras reset over the commercial break. The Green Bunny had just preformed and all four judges had guessed that it was Deku under the mask. It was painfully obvious due to the hints he chose to give the audience and judges.

“He’s more naive than I thought.” Mina said without looking at any of the judges in particular, “Who else but Deku would say that he sang for the quirkless?”

Kaminari hummed in agreement, “It was a great answer though. His public approval is definitely gonna go up after that one.”

“Yeah sure, but, if you wanna be discreet give a better answer than that!” Mina contrasted. Truthfully you weren’t absorbing much of what was going on around you. You could only think about the fact the Hell Hound was going to perform next. It was actually quite beautifully ironic that fans of yours and the show started shipping you and the Hell Hound after your not so subtle flirtations with him from the judges table. You assumed most people thought it was for TV, but you were very serious. You just hoped it wasn’t someone that you worked with or was friends with. You also thought about Katsuki and what he was doing in that moment. Was he keeping an eye on social media or was he patrolling the city alone like he always did? You always wondered how he didn’t get lonely being left alone to his own devices all the time. Thats true dedication to justice.

“Judges, we’re back in five…four…” your ear piece dragged you back into reality and you felt your stomach flip a bit. This was it. You were gonna see the Hound again and it was possible you may see his real face tonight. 

You were growing fonder of Kirishima and his hosting abilities each week. You wished that the show kept him permanently. His red suit came back into view and stopped in front of the main camera on center stage. 

“Welcome back to the Masked Singer: All Heroes Season! Last week we said goodbye to another hero from our stacked guest list. This week we decide who will join us in our live final episode. Will it be The Golden Retriever? The Green Bunny? The Penguin? Or the Hell Hound? Only two can advance to the finals and be awarded the Golden Mask Award.” Kirishima announced. The audience was vibrating with anticipation and excitement. You had to admit this season was the best one by far and it wasn’t because you were one of the judges either. You hadn’t guessed a single person right yet from how unexpected the line up was. 

Kirishima waited for dramatic effect, “Welcome our last performance of the night… With the most tweets on social media in Masked Singer History: The Hell Hound!”

The person you had been longing for all night walked out of the entry way. His usual matte black attire hung off his body in a god like way. You just had to know who could be this hot in a dog costume. His stride gave off such a cool confidence, like he was used to such adoration and attention. 

“His eyes are up there you know—“

“I will deck you, Mina” 

Your pink bestie let out a muted laugh due to the roar of the audience below you two. The Hound assumed his position at the center of the stage, letting the faceless dancers join him yet again for another performance. You wondered just what he had planned for everyone tonight. The competition was narrowing and it was easy to stumble and fall this deep into the race. Heavy bass and synth reverberated through the studio and his usual deep bass was replaced by an airy vibrato. His singing took such a languid pace that felt like the musical equivalent of a wave washing over you repeatedly. You were taken aback, you expected a more in your face song like he usually did. The crowd was just as stunned and was letting out immeasurable amounts of cheers. He took full use of the amenities the show had to offer seeing as a lower pitched recording of his voice played along side his live singing. His movements had improved over the weeks and had loosened to be a lot more relaxed. He swayed with the beat change, letting his fingerless gloved hand trace down his mesh chest. You felt your hands twitch with want. Your insides were on fire. 

Slow rider

Rough side first

There’s no words for a touch like hers

Say that you’ll stay all night

Bathe in my touch all right

Tell me all the things you like 

His voice dropped low again without warning as he dropped to his knees. The back up dancers crowded around him yanking his jacket off in a swift movement leaving him in his mesh top that apparently was sleeveless. It was such a quick movement that if you blinked a second too early you would’ve missed it. It almost took you out as you sprung to your feet with your mouth agape. You could hear Mina’s scandalized scream at your side and Kaminari’s deranged laughter and clapping. He let his body be carried by the wave like instrumentals while reaching out to the crowd. You silently thanked whatever higher power was present that this performance was being recorded. You were going to burn this day into your memory and your laptop. 

I can tell by the way that you walk

I can tell by the way that you talk

I can tell by the way that you move

I can tell by the way that you drop

You wanna rock with me all through the night

Stay with me every single night

Play with me all through the night

Just stay with me, girl, oh, stay with me all night

He joined the back up dancers in a line with himself in the center. Like dominoes they leaned over one by one to then snap up in tandem to roll their bodies in a snake like fashion. You could feel your body temperature rising to dangerous levels. There was no way he was getting unmasked tonight. His performance was by far the most polished and entertaining. The Hound whispered his last lyric into the microphone and it sent chills down your spine. The audience was in hysterics and were chanting for the Hound, even howling while mimicking his ears with their hands like they always did. The Hound’s chest heaved as he held his finishing pose. The back up dancers scurried over to him handing back his jacket that he promptly swung over his shoulder and held like some damn model. Kirishima reentered the stage with a shocked expression on his face and fanning it with his cue cards. 

“Did we ever expect anything less from the Hell Hound?” He asked the crowd. The crowd exclaimed enthusiastically which made him nod with approval. 

Kirishima and the Hound turned to you and your fellow judges, “What say you, (y/n)? You seem to be The Hell Hound’s biggest fan.”

Before you could even open your mouth, the screen at the center of the stage changed to show a screenshot of a tweet you made on week three. The tweet contained a picture of your TV at home of The Hell Hound performing with the caption ‘DM me if you look like this’. The crowd started to laugh and hoot, you should’ve known better. You sent that out to be funny and now it was blown up to be analyzed pixel per pixel. 

“A-Ah, it seems that I am! I’ll be honest since my cards are all out on the table. I’m actually upset you did so well. Now I have to wait more to see who you are because you’re for sure winning this. I’ve never seen such elastic performances than I have this season. Amazing work!” You gushed ending with an applause which everyone followed. The Hound only offered a curt nod. 

“Echoing literally everything (y/n) said. During your performance, everyone behind this table was absolutely losing it. Outstanding work…! I still have no idea who you are though.” Kaminari quickly added which elicited a laugh from Kirishima and the audience. 

Jirou leaned forward a bit, “I’m happy to see that you took my advice and not only ran with it, but made it into something of your own. Its not easy to do and I hope you don’t leave this competition to never sing again. You have a gift!” 

“I’ve been inspired to take chances and do something a lot of pros don’t have the chance to do, which is have fun.” The Hound’s modified voice cut through the momentary pause, “I hope you all remember that when you find out who I am.”

There was murmurs mixed with cheers. Your mind was ringing alarm bells again. The whole mystery was driving you insane, just when you’re sure its not Katsuki something happened that made you doubt yourself. You spared a glance at your fellow judges, it seemed like they were also thinking similar things. Well, you weren’t too sure about Kaminari… 

“Well I’m sure we’ll all love you regardless of who you are. Please give it up for the Hell Hound!” Kirishima brought out another round of applause from the audience. The show progressed to the final moment of truth for the night. All four contestants were lined up in darkness again on stage awaiting their fate. Kirishima stood at the front of stage waiting for the audience members to vote and online votes to be tallied. After what seemed like ages, his ear piece fed him the results. 

“Two of our singers will be leaving us tonight! The results are in from you all at home and from you all here with us today. The heroes leaving us are…” Kirishima paused and the studio was deathly silent save for the suspenseful music that the production crew was playing. You covered your eyes and impatiently bounced your legs. The echo of the spotlights made you finally look. Bathed in lights was the Penguin and the Golden Retriever. You breathed a sigh of disappointed relief. 

Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!

Black clad PA’s filtered on stage to help the two eliminated get their masks off. Your eyes widened into saucers when the first mask was lifted and you saw peaks of red and white hair. But nothing, absolutely nothing, could’ve prepared you for what was under the other mask. Iconic blonde hair and ice blue eyes popped out from under the Golden Retriever mask. You and your fellow judges shot from your seats in utter shock. Even the split haired man looked shocked to see the unmasked man next to him. Kirishima let out a yell of excited surprise and quickly lifted the microphone to his mouth, “Please give a round of applause to Number Three Hero Shoto and our retired Symbol of Peace: All Might!”

“Ain’t no way. Say sike right now. Please say sike!!” You brought your hands to your hairsprayed hair and turned to look around to make sense of the reveal. 

“Now this is a reveal! I had no idea!” Mina clapped wildly and even whistled. The Green Bunny and Hell Hound both clapped along with the rest of the set. This was truly a heavy hitter season. Kirishima hurriedly approached All Might with his microphone.

“All Might, sir! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to sing every week. Please tell us: why did you agree to be here?” 

All Might offered a simple smile and leaned into the microphone, “Seemed like a fun thing to do considering my retirement. I quite liked this show so I thought, why not?”

The crowd seemed satisfied with his response, chanting for another song from the newly eliminated heroes. Both seemed like they had a song prepared in case they were eliminated and both sang a duet to some song you didn’t recognize with a happy melody. The show ended on a high note leaving the final two between the Green Bunny and the Hell Hound. It was almost poetic since you knew it was Deku in that green suit. He had surpassed All Might once again solidifying it for you that he truly was his successor. The two finalists were ushered off as the judges table were allowed to leave to get out of hair and makeup. It was close to midnight when filming was wrapped out and you were released to your hotel. Usually you and the other judges would talk theories in the hotel bar after each episode, but it seemed like most of you just wanted to go straight to bed. You sat in your comfy hotel bed, your hair still somewhat intact from filming. You didn’t think you could wait another two weeks for the final filming. It would be live too so everyone in Japan would find out at the same time as you just who exactly your mystery man was. Two weeks until you had to give Bakugou a straight answer. Mina’s conversation with you resounded in your conscious. Was Katsuki that good of a liar? He seemed like he was so bad at it, his actions always gave him away. You started to drift asleep to the sounds of the city and the hum of the hotel room’s heater. You dreamt of nothing that night, the stimulus of the day tiring even your imagination. 

Bakugou put on his usual practice clothes and his simple mask for another week of practice. It was the last time he was gonna work with Naoki, Ren, and Kenji and he was actually gonna miss the trio. They had grown quite friendly and he owed his wins to their expertise and dedication. He made a mental note to thank them properly once the show was over. His feet took him out of his dressing room and through the familiar halls to the double doors of the practice room. The show had a pretty strict practice schedule so he tried to be on time. The reflection of the wall length mirrors revealed his trainers all standing in a cluster talking amongst themselves as they usually did. They all stopped to look at Bakugou who silently continued his stride over to them for another week of preparation. 

“Good to see you again! Thanks for being so on time every week.” Ren offered a friendly wave. Bakugou simply nodded as he shoved his hands into his pockets. 

Naoki had a sentimental look on his face, “It’s our last week together, so let’s make this the one that pushes you all the way. We’re all rooting for you!” 

Kenji raised his hand to give a thumbs up and nothing more. Bakugou was a bit sentimental as well, he respected those who worked hard and were strong. Even though the three before him did vastly different work than him, he could respect the craft and the effort it took to be even half decent. 

Ren recaptured his wandering mind with some surprising news, “Since it’s the final episode, the producers want to go for a banging opener before your actual performance. So you’ll have to learn two sets this week.” 

“I can handle it.” He replied gruffly. 

“Well… the first set is a partnered piece. They’re pairing you up with one of the female judges.” Ren relayed to him which made his eyes nearly bug out of its sockets. It had to be some kind of joke. What if it was…? 

The double doors jolted open, the last person he expected tumbled in. His head whipped around to catch sight of a familiar head of (h/c) hair. You held the doors open as you adjusted the sneakers on your feet, one leg bent behind you to adjust the folded in back as you held your balance on the bar of the door. The PA who escorted you gave everything a once over and left.

“Sorry I’m late! My ride was late because of the traffic.” You apologized, slightly bowing while making your way to join him and everyone else. His hands grew sweatier than usual, this wasn’t in his plan at all. 

Ren was oblivious to the whole situation and waved you over, “No worries Miss Ricochet! We haven’t even started so you’re right on time! We were just filling in your partner on what this week is gonna be like.” 

You stood next to him now, your curious eyes raking over his figure that was now free of his usual get up. Bakugou silently prayed to get out of the situation without a slip up. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly, it was as if the producers knew what was going on. 

“Nice to join you from the other side of the table, Hell Hound. Hope we get along.” You said with a bit of mischief in your tone. He couldn’t wait to punish you for this. 

“Okay! So, let’s familiarize ourselves with the duet track first. It’s only a minute long performance so it’ll be easy to get through. You have some musical experience, right Ricochet?” Naoki shifted his hair beneath the cap he wore.

You nodded, “I have some yes!”

“Excellent! Let’s run the track so me and Ren can demonstrate what we have in mind. Kenji go on ahead and man the stereo!” Naoki commanded while taking center with Ren. You and Bakugou stood off to the side to observe the routine he was going to have to pull off in the coming days. 

“So Uh…” His modified voice began, “Did you volunteer for this?”

“Yeah. They asked who wanted to perform with you and it was a unanimous vote that it should’ve been me. I’m not complaining though.” You shrugged like it was no big deal. Your sleeves were pushed up to your elbows leaving your forearms exposed.

A satisfied smile spread across his hidden face. The bracelet still had its home on your wrist. He became hyper aware of his own on his wrist underneath the sleeves of the zip up hoodie he wore. 

Bakugou briefly wondered when he became so soft.