The Tinker

Chapter 18 - Babybird

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.