The Tinker

Chapter 34 - Sunscreen

"Check it out!" Mina cheered. "Kaminari found it when he was looking for the perfect spot to piss."

Mina had lead them through a clearing of pine trees into a large basin with a waterfall. The sound of the water almost overpowered her words– It was nearly 50 feet tall and wide enough that it created a lake. It was gorgeous.

"I didn't come here to get shamed for my bathroom preferences," Kaminari grumbled, but Mina ignored him.

"Sunscreen up!" She called, tossing several bottles to the class. Everyone had hiked there in their swimsuits, sweating and exhausted from the walk. The water was bound to provide some relief. "I'm not letting anybody in the water until their skin is UV-safe."

"Don't tell me what to do," Bakugou snapped as he rubbed sunscreen on his shoulders. He tossed the bottle behind him, which Kirishima caught, about to walk into the lake.

"You didn't put sunscreen on your– well, literally anywhere but your shoulders," Y/N scolded. "Get back here before you roast, shithead."

He didn't say anything, only flipping her off. She gave him a look and he seemed to give in, sulking back over with a glare and she squirted sunscreen on her hand to rub on his back.

That morning, the two of them had woken up in Y/N's tent sleeping a few feet apart. They had talked well into the night after her nightmare. She didn't know if it was because he felt obligated to help or if he wanted to take care of her– but either way, sticking around was a gesture she appreciated.

He'd told her about that night. That Aizawa's speech had upset her-- she'd remembered that part-- and that he found her drunk outside of the building. He'd carried her home, taken off her makeup, and laid her in bed. She'd kissed him then, and when he pulled away, she asked him to stay, so he did. The pillow on the ground had been from him. The next morning, he snuck out before she noticed.

He'd taken care of her.

He left her tent without saying anything, and it seemed that things had gone back to normal. They were arguing like usual again, and many of their friends seemed relieved to see their dynamic returning.

"I can't believe he listens to her. I've never seen him listen to anybody," Sero whispered to Kirishima, who was trying not to smile.

"He's got a soft spot for her, I think," Eijirou responded, stretching his arms above his head.

"I can hear you. You better shut the fuck up before I melt you," Bakugou growled, sparks lighting in his hands, but Y/N slapped his arm to stop him as she continued putting his sunscreen on.

"Turn," she ordered. He listened, but didn't look one bit happy about it. He was facing her now, and as she rubbed the sunscreen on his chest she tried not to thinking about how ripped he was. Her face started feeling warm, and Bakugou noticed.

"Enjoying the view, Tinkerbell?" he joked, his voice low enough that no one else heard.

"Fuck off," she retorted. "Put some on your nose or you'll look like a damn tomato." She shoved the bottle into his hands and walked away to grab a water bottle, pretending that she wasn't flustered from touching him.

Bakugou smirked. He wasn't an idiot. He knew he was fit; he worked on his physique for hours every day, and he took pride in the fact that he could crush anyone he met like a bug. Seeing how it affected Y/N only made it go to his head. Making her blush was quickly becoming a favorite activity of his. He shot her a glance as he waded into the lake with Kirishima.

"Sero, could you get my back dude?" Y/N asked, handing him the bottle and pulling her hair to the front.

Bakugou watched from the water, anger starting to boil in his chest. Sero seemed much too happy to indulge her, rubbing the sunscreen in slowly. His face was bright red in excitement. Y/N was completely oblivious to how much fun Sero was having with it, which only made Katsuki more upset.

Bakugou almost marched out of the water and blew Sero to kingdom come when he saw him lick his lips as he touched Y/N, but it was over quickly, leaving Katsuki with his blood pounding. Kirishima held back a laugh, and Bakugou shot him a death glare. Sero followed Y/N into the water with a dazed look on his face, Y/N thinking nothing of it.

"Kaminari! Jirou! Want to get your asses whooped in chicken again?" Kirishima challenged, smacking his fists together.

"Oh, you're on," Jirou boasted. She grabbed Kaminari's arm and yanked him towards Y/N who was already sitting on Kirishima's shoulders.

The last time Bakugou had seen Y/N with Kirishima like this, he hadn't given a single fuck about it. This time it made his throat tighten. Kirishima's hands were on the tops of Y/N's thighs, gripping them to hold her in place on his shoulders. His hands were too high up on Y/N's legs for his liking.

Jirou had climbed on top of Kaminari across from them, hands at the ready. Denki seemed much more confident this time around, and when Sero yelled, "GO!" he ran towards Kirishima at full speed.

Neither Y/N or Kirishima were ready for that, and they stumbled back a bit, but Y/N was able to duck out of Jirou's lunge just in time. They moved clockwise around their opponents and Y/N kicked Kaminari's shoulder. It barely had an effect on them though.

"Fuck, I think they've got their shit together this time," Y/N laughed, and Kirishima joined in with her.

"No prob. We're the dream team, we got this," Kirishima bragged.

Bakugou bristled at the name they had for themselves. The dream team? Just how close were those asshats?

The fight went on for a few more minutes, the two pairs struggling back and forth. Eventually, Jirou and Denki got the upper hand, knocking Y/N backwards. She took Kirishima with her, both of them plunging into the water shrieking with laughter.

Once they resurfaced, Kirishima shook Denki's hand. "Good game, bro! You got us this time!"

"You would've won if Kirishima had better balance," Bakugou deadpanned from a few feet away, refusing to look at Y/N as she ran her fingers through her dripping hair. 

Kirishima looked offended. "Hey, it's harder than it looks! I'm balancing for two."

Y/N started cracking up, leaning on Eijirou's shoulder to keep herself from falling back into the water with laughter. Kirishima grinned, stabilizing her.

"If it's so easy, you try," Kirishima challenged.

Without a word, Bakugou grabbed Y/N's hips and swiftly positioned her on his shoulders. Y/N was shocked at how effortlessly he'd pulled it off. She knew she wasn't light– he was just strong as hell. It made her heart pound.

"Hold on, I don't know if I trust Bakugou as a support," Y/N said hesitantly. "I feel like he'd sacrifice me to win."

"Damn straight. Hold on tight, Tinkerbell," Bakugou smirked, leaning towards Jirou and Kaminari at full speed.

Bakugou caught all three of them off guard, but luckily Y/N gained her bearings in time knock Jirou off of Kaminari with a powerful shove.

Jirou yelped, tumbling into the water. Bakugou laughed in satisfaction.

"Dude, you gotta warn me! We're a team," Y/N lectured. "We can't win if I don't know what the hell is going on!"

"Oh yeah? Tell that to Jirou," Bakugou gloated, reaching up and grabbing Y/N's waist again to set her down. They locked eyes for a moment, and he held onto her hips for a second longer than was normal. He couldn't make himself pull away.

"Y/N. Bakugou. We need to talk."

The two of them turned to face Deku, who was on the shore of the lake staring at the phone. When he looked up, there was fear in his eyes.