Chapter Text
The night was cold with threats of showers and, logically, Izuku knew it would be like this before going to work earlier that day. He knew it when he and Shinsou finished up their last job and the sky had started to turn a mottled grey. He knew it especially when the crack of lightning had echoed throughout the gym they had taken to sparing at. And now, when walking home through the busy streets, hoodie wrapped around him tight, he knew it was stupid not to bring an umbrella. Incredibly backwards thinking of him to think that just because it wasn’t raining yet meant it probably wouldn’t. Just because the weather called for showers tomorrow didn’t mean that it wouldn’t decide to rain tonight. Which would be why, with the sound of his feet hitting the drenched sidewalk, he was rushing as fast as he could back to his apartment. He lived close to the gym, it shouldn’t have been a problem if he hurried and the rain stayed at the steady sprinkle. Sure, his hoodie was already starting to get heavy on him and people around him were giving him weird looks as they popped their umbrellas, but concentrating on that wouldn’t help him get home any faster, so he ducked his head down and continued, hoping it didn’t pick up any worse.
And well it didn’t.
No, the rain didn’t get worse.
But it seemed that Izuku’s luck hadn’t gotten any better, because one minute he was standing and the next moment he was running smack dab into someone with such a force that they both went tumbling onto the damp concrete.
“Sorry—”
“Watch where you’re fucking going, asshole.”
They spoke at the same time and when Izuku heard the guys tone he was immediately surprised with recognition, much more so when he righted himself and looked towards the familiar blonde, of whom was quickly gathering up the grocery bags he’d dropped—a few broken open—and cursing more under his breath and probably more frazzled than Izuku had seen him in a long time… not that he had seen him in a long time, though, so that wasn’t saying much…. In that moment it was like the air had been forcefully punched from his lungs, his eyes wide in disbelief and his heart hammering in his chest.
“Kacchan?” He said, stuck where he was on the pavement, noticing the moment Bakugou stilled, eyes snapping up with a glare.
There was only a moment. Something that couldn’t have been more than a fraction of a second as the recognition hit and the rain fell and the surprise faded across Bakugou’s face and Midoriya absorbed it all, sure that his face mirrored the same sort of reaction.
They hadn’t seen each other in about four years. Bakugou kind of fell off the hero scene after an accident that Izuku… well, he didn’t know the exact details of it. Not all of them anyway. Hadn’t seen Bakugou since. Hadn’t run into him through their old classmates, hadn’t received any messages, and the news kept everything very hush-hush. And though he knew Kaachan still lived in the area, still kept in touch with a few of their friends, they hadn’t exactly sought each other out since what happened back then.
“Deku…”
The surprise only lasted for a second before Bakugou’s glare reappeared, cold and calculating.
Lightning cracked through the air and the sound of thunder leered, the rain suddenly picking up heavily and dousing both of them.
“Fuck!” Bakugou cursed, trying to gather his groceries as quickly as possible, the broken bag hindering him and Izuku immediately jumped to help, taking off his hoodie and scooping the groceries into it. Bakugou didn’t even question it as he hopped up and turned up a staircase to the building right next to them, grabbing his keys out of his pocket with slight struggle and when he finally got the door open, he held it. “Hurry up.”
One moment and two turns down a hallway and they were at another door, one that was steadfastly opened as they both rushed in to set the groceries on Bakugou’s kitchen counter, dripping water all the way.
Deku couldn’t believe what was happening. It felt surreal, fake in a sense. Now that they were both standing there in the dim room, both breathing a slight heavy from the rush, there were a million things that could be said. A million ‘how have you been?' and ‘how are the folks’ and ‘I haven’t seen you in a whiles' and ‘where did you go?' all rushing around the air between them like they were angst-filled teens again. But, Izuku supposed age didn’t determine your angst levels. Age didn’t determine what was awkward still. And not seeing someone you used to be close to for a long time could certainly provide an awkward air.
“Sorry about following you in, just… was kinda my fault that the grocery bag broke..” Deku said, breaking the silence.
“Fuck,” Bakugou said, and for a second Izuku thought the other was crying. He was turned away after all, not at all focused on the groceries in front of him but pretending to be. It only took another moment to realize that the blonde was laughing. “Fuck, let me get you something hang on just a second.” And with that Bakugou slid by him, bumping him out of the way slightly as he disappeared into the back of the apartment, leaving Izuku confused but still nonetheless. The blonde disappeared but Izuku still heard mutters of ‘stupid nerd’ and ‘leaving his house without a fucking umbrella’ and ‘he doesn’t ever change does he’ and Midoriya thought that last part was more so true of Bakugou, tone and level of curse words taken into account. But he didn’t say anything about it. A moment later when the blond returned with an umbrella in hand, he held it out to him.
“Take this. I don’t use it anyway. Maybe don’t sprint through the street with your head down.”
“Hey, I wasn’t—” he stopped mid-sentence, seeing the unamused look on Bakugou’s face. He let out a small sort of laugh, scratching at the back of his hair out of habit. “I’ll try to remember that.”
Bakugou nodded and just like that silence filled the room again. Izuku knew that he should probably let himself out. That this was weird. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time and to just bump into one another on the street less than five minutes ago and be standing in the others apartment like he was invited in… it was weird. Rude maybe. But he just… it was weird but he just couldn’t help but stand there and stare at Bakugou like he was gonna disappear. They had been close. Friends, even. Though, Izuku would argue that a few instances had roved them to be a little something more. He had changed a bit. He had been getting a bit bulkier when he was still part of the hero business but now he had become a little more lithe, which, predictable because he must have started training differently, must have gone through a period of rest after whatever the fuck that happened had happened. His hair was about the same. Eyes a little more tired but still fiery. Height, well, Izuku had grown a lot so it was no surprise Kacchan was a little shorter than him now. But it was best not to think about that. Especially not just standing here in the other man’s kitchen staring at him like he was the last human on earth.
“Ah, sorry, I should…” He cleared his throat, holding the umbrella to him. “I guess I should go?” It ended more like a question than he meant it to.
Another beat passed before Bakugou stepped out of the kitchen’s entryway as if to let Deku by. He let out a sigh like he’d been holding his breath for a minute, looking almost tired with what was happening, and really could one blame him? They’d been in the same room for a few minutes and Izuku could already feel the exhaustion that came with the heap of questions he wanted to stumble out himself.
Izuku walked past him and heard more than saw as Kaachan followed him to the door, he opened it, letting himself out into the hallway before glancing back.
“See you around, nerd,” Bakugou said, waving him off before shutting the door and Deku couldn’t help but let out a snort of a laugh.
Somehow, he doubted that.