Paid In Full- The Opening Balance
Summary: In the final war you aided Edgeshot in bringing Bakugo back to life with your healing quirk. However the damage done to your body from the backlash was irreversible. You could no longer be the hero you dreamed of being. You still tried to live life and even moved away for a bit. But now youâre back and Bakugo has been your aggressive nurse, but when he finds out things you havenât told him he feels like he hadnât paid you back at all. So when he finds out Mina is moving out, he feels like he finally has the opportunity to.
tags: slowburn and mutual pining
a/n: this is truly a self indulgent fic/series for sure Pt;2
The afternoon sun cut across the living room of the apartment you shared with Mina, casting long, sharp shadows that matched the tension in the air. Bakugo stood by the kitchen.
He hadn't left. Even after you told him to go, heâd simply walked to the kitchen, found that your cupboards bare, and returned twenty minutes later with a bag of groceries heâd practically slammed onto the counter. An excuse to come back.
You sat on the sofa, a knitted blanket pulled over your lap, your fingers picking at the loose threads. The silence was heavy with the things youâd hadn't said for four months.
"I told you," you whispered, your voice cracking. "Itâs just life stuff. Everyone has something, Bakugo. I just thought itâd be good for me."
Bakugo didn't buy it. Heâd been watching you for months, driving you to appointments, even carried you once when your legs felt like lead, memorizing the timing of your meds, watching your eyes go distant when your blood pressure dropped. He knew the chemical cocktail you were on.
"Those meds," he said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet, "they aren't just for the seizures. Theyâre mood stabilizers. Don't lie to me."
You flinched. The weight of your secret was slipping. You didnât want him to know that you had been going to therapy not because heâd be mad. Heâd actually suggested but you didnât want him to know that he was part of the reason you were going.
"Who takes you?" he pressed. "To the office downtown?"
Bakugoâs jaw tightened so hard it looked painful. Deku. Of course, it was Deku. He felt a flash of that old, angry, prickly heat behind his neck out of a crushing sense of inadequacy. The same one he use to feel in his childhood. He was the one youâd lost everything to save so he should have been the one you trusted.
"Why him?" he barked, though the volume lacked its usual bite. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Your composure shattered. Tears following down your cheeks spilling onto the blanket. "Because I'm depressed, okay?" You sobbed, the words coming up like vomit. "I miss my life and being independent. I miss my friends! And being a hero, I miss being able to walk to the store without wondering if Iâm going to collapse and wake up in a hospital. Iâm trapped in this body that doesn't even know how to regulate itself anymore! I want my old life back!"
You looked at him, your eyes red and puffy. "And I knew if I told you, youâd do exactly what youâre doing now. Youâd blame yourself. Youâd think my depression or my isolation is your fault because I used my quirk to save you. Itâs not your fault. But sometimesâŚI-I feel so alone. All the time."
Bakugo didn't move. He felt like heâd been hit with the obvious stick. Heâd spent months being your off-brand nurse, bringing you meals, scaring off anyone who looked at you weirdly, being the "sturdy" one. Months of trying to make sure you had everything you needed medically. So to hear you felt alone while he was right there, made him feel like a failure. You were the last person he ever wanted to make feel that way.
"You need to leave," you choked out, wiping your face with the back of your hand. "Go be a hero. You dropped from number 5 to 15 because you're always here or at my doctors. Mina told me you blew off that girl last week because I had an appointment. You aren't my boyfriend, Bakugo. You don't owe me a debt, you never did. So please just go live your life."
For a moment, the only sound was the hum of the refrigerator. You couldnât bring yourself to look him in the eye. Bakugo took two long strides and sitting on the coffee table in front of you, forcing you to look at him. He didn't touch you, even though he wanted to. He felt he was too "hot-headed" for delicate moments like this, but his presence was an anchor.
"Shut up," his voice low but still had a bite to it, "Just shut the hell up for a second."
He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "You think Iâm at 15 because of you? Iâm at 15 because Iâm an abrasive asshole who yells at reporters and civilians. Thatâs on me. And that girl? She was boring. I didn't blow her off, I just didnât like her."
He looked you dead in the eye, his gaze fierce and unwavering that you couldnât tell if you were attracted to him or intimidated by him. Maybe both?
"You think this is about a debt? You think Iâm some charity worker?" He let out a harsh, dry laugh. "I don't do things I don't want to do. If I wanted to be somewhere else, Iâd be there. Iâm here because I want to be. Iâm here because when I was dead, it was dark, and you were the one who brought the light back. If youâre lonely, thatâs on me for not being loud enough. But don't you dare tell me to go find some 'normal' life."
He reached out, his hand hovering over yours on the blanket before moving the blanket up. Your heart sank, he still didnât understand it. He was always doing things because you helped bring him back, heâs the same way Edgeshot. Before you could start spiraling he spoke again.
"And you think youâre moving back in with your mother? Like hell you are. That woman is a nightmare." He paused. You eyes snapped back to him, howâd he know, was it Mina? Probably her and Kirishima.
âKirishima told me that raccoon eyes is moving. Iâll find a place with an elevator. Closer to the agency. You aren't going back to that house."
"Iâm not paying a debt, y/n," he interrupted, his voice dropping to a gravelly sincerity. "Iâm staying because I can. Now, eat the damn food I bought. You look like a breeze could blow you over."
The rest of that night you both ate in silence while some mundane tv show played in the background. Mina finally came home allowing your tense muscles to finally relax. Bakugo said goodbye and you were too exhausted to even give Mina the rundown.
âSo?â Mina gleamed ready for the gossip.
âMinaâŚI love you but Iâm too tired. Tomorrow I promise.â You gave her a soft smile walking to your room as you heard her dramatically fainting and going on about needing a good love story.
The next day patrol was a blur of routine for Bakugo. His movements were calculated and sharp, his explosions ringing with a loud violent energy that kept the local villain and thieves at a distance.
Beside him, Kirishima maintained a steady pace, his eyes shifting frequently toward his friend. He knew that "look" the one where his jaw was set so tight and a scowl so bad people would rather cross the street than run into him.
"So," Kirishima started, keeping his voice casual but grounded. "I heard you stayed late at y/n and Minaâs yesterday. How's she holding up? Mina mentioned things have been... heavy."
Bakugo didn't break his stride or turn to look at him. "Sheâs a mess. Thinks sheâs a burden. Thinks Iâm playing hero for a damn merit badge."
"You know thatâs not it," Kirishima said softly. "But itâs a lot to carry, man. For both of you. You're pushing yourself pretty hard trying to be her entire support system. Which is super manly, but Itâs okay to acknowledge that itâs emotional, you know? Itâs okay to admit youâre you do this for her because youâ"
"Drop it, Shitty Hair," Bakugo snapped. He pulled his phone from his pocket, his thumb scrolling aggressively. "I donât have time for the feelings lecture. I need to find a place for her, one thatâs actually accessible and safe. Her current building is a death trap, too many places for her to hit her head during a seizure. Or if she passes out."
âKaminari! Hey man!â Kirishima yelled waving him over. Kaminari joined them at the corner, hopping over a curb. Bakugo hadnât even seen him.
âHey didnât realize Iâd see you two out patrolling today. Whatâs up?â Kaminari was his usual energetic self but dropped the energy when he felt Bakugoâs annoyance. He looked at Kirishima who explained the situation to Kaminari.
"Wait, you're looking for apartments for her? Thatâs great, man! But... uh, didn't Midoriya already have a lead on that?"
Kirishima shook his head no and braced himself. Bakugo stopped dead in his tracks. If looks could kill Kaminari wouldâve been on a shirt. The air around his palms began to shimmer with heat. "What?"
"I mean!" Kaminari backtracked, his hands up in a defensive gesture. "Midoriya was just mentioning a while back that since heâs working at UA now and has that faculty housing or whatever... he was talking about maybe moving in y/n. To help out. You know, since theyâre both 'retired' from the front lines."
The silence that followed was heavy.
"Think about it, Bakugo," Kaminari pushed on nervously, digging the hole deeper. "Deku lost his quirk too. He gets it. He knows what itâs like to go from the top of the world to... well, to this. He thought it might be good for her to be around someone who isn't constantly reminded of what they lost every time they put on a hero suit."
Kirishima winced, reaching out to grab Kaminariâs shoulder. "Hey, maybe not the timeââ
"I don't give a damn what he thinks," Bakugo hissed. He didn't yell or explode. He simply turned and walked away, âKirishima letâs goâ.
Two days later, Bakugo let himself into your apartment using the key heâd effectively commandeered from Mina.
Inside you were in the kitchen, back to the door, swaying to the music slightly as you wiped down the counters. You had on noise-canceling headphones on and were humming a tune that was barely audible over the faucet.
Bakugo didn't mean to sneak up on you, but his heavy boots were muffled by the rug. When he reached out to set a folder of floor plans on the counter, you caught his shadow and spun around.
You gasped, your heart leaping into your throat as you stumbled back against the sink, nearly losing your footing.
"God, Katsuki!" you breathed, ripping the headphones down around your neck. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." Your face was flushed, but you looked brighter today, it was a "good day."
Bakugo didn't apologize and didn't move. He was trying to calm himself down from hearing his name come out of your mouth so casually. How it sounded so perfect. He just grunted and stared at you, gripping the folder in his hand tighter.
"Kaminari has a big mouth," he said looking more pissed than usual. "He said Deku offered to move in with you. To be your little support system because he's 'quirkless' too."
You took a slow, steadying breath. You didn't flinch this time, you knew this was coming so what was the point in trying to dodge it. You met his gaze with a tired kind of honesty.
"He did offer, yeah. As soon as he heard Mina was moving out."
You moved to the kitchen table and sat down, your movements careful from nerves. "And I told him Iâd think about it. I have a part-time job that would barely covers my needs, let alone rent if I lived on my own. I canât live alone. If I have an episode while Iâm cooking or in the shower..." you shrugged, a small, helpless gesture. "Izuku is patient and heâs has a consistent schedule. And he understands the... the silence of it all. And i wouldnât have to live with my mom. I didn't think it was a bad idea."
You stopped talking and finally looked up at him, waiting for the explosion. You expected him to shout, to call Deku a "damn nerd," to tell you that you were being stupid.
Bakugo looked at the folder in his hand. The apartments that were luxury units near his agency, places with 24-hour security and staff. He looked at you, sitting in the kitchen of an apartment you could barely afford, trying to piece together a life out of fragments.
He tossed the folder onto the table. It slid across the wood, stopping right in front of you.
"No," he said like he decided that it was final.
You furrowed your brow. "No? What wh-you can't justâ"
"No," he repeated, stepping closer until he was looming over the table. "You aren't moving in with Deku. Not because heâs quirkless or because he 'gets it.' But because heâs a self-sacrificing idiot who will let you wallow in that 'itâs okay to be broken' mindset forever. Heâll hold your hand while you cry, and youâll both just sit in the dark together."
He slammed a finger down on the folder.
"I found a three-bedroom in the Musutafu Heights district. Itâs five minutes from my agency. It has a private lift and 24 hr staff. Itâs more space than you need."
You blinked, confused. "I just told you, I can't affordâ"
"Iâm not asking you to pay for it," Bakugo snapped, his eyes flashing with a fierce, protective heat. "And Iâm not moving Deku in there. Iâm moving in. If you need someone who knows your meds and can catch you when you fall, itâs going to be me."
He leaned down, his face inches from your face your face started to warm up so you pulled backâŚa lot. He tried to pretend he didnât notice, his voice dropping to an intense whisper.
"You want someone who understands loss? Fine. But you need someone whoâs going to remind you that youâre still a person, not a patient. Iâm not letting you retreat into some 'safe' little bubble with Deku where you both just act like life is fine. Youâre coming with me."
You stared at him, your mouth slightly agape. The sheer audacity of his demand should have made you angry, but instead, you felt a strange, grounding warmth and calmness spreading through you.
"You're... you're serious?" you whispered. "You'd give up your privacy? Your 'top-tier' bachelor life? For a roommate who forgets her own name once a month?"
Bakugo straightened up, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking away, a faint tint of red climbing his neck. "I already told you. I don't do things I don't want to do. Now start packing. Weâre seeing the place on Sunday."
Thereâs more coming but this is all I got rn, thx for reading!
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