"Guys! Who here plans on getting married?" Mina jumped excitedly as her classmates walked down the hall towards gym.

"I do! One day I'll have a big family, with a huge yard! My parents will have their own mother-in-law, and I'll have eight kids!" Uraraka beamed, making Deku blush for some strange reason.

"Th-That sounds nice..." He mumbled through his embarrassment.

"I wouldn't mind getting married!" Kirishima smiled with sharp teeth and a thumbs up. "But I'm not focused on that. If it happens it happens! I'll be happy either way!"

"Ooh! I'd love to get married!" Toru jumped, "But I'm not sure about the kids part- if they were invisible then that would be crazy!"

Bakugo gagged at his ridiculous classmates as his attempts to ignore them all proved fruitless.

"You all are going to make me sick. No way am I getting married! It'll only distract me from becoming the number one hero!" He jeered.

"But Bakugo," Sero started, "Don't you want kids? A family?"

"Kids? Family?! I don't want to have to take care of nobody other than myself! Too much work."

"Well, you might not think that forever..." Kirishima chuckled at his stubborn friend.

"Don't doubt me! I know what my future looks like- and I don't need no family!"

## Ten years later...

Bakugo Katsuki rose awake to the blaring of his phone. He often had dreams of the old times, memories he had forgotten. Sitting up with a stretch, he checked his phone that glared a sunbeam directly into his piss-tired eyes.

"Ten Fifteen? What the hell..." He sat off his futon and rolled the traditional bed up. "Damn I need a shower..." He growled as he popped his neck. He had to take a shower this morning because he was actually seeing people tonight: his old classmates! He wasn't sure why he decided to go to these monthly Yueei meetings. Well, he secretly knew why. But he would never admit that he might, just *barely*, maybe enjoy their company. Meeting up every month was kinda a thing Kirishima and Deku decided on forever ago. After graduating they forced the entire class to hang out and catch up with each other, and they've stayed faithful to that promise so far. Not everyone could come every time, but that was alright by Bakugo. Mineta was not someone he missed at all...

Bakugo checked his phone. No hero calls this morning. Good. The scuffle last night was enough to keep him sore for a while. Bakugo had been working as a Pro Hero for almost seven years now. Maybe more? His name has gotten quite famous too, with "Ground Zero" always floating around some news station. Much to his distaste, he wasn't the most famous... yet. No! The goddamn number one hero *Deku* had the public wrapped around his finger! He got married to Uraraka— sorry —Ochaco *Midoriya*, five years ago. Whoop-de-do. Now they are expecting a kid or something. The media has eaten their personal lives up like a wildfire. Bakugo didn't mind the vultures keeping their distance, but he was still falling behind Deku as number one hero. Infuriating.

Before Bakugo could clean himself up he heard a loud ringing from his phone. A Pro Hero emergency!

"Hai? A mugging? Yep. Yeah yeah I'm coming." Bakugo threw his hero gear on (he rarely took it off) and leapt out his apartment window, flying off with a bang! The scorch marks around his window outside was proof of him doing that quite a few times. He was there in an instant- knocking out the mugger in two seconds flat. It was too easy. He stood triumphant, almost forgetting about, ya know, the guy who got mugged.

"Oh my God! It's Ground Zero!" The man exclaimed excitedly. Bakugo got this all the time, but it still felt nice. "Can I have an autograph? For my son? He's a huge fan of yours." The man trembled.

"Pfft. Really? Right now? How about I throw this bastard in jail and you call the police?"

"Oh. Yes. I suppose." He accepted his fate. With Bakugo not feeling forced to do what he asked he rolled his neck and snatched the book in the victim's hands.

"God. Fine. Whatever." Bakugo dropped the unconscious body and scribbled "Ground Zero" as big as possible in the notebook, doodling explosions off the side.

Handing it back to the ecstatic man, a whole crowd gathered around the scene. Ugh...

"Oh wow! Can I get an autograph too?"

"Me too! I need an autograph!"

"Me too!" Bakugo ground his teeth. This. This is what he hated.

"Back off extras! I only give autographs to those I save- and even then it's a maybe! So get lost!" Everyone moaned sadly as they walked away dejected. "Don't like it? Not my problem!" He growled as he dragged the mugger to the station. Giving autographs to only a few people was actually something Aizawa-Sensei taught him forever ago. It makes autographs a valuable commodity and then there's a story behind each one. That did make some people pretty ticked. In the past there was one person in particular who got especially violent...

## Eleven months ago...

It was last. Very late. Bakugo walked down the street in his civilian clothes, but made the mistake of keeping his face visible. Hopefully he looked too buzzed to be recognizable. Kirishima and Kaminari were still drinking at the bar, but Bakugo was done. He was already feeling a bit sick... Maybe he drank too much on an empty stomach? Or maybe he was just deadass drunk. Either way, he was tired and unamused.

As he walked, a plain-looking woman stopped besides him, staring at him with her mouth agape.

"You're Ground Zero, right?"

"Yeah." He continued walking by.

"I'm your biggest fan! I've been a fan since your school days- back at the Sports Festival and everything! I always thought you were really cool! What are the chances of me just running into you?!" Her giggles throbbed his brain. All Bakugo wanted was to go home.

"Ok." He simply said in an attempt not to blow up and continued to walk away. But the plain-looking girl followed a little too close for comfort.

"I always wished and dreamed I could have gone to Yueei- but sadly you can't do that without a quirk, right?"

"Yeah, no." Ooh boy. She was bringing in her own story here, wasn't she? But even still, Bakugo couldn't help but think of Deku, and how he got in and how they eventually became... friends. He was... glad All Might gave Deku One for All, even if he wouldn't admit it in a million years. Everything would've been different if Deku never got that quirk. God knows where the world would be without Deku...

"I was wondering... could I get an autograph?" She begged annoyingly. Katsuki sighed,

"No. I only give autographs to people I save, and even then it's a maybe..."

"But, it'll only take a second of your time and it would mean the world to me!"

"I'm tired. I don't want to."

"Come on- it'll only take a second!"

"I said no."

"But-"

"Geez! Can't you see that I'm drunk and tired?! I just wanna go home and throw up- is that too much to ask? Now get lost! I already said no!" He snapped. If he had a better mind, he wouldn't have said that. Now that fan of his was angry.

"I am your biggest fan... I longed to be at Yueei... to be in your class... we are even the same age! It would've been perfect except for my damn quirkless-ness!" She stomped her foot like a tantruming toddler, anger seeping out of her like a dark aura.

Then, with a cock of her head and a shiver in her skin, she whispered,

"We would've been prefect together..."

This caught Bakugo's attention. He turned back to her, the craziness was glowing from her eyes.

Her smile was crooked.

"Look- I don't know what you're going through, but leave me out of it. I'm just trying to live my life, okay lady?" He turned back towards his home, sighing to himself. This hero business had some downsides, eh?

It was painfully quiet as he walked away from her. So very quiet. But in the silence he could hear it. Could hear something from behind- like a brick being picked up.

"Ha?" He stopped. He could almost feel the warmth of another body on the hairs of his neck. Turning around he came centimeters away from her face. "What the fuck-"

Before his drunken self could react he was hit over the head! She was surprisingly strong, and it caught him by surprise. He fell to the ground and felt his hair grow sticky.

"The FUCK ARE YOU-" BAM! She hit him once more. Directly into the same spot.

And that's how the Ground Zero was knocked out by a brick. It was shameful. Two months prior he fought off forty men with a broken arm and a fractured jaw. And then some quirkless chick smacks him with a brick and he's out. Pathetic.

Bakugo started to stir awake- the throbbing lump on his head caused him to vomit upon seeing the sunlight. How long was he out? Sitting up from the damp alleyway floor, he could barely remember what had happened.

"Ugg... that bitch with a brick- what the hell?" He growled, wiping the barf from his lips. "What did she look like? Agh!" Everything was screaming at him. His ears were ringing, his eyes were blurry, not to mention his tender head. Stumbling out of the alleyway, he supported himself against the wall. All of his body felt... sticky.

"Oh my God! Sir- are you okay?" A random bystander rushed over to him. Yeah- he must've looked crappy from a distance.

"Yeah no. I think I got mugged last night." That was a bit of a lie. He didn't want to go into the details.

"Y-You got hit on the head! Oh my God there's a lot of blood! Do you feel tired? Do you need me to call an ambulance?" He asked with visible worry for Katsuki. Before Bakugo told him off, he realized he actually could use help.

"Nope. No ambulance. Just... call my friend who lives around here."

"Yes! Alright! What's his number?"

Not even ten minutes passed before Kirishima drove up to the alleyway.

"Bakubro! You look like shit!"

"No kidding, Shitty-Hair." He smiled. Boy was he glad to see his friend. Kirishima thanked the bystander a hundred times before leaving.

"I can't believe you were a block away and I didn't save you! I feel like such an unmanly hero. And a terrible friend..." Red Riot let a single tear collect in the corner of his eye.

"Oh get over it. It was a quirkless chick with a brick. You are not the least manly person in the car." Bakugo laughed before clutching his head in pain.

"Man- She must've really hit you hard to get you complimenting! And also to get you peeing your pants."

"What?!" Bakugo screamed as he looked down, "How did I not notice that?" He gawked as he looked himself down. Weird. He could've sworn he put on different underwear this morning.

"Yeah- you might have a concussion... we're taking you to the ER."

"Fine... but not a word about this to the others! Or I'll blow your hair gel into kingdom come!"

"Ha! Don't worry- I got you bro."

And after that day, neither of them uttered one word about the brick incident. Slowly, Bakugo forgot it ever happened, which was for the best.

It probably wasn't that important.

## Present day...

As the sun just began to set on the warm March day, Bakugo arrived at the restaurant his old classmates were meeting at. It was some stupid noodle restaurant. Seeing the faces of twelve of his classmates he tisked. They were all waving at him like idiots. Man he missed them.

"Nerds. Have you ordered yet?"

"Nah, dude! We were waiting for you!" Kaminari smiled with an arm around Jirou. Right- they're engaged.

"We saved you a seat Kacchan!" Deku beamed while patting a seat between him and Kirishima. Bakugo didn't complain as he sat down.

As the food arrived they all laughed and joked and told stories. It was unimportant and pointless, but they were together. Eating and doing nothing together. Katsuki needed that. He hated eating alone... and he did that every goddamn day.

"So Kirishima..." Mina started, a devilish look in her eyes. "Any new ladies in your scopes yet?" She asked as she got in close.

"Hehe... Well..." Puffing out his cheeks with a shrug, he shook his head, "I um... think I'm happy with what I got here!"

"Aww. That's a shame. One of these days, right?" She laughed.

"Yep. Right." Kirishima tapped his fingers on the table and gave a painfully awkward smile. Watching it from the outside was even worse. Bakugo wanted to hit that Shitty-Hair. Whatever this 'thing' was between them, it's been going on for a looooong time.

"Oop!" Mina looked at her phone and jumped to her feet, "Evil never sleeps, does it?"

"A villain?! Need any help or-" Mina interrupted Kirishima's worries look with a giggle.

"I got this! You worry too much, Red Riot." And with a playful wink she dashed out of the restaurant. And Kirishima stood there, stiff as a rock. Bakugo rolled his eyes as he downed the last sip of his beer and groaned,

"Happy with what you got here?"

"Huh? What's that?" Kirishima blushed as he decided to sit back down. Shaking and tisking, Sero sighed,

"Things haven't changed a day... When are you going to ask her out?"

"Ha! Ask Ashido out? Where did you get that idea from?!" Kirishima laughed as he stuffed his face full of food.

"She winked at you." Bakugo rolled his eyes, "Ask anyone here and they'd say that's flirting. Round-Face? Is winking flirting?"

"Yep!"

"Dunce-Face! Even you can tell, right?"

"Huh?"

"Guys! Stop, really!" Eijiro coughed away the blush forming on his face, "She winks at everyone! Plus... I dunno..."

"You dunno?" Midoryia raised a brow.

"...If she liked me, she wouldn't be asking me about my love life and 'new ladies', ya know?"

"Hmm..." Sero nodded with a finger stroking his chin, "Looks like you're as dense as ever."

"Hey! Rude!" Eijiro dramatically threw his napkin at him.

"Oi. Shitty-Hair..." Bakugo growled darkly, "Did it cross your one brain cell that she might be asking if you're still single?"

"...!" It did not cross Kirishima's mind. Not even once.

"So now that I shoved that thought into your rock for a brain, what are ya going to do about it?" Bakugo took a cocky bite of his food as he let Kirishima think.

"Umm... I'm going to ask Mina out?"

Sero and Kaminari jumped into the air and planted a solid high-five across the table.

"Finally!"

"When?" Katsuki sneered.

"Uhh... next Wednesday!"

"Kay," Bakugo stood and threw his money on the table, "If by next Wednesday you still haven't said anything... then I'm gonna blow your hair gel-"

"Blow my hair gel to kingdom come yeah yeah I get it..." Kirishima banged his forehead on the table. "You know it's not THAT expensive, right bro?"

"Oh. It'll add up." Katsuki snickered as he slid on his leather jacket and waltzed towards the exit, "Wednesday, Shitty-Hair."

"Wednesday, then..."

A/N: Hey! If you are just now discovering this fanfic and spend the rest of your weekend binge reading until you get to the end and can't wait for the next chapter then... check out the fan page Instagram for all of your single dad Bakugo needs! Comics, characters, scenes and more! Check it out baachu_mha! Will even repost fan art if you DM me!