Article

After I finish up with the paperwork I wanted to work on I look up at the clock to see the time, it's almost 10 and I still haven't seen Bakugo come in yet. He hadn't mentioned going on patrol so I decide to go look for him in the gym, when he isn't there I send a message to Jeanist to ask if he knows where he is today my only reply a "no idea." I call his cell and a woman answers the line.

"Katsukis phone."

"Um, hello is Bakugo there?"

"You're the PR girl, right? I figured you'd call sooner or later."

"Um, yes that's me, might I know whom I'm speaking with?"

"Mrs. Bakugo, or hag as he's been calling me since 13."

"Oh, hello Mrs. Bakugo, it's nice to kinda meet you, so he's in Musutafu then?" Something makes a loud bang in the background. "Dammit Katsuki, you better not break anything in there." There's a reply I can't make out, but it's for sure Bakugos voice."

"He's um, well he's not doing so great. Did you not get your advanced copy from the interview?" Now I know what that was in the mail I decided to ignore while I washed laundry and cleaned the house.

"I'm afraid I haven't had a chance to take a look, was it really tha-"

"What are you doing with my phone hag? Who are you talking to? Give it, it's mine dammit." After some shuffling "Hey L/N, you have my parents address in the directory right, come on over we'll have a drink and celebrate the world hatred of DynaMight." Wow, he's so damn drunk.

"Calm down, it's an advance copy, we could likely have it pulled if it's not to your liking."

"Nope, got delayed in the mail room. All the copies hit the stands this morning." Fuck, they fucked us on purpose.

"I'll be there in an hour, please don't drink anymore ok."

"You're not the boss of me." He hangs up and I straighten up my paperwork, tell Jeanist Bakugo is feeling under the weather then head out to the train station. I have a few minutes before the next train so I stop at the newsstand and buy a copy of the magazine so I can read the article. It doesn't take long to see why he would be the way he is. I don't know why they bothered asking so many questions if this was the direction they were going to go in, unless they did it to throw me off the scent. Instead of the photos I approved they show low quality pictures of him arguing with Deku, Kirishima, one of Jeanist interns whose name I don't remember and me all taken with a camera phone most likely. Of the pictures the one of he and I looks the most damning, a muscular man towering nearly a foot over some unknown girl in a business suit screaming at her so much he's red in the face. Looks like something out of a child's book about monsters. The article itself doesn't really help either, it's mostly conjecture about his relationship with Deku and why they aren't as close as they were at UA, a little about All Might and not living up to his name, theories about his time at Endeavor Agency that make him seem like a possible "at risk" hero, all pulled together by unknown citizens answering questions about short interactions with him over the past 8 years. Least concerning is the couple of sentences they spared to explain that the small American girl he's yelling at is his poor assistant too terrified to quit. To get to his parents' house sooner I arrange an Uber when the train gets closer and ride there. I hadn't been to this side of the city before they are all houses over here, the Bakugo house is a large brown brick building. When I knock on the door there seems to be some argument about getting the door.

"Oh, hello. You must be L/N. He said you were coming, I don't suppose you plan to take him back to his apartment by chance? I'd love to get in for work today, but he's worse than he was as a child when he drinks like this." His mom is really pretty, they have the same hair and eye color, she looks near his age I'd think she were his sister if not for knowing he's an only child.

"Hello Mrs. Bakugo, it's very nice to meet you." I bow only for her to pull me into the house by the arm slamming the door behind me, "Yeah yeah, look it's nice that you're a proper little Miss and all, but if you're here I need you to help get this thing out of my house, BEFORE I KILL HIM" Wow, hair and eye color aren't the only thing they seem to share. "I'd like to see you try you hag, what the hell did you do with my beer, it was just here." She sighs shaking her head looking at the floor. "He drank it, it's gone, he swears I did something with it. His car is out front, here's the key. Please for the love of All Might, get him the hell out of my house." With that she takes off out the door leaving me to find him on my own in a house I'm unfamiliar with. "Bakugo? Could you maybe help me out here, no idea where you are." I hear steps running towards me then he jumps in front of me from the staircase. "Hey, you made it. Let's have a drink. Soon as I figure out what the hell my mom did with my beer." I've never seen him so disheveled, if he slept last night it wasn't for long. I can smell the beer on him more powerful than his usually sugary sweet scent. "Uh, so you're mom asked me to get you home." He nods leaning forward towards me "Good idea, I have more beer at my apartment, we can take my car, just let me find the keys." I hold them up with a tight grip. "I have them right here, if it's ok with you I'll drive you back to Tokyo in your car, if not I'll get us a private car." He holds a finger over my mouth. "Don't be silly, I can drive." When he tries to reach for the keys I move them away and he falls over on the floor. "On second thought you should drive, I've been drinking."

Getting him into the car and buckled up is simpler than I thought, probably because he's wanting to get home to his beers. I use the GPS on my phone to find my way to his place and he's asleep within minutes. When we pull up I realize we may have a problem if this place has a doorman like I assume it does, they have no idea who I am and he's piss drunk. Nevertheless, I help him out of the car and we head towards the building, Bakugo puts in a code a couple times failing to open the door. "Hey, I have smaller fingers, why don't you tell me the code and I'll try." He holds my hand up in front of his face and seems to decide what I said is true. "74482" I punch the number in and the door opens without an issue, I follow the pointing and we find ourselves at the elevator. "Um hello Mr. Bakugo. Everything ok here?" He looks at the elevator attendant with a scowl. "No. I want to get upstairs to my beer, but you're in the way." The poor girl looks over at me her eyes sweeping me up and down uncertain what she should do "Hi, I'm Y/N L/N, Mr. Bakugos personal PR rep." She looks again eyes stopping on the little details that show the colors of his costume. "This is an all hero Unit, we don't typically let in unregistered visitors." Bakugo slaps his hand up suddenly "Look again, I registered her over a month ago." She pulls a book from her desk opening to a tab and looks up at me before holding a picture next to my face. I turn to look at it, it's a picture of me from the party at Jeanist house. Bakugo lets out a giggle. "Is all I had Miss Y/N, no wait that's not right L/N, yeah that's it. I mean you wrote Y/N in your adorable note, but I don't actually call you that, wouldn't be proper would it. Pretty girl." My whole face burns red the Elevator attendant deciding I'm properly verified lets us onto the elevator and sends us up to the third floor.