#i just got really sad remembering watching dapper walking down those tracks by himself

[aesthetic-gem]

it’s 3am so watch me commiserate over this clip that’s been living in my head rent free for months now and making me sad once again after recent events

that feeling of it being just dapper and q!bad against the world returns once again

“i’m the only one who can watch you”

it’s the fact that the guy that would sacrifice eveything for any of the kids to stay safe, no matter how much strife or hatred or nasty words any of the parents could throw at him, is the one who feels like he has no one watching out for his own but himself. dapper is only an afterthought to the others. someone to remember only after all the terrible things have already happened. of course the halo family has others who they trust, but over and over again it’s shown that there’s a reason why q!bad is basically dapper’s whole world and why dapper is his sunshine

this is isn’t something new. they’ve both always shared this sentiment. dapper, the sole escapee off egg island, having only his dad at his side as they ran to that boat. and more recently, no one making sure dapper could ride out on the train with the rest of the islanders and eggs into the new server when they left that library

they “left me behind” and “just forgot me”

thankfully q!etoiles started to run back, but the fact that no one checked in the first place, that it seemed like q!etoiles was really the only one to notice even though plenty of others saw that dapper was online and around. q!bad is the only one who’s ever had dapper as priority number one in anything

that poor kid said it herself, she thinks she’s not one of the favorites. he thinks the others will be prioritized first. and they’re unfortunately likely right about that unless it comes to their dad

so the mantra continues; it’s simply dapper and q!bad against the world, to have each others backs, to live and die for each other

#the fact that bad was completely ready to run back for the other kids at the end of purg 1 #but decided to place his trust that the parents would do whatever they could to get their kids bc he knew if he wasn’t there for dapper #no one else would and he was right #also #i just got really sad remembering watching dapper walking down those tracks by himself #she’s strong but she’s also still just baby :( #his tendency to think little of himself comes from dad #qsmp #qsmp dapper #dapper the egg #q!badboyhalo #badboyhalo #video #long post kind of? #also i say 3am post but i didn’t finish writing this until like 3:40am so rip

[paperficwriter]

Walk Like a Man

This fic was written for @a-strange-1ne, and I have a new rarepair, y’all. It’s set in a Quirkless AU for BNHA in which Uraraka, Midoriya and Iida are leaving their first year behind them and enjoying the high-life of the...non-freshman students. But on a trip to the local hang-out, they run into some trouble, and Iida’s going to have to deal with it.*

*he doesn’t want to

(Also, inspired by the Happy Days episode, “Our Gang.”)

Cut is for length, not for content.

"Whoa! This place looks amazing!”

The cafe wasn’t particularly busy, but there was just enough activity for Iida Tenya to narrow his eyes a bit. He didn’t quite share his companion Midoriya’s excitement. At least not yet. “I am not sure if this will be a suitable place for us to study.”

“Look!” He jerked as Ochako snagged his arm and pointed. “They have a bar with a conveyer belt! And it’s not just sushi!”

Indeed, the restaurant had been built close enough to Yuuei for it to be both accessible and not entirely inappropriate for them to be there unaccompanied. In fact, as they looked around, it became apparent that other people from their class as well as several more upperclassmen had decided to come by after classes ended for food and entertainment in the form of comics and video games.

“Oh my gosh!” Midoriya squeaked, immediately running over to the row of machines. “They have the new All Might Super Man Fighting Hero Deluxe Game! This hasn’t been released anywhere else yet!” Come to think of it, Iida noticed now that the whole place was themed around masked men and women. The walls were plastered with comic pages, and a huge bust of All Might towered over the center of the food prep station, where sushi, mochi, taiyaki and finger foods were placed to make their way around the track.

Iida set his jaw and sliced the air dramatically with his arm. “I do not know how anyone can be expected to study with so many distractions!” The potential for a new reading spot was, after all, how his comrades had gotten him to come along...

He had turned to leave just when he was beseeched upon by two pairs of large, sad eyes. “Iida-kun, please don’t go! Just stay for a little bit!” Uraraka begged.

“We’ve been waiting to be allowed in here since we were first years! Now that we’re not, we can finally get in!”

Iida took his glasses off and rubbed between his eyes. “How many times have I had to tell you that there has never been a moratorium on us coming into this establishment? There is no age limit or anything like that. We could have come any time!”

“Not without being boo’ed out! Remember, that happened with Mineta!”

Iida sighed. “I am not unconvinced that the same thing would not happen now, regardless of his class status.”

It was no use, though. Iida couldn’t say ‘no’ to his friends. Shifting his backpack, he walked over to an open booth and sat down while Ochako brought over several plates worth of food. Midoriya grabbed a bun and a manga he had found on one of the cafe’s shelves. Iida had just brought out his English language textbook when a voice behind him caught his ear. “Oi.”

He ignored it.

“Oi.”

Then, another, louder voice chimed in, closer tohis ear. “Dude, are you listening?! The boss is trying to get your attention!”

Now Iida did turn to regard the small collective of young men who had arrived at the table. They were all wearing school uniforms, but they were open, sleeves pulled up, pants loose. The one speaking was a blonde with a black stripe in his hair, who honestly had a face way too friendly to fit how he was trying to talk to Iida.

“Oh.” He turned to the tall, lanky boy beside him whose shaggy black hair was hanging around his face. Proximity seemed to make it logical that this was the one he was referring to. “I beg your pardon. How can I help you?”

Both of them exchanged a glance, and that’s when the angry bundle of fury in the form of crimson eyes and soft wild hair shoved them both out of the way, baring his teeth and glaring down at where Iida was sitting. “He meant me,” he said, an undercurrent of vicious indignation dangling under the surface of his voice like a blade.

“Kacchan!” Midoriya squeaked, bringing up the manga before realizing too late that there was no way to hide himself away from the other young man.

“Kacchan? Do you know this person, Midoriya?” Not that the angry, punkish boy looked like the type of person Midoriya would associate with…

“W-we went to Middle School together. He’s, um, he’s pretty rough, Iida…”

“Is this the delinquent kid you’ve talked about that gave you trouble, Deku?!” Uraraka put down one of the glass plates hard on the table as ‘Kacchan’ sneered at her.

“Where do you think he got that useless nickname from, roundface?” His cronies laughed at that, and she huffed in her seat. “And it’s Bakugou, by the way. Don’t call me by that stupid fucking kiddy name…”

At that, Iida finally rose and gesticulated wildly. Both the other boys in the black, open jackets and caps balled up their fists - did they think he was going to start a fight? - but Bakugou just raised an eyebrow. “I am Iida Tenya! And not only do I think you are terribly mean and rude, but also those uniforms are not appropriate attire, even when classes are over! Do you want to bring shame to your school?!”

“Like I give a shit what you think.” Bakugou curled his lip, cocking his chin to meet his eyes. He wasn’t saying it in a way that was exactly as crude as Iida would have expected, but he didn’t back down regardless.

“You should! You will never get into a respectable university or any other post graduate establishment if you act that way.”

Bakugou took a step closer, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Midoriya grab Uraraka’s arm. “You’re not going to live long enough to get home if you don’t clear out of my booth.”

Iida blinked, confused. The booth? “This type cafe does not have any system of assigned seats in it.”

Behind him, the two boys flanking Bakugou choked a little. “Damn right it does,” Bakugou growled.

“What is that?”

Iida jumped back, though more in disgust than fear, as Bakugou’s thick black shoe came down on the corner of the bench where he was sitting, sending little bits of detritus onto his school books. “I say where my gang sits, and everyone else gets the fuck out of dodge. Or else.”

It took every iota of self control for Iida not to immediately go about cleaning off his possessions. “Or else what?”

Bakugou glanced back at the other two, pupils small, brows knit, his eyes clearly communicating, ’Are you hearing this guy?’ “Or else we go.”

That still didn’t quite make sense to Iida. “Go where?”

The taller of the two lackeys laughed, and the shorter one with the stripe punched him in the side. Bakugou’s face flared into a dangerous shade of red. “We fight! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Iida chewed his bottom lip. Was this really worth all the effort? It was just a bench, after all. They could move. Before Iida could say anything, though, Uraraka shot back, “Fine! We’ll fight you!”

Midoriya seemed to disappear, escaping as quickly as possible for either the bathroom or the exit, Iida wasn’t sure which. “Uraraka!”

Bakugou nodded. “Fine. But one-on-one..” He knocked his chin at Iida, his eyes going cool. “Him and me.”

“Fine!”

“I have not agreed to anything!” Iida gesticulated again, like he could actually break the moment through force and speed of his hands. But even after a year, he should have known there was nothing to deter Uraraka when she had focused her gaze on a goal...

“Tonight at midnight,” Bakugou said, “at the park outside of campus.”

Iida balked. Suddenly the thought of ruining his good record was more important than the fact that he was giving this genuine consideration. “It is a school night! I cannot be out past curfew!”

This time, Bakugou actually smirked and chuckled, and as though that was permission enough, the two with him giggled as well. “You’ve got to be fucking shitting me with this...fine. Saturday, then.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Unless you’ve got plans…?”

Iida rubbed his chin. “I would have to make sure to finish my weekend studies early so I can have a nap, but--”

Bakugou turned on his heel. “I don’t give a shit what you have to do. Just be there.”

“He will!” Uraraka crowed in triumph.

Finally, the situation caught up with him. God, what had he just agreed to?!

---

“Is that seriously what you’re wearing?!”

Uraraka and Midoriya had agreed to walk with Iida to the meeting spot, and as they left campus under the bright streetlights, Iida nodded and straightened his suspenders. They were paired with black slacks and a white dress shirt, complete with a bowtie. “I want to look my best. And this is practical, because I would hate for my pants to droop. It also makes it less likely that I will be recognized. I do not want to embarrass the school with my tomfoolery.”

“It’s certainly...dapper, Iida…” Midoriya sighed. “You know you don’t have to do this.”

“Yeah, sorry for getting you into this, Iida.” Uraraka had cooled off within minutes of the encounter at the cafe, and ever since she had apologized profusely to Iida for goading Bakugou.

“Please, do not worry, either of you,” Iida said with a decisive chop of his arm. “I do not actually think this will come down to fisticuffs.” He certainly hoped, anyway…

When they arrived at the park, Bakugou was already there, alone. He was dressed down (not that that was much of a surprise, compared to Iida), with a black shirt and jeans. He looked up and locked eyes with Iida and for a second, he seemed different from the delinquent at the cafe: young and rough around the edges, sure, but also...tired.

He bristled when he saw Midoriya especially. “It’s just us, remember? Fuck off, shitty Deku.”

Midoriya was ready to fully comply, but Uraraka grabbed his shirt. “We’ll be nearby, okay? Just call.”

Iida smiled. “I will.”

They watched together as the two walked away, and when they disappeared beyond the curve of the path, Bakugou finally said, “I didn’t actually think you’d show up.” Did he sound impressed? It was hard to tell. It could have just been cocky.

Iida nodded. “I said that I would.”

When Bakugou stood up, Iida raised his fists and hunched his back a bit. The other young man immediately laughed. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I-I am preparing myself in case you just go at me. I learned this stance from several reputable boxing tutorials on the Internet!”

“You still have your damn glasses on!” He smirked. “What? Do you think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re a guy wearing glasses?”

“What? No! I need them to see! How can I do anything if I cannot see?!”

Bakugou kicked at something on the ground. He didn’t seem to be in a rush to fight… “Dumbass. Why did you even agree to this if you don’t know how to fight? Have you ever even been in a fight before?”

“Of course not! Why would I have?” Iida relaxed just a little bit.

“Don’t you do any sports at that fancy school of yours?”

Iida scratched at the back of his head, suddenly feeling sheepish. He was hoping they would be able to talk things out, but talking like this wasn’t exactly what he thought it would be. It felt like Bakugou was trying to get to know him. Not that he minded, but… “Yes. Track and field. Mostly running. Cross country, sprinting, that kind of thing.”

Bakugou glanced up, jutting his jaw out a little bit. It was almost like he was trying to compensate for his short stature compared to Iida. “But you didn’t run from me.”

“No.” Iida took a breath. “But it is sort of like track, I suppose...coach tells us that it is better for us to run like we are heading toward something rather than away.” He gestured, palm against his chest, the other straight out. “Always approach your goal. Run to those ahead of you, and forget the ones behind.”

“Tch.” Bakugou rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

Running his thumbs up and down his suspenders, Iida paused a moment and then chanced asking, “Is it true? That you bullied Midoriya at your old school?”

Bakugou brought a foot up and down to crush a can sitting by the bench. It flattened under him. “Fucking Deku…” His voice curled with his mouth, disgustedly, but he didn’t raise his gaze from the ground. “He was always following me around like a yappy fucking dog, and one time I tried to scare him off. And it worked.”

“You...don’t sound proud of that.”

“What’s it to you?!” Bakugou stepped hard toward him, and Iida raised his fists again. But he just got close, like he had expected Iida to back off. When he didn’t, they ended up precariously hovering in each other’s space, where Iida could see Bakugou’s eyes shining red in the light overhead as he was forced to crane his neck back to glare.

Iida was the first to break the intense eye contact that had started cemeting between them. “Are we…?”

“What?”

“Are we going to fight?”

Bakugou puffed out a breath through his nose, body relaxing. “It wouldn’t even be a fight. It would be a murder.”

“I would not go that hard on you.”

Bakugou laughed again. He didn’t seem so menacing when he laughed, and Iida liked that (more than he probably should have, he thought, giving himself a little mental kick). “Gee, thanks, four-eyes.”

“Do you really fight all that much?” Iida asked carefully. Every question seemed to take more than a lion’s share of caution.

Shrugging, Bakugou walked over to the vending machine across the path. He fished a few coins out of his pants pocket - he could probably use some suspenders too, Iida thought to himself - and then pointed at the buttons. Was that…an offer? Bakugou gestured again with a growl, and Iida came forward quickly, pressing the button for an orange drink. Once he seemed satisfied, Bakugou said, “Most people don’t show up. I have a reputation.”

“When was the last time you even struck someone?”

“What the fuck do I look like? A goddamn desk calendar?” Even though Bakugou gave him another toothy, growling snap, this time Iida just let it roll off his back. “Those assholes just think it’s cool that I’m so scary to everyone. It’s such bullshit. I hate it.”

A wind blew through the corridor of the park, and Bakugou shivered. Iida scooted a little closer to him, until their legs were touching. The night was cool and quiet. “You do not have to posture all the time.”

“You don’t know me.”

“No, but you seem like someone who could be worth getting to know, especially since what I have known has been so...obviously wrong.” Bakugou didn’t reply, but he also didn’t leave, so Iida pressed on. “Are you in school?”

“Yeah. Duh.”

“Where?”

“Yuuei.” At Iida’s gasp of surprise, Bakugou slouched, mumbling, “‘m in the advanced classes with, like, these two fuckin’ rich preppies. And they’re only half day. The rest is independent studies. So Soy Sauce Head and Pikachu think I’m a drop-out. Idiots.”

Iida couldn’t help it. He let out a snort of laughter, and when Bakugou narrowed his eyes at him and told him to shut up, he just doubled over. “You wear a variation of our city’s standard school uniform! How could they not know?!”

Bakugou’s mask of anger broke a bit, and he chuckled. “They think I’m trying to look the delinquent part. Like it’s my style.”

“That is so silly!” Iida finally straightened again and when he finished his drink, he tossed it into the bin. “Well, if we are not going to fight, would you maybe like to go get something to eat?”

Bakugou stared at him as he seemed to consider what he was saying, then squinted. “Not too late for you, nerd?”

Oh, right. It was after midnight, wasn’t it? “I...was too nervous to eat. I suppose I lost track of the time.”

“Feh.” Bakugou stepped toward him and raised his knuckles. This time, Iida didn’t even flinch, and he grazed his chin with them softly; harder than a glance yet not anything like a punch. “Fine. C’mon. I know a place. But you’re buying.”

In perhaps the only semblance of manhandling during the whole fight, Bakugou hooked Iida’s suspenders with his fingers and dragged him away.   

#my paperfics #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bakuiida #bakuida #bakugou katsuki #iida tenya #cute cute cute