Chapter 27

"Okay, hold the pieces together while I screw them in." Katsuki said as he picked up the screwdriver and the many tiny bits.

As told, Akane gripped the two halves of the tank and pushed, being sure to only use her fingers to form one nearly-complete piece. She couldn't use any more strength than this or else she was sure to break it. It would be a real pain in the ass if that were to happen, even by accident. They didn't spend three long hours fixing this thing for nothing.

"Push 'em harder! The holes aren't lining up!"

"Alright! You don't have to yell, I'm right here."

"Just shut up and do it!"

Akane let an annoyed growl roll down the back of her throat as she squeezed it tighter. His temper really was starting to get on her nerves. The extensive pressure of the tank forced it to shake and it began to roll against the floor. She did her best to keep it still while Bakugo went to place the screws in, but it was getting really difficult. She couldn't use too much of her red strength either.

Shit, hold it... Hold it... she thought.

"Steady your damn hands! I can't twist 'em in with you shaking so much!"

"I'm trying!"

"Just use your quirk!"

"I can't! I'll break it!"

The shaking intensified and she could feel it starting to slip from her fingers. Katsuki cursed aloud, twisting his screwdriver as fast as he could to get the bits in to at least hold it together. Suddenly, her hand jerked. Before they knew it, the many screws went flying and the tank rolled. She yelped as a sharp pain struck the side of her hand when her body fell forward with it.

"Ow, shit!"

"Damn it!"

She huffed when she went to push herself up, but immediately stopped the moment she felt something that definitely wasn't floor. Her gaze drifted up to her hand that was sitting on top of Bakugo's thigh... really, really high up on Bakugo's thigh. Oh God... Her eyes grew wide in bewilderment as she felt the color drain from her face. Katsuki's eyes shot down at her seriously and his mouth slightly parted. Just from that one expression, she could already tell that he was thinking of killing her over a hundred different ways. She quickly jerked her whole body away from him and scooted backwards.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to grab- oh God... I wasn't trying to, I mean-"

"Is that blood?"

"Huh?"

She looked at him questionably. Did he not realize what just happened? His gaze was locked on her other hand, which she then noticed was streaming with bright red liquid. Where did that come from? It must've been when she fell.

"Oh..."

"Tch... geez." He sighed.

What was he going to do with this idiot? He sat himself up and slid on his knees towards her. He snatched her hand and yanked an old shirt he had sitting off the edge of his bed to wrap around her wound.

"You're gonna get blood all over the damn floor."

He squeezed around her hand, which caused her to wince a little from the pain.

"Ow! It's not like I asked for this to happen."

"Then you better ask next time before you grab someone else's dick!"

She could already feel her face turning red with embarrassment. She never felt so disgusted.

"I wasn't planning on that! It just happened! I'm sorry, okay?!"

He pressed her hand even tighter for snapping. This would make up for all those times she almost broke his damn arm for yelling, now he could finally do it back. Her brow dropped with a pained look, trying to endure it, and he finally let go.

"You're so careless, y'know that? Can't you even do something simple without getting fucked up for just one minute?"

He clearly wasn't going to let this go, as she expected, but still it was annoying either way. She huffed a breath that she had been holding in and glared at him.

"God, your attitude sucks."

She tried to find a way to relax herself. Whether she liked it or not, she was still going to stay and get this thing done. The sooner the better.

"I was trying not to break it..."

"I told you before that you shouldn't be doing this kinda shit."

"I was only trying to help."

"Then tell me when your struggling, so we can think of another fucking way!"

He let out a groan before he stood up and headed towards the door.

"Lemme get stuff to clean that. Just sit here and DON'T MOVE, got it?"

With that said, he left. Touchy... Her lip pouted as she rolled her eyes. Was he always this damn bossy? Maybe he was raised that way. There's no way that she'd admit it right now, but she secretly admired that part of him, the part that doesn't take shit from nobody, though she wished he didn't direct it all on her. Maybe he did that with everyone. She almost couldn't believe that she was actually starting to like this asshole. Was her own mind playing tricks on her or her heart? Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be him?

After a moment of boredom, she went to get a better look at her wrapped hand and began to unravel his now-bloody shirt. At least it was a dark shirt, so he wouldn't have to worry about stains. There was a perfect cut line that went from just below her left pinky almost all the way down to her wrist. It must've been from when she fell over, more likely from the un-welded metal edge of the bracers. Blood continued to seep out from the cut, but thankfully it wasn't much, so it wasn't deep enough to need stitches. She wrapped it back up in the shirt and took a moment while she waited to check out his room.

She walked to his desk to take a look at the items sitting on top. The pieces of paper spread out appeared to be some extra notes he took from algebra class and not much else, so it wasn't anything interesting. She then found herself drifting towards the bookcase, which oddly didn't have much of a selection. It was mostly bare, except for a dictionary, a couple textbooks, and a few awards he won back in middle school, one for soccer and one from the kendo club. She didn't see any of the books that she gave him, which led her to believe that maybe it was empty because he brought them all back to his dorm room on campus.

Her eyes then shifted to the small open space between the bookcase and what appeared to be his closet, for there was a bulletin board plastered with many photos. Some were of U.A., pictures of the school festival, and of his classmates competing in the sports festival. There were a lot of him and Kirishima doing stuff, with Kirishima mostly holding the camera and Bakugo looking anything but interested. Somehow, it was kind of sweet to know that he kept all these pictures. Maybe he secretly did care about his classmates and his friends. It was actually cute that he would want to hide that side of him.

The door suddenly clicked open again.

"I told you not to move." He spoke rather coldly, holding the white, metal case in his hand. "C'mere already."

As told, she followed him and they sat on his bed while he pulled out the alcohol wipes and some bandages. When he was prepared, she allowed him to take her hand and uncovered the cloth from her injury. He opened the wipes and grazed them over the cut, to which she grimaced, but didn't flinch.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"A bit."

As soon as the blood and grime was gone, he placed the bandage over the cut and gave a quick check all around it to make sure there weren't any more injuries or blood. That's when he noticed the small pink scars on her knuckles from that one day, when she completely bore through the giant boulder. With the kind of damage she did to her hands, he didn't think she'd be able to use them for a while, but it was good to see that they've healed up so soon.

"And this? This still hurtin' ya?" he lightly rubbed his thumb across the scars and she felt her heart race.

"Not really."

"Hmm... You're tough."

He then released her and gathered up the dirty wipes and trash to throw away in the bin. As she watched, she noticed he wasn't holding the same deadly scowl on his face as he usually was. Right now, he looked quite calm and focused, and that was a rare sight. Seeing him up close, she was able to see his more defined features, like the small beauty mark he had near his left ear that she never saw before until now. Despite that menacing glare he always has, he was really... really handsome.

"You look a lot like your mom, y'know." she said out of the blue.

"Yea, unfortunately. I do what I can so that I don't, but better her than my old man..."

"Is that why you make such an angry face all the time?"

He jerked his head at such a weird question.

"Whaddiya mean?"

"It's like you have permanent resting bitch face. See?"

She mimicked his face by dropping her brow and baring her teeth. Katsuki's red eyes flared with rage.

"Fucking stop it! I don't look like that!"

"You kinda do."

He clicked his tongue and turned away from her with a pout.

"Whatever! Don't compare me to that insane old hag! Don't even compare me to the old man either! We're nothing alike!"

"Yea, I didn't really expect that that guy was your dad. Don't get me wrong, you look like him, but he's ummm... how do I put this?"

"Pathetic. Weak. A push-over." he finished.

"Well I wasn't going to say that."

"Sometimes, I can't even believe I'm related to him. The only reason I'm even here is 'cuz he was afraid to say no when the Old Hag hit on 'im. Seriously, I don't know how he managed to put up with such an annoying woman, let alone marry her. The man really has no spine at all..."

"Maybe 'cuz he sees her differently than you."

"No shit. Besides looks, I don't see how we're anything alike."

"You may not act like him, but you can be kind of nice sometimes... when you really want to, I mean."

"Hmm, I'm always nice, Idiot..."

He glanced back at her, but instantly turned away when he noticed the slight curl of her lips as she was trying to hold the urge to laugh. He was so full of it. She wasn't denying it, like the others would have.

Now he was starting to notice a pattern. Every time he saw her like that, his stomach would churn and his hands would start to get all sweaty. It was weird to think that of all the times he was complimented, even at times where he wasn't doing anything remotely extraordinary, that her comment would stick with him so easily.

"Is it that hard for you to call someone by their actual name?"

"No, I just don't care. Those extras ain't worthy 'nuff to earn my respect. Once they earn that, THEN maybe I'll give a damn about remembering their names!"

He paused for a moment to wipe off the sweat from his palms on his jeans.

"... Hattori... Y'know, your name's not that hard to remember..."

"I thought I was the 'Idiot'." she corrected.

"You are! Just take the damn compliment!"

Did that mean he was starting to respect her a little now? Either way, it was fun to see him get so embarrassed. She covered her mouth with her hand to contain her giggle.

"Alright, but you can call me Akane, y'know."

"Sure, whatever." He immediately gestured to the halved storage tank on the floor. "Let's get this damn thing back together already. As soon as it's done, the rest'll be easy to put on."

Akane nodded in agreement and proceeded to pull the two halves back together again, only this time, she concentrated her quirk to her entire hand instead of just her fingers. She kept a careful watch to make sure not to dent or crush the metal frame as Katsuki gathered the bits and screwed them in. As soon as it was all in one piece, they welded the seams back together to seal it tight. It had to be water and leak proof to protect the storage of his nitroglycerin. The only things left to assemble were his control temp. gloves, the grenade launcher, and the control pin.

Judging from how long it took getting this far on the project, she knew that she would be getting back hella late. She made a mental reminder to message Reiki about it later. Katsuki grabbed his special glove and slid it over his hand. He did a quick test to make sure the temp. dial was still working before he picked up the bracer and pushed it completely through. He locked the valves and seals into place before he degloved it from his hand and set it back on the floor.

"Hand me the socket wrench." He ordered with his hand held out to her.

On cue, she gave him the tool and as she did, their fingers lightly brushed against each other. Katsuki forced himself to ignore it and snatched it to begin his work adjusting the pull pin.

"By the way... I wanted to say thank you for helping me train. I know I haven't been easy to work with."

"You're tellin' me."

She decided to ignore that rude remark and continue.

"Because of your help, I passed my first exam with Midnight, even though many of my classmates didn't. I think... I may be starting to learn how to control it better."

He paused for a second to look at her. She seemed genuine.

"Tch. Don't thank me, Idiot. I knew you'd make it before we even watched the damn test."

"You saw it?"

"Yea, we had to watch you and summarize our group's productivity in our evaluations. It was sort of part of our test, but even still, I knew you'd pass. You're working with the future number one hero, remember? You should be grateful I've shown you how to get this far."

"I am, so thanks..."

He hummed with a slight nod.

"... Do you seriously want to be number one?"

"Hell yea!"

"Why?"

He was taken aback that she would even ask such a question.

"Whaddiya mean why?! Being the number one hero means you're the greatest fighter! You have the ultimate credibility, that you're the best among the rest, that you deserve the utmost respect for winning every single fight and putting villains in their place! They become the richest, coolest, and strongest heroes of them all, just like All Might! And I want that!"

"But doesn't all that stuff take away from the true aspect of what a hero is? I don't think all that extra stuff really matters."

"Oh yea? Then why're you even at U.A.? Why're you trying to be a hero if you're not gonna win and strive to be the best?" he asked, almost offended that she disagreed. What kind of person wouldn't want all that?

"I'm not saying I'm not gonna give it my all when the time comes... I mean that I don't think stats and being popular, or being recognized as the strongest really matters. Being a hero means you're there to save people who need you, putting your life on the line to protect the lives of others."

"But doesn't making a fuck-ton of money, having everyone look up to you and everything you want matter?"

"Money isn't everything..."

"Hahh? What're you talking about?"

"When I'm a hero, I'll make money to get what I need and that's enough for me. I don't need a giant house or a fancy car, just a nice, decent house, some good food, and living my life helping others is all I could really want." she explained, her lips curling a small smile thinking about it. It was always nice to plan for a good future. Katsuki just couldn't wrap his head around it.

"But if you know you can get something better, then why not go for it and get the best of everything?"

"If what you already have helps you live a decent life, isn't that enough? Is fame and fortune really all that important to you?"

"I don't fucking get it. You seriously don't wanna make bank and live in a kickass house?"

"My house will be how I want it, but it won't be any bigger than I can handle. Maybe something small, like a condo or something. And if I made lots of money that I didn't use, I'd probably do what my mom does and donate most of it to charity or towards better security."

Katsuki stopped and turned his whole body towards her to be more direct.

"C'mon! All the top heroes live in kickass houses and work in huge, top-notch agencies. They have servants, maids, and designated drivers for their badass cars. They have enough money to do whatever the hell they want outside beating villains asses. You're tellin' me you're not into that?" he questioned.

"No, why would I want that?"

"I don't know, why wouldn't you want that?!" he yelled back.

She blinked at him in silence. She assumed that she made it clear enough, but…

"When you have nothing, you learn to appreciate everything..."

Bakugo just then remembered what Takami said that day, and of all the other things she said when they were together. Something didn't add up.

"Why do you say things like that?"

"Huh?"

"I've been thinking about it a lot, ever since that day we first hung out, when you took me to that guy's house. When you left for the bathroom, I got a chance to talk with him. He told me how you two met and how your relationship started, that you wandered the streets and only came by to eat... so I gotta ask, were you broke or homeless or some shit?"

She clenched her jaw and nervously began to fiddle with the edge of her long sleeves. She didn't think he'd be so observant, or that he actually cared enough to look into it. To be honest, it caught her off guard. She quickly thought over what she should say. She knew she couldn't lie. Everyone could always tell when she was lying, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about that yet. On the other hand, the last time she mentioned her past to him, he didn't judge her or blab about it to anyone else. As big as his mouth was, he was pretty collected, so maybe that was safe enough for her to tell a little more. It wasn't often that she did this, but he didn't give her any reason to distrust him yet. She gathered up all her courage in one deep breath and exhaled.

"I didn't have an easy life growing up... So yes, I was homeless for a while."

"Did you run away from home?"

"Not exactly..." She curled her fingers into a fist, trying to control her emotions of the vivid memory.

"But isn't your family like really rich? Your mom is like a senator or something?" he asked as he reached for his screwdriver again to lock the pin back in place.

"She works with Intelligence, thanks... I didn't meet her until I was eight."

"Wait. Meet her? What, was she gone for most of your life?"

"No."

"Then what're you-"

"She's not my real mom, okay?!" she snapped.

"!"

Katsuki's brow lifted as he shut himself up. Shit, he didn't realize he hit such a hard button. Again, his mouth moved faster than his brain most of the time. He stared blankly as she slowly wrapped her arms around her torso and slumped her shoulders. The stirring in his stomach then escalated to his chest. Maybe he shouldn't have pried so much. Now he realized that he was acting just like the old hag and all the other annoying extras at their school. Damn it... He promised himself he wouldn't be doing that shit.

"Living a life like you have now, it wasn't like that for me... But now I live in a nice home, I have a bed and good food to eat, and kind friends at the great school I attend to. I'm very grateful to have all that because I didn't before... but you wouldn't understand that."

Bakugo found himself at a loss for words, for she was right. It seems that his stupid curiosities paid off, he got some damn answers, just like he wanted, but it just seemed to get darker and darker, and more upsetting every time he forced her to tell him. Unfortunately, that only fueled him with a hundred more questions. Why was she homeless? How did she go from that to being adopted by the head of PSI? What did she mean by she didn't exactly run away from home? What the hell happened to her?

The more he thought about it, the more he became tense, knowing that there was a possibility that this was just the tip of the iceberg. If he found out, he might not like what he hears. As much as he wanted to continue talking about it, seeing her so uncomfortable quickly made him change his mind.

"I'm sorry for yelling. You didn't deserve that." she said quietly as she kept her eyes glued to the floor, unable to look at him.

He quietly sighed at himself for being so stupid.

"It's fine. You're right, I don't get what you went through, but you don't have to talk about it if you don't wanna. It's not even my business anyways."

"My counselor keeps telling me that I need to try being more open to others..."

"That's stupid. It's your choice to let people in on that kind of stuff, not theirs. If you wanna talk about it, then you should do it when you're ready." he explained as he went back to fiddling with the bracer to take his mind off asking more questions.

"Sometimes I feel that if I don't that it'll keep coming back and then I won't be able to keep control of my actions and go rogue."

"Then talk about it."

"... It's not always easy."

"Then don't."

"But I-"

"God dammit! There's no pleasing you! Just make a choice already! You're not gonna get anywhere if you can't make up your damn mind!"

Akane silenced herself. He was right, the only one in control of her actions was her. Still, it was always risky to put your trust in others. It didn't work out with Yuto and he'd known her longer than anyone at U.A. He always seemed so trusting until he turned into a controlling, psychotic dickwad. If he really knew who she was, he'd never see her the same again. Even if he only considered her an acquaintance instead of a friend and nothing more, that was enough for her, and she really didn't want that to change.

"Look, it's not like you're gonna be burdening people with your emotions. I'm around those idiots all the time and all they ever talk about nowadays is wanting to know what's going on with you or to hang out and get your mind off of shit. Frankly, it's getting on my damn nerves... Just know that you've got people you can go to, alright?" he said, which was surprisingly thoughtful.

"I don't know... It's different when you don't really know them."

"What about Dumb Hair? You two seem to be close. Most days, I can't get him to shut up about it."

"I haven't told him much. He's nice and he always seems to be in a good mood every time I see him. I don't wanna dampen that kind of energy with my own problems."

"Then why tell me?"

As soon as those words escaped his lips, she felt her gaze drift upwards until they locked back onto those fiery red eyes.

"'Cuz you're different. If it means anything, you're the only person I've told this to."

"But why me specifically?" he asked again.

She averted her eyes to think about it.

"I don't know... I guess you make me feel safe."

Safe? That was a weird answer, but then again, this wasn't the first weird thing she's said to him. There was a big gap of silence between them after that, and the passing seconds started to build up more and more awkward tension for Akane. Maybe she could've worded that better. She hoped that he wouldn't think differently of her for it, but his lack of response definitely spoke volumes. She had to change the subject or something, so she cleared her throat.

"Are... Are you planning on combining agencies with Kirishima after graduation?"

"When I'm number one, I'll be strong enough to fight for myself, so I don't need some stupid sidekick holding me back or trying to fight my battles and take all the glory. I'm gonna knock out the competition on my own! But... if I wanted to make one, I guess I'd want some strong people on my team. If they'd work for me, they'd have to be in the top ten for sure. Kirishima, as annoying as he is, he's strong enough to get there. Why're you bringing that up anyways? You decided you wanna join it?"

"To be honest, I didn't think he was being serious about it. I don't really care about being in the top ten, so I guess you wouldn't really benefit having me around. I always thought I'd do hero work out in the rural areas, but the big cities are where most crime happens, so I'm not sure what kind of hero I'll be. I never thought about having my own agency."

"Why would you want to go outside the city?"

"I like the open landscapes, seeing the farms and mountains. I don't know why, but it just seems so peaceful out there. I've even thought about buying a house and living close to work would make sense."

"If it's peaceful, then there's no crime. You wouldn't have much to work with as a hero. So why even bother coming to U.A.?"

"I wanted to be a hero that my mom could depend on... I owe her a lot for all she's done for me. I want to repay her and hopefully keep her from worrying about me all the time."

"You sound just like that stupid nerd." he scoffed.

"Huh?"

"Deku, that idiot said the same shit about his mom."

"Y'know you call him an idiot and a nerd, but I bet you secretly think he's nice and cool."

His brow dropped at the audacity of this chick. "Fuck no! I hate that stupid moron! He should fucking die!"

"You're lying." she smirked.

"I'M NOT LYING! How the fuck would you even know anyways?! You're just sayin' that shit to piss me off!"

"I know when everyone's lying. They always do these small little ticks that they don't do when they talk normally, like you, your nose always twitches when you lie."

"No, it doesn't!" he snapped.

"Deny all you want. It doesn't change how you really feel. Besides, even if you consider being nice and considerate to be a weakness, I wouldn't. The nice guy is someone I would never want to piss off."

"Well think again because I'm the one you don't wanna piss off! And you've already got a head start on that!"

"But you're pissed off all the time."

"Only 'cuz you idiots keep testing me!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever... I'm sure that if you were really pushed to your limit, you'd be a pretty dangerous guy to be around too."

'But it's different when you have something you actually care about...' she thought.

"Damn right, I would!"

He turned his attention back to the gauntlet and went to pull the pin. There was nothing inside to set it off, he just wanted to make sure that the firing mechanism worked. It did.

"Now let's get this launcher attached already. After that, we can test it out."

She nodded in agreement and they focused their attention on the last item. It surprisingly didn't take as long to be put together compared to the storage tank. When it was finally complete, he grabbed a blank grenade and the bracer and they adjourned downstairs to the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. She was instantly bewildered at how dark it was outside. Just how long had she been here? She then remembered that she was supposed to text Reiki. He needed a thirty minute notice, so she should probably text him now while Bakugo was testing the gauntlet. She went to check her phone and noticed that she had gotten a few messages from him already.

Reiki: I just got a text from dad saying that the date went well and that mae's gonna be staying back at our place for the night. I'll probably come drop you off and then head back to tori's unless you'd be better off me staying at your place.

It worked! They're officially dating!

What time you want me to pick you up?

She quickly shot him a message before she turned her attention back to Katsuki. He slipped on the glove through the bracer and turned on the control temp. dial. With the chilling winter air, this was definitely going to take some time before he could build up enough sweat to set off a grenade. Now that she thought of it, they should've grabbed their jackets before heading out. She held her arms to her chest, her teeth chattering while she waited.

After some time had passed, he squeezed his hand a few times before he held it out in front of his body and released a bright yellow explosion to the cinderblock wall that surrounded the yard. The flash quickly faded, leaving behind a charred mark across the stone. Next was the launcher. He placed the grenade inside and waited for his sweat to fill some of it before he pushed the trigger inside the tank. There was a loud pop as it went flying across the sky. Once again, he held out his hand and detonated towards it, setting off an even bigger, brighter explosion. Well that checked out.

Lastly, he had to pull the pin, the pin that stored up all the sweat from his body in one full release. Thankfully he wasn't wearing it that long and had already used up some nitroglycerin, so it shouldn't be too big of a blast. He coiled his finger around the pin and pulled. The tiny hole just above the grenade launcher started to glow until the entire yard was overwhelmed with the blinding light, so bright that she had to cover her eyes. The soundwaves bounced across her ears, making them ring as she felt her skin turn hot from the instant heat waves.

When it suddenly faded, Katsuki let out a satisfied chuckle.

"Hell yea! That's what I'm talkin' about!"

Akane couldn't help but smile for him. All that work finally paid off. He went to take it off and they walked back inside to the nice, warm house. They went back upstairs where Katsuki quickly packed it back in his support briefcase and Akane went to get her jacket. She still had a little bit of time to wait before Reiki showed up, so she sat on the bed and watched him.

"Hey, you wanna head down to the convenient store for a bite? I'm craving spicy ramen."

"Actually, I should probably be getting ready to leave. My ride'll be here any minute."

"Oh..."

The changed look on his face made her immediately regret it. It was getting late, and she didn't want to burden Reiki by keeping him up all night waiting for her. He sounded so disappointed though...

"Next time. And we can go back to Takami's if you want." she smiled, hoping he'd accept her sincerity as an apology.

"Sure."

He rubbed the back of his neck and set his briefcase by the door. He already asked a lot for her to stay this long, of course she'd want to go home. He felt annoyed with himself that he expected her to stay. This was only work, that's it.

"But only if you text me during your internship with Endeavor."

"Hahh?"

"You heard me. I wanna know what it's like working with the new number one hero. Text me all about it when you're free and when you get back, I'll treat you to some spicy ramen. Deal?" she asked with a smirk. Why was she so coy?

"Ha! We'll see, Idiot."

Before long, the headlights of a car shone through the window of his room, signaling her that Reiki had arrived. She quickly peeked through his curtains to verify it and it was indeed him. She wished she didn't have to leave. It would've been nice to have dinner with him, but she knew she had to go home eventually. Once she slipped on her leather jacket, they descended to the lower level. She slid on her boots and Katsuki opened the door, allowing her to go out first.

There in his driveway was Reiki's killer red sports car with Reiki himself leaning against the front of it taking a long drag of his cigarette. Upon first glance, Katsuki noticed his incredibly muscular physique and how tall he actually was. He had to be at least a few years older than both of them to be able to drive and smoke. As he saw, Reiki's eyes stared at him blankly, as if watching him like a lion about to attack his own prey. This was the guy who was going to take her home? He only glared back at him.

Akane then turned around to face him with that same dumb smile.

"I'm glad I could help you. Let me know if you need me for anything like this again, okay?"

"Yea... Thanks."

"Text me."

With that said, she walked over to the car. Just before she reached the passenger door, the driver stopped her and handed her something. She had almost completely forgotten. She quickly turned back around to approach him once more. He looked at her questionably, wondering if maybe she forgot something back inside until he saw her present the two manga books.

"Oh yea. I wanted to give you these. I know you're probably not into romance, but these are the other books that were in my top five that you asked. They're really good. I hope you like them."

She actually remembered that. Katsuki cleared his throat.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Okay, I'll see you back at school. Nite, Katsuki."

This time, there was no turning back, nothing forgotten. The two of them got inside the car and the headlights backed out of the driveway. As they turned off on the street, Bakugo went back inside and headed back up to his room. He plopped himself on the edge of his bed to look over the cover art on the front of the book. It was a picture of a man dressed as royalty confining a beautifully dressed woman against the wall, as if he was about to kiss her and she had yet to realize it.

His thoughts then turned back to that guy she rode off with and his chest started to tighten. Who the fuck was he? Why was he feeling so uneasy? He tried to put it out of his mind before it could spiral and skimmed across the pages of the book. He found himself stopping at a full page picture near the end of the chapter where the Prince character had kissed the woman very passionately. His face felt warm as his palms started to sweat. He didn't know how or why, but when he saw that one picture, Hattori's face came to his mind.

He slammed the book shut and placed it on the bed beside him. He wiped the sweat on his jeans before they could detonate. Why was he thinking of her? Why did that image make him visualize her?

He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling his heart beating rapidly behind his chest.

"Oh fuck..."