𝔄𝔫 ℑ𝔫𝔣𝔦𝔫𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔄𝔴𝔞𝔶 | Katsuki Bakugo x OC

Chapter 21 - Silence is Safe

The scent of the cozy cabin in their shared dreams barely lingered in the room, floating away into the morning breeze.

Hina woke up, stretching her limbs like a cat while blinking the sleep from her glossy sapphires sparkling from the filtered sunshine. She reached out, her hand gliding against the cold sheets on the other side of the bed, the other arm draped over forehead as she focused on the little dust particles floating and glinting in the light. Looking beside her, she sighed, her cheeks slowly tinting rose from recalling last night.

Last night, where she'd bared herself from scenting, allowing such intimacy to flow from within her so naturally, only left her shocked from her sudden boldness. Her sudden shamelessness.

No wonder the ash blond kept asking if she was sure, kept asking consent for something that seemed so harmless.

But his insistence, his concern for her boundaries, increased her respect for him tenfold. The way he retracted his touch even if he literally whined for contact. How his whispers fogged his warm breath on her skin so tenderly. How they almost felt like fleeting kis-

She shook her head, rattling the thoughts away as she suddenly shot up, sitting and hiding her face in her knees, her arms curling around her legs. She can't think like that. Not when he said there were no feelings attached. When he said he did it out of common courtesy.

A sigh, a shuffle, and a shake of her vulnerable bones later, she stood up, treading to the duffle that had found its way to the foot of the bed with a small note stuck on the top.

Pinky'll be here by 1:00pm (she wants to help ya move in)
Don't worry bout dinner, I'll bring it

Her lips curved upward, the note's lack of grammar eliciting a small giggle and a shake of her head. Something about watching his handwriting get lazier, the grammar fading away made collecting them oh so more charming than they should be.

Routinely, she folded the note in quarters, slipping it in the side pocket with all the other notes he's given her.

After taking out her pouch filled with amenities, she headed to the bathroom, her eyes catching the clock on the bedside table. She had time; only three hours till her rhyming friend came over.

-----

Five heroes sat in front of each other, the seat between them vacant for the face of Dynamight Hero Agency.

Momo was quietly typing details for the meeting with Shoto sitting beside her stone-faced, his clenched fists laying in his lap. He stared at his greenette friend who was mumbling a storm in his mind, his fingers pinching his lower lip as one leg constantly shook from the anxiety. Ochako sat next to him, quietly sharing speculations with her best friend Tsuyu, who responded with her own theories in turn.

They'd gotten a very enigmatic call from Bakugo, the only explicit detail was the discovery of the NVA's motives. And it left the group of close friends in a flurry of worry. Especially since the development seemingly happened overnight when the ash blond was off duty.

The large doors opened, Hero Red Riot walking in and sitting next to Shoto in silence. No cheery 'hello', no 'how are you?', emitted from his mouth. Not even a small smile conjured on his lips. Like the hero beside him, his expression was distant, unfeeling. His eyes were the only signifier for the turmoil bubbling in his chest.   

"Eijiro-kun." Deku spoke, his voice small and uncertain for what could possibly make his cheerful friend so neutral.

The red-head looked up, about to speak out and reveal everything from the ire of betrayal burning in his blood. But before he could even utter a syllable, Bakugo kicked the door open in his normal fashion.