debris 。< bakugou x uraraka >

misunderstanding [uraraka]

My dried up tears left my face with a sticky feeling. I scratched my hair awkwardly, staring at the flyer that I had found. This was my one and only lead. My chance to save Deku. So why... why do I feel so much regret in my heart? The image of Bakugou's betrayed face kept flashing in my mind, no matter how much I pushed it away. He looked honestly hurt for the first time, and it was something that seared into my thoughts. I hurt him. I bit my lip in frustration, fingers slightly brushing along the flyer. I hurt him..
I shook my head, attempting to cleanse myself. I mustn't let it get to me. I told myself. I need to find Deku.

I spent the rest of the day gathering intel around the city, finding out about the villain Mind Break and his entourage. He seemed powerful, and his motive was unclear. Why would he take Deku? "Ahh...this doesn't make sense," I groaned, plopping onto a bench. "Everyone knows him... but doesn't know his location. He's a very serious case but there's no investigation!" My frustration only grew with every thought. "What is this?! ...huh?" I flipped the poster over and found a hidden message inscribed in the sleek paper. I rubbed at it with a few hints of force, and found a code. "X01779..." My lips trembled. What the hell did this mean?

I picked up my phone and called Tsu, inquiring about the code. She took a few moments, but eventually replied with, "It's a location number."
"Location... number?" I asked.
"It's directed to a valley south of downtown. You'll have to leave the city." She said. "Are you sure you want to do this? I'll send you the coordinates but it's dangerous."
I smiled nervously, clenching a fist and letting loose my reply. "Of course! I'll do whatever it takes.. to save him!"
"Fine then."

Tsu hung up shortly after and I got the directions from her. She was right, the journey was far, and probably rigorous. But I was prepared. No more wallowing in self pity and insecurity; I had to prevail. I have to.
"Alright," I stood from my spot and readied my things, "let's go!"
"I'm coming with you."

The voice was familiar, but tainted with a hoarse sound. I spun on my heel to find Bakugou, staring at me with a concerned glint. "Bakugou..?" I frowned, clutching the straps of my bookbag. "No, you're not. Why did you even come over here?" He began to walk toward me, his expression unreadable. He had changed clothes and had a bag with him, shuffling against his cold resistant attire.

"Answer me!" I demanded. He immediately dropped the bag and lunged toward me, and I panicked, flailing my hands in his direction. I felt the swift clap of his hands on my cheeks, barely able to react as he frantically kissed my lips. He did it once more, and again, and again until I felt like I was about to melt in his grasp. "Bakugou!" I growled, pushing him off of me. He took a few steps back and puffed, catching his breath. "What-"

"I can't leave you by yourself!" He screeched. His voice was tainted with pain and misunderstanding, something I'd never heard before. "You obviously can't take care of yourself. You're too kind. Too trusting. You'll get yourself killed before you even get there." He threw the bag of clothes toward me and I looked at him. "Change," He commanded, "It'll be getting colder. And it'll be a long time before we hit the canyon."

"Bakugou.." I murmured.
He approached me, tugging on my zipper. "What's with the dumb look on your face? Undress."
Heat immediately flushed my cheeks and I batted him away. "What the hell?! Not in front of you!"
Bakugou didn't seem amused. "It's not like I haven't seen it befor- Ack!" I slapped him with all my power and hurried away, finding a dark spot in the alley to change.
That idiot!

When I was finished, I returned to find him deep in thought. I sat beside him, poking at his shoulder. "What's with the dumb look on your face?" I reiterated. He scowled at me and sighed.
"Uraraka. I don't know if what I said before was true."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know if I love you." He whispered.

My eyes widened at his response, and I felt pain tense in my heart. "Why?"

He looked at me, and looked at his boots, shuffling them awkwardly. "Love is an emotion that takes more time. I suppose what I described before was greed, or lust. I'm not saying I treated you like a contest. But I feel it wasn't quite love yet." He looked at me and noticed my fragile expression, his face shifting to annoyance. "That doesn't mean I don't care about you, dumbass." He snarled, hitting me on the head.
"Ouch.." I sniffled, noticing the cool mist emitting with every breath. The temperature dropped?
"Just know you don't have to rush anything." He murmured, giving me a start. "Do this at your own pace, okay?"
I smiled at him mischievously. "What was all that about time before?" I rose from my spot, dancing around in the cold. Again, he didn't seem amused. "We've got to utilize our time. Let's get going!"
"Yeah, yeah, okay." He groaned, following after my springy steps.

A part of me was sad that our relationship was still full of holes and toxicity, but it also felt warm. I was relieved that we still had hope and little bit of trust left.