bunny love [k. bakugo x oc]

30. Patrolling

Friendship and romance were separated by a fine line. Kuri had a foot firmly planted on either side of it. She hadn't stopped loving him. There was no possibility of that happening. He was all that she adored. And though she regretted confessing, Kuri was surprised to feel a sense of ease. The secret was out now, which took some of the weight off of her shoulders. Well, there would be work to do to repair their friendship, but that wasn't going to be her problem until she got back, and Kuri had hope in her capabilities. It couldn't be that hard, right?

Oh, how naive she was.

After the soul-sucking ordeal of international travel, Kuri finally arrived back at Class 2-A's dorms. Though it was late, Mina had stayed up to greet her at the door. Helping carry some of her luggage as they went upstairs, Mina recounted the events of the past three weeks.

"Things were pretty normal while you were gone. We did our summer homework together and just kinda hung out," Mina said. "Typical summer vacay stuff."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't miss anything," Kuri said with a yawn. Her suitcase practically led her out of the elevator.

"Someone certainly was missing you, though," Mina said, making a quick glance at the boys' side of the fourth floor. Kuri tilted her head to the side, too tired to be shocked.

"Really?" Kuri said. She shuffled over to her door. Kuri wasn't sure what she had expected. For him to be happy in her absence? It filled her with quiet hope. Maybe he was willing to return things back to before.

"Yup," Mina said, setting down Kuri's bag. "He was moping basically the whole time you were gone. I wonder how he'll react tomorrow..."

Not great, Future Kuri answered.

In all her planning and building of her self-confidence, Kuri neglected to consider Bakugo's talent at running away from his problems. Though she had initially thought of approaching him during a meal and talking things out or catching him in the hall to chat, it seemed as if that would not happen. There were a few reasons why.

One, Bakugo had been avoiding her. After a good night's rest to recover from jet lag, Kuri awoke to absolutely no Bakugo in sight. He only left his room to eat or use the restroom, and even then, he was quick and never glanced in her direction.

Two, Kuri's will was more fragile than she thought, so she continued to put off speaking with him. Her first day back, Kuri had tried her best to gather the courage to talk to him. She stared at him from afar as he ate breakfast, standing in the kitchen area with her food and trying to organize her thoughts. Kuri had a script in her head of what to say, but she was sure to fumble her words. And before she could even take the first step towards him, he left the table. However, when other opportunities to speak to him appeared, Kuri always managed to delay her decision until it was too late.

Three, that's it. Those were the only things preventing Kuri from her goal. Still, those two measly obstacles were enough to make Kuri doubt. Maybe Bakugo wasn't willing to be friends again. So she withdrew from trying, their relationship returning to a state reminiscent of the tense two weeks that followed their first fight.

And so a week passed, bringing with it the new term.

Which meant it was time to return to the work study.

Kuri stood in Endeavor's office, accompanied by her friends. Plus Bakugo, who she wasn't sure how to categorize. They stood in a straight line, facing the desk as they awaited their orders for their first day back. Kuri fussed with her sleeves, not quite comfortable with standing next to Bakugo. It was pretty awkward to be beside the guy who had rejected her a month before and ignored her since.