I Provide Protection || BNHA OC

Ch. 73 - Uncertainty and Hypocrisy

Bakugou woke up the next morning to find Hitomi still nestled up next to him, with his arm resting on her back.

What. The fuck.

He pulled his arm back abruptly as if he had been burned, grabbing his phone on the sidetable with his other hand to check the time.

6:42 am.

Bakugou huffed, pushing his bangs back. He was supposed to get up at six to get his luggage ready for their flight back to Japan, but the blue-haired idiot who was currently clinging to him had kept him from sleeping earlier.

He rubbed his eyes, still feeling groggy and grumbling to himself. Hitomi didn't seem like she'd be letting go anytime soon and it made him sigh in frustration. He had to be subtle about this if he didn't want to wake her up and deal with whatever may come after.

Bakugou carefully scooted to the side, lifting her hand from his chest slightly. She seemed to stir at the movements, grabbing around for something and he quickly pulled his pillow out from under his head, pushing it under her arm. Hitomi seemed to relax and he quickly sat up, moving to the edge of the bed as he saw the crease in her brow disappear.

Her arms tightened around the pillow and she continued to sleep, showing no signs of waking up anytime soon. Bakugou, however, couldn't bring himself to move, only staring at her instead. Her long blue hair was messy, a few stray strands sticking out in random directions. Her clothes were wrinkled, and one of her t-shirt sleeves was rolled up to her shoulder while her mouth hung slightly open.

Bakugou wouldn't have been surprised if she started drooling to complete the messy morning look, the thought nearly making him let out a snicker. He covered his mouth to hold back his snort, shaking his head.

As he looked back at her again though, his smile faltered slightly.

Hitomi Kanetsukabe.

Moon Face.

He thought... he knew her.

Knew her enough to think of each other as friends.

Especially after she'd been willing to share her troubles with him back then. Venting all that... Bakugou didn't think she was the type to share that sort of stuff with just anybody. Hell... he didn't even know how deep her issues actually ran, until she'd told him.

Insecurity. Guilt. Uselessness.

All of them were things he could relate to, in a way.

She was willing to share those things with him, cry in front of him. That kind of thing... was something anyone would have assumed would bring people closer. Being that vulnerable with someone.

That was what it felt like for him, at least... on the night he fought Deku. Being open with him, talking to him (even if there had been a few punches and explosions thrown around). After doing that with Deku, spilling everything to him... Bakugou could tell their relationship wouldn't be the same from that point on. Different... but better.

So why...?

Why... did it seem to be the opposite for him and Hitomi?

Why did she suddenly seem more closed off towards him? Why did it feel like she no longer wanted to be around him? That she looked at him like she couldn't stand him, if she even bothered to look at him at all?

Why... did she say she hated him?

It was either that it was something she always felt that he was only noticing now... or something had changed. When he looked back, her weird behavior only seemed to have started shortly after the provisional license exam.