PUPPET // KATSUKI BAKUGO [1]

Chapter 31 // To Hate You

"How far are you gonna take it?" your best friend asked.

"As long as it takes for him to break," you shrugged. "Why? Got something in mind?"

"Maybe," Shinso said slowly before nodding toward Bakugo, who, along with several other of the boys, was using the outdoor gym while the girls did partner exercises. "He clearly prides himself on not only his quirk but his fitness," Shinso continued. "He's jacked. He didn't get that by blowing out a candle. Show him lifting weights is nothing. That'll piss him off."

"Not if I don't know what he lifts," you said before shoving the rest of your sandwich into your mouth and standing. "Be right back."

You headed over to where the boys were working out and prevented Bakugo from getting into the leg press by grabbing his shoulder from behind.

The blond whipped his head around as he shrugged your hand away. He seemed poised to yell at first, but the realization that it was you who had touched him seemingly was enough to keep him silent.

"How much do you bench?" you asked.

"Why do you care?" Bakugo spat.

"How much do you bench?" you repeated in a more demanding tone, and Bakugo straightened his posture as he held his head high.

"Sixty-eight, not including the bar," he stated, crossing his arms, "a dozen reps."

You licked your lips. To best show off, it'd be reasonable to up his weight a forth, which would mean adding 17 kilograms, but your normal weight was 54 kilos, including the bar. Doing 85 kilograms would be upping your normal weight 31 kilos. That was really pushing it with your injury, but you had rested, so you weren't as tried as you had been a few hours ago. Plus, getting on Bakugo's nerves was more important at the moment than potentially dropping 85 kilograms on yourself because you couldn't hold it. You were willing to take a risk.

"Shoji," you said, looking at the mutant, who had just sat up on the seat of the bench press, "load sixty-five kilos." Add that to the bar, and it was 85.

"Are you sure?" Shoji asked, glancing between you and Bakugo. "That's a lot."

"I'm sure," you confirmed with a nod.

You weren't freakishly strong, but your natural strength was above average for a person of your age, height, and gender since you train a lot in your free time. You've lifted 65 kilos, which included the bar, before, but that's the highest you've ever gone, and you only did five reps. You weren't sure if you've be able to do even one rep with 85 kilograms, but, again, you were willing to take a chance if it meant irritating Bakugo.

As Shoji loaded the weights onto the bar, you looked at Bakugo. The blond stood with his arms still crossed as he stared you down. He was angry, as always, but you could tell in his eyes that he was trying to decipher what you were up to.

You stared back, finally noticing that Bakugo had stripped himself of his uniform top and now stood in a tank top instead. The rest of the boys were similar. You supposed you didn't realize how hot it was since you hadn't been working out yet like the rest of them. You grinned as a sudden thought came into your mind.

"What're you smilin' about?" Bakugo grunted.

"I got another question," you said with a sigh as you moved to rest your arm on his shoulder, which he didn't care to move as he was too busy making sure he kept his eyes glued to yours.

You leaned close to his ear, whispering, "are you a tits or an ass man?"

"Fucking—back off!" Bakugo shouted as he shoved you away, cringing at the sudden question.

"What? Everyone's got a favorite," you stated with a malicious chuckle. "I got compression shorts and a bra on. You want my shirt or pants off?" you joked.

"The hell is wrong with you?" Bakugo questioned, his voice loud as he stared at you with wide eyes.

"Fine, fine," you sighed deeply. "I'll ask the man who has no problem getting friendly with the ladies."

You turned toward the flirt of the class, who was staring at you curiously, similar to the rest of the boys, who had all tuned in as soon as you had ordered Shoji to prepare the bench press for you.

"Kaminari," you began while walking over to the golden haired boy. You sat down, making sure to sit so that you were pressed up against the boy's side as you whispered, "I think you've taken notice of the fact that I've been messing around with Bakugo, so just go with it..."

Kaminari nodded, his cheeks flushing pink as he grew nervous with how close you were to him.

"So," you continued, grinning from ear to ear as you batted your eyelashes. "Should I take off my shirt or my pants? Don't worry, I have clothes on underneath. Although, I'm sure you wouldn't care if it was the other way around."

Kaminari's lips parted as he stuttered out of bunch of nonsense that didn't seem to be actual words. He eventually tugged on the sleeve of your uniform shirt.

You hummed as you stood. You made sure to make direct eye contact with Bakugo as you unzipped your shirt and slipped it off, hanging it on a nearby treadmill that wasn't being used.

"That's better," you said. "I feel cooler already."

Shoji stepped back from the bench press after adding the final weight to the bar, and you sat down on the leather bench before laying down.

"Spot me?" you asked Shoji, who silently nodded and moved to stand behind your head.

You wiped your palms on your pants before grabbing the bar, making sure to keep your hands a reasonable distance apart. You slowly lifted the bar up and off the pegs it rested on.

You did one rep, which was easier than you thought considering the weight, but it was probably because you had been resting before instead of working out like the others, so your muscles weren't sore or aching.

You did a second rep, and then rushed to do a third to keep a decent pace. The fourth rep was a bit of a struggle, so you had to take it slower not to push yourself. You exhaled deeply on the fifth, your arms beginning to shake when you proceeded to lift the weights back up. Shoji noticed and moved his hands under the bar. He didn't touch it. He only let his hands hover in case you let go.

You didn't know if you could do a sixth rep. You were leaning more toward putting the bar back on its pegs, but one look at Bakugo's frustrated and angry expression as he huffed and balled his hands into fists was enough to get you motivated enough to continue. You completed the sixth rep strong before setting it back on the pegs before sitting up.

You may not have done twelve reps, but you did half of that while lifting a forth of Bakugo's normal weight each time. You were satisfied enough with that.

"Looks like you need to work on more than you communicational skills," you claimed, looking at Bakugo as you stood.

You grabbed your shirt and slipped it back on as you began to walk back toward Shinso, but you didn't have time to zip it before Bakugo grabbed your arm and yanked you back.

You let out a sharp exhale as you slammed into him, chest to chest. His grip tightened on your wrist, causing you to ball your hand into a fist as you attempted to escape his grasp.

"What the hell are you trying to do, huh?" Bakugo spat in your face. "One day, you're a goody-two-shoes. The next, you're acting like a scared child. Now, you're being an asshole."

"Remind you of anyone?" you questioned, almost growling out the words as you ripped your hand from his. You cupped your now sore wrist with your other hand, rubbing it as if that would make the faint aching in your bones go away.

Bakugo's face hardened as he exhaled deeply, a small growl erupting from his mouth as he stepped back. He shifted his feet as he prepared to turn around and most likely storm off.

"And Bakugo," you added, causing him to pause. You sighed as you reminisced all the times the blond told you three words that used to have no meaning, but, now, as you spoke them to him, they did more than ever.

"I hate you."

[EDITED]