Latibule

72 - ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ

Previously on Latibule:

I felt my cheeks flame and was glad I didn't have anything in my mouth because otherwise I would've choked. "Ashido!"

The girl burst out laughing. I smiled at that. It was wonderful to have friends like her.

My eyes strayed from my pink-skinned classmate and found the duo consisting of a blond and a redhead. And friends like them.

-~:~-

Latibule — Chapter 72///More Than Words

-~:~-

I ducked out of the way of Ojiro's punch, stepping away so he couldn't lunge at me with his other hand. At the same time, I noticed Bakugou jogging on the running track to the forest. Alone.

Perfect!

The previous day's conversation with Mina replaying in my mind, I stopped dodging and looked at Ojiro. "Hey, can we take five?"

The boy nodded, albeit a bit confused because we'd pretty much just started our training and I was already asking for a break. "Sure, feel free."

"Thanks, I'll be back in a jiffy!" I called, already sprinting towards the running track that led partly into the forest before emerging on the other side of the training field. I couldn't see Bakugou yet and already I felt a bit nostalgic — wasn't during running one of the first times I'd met him at all?

Finally, I could see him and picked up the pace, calling out, "Katsuki!"

The blond tensed up and started to run faster, ignoring me.

Frustrated, I followed his actions. "Katsuki!" I pleaded, reaching for his sleeve.

He stopped abruptly, making me almost run into him. "What is it?"

"Why have you been ignoring me?" I asked, ignoring the pain picking at my heart. When he didn't answer, I went on. "Did I do something wrong? All this time, you've treated me so differently from others and now all of a sudden you're ignoring me and I don't know what to feel about it! Katsuki, please if I did something wrong just tell me because—"

"Y/n," he cut me off. It felt strange hearing him say my name like that. "We can't be friends anymore."

My heart seemed to stop beating altogether at his words. I'd feared that he would say that but him saying it made it seem so much more real. "What? W— Why? What happened?"

"We just can't."

He started to jog on but I couldn't let him get away like that. Not when I could feel my heart starting to break into a thousand pieces. "You can't just say that and run away! Tell me now if you hate me because I can't keep living like this! I can't keep hoping— You can't keep me hoping—"

"Hoping for what?" the boy snapped, rounding on me. His red eyes were blazing with emotions I would've needed my quirk to comprehend and yet I didn't feel irritated about it.

Instead, I felt my heart finally break as I whispered, "That you care about me."

The boy huffed. "Care about you? Y/n, I do care about you! That's the entire reason—"

"You're ignoring me? You care about me so you ignore me?" I asked before letting out a humourless laugh, trying to mask my pain just as Bakugou often masked his. "As if. You should come up with a better lie, Katsuki."

He walked closer to me again but I took a step back. I didn't need his affection to make my heart race, make me forget why I was upset with him at all.

He stopped too, looking at the ground. "I do care about you. I just— This is the only way I could think of to protect you, Y/n."

"Protect me?" I asked incredulously. "I'm a hero in training, Katsuki, you can't protect me."

"I could've protected you." He looked at me, taking a step towards me. I didn't step away this time. "Back at the training camp, there was— There was someone who saw us." He hesitantly took my hands. "And when you were still unconscious, they threatened me. That's the entire reason you were there, Y/n, they told me that if they— That they would kill you if I didn't join them. That's the deal they were talking about."

I didn't think to wonder about the fact that villains didn't want me for my own capability, instead looking down at our hands. "You just wanted to protect me..."

"And it hurt so much." Bakugou took a lock of my hair from my face and brushed it behind my ear. "It hurt more than anything I've ever felt. But the only way I could think to protect you was to make you hate me so you would stay away from me."

I smiled up at the boy gently. "I could never hate you, Katsuki."

His nose brushed against mine. Somehow, we had just kept drifting closer together.

Unexpectedly, there was a wisp of dark pink in the air. It was gone as quickly as it had come but my beating heart had already responded to its message.

Before I could comment on it verbally, Bakugou spoke again. "I love you, Y/n."

And, as if it was meant to be, I felt his lips connect with mine. The kiss was short but it carried more feeling — more thoughts, more promises — than words ever could.

When we pulled back, I could only smile up at the boy before me. The boy I'd spent hours thinking about and more hours trying not to think about. The boy who now stood before me, being honest and open about what he felt.

In return, I could only do the same.

"I love you, too, Katsuki."