bunny love [k. bakugo x oc]

57. Long Overdue

The soft ticking of the flower-shaped alarm clock on Kuri's nightstand filled the silence once she finished catching Katsuki up on the parts of the argument he missed. Just going off the list in his head, it seemed like only one of their wishes was fulfilled; Kuri couldn't quit or move, but she could get therapy. She also might've screwed up by saying straight to her parents that they didn't care about her. Katsuki wanted to look on the bright side, especially because Kuri couldn't seem to stop crying, but the situation looked pretty fucking dire.

"I don't know what to do anymore," Kuri muttered pitifully, and new tears sprung from her eyes. She leaned against Katsuki and sobbed without holding back, and he kept his arm steadily around her. They stayed like that until Kuri eventually calmed again and she wiped her face using several tissues.

"Feeling any better?" Katsuki asked, though he had a pretty good guess as to her answer.

Kuri responded with a shake of her head and a sigh.

"What else can I say to convince them?" she asked, falling back onto her with a muffled thump. Katsuki followed suit and turned his head toward hers while she stared at the ceiling. Kuri's skin looked dry and irritated from the overuse of tissues, her eyes were red and puffy, and she was the most beautiful person Katsuki had ever seen.

"Would you move without their blessing?" Katsuki asked.

Kuri furrowed her brow while she contemplated the idea.

"It'd take a while to save up that kind of money on my own," Kuri said, interlacing her fingers and placing her hands over her diaphragm. "And I don't know if I should move without permission. Maybe it's silly to think this when I've resented them for years, but I feel like I'm obligated to stick with my family if that's what they ask. I can't just abandon them."

Katsuki kept his gaze intently on Kuri and chewed on his lip.

"But what about your chosen family? Your friends?" Katsuki asked, then hesitated for a moment. Kuri kept her eyes trained on the ceiling and Katsuki withheld a sigh. "Me...?"

Kuri tilted her head toward him, her eyebrows drawn tightly together, and pushed her lips flat to form a strained smile.

"You certainly make things more complicated," she chuckled half-heartedly.

"Sorry," Katsuki sighed.

"Don't be," Kuri said, turning onto her side and grabbing Katsuki's hand. "I'm the one who pursued you."

"I would've fallen for you no matter what," Katsuki grinned, interlacing their fingers.

Kuri giggled softly and squeezed his hand.

"It's lines like that that make me just want to stay with you. Sorry, parents, my boyfriend is too cute," Kuri smiled and used her free hand to poke his blushing cheek. "But, still, I haven't got the funds."

"You know, my parents would love to take you in," Katsuki said.

He shuddered to think of the things they would tell her about him, but it was a small price to pay to keep Kuri close to him.

"I can't impose like that," Kuri sighed and thought silently for a moment. "Maybe I could move in with my grandparents. Hokkaido is still pretty far, though..."

"And it's cold."

"Yeah, I like Musutafu's warm weather better," Kuri said. After a beat of silence, Katsuki shook their clasped hands and gave her a look, reminding her that she had forgotten something. Kuri first raised an eyebrow confusedly, then laughed as realization hit her. "And the people there, too."