The Guarded

Something's Different

I got a text from him around 5. Exactly an hour after I left him. He told me where to meet him and that he was going to leave if I was 5 minutes late. He also said he was going to get there before me because he "never loses," so obviously I got there at 5:30 just in spite of his comment. 

I sat there waiting. I had talked to my mom once she had gotten home after fighting and defeating the villain. He was just a small, lesser known villain. It was only his second attack and we finally got him, all thanks to my mom. I told her about Bakugou and she insisted on having me dress up a little and braid my hair. She always loved to braid my hair.

I caved and let her dress me as she wanted. I felt like a Barbie Doll though. I was wearing a baby blue dress that stopped just below the knees. It had a gentle v neck design with a simple yellow daisy pattern on it. Daisies were my favorite flower, so of course my mother bought me several articles of clothing with them on it. I wore white laced Bobs as my shoes to go with the white color in the center of the daisies. I thought I looked too dressed up. It felt like I was actually going on a date with Bakugou, which was the last thing I wanted to do.

Once I arrived at the coffee shop, I grabbed a table that had two chairs across from each other. It was in the corner of the shop since I knew Bakugou was the loud type and I didn't want him to cause too much of a scene. 

He showed up around 5:50. I was sitting in the corner on my phone, my elbow resting on the table with my hand supporting my chin as I scrolled through the news, looking for articles on today's villain attack. I almost didn't notice him because it was the first time I was sitting and he didn't slam his fists down on the table. 

"Oh, hi Bakugou," I chirped, not really lifting my eyes off of the screen until he sat down. "Only 20  minutes later than me, but hey you're not late."

My tone was playful and light but he seemed irritated by my statement. With that, I put my phone away in my pocket and changed the subject, "So what did you want to talk about?" I mused, leaning back in the seat and folding my arms across my chest. 

The lighting in the coffee shop was dim but I could still see the muscles that bulged through his short sleeved white shirt. He was wearing a v-neck plain shirt with dark colored skinny jeans. He looked...fit. Not good, but like he had been working out or something.

It took him a minute to answer the question, like he wanted to word it properly, "Triple Z is one of my favorite heroes, and I just wanted to know a little more about her. Since you're her daughter and all, I thought you'd know better than anyone."

He seemed...calm, which was weird. I didn't get the vibe that he wanted to hurt me or anything else. It was different and I liked it. 

"Well, for starters, she's a really good mom," that seemed to take him aback a little. "She takes care of me and always has. She's a great cook, she cleans a lot and is very strict. Her quirk is amazing, I'm honestly jealous of it and mine is similar to-"

"What is your quirk exactly?" He interrupted, leaning in a little closer to me.

"It's a mix between my mom's and my dad's. I can make people fall asleep and turn things into metal by touching them. It's not as strong as my mom's but-"

"Wait, you have a quirk like hers?" 

I suddenly got the feeling that I wasn't going to talk much without getting interrupted. "Yes. It's not as easy to use as hers though since all you have to do is hear her talk and you're pretty much under her spell. But be careful, Bakugou. I'm very handsy," I teased, moving one of my hands to almost graze his cheek. When I did that, he froze up. He almost seemed...nervous.

"I-I'm kidding. I wouldn't use it on you," I stuttered, pulling my hand back and placing it in my lap. 

After that, we just talked. We talked for hours but it only seemed like minutes. Only about 30 minutes, it seemed, was spent talking about my mother. Most of it was him asking questions about me, he would almost always avoid answering questions I asked him. He seemed very guarded about his life. It made me want to know more about him but I never pressed him. He reminded me a lot of my dad.

The shop closed at 9 and we left. He walked me to my apartment which he said wasn't far from where he lived but I had the feeling he just wanted to walk me home. 

"You know," I breathed, my heart feeling heavier in my chest, "I like this side of you. Thanks for tonight, Bakugou." And with that, I left. There was no response from him, no hug goodbye, not even a goodbye. I would see him in class tomorrow, so there was no reason to be upset over leaving, but I felt my heart sink. I didn't want to leave, but I had to. What was this feeling?

When I walked into the apartment I lived at, I closed the door and leaned against it. I heard the pitter-pattering of my mom's feet running towards the door. Her squeal of excitement scared me and I stood up from the door, "How was it? How was he?" She pestered, causing me to roll my eyes.

"He was fine," I sighed, trying to keep myself from smiling as I met her gaze. She could tell there was more that I wanted to say, but didn't press me too terribly much.

"Did you have fun on your little date?" She beamed, inching closer to me. She seemed like an eager little girl, like how I would assume my sister would act if I had one. 

"It wasn't a date and yes I did. We talked a lot and I really enjoyed it. We talked about you and your quirk for a little and then he kept asking me questions about myself," I rambled, finding myself smiling at the memory of the evening. 

"That sounds like a date to me!" She called in a sing-songy way as she walked away from me into the kitchen.

I couldn't stop smiling as I sank against the door again, a warm feeling growing in my stomach at the thought that maybe it was a date.