A/N: IMPORTANT heads up!! I'm gonna be taking a small break from uploading chapters for a bit. Hitomi's birthday is coming up soon, and I'm gonna be preparing the art for the one-shot I've written for that. Keep an eye on the Side Stories around July 11 👀 (if I finish them in time lol)
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Bakugou sat by the window in the bus, his elbow on the edge as he tapped his cheek impatiently. He'd been quick to get on, wanting to get back to the dorms as soon as possible after the "training" they'd just had. Dealing with precocious brats like the kids from Masegaki Elementary had sapped all his energy, and all he wanted to do now was have some alone time in his room.
His eyes drifted to the aisle as he saw Hitomi step onto the bus, Todoroki and their teachers following after her. He looked away quickly as Hitomi approached, feeling himself tense up as he heard her plop into the seat next to him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Todoroki settle into the row of seats next to them from across the aisle, while Present Mic and All Might sat down in the front.
"So," Hitomi hummed, dropping her backpack on the floor next to her feet, "did you guys like your training today?"
Bakugou stared at her silently, watching as she looked back and forth between him and Todoroki. He turned his gaze to the floor when he and the bluenette made eye contact, letting out a mumbled grunt against his hand. "...It wasn't the worst, but I can't say I'd be sad if I never saw those brats again."
Hitomi raised a brow, a small smile on her face as she elbowed him. "Really? Is it because they remind you of yourself?"
Bakugou's eyebrow twitched, quick to deny it as he lowered his hand. "What the-! No!"
"Aww, what?" Hitomi chuckled, leaning over the armrest towards him. She placed her hand on top of his arm as she did so. "Be honest!"
"Shut up!" Bakugou growled, feeling a weird beat in his chest at how close she was. "And let go of me!"
Hitomi just pouted, pulling her hands back to herself. Bakugou relaxed ever so slightly as she settled back into her seat. "Boooo." Before Bakugou could come up with some retort, she turned away from him, giving Todoroki her attention as she leaned over the armrest. "How about you, Todoroki?"
Bakugou watched Todoroki stare at the seat in front of him for a moment, as if deliberating his answer before he turned to his bag in his lap, rummaging through it. "I wouldn't say it was all bad," he said quietly, pulling out one of his workbooks. "By the way, Kanetsukabe, you have high scores in English, right?"
Hitomi tilted her head to the side, nodding. "Yeah, why?"
Todoroki held up his workbook, showing it was the one for their English class. "Can you look over the homework with me? Present Mic's latest assignment felt harder than usual."
"Oh, sure!" Hitomi jumped up from her seat, grabbing her bag as Todoroki scooted over to the seat by the window, allowing her to take the spot right next to the aisle. Bakugou felt a twinge of annoyance to see her leave, hiding his scowl as he turned back to the window.
As the bus started moving, making its way back to UA, Bakugou's eyes would keep flitting back to her every so often, the sight of her and Todoroki huddled over the half-and-half bastard's workbook putting a weird, annoying feeling in his chest.
Hitomi had been really... nice to him lately. Ever since he'd confronted her back in the elevator, she'd been nice to him. Bakugou didn't know what the fuck was going on at first, her bright smiles whenever she saw him seeming to have come out of nowhere. It wasn't until he'd finally decided to ask her what the hell she was trying to do that he realized what was going on.
Bakugou stood in front of his shoe locker, staring at the inside blankly.
"Go on without me."
Kirishima paused, looking at the ash blonde over his shoulder. "Huh? What's up?"
Bakugou slammed the door shut with a huff, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I have stuff I still need to take care of. Don't bother waiting."
The redhead blinked, readjusting his backpack. "Oh. Well, alright then." He clapped his hand on Bakugou's shoulder in a friendly manner. "I'll tell the others. See you later, man!"
Bakugou grunted, turning back to the hallway as Kirishima left.
He walked around the halls aimlessly, no specific route in mind as other students lingered around the school. Some had club activities, some just wanted more time to do things like train or work on support items, and others had to serve detention like...
Moon Face.
Bakugou was still brooding over her even now. Turning her words over and over in his head, replaying her actions, the way she looked at him, everything.
He didn't know what to believe anymore.
He didn't know what he wanted to believe.
He just wanted some time to think.
He continued to wander around the school, trying to figure out how he even felt about everything now.
He... had called her his friend.
He'd only thought it until that point, but finally vocalizing it out loud just felt like a confirmation of things. That clearly, he really cared about what he was to her.
But the way she'd been acting then, compared to now, was just making him so confused about everything. And it was exhausting to still be thinking about it.
After a while, Bakugou bought a drink from one of the school vending machines, taking a seat on one of the nearby benches in the courtyard. He stared at the bottle stoically, rubbing his thumb along the side.
At his point... he just wanted some clarity.
He huffed, twisting the cap off.
And he was gonna get that clarity today.
Bakugou took his time to finish his drink, trying to think things over on what he was going to say. He sat there until he finally checked his phone to see it was 4:51, meaning Hitomi likely had about 20 minutes until her detention was over. He got up from his seat, tossing the now empty bottle in a nearby trash can as he made his way to 1-A's classroom.
He was done waiting.
He was gonna get to the bottom of this now.
The ash blonde stood in front of 1-A's door, breathing out a weary sigh.
Time to get this shit over with.
Right as he raised his hand, about to knock, Bakugou paused at the sound of a voice. His eyes moved to the door's small window, peeking inside. From where he stood, he saw Hitomi's back was to him, the bluenette mopping the floor. She was humming while she worked.
Bakugou recognized the song, his hand falling to his side as he listened to her voice. The instances where he heard her hum were rare, but...
It was... nice.
Something soothing and relaxing... like he could fall asleep to her voice.
Bakugou shook his head, trying to pull himself together.
What the fuck are you thinking??
You're just here to figure things out.
Not... whatever that fucking thought was.
Bakugou's jaw clenched, his hand raising to the door and knocking three times.
...
"Why the fuck are you being so nice all of a sudden?"
Bakugou stared Hitomi down, trying to gauge her reaction. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, those damn big silver eyes only staring back at him.
Her eyebrows raised into her hair, her grip loosening around the broom handle. "Huh...?"
Bakugou's eyes narrowed, stepping towards her. He stood only a foot away from her now. "A week ago it was like you wanted to disappear into thin air around me," he growled, his voice low. "But now you're hovering over me every chance you can get, doting on me and giving me all your fake fucking smiles-"
"They're not fake."
Bakugou stopped, seeing Hitomi was staring at him sternly.
"My smiles for you aren't fake," she repeated. "They're real."
Bakugou scowled. "Don't lie to me. You seriously think I'm suddenly supposed to believe they're not fake after you said you hated me?"
At that Hitomi's eyes widened.
Bingo.
"I knew it," Bakugou scoffed, stepping back. "You can drop the act already. I've had enough of it."
He turned to walk away, making his way to the door before he heard the mop clatter to the floor. He felt Hitomi grab his blazer, stopping him as she pressed her forehead against his back.
"...I'm sorry," she whispered. Her grip tightened on his clothes, her voice quiet. "You... understood what I said that day...?"
Bakugou's fist clenched as he stared at the floor. "Only that part. I couldn't understand anything else, but just that was enough. You should stop forcing yourself to hang around me when you clearly don't want to." He felt Hitomi pull away from his back, hearing her take a deep breath.
"Bakugou... Can you look at me?"
Bakugou stood still for a moment, before huffing as he turned around to face her. He was startled as Hitomi suddenly grabbed his hands, rubbing her thumbs against his knuckles gently. Bakugou spluttered, appalled at the action. "What are you-?!"
"I said before I never meant any of what I said."
Bakugou frowned, staring down at Hitomi as his shadow was cast over her face. "...Then why the hell did you say it in the first place?"
Bakugou remembered how... hurt he felt at the idea she hated him. He couldn't explain it. All he knew was that the idea of Hitomi hating him bothered him so much he spent several nights lying awake just thinking about it.
He tuned out of his thoughts when he felt Hitomi's grip tighten on his hands, seeing she was staring at their hands sadly.
"You're right," she mumbled. "I did say such an abhorrent thing, when I really shouldn't have. I... I wasn't feeling the best, actually, while we were on that trip."
Bakugou saw her cheeks turn red slightly, believing it was because she was feeling embarrassed.
"To tell you the truth... I was bottling everything up again," Hitomi laughed quietly, closing her eyes. "And it got so bad that I ended up taking it all out on you." She looked up at him, staring at him with such a gentle look in her eyes that made Bakugou get lost in them for a second. "But that's no excuse for my actions. You didn't deserve any of that, and it was wrong of me to yell at you.
So I'm really, truly sorry for saying such awful things. You're..."
Hitomi paused for a second, her gaze falling back to their hands timidly. "...a very dear friend to me."
Bakugou felt a twinge in his chest at that.
But he wasn't ready to find out why.
"I never want to hurt your feelings again," Hitomi continued, "which is why I've been trying to be better to you lately. There was a lot on my mind these past few weeks... but when you confronted me back in the elevator and told me that I was the reason you were upset, and angry, I wanted to be more conscious of how I was towards you.
But..."
She let go of his hands, Bakugou already missing the warmth they brought as they fell back to her sides.
"If you want me to stop, I'll stop. If you don't want me to hang around you anymore, I won't. Whatever you decide, I'll respect your decision. I'll leave you alone."
Bakugou felt another twinge in his heart, feeling agitated at the idea of drifting apart from her.
He'd been so angry— angry at himself, feeling like he was a fool. Everything had been so confusing, felt so complicated, and he'd become frustrated and resentful that he hadn't been able to figure things out.
He'd resented himself, he'd resented her, to the point he ended up lashing out. He'd been sick of the confusion, of the fact he'd been so unsure of where they really stood.
But now that he was actually faced with the possibility that Hitomi would genuinely stop being around him, that she would leave him alone...
Bakugou... didn't want that.
He didn't want them to become strangers.
He looked into her eyes, and all he could feel was sincerity and care. She was being genuine with him right now. Truthful.
Hitomi had told him she'd had a lot on her mind. Been bottling things up. And from what he'd seen of her since they'd met, what she'd told him, Hitomi was someone who would get lost in her head if left alone for too long.
And Bakugou had misread her behavior so badly... that he'd blown up at her. He'd been so clouded by his insecurity, so caught up in his ego and paranoia that someone was looking down on him that he'd completely misinterpreted her actions.
And yet Hitomi was still trying to be good to him. She was still being kind to him, still considering his feelings and even offering to give him space because of what he'd said to her in the elevator.
He huffed, scratching the back of his head. "...Didn't you just say I was important to you or some shit?" he grumbled.
Hitomi's face flushed and Bakugou watched as she began to twiddle her fingers shyly. "Um, th-that's- well..."
Bakugou sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "If you really meant that... I'm not gonna tell you to stay away. Do whatever the hell you want. And..."
He turned to face the desks, feeling the tips of his ears warm. This was something he knew he needed to say. "I'm... I'm sorry."
"Huh...?"
"I'm sorry," Bakugou said more loudly this time. "For blowing up at you the way I did back then. Of accusing you of those things. You're not that type of person... and I should've known better than to think that way."
Hitomi stepped towards him, bending forward so she could see his face. Bakugou stiffened as they locked eyes.
"...What?" he grunted.
"Nothing," Hitomi said with a quiet laugh. "I'm just glad we could talk like this."
Bakugou scowled, tearing his eyes away from her. Her eyes were just so damn big and wide and shiny and he couldn't look at them for long. "That reminds me...! Quit- quit bottling everything up." He placed one hand on his hip while the other ran through his hair as he grumbled. "You should know by now that's bad for you! I even told you so back when you had that fever. Stop being a fucking dumbass and talk to someone next time. It doesn't matter who... It doesn't even matter if it's me. I won't stop you. Whatever the hell makes you feel better in the end."
Hitomi's soft smile went unnoticed.
"...Right."
After that, he'd waited for her to finish cleaning up, and the two of them had gone back to the dorms. Together.
As they walked down the path that would take them to Heights Alliance, there was still one last thing left in the back of his mind that Bakugou wanted an answer to. But he'd never even been sure if it had actually happened, leaving him debating whether he should even bring it up at all.
His jaw clenched until he finally let out a sigh, keeping his eyes trained on the brick path. It was better to just find out than leave himself wondering again. No more misunderstandings between them.
"Moon Face" he began slowly, "did you... touch my hair at any point? Back when we were in the Philippines?"
Hitomi paused and Bakugou stopped a few steps ahead of her when he realized she wasn't following.
Her eyes looked wide and there was a flush on her cheeks. "I- Um-" She suddenly leaned forward in a deep bow, her hands clasped together against her legs and her hair dangling off her shoulder. "I'm sorry...!"
Bakugou's mouth parted slightly in surprise at the action.
"I... I did," Hitomi said softly as she stood up straight, fiddling with her hands. Bakugou noticed her cheeks were bright red. "Back when you started putting the pillow in between us so we wouldn't intrude on the other's space. I just... wanted to thank you for that, because I thought it was really thoughtful of you to do and I ended up touching your hair. I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
Bakugou huffed, rubbing the back of his neck. Some of his hair tickled against his hand. "It's not that. I didn't mind it. It's... actually something my old hag used to do when I still lived at home. I just wasn't sure if I dreamt you doing that or not."
Hitomi bit her lip, looking away sheepishly. "Did you hear me...? Before I went to sleep?"
He put his hands in his pockets, kicking a stray pebble on the ground. "Not really. I was barely awake. All I heard was something about a problem. Is it..." He almost seemed to hesitate. "...related to what you can't tell me?"
Hitomi nodded slowly. "Sort of." She held her hands up, waving them around sheepishly. "But... it's mostly been resolved now...! So it was no fault of yours, really. Please don't stress out over it..."
"It's fine."
Hitomi's hands froze as he met her gaze, red meeting silver. "You'll tell me when you tell me," Bakugou said, turning away. "I can't force you to do something if you're not ready for it... so... I'll trust you."
Trusting her. Trust.
That was all he wanted now. Friendships required a bit of trust, so he would do this for her now, and hope that eventually, she could trust him too. Enough that she'd feel comfortable enough to tell him, because he would listen no matter what.
"Relationships are a two-way street. So if I want you to trust me... then I should at least trust you, too."
He continued walking down the path, and eventually, Hitomi followed, her footsteps soft against the ground as she caught up to him. "...Thanks, Bakugou."
He only grunted softly and they fell into a comfortable silence, soft chirps and the rustling of leaves filling the air. At some point, he glanced down at her, seeing her eyes were focused straight ahead. With a huff, he lifted his hand, bumping his fist against her head. Hitomi was nudged slightly by the action and she let out a soft "ack!", clutching her head as she looked up at him.
"Uh... what was that for?"
"For waking me up when you touched my hair," Bakugou said gruffly as he returned his hand to his pocket. "Now we're even."
Hitomi laughed sheepishly as Class 1-A's dorms finally came into view. "...Right."
Since then, things shifted. Felt... different to him, in a way. She'd seemed a lot happier lately, and Bakugou had found himself staring at her smile sometimes.
Her smile was real.
Bakugou was finally brought out of his thoughts as he heard Hitomi laugh, looking across the aisle to see she was giving Todoroki a smile.
"You mixed them up," Hitomi said, pointing at something in his workbook. "So it gives the sentence an entirely different meaning."
Todoroki nodded quietly, staring at the workbook intently. "I see... That makes sense."
"Right." Hitomi took the book from his hands, taking his pencil to write something down. "Spelling is super important to pay attention to in English, since there are lots of rules and exceptions to those rules. Not to mention things like homophones, too." She held up the book, showing him what she'd written. "See? Now it means something else!"
Todoroki nodded in understanding, taking the book back. "You're right," he hummed, his eyes flitting between her and the book. "Thanks."
Hitomi waved her hand, smiling sheepishly at him. "Don't mention it!"
As they continued to go over the English homework, Bakugou couldn't help but frown, his hand tightening around the armrest.
Was her smile for him real too?
Bakugou blinked, realizing what he'd just thought.
The fuck?
So what if her stupid little smile for Todoroki was real? That had nothing to do with him. She could smile at whoever she wanted like they were the only one she had eyes for, and he wouldn't care.
So then why the fuck did that idea seem to bother him...?
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A/N: FRUITS BASKET REFERENCE HKJHKSDH. If you caught it you deserve a cookie 🍪
bkg doesn't understand romantic feelings lol. He doesn't seem like he's had a lot of healthy friendships in his life and I feel like tangentially he ended up never experiencing any romantic ones either (and also just cause y'know... it's him). Paired with the fact he's had a one-track goal of heroism for most of his life, I feel like romance is something that's harder for him to recognize both on his end and others' unless someone tells him upfront.
That's how I've always seen it, at least :P
Also y'all finally got to see what that conversation during Hitomi's detention was all about! With the way I structured all this back in 2019 and how all the rewrites affected later stuff, it ended up this way. The conversation in the original draft was soooo different since Hitomi never even ran out to scream and get detention lmao.