A/N: strap in, boys. This one's a pretty long one 😈
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Todoroki had been very helpful in teaching Hitomi how to ice skate. He kept her from falling, guiding her through the motions so well that within an hour Hitomi was able to skate around on her own.
Well, decently, at least. She still fell occasionally, but she stumbled way less. At least she was having more fun now.
Hitomi hummed as she skated across the ice, smiling slightly as she gained speed. Her ears perked up when she heard someone yell.
"Watch it!"
Hitomi looked up from the floor to see Bakugou heading straight for her, neither of them having enough time to stop or move out of the way as he crashed straight into her.
"Oof!"
She felt herself fall backwards, yelping as her back hit the floor. Bakugou fell right on top of her, his weight squishing her underneath.
"Ow..." Hitomi groaned, gripping Bakugou's arm. She felt him grumble into her shoulder, halting her thought process as she realized the position they were in.
Oh my god.
Her face went pink as Bakugou pushed himself off her, his shadow looming over her.
"Watch where you're going, Moon Face!!"
"B-Bakugou," Hitomi stuttered, smiling wobbily. "Get off of me."
Bakugou blinked, his eyes widening as he realized he was on top of her. Hitomi could've sworn his cheeks turned red slightly if she didn't know any better.
"Shit-!" he exclaimed, trying to push himself away from her only for his hand to slip on the ice. He fell back on top of her, their noses barely a centimeter apart as Hitomi's face turned as red as a fire truck.
She wanted to explode.
"Fuck!" Bakugou screamed, rolling himself off of her. Hitomi sat up, cradling her cheeks as she heard Bakugou cursing to himself.
"I am so sorry Bakugou," Hitomi stuttered, seeing him run his hands through his hair out of the corner of her eye.
"Watch where you're going next time!" he grumbled. Hitomi huff sighed to herself in shame. She really wished she had better awareness sometimes.
"Right, right..."
"...Sorry."
Hitomi's head swiveled to look at him in disbelief. "What...?"
"I said..." Bakugou growled, "sorry. For falling on you the second time. But the first one was your fault, you need to look where you're skating, dumbass!!"
"Uh, yeah," Hitomi choked out, standing up. "You know what, I'm gonna go, uh..." She pointed to the bleachers, only to see Bakugou had his gaze glued to the floor. "Yeah, I'm just gonna go. Sorry."
She turned around, hastily making her way to the exit of the rink. Her mind was in a frenzy.
He could've accidentally kissed me.
Hitomi slapped her cheeks, shaking her head as she stepped onto the solid ground.
Stop it!!
Hitomi made her way to the snack bar, her blush refusing to fade away.
Well, at least she could blame it on the cold.
"One hot chocolate, please," she told the cashier, flopping her head onto the counter as she waited for her drink. "Uuughh..."
I wonder what it'd be like to kiss him.
Hitomi banged her fist on the counter, surprising the cashier as she yelled "STOP IT!!" She looked up to see him staring at her anxiously, giving him a sheepish smile as she waved him off. "Sorry, talking to myself. Carry on."
He continued making her drink, Hitomi cringing as she scrunched her eyes shut.
Ugh!!
She told herself she'd let her feelings be, but she hadn't taken into account all the embarrassing thoughts that would come along with it. She cradled her cheeks, sighing.
"Your... hot chocolate, ma'am."
Hitomi's eyes shot open to see the cashier holding her drink out to her worriedly. She grabbed it and paid before making her way to the bleachers. As she sank into a seat, she tried to fan her face in an effort to rid herself of the blush that still hadn't gone away.
"How embarrassing..." she mumbled, sipping her drink.
Even then, she still couldn't stop wondering what it'd be like. What kind of atmosphere would it be? And what would it feel like? Hitomi had never kissed anyone before, and she had no idea if Bakugou ever had either, so-
"Hitomi?"
Hitomi took a spit take, spitting her hot chocolate back into her cup only for some of it to splash back out into her face.
She could not be caught dead letting someone know what she was just thinking.
Hitomi coughed, holding her drink away from her as she wiped her face.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" Kaminari exclaimed, holding his hands up, unsure what to do with them.
Hitomi nodded, wiping the tears that had pooled in her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she choked out, feeling herself blush.
"You sure?"
Hitomi smiled, waving him off. "Yes, I'm sure."
Kaminari chuckled. "Well, at least now you smell like chocolate."
"And whose fault is that?" she asked, raising a brow.
"Sorry, sorry." Kaminari grinned, pointing at her drink. "I just wanted to ask, where'd you get that?"
Hitomi pointed over her shoulder. "Back there, silly."
Kaminari thanked her, waving as he made his way to the snack bar. Once he was out of earshot, Hitomi sighed, slumping over her hot chocolate.
How embarrassing...
...
The class had decided to leave the ice rink a bit early, opting to grab some dinner at the food court before heading back to the dorms.
Hitomi was sitting by Kaminari, laughing at a funny video he was showing her. She made a grab for her drink, taking a big sip and nearly spitting it all out.
"That is not melon soda," she choked out, pushing it away.
"That's 'cause it's mine, idiot," Bakugou grunted, glaring at Hitomi from his place next to her.
Hitomi blinked, realizing her soda was still sitting next to her plate. "Oh! Sorry-!" She shoved Bakugou's drink back into his hands before Kaminari grabbed her shoulder, distracting her.
"Hitomi, this is the best part!"
Bakugou watched dumbfounded as she turned away from him, her attention back on Kaminari's video. It was as if she didn't even realize what she'd just done.
She can't possibly be this dense.
Bakugou stared at the straw, disturbed at the fact his stomach seemed to be doing flips. He gulped, a weird feeling in his chest.
Bakugou wanted to slap himself.
Get it together, Katsuki!! You shouldn't be distracted by something as stupid as an indirect kiss!!
His gaze shifted back to Hitomi as she laughed, pointing at Kaminari's phone. He could feel his heartbeat speed up slightly at the sight of her smile.
It shouldn't matter to you.
But it did.
Bakugou frowned, gripping his soda as he brought it to his mouth.
Fuck.
...
Bakugou and the rest of Class 1-A walked up the sidewalk, on the way back to UA. The rest of the Bakusquad was a bit ahead of him, chatting and joking around with each other as he watched them from behind.
He'd honestly been in a bit of a bad mood since they'd eaten dinner. They'd recognized this, and said they'd give him some space since he clearly wanted to be left alone.
Bakugou kicked some stray pebbles on the sidewalk as the class made the trek up the large hill UA was situated upon, his eyes settling on the head of blue hair that belonged to the person that had left him with conflicting thoughts lately. He watched as Hitomi reacted to something Kirishima said with a loud laugh, poking his arm playfully before Kaminari jumped the two of them, slinging his arms around both of their shoulders.
Bakugou was bothered.
It wasn't because of how touchy-feely she was being with their friends, but rather what bothered him was that... he wasn't bothered by that???
This shit was confusing.
He didn't care in the slightest if Hitomi laughed and got all handsy with them, and he never did from the very beginning. In fact, he would be concerned if she wasn't acting like that, because then it meant something was wrong.
So then why the fuck did he care if she acted that way with the half-and-half bastard?!
Watching them skate together, it pissed him off. It had felt like his blood was boiling at the very sight of them.
And back when Hitomi had tagged along to their provisional license course, watching them whisper with each other, her eyes on him the whole time, them huddled up together so close as they talked about the homework almost made him want to break something.
Even as far back as the trip for Ponytail's birthday, watching them eat together had put a frown on his face.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
Bakugou stopped, watching as the Bakusquad continued up the sidewalk, along with their other classmates that had already been ahead of him. A few more walked past him, the ash blonde watching their backs silently.
"Kacchan?"
Bakugou turned his head to see Midoriya and his friends approaching, having been at the very back of the class group.
"Why'd you stop?" the curly-haired boy asked, watching as the rest of the class continued up the hill without them. "If we don't hurry back, we could get in trouble for staying out past our curfew. Is something the matter?"
Bakugou scowled, kicking another pebble and watching as it skidded up the sidewalk. "Nothing I'm going to tell you about, shit nerd," he grumbled.
Midoriya sighed in exasperation. "I figured you'd say something like that..."
"Bakugou-kun, it is unhealthy to constantly handle your problems by yourself!" Iida said sternly, waving a hand at him. He placed his hand on his chest, holding his other hand up. "I know from personal experience it can result in hazardous consequences."
"You think I don't know that, Four-Eyes?!" Bakugou growled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Midoriya nodded along quietly, glancing at Iida. "He knows that very well, Iida-kun. Trust me."
Bakugou scoffed, knowing his former childhood friend was thinking about their fight where his feelings of inferiority had come to a head.
"Then," Uraraka began, trying to be encouraging, "if you understand that, then talk about it! Don't bottle it up."
"My business isn't something I'm going to talk about with any of you," Bakugou huffed. His gaze fell on Todoroki, his face settling into a glare. "It's something I'm going to talk about with him."
...
Bakugou and Todoroki walked up the sidewalk, a few feet away from the rest of the class. When Bakugou had said he was going to settle his problems with the heterochromic boy, Midoriya and his friends exchanged looks of confusion before eventually deciding to give them some space to talk things out.
"So," Todoroki began slowly after a full minute of silence. "What's going on?"
"Shut up," Bakugou grumbled, his shoulders slouching as he stared at the ground. "I'm trying to figure out how to word it."
"Right."
They lapsed back into silence as they continued their trek up the sidewalk, with Bakugou practically bending over backwards internally trying to come up with a way to say what he wanted properly.
What was it he even wanted to say??
"Hey, it pisses me off when Moon Face is near you?"
"I find it fucking annoying to see when she laughs because of you?"
"For some reason I can't stand the idea of her possibly liking you?"
Bakugou looked up from the ground, staring at the backs of the rest of the class up ahead.
"You and Kanetsukabe have been talking a lot recently."
Todoroki blinked, staring at him blankly. "Well... now that you mention it, I guess so. To me it's seemed more like she's been hanging out with Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida more often... and she ended up talking with me more as a result of that. From what I can remember, she had already been pretty friendly with the three of them at the beginning of the year."
Bakugou's eyes narrowed as he let out a small huff. "...Right."
"Why do you bring it up?"
"It was just something I noticed!" Bakugou sneered, his temper beginning to rise. "She hardly ever said a word to you before, and all of a sudden now she's acting all buddy-buddy with you!"
Todoroki looked confused. "Is that... a problem...?"
"I'm just saying people could get certain ideas! With how chummy and close you two suddenly act around each other, I wouldn't be surprised if you were secretly dating! It would explain why you two acted the way you did when Ms. Illusion brought it up, especially if you were trying to hide it!"
They both stopped, Bakugou's eyes widening as he realized what he had said.
Oh... fuck.
Shit. Fuck. Fuck! This is what he got for letting his anger get the better of him. Goddammit! He just had to run his stupid mouth and say something as stupid as that!
Todoroki was going to get the wrong idea. Bakugou had to diffuse any possibility of that before things got any worse-
"Kanetsukabe and I aren't dating," Todoroki said bluntly, his blue and gray eyes piercing directly into Bakugou's red ones. There seemed to be some sort of knowing look in his eyes, one that Bakugou couldn't place.
The ash blonde kissed his teeth, looking away. "Well, excuse me for thinking that way. It sure seemed like it, because Kirishima and the other dumbasses are all thinking the same exact fucking thing." He resumed his walk, passing through UA's entrance and the two of them now back on campus.
Todoroki matched his pace, the two walking side by side. "Well, it's a misunderstanding. There's nothing between us, and I can tell you as a fact there never will be. So you can tell the others that."
"Tell those shit-faces yourself!"
"...Why are you so riled up about it?" Todoroki asked, staring at him.
"Who fucking said I'm riled up?! I'm not!"
Todoroki fell silent, noting Bakugou's growls and string of curses. He shrugged, the two of them seeing the dorms was only a minute or two's distance away. "If you say so. It just seemed like you were bothered by the idea."
Bakugou scowled, Todoroki's tone agitating him. "And why the fuck would you think that, huh?"
He was thrown off by the pointed look Todoroki gave him, as if he was saying he knew there was more to the story Bakugou hadn't caught onto yet.
It pissed Bakugou off.
Todoroki looked away, silent. He didn't say anything for several long moments, and Bakugou thought the conversation had ended there as they approached 1-A's dorms.
"You guys!"
Hitomi was standing by the front doors, one of them open and letting light from inside filter out behind her. She was waving at them, one of her hands cupped around her mouth to amplify her voice. "We were wondering what was taking so long! Come on, before the curfew kicks in!"
Bakugou saw her face the entrance, hearing her call, "They're back, no need to worry!" to the others inside.
"You wondered why I thought you seemed bothered?" Todoroki said quietly, the two of them approaching Heights Alliance's front steps. Todoroki walked ahead of him, staring back at him with a look that seemed to be filled to the brim with hidden meaning. "You... tell me." His eyes flitted to Hitomi before they returned to Bakugou, watching as the ash blonde took in his words.
When he seemed satisfied, Todoroki turned away, walking up the steps to the open door Hitomi was leaning against.
"What took you two so long?" Hitomi asked him as he approached the door.
"Bakugou wanted to talk to me about something," Todoroki answered her, turning around to glance at the ash blonde for a brief second. "Wishing you luck."
"Huh?" Hitomi's face shifted into one of confusion, calling after him as he made his way inside. "What do you mean? Todoroki?"
Bakugou was turning over Todoroki's words in his mind, frozen at the bottom of the stairs as Hitomi watched Todoroki disappear inside.
"You tell me"?
The fuck was that supposed to mean?
Why did he look at Hitomi when he said that?
Was he trying to insinuate something?
And why was he looking at him like that? Like he knew something Bakugou didn't?
Why did he feel the need to say, "Wishing you luck"? Wishing him luck for what?
"Hello?"
Bakugou blinked, wide silver eyes staring up at him. He flinched, jumping back to find Hitomi standing right in front of him. "M-Moon Face!" he yelped, cringing at the fact he had just stuttered. "Don't just sneak up on people like that...!"
Hitomi sighed, crossing her arms. "I called your name, like, five times. You didn't answer." Her eyes softened, her tone shifting to one more caring. "Are you... feeling better?"
Bakugou's posture relaxed as he squinted at her. "Huh?"
She scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. "You seemed angry about something on the way back. I figured it had something to do with Todoroki, right? That's why you wanted to talk to him, away from everyone else. Were you... able to resolve things?"
Bakugou looked away, replaying the entire conversation he'd had on the way back in his mind.
"You tell me."
Bakugou frowned, trying to figure out its meaning. Trying to figure out what Todoroki's knowing looks meant.
Trying to figure out... why he'd ever even brought up the idea of a relationship between Todoroki and Hitomi in the first place. Why that thought bothered him so much. Why it even bothered him at all.
"Bakugou?"
He didn't respond, his eyes glued to the ground. He didn't react when he heard Hitomi step closer, his red eyes staring blankly at her shoes. He didn't even flinch when Hitomi brushed his bangs back, timidly placing her hand on his forehead.
"You don't seem to have a fever or anything," Hitomi said slowly, pulling her hand away. She grabbed his wrist, giving it a gentle tug. "Let's go back inside. Maybe you'll feel better if you lie down."
Bakugou pulled his hand out of her grasp, only to grab her hand in his own, his fingers tightening around her palm. Hitomi eyed their hands in surprise, her eyes flitting back and forth between them and Bakugou's face.
"Um, Bakugou?" She tried to pull her hand away, only for Bakugou's grip to tighten. "Bakugou?" Her cheeks were starting to turn red, from what Bakugou guessed was embarrassment. "Seriously. Maybe you should go straight to bed."
"Quiet."
Hitomi's lips closed together, following his request. She squirmed, unsure what to do with herself with Bakugou's hand holding hers so firmly. It wasn't hurting her, but it felt like he was holding onto it like he would never let go.
She'd been waiting.
Bakugou knew he shouldn't be reading so heavily into things. After all, he and Todoroki had both been the ones to arrive last.
But even after that... she'd come up to him. To check up on him. All because she thought something might have been bothering him. She went out of her to see if he was okay, even though she had no real reason to.
Bakugou normally disliked when people did that to him. If it had been any of their other friends, he would've gotten annoyed almost immediately. It often felt pushy, overbearing-- He didn't need them to check up on him. He could take care of things himself.
And yet... when it came from her, he couldn't find it in himself to brush it off. If anything, having her see if he was okay, even when there was no need, was something he... welcomed.
Bakugou watched as she looked around, timid to look at him. Her cheeks were still that rosy color, puffed out ever so slightly to keep herself from saying anything. He stared at her eyes, that shiny, silver color that always seemed to stand out to him. With them outside in front of the dorms, the quiet sounds of night surrounding them, Bakugou was reminded they were like the moon.
When he was with her, he felt... comfortable.
His free hand lifted slightly, as if he was planning to hold her face. He caught himself before it could happen though, his hand hesitating and frozen by her arm. Hitomi didn't notice. She was keeping her eyes on the post lamp near the entrance, oblivious to how intensely Bakugou was staring at her.
He was taking in every detail, her long lashes, those chubby cheeks of hers, the way her hair seemed to frame her face so perfectly. The lights of the post lamps were hitting her face in a way that seemed to make each of those details even better, and Bakugou...
Bakugou could have kissed her right then and there.
...Oh.
Oh.
So... that's what it was.
Bakugou's eyes narrowed slightly and his jaw tightened. It... was about time he'd admitted it. He'd been ignoring it for long enough. Ignoring what had been developing the past few months. Ignoring what Todoroki, he figured, had been trying to insinuate.
That he, Katsuki Bakugou, had feelings for Hitomi Kanetsukabe.
Bakugou took a deep, quiet breath, letting go of her hand. Hitomi finally looked back at him, still unsure if she could say something as Bakugou's hands dropped back to his sides.
"What are you looking at me for?" he mumbled, brushing past her to walk up the steps. "I thought you said we should go back inside."
Hitomi blinked at him before she let out a confused noise, scrambling to follow after him. "Wait, huh? Hold on-" She ran up the steps, reaching his side. "Seriously, are you okay? I mean, you-"
"I'm fine," Bakugou cut her off, the two of them finally entering the dorms. Hitomi pulled the door closed behind them. "I just need to go back to my room and lie down, like you said."
Hitomi's brows knitted together in confusion, but she didn't give him a rebuttal, slowing down and allowing him to head to the elevators without her. "Right..." she said slowly. "Um, then, good night...!" she stuttered out, clasping her hands together. "Sleep well. I hope you feel better soon."
Bakugou grunted in response, placing his hands in his pockets after he pressed the button. Hitomi lingered there for a moment, as if deliberating whether she should say anything else. After giving him one last cautious glance, she left, heading to the common area where everyone else was.
When the elevator reached the bottom floor he stepped inside, pressing the button for the fourth level and leaning back against the wall as the doors closed.
Bakugou had caught feelings. For her.
That was why he'd been so aggravated by the idea of her having feelings for Todoroki, the half-and-half bastard who irritated him so much. It was why he didn't like the idea of them no longer being friends, why he'd been so upset when he thought she hated him.
Because... he liked Hitomi.
Bakugou slowly lifted his hand, reaching up to cover half of his face as he stared at the floor in disbelief.
"...Shit."
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A/N: IT'S ABOUT THE ITALICIZED "OH."
I was insane for drawing all the art I did for this chapter actually. Not in like a good way but more in like a "omg why the fuck would I do that to myself" kind of way. I don't know what I was on to draw that much art for it goddamn 💀