One would expect to feel rested after a week of being unconscious, but when your mind was finally able to find a grasp on life, you immediately wished that you were dead. Already, you were suffering through the worst migraine imaginable, and your entire body was aching. It felt like there were millions of little needles in your skin, pricking you with fire over and over. What was worse, you were still feeling an unrelenting thirst, your throat so dry that you couldn't even find the ability to swallow. The pain of attempting the mundane action was nearly unbearable, your entire body wincing in reaction as you gasped out in a choked yelp.

"She's awake!"

"Tsu-Chan, help me with the water, please!"

"[L/N], don't move so much!"

The familiar voices tugged at your heart, instantly bringing an intense burning to your eyes. Wanting to see someone, anyone that was important to you, you opened your eyes against the blinding light, only able to see shapes at first. Then, a familiar figure, the blonde hair and crimson gaze first coming into focus before the worried expression. From what you could tell, he was sitting beside you, but nearly everything else was lost.

"Ka… Kats…"

"Don't try to talk, dumbass." Looking up, Bakugou turned his attention to two other blurry figures beside you, but you didn't care. You couldn't pull your eyes off him, your mind racing between disbelief and longing. Was he really here? Had he been the one to save you? Needing to feel something physical to confirm that this wasn't all a dream, you reached out with a trembling hand, clutching onto his arm and digging your tired fingers into the fabric. Not only did he allow it, he let your hand slide down into his, clutching it with his strong yet tender grip that you adored.

"Katsuki…" Somehow, tears began to stream down your face, flooded with happiness and relief that he was here. You had thought that you would never see him again, and yet, here he was. He had come for you, risked his life to save you. Everything you had been mad at him for, everything that you had argued about was completely erased from your mind, and all you wanted was to be with him.

Frown crossing his lips, Bakugou removed a rag from your forehead, dipping it into a bowl of water beside him. "I said shut up, don't talk. Here–" He gave a gesture with his head, nodding towards the other two figures you hadn't even bothered to look at. Not letting go of his hand, you turned your attention to them, finding two women looking down at you. Tsuyu was one of them, holding a wooden jug. The other was a woman you had seen very little of, her brown bobbed hair hanging down a bit as she leaned over you, working to prop your head up with extra pillows. You knew that her name was Ochaco and that she worked in the infirmary, and by her presence, you assumed that's where you were.

"Here, [L/N]. Have some water, slowly."

Taking a cup from Tsuyu, Ochaco held it to your lips, allowing you to slip from it. The cool water both soothed and burned your sore throat, but you didn't dare stop, not until the cup was taken away from you. "Not too much, you may not be able to keep it down."

After taking a moment to rest and catch your breath, you glanced back and forth between those that sat around you. There was a mix of relief and worry on their expressions, but as Bakugou placed the newly damp rag onto your forehead, you found the strength to question them. "What happened?"

"Do you not remember?" Tsuyu asked softly, filling the cup back up with water. With a small shake of your head, you used your free hand to wipe your eyes.

"No, no I remember that I was taken but… How did I get here?"

"We were able to figure out who took you quickly," a small smile on her face, Tsuyu helped you to drink again. "When the time was right, we set fire to the building and took you back. I'm sorry it took us so long…"

Taking a moment to catch your breath after drinking, you couldn't resist the small smile on your lips. "Don't apologize… Thank you for helping me." Turning your gaze to Bakugou, you noticed that his ears were flushed bright red and his brow was still furrowed with concern, which was made doubly obvious by his firm grip on your hand. "Did… you…?"

"I pulled you out of the fire, yes." Bakugou finished for you, the redness of his ears spreading to his cheeks ever so slightly. "You stupid woman… So reckless."

Feeling your heart flutter, that familiar bubbly feeling filled your empty stomach, only making the smile on your lips grow. "Thank you, Katsuki. I… I'm sorry for fighting with you–"

"Seriously?" Bakugou cut you off, scowling down at you with that embarrassed huff. "Don't start with those apologies. You have nothing to be sorry for."

You gave a small nod, tearing your gaze from him to instead look up at the two women. "Am I in the infirmary?"

"Yes," Ochaco spoke with a nod, adjusting your blankets. "You've been in and out of consciousness for a week with a fever. I was worried you weren't going to pull out of it, but it seems like you're stronger than we thought. Your wounds have mostly begun to heal… I want you to stay here a while longer, though, to completely recover."

And so you did, for another week you were subjected to lazy days of sleep and recovery. Bandages were changed and medicine was taken, even though half the time the medicine made you feel worse. What was the hardest to heal, however, was the mental scars that the experience had left on you. Already, you were struggling with nightmares and jumping at any little creak or bump. Strangers that came into the infirmary made you incredibly nervous, and you even found it difficult to trust those who you had deemed your friends.

Someone had to have leaked information about your skills to the enemies, and until you could find out who, distancing yourself may be the best option. For now, Tsuyu and Bakugou were the only two who you found you could still talk openly with, and their occasional company kept your mind at ease.

Eventually, when Ochaco deemed you healthy, you were allowed to leave. A hot bath, a warm dinner and the comfort of your own room made everything that happened seem like just a nightmare, and with the help of jasmine incense and the knowledge that there were guards at your door, you slept without a single disturbance.

The morning was different, however. Almost immediately, you were summoned by a servant to come to Bakugou's private quarters, which was a place you had never been. The servant allowed you to dress and prep yourself before leading you quite a ways through the palace, and though you knew you shouldn't, you tried your best to memorize the path. You didn't know what to expect from Bakugou so early in the morning, and you couldn't help but be curious if he had some type of romantic intentions. A silly thing to imagine, you knew that, but your love-stricken heart couldn't help it.

When you finally reached the entry doors, the servant slid them open for you, bowing deeply to allow you in. Nerves silencing you, the first few steps into the entryway were as silent as you could make them, eyes darting back and forth across the massive room. Much to your surprise, it wasn't like what you had expected at all. It was neat and tidy, with weapons and armor as decorations in a very organized fashion. There was even art hanging from the walls, depicting battles in brilliant black and colored ink.

Being sure to leave your sandals at the entrance, you timidly made your way out into the open room, only stopping when you noticed him. Sitting by himself on the floor next to a low table, Bakugou had his back to you, though you could see by his posture that he was agitated. You could even hear soft grumbling as he mumbled to himself, though it was impossible for you to make it out. Still, you found it cute, smiling softly as you tried to ignore the burning in your cheeks.

"Katsuki?"

"Eh?" Looking over his shoulder, Bakugou glowered at you for a moment before he calmed, as if he thought you had been a different person at first. "Oh, Demon. I didn't hear you. Come." Turning back forward, he gave a vague gesture to the empty spot to his left. While he wasn't looking, you fixed your clothing into place and made your way over to the spot, sitting down on your legs properly.

Now, you could see what he had been focusing on. You had grown familiar with what their official reports looked like, and seeing it just made your purpose there immediately obvious. He had to tell Lord Yagi what had happened, and to do that, he needed a full description from you. The sake bottle and cups that were set out at least gave you a little comfort to know that it wasn't all that formal, but it still disappointed you a bit. You had hoped that maybe he just wanted to chat with you, to check up on you and–

"How are you?"

His question caught you off guard, almost expecting that he would get straight to business. Instead, he looked at you with a curious gaze, comfortable and seemingly actually interested in your wellbeing. You knew that he had been, as he had come to visit you at least once every day that you were awake in the infirmary. Swallowing your bashfulness, you gave a small shrug, trying to relax. "Ah, you know… I'm feeling a lot better, now. And I didn't have any bad dreams last night."

"Good. I'm glad you're better." Bakugou took a moment to pour you both a drink. "But I have something we have to deal with, and it can't wait a second longer."

"A report…?" You took the small cup as it was handed to you, looking down at the clear liquid. Through your reflection, you could still see the bruises on your cheeks that were yellowed and healing and the remnants of some cuts. They hurt your self-confidence, but you did your best to ignore them, knowing that soon they would be nothing but bad memories.

"Yes. My Lord wants one immediately. We need to know exactly what happened and what they wanted. He's worried you gave them useful information…"

"I… Okay." You couldn't help your reluctance to avoid the conversation. You wanted to forget about it, to move on and hopefully repair the relationship that had been damaged by your arguments with him. Even though it was necessary, and you knew that you had to tell him eventually, it wasn't the very first thing you wanted to do. Some casual conversation and maybe a shared apology would have been ideal, but once again, you weren't sure why you had expected such a thing out of him.

"Is that a problem?" The annoyance in his voice and raised eyebrow told you that he had already picked up on your reluctance. Should you just go along with what he wanted, or should you fight it? Up to this point, you had been nothing but an obedient woman, doting to every command and word he had said, but you didn't want to be like that anymore. No, you couldn't be like that anymore. After being almost killed, you realized that it just wasn't worth it to be treated like a tool all the time.

You wanted to be treated like a person, to have your feelings and troubles recognized for once.

Setting down the still full sake cup without taking a single sip, you placed your hands firmly in your lap, clutching onto the fabric that covered your thighs as you kept your stern gazed locked with him. "Yes. It is a problem. I didn't expect to have to immediately talk about this stuff and be interrogated right out of recovery."

"You're lucky I was able to wait until you did recover. My Lord wanted a report the instant you were awake, but I pushed it back to give you time. It will only be a few minutes, I don't see the problem-"

"The problem is that I don't want to be treated like a tool anymore! I just feel like your lawnmower that got stolen, and now that you've gotten me back, you just want to use me all over again!"

"Lawnmower–? Damn it, can't you just get that shit out of your head?! I don't think you're a tool!"

"That's all I've been since I've gotten here, a thing for you to use for your own gain. The sense of security I had, of comfort and friendship, it's nothing but bullshit to keep me around! I know that now, after all this shit I've gone though, and even still none of you trust me to keep my mouth shut." Standing, you flattened out the clothing around your legs, struggling to keep your frustrated tears at bay. "I was beaten and starved for you people because I wouldn't give any information to them! I almost died protecting you and your secrets, but I bet that no one will believe me!"

Before you could walk away, Bakugou stood up in your path. At first, you thought he was going to grab your arms, but he kept his hands to himself. "No, you have everything all wrong! Just let me talk to you!"

"I don't want to talk, Katsuki!" Tears not streaming down your face, you tried to get around him, but he didn't let you. "Just let me go!"

"Do you think that I would have risked my life and my men to come save you if I didn't care about you?! I've already told you before, your visions or whatever the fuck they are just help me with my strategies, you don't do everything for me! I was just fine before you, and I'd be fine without you!"

"That doesn't prove anything! You could be lying to me, to just try and keep me totally fucking fixated on you so I don't try to leave!"

"It's not a lie! If I say I care about you, then I care about you!"

"Then prove it to me!"

At first, you thought that saying that was a huge mistake. You thought that he would just continue with his jumbled thoughts, to try and get you to listen to him with words. But it was obvious at that point that you had forgotten what everyone had told you up to this point. Bakugou wasn't one to use words to express himself, nor was he good at it. It was actions that he preferred, and although you should have expected it, his actions still shocked you.

Pulling your body against his, Bakugou placed one strong hand on your hip while the other held the back of your neck, pressing his eager lips against yours. You had always thought that, if this exact moment ever occurred, you would be frozen in place, unable to react or decide if you should return the affection. Any reluctance you had imagined would come into play here was nowhere to be seen. Instead, your own wanting for him exploded like a firework, sending hot sparks pricking over every inch of your skin.

How quickly you gave into him had you immediately short of breath, but you didn't dare allow this to stop. Your arms slipped around his neck, pressing yourself into him as he caressed you even closer. He was much more passionate than you expected, his kiss hot and rough as he invaded your willing mouth. It was everything you had ever wanted, and yet, you found yourself wanting more as you pushed yourself up on your toes to be as close to him as you could.

The hot taste of sake on his tongue and the heat of his hands on your body filled you with a burning fire, making your skin so hot that the feeling of the cold wall suddenly at your back made you squeak in shock. Smirking against your lips with a deep chuckle, Bakugou scooped you up into his arms, forcing your kimono up to your hips as your legs wrapped around his waist. "Damn, irresistible and fucking cute."

One hand clutching onto his shoulder tightly, you slipped the other teasingly around his neck, massaging with your fingers that trailed up into his hair. You felt a sharp tingle through your body as he gave a soft groan into the kiss, spurred on by your nails against his scalp. He was so eager, everything about him so intoxicating that you couldn't find it in yourself to stop this.

Wait… Should I stop this?

The further his hand slid up your bare thigh, the more you began to wonder if this was really okay. Did you want this? You could answer that question with a strong 'yes', not a single doubt in your mind that you wanted him. Every inch of your body was aching for him, the heat between your legs and tingling of your skin enough proof. But if you wanted it didn't really matter.

Sex does not mean love. At least, not in your world, and you knew that it was the same here. And yet, he had finally made a move that was definitive for how he felt about you, that there truly was more there than just wanting to use you for war. Anyone would have thought that this was enough proof that he cared about you, but in what way? Was it true adoration or was it just lust? Going from zero to a hundred in intimacy scale was always a dead giveaway that it was nothing but lust, or at least that is how you saw things in your world.

Was this actually different?

"K-Katsuki, wait–" Getting ahold of what little wits you had left, you put your hands onto his chest, pushing back with just a bit of pressure. "–I can't."

Stopping just as you had commanded, Bakugou stared down at you in confusion, his brow furrowing in a way you had never seen before. It was that sinking feeling of rejection, that sudden punch in the gut that you didn't want him. "You… can't?"

Feeling your entire face heat up with embarrassment and shame, you dug your fingers into his clothes, finding it impossible to even look him in the face anymore. "I don't… I just can't do that with you."

"But you told me–"

"Sex doesn't mean that you care about me, Katsuki." Finally, you forced yourself to look up at him, though you immediately wished that you hadn't. You saw many things on that flawless face that made your heart feel as if it were made of stone.

Rejection. Confusion. Frustration. Contemplation.

It was obvious that he just didn't know what to do or say, and if you were honest, neither did you. Apologizing wouldn't mean anything, and there wasn't a point in trying to explain your reasoning behind stopping him. Instead, you both stayed quiet, just the shuffling of clothes filling the air as he placed you back down on your feet. The feeling around you had become heavy and awkward, finding yourself trying to be as casual as possible as you fixed your kimono back into place.

With a small cough to clear his throat, Bakugou took a few steps back before leaving you completely, sitting back down at the table in front of his report. As you stood there and watched silently, he grabbed your still full sake cup and took the shot that had originally been for you. "Forget the report for now. I'll just include what you've already told me and let my Lord know that you had kept silent."

"Katsuki, I'm–"

"You're what?"

His snap instantly silenced you, as did the blank glare he turned in your direction. He didn't want you to apologize or explain yourself. It was obvious that all he wanted was for you to leave.

So, you did.