Chapter Four: Letting Go
Keep smiling while you struggle.
Don't give up on yourself.
Don't give up without a fight!
You have to make it through the bad days,
To earn the best days of your life!
The next few weeks had gone by fairly quickly for Auryn and the rest of her classmates. She talked more than she used to and she seemed to smile a lot more. She had told everyone that was with her when she fell and hit her head that she was sorry for scaring everyone and explained what had happened and why she did what she did. They scolded her for her carelessness, but forgave her because they believed she was justified in her actions. (Much to her relief).
Katsuki seemed to be more relaxed and more patient with his classmates whenever they would tease him about his feelings for Auryn, but he still had some trouble controlling his temper. And Auryn was always there to calm him down and made sure he didn't go too far by either pinching him (to distract him so the others would back away) or standing in his way from going after them. He often yelled at her, but he never went too far with it.
Right now, it was Friday afternoon and the students from class 1-A were chatting quietly about their plans for the weekend or trying to do their homework so they wouldn't have to do it when they got home.
Auryn was sitting at her desk; drawing in her sketchbook when Katsuki walked up and put the chair in front of her desk. Auryn looked up at him with a blank look on her face.
"What's up, Katsuki?" She asked with a bright smile; closing her sketchbook to give him her full attention.
"What are you doing this weekend?" He asked automatically; sitting down in the chair.
Auryn looked over at Katsuki with a smirk. "Why do you want to know?" She asked in a playful tone; leaning into her desk.
Katsuki shrugged his shoulders. "No reason… I was just curious." He replied in a rough tone; leaning back in his chair.
Auryn giggled and her smirk grew wider. "Liar! You didn't make any plans, did you?" She said in a sly tone; making him look over at her with a nervous expression. "I knew it! You don't have anything to do this weekend and you felt left out!"
"THAT'S NOT TRUE! I DO NOT FEEL LEFT OUT!" He shouted in protest; standing up in his seat.
Auryn chuckled and waved his temper off. "Calm down, Katsuki," she said in a lazy tone; giving him a cheerful smile, "I was just pulling your chain. There's no need to make a fuss. Sit down before everyone thinks you're gonna blow me up or something."
Katsuki sighed and sat back down in the chair. Auryn then turned her smirk into a kind smile when she saw him relax in his seat, and started to clean off her desk.
"If you really what to know what I'm going to be doing this weekend, I'm going to go down by the river after school to do a little bit of training." Auryn said in a proud tone; giving Katsuki an arrogant smile.
"Training? What for?" Katsuki asked as he watched her put her things away.
Auryn groaned and put her bag on the hook on the edge of her desk. "My guardian wants me to do a little extra training this weekend so I can build the strength in my legs again." She explained in a tired tone; leaning back against her chair and covering her eyes with her arms. "It's not that I'm complaining or anything, but my evaluation is coming up and she wants me to be ready for it."
Katsuki raised a brow at her. "Evaluation? What KIND of evaluation?" He questioned in a curious tone.
Auryn rolled her eyes. "It's not what you're thinking." She said without missing a beat. "The Family doctor is just going to see how my bones and muscle tissue is healing." She said in a lazy tone; acting like it didn't bother her, but he could tell in her voice that she was a little nervous.
"Bones and muscle tissue? What are you talking about" He asked in a curious tone; looking her up and down.
Just as Auryn was about to respond, the bell rang and all the students began to leave the room. Auryn watched them all leave; before she got up and picked her bag up.
"I'll tell you about it on the way home." She said as she reached over towards to pick her bag.
Katsuki grabbed the bag out of her hand and threw it over his own bag. He then handed her the crutches and waited for her to join him at the door.
After they made it off school grounds, Auryn looked over at Katsuki, and saw that he had a serious look on his face. She had hoped that he had forgotten about what she told him at school, but it looked like she wasn't so lucky.
"Okay, here's the low-down," she said with a weary sigh, "the reason why I have to have an evaluation is to see how my bones are healing – nothing serious – just some x-rays. No big deal. I've been going to do them for a while now. It's nothing new to me. The whole muscle tissue-thing is just the ones around my bones." Auryn explained in a tired tone; stopping at the crosswalk.
"How exactly DID you get hurt in the first place?" Katsuki asked as he watched her throw her weight to the side so she would turn the corner.
"I was in a nasty car accident last year. My dumbass self wasn't wearing a safety belt and I went through the windshield. That's what happens when you don't wear a seatbelt so don't repeat my mistake and you won't turn out like me." She said with a playful wink; making him blush.
After a few moments of being stunned, Katsuki shook his head. "Damn that's real shitty." He said flatly; wincing at the images of a battered and broken Auryn lying in the streets.
Auryn shrugged her shoulders. "It's not so bad… Yeah, it hurt for a while, but now, I'm doing a whole lot better and pretty soon I'll be walking on my own and I'm chalking it off as a lesson learned." She said in a lazy tone; giving him a brave smile.
"I'll go with you." Katsuki said in a determined tone; not taking his eyes off of Auryn as she made her way over towards the last house on the edge of town.
Auryn missed a step and staggered forward. "What? Why?" She asked in a shocked tone; blinking up at the male beside her.
"What? Clean the shit outta your fucking ears!" He snapped in a defensive tone. "I said that I'm going with you and you're not gonna stop me!"
Auryn blinked a few more times at Katsuki – looking deeply into his eyes. She knew Katsuki well enough to know that he is Hell-bent once he made up his mind and it was extremely difficult to change his mind. And she once again found submitting to his demands.
"Fine. If you wanna waste your weekend on me – then I'm not gonna stop you. At least you'll be entertained when you get to see me fall flat on my face." Auryn said in a laid back tone; shrugging her shoulders in response.
Katsuki was about to protest, but he heard Auryn agreed to his demand, and stared blankly at her. "Good. Now, let's head over to my place so I can change my clothes. Then we'll head over to your place so you can change. We're closer to my house than we are to your house." He said in a final tone; looking around to make sure he was right.
Auryn shook her head. "I can change my clothes at your house because I have a change of clothes in my bag." She said with a shrug of her bony shoulders.
"Whatever."
After the two made it to Katsuki's house, they were bombarded by a woman that had the same ashy blonde hair as Katsuki (but it was much longer and more neater than his). She wasn't as fair-skinned as he was, but she could tell she was Katsuki's mother – or at the very least related to him.
"Welcome home, Katsuki! How was school?" She said in an excited tone; wrapping her arms around him.
She then let go of him and turned her attention back to the girl standing behind him. "Oh, you brought a friend home with you. My name Kyoko Bakugou! I'm this lil' dare devil's mother! It's so nice to meet you!" She exclaimed as she wrapped Auryn in a bear hug.
Auryn tensed up in the woman's arms. "Uh – it's nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Bakugou… M-my name is Auryn Honda." She responded politely.
"Oh, YOU'RE Auryn Honda?!" Mrs. Bakugou exclaimed in a surprised tone; letting the girl go and looking over at Katsuki. "Katsuki, you never told me that Auryn was THIS beautiful! And so polite, too!"
Auryn blushed madly and looked down at herself. "…Um, thank you…" She said in a modest tone. "I get it from my dad…"
"And modest to boot!" Mrs. Bakugou said in a pleased tone; smiling over at Katsuki. "You better treat this one right, son. She's a good match for you."
The two teens blushed beet red at the older woman's words. Auryn kept quiet, but Katsuki yelled at his mother – saying that Auryn was just a friend from school.
"Are you going to stay for dinner, Auryn? It'd be no problem and I'm sure you'd like to rest after coming all the way out here after a hard day at school." Mrs. Bakugou asked in a concerned tone; guiding the girl into the kitchen. "I've made some tea if you'd like some."
"SHE'S NOT STAYING FOR DINNER OR TEA!" Katsuki yelled as his mother ignored her son, and helped Auryn sit in a chair.
Auryn gave Katsuki a firm glare. "He's right, Mrs. Bakugou," she said with a shake of her head, "I'm only here so Katsuki and I could change our clothes and we're going to head out by the river so I can practice walking without my crutches."
Mrs. Bakugou sighed in disappointment. "Oh, I was hoping I could have a chance to get to know the girl my son always talks about." She said in a crestfallen tone; looking down at herself in shame.
Auryn whipped her head around to face Katsuki with a raised brow. "I wasn't aware that Katsuki talks about me…" She said in a clueless tone; giving his mother a happy smile. "But I'll be sure to have Katsuki home before dark. I'm sure there'll be plenty of chances for us to talk in the future, Mrs. Bakugou."
"I'M NOT A CHILD ANYMORE SO STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M STILL ONE! AND DON'T TALK ABOUT ME WHILE I'M STILL HERE!" He yelled in protest; holding his hand up and causing a small explosion to go off in his hand.
Mrs. Bakugou narrowed her eyes at the teen. "Well, go ahead and go change and you won't have to hear us talk then." She suggested in a light scolding tone; sticking her nose into the air.
Auryn watched as Katsuki huffed and stormed off towards the stairs she assumed lead up to his room. She then felt a small tap on her shoulder, and made her jerk away.
"I'm sorry for scaring you, sweetie. Katsuki told me about how you don't really liked being touched, but I didn't believe it until now." Mrs. Bakugou apologized. "Anyway, so, where are you going for training again? And what kind of training are you doing?"
Auryn looked down at her hands. "I'm going down to the river to practice walking without my crutches… I have an evaluation coming up and I want to try and get better so I won't have to use crutches anymore." She explained in a longing tone; looking up at Mrs. Bakugou with a sad smile. "I really want to be like everyone else again. And Katsuki said he wanted to come with me – for whatever reason – I don't know. I'm still not sure why he would want to waste his weekend with me, but he seems to have made up his mind and I can't stop him."
Mrs. Bakugou smirked knowingly at the girl in front of her. "I bet I know why he wants to spend time with you…" She said in a sing-song tone; getting up from her seat once again. "But I won't keep you two any longer. And if you're going to change your clothes, there's a bathroom right behind you, sweetie."
Auryn looked behind her and saw a corner and a doorknob sticking out of the wall. Auryn turned back around and nodded with a polite smile, as she picked up her crutches and her bag. She shifted herself over towards the wall and walked into the room.
She came out of the room dressed in the same style of clothes as she had worn before. And looked up to see Katsuki waiting for her; dressed in a black shirt and pants with white sneakers. She saw his muscled biceps and blushed faintly.
"Are you ready to go, Auryn?" Katsuki asked in a curious tone; watching Auryn lean her crutches against the wall so she could ease the strap of her backpack over her head.
Katsuki reached out and grabbed her bag out of her hands and walked away from the two females.
"Hey! That's my bag!" Auryn protested in a whiney tone; watching him move over towards the front door.
Katsuki opened the door and looked over his shoulder. "If you ever hope to see your bag in one piece; then you'll follow me." He said in a flat tone.
And just like that, he walked outside before anyone could say anything more. Auryn was left with her jaw slack and Mrs. Katsuki giggled nervously at her son.
"Wow, I've never seen Katsuki look so happy before!" Mrs. Bakugou said in an impressed tone; looking over at Auryn with a bright smile. "Please, keep doing whatever it is you're doing!"
Auryn tensed and shook her head. "Oh, no! I'm not doing anything special or anything!" She said quickly; blushing madly at the woman.
Mrs. Bakugou laughed and patted Auryn on her head. "Believe it or not, Auryn, but Katsuki is a lot calmer now than he was when he was younger. And I think YOU are the reason behind his change in behavior. And I'll prove it, too!" She said in a happy tone; leaning closer to her, and whispering in her ear. "Now, go on before he decides to blow up your bag! Have fun, do your best, and try not to push yourself too hard, okay?"
After the two finally made it to the river, Katsuki helped Auryn down by the bank, and they walked over towards the bridge. He sat her bag (which was shockingly NOT damaged) and turned to look over at her.
"Okay, so how exactly are you planning on practicing walking without your crutches?" Katsuki asked in a blunt tone; watching Auryn slip out of her crutches and leaned them against the wall next to her bag.
"How do you think?" Auryn asked in a quirky tone; giving Katsuki a playful smirk; turning around to face him. "But since you're here, how about you be my motivation?"
Katsuki snapped to attention and looked over at her with a curious look. "And just how am I supposed to do that?" He asked in a confused tone; tilting his head to the side.
"Well, how about we try the long jump without the jumping?" Auryn suggested in an unsure tone; then quickly shaking her head when she saw Katsuki's jaw drop. "I mean where you stand a few meters away and I walk over towards you!"
Katsuki shrugged and turned around to walked away from her. He then turned back from her. "Are you sure about this, Auryn?" He questioned in a slightly worried tone. "You don't think your asthma will flare up or anything, do you?"
Auryn shrugged her shoulders. "I've got my inhaler just in case." She said in a lazy tone; pulling out the device from her pocket and showing him. "Besides, I have to take a chance if I ever want to be able to walk on my own again, right? Well, here it goes. I'm gonna take it slow so just be patient with me, okay?"
And just as she finished talking, Auryn took a few steps forward; walking slowly over towards the male. She felt a sharp pain shoot up her legs as she put her full weight on her legs, and tensed her whole body up; making her stop in her tracks.
Katsuki called out to Auryn, but she looked up at him with a determined glare. She gritted her teeth at him, and told him to stay where he was. Against his better judgment, he did as she told him, and stayed still; watching her took a few deep breaths.
After she finally made it to him, she looked up at him with a brave smile. "See, Katsuki? I told you I could do it." She said in a cocky tone. "How about we take it to the next level and you go further back? I know I can do better than this."
Katsuki stared down at Auryn for a few moments. He was actually about to tell her to stop, but he saw how determined she was, so he gave up and nodded. He jogged a little bit further away from her, and turned back around to face her.
Auryn nodded and began to walk towards him once again. They did this for another hour or so until they realized that they were pretty far away from Auryn's belongings. So, Katsuki suggested that they move back towards her belongings. He then reasoned with her saying that it was just a little bit more exorcise and that they could take a break then. Auryn then smiled back at him and watched as he ran past her and stopped right next to her bag and crutches. He then told her to come over.
After about a few more steps, Auryn had to stop to catch her breath. She then pulled out her inhaler and took a quick draw of the vapor. She heard Katsuki yell after her, but she shook her head and started walking again.
"Come on, Auryn! I know you can make it!" He yelled after her; urging her to keep going. "You're half way there! Keep going!"
By this time, Auryn's legs felt like they were on fire. The pain was starting to be too overwhelming for her, but she was determined to reach him. She wasn't pushing herself this hard for her own benefit; she was secretly pushing herself for Katsuki. She didn't want to always have to rely on him or anyone else. She had her fill of that to last her a lifetime, and she was Hell-bent to see it through.
"Okay, Auryn. I think that's enough for today." He called out; walking over towards her. He could tell she was at her limits and that she could seriously get hurt if she kept going. He knew it was wrong to let this go on – but he also wanted to take this chance to hold her. But he doesn't realize that he would ultimately get his chance either way.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" She screamed at the top of her lungs; making him stop dead in his tracks. "I'M GOING TO FINISH EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!"
And with that being promised, she took another step. "I have to keep going. Just a little more… more… more…" She grunted out in a deadly tone; keeping her focus on the boy as tears streamed down her face.
"Just stay there and I'll get you, damnit! You'll just tear yourself apart if you keep going!" He shouted angrily; panic starting to rise in his voice.
Auryn shook her head and took another step forward. "Keep going… don't quit… keep fighting… I can do this… this pain… is nothing compared to what I've been through…" She said between steps.
She finally stopped just a few feet in front of him, and he darted over towards before she collapsed against his broad frame. He wrapped his arms around her body, and held her close to him; keeping one hand around her waist and the other around her shoulders.
"You see, Katsuki? I told you I can do it." She whispered in a throaty tone; giving him a weaken smile.
Katsuki bit his lower lip and looked down at her. "Yeah, but who knows if what you just did back there made things worse! You shouldn't wear yourself out like that!" He said in a harsh tone; looking away from her. "But… I'm still proud of you."
Without another word, he picked her up bridle style, and carried her over towards her belongings. He sat her down on the ground, and took a seat next to her. He was so close to her that he was almost sitting on her lap.
"Why, Auryn? Why did you push yourself so hard?" Katsuki asked in a worried tone; watching her pant and try to catch her breath. "You're not having another asthma attack, are you?"
Auryn lay down on her back and looked up at the bridge above them. "No, Katsuki, I'm not having another asthma attack. I'm just out of breath. There's a difference." She said in a reassuring tone; not taking her eyes off the bridge. "And the reason why I pushed myself so hard is because I WANT to get better. I've had my fill of having to rely on others – and I don't want people to pity me. If there's one thing I can't stand more than my family – it's the looks I get from people."
Katsuki joined Auryn on the ground, and rested his hands behind his head. "I can understand that, but you should learn when to stop while you're ahead. You're only going to hurt yourself worse than you already are if you keep doing that." He said in an embarrassed tone; looking over at her with a crooked smile. "Besides, I actually don't mind you having to rely on me for help. In fact, I kinda LIKE it."
Auryn rolled over on her side and pushed herself up on her elbows. "Seriously? You actually LIKE carrying my things around and it doesn't bother you in the slightest?" She questioned in a skeptical tone; leaning over to look at his face.
Katsuki smiled broadly at her. "The only fucking thing I hate is when you go into an asthma attack. Nothing scares me more than seeing you like that." He said in an honest tone; his smile turning into a frown.
Auryn blinked down at him in surprise. "YOU?! Katsuki Bakugou?! Scared?! Ha! Don't make me laugh! You don't get scared! You're the bravest person I know!" She said in a mocking tone; giggling softly at him.
Katsuki sat up from his place on the ground and gave Auryn a serious look. "I'm serious, Auryn. I was scared out of my mind when you fell back in the classroom. I may have helped you get your inhaler to you, but inside, I was totally freaking out back there. I-I never want to see you like that ever again. You hear me? So, you better take it easy and realize your own fucking limits! Got it?" He said in a deadly tone; giving her a warning glare.
Auryn looked over at him for a moment, and sighed. "That was just a freak accident, Katsuki. I'm sorry I scared you like that… it's not like I did it on purpose or anything. But I understand your concern, and I promise to be more careful from now on." She said in a gentle tone; laying back down on her back.
She closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them up to look up at the sky. The sun was setting. She sighed once again, and looked over at Katsuki with a brave smile.
"It's getting pretty late. We should start heading home soon." She spoke in a caring tone; starting to get up off the ground.
Katsuki groaned and stood up from the ground. He reached down and picked Auryn's things up before he scooped her up in his arms; earning a sharp yelp of surprise. She tried to get out of his arms, but he tightened his grip on her bony frame, and looked down at her.
"YOU'VE done enough walking for one day. Just sit tight, relax, and enjoy the ride." He said in a gentle tone; walking over towards the stairs and up the hill.
Auryn gave up struggling against him when she saw how determined he was. He made his way down the sidewalk and carried all the way towards the crosswalk where they normally parted ways. Auryn looked up at Katsuki and noticed he was looking down the roads where one lead to his house and the other lead to hers. He finally decided to turn to walk down the sidewalk that lead to his house.
"What are you doing, Katsuki? My house is in the other direction." Auryn protested in a curious tone; pointing behind him.
"What the fuck does it look like? I'm taking you to my house." He responded in a blunt tone; not missing a beat as he kept his eyes forward.
Auryn gasped in shock and struggled against him. "No, stop! It's getting too late to be visiting your place! I can make it back to my house before dark!" She shouted frantically; struggling against him more urgently.
Katsuki growled annoyingly at her. "Just chill out, okay? You can stay in our guest room for the night! It's not going to kill you to stay over for ONE night for fuck's sake! What? Do you really think I'm gonna stoop low enough to attack you in your sleep or something? Give me a break! I thought you trusted me more than that!" He growled angrily at the girl in his arms.
Auryn groaned and rolled her eyes at him. "I know you wouldn't do anything like that. You're not that stupid." She protested in a grumpy tone. "And it's not that I don't trust you or anything like that."
"Then what's the fucking problem?! Are you worried about my mom bothering you or something? 'Cause if you are, I'll make sure she leaves you alone if that's the case." He said in a more gentler tone; keeping his eyes focused on the sidewalk ahead.
"…That's not it, either…" Auryn mumbled incoherently; sighing at the realization that he wouldn't leave her alone if she didn't speak up. "It's just that… I've never stayed over at anyone's house before…"
Katsuki shrugged his shoulders. "Too bad. You're staying over at my place tonight. Deal with it." He said in a rough tone.
"But why? Why do you want to stay over with you so badly?" Auryn asked in a pleading tone; looking up at him with begging eyes.
"I just want you to, dammit! Stop bitching about it and get over it!" Katsuki snapped annoyingly at her and tightened his grip in response. "Besides, I've got something I really need to tell you when we get there."
Auryn sighed and gave up. She knew she was trapped and couldn't get away. She might as well make the most of it. The only thing she should be worried about now is what his mother was going to say when she sees her son carrying her in his arms.
"Fine. You win. But I want something in return for you kidnapping me." Auryn replied in a defeated tone; looking up at Katsuki with a serious look in her eyes.
Katsuki raised a brow at her. "What's that?" He asked in a demanding tone; giving her a rough glare.
"First off, I want YOU to put me down before we get to your house. I don't want your mother getting the wrong idea if she sees you carrying me around like a corpse." She said in a serious tone; giving him a determined look. "I don't think it'd kill me to take at least a few steps before we get to the front door."
Katsuki thought about for a minute before he nodded in compliance. "That's only fair." He said in a relenting tone. "Anything else?"
Auryn nodded in return. "Yeah, I wanna do a tarot reading on you. It's a simple game and since I'm your guest it's only good manners that we do at least ONE THING I wanna do while I'm there." She suggested in a calm tone; hoping he wouldn't freak out on her for the suggesting.
"Deal." He said in a steady tone; grinning at her with a cockiness shining in his eyes…