A/N: Guess who started getting this ready three weeks in advance, so it wouldn't be like last time with the Christmas special? THIS BITCH

Guess who still ended up being late? THIS BITCH

NOTES:
-Takes place during the Cultural Festival Arc, maybe a week or so after the class decided on doing a live show for the festival (I'm so glad we're finally at this arc in the anime, it's my favorite! :D)
-Told from Bakugou's perspective
-Bakugou and Hitomi are mutually pining at this point
-Fluff, fluff, and only fluff (well, maybe some slight angst if you squint)
-This thing is sappy okay. Like good god. It's sickening
-Bakugou's a very flustered boi
-I don't think I'll make this canon lol

Please check the art for this one-shot! I poured my heart and soul into drawing them, and they were the main reason I was late in posting this on Valentine's Day. So check them out, or heck, read this on AO3 or Wattpad, since the pics are formatted within the chapter already. (Just search up "I Provide Protection" or my username (PuffedGill) on those sites, and you should find my account! :3)

Art - Add /2ww5us1i203 to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

Megumi Fuyasugi ( 愛 増偽)
Quirk: Love Spell (愛の呪縛 Ai no Jubaku)

If you are hit with this quirk, you will fall in love with the first person you make eye contact with. However, the intensity of that love depends on the current way you feel about that person! For example, if you have no romantic feelings for them at all, you'll develop simple infatuation. However, if you're already in love with that person, your feelings will be amplified to a ridiculous degree.

How long the quirk's effect will last depends on how strongly the affected's feelings have increased.

...

Bakugou didn't know what the fuck was going on right now.

Getting his feelings played around with, what kind of shitty rom com anime was this?!

When Hitomi had said, and quite loudly, "I like you, date me," it had practically fried his brain.

Round Face had taken her to the nurse's office to try and find out how to reverse this shitty situation they'd been put in, and now Hitomi was going to be out of class for the rest of the day.

But Bakugou still didn't know what the fuck was happening.

Earlier that day…

Hitomi was making her way back to the lunchroom, listening to Uraraka talk avidly about how their dance practice was going for the cultural festival. It'd only been a few days since they'd settled on what they were going to do, but Hitomi was already having a lot of fun preparing for it.

As they walked down the hall to their class, there was a group of second-years standing around by the window. They were all laughing pretty loudly about something, starting to get rowdy with each other.

As Uraraka and Hitomi passed by, one of the second-years stepped back, waving her arm at the group sheepishly. "Oh, come on guys!" she laughed. "I'm telling you, it's not that serious-!" She stumbled back into Hitomi, the impact so hard her glasses got jostled and began falling from her face.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion.

As the glasses slipped down her nose, the girl's head swiveled around to look at Hitomi, the two of them making eye contact. As Hitomi was pushed back, there was suddenly an explosion, the two of them shrouded in pink smoke and the odd scent of chocolate and strawberries.

Bakugou was actually not too far behind the other two girls, making his way back to class by himself. When the smoke finally cleared, Hitomi had opened her eyes to see Bakugou standing over her, holding her up by her arms.

"Fucking hell, Moon Face," he grumbled, staring down at her. "Watch where you're going."

Hitomi didn't say anything, simply staring at him with her eyes wide.

After a few bouts of silence, Bakugou finally hoisted her up, scoffing as he brushed past her to head into their classroom.

Hitomi simply stared at him as he made his way to his seat, before she was finally snapped out of her trance as both Uraraka and the second-year ran over to her.

"Hitomi, are you okay?!"

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

Hitomi shrugged, scratching the back of her neck. "I'm fine. It's no worries."

"No, you don't understand," the second-year protested, holding her hands up worriedly. "You got hit by my quirk…!"

Uraraka slammed her fist on her palm. "I knew it! That pink smoke cloud had to have been for a reason!"

Hitomi's eyes widened, before she pulled back her sleeve, inspecting her arm. "Well, I don't feel any different…"

"Listen, uh, Kanetsukabe, was it?" Hitomi nodded, prompting the girl to place her hand on Hitomi's shoulder. "It won't exactly… transform you, per say. Um, how do I put this…"

The girl pulled her hand away from Hitomi to place a finger on her chin, humming in thought. "It's like… uh…" She nodded, before letting her hand fall to her side. "To put it simply, it makes you fall in love with the first person you make eye contact with."

"EEEH?!" Uraraka exclaimed, feeling worry bubble up for the blunette. "How long is it going to last? Can we reverse it?"

As Uraraka and the second-year discussed the effects of her quirk, Hitomi turned back to the classroom door at the sound of her other classmates returning from the cafeteria. As they entered the room, Hitomi found herself staring at Bakugou through the open doorway. Unconsciously, her legs started drifting towards him, both Uraraka and the second-year too distracted to notice.

Her classmates paid her no mind as she made her way over, as it wasn't out of the ordinary for her to pass by Bakugou since they sat in the same row. The boys of the Bakusquad were seated around Bakugou's desk, conversing together as Bakugou only pretended he wasn't listening. Hitomi stepped in front of his desk, drawing their attention to her as she stared at the ash blonde blankly.

"You need something, 'Tomi?" Kaminari asked her.

They were all startled as Hitomi suddenly slammed her hands on Bakugou's desk, the class falling quiet at the loud sound. Hitomi leaned over the desk slightly, bringing her face closer to Bakugou's.

"I like you," she declared into the silent room. "Date me."

The boys' faces all went blank.

"Eh."

"Eh?"

"EEEEEEEEEHHHHH?!"

The entire class erupted into chaos, everyone clamoring around Bakugou's desk at the exchange.

"A confession?!"

"Oh my god!"

"Kanetsukabe-san, did you really just-?!"

"Holy shit!"

"Hitomi and Bakugou, huh?"

"Are you being serious right now?"

"Hitomi likes Bakugou?!"

"Woah," Kirishima said, struggling to stay upright as Mina jumped on his back trying to get a better look. He suddenly grinned. "Where'd this come from all of a sudden?"

"You have a crush?!" Sero exclaimed.

"ON BAKUGOU?!" Kaminari screamed.

"Aaaahh, stop, stop!"

Uraraka rushed into the room, waving her arms frantically to stop the class' disarray. "Everyone stop! Calm down!"

The class quieted slightly at Uraraka's orders as the brunette stopped by Hitomi. She faced the class, staring at them all sternly. "This isn't what you think it is! Hitomi got hit with a quirk! Apparently it makes you fall in love with the first person you make eye contact with," Uraraka explained, holding her hands up. "So don't misunderstand the situation!"

At that the class seemed to settle down.

"Aww, just a quirk?" Mina whined, her lips pursed in a pout.

"Thank god," Kaminari breathed out, leaning back in his chair. "I couldn't believe Hitomi would like Bakugou of all people…"

Bakugou finally snapped out of his shock, shooting Kaminari a menacing glare. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?!"

"I do like him!" Hitomi asserted, her fists clenching. "I love Bakugou with all my heart!"

Bakugou's face turned bright red. "Huh?!"

"Ahh, Hitomi!" Uraraka grabbed Hitomi's shoulders, trying to pull her away. "Stop, you're embarrassing him! You're under the effects of a quirk right now!"

Hitomi pulled away from her, shaking her head frantically. "It's not just the quirk! My feelings are real!"

Bakugou lost all coherent thought.

Uraraka grabbed Hitomi's wrist, finally dragging her away from his desk. "This is bad. Sorry about all this, Bakugou!" she called behind her as they left the classroom. "Hitomi, we're going to the nurse's office."

…

Recovery Girl shined a light in Hitomi's eye, seeing the faint pink line of a heart in her iris. "Tell me again how this happened."

"Right!" The second-year adjusted her glasses, taking a deep breath. "I stumbled into Kanetsukabe, and my glasses fell off. My quirk is activated by both touch and eye contact, and I can't control it, which is why I wear these."

Recovery Girl nodded slowly, putting her light away. "Right. And what does it do?"

"Essentially, you fall in love with the first person you make eye contact with. But, well, the… intensity, I guess? Of that love, it depends on how you already feel about that person."

Recovery Girl turned to Uraraka. "And what happened after she got hit?"

Uraraka scratched the back of her head. "She… confessed to Bakugou. She asked him to go out with her, and said she loved him with all her heart."

"I see. It seems the first person she made eye contact with was Bakugou, then." Recovery Girl shook her head, sighing. "Oh, that poor boy, getting his feelings played around with…"

"Wait," the second-year chimed in. "If she said something like that, does that mean… Kanetsukabe, do you like Bakugou?"

Hitomi nodded avidly, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "I do! I love him!"

Uraraka let out an exhale. "I think that's just the quirk talking. Hitomi and Bakugou are really good friends, so I guess it's not out of the question for her 'love' to be this strong."

The second-year looked unconvinced, but nodded nonetheless. "...Right."

She highly doubted Uraraka's words. There's no way platonic love could turn into this. But, if her kouhai hadn't realized Hitomi may hold some not-so-platonic feelings for Bakugou, she wasn't going to push it. It wasn't her place to pry.

The four of them all turned to the sound of the door opening, seeing Aizawa entering the room. He scratched the back of his head, sighing as he made his way over. "Explain to me how Kanetsukabe ended up here."

Recovery Girl, Uraraka, and the second-year all relayed the story to Aizawa, while Hitomi simply swung her legs back and forth on the bed, staring at her own shoes.

After Uraraka had finished explaining everything to their homeroom teacher, Aizawa picked his ear absentmindedly. "I can't reverse it."

"Eh? You can't?!"

Aizawa shook his head. "The quirk's already been put into effect and 'changed' her, so to say. If I used my quirk on Kanetsukabe, it'd only erase her quirk, not Fuyasugi's. And if I used Erasure on Fuyasagi now, it'd only prevent her from using it further, not cancel out what's already been done."

Recovery Girl sighed sighed. "I was afraid of that."

"All you can do now is let the effects of Love Spell run its course. How long is it supposed to last?"

Fuyasugi hummed in thought. "It depends on how strongly their feelings have increased. For Kanetsukabe, though, I'd give an estimate of about 2 whole days or so."

"Will this hinder her studies?"

The second-year's eyebrows furrowed. "It might. Based on what happened earlier at lunch today, she'll probably want to be near Bakugou as much as she can. It might be better to keep them separated."

"Eh?" Hitomi cut in, finally participating in the discussion. "You're going to separate us?!"

Uraraka waved her arms at the bluenette, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "O-Only for a little, Hitomi! Just until the quirk wears off!"

Hitomi looked distraught. "But… I don't want to be away from him! Being away from him…" She cradled her hand against her chest, grasping her shirt and crumpling her uniform. "It hurts to not be able to see him!"

Aizawa stared at her with a deadpan expression, his eyebrow twitching slightly. "This is going to be a problem. Uraraka."

"Yes?"

"I'm leaving you in charge of keeping her in line. If she starts to get out of hand, you have my permission to use your quirk on her until she settles down. Now take her back to the dorms. You're both excused from class and your remedial lessons for the rest of the day."

Uraraka nodded, pulling Hitomi up from the bed and keeping a firm grip on her friend's wrist. "Right! You can count on me, sensei! Now come on, Hitomi, let's go."

"HITOMI, STOP!"

Uraraka lunged for the bluenette, only for Hitomi to turn the corner and cause Uraraka to nosedive to the floor.

"Ack!"

"Bakugou!"

Their classmates turned to the sound of the voice as they stepped through the front door, only for Hitomi to shove past them and tackle Bakugou in a big hug.

"WHA-?!"

"Welcome home, Bakugou!" Hitomi said cheerfully, smiling brightly at him.

Even Bakugou's ears were red at their sudden closeness. "WH-WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Eeeehh?" Kaminari whined. "Why can't Hitomi greet me like that?"

Bakugou grabbed Hitomi's shoulder, shooting him a death stare. "Shut up, you fucking dumbass! This is from that shitty quirk, remember?!"

Mina smiled mischievously at the ash blonde. "But you like it, don't you? Must be nice!"

Bakugou's face turned even redder. "SH-SHUT UP! NO I DON'T!"

Hitomi tilted her head up, closing her eyes. Everyone fell silent at the action.

"...the fuck are you doing?"

"Waiting for a kiss," Hitomi said nonchalantly.

Bakugou's brain practically exploded.

The Bakusquad burst out laughing, some of their classmates shaking their heads in exasperation as they headed on to their rooms.

"HITOMI!"

Uraraka had finally picked herself up from the floor, trying to pull Hitomi away from Bakugou with all her might. Hitomi was stubborn, keeping an iron grip on the poor boy.

"Hitomi!" Uraraka scolded her. "Let go!"

"No!"

Bakugou had finally recovered from his daze, grabbing Hitomi's arms and doing his best to pry them off of him. "Let go!"

"But whyyyy?" Hitomi whined. "I haven't gotten my kiss yet!"

"I'M NOT FUCKING KISSING YOU!"

Hitomi flinched at that, finally letting go. "Oh…"

In the blink of an eye she was crouching on the floor, facing the wall as she sulked.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Bakugou screeched.

Mina, Kaminari and Sero started laughing even harder, the latter bending over and slapping his leg, unable to stay upright.

"STOP LAUGHING!"

Uraraka ran over to Hitomi, crouching down next to her and patting her back. "Hitomi," she started slowly. "You need to go back to your room."

Hitomi shook her head, Uraraka noticing she was sniffling. "I'm not moving from this spot," she mumbled.

The brunette rubbed her back tenderly, trying to convince her. "Come on. Why not?"

Hitomi suddenly burst into tears, her loud cries making Bakugou and Uraraka flinch. "Bakugou won't kiss me!" she wailed. "Even though I love him so much!"

"No, you don't!" Bakugou screamed, his entire face red. "You're under a fucking quirk, Moon Face!"

Hitomi's cries got even louder, more tears flowing down her cheeks. "I do! My feelings aren't fake, Baka-gou!"

Bakugou's jaw clenched in irritation. He hadn't heard her call him that since Yaoyorozu's birthday. "Yes, they are!" he argued back.

The Bakusquad members were still rolling around on the floor laughing, the three of them holding their stomachs as they struggled to breathe.

Hitomi got up from the floor, wiping her tears. "If you don't believe me…" She suddenly lunged for Bakugou, throwing her arms out towards him. "I'll prove it!"

Bakugou flinched back, tripping on the genkan step as Hitomi was heading straight for him. There was suddenly a pink glow, Hitomi getting lifted up into the air. Uraraka was holding onto her wrist, keeping her from floating all the way to the ceiling.

"Finally got her!" Uraraka cheered, her grip firm. Hitomi flailed as she stayed afloat, trying to reach for the poor boy who'd been backed into the front door.

"Uraraka!" Hitomi whined, her arm outstretched as she floated so she was upside down. "Let me kiss him!"

Uraraka pulled her away, finally giving Bakugou a chance to breathe. "No, Hitomi!" she scolded, sounding much like an exasperated mother berating their child. "Stop forcing yourself onto him!"

Hitomi's eyes shone with tears. "But, I…"

"Think about how Bakugou feels!" Uraraka exclaimed, giving her a stern glare. "If you love him so much, you don't want to make him uncomfortable, right? Wouldn't you rather wait until he wants to kiss you, so he can show how much he loves you?"

Bakugou practically choked on his own spit. "WHAT?!"

Hitomi sniffled, wiping her nose. She gave a timid nod in agreement. "...Yes."

Uraraka huffed, heading to the elevators to take the bluenette back to her bedroom.

"Sorry, Bakugou!" she called over her shoulder as she dragged Hitomi away. "I'm going to try keeping a closer eye on her this time!"

Bakugou watched as they promptly left, in utter disbelief. Mina, Sero, and Kaminari had finally picked themselves up from the floor, wiping their tears.

"...what the hell was that?" Bakugou muttered.

"That was gold," Sero chuckled.

Mina elbowed Bakugou, giving him a smirk. "Well~? Whatcha gonna do about this whole thing? Hitomi said she loves you, after all!"

Bakugou brushed past her, the three of them trailing after him to go to their rooms. "Nothing," he growled. "She's only saying that because she got hit with a fucking quirk. Were you not listening to Round Face earlier?!"

Mina pouted as the four of them waited for the elevator. "Ehhh? You're no fun!"

"Say…" Kaminari hummed as the doors finally opened, the group stepping inside. "What are we gonna do about band practice if she's acting like that?"

"We can't just sit around and wait for the quirk to wear off," Bakugou huffed. "We'll just have to carry on practice like normal."

…

There's no way they could carry on like normal with Hitomi like this.

Jirou, Kaminari, Tokoyami, and Yaoyorozu all watched exasperatedly as Bakugou screamed, trying his best to pry Hitomi off of him as he pushed her face away.

"STOP! WE HAVE TO PRACTICE!"

"I know!" Hitomi whined. "But I want a kiss first!"

"I already said, I'm not kissing you!"

Instead of sulking against the wall and crying like the last time, Hitomi only tried leaning in closer, continuing to whine. "Why noooot? Just one! Pleaaaaase?"

"NO!" Bakugou shrieked, leaning back as far as he could while still being stuck in Hitomi's arms. "NO WAY IN HELL!"

"But why?! I gotta show you how much I love you!"

Bakugou's face turned bright red at that last part. "B-Because!" he stuttered, still struggling against Hitomi's hold. "Taking advantage of you and stealing your first kiss, that's the worst thing someone could do, you idiot! Save it for someone you actually like!"

"But I do like you!"

Bakugou spluttered, choking on his own spit and struggling to form any coherent words as Kaminari finally lost it, bursting into laughter. Yaoyorozu stepped forward, feeling the need to step in.

"Bakugou-san," she said delicately, "we aren't going to get anything done today if Hitomi keeps whining like this."

"THEN WHY COULDN'T ROUND FACE JUST WATCH HER LIKE AIZAWA SAID TO?!"

Tokoyami tuned his guitar, plucking the strings. "Uraraka must also practice. She has her own part to play, after all."

Jirou nodded along with him. "Yeah. The festival's in two weeks, and Hitomi still needs to practice, too. Three days is a lot to lose, and we don't want to mess up our show, right?"

Hitomi tried diving in for another kiss, but Bakugou barely dodged it and shoved her face away. "Then what the fuck are we supposed to do about this?!"

Kaminari wiped away the tears that had formed in his eyes, finally calmed down from his laughter. "If this is really such a problem…

Why not give her what she wants?"

Bakugou practically took a spit take.

"WHAT?!" he screeched. "Did you seriously not hear a word of what I just said?! I'm not stealing Kanetsukabe's first kiss, asshole!"

"What a strange way to phrase it," Kaminari mumbled to himself, suppressing the urge to laugh again.

Jirou hummed in thought. "You know what, that could actually work!"

"HUH?!"

Hitomi was still whining, completely ignorant to the conversation happening around her.

Jirou snapped her fingers, pointing at Bakugou. "She said we can start practice as soon as she gets a kiss, right? So, why not just do it? If she keeps complaining about this, we might not get anything done today."

Bakugou's face was never going to return to its original color. "ARE YOU FUCKING HIGH OR SOME SHIT?!"

"Perhaps it doesn't have to be a direct kiss," Tokoyami stated absentmindedly, still tuning his guitar. "A kiss on the cheek could suffice."

"Hitomi," Yaoyorozu said, placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Hitomi finally turned her head away from Bakugou, staring at her curiously. "You'd be okay with a kiss on the cheek, right?"

Hitomi nodded avidly. "Yeah! Anything to show my love!"

Yaoyorozu stared at Bakugou sternly. "There's your answer, Bakugou-san."

Bakugou choked on air, his face so very much red.

He tried to say something, anything to protest against this, say this was stupid, but all the words died in his throat. Finally, he relented, grumbling as he loosened his grip on Hitomi's arms.

I can't believe we're fucking doing this, he thought to himself.

Bakugou closed his eyes, tense as he felt Hitomi's stare. "W-Well…?" he mumbled. "...Hurry it up, Moon Face. Cheek only." He peeked an eye open to see Hitomi smile brightly at him, trying to squash the jitters in his stomach that came from the sight of it.

Bakugou closed his eyes again as Hitomi leaned forward, feeling her press her lips against his cheek. Her lips felt warm, soft, and it only made more blood rush to his face. Bakugou finally opened his eyes as Hitomi pulled away, letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

He watched as she brushed some of her blue hair behind her ear, gulping as she stared at him expectantly.

"What…?"

Hitomi turned her head to the side, looking like she was waiting for something. "I kissed you, so now it's your turn," she hummed.

Bakugou flinched, stepping back. "WHA-!"

He turned back to the rest of the band, only to see everyone nod at him, sending the message to just do it. Bakugou scowled, his hands trembling as he turned back to Hitomi, seeing she was still waiting.

"If I do this," Bakugou huffed, "do you promise to let us move on to band practice…?"

Hitomi nodded, pushing some more of her hair back. "Promise!"

Bakugou gulped, the jitters in his stomach becoming too erratic to ignore. He stepped forward tentatively, his hands shaking as he placed his hands on Hitomi's shoulders.

Unlike Hitomi's, his kiss was quick, abrupt, and Bakugou was a blushing mess. He felt like an elementary schooler kissing his first crush.

Once he'd pulled away, he heard whistling behind him, turning around to see Kaminari cupping his hands around his mouth. "Bakugou out here gettin' it!" he cheered.

Bakugou made incoherent noises, his voice garbled in his throat as he held back the urge to lunge for Kaminari and possibly break his guitar.

"Fuck off, Dunce Face!"

Hitomi giggled, smiling in satisfaction as she stepped towards her mic. "No need to be shy, Bakugou!" she laughed, grasping the handle. "There's nothing wrong with showing how much I love you."

"That's- you- you're not- UGH!" Bakugou stomped towards his drum set, completely fed up. He plopped himself into his seat, grabbing his drumsticks. "I've had enough of this bullfuckery," he scowled. "Let's just get this over with already."

As he tapped his drumsticks to launch their band into the beginning of the song, the thought lingered in the back of his mind...

Stop saying you love me.

Stop playing with my feelings.

Stop telling me lies.

After 24 hours, Bakugou had already stopped bothering.

Hitomi was relentless, wanting to be with him whenever she could, extremely adamant about kissing him. The only times Hitomi didn't try her damndest to be close to him was during class, too fearful of Aizawa's wrath to try anything.

Uraraka had used her quirk on Hitomi too many times to count in the day and a half Hitomi had been affected so far, often having to drag her away like she was a balloon. Uraraka was doing her best to keep Hitomi and Bakugou separated, but there was only so much she could do. She couldn't keep an eye on her every waking minute of the day.

And that's why Bakugou was sitting on the couch defeatedly, trying to read his book as Hitomi was snuggled up against his arm. He'd blown through his homework unbelievably fast, and for once, found the common area was empty. He'd decided to read a book on the couches while he still had the chance, not in the mood to stay cooped up in his room all day.

Unfortunately for him, since he'd finished his homework so fast, that meant Round Face and the rest of the work study group were still at their remedial lessons.

Which meant no one was around to make sure Hitomi didn't bother him.

Bakugou sighed as he turned the page, trying to ignore the fact his other arm had been essentially immobilized because Hitomi was hugging it.

When he'd first seen the common area was empty, he'd gone back to his room, intending to bring a book down to read. Luck just wasn't on his side, because when he came down the second time, Hitomi was down there too, rummaging through the cupboards to likely find a snack.

Bakugou had tried to be discreet, not wanting to go back to his room just because Hitomi was there. He wasn't going to just run away! He was going to hang out in the common room like he wanted to.

So he tried to be sneaky, creeping to the couches as quietly as he could so Hitomi wouldn't notice him. He'd almost made it, before he hit his foot on the table leg on accident and swore. Very loudly.

So now Bakugou was sitting in the common area, trying to read with Hitomi practically glued to his arm.

"Hey, hey, Bakugou," Hitomi droned, finally breaking the silence. "Whatcha reading?"

She leaned over, finally letting go of his arm and flopping over to lay in his lap. Bakugou's breath hitched at the sudden closeness, the boy abruptly pulling his book out of the way. His cheeks turned red as Hitomi rolled over in his lap to look up at him, her large silver eyes making it hard for him to concentrate.

"Bakugoooooouu," Hitomi drawled, making him realize he was staring. He quickly turned his attention back to his book, trying his best to ignore the fact the girl he liked was literally lying in his lap.

"Bakugou," Hitomi said again, tugging his shirt. "Tell me what you're reading."

Bakugou sighed, placing his thumb on the page he was reading and closing the book around it. He looked to the side, avoiding Hitomi's stare. "A mystery novel about this guy who finds a letter telling him he lost his memories," Bakugou mumbled. "He can either choose to move on or try to get his memories back, and so far he's been trying to find ways to remember. Apparently something horrible happened to whoever sent him the letter, but I haven't found out what that is yet."

"Mystery novel, huh…?" Hitomi hummed. She smiled fondly at him, nuzzling herself further into his lap. "You sure like those kinds of things, huh? Stuff that makes you think."

Bakugou huffed, opening his book to continue reading. "You're the same," he mumbled. "Although, I guess it's not as nerdy as the science shit you love so much."

"But it's so interesting, though!" Hitomi pouted. She tugged his shirt again, puffing her cheeks out. "Learning about the stars, the planets, seeing how science-fiction can utilize those and come up with new things. Even if it is nerdy, you can't tell me that's not cool."

"Only a nerd like you would say 'utilize' in a normal sentence," Bakugou snorted, turning the page.

Hitomi hmphed in response, before closing her eyes. Bakugou hadn't realized she'd gone quiet, too caught up in his book until the work study group returned from their remedial lessons, 30 minutes later.

"Hey, Bakugou!" Uraraka exclaimed, snapping him out of his reading. She skipped over to the couches, leaning over the backrest. "Not too much trouble with Hitomi, I hope? Oh." She blinked, taking in the sight of Hitomi resting in his lap, breathing softly.

Midoriya stopped beside the brunette, his eyebrows raising into his hair. "She's asleep," he pointed out.

Bakugou paused, looking down to see that yes, Hitomi had decided to take a nap right now. His face flushed as the embarrassment came flooding in. "Wha-!"

Kirishima joined them, grinning as he took in his best friend's sleeping form. "She looks so peaceful."

"So Bakugou," Uraraka started, clapping her fingers together, "Hitomi didn't bother you too much, did she…?"

Bakugou grunted, snapping his book shut quietly as he willed his blush to fade. "...Not really. We've just been sitting here for a while now."

Uraraka breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness… Well, I'm going to head up to my room, then. The quirk will probably wear off by tomorrow. It doesn't seem like she'll cause too much trouble right now since she's sleeping, but let me know if you need me to watch her."

The work study group gave him waves (or a polite nod, in Tokoyami's case) as they made their way to the elevators to go back to their rooms. As the doors slid open, some of their classmates stepped out, making idle chatter and likely done with their homework.

"Hey, Bakugou!" Kaminari said cheerfully, making his way over. He stopped by the edge of the couch, blinking at the sight of Hitomi. "Oooh, what's this~? Thought you didn't like her being this way. Who would've thought you would've been all lovey dovey with her as soon as you two were alone!"

All the blush came rushing back to Bakugou's face as Kaminari winked, shooting him a smirk. "You sly dog!"

"Sh-Shut the fuck up!" Bakugou spluttered, his voice hushed. "I'm not being lovey dovey…!"

"Suuuuure you aren't," Kaminari drawled. "Bet that's totally why you haven't moved a muscle, and why you're talking quietly so you don't wake her up."

Bakugou scowled, gritting his teeth. "If she wakes up," he growled, his voice sounding subdued, "I'm gonna have to deal with her tackling me trying to get another kiss from me!"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Bakugou choked on his own spit, his face extremely red as he finally shoved Kaminari's face away. "Asshole!"

Kaminari stumbled, letting out a whine. "I'm just joking around!" he pouted. "She'll be better by tomorrow anyway, right?"

"So Round Face says."

Kaminari hummed in response, before he ran over to the others hanging around in the dining area, likely to talk with them and finally give Bakugou some space.

Bakugou listened to their loud chatter as he stared at Hitomi sleeping in his lap, his eyes narrowing in contemplation.

Moon Face can't sleep properly if people are talking around her.

He huffed, stashing his book in his pocket as he scooted away slightly. He maneuvered off the couch, doing his best to keep Hitomi from waking up. He was successful, sliding off the couch quietly while Hitomi hardly stirred. Once he had finally stood up, he stared at her for a few more seconds, eyes narrowed in contemplation once again.

...Not to mention fucking grape shit might do something if I just leave her here.

Bakugou kissed his teeth, grumbling to himself as he pushed his hands underneath her, picking her up from the couch. Hitomi hardly made any sound, simply curling into herself as Bakugou carried her to the elevators. No one noticed as he pressed the button, stepping inside.

Bakugou stared at the doors as the elevator hummed, taking the two of them up to the fourth floor.

Holding Hitomi like this…

How often did he do this?

Carry her like this. Carry her like they'd just gotten married or some shit.

Bakugou's face flushed at the thought.

He carried Hitomi to her room as soon as the elevator doors opened, rolling his eyes as he found that Hitomi had left her door unlocked, like always.

She needed to be more careful about just leaving her room unlocked when she wasn't inside. She was too kind, too trusting to believe no one would sneak in, especially when the scummy embodiment of lust was in their class.

But he supposed Hitomi was just nice like that.

Or she was just forgetful.

He wouldn't put it past her, since she could be such a klutz…

Bakugou shook his head, trying to keep his thoughts from swirling into that stupid lovesick spiral he found himself in sometimes. He couldn't help it, goddammit! Hitomi was too fucking… cute. She was so… herself. So nerdy, so dorky, so smart, so nice…

Bakugou dropped Hitomi onto her bed gently, the mattress bouncing slightly. She rolled over so she was facing him, making herself comfortable as Bakugou pulled her nerdy space blanket over her. He stared at her for a bit, thinking back on how this whole shitty situation had started.

Of course her confessing to him was because of a fucking quirk.

Bakugou frowned, his mood effectively soured. Right as he stepped away from the bed, ready to leave, Hitomi began mumbling something, her voice soft.

"Bakugou…"

He stopped, staring at her expectantly.

"...I love you."

Bakugou blushed slightly, his lips pursed in a thin line as he saw some of her hair fall in front of her face.

She's dreaming.

Bakugou's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes troubled as he stepped towards the bed again, crouching down so his face was level with hers.

"Me too," he mumbled quietly, brushing the stray strand of hair behind her ear tenderly. "I love you, too."

Band practice went on like normal.

Once Hitomi had woken up from her nap, she, surprisingly, did not ask for anything in return after giving her kiss to Bakugou on the cheek. She simply practiced with the band as if she hadn't been hit with the stupid quirk at all, save for those loving glances she gave him whenever Jirou had her solo.

Bakugou couldn't handle it.

Seeing her look at him like he was the only thing in her entire world, it flustered him to no end.

Not to mention knowing it wasn't real really pissed him off.

After they'd finally decided to stop for the day, Hitomi plopped herself into the seat right next to him, trying to feed him dinner.

"Here, Bakugou." She smiled, pushing a spoonful of curry towards his mouth as he leaned away. "Say 'aah~!'"

Bakugou scowled, suppressing the urge to bat the spoon away and waste food. "No! Eat your own damn food!"

Hitomi pouted, pushing the spoon closer. "But I wanna feed you first!"

Instead of batting the spoon away, Bakugou swiped it from her hand, shoving it in his mouth. "You're not fucking feeding me! I can eat by myself!" he growled, his voice muffled from the food in his mouth.

Hitomi poked his shoulder, puffing her cheeks out. "Don't talk with your mouth full, dummy."

Bakugou rolled his eyes, swallowing the curry before pulling his food as far away as he could from Hitomi so she wouldn't try feeding him again. The bluenette whined in response, trying to reach only for Bakugou to hold her back as he continued to eat. After a few bouts of struggling, she finally gave up, sighing and turning back to her own food.

Hitomi moped, swamped in a depressive aura as she poked her food. Bakugou tried to ignore her as he ate, looking away as he chewed on his spicy chicken curry. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore, letting out a growl as he shoved his plate towards her.

Hitomi stared at it unsurely, unable to quell the hope in her eyes.

"Quit being all mopey, dumbass," Bakugou huffed, keeping his eyes glued straight ahead. "If you really wanna do it that bad… you can feed me the last bite. Just… stop acting so sad. It bugs me." He lowered his voice, mumbling only to himself so Hitomi couldn't hear him. "...A smile fits you better, anyway."

True to his word, there was one spoonful of rice and curry left on the plate. Hitomi grinned widely, picking up the spoon. She held it up to his face, keeping a hand underneath it in case any food fell off. "Bakugou, say 'aah'!"

Bakugou turned his head slightly so his mouth was in the spoon's path, his eyes averted to the wall across from their table as he tried not to let any blush show. Right as he opened his mouth to eat the curry, Hitomi pulled the spoon away.

"Hey!" Bakugou scowled. "What the hell?! I thought you were gonna feed me!"

What the fuck just came out of my mouth.

Never in a million years did he think he was gonna say some stupid couple-y shit like that.

Hitomi stared at him unamused. "You didn't say 'ah'," she stated matter-of-factly.

Some tick marks appeared on Bakugou's face as he clenched his jaw. "What?! I'm not doing that!"

Hitomi's eyebrows furrowed, and-

Oh fucking hell.

"Please?"

She was pulling her goddamn puppy dog eyes.

Bakugou wished he could just leave.

Just stand up from his chair, say "Fuck this," and go back to his room.

But he couldn't. Say. No. To goddamn Hitomi.

Especially when she was doing those stupid eyes and looking all cute that saying no would be like denying a starving kitten its meal!

God. Fucking. DAMMIT!

Stupid fucking feelings!

Bakugou gripped his pant leg, digging his nails so hard into his palm through the fabric that he wouldn't be surprised if they broke through his skin. He leaned towards her, feeling nervous jitters in his stomach as his mouth opened slightly. "...Ah."

His face was probably as red as a fucking fire truck.

He noticed Hitomi blush, before she smiled, feeding him the last of his dinner. As soon as he ate the curry he sprang up from his chair, tossing his plate in the sink and sprinting to his room like his life depended on it. Bakugou burst into his room, closing the door behind him and crashing onto his bed.

He grabbed his pillow, covered his face, and screamed into it with every fiber of his being.

"FUCK YOU AND YOUR STUPID FUCKING CUTE FACE!"

Today.

Today was the day.

Today was the day this torturous hell would end.

Today was the day Love Spell would finally wear off.

Bakugou was just waiting, at this point.

Waiting, as Hitomi greeted him cheerfully in the morning, holding his arm as the class walked to the main building.

Waiting, as Hitomi plopped herself onto his desk during break, smiling cheekily at him.

Waiting, as Hitomi tried feeding him again during lunch, only for Uraraka to drag her away and end up causing a scene.

It had now been a complete 48 hours since Hitomi got hit with Love Spell. Two whole days.

And she wasn't back to normal yet.

Bakugou supposed the estimate of how long the quirk was going to last wasn't going to be exact. But he was tired of this already, goddammit!

He was tired of Hitomi treating him like he was the love of her life. He was tired of her wanting to kiss him, or hug him, or hold his hand. He was tired of the fact Hitomi was showing him so much affection, and he couldn't do anything in return.

He couldn't tell her he loved her back, couldn't let her kiss him, nothing.

Because it wasn't fucking real.

None of it was real.

This whole thing sucked.

Dangling what he wished for with her right in front of him, showing him what that would be like, only to know it was all fake, sucked ass.

He was fucking done with this bullshit.

Bakugou scowled, kicking a stray pebble that was by his feet.

After lunch (which was when it had finally been two full days since Hitomi got hit with the quirk, mind you), they had their heroics class, like always. This time, it was a free-for-all, survival game out in Ground Omega. The goal was to not get caught until the end of the period, and essentially, "survive". Normally, Bakugou would have gone out to capture some people and eradicate the competition, but he was in too much of a shitty mood to do anything right now. His mood would hinder his performance and focus.

So he was just sitting here, waiting for the exercise to end. There were some distant booms and crashes he heard in the forest, meaning some people had probably encountered each other and gotten into a fight.

Bakugou tched, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground. He'd been sitting on this rock for the past half hour.

Just 10 more minutes…

His ears perked up at the sound of leaves rustling, disrupting the quietness he'd gotten comfortable with. Bakugou shot up from the rock, now on high alert as he eyed his surroundings cautiously.

He flexed his hands, getting rid of any tension in his fingers to prepare himself for a possible fight. He turned to a bush that started rustling, eyes narrowed and hands up in a defensive stance as he stepped back.

"Found youuu!"

Bakugou was taken by surprise as Hitomi emerged from the bush, tackling him. Bakugou spluttered, feeling Hitomi had pinned him down to the ground by sitting on top of him.

"M-Moon Face!" he exclaimed, feeling his ears had turned red. "Get offa me!"

Man, he must have been in a really shitty mood if he couldn't even react fast enough to dodge her.

Hitomi smiled, placing her hands on Bakugou's chest. "I've been looking all over for you, Bakugou!"

Bakugou could feel his face was red all the way down to his neck now. "W-What?!" he stuttered, grabbing her wrists. "Why?! We're training!"

Hitomi pouted, leaning down slightly. "I haven't been able to kiss you at all!" she whined.

Brain. Short-circuiting.

"I already said I'm not kissing you!"

Hitomi only leaned closer, more blood rushing to Bakugou's face as he found himself unable to keep from staring at her lips.

He felt frozen as Hitomi leaned down, her lips pursed with the intent to kiss him.

No cheek kiss this time.

Bakugou finally snapped out of it, leaning his head back as far as he could against the ground, letting go of Hitomi's wrists to push her face away.

"No!" Bakugou screamed. "I'm not gonna let you ruin your first kiss!"

Some force fields appeared by his hands, pushing them away from Hitomi's face. Hitomi removed her hands from his chest, grabbing his cheeks to make him look at her instead.

Fuck!

Hitomi dove in, too fast this time that Bakugou couldn't stop her.

It all happened in a flash.

Bakugou closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable before there was suddenly an explosion, a pink cloud of smoke encasing the two of them.

Bakugou felt Hitomi's weight fall on top of him, feeling her hands let go of his face. Immediately he turned his head to the side, feeling Hitomi's head hit his cheek.

His vision was filled with pink, unable to see anything as the familiar odd smell of chocolate and strawberries filled his nose.

Once the smoke had finally cleared, Bakugou blinked rapidly, staring up at the clear blue sky in shock. He heard Hitomi groan against his throat.

"Ugh…"

Bakugou tensed, grabbing Hitomi's arms in fear of what might happen next.

Hitomi lifted her head up from his neck slowly, a grimace on her face. "What in the…" She opened her eyes, staring directly into Bakugou's.

Bakugou gulped, his grip tightening on her arms.

Hitomi's face suddenly flushed, her eyes wide as she sat up abruptly. "HUH?!"

She brought her hands up to her face, glancing around, looking utterly confused. "What the- Where- How-" She glanced down, her blush worsening as she realized she was sitting right on top of Bakugou's torso.

Hitomi practically launched herself into the air like a rocket. She shot up from Bakugou's stomach, stumbling back before falling clumsily back down onto the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" she screamed. She started waving her arms around, her face as red as roses as her eyes darted everywhere but at the boy she had been sitting on top of. "How did I- Where am I- What's-

WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

Bakugou sat up, Hitomi still stuttering across from him as he stared at the ground blankly.

Fuck.

He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he cradled his face in his hand. His heart was still beating fast, like he'd just had an adrenaline rush, while his cheeks felt like they were practically on fire.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Where am I?" he heard Hitomi ask worriedly.

Fuck.

"What's going on…?"

FUCK.

"B… Bakugou…?"

"FUCK!"

Bakugou shot up from the ground, running past Hitomi and bashing his head into the nearest tree as hard as he could. He beat his head against the trunk repeatedly, his face flushed all the way down to his neck.

"MOTHERFUCKER, SON OF A BITCH, GODDAMN FUCKING FUCK!"

Hitomi stared at him in shock as he continued to bash his head against the tree, raising a hand in concern.

"Ba-"

She was cut off as a horn suddenly sounded, echoing through the air and causing some birds to fly by overhead. Hitomi glanced at the sky confused, before she heard Bakugou growl, seeing he was making his way over.

She tried to ask what was going on again, before she noticed red dripping down Bakugou's face. "Bakugou, you're bleeding-!"

Bakugou suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her up from the ground quickly and pulling her through the trees. Hitomi stumbled to keep up with him, unable to pull her arm away because of his vice-like grip.

Hitomi didn't ask anything as Bakugou pulled her through the forest, still utterly confused on what was going on, not to mention she was a little concerned over Bakugou's weird behavior. He was grumbling and cursing to himself all the while as he pulled her along, dismissing the blood dripping down his face as he and Hitomi finally made it out of the forest, where the class was regrouping.

All Might looked curious as they approached, his eyebrows raising slightly. "Young Bakugou," he started cautiously. "Did Young Kanetsukabe cause you trouble…?"

Bakugou finally let go of Hitomi's wrist, scowling as Hitomi pointed at herself confused.

"Trouble…?" she repeated, her eyebrows knitting together in concern. "What's going on, exactly?"

"I'm going to the nurse's office," Bakugou stated, his voice flat.

No one stopped him as he turned to leave, walking off on his own to return to the main building.

Hitomi stared at his back as he left, the furrow in her eyebrows worsening.

Bakugou was mad.

And for some reason, it felt like she was the reason why.

But Hitomi couldn't contemplate that just yet.

First, she had to figure out what the fuck she was doing here.

Bakugou fiddled with the bandage taped to the middle of his forehead, scowling as he walked back to the dorms.

Of course Hitomi wouldn't fucking remember.

Of course she wouldn't remember all the couple-y romantic bullshit she put him through. Of course she wouldn't remember how badly she'd been trying to kiss him. Of course she wouldn't remember all those damn times she said she loved him.

Bakugou scoffed, stomping his way up the steps to the front door.

Fuck this.

This shit was fucking painful.

But at least now, the most infuriating, painful part was over.

Now, he and Hitomi could go back to being friends, like they used to be. They could return to normalcy, and Bakugou wouldn't have to deal with that infuriating fake love.

Right now, though, he wasn't in the mood to see her.

He couldn't look at her right now, not without remembering all that embarrassing lovey-dovey bullshit. He couldn't look at her without remembering how he kissed her on the cheek. He couldn't look at her without remembering he'd told her he loved her too.

Because it fucking hurt.

It hurt to know she wouldn't remember all those things they did.

It hurt to be reminded of all those things, to experience what it'd be like to be with her, only to be slapped in the face by the harsh reality his feelings were unrequited.

He wished, oh he fucking wished she remembered everything that happened. And that maybe, just maybe, after everything that happened, it would turn out his feelings just might be reciprocated.

But life didn't always work out the way you wanted it to.

He'd get over it… eventually. After all, he'd had these unrequited feelings for a while now.

But right now, he just needed some space. A break from all this.

…

Bakugou had locked himself in his room for the rest of the day.

After two hours of working on his homework, plus some extra studying, he simply laid in bed, staring at the ceiling and letting his mind drift.

He didn't know how long he laid there, simply losing track of time. It wasn't until there was a soft knock on his door that he finally snapped out of his daze.

Bakugou grumbled to himself as he got off his bed, running a hand through his hair as he walked to his door.

His face was contorted in annoyance as he grabbed the handle, expecting it to be Dunce Face or Pinky wanting to disrupt his brooding.

Right as he opened the door, his voice on the tip of his tongue to scold whoever it was and tell them to leave him alone, he was suddenly staring into silver eyes that always reminded him of the moon.

Bakugou's mouth clamped shut, his grip tightening on the door handle as Hitomi stared at him unsurely.

"Um…" Hitomi rubbed her arm timidly, her gaze moving to the floor. "Can I… come in…?"

He didn't want to see her right now.

But for some reason Bakugou could never say no to her when it really mattered.

He grunted in reply, stepping to the side as a signal she could come in.

Hitomi walked past him into the room briskly, fiddling with her hands as Bakugou closed the door behind her. He hardly looked at her as she fidgeted, brushing past her to plop himself onto his bed. After a few bouts of silence, Hitomi followed after him, sitting only a foot or so away from him on the mattress.

Bakugou was silent as she took a deep breath.

"Uraraka told me what happened."

"So?" Bakugou couldn't help but scoff. "What's done is done. That shit is over already."

Hitomi frowned, Bakugou seeing her begin to fiddle with her shirt out of the corner of his eye.

"I…" Hitomi hesitated, before turning to face him. "...I'm sorry, though, that I acted like that towards you. It must've been annoying."

Bakugou rolled his eyes, leaning back slightly. "Why the hell are you apologizing? It's not even your fault. That all happened because of a fucking quirk."

"But still…" Hitomi's eyebrows furrowed. "Even if I was under the influence of a quirk, I still did all those… embarrassing things… I'm sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable, or anything. I know romance isn't really your thing."

If only you knew, Moon Face.

Bakugou sighed, before he held a hand up to Hitomi's face. Hitomi stared at him confused, until he suddenly flicked her forehead lightly. She rubbed her forehead once Bakugou lowered his hand, only more baffled than before.

"What was that for…?"

Bakugou craned his neck to stare up at the ceiling. "Quit worrying about it," he huffed. "It was out of your control."

Hitomi's eyebrows furrowed, meaning she was about to apologize again. Before she could, Bakugou continued speaking to get his point across.

"If you're really worried about what you did with me, you didn't do anything that bad."

"But… Uraraka said I tried to kiss you," Hitomi said timidly, beginning to fiddle with some of her hair shyly. "...Multiple times."

Bakugou turned his face away, in an attempt to hide the fact his face just flushed.

"That's nothing I can't handle," he huffed. "That was the worst of it. Everything else you did was just hugging me or doting on me."

Hitomi's face was bright red as she held her cheeks. "I…"

"Don't dwell on it," Bakugou mumbled. "It's not really that different from how you usually are."

"Eh?!" Hitomi spluttered. "What?! I- I'm not…"

"Yes, you are," Bakugou snorted, unable to keep himself from shooting her a smirk. "You're always worrying about everyone over yourself, not to mention you're always touchy-feely with Pikachu, Pinky, and Kirishima, too."

Hitomi began to fidget, her voice small. "That's…"

She sighed, scratching her cheek. "I really am sorry about all this, though. I want to make it up to you, somehow."

"Like I said," Bakugou replied, "don't worry about it."

Hitomi glanced at him, looking in deep thought. The two of them stared at each other for several long moments before she lifted her hand from her lap, slowly bringing it up to his face. Bakugou tried to withhold his blush as Hitomi brushed her fingers against his bangs, pushing them to the side.

Hitomi's eyebrows knit together in concern as she traced her fingers over the bandage taped to his forehead, sighing to herself.

"...So you were bashing your head against the tree because I was embarrassing you," she mumbled.

Bakugou gulped, turning his face away from her as Hitomi lowered her hand. "The old lady healed me already," he scoffed. "The bandage was just a precaution." He fiddled with the bandage, before ripping it off.

Bakugou turned to Hitomi, pushing his bangs back to show her his forehead was recovered and free of any wounds. "See?" he said brusquely. "It's fine. Don't even try feeling guilty about the wound, or I'll kick your ass the next time we train."

Hitomi laughed slightly, her smile embarrassed. "You know me so well," she teased. "I'll try not to, then."

Bakugou let out a small huff, tossing the bandage in the trash can he kept near his bed.

Hitomi suddenly slammed her fist into her palm, a grin on her face. "I've got it! Wait right here, Bakugou, I'll be right back!"

Bakugou watched as she ran out of his room, her long blue hair trailing behind her.

After a few minutes, Hitomi came back, cradling a book against her chest. She plopped back onto the bed, making it bounce slightly. "I don't actually know if you'll enjoy this…" She held the book out to him, giving him a bashful smile. "But if I don't do something, I'll still feel bad about this whole thing."

Bakugou raised a brow, grabbing the book from her and skimming over the title.

"You said you like mystery, right?" Hitomi asked. "It's science-fiction, but the plot is about a crime that's trying to be solved. The 'science-y' part is more of a background element." Hitomi laughed, scratching her cheek sheepishly. "You'd probably enjoy it more than me, honestly. I don't normally have the patience for that kind of thing."

Bakugou stared at the cover, unable to form words.

He thought Hitomi wouldn't remember anything from when she was under the effects of Love Spell. He had never told her he liked mystery novels before that…

"I… uh…"

Hitomi's eyebrows furrowed. "Or… Wait, were you the one that said you liked mystery? Or was it someone else?" She held her chin, closing her eyes in thought. "Hm…"

"I did tell you that," Bakugou mumbled.

Hitomi breathed a sigh of relief, clapping her hands together. "Oh, good! I was afraid I might've remembered wrong…" She smiled softly at him, some of her hair falling from behind her ear. "I guess I should leave you to it, then."

Right when she was about to get up from the bed, Bakugou suddenly grabbed her arm, surprising her slightly. Hitomi fell silent as Bakugou pulled her in, her eyes widening in surprise as Bakugou's arms wrapped around her, squeezing her arms to her sides. Hitomi's face flushed as her face was smushed into Bakugou's shoulder, her heart beating fast.

"B-Bakugou?!"

Bakugou only held her tighter in reply, one of his hands moving to rest on top of her hair.

"...Thanks," he mumbled.

"Eh?!"

Bakugou clenched his jaw, resting his forehead on her shoulder as he tried to convey all of his feelings about her in this one single hug. If she really remembered what he'd told her about what he liked to read, then maybe…

Maybe she really did remember everything else. Maybe it was all just buried in her subconscious.

Maybe she'd heard him when he told her he loved her too. If he could convey how he felt in this one action…maybe she'd remember.

And maybe this was how he'd finally confess to her.

Hitomi placed her hands on his arms, looking at him in concern. "Wait- Huh?! Bakugou? Are you-"

Bakugou took a deep breath as he pulled away, placing his hands in his lap and staring at them stiffly. "Thanks… for the book."

Hitomi suddenly grabbed his face, making Bakugou's breath hitch as she pulled him in, pushing his bangs back and staring at his forehead in concern. "Are- Are you sure you're okay?!" Hitomi exclaimed, her cheeks still red as she ran her thumb over where the bandage had been. "You- You were hitting that tree pretty hard-"

Bakugou's face flushed, making him pull away from her as he batted her hands away lightly. "I-I'm fine!" he growled. "I'm just trying to show my gratitude, idiot!"

Hitomi held her hands up, staring at him worriedly. "But- I- You- There's no way you'd- that you'd hug me… We should take you back to Recovery Girl..."

Bakugou scowled, looking away. The blush was still fairly noticeable on his face. "I told you I'm fine! And who's to say I wouldn't hug you, huh?"

Please understand what I'm trying to tell you.

"Hug me…?" Hitomi said slowly, her lips pursed in a thin line. "But… I didn't take you for the hugging type…"

Bakugou kept his eyes trained to the floor, feeling his ears had turned red now."...Well, maybe it depends on the person," he grumbled.

Please get it. I can't say it directly.

"I… Well…" Hitomi scratched her cheek, smiling unsurely. "Um…"

It's staring you in the face right now.

Hitomi laughed sheepishly, her hand moving to rub the back of her neck instead. "...I guess you must see me as a sister or something if you're comfortable enough to do that."

FUCKING WHAT.

"WHA-?!" Bakugou was ready to blow up something. "WHAT THE HELL?! FUCK NO!"

"Ah…" Hitomi smiled down at her lap, her hair falling to cover her face. Bakugou couldn't see the sad look that had appeared in her eyes. "A close friend, then…?"

"I- That's not-" Bakugou gritted his teeth, pinching his eyes with his fingers. "...Fuck," he muttered to himself.

He rested his elbow on his knee, covering his face with his hand. "...Yeah," he grumbled. "You're my… friend… or whatever shit you want to call it."

This was fucking embarrassing.

His own crush believed he saw her as a fucking sister.

Hitomi's sad smile beside him went unnoticed, before it disappeared, turning into a teasing smile instead. "Bakugou, is it really that hard for you to admit people are your friends?" she laughed cheekily. "Dummy."

"...You're the dumbass here, dumbass."

"Eh?"

"I don't see you as a fucking sister, and I never will. That's Raccoon Eyes' job."

"Ah." Hitomi shrugged as Bakugou sat up straight. "If you say so." She then got up from the bed, stretching her arms out into the air. "Well, I should get going," she hummed. She turned around to face him, giving him a soft smile. "Tell me what you think of the book. And make sure you go back to Recovery Girl, just in case, okay? I just wanna be sure you're really alright."

Bakugou rolled his eyes, flopping back to lay on his bed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Hitomi gave him a small wave as she made her way to the door. "I'll see you later, then!"

Bakugou only grunted in reply, making Hitomi laugh lightly at his typical response as she left the room. As soon as her footsteps receded, Bakugou covered his face with a pillow, groaning into the fabric.

There was one thing Bakugou forgot to account for in his attempt at an impromptu confession.

That Hitomi was absolutely, ridiculously dense.

As dense as a fucking rock.

Anything he tried to imply would fly right over her head. There was no way she was going to get it if he didn't say it outright.

And judging by how that just went, there was no way in hell he was going to try that again anytime soon.

Bakugou grabbed the book Hitomi had given him, pushing the pillow off his face.

Maybe he could find the willpower to try again after a while. When she wasn't as dense.

But right now, he had a new story to read.

A/N: A/N: Ta-da~! :D I hope you enjoyed that disgusting special.

Damn can't believe Bakugou really dropped the L-bomb like that haha

So I decided to give y'all a tease of a confession, only to put you guys through more frustrating mutual pining. They're hopeless idiots, trust me 😛 The combination of "Bakugou is Bad at Feelings" and "Hitomi is as Dense as a Rock" means they'll take forever to get a move on, but I hope my conclusion for them will be satisfying ;)

I was really struggling to write the ending because I wasn't happy with it, until one of my friends told me I should have Bakugou give Hitomi a surprise hug 😏 (thanks snow!) So the ending turned out way sweeter than I intended, but I like it! :3