A/N: Takes place in between Ch. 21 (Study Buddies) and Ch. 22 (Final Exams Pt. 1).

THIS TOOK ME THREE WHOLE MONTHS TO WRITE. AND EVEN LONGER TO FINALLY DRAW THE ART FOR IT O_O

This idea came to me late at night when I was struggling to fall asleep. It offers more insight to Bakugou and Hitomi's relationship since I felt it was a little too lacking around this point (given she's supposed to be the "buffer" between Bakugou and Deku in the Final Exams), so I felt this makes it feel more developed and fleshed out! It also helps set up the Final Exams arc a bit better in my opinion ^^ The first portion of this side story utilizes one of the chapters in the second light novel, where Kirishima and Bakugou run into Bakugou's old middle school friends. Enjoy :)

Art - Add /2cjth0er6qv to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

"Wait. Don't fucking tell me…"

Hitomi froze, holding back a sigh as she heard Bakugou growl from across the table.

She didn't move, her eyes moving up slightly to see Bakugou glare at Kirishima next to him.

"You bastard!" the blonde scowled, his volume rising. "You better not ask me to teach you something as basic as the multiplication table!"

"I know how to do the multiplication table, dammit!"

"Shh!"

Hitomi felt her cheeks warm slightly, slouching in her seat as she tried to subtly cover her face with her hand. She could feel the stares of the others in the library, seeing some had their fingers pressed to their lips as they scrutinized the trio.

Hitomi, Kirishima, and Bakugou had met at a public library, back together again for yet another study session for the final exams. Bakugou had been "helping" Kirishima with math for the last half-hour, while Hitomi was trying to review Modern Japanese Literature on her own.

Kirishima apologized to the strangers sheepishly, running his hand through his spiky hair. His face was red with embarrassment from what Hitomi guessed was not just the attention of everyone around them, but also Bakugou's accusation that he didn't know something you learned in back elementary school.

Bakugou suddenly laughed, Hitomi's eyes widening at the genuine smile on the blonde's face. "Holy shit. You're so lame, haha!"

That… was unexpected.

Kirishima's embarrassment worsened as Bakugou continued to laugh at him. "You're the one who said I didn't even know the multiplication table!" he shot back. He then turned to the people around them, bending his head down in a small bow. "Sorry…! Don't mind us!"

Hitomi finally let out the sigh she was holding back, putting her pencil down as Kirishima continued to apologize.

She'd thought the first study session was going to be all. When Hitomi had initially gotten the text from her friend vehemently asking for help studying with finals (specifically English), she'd thought to herself, "No big deal." Plus, she was definitely willing to offer the redhead help, Kiri was her friend after all!

So when she showed up, and found out Bakugou would be there too, she got anxious. She wasn't sure if she wanted to continue studying with them after the first time.

Especially after seeing Bakugou's teaching methods. She only beared with it then because she was already there.

But then when it was over, Kirishima had asked them both, "So, same time tomorrow?" with such an innocent, pure look on his face that she couldn't say no.

Hitomi hated disappointing people, especially a friend, so she'd agreed to meet again without thinking. Not that she thought he would've been that disappointed; for the time she'd known him so far, he seemed like an understanding person who wouldn't mind if she'd declined.

But he hit her with that bright smile, and man, Hitomi was weak. She answered yes, scolding herself in her head instantly as Bakugou had given a curt nod in response.

Bakugou was the whole reason why she was hesitant to study with them again.

If she was being honest, she had no idea how to act around the hotheaded blonde. He was aggressive, and an asshole, and Hitomi felt nervous around him most of the time. He intimidated her, a lot.

Katsuki Bakugou was probably one of the last people she would want to be friends with. Hitomi was well aware that she was shy, timid, and the moment she laid eyes on him on the first day of school, seeing him call Iida an "extra", she was ready to avoid him like the plague. Bakugou seemed like someone she wouldn't get along with, ever.

He was arrogant, rude, had a terrifyingly powerful quirk, and he seemed to have a bit of a mean streak, against Midoriya especially.

Hitomi recalled seeing the two of them the day of the entrance exam when she first stepped on campus, seeing how the freckled boy had seemed to jump at the sight of Bakugou. There was definitely some sort of history between them, the extent Hitomi didn't know, but it wasn't really her place to pry anyway.

She was never planning to be anything more than classmates with Bakugou, and yet, by some crazy hand of the universe, they had been lumped into the same friend group. She and Kirishima had become friends the first day of school, and at some point, without her realizing, the redhead had started becoming friendly with the blonde too.

A friend group had formed around her, consisting of Kirishima, Mina, Kaminari, Sero, and Bakugou. Hitomi hadn't noticed when it happened, but to be frank, she didn't mind at all. They were funny, chaotic, and all really nice and outgoing.

Well, except for Bakugou, obviously.

However, the way everyone else interacted with him and teased him was definitely entertaining at times. It made her laugh, seeing the others hardly even flinch at his hostility. Sometimes, Hitomi had found herself joining in with their teasing too after she had become more comfortable with them.

She only had the courage to because everyone else was around her, though. She could hardly fathom the idea of being alone in the same room as him, because she didn't have the same extroverted, sociable personality the others had that could ease the tense and aloof air that surrounded Bakugou. Despite being surrounded by the same friends, Hitomi still couldn't stop feeling intimidated by him in general. And could you really blame her? It was Bakugou after all. He still intimidated the others from time to time; heck, just a few days ago, when Aizawa had announced the final exams were coming up, Bakugou had yelled at Kaminari and Mina for their reckless quirk usage when they were talking about the practical exam. Their carefree attitudes had been squashed in a millisecond.

Despite it all though, in some weird twist of fate, there was an odd sense of… admiration? That she felt towards him. Hitomi had initially thought he was just a delinquent who only had raw power up his sleeve, but she was quickly proven wrong when she realized he was intelligent, calculating, and perceptive. He was determined, and even if he did come off as arrogant a lot of the time, he was actually confident in his own abilities.

And seeing him back at the sports festival… Hitomi realized Bakugou was also earnest.

He wasn't one to cheat, and all he wanted an honest victory. He didn't hold back no matter who his opponent was, and he expected them to do the same. That was why he had felt his victory against Todoroki hadn't been earned, and to be honest, Hitomi had to commend him for staying true to his ideals.

Learning how wrong she was about him, and realizing all those sides of him, something had changed in the way Hitomi perceived him. She was still tense sometimes around him no doubt, but other times, when she looked at him, she would think, "I wish I was more like that."

"Hah? What do you want, kid?!"

Hitomi finally snapped out of her thoughts, looking up from her workbook to see Bakugou glaring at a little boy that had approached their table.

The child pointed his finger at Bakugou, tilting his head slightly. "You're the one who won the UA festival and got tied up, right?" he asked innocently.

Bakugou scowled. "Huh?"

"Why did they tie you up? Is it because you couldn't shut up? They should tie you up at the library too then, don't you think?"

Bakugou seemed to explode, slamming his fist on the table. "SHUT IT, YOU SHIT BRAT!"

Oh, crap.

Kirishima jumped up from his seat in a flash, holding Bakugou back as the blonde yelled, his voice echoing through the building. Hitomi shot up from her seat as well, gathering all their things as Bakugou continued to scream and let out strings of curses. The boy seemed to start shaking from Bakugou's swears, his eyes welling up before he let out a wail.

"AHHH, WE'RE SO SORRY!" Hitomi and Kirishima both cried, dragging Bakugou away from the kid. They ran out of the aisle as Bakugou continued to roar, the blonde struggling against them as they hurried to the exit.

"AGAIN, WE'RE REALLY SORRY!" Kirishima called behind him as they ran out the door.

Well, Hitomi thought to herself as they ran down the street, an exasperated look on her face, I don't want to be like him in that way.

…

Hitomi panted as people walked past the trio from their place on the sidewalk, trying to catch her breath. She and Kirishima had sprinted away from the library with Bakugou in tow, making it all the way to the train station. Once her heartbeat had finally settled, she stood up straight, readjusting the bags on her shoulder as she let out a quiet sigh. Hitomi had ended up having to be the one to carry everyone's things while Kirishima manhandled their aggressive classmate.

The aforementioned redhead let out a huff of his own, before he noticed the extra weight on the bluenette. "Oh, sorry for making you carry all that, Hitomi!" He grabbed the straps of his bag, pulling it off of her before grabbing Bakugou's bag as well.

Hitomi smiled sheepishly at him, waving him off. "It's okay. You had to carry something much more difficult, anyway."

Kirishima chuckled, slinging his backpack onto his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess you're right! An angry Pomeranian can definitely be tough to deal with," he laughed.

"I'm right here, you idiots!" Bakugou grumbled.

Hitomi and Kirishima only exchanged playful smiles, leaving Bakugou to scowl at their nonchalance. He snatched his bag out of Kirishima's hands, right as the three of them heard a loud growl. Kirishima placed his hand over his stomach, letting out another laugh. "Guess I'm a little hungry. I forgot to eat breakfast this morning."

Hitomi hummed in response, looking around. "I guess it's about time we eat lunch…" Her eyes landed on the building right across the street from them, tapping the redhead's shoulder. "Wanna eat there?"

Kirishima followed her gaze, his eyes falling on the family restaurant. There were lots of people inside due to what he guessed was the restaurant's peak hour, its popularity looking promising.

"Ooo, good idea! Let's check it out!"

Bakugou let out a "tch" under his breath, but followed them nonetheless as they headed to the crosswalk. Once they'd made it to the restaurant's entrance, Kirishima glanced at Bakugou as he opened the door, taking note of his now more neutral expression.

"You're calmed down now, right Bakugou?"

The blonde in question only glared at him in response, before grunting and rolling his eyes as the three of them stepped inside.

Kirishima let out a small chuckle. "Dude, you should really let go of your ego a little."

Hitomi raised a brow at Kirishima. "That's like asking a dog to never bark," she said under her breath.

"Oi!" Bakugou snapped, making Hitomi jolt slightly. "I heard that! And quit comparing me to fucking dogs!"

Hitomi only scratched her cheek sheepishly as Kirishima talked to a waitress, her friend asking for a table for three and ordering the drink bar menu option. They were led to a booth by a window, Bakugou taking one side while Kirishima and Hitomi took the other. After the waitress had left, Bakugou leaned forward and stared down Kirishima.

"You're paying, right?"

The redhead simply smiled in response, unfazed. "Of course! Then you gotta teach me patiently, though!"

"You think that I'll be able to teach shit patiently with only having a drink bar, dumbass?"

Hitomi's eyebrows raised into her hair at Kirishima, concern washing over her. "You're paying for all three of us? You don't have to do that, I can pay for my portion…!"

Kirishima waved her off, his smile reassuring. "It's fine, Hitomi. I don't mind."

"But-"

"Just take the free drink, Kanetsukabe," Bakugou scoffed, rolling his eyes. "It's not even that expensive, anyway."

Hitomi puffed her cheeks out slightly, looking frustrated. "Then that's even more reason for me to pay for myself…"

Their short conversation was interrupted when another waitress stopped by their booth, placing three cups on the table. "Thank you for waiting. Please feel free to help yourself to the drink bar over there," she said cheerfully before leaving.

Kirishima grabbed the cups, standing up from his seat. "I'll get the drinks. What do you guys want?"

"Coke," Bakugou grunted.

"Ah, hold on Kiri!" Hitomi got up from her seat as well, taking one of the cups from the redhead's hands. "It'd be hard to carry back three drinks with two hands. I'll just go with you."

Kirishima's eyes widened as he realized Hitomi was right, laughing sheepishly. "Oh, right."

Hitomi slid her bag off her shoulder, leaving it on the seat next to Kirishima's backpack. "Watch our stuff please, okay Bakugou?"

All she got was a grunt in response, making her let out a small sigh before she and Kirishima went to the drink bar.

After getting their drinks (coke for Bakugou, Fanta for Kirishima, and melon soda for Hitomi), making light conversation about what would be on the exams as they did, the two made their way back to their table only to find two strangers in their place. There were two boys looking to be about their age occupying their seat, one with black curly hair while the other had his hair parted down the middle.

Hitomi tilted her head slightly as she and Kirishima approached; they seemed to be acting awfully friendly with Bakugou, which was hardly a typical occurrence.

"...I didn't think we'd ever meet you here!"

"I saw you at the Sports Festival, man!"

"Shut up, you two!"

Ah, Hitomi thought to herself as they finally stopped by their booth. Old classmates?

"Bakugou," Kirishima started, setting the cups in his hands down, Hitomi following suit. "Who are these guys? Acquaintances of yours?"

"Oh!" The boy with parted hair pointed at the two of them, Hitomi stiffening slightly at the attention. "You're also from UA High School!"

Bakugou crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, looking out the window. "...They're friends from middle school," he grunted. "Anyway, go back to your own damn table!

His friends only laughed. "As cold as ever!"

Right as they both got up, Kirishima turned to them, holding his hands up. "Wait, hold on! It's all good, you two!"

Eh?

"Feel free to join us!"

"Wait, Kirishima-"

"Really? Is that okay?" one of Bakugou's old friends asked.

Kirishima nodded cheerfully. "Oh yeah, for sure! I'm sure you guys want to catch up, right?"

"Oi!" Bakugou cut in. "You think I want to fucking catch up with them? Aren't we here to study?"

"That's exactly what I thought," Hitomi added on, staring at her friend. She paused, realizing what that sounded like before clarifying what she meant. "I mean, there's still a lot of material we need to cover…"

"It's okay if it's just for a little while," Kirishima replied. "You need to always treasure your friends, after all!"

The boy with curly hair stared at Kirishima in shock, before narrowing his eyes. "What's up with you, man? Never would've guessed that someone who's nice like you would ever want to be friends with Katsuki!"

Bakugou and Kirishima both yelled at the same time.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"What the fuck do you mean, you piece of shit?!"

Oh, boy…

"Bakugou might have a bad attitude and is a total potty mouth," Kirishima protested, "but he has real determination, making him a very passionate guy!"

Hitomi looked to the side, slightly exasperated. I can't say I exactly disagree with that sentiment…

"Dammit Shitty Hair," Bakugou growled, "stop saying weird shit like that!"

"Bakugou," Hitomi started, making him glare at her. She smiled sheepishly, scratching her cheek. "I'm pretty sure he was just praising you. Right?"

Kirishima nodded. "Yeah. And well, like I said, huge potty mouth."

A look of realization suddenly crossed his face, before he turned back to Bakugou's friends. "Say… what was Bakugou like in middle school?"

The two strangers looked at each other.

"Uh…well…kind of like how he is right now?"

"With freaking high self-esteem."

"As if the world revolves around him and only him!"

"You little shits!" Bakugou cut in, slamming his hand down on the table. "I'm going to crush you all!" He held his hand up, as if he was about to let out an explosion.

"Woah, that's not really hero material, especially if you wanna go pro in the future!" his friend exclaimed.

"Shut the fuck up and get out of my way, you shitty extras!" Bakugou sneered, getting up from his seat. He grabbed his cup, stomping away from the booth and heading back to the drink bar.

Hitomi watched as he left, letting out a small sigh of worry.

"Well…he certainly has calmed down a bit since middle school though."

"Yeah, maybe."

She turned back to Bakugou's old friends in shock, her eyes wide. "That's him having calmed down?!"

The boy with parted hair nodded. "When he was in middle school, he would legit hit anyone with one shot. And he would never agree to tutoring someone like he is now- I can't believe it!"

Hitomi faltered slightly, taking another glance over her shoulder to see Bakugou was chugging down his coke. "...Really? He's… that different to you now?"

The other boy smiled. "Yup, I guess UA High School sure has changed him! How is Katsuki like in UA, then?"

Kirishima hummed in thought, staring up at the ceiling for a bit before taking a seat across from Bakugou's old friends, Hitomi following after him.

"It's like I just said to you guys already, he's a super sincere guy, and being with him feels really nice," Kirishima began, holding his chin. "He's so capable, and I think everyone recognizes that about him. Wouldn't you say so, Hitomi?"

"Uh? Me?" Hitomi looked up to see they were all staring at her, shrinking back. She looked away and fidgeted with her hands on the table, blushing slightly in embarrassment as she tried to formulate her thoughts about her classmate. "Well… He's…" She looked back at Bakugou at the drink bar, seeing he was now refilling his cup at the soda machine. He seemed to have cooled down, and from where they were sitting she could see he already wore a calmer expression.

"...Amazing," she mumbled.

Kirishima blinked. "Huh? What was that?"

Hitomi blinked, realizing what she'd whispered to herself and tearing her eyes away from the ash blonde. She could feel her cheeks get warmer, clearing her throat. "Uh- I said he's… admirable," she stuttered. "Bakugou's… well, he's not really someone I ever imagined I'd get along with, but…" She fiddled with her hair, twirling it around her finger. "Despite his more abrasive traits, there's… admirable qualities to him. Intelligence, determination, confidence… and, like Kirishima said, he's sincere." Hitomi let out a small sigh, letting go of her hair and placing her hand back on the table. "Things I would have never noticed at first glance."

"That's right!" Kirishima nodded avidly. "When you first meet him, you wouldn't think he's anything like that!" He crossed his arms, looking deep in thought. "Especially back at the beginning of school. He would argue with almost anyone."

Kirishima suddenly looked serious, Hitomi wondering what he was thinking as she saw his eyes narrow.

"Actually…" he said slowly, staring at Bakugou's old friends, "I also heard that Midoriya was in your class back in middle school, too. Is that right?"

The two guys stared at each other unsurely, suddenly looking somewhat guilty. "Uh…"

The boy with parted hair scratched the back of his head while the other looked away. "I think that Katsuki lost his shit when he heard that Midoriya got into UA, y'know…"

The curly hair guy laughed bitterly, ducking his head. "Um? Uh… actually, we kind of bullied Midoriya a lot back then, since he didn't even have a quirk."

Hitomi's eyes widened at that. What…?

"He didn't?" she blurted out, immediately slapping her hand over her mouth when she realized she'd said that out loud. That was a subject that she had no right to pry into.

But… it would explain why Midoriya's quirk hurt him so badly. Because if he didn't have one all the way up to middle school, then his body would have no chance to get used to and grow with his quirk. The developmental stage would have been completely skipped over, leaving it to come crashing down all at once and resulting in destructive repercussions.

But… a quirk that doesn't appear until your teenage years?

Hitomi had heard of the myth of mutated quirks that were completely unrelated to an individual's parents' quirks, but they still manifested at the same time as everyone else: anytime from birth up to four years old.

Maybe late manifestation is another kind of rare mutation…?

Hitomi was brought out of her thoughts as Bakugou's friends answered her, lowering her hand.

"Yeah, he didn't. But apparently he has one now so…"

"I saw it on T.V. during the Sports Festival- I couldn't believe that he actually placed first in a round too- it gave me goosebumps! I thought it really was awesome!"

"Same…"

There was regret apparent in their voices, and Hitomi could see they had pained expressions. They clearly seemed to feel bad for how they treated Midoriya.

Bullying, huh…?

Hitomi had never experienced it herself, nor had she witnessed it, so she couldn't really imagine what that actually felt like. But… to have that happen to such a sweet, nice boy like Midoriya… what reason could you possibly have to justify that? Especially over something he had no control over? When she thought about it, bullying would explain why Midoriya seemed so jumpy at the beginning of school. Especially whenever Bakugou yelled at him.

Wait…

If these were Bakugou's old friends, and they used to bully Midoriya, did that mean…

Right as Hitomi opened her mouth, Kirishima filled the silence that had fallen between them, unknowingly cutting her off.

"I'm sure Midoriya would be very happy if he heard you guys say that! Or maybe he would get flustered? He's kind of just like that, huh?" he said, looking to Hitomi.

"Eh?" Hitomi had to take a moment, having to push her question to the side for now. "Um, yeah, hearing something like that might make him embarrassed. He's really sweet like that…"

Bakugou's friends seemed to look reassured, relaxing slightly. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"He's a nice guy, after all," said the boy with the parted hair.

A weight seemed to have been lifted from their shoulders, the group's conversation able to give them better insight.

"But you know, we can't say these things in front of Katsuki. Remember how in the tournament he tried to burn everything? When he was fighting that ice dude?"

"And when Midoriya fought with him! It was super cool and intense!"

"Yeah, when he tried to fight back without thinking, I was like woahhh!"

"It seemed like Midoriya tried his best to return the attacks! I thought, woah, if he wins this, then he would be up against Katsuki!"

"What the fuck did you guys say about Deku?"

Everyone jumped at the new voice, turning to see Bakugou was standing by the edge of the table. His soda was in his hand, while his face held a glare.

"Someone said Deku was super cool?" he growled. His grip seemed to tighten around his cup, concern building in Hitomi that he'd break it. "What the fuck? If you're sleep talking then sleep and talk! Are you guys fucking blind? I'll make sure that you see a real pretty explosion in the back of your heads!"

Kirishima jumped up from his seat, holding his hand out. "Bakugou! Calm down!"

"Shut up! I need to teach these shitty friends a lesson!"

One of his friends grimaced. "Heh, looks like he hasn't changed at all when anyone mentions Midoriya though~!"

Bakugou scowled at him, saying, "Don't go saying Deku's shitty name!"

"Katsuki, stop it!"

Right as Bakugou tried to grab the two friends as they were trying to escape, Kirishima stood up, jumping over Hitomi and knocking over the table as a result. It tipped over, and as Kirishima held Bakugou back, Hitomi yelped, rushing to catch the cups with her quirk before they could hit the ground and shatter. The glasses were encased in small force fields as Hitomi's eyes glowed, the sodas spilling inside them but safe from the floor.

Bakugou's anger was on a whole different level, and Hitomi could feel the other customers' glares as well as hear their whispers.

"Where have I seen that boy before?"

"Oh! Is he from UA?"

"Oh, he's the boy from that slime incident!"

"Wait, he's the one who got tied up at the Sports Festival!"

"Oh…oh yeah!"

As Bakugou listened to the patrons gossiping about him, he became even more furious.

"Shut the fuck up, all of you shitty customers, SHUT! THE FUCK! UP! GO BACK TO EATING!"

Just then, a staff member came up to them and said, "Excuse me, sir!"

The staff member placed his hand on Bakugou's shoulder and pulled him out of Kirishima's grasp, forcing him to turn around. The staff member was actually the owner of the restaurant, with his status clearly written on his name plate.

"You're bothering the other customers, so please be a bit quiet…"

However, words alone could not stop Bakugou's anger. If they could, the world would be a better place.

"Shut up, you piece of shit!" Bakugou yelled. Hitomi flinched at his rude words as she placed the cups back on the table, wincing as the spilled soda had to fall onto the tabletop. "I'm also a customer, you know!"

"You're bothering other customers," the owner said coldly, "so that means that you are in fact, not a customer here. Our establishment does not serve trash."

Hitomi would have gasped at the owner's retort, had he not grabbed their bags and shoved them into their arms before forcing them out of the restaurant.

Bakugou turned to her and the others as they all stood on the sidewalk, gritting his teeth. "Goddammit, why the hell did you guys bring up Deku? This is all shitty Deku's fault!"

Something in Hitomi snapped at that.

"Midoriya?!" Hitomi shot back, finally feeling her annoyance with his behavior catching up to her. "He's not even here!" She stepped forward, jabbing a finger into his chest as her own anger rose. "That was all on you! The way you talked to that staff member was totally not okay! And how you yelled at everyone else there! Telling them to shut up? What the hell was that?! It's not our fault if you can't even control your temper at the mere mention of your own classmate!"

"Hah?!" Bakugou growled, slapping her hand away. "You shouldn't have even been talking about that shitty nerd in the first place!"

"Bakugou, calm down!" Kirishima pleaded, grabbing both Bakugou and Hitomi by the shoulders and separating them. "Hitomi, you too! Please, yelling won't solve anything!"

Bakugou tched, shoving Kirishima's hand off of him and looking away.

Hitomi looked away as well, opting to stare at the ground. She took a deep breath, trying to let her annoyance cool off as her shoulders relaxed.

She let out a sigh, pulling her bag onto her shoulder. "...You're right. It's not like arguing is going to get us back inside, anyway." Bakugou let out a scoff at her jab, but Hitomi ignored him, instead giving Kirishima a weak smile. "Sorry, Kirishima."

Bakugou's old friends whistled, holding their hands up. Hitomi could tell they clearly didn't want to be a part of this quarrel. "Well, see you later then!"

She and Kirishima watched as they both patted Bakugou's back before they quickly left, the trio alone once again.

"Well, it was cool meeting old friends of yours, Bakugou, I guess…" Kirishima said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked around the street, seeing other people still milling about, going in and out of the train station.

"Well, since we got kicked out, we'll have to find somewhere else to eat, huh? We still have to study, after all!"

There was only silence in response, and Kirishima looked behind him to see Bakugou and Hitomi were facing away from each other. Bakugou had his hands in his pockets while Hitomi's arms were crossed stubbornly, both clearly intent on not speaking to each other.

"Uh, guys…? We should decide together, don't you think?"

Bakugou only let out a "tch!", kicking a stray pebble by his foot.

Hitomi let out another sigh, her arms now grasping her bag straps. "Kirishima…" She stole a glance at Bakugou, only to look away in annoyance. "I… I don't think I'm in the mood to study anymore today. I'm sorry. I just don't want to do this right now."

"That's okay!" Kirishima tried to reassure her. "We don't have to do it right away, we still need to eat together first!"

Hitomi shook her head, frowning. "No… You guys can find a restaurant and study on your own. I… I think I'll just head home. I need some time to myself to cool off, anyway."

"But…"

"Sorry, again," Hitomi said sheepishly, clapping her hands together. "We can continue tomorrow! I'm just… done for today. I'm sure you understand."

Before Kirishima could protest any more, Hitomi turned away, heading to the crosswalk.

"Hitomi, wait-!"

"Just leave her, Kirishima," Bakugou growled. "If she wants to go home, just let her. It's her loss, anyway."

They were out of earshot by the time Hitomi had reached the edge of the sidewalk, the girl biting her lip as she walked to the train station.

If Bakugou was going to be an ass for the rest of today, who said she had to deal with that? No, she didn't have the patience nor the energy to put up with his crappy behavior right now. First they had to leave the library because he bothered everyone else and made a kid cry, and then they got kicked out of a restaurant because he had the nerve to yell at everyone around him just because he'd heard Midoriya's name.

Seriously, what was his deal?! Hitomi figured they weren't really the closest of friends, assuming they had some sort of rivalry or something, but… really? Getting angry just because he heard Midoriya had been mentioned?

Hitomi took out her wallet, which had her train pass inside, walking past the gate.

She figured she would probably never really understand the full extent of their relationship. After all, it's not like it was really her place to, right? She was an outside party, a stranger.

Hitomi paused, looking over her shoulder. All she saw were civilians milling about, already too far into the station to see the entrance she came in from. With another sigh, she continued forward, heading to the train platform that would take her to her area of town. The train was already there by the time she got there, Hitomi rushing inside before the doors could close.

She flopped into a seat, feeling the stiffness in her shoulders fading away.

Midoriya had mentioned at some point he and Bakugou grew up in the same neighborhood. They had known each other for a long time, and based on the way Midoriya talked about him, they had been friends too, at one point. Looking at the two of them now though, that didn't seem to be the case.

The question Hitomi had wanted to ask Bakugou's old friends resurfaced, being the only thing occupying her thoughts as the train started to move.

At some point, their relationship had changed. Midoriya became jumpy, and Bakugou would get agitated just hearing his name. It was obvious they didn't get along.

So all Hitomi could wonder was, why?

What had happened between them?

And if her deduction was correct, was it really okay for her to admire someone like Bakugou?

If, like his old friends, he had bullied Midoriya in the past as well?

…

"...Hey, Bakugou."

"What?"

Kirishima let out a small exhale at Bakugou's cold tone, setting his pencil down.

"Hitomi's your friend, right?"

Bakugou paused, eyeing him for a moment before continuing to write something in his workbook.

"Dunno," he huffed. "She seems to like you a lot more than me."

Kirishima looked out the window, seeing the slightest bits of orange had begun to appear in the sky. After Hitomi had left, he and Bakugou had gone to a cafe instead to study, and had finished eating lunch 15 minutes ago.

"Y'know…" Kirishima mumbled, "Hitomi doesn't really get angry."

Silence.

"...And?"

"Well, I mean… She's not really assertive, y'know? She's pretty timid, actually, and it seems like she doesn't normally speak her mind. The last time she seemed mad was at the sports festival, when Kaminari and Mineta got the girls to wear those cheerleader outfits… but- even then, she didn't yell at them or scold them or anything; she just slapped their heads without a word and left-"

"Get to the point, Kirishima."

Oh. He was rambling. Oops.

Kirishima scratched the back of his head, his eyes falling back to his own workbook. He was working on English, stumped on a grammar question.

Hitomi would know the answer right away…

"Hitomi left. Alone. She probably ended up eating lunch all alone too, since she said she took a different train route to get to the library near your place."

Kirishima saw Bakugou shrug out of the corner of his eye. "Well, like I said, her loss. She made the decision to go home early, anyway."

"Dammit, Bakugou, don't you see the point I'm trying to make?" Kirishima blurted, finally turning to face the blonde. "Hitomi's was angry with you, dude! And don't say that's not your problem!" he added on, stopping Bakugou from interrupting him right as the blonde opened his mouth. "She was mad at you, and because of that, she went home. Alone. Instead of studying and eating together here with us, her friends, she left because she was angry and didn't want to be around you. And it's not like her anger wasn't justified, either! I didn't say anything earlier, but Bakugou, she had every right to be mad at you. The way you acted at the restaurant was really bad. At the library too, actually! It was completely unmanly of you!"

Bakugou stared at Kirishima as the redhead finally trailed off, a slight furrow in his eyebrows. He turned away silently, resting his cheek against his hand and staring outside the window. A quiet "tch" was barely audible over the noise of the cafe.

Kirishima sighed, taking it as a sign Bakugou recognized what he did wrong, but was not willing to acknowledge it. He ran his fingers through his hair, turning to face the window as well.

"...You need to apologize to her, Bakugou. You may not feel the same way, but she sees you as a friend."

Bakugou picked up his pencil, starting to scribble something in his workbook.

"...Tomorrow," he mumbled.

"Morning, Hitomi!"

Bakugou paused as he heard Uraraka's voice sound from across the room, glancing over his shoulder.

"Ah, good morning."

From his seat he saw Hitomi close the door behind her, the girl giving Uraraka a smile before walking over to her seat. He turned back around to face the front, tapping his finger against his desk impatiently.

"Ah, Kanetsukabe-san!"

Bakugou stiffened as he heard Deku get up from his chair behind him, feeling the urge to turn around again. He shifted in his seat so he was facing the side slightly, watching out of the corner of his eye. Deku walked over to Hitomi's desk, a small amount of pages in his hand.

"Thanks for lending me your English notes!" he said, holding out the papers to her. He rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile on his face. "I completely forgot to give them back to you at the end of the day on Friday… sorry about that."

"Oh, it's okay!" Hitomi reassured him, holding her hand up. "I hardly ever use my notes for English, anyway… Actually, you can give those to Kirishima, if you don't need them anymore. I'm helping him study for the exams, so he'd find them helpful."

She pushed the papers back to him, Deku taking a moment to sift through them one last time. "Man, being fluent English already sure has its perks, huh?" he hummed. "That's one less subject you have to worry about."

Hitomi laughed. "Yeah… I guess so." She looked to the side, in Bakugou's general direction and wore a somewhat pained smile. However, she didn't seem to notice he was watching them. "Gives me more time to study Japanese history and literature…"

"Oh, are you having a hard time with those? I can give you my notes, to make up for forgetting to return yours!"

Hitomi waved him off, her smile becoming more genuine. "No, you don't have to! I don't want to take away your notes with the exams starting on Wednesday. Besides, I've been studying with Kirishima and Bakugou anyway, so I've been getting help."

Deku's eyebrows raised into his hair. "With… Kacchan, too?"

And that was his cue to turn around. Bakugou turned back to the front, right as Deku looked over at him. He scowled as he stared at the blackboard, his finger back to tapping his desk. Stop fucking staring, you damn nerd!

After a few moments, he heard Deku speak again. "Well, I'm gonna give these to Kirishima, before Aizawa-sensei arrives. Thanks again for letting me borrow them, Kanetsukabe-san."

"No problem, Midoriya."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Deku stop by Kirishima's desk, handing the redhead the notes. His voice was faint as the two of them talked, and Bakugou rolled his eyes, his frown deepening.

Damn nerd can't even remember to return the notes he's borrowed on time.

His mind wandered back to last week, when everyone had returned from their internships. Bakugou let out a small "tch" as he remembered the training exercise they'd done the first day they got back, how he'd seen Deku use his very own moves.

It pissed him off just thinking about it.

I'll beat him in the exams with an indisputable difference!

The door by the front of the classroom slid open, Aizawa trudging in.

"Get to your seats, homeroom's starting now," he droned.

The class had already scurried to their seats by the time he reached the end of his sentence.

…

He was definitely staring.

Hitomi was resting her forehead against her clasped hands as Aizawa went over the day's announcements, her eyes shifting back and forth between her desk and the back of Bakugou's head.

Unbeknownst to Bakugou, she'd caught him staring during her conversation with Midoriya. She couldn't tell what his expression was, since he was kind of looking over his shoulder and she was also trying to keep her attention on her green-haired classmate.

But, no matter what his expression was, all she felt was anxiety that he was staring.

Why was he staring at us?!

The only thing Hitomi could think of was that he was probably mad about something. And since he seemed to be so focused on them, she figured she had a good idea of what exactly.

Midoriya hadn't done anything to provoke him (this time…), so that meant it was probably… her.

Oh man, is he mad at me…?

He's still mad about yesterday, isn't he?

Hitomi feared that's exactly what it was. She was still unhappy with how he'd acted, no doubt, but after spending some time cooling off, she was already over it. …Mostly.

Taking the time to think back on the whole thing while she ate lunch yesterday, she realized that arguing with Bakugou only provoked him more, and that there were ways she likely could've handled his temper better. After all, his anger during that time was completely unreasonable, and if she'd taken a different approach rather than letting her own temper get the better of her, he might've calmed down faster. And she wouldn't have had to leave, and cost Kirishima her help with reviewing English.

But she didn't take a different approach. She yelled back at him, scolded him, and now all she could think was that he was mad at her. Bakugou held grudges a lot longer than she did, so she didn't know what else to think given the way he was staring at her and Midoriya.

Hitomi really hoped that wasn't the case. She, Bakugou, and Kirishima were still planning on doing two last sessions of studying since the written portion started on Wednesday, and if he was still mad at her for yesterday, it could be difficult and even awkward.

Ahhh, what do I do…?!

The one thing she would not do is apologize. Because really, what did she have to apologize for? For calling Bakugou out on his irrational behavior? Yes, she could've handled it differently, but that didn't mean she actually did something wrong.

She didn't know if she could deal with him still being angry at her. Bakugou's fury was not something you wanted targeted at you, after all.

Hitomi's eyes shifted to Midoriya, lowering her hands.

Did Midoriya have to deal with that often…?

She shook her head, looking down at her desk.

Stop thinking about that! For the millionth time, it's none of your business!

What she needed to think about was how she was gonna handle the day's study session if Bakugou did end up still being mad at her. He actually did help her out with her weaker subjects despite his odd way of teaching (scowling about the answer and berating you for not knowing it), so the last thing she wanted was for him to be in a sour mood while he did it.

Hitomi jumped as the classroom door slammed open, Present Mic standing in the doorway as Aizawa left the podium. That meant homeroom was over, with English now starting.

Hitomi sighed, pulling out her notebook for English.

I'll just have to figure out what I'll do… later.

…

"Hitomi, aren't you coming to the lunchroom?"

Hitomi looked up from her backpack to see Kirishima and the rest of their friends standing by the doorway, waiting for her.

"Ah, no, not today!" She pulled out a bento box wrapped in a star-patterned handkerchief, zipping her bag closed. "My mom wanted us to finish the leftovers she made three days ago."

Kaminari stared at the box as she walked over to them, looking curious. "What is it?"

"Chicken adobo," Hitomi replied. "Filipino dish."

"Ah," Sero hummed. "Well, you can still eat in the lunchroom, can't you? You don't have to buy anything."

Hitomi shook her head, making her way past them and out into the hallway. "Uh, can't," she stuttered. "I have to make a phone call where it's less noisy, so I'm going to eat in the courtyard. Gotta hurry before all the benches get taken, so..." She looked between the five of them, her eyes falling on Bakugou before she stiffened. "Bye!"

Before any of them could protest, she ran away, heading straight for the stairs.

Oh man. Oh man, she thought, wanting to punch herself.

Based on her brief glance at his expression, something was definitely brewing in Bakugou's mind.

…

Kirishima elbowed Bakugou as they walked to the lunchroom, looking concerned. "Did you see the way she looked at you before she left?" he asked. "She's probably still unhappy with you from yesterday!"

"Shut up!" Bakugou growled. "I saw! I'm not fucking blind!"

"So? What are you going to do about it? Are you going to apologize or not?"

Bakugou shoved his hands into his pockets, scowling. "I'll handle it! So stop fucking asking me about it!"

"When?"

"Later, okay?!"

"What are you guys yelling about?" Mina asked.

"Bakugou made Hitomi mad," Kirishima replied, pointing a thumb at the boy in question. "He was acting kinda dumb yesterday, and she scolded him for it. Now she's not eating with us 'cause of him."

Bakugou turned to him, wearing an angry expression. "What-?!"

"Ehhhh?" Mina whined, placing her hands on her hips and now walking backwards. "Bakugou, you're the reason she's not having lunch with us today? Meanie!"

"Wha-?! Didn't she say she needed to make a phone call?! That doesn't mean it's my fault!" Bakugou yelled.

"Even so, you should apologize!" Mina huffed. Kirishima nodded in agreement. "She's your friend, and mine, and I don't want my friends fighting with each other!"

"I said I would deal with it!"

"When?" Mina pouted. "When hell freezes over?"

"LATER!"

…

"Nari, what do I do?!"

Hitomi held her forehead, her legs up on the bench.

"He's not over yesterday, and I'm going to be meeting up with him and Kirishima after school to study for two hours! How am I supposed to get along with him if he gives me the cold shoulder?"

"Uh…" Her best friend hummed in thought. "Maybe talk to him about it? I mean, what else can you do in that situation?"

"Nari, this is Katsuki Bakugou. You saw how angry he could get at the sports festival!"

"Hitomi… this isn't the sports festival." Nari had a smile that could only be described as "squiggly" on her end. "This is a situation where he was in the wrong. I really think you should just talk to him. Explain to him why you were unhappy with how he acted; try to help him understand and recognize what he did."

"But… what if he doesn't listen?"

"Then give him a peace offering."

Hitomi tilted her head, lowering her hand. "A peace offering?"

"Yeah. Start out with that. That way, you make yourself more favorable first by offering him something he'll like. Since you end up more on his good side, that'll make him more willing to listen to you."

"Mmm…" Hitomi dropped her legs back onto the ground, staring at her shoes. "You think that'll work…?"

"It should," Nari replied. "Do you know what he'd like?"

"I have a vague idea…" Hitomi sighed, finally unwrapping her bento box from the handkerchief. "But, I wanna ask one of my classmates, just to make sure. Thanks for your help, Nari."

"No problem!" her friend chirped. "Always happy to help, Mimi. You should learn to be a little less socially awkward, though," she laughed.

"I know…" Hitomi whined.

After exchanging goodbye's and hanging up, Hitomi opened her bento box, staring at the rice and adobo inside determinedly. She took a deep breath, clapping her hands together in prayer before beginning to eat her food as fast as she could.

I need to finish eating as fast as possible so I can find him before lunch is over!

…

Bakugou trudged down the hallway to the entrance of the courtyard, scanning the area through the window as he drew closer to the doors.

It had been half an hour since lunch had started, and he figured that would be plenty of time for someone to finish a phone call. He pushed the door open, stepping onto the brick path. There were lots of students lounging around on the grass and the benches under the trees, chatting and eating. He saw one friend group was even playing cards.

Bakugou walked forward, glancing around.

Where is she?

As he continued walking through the courtyard, his eyes kept shifting back and forth, looking for the combination of bright blue hair worn in that weird-ass hairstyle.

He looked over the patches of grass, before turning his gaze to the benches. They were all taken, yet the person he was looking for was nowhere in sight.

She's not here. Where the fuck is she?

With a huff, Bakugou finally reached the doorway on the other side of the courtyard, pushing it open and stepping back into the building. He scratched the back of his head as the door closed behind him, his small frown turning into a pout.

He still hadn't even thought of what he was going to say.

"Hey, I get it was because of me that we kept getting in trouble, so can you stop being mad at me?"

No. That was shit.

"Hey, I know I was being an ass yesterday, so can we just move on?"

God no. That was even worse.

Fucking hell, why was this shit so hard?!

…

Hitomi sped walk down the hallway, looking back and forth.

Come on, come on, where is he?

She ran up the stairs to the second floor, speed walking down the hall that led to her classroom. Hitomi paused, finally spotting a head of fluffy green hair.

Found him!

She ran over to him, calling out his name. "Midoriya!"

He turned to her, his eyebrows raising as she approached. "Kanetsukabe-san?" His curiosity turned to concern as she stopped in front of him, the boy noticing she was out of breath. "What is it? Are you okay?"

Hitomi took a moment to rest, shaking her head before blurting out, "What kind of stuff does Bakugou like?!"

Midoriya blinked. "Eh?"

Hitomi spluttered, waving her hands. "Actually- I meant- uh…" She looked away, placing one hand on her hip while the other held her chin. "Let me rephrase that." She took a deep breath, turning back to Midoriya determinedly. "What would Bakugou appreciate as a gift?"

"Huh? Why?" Midoriya asked.

Hitomi sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "He and I kind of got mad at each other yesterday… I'm pretty sure he's still mad at me, so… I want to give him a gift, as a peace offering! We're still studying for the exams after school today and tomorrow, and I just want us to get along again so things can go smoothly…"

"Oh, gotcha." Midoriya hummed, looking deep in thought. "Well, it may depend on how angry he is? What exactly happened between you two yesterday?"

At that Hitomi scoffed, crossing her arms. "His crappy attitude made an innocent little boy cry and caused us to get kicked out of a restaurant. All because we happened to come across his old friends and they talked about you! Honestly, I should be the one still mad. He was acting so ridiculously petty!"

Midoriya sweatdropped. "Ah. Typical Kacchan."

"By the way, his friends said you were really cool at the sports festival… Said watching you was so awesome it gave them goosebumps."

Midoriya blushed, the sight of his cute puppy-like expression making Hitomi's annoyance lessen slightly.

"Ah… they did?" he stuttered, scratching his cheek. "That's a surprise…"

Hitomi looked away, her mind wandering back to what else Bakugou's friends had mentioned the day before.

He says that because they used to bully him…

"Well, if it wasn't anything huge Kacchan was mad about," Midoriya finally spoke up again, interrupting her thoughts, "then you don't need to worry about getting anything big or expensive as a gift."

"I thought so…"

"Did you already have an idea of what you were going to get him?"

Hitomi nodded. "Yeah. I just wanted to run it by you, since you guys have known each other a long time."

"What were you planning on giving him?"

"Well…"

…

Hitomi shoved the front door of her house open, kicking her shoes off and hastily dropping them into the shoe box by the door.

"I'm home!" she called into the house, running to the stairs. As she got to the second floor, her little brother's head poked out of his bedroom.

"You're home faster than usual," Toku said, watching as she ran down the hall to her room.

"Yeah," Hitomi replied, opening her door. "Got another study session today, but I need to go buy some things before then."

Toku hummed. "I see. Well, no one else is home yet, so can I eat the last of the ice cream in the freezer? I'm hungry."

Hitomi squinted at him. "You can, but don't blame me if someone else gets mad at you for finishing it."

Her little brother cheered, running out of his room and down the stairs as Hitomi closed her door with a huff. She'd sprinted off campus and to the train station the second the last bell rang, wanting to get home as fast as possible. Her study session with Bakugou and Kirishima was planned at 4:15 pm, an hour and five minutes after school ended, and Hitomi wanted as much time as possible to look for the peace offering she'd give to Bakugou during then.

She hastily changed out of her uniform and into more casual clothes, consisting of a maroon Peter Pan collar shirt and white shorts, with black leggings underneath. After moving all the materials she needed for their study session to a smaller backpack, she slung it onto her shoulders, walking out of her room and closing the door behind her.

Hitomi sped walk down the stairs, sweatdropping when she reached the bottom to see Toku eating the last of the mango ice cream straight out of the carton.

"I'm heading out!" she called over her shoulder after slipping on her shoes, her little brother waving in response. "Tell Mom and Dad I'll be back around 7:30."

Toku gave her an "OK" sign with his free hand, and Hitomi stepped out, locking the door behind her. Right as she was putting her key away, her phone chimed.

Hitomi paused, reaching into her pocket and taking it out.

It's a text from Kirishima…

She opened the message, seeing it was from the group chat between her, Kirishima, and Bakugou.

Kirishima ️: guys, I dont think I can make it today sorry! something came up at home that my mom needs my help with

Eh?!

Kirishima ️: you can study without me!
Kirishima ️: I'll just use the notes I made yesterday and also hitomi's notes that midoriya gave me this morning
Kirishima ️: I'll be fine, promise! ? 💪

Kirishima's… not coming…?

A feeling of dread settled in Hitomi's stomach, her thoughts running rampant.

Kirishima wasn't going to come which meant it was only going to be her and Bakugou.

Oh no. Oh no.

She already didn't know how to act around Bakugou when they were alone, and add him being angry at her, and the awkwardness levels would skyrocket to 1000. She was relying on Kirishima to ease the tension, dammit!

Hitomi turned back around to face her front door, her shoulders tense.

Maybe we'll just cancel it entirely today.

Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. Maybe an extra day would give Bakugou enough time to finally get over his anger come tomorrow.

Hitomi stared at the door, her eyes flitting back and forth between her phone and the doorknob.

Would it be better to just cancel and let things pass?

It wasn't like she really needed to give a gift to Bakugou… after all, she wasn't the one at fault here. The responsibility to make things right was on… him.

But… Bakugou's a prideful person. He doesn't seem like the type to apologize, unless prompted, so…

Hitomi groaned, running her hands through her hair.

Ahhh, what should I do?

Cancel, or not?!

Should I just confront him, or let him cool off on his own?

She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't know.

She was probably standing there for around a minute or two, debating with herself whether she should go or not until her phone finally let out another ping.

Hitomi jumped, hesitantly looking at the screen.

Bakugou: whatever
Bakugou: kanetsukabe, we're still meeting at the restaurant on Ando
Bakugou: don't be late.

Hitomi groaned, leaning her forehead against the door.

Crap.

Well, looks like waiting it out wasn't gonna be an option.

With a sigh, she finally turned and walked down the path to the sidewalk, steeling her shoulders. She looked back at her phone, typing out a response.

Me: right
Me: I'll be there

She quickened her pace, putting her phone away before her walk turned into a jog as she headed for the train station.

If it was just going to be the two of them…

Then she had to get that peace offering no matter what.

…

4:20 pm -

She's late.

Bakugou let out a "tch", setting his phone down and staring out the window.

When he first got the text from Kirishima, he didn't know what the idiot was thinking.

"Is this some kind of lame plan of yours?!" Bakugou yelled into his phone, tossing his bag onto his bed.

"It's not, it's not, I swear!" Bakugou could hear the apologetic tone in Kirishima's voice. "I was planning on coming today, I swear I wasn't planning on skipping, dude! Honest!" After a few seconds, Kirishima sighed. "My mom just really needed me to help out with something at home. Heavy lifting, moving around furniture, that sort of thing. My dad's not exactly the strongest, so I gotta help out. It's going to take us a while, so I probably won't make it by the time we finish."

Bakugou growled, running his hands through his hair. "Then what am I supposed to do?! If she's still mad at me, then she may not even bother coming at all if you decide not to show up!"

"Bakugou, this is your chance to apologize. Tell her you'll be at the restaurant, and show her that you recognized what you did wrong. I mean, if it's just you two, she can't ignore you!"

Bakugou opened his mouth to retort, pausing when he heard a distant voice on Kirishima's end.

"Oh, that's my mom," Kirishima said. "Gotta go! Good luck, Bakugou!"

"Wait-!"

The phone call ended, cutting him off. Bakugou pulled it away from his ear, staring at the caller ID screen before he growled, a small crackle escaping his other hand. "Dammit!"

He had to go through all this trouble because of Deku. For fuck's sake, everything always came back to that shitty nerd! His stupid middle school friends just had to go and mention him, making Bakugou blow up and causing them to get kicked out. And now Hitomi was mad at him for it and giving him the cold shoulder! It wasn't his fault his dumb friends brought that nerd up!

"It's not our fault if you can't even control your temper at the mere mention of your own classmate."

Bakugou scowled, looking at his phone again before going back to the group chat to type a reply.

Me: whatever
Me: kanetsukabe, we're still meeting at the restaurant on Ando
Me: don't be late.

Bakugou picked up his phone again, checking the time.

4:24 pm.

Hitomi was now almost 10 minutes late.

She said she would be here. Where the fuck is she?

He unlocked his phone, scrolling through his contacts to look for her number.

"Droopy Eyes".

Oh. That nickname he used for her at the beginning of school. He usually came up with pretty good nicknames, but that one didn't really stick to be honest. He could probably change it to a better one.

Or her name. He could do that too. He already did it for Kirishima.

"Bakugou!"

Bakugou's head snapped up at the sound of his name, looking at the edge of his booth. Hitomi was standing there, and he noticed she was out of breath.

His eyes narrowed as he squinted at her. "I told you not to be late. Where the fuck were you?"

Hitomi seemed to flinch, looking away.

Shit, Bakugou thought, looking down at the table. He should've thought before he spoke. That was not how I wanted to start.

"I was looking for something," Hitomi said quietly. Bakugou heard her sigh, his ears perking up at the sound of paper rustling.

He looked back up at her and a small, white paper bag was held out to him, leaving him speechless.

"This is for you," she huffed, her eyes avoiding him.

"Hah?" Bakugou put his phone down, staring between her and the bag. "Why?"

"Think of it as a peace offering," Hitomi mumbled. "For what happened yesterday. I won't lie to you… I wasn't happy with how you acted. Frustrated, even. If you want me to be honest, I thought you were acting kind of ridiculous."

Bakugou's eyebrow twitched. "Oi-"

"But," Hitomi continued, "I also could have handled it better than arguing with you and provoking you even more. So I'm giving this to you in hopes we can make up." She finally looked at him, her silver eyes burning straight into his red ones. "If we're going to study, we should get along, right?"

Bakugou was silent, staring at the bag. He raised his hand slowly, a troubled look on his face as he took it from her gingerly.

She got me something even though Kirishima said I should be the one apologizing.

"...Right," he mumbled, putting it down on the seat next to his backpack. From the fleeting glance he got inside, he had seen a dark brown box underneath a receipt. His voice lowered to barely a whisper, struggling to get the words out. "...Thank you."

Hitomi nodded, before finally taking a seat across from him and sliding her bag off her shoulder. "So… what did you have in mind to study today? Kirishima's not here, and you get better grades than me so, uh…"

Bakugou crossed his arms on top of the table, observing her. She was keeping her eyes on the table, completely stiff.

He held his hand out. "Give me your literature workbook."

"Eh?" Hitomi stared at his hand, wearing a confused expression.

"You heard me," Bakugou scoffed, curling his fingers in a "hand-it-over" gesture.

"Uh, sure…" She turned to her bag, zipping it open and taking a moment to look through its contents. After a few seconds, she pulled out a pink Campos notebook and placed it in his hand timidly. "Here…"

Bakugou flipped through it, looking between her notes and the worksheets inside. He pulled out the most recent assignment Cementoss had given them, reading it over. Some of these answers are using the wrong kanji.

He pointed at one of the answers Hitomi had written, reading it out in his head. "You wrote 'donburi' here instead of 'well'." He looked up at Hitomi to see her flinch, a blush spreading across her nose. "What, were you hungry when you wrote this?"

"N-No!" Hitomi spluttered, holding her hands up. "I was working on that one late at night…" She looked away, her cheeks puffing out slightly. "It's not my fault Japanese has so many similar kanji…"

Bakugou pulled out his pencil case, taking out a pencil and reading over the worksheet again, circling different parts of her answers. After he was done, he held it out to her, staring her down. "You used the wrong ones here. You should get used to double checking what you write, and stop working on homework past midnight. It's common sense your brain won't be functioning properly at that hour, idiot."

Hitomi's blush spread to her ears before she snatched the workbook out of his hands, embarrassed. "I-I know that…! But- like I said, it's not my fault Japanese had to be so hard! It has so many kanji, and different readings for them along with hiragana and katakana, so you can't blame me for getting confused sometimes…!" She held the workbook close to her chest, staring out the window. "It's already hard enough trying to stay fluent in three languages," she mumbled.

"Three?" Bakugou asked, raising a brow. "The hell is the third one? I thought you just knew Japanese and English."

Hitomi bit her lip, putting her notebook down on the table. "Tagalog. My mom's first language and my dad's second." Her blush started to fade away, her expression now melancholic. "It's my weakest one."

Bakugou leaned his cheek against his hand, continuing to stare at her stoically.

"I was embarrassed enough about my accent when I lived in the US, so if you're going to criticize my writing and spelling, which is fine, I'd prefer you do it without making fun of me," Hitomi huffed.

"Hah? What did you have to be embarrassed about?" Bakugou questioned, leaning forward. "Your accent in English is perfectly clear."

"Sure, now it is," Hitomi shot back, puffing her cheeks out. "But try being 10 stumbling over your words because of the different languages you're juggling in your head and hearing other kids mimicking your accent. It was embarrassing." Hitomi covered her face in shame and sighed.

"Those kids were asshats," Bakugou scoffed. "You knew three languages at that age. I bet that's more than they ever will."

"I guess…" Hitomi mumbled into her hands.

Bakugou stared at her for a few more seconds, before sighing. "Where's your history workbook? Give it."

"Eh?" Hitomi raised her head, lowering her hands. "We're moving on already?"

"We're here until 7, which is in 2 and a half hours, and you were late. Hurry up."

Hitomi sweatdropped, reaching into her bag and handing him a yellow notebook.

Bakugou opened it, flipping through her most recent notes. "You know what'll be on the exam, right?"

"Uh…"

Bakugou took that as a "no", flipping to the next blank page. He grabbed his pencil, writing down some bullet points and flipping back and forth between her notes to see what she'd written down. After he finished, he'd turned the notebook so it was facing her, pointing at his bullet points with the tip of his pencil. "These are what'll most likely be on the exam, along with areas where your notes were pretty lacking. You need to go over these extra carefully."

Hitomi picked up the notebook, reading down the list. "Right…"

"You're going to study them for the next 30 minutes, and then I'm quizzing you. Got it?"

Hitomi blinked, before she nodded, her face looking determined. "Right…!"

She pulled her history textbook out of her bag, flipping through the pages and looking between the textbook and her notebook. Her eyes scanned the pages quickly, completely serious.

Bakugou's lips curled up in a small smirk, taking out his own textbook to review.

…

30 minutes later -

"What year did the Meiji period start?"

"1858!" Hitomi exclaimed.

"Wrong," Bakugou shot back, writing a note by one of the bullet points on the list he'd written for her. "You're 10 years early."

Hitomi dropped her head onto the table, letting out a small whine. "Shoot." She ran her hands through her hair, her legs swinging slightly under the table. "Man, I'm totally gonna fail!"

"Oi, this is why we're studying!" Bakugou growled, rolling up the notebook and batting her lightly on the head. Hitomi looked up, blowing her bangs out of her face with a pout. "And quit being so dramatic saying you'll fail!" Bakugou added on. "You literally ranked 5th on the midterms, and that was without studying! Kirishima's the one who has a right to say that, not you!"

"It's failing in my book if I get below an 80%," Hitomi huffed, sitting up. "Besides, you're one to talk after saying your first place win was 'garbage'."

Hitomi saw tick marks appear on Bakugou's face. "That's different!" he shot back. "The half-and-half bastard threw the match by holding back, so that win was worthless!"

Hitomi smiled sheepishly, looking away. Still a sore spot for him, huh…?

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask," Hitomi began, cutting him off before he could go into another rant about the sports festival, "why did you want to go over Literature and History? They hardly seem like subjects you struggle with."

Bakugou scoffed. "You're really asking me that? It's for you, dumbass."

Hitomi froze, her heart doing a little jump.

That sounds like it could be taken a different way out of context.

"O-oh… For me?" she stuttered. "Why…?"

Bakugou crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. "Your weakest subjects are Japanese-specific subjects, aren't they? Since you were moving back and forth between different countries and shit."

Hitomi's heart did another small jump, feeling her ears were beginning to heat up. "They are…" she mumbled, looking down at her lap.

"You're an idiot who has no habit of studying, so it only makes sense we'd cover your weakest areas."

The weird jumps in Hitomi's chest immediately disappeared, and her face became unamused. "Wow, thanks," she huffed, rolling her eyes. She let out a small sigh, resting her cheek against her hand and staring at him. "How about you? What are your weakest subjects?"

Bakugou scoffed, wearing a cocky smirk. "Ah? None of them. I get high marks in every subject."

"What? There has to be at least one that has lower grades than all the rest."

"Nope."

Hitomi hummed, before she smiled, holding her hand out. "Give me your English and science notebooks."

Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "Why? You think I'm bad at those subjects?"

Hitomi shook her head. "No. I believe you. But those are the ones I have the most confidence in, so since you looked over some things for me, I wanna do the same for you. Studying together means we help each other out! I don't want you to be the only one doing everything."

Bakugou stared her down, glaring at her hand until he finally relented. "Fine." He reached into his bag, pulling out two notebooks and dropping them into her hand. "Like you'll find anything wrong, though."

Hitomi opened the science notebook first, reading over his notes. Everything was well-organized, paired with neatly drawn diagrams, which were a stark contrast to his more aggressive handwriting.

Other than his handwriting, his notes are perfect, she thought, sweatdropping as she saw how the different equations and notes were all sorted. The practice problems they'd done in class seemed to all be correct as well, reaffirming to Hitomi that Bakugou really did seem like a prodigy. She huffed, closing the notebook. "Looks like no errors here."

Bakugou smirked. "Told you."

"Yeah, yeah," Hitomi waved him off, opening his English workbook, "look at you, Mr. Perfect."

She paused when she finally got a look at his English notes, staring at the pages.

"Hey," Hitomi said stiffly, squinting at the words. "Did you really write this…?"

Bakugou tched, leaning forward. "The fuck do you mean? Of course I did!"

"I mean…" Hitomi held the notebook up, pointing at his writing. "Your- Your handwriting in English is so neat and clean! Are you sure you wrote all these notes?! Hate to break it to you Bakugou, but your regular handwriting is like chicken scratch!"

"Yes, I wrote it, dumbass!" Bakugou retorted. "It's a different writing system, so it has to be neat in order for me to understand it easier! And my handwriting is not chicken scratch!"

Hitomi shook her head. "No no no. Your handwriting is like your personality. Aggressive and messy."

Bakugou slapped the rolled up notebook he was still holding against his hand. "I'll show you messy!" he growled. "And why the fuck do you care about my English handwriting anyway?!"

Hitomi stared at the lettering, admiring it. "Because it's really pretty."

"Huh?!"

"Your handwriting in English is pretty. I would've never guessed you wrote this. And to be honest, it looks better than mine," Hitomi laughed, scratching her cheek. "You saw my notes when I was helping Kirishima on Saturday, didn't you? They weren't as neat as yours."

"Doesn't that just mean it comes easy to you?"

"Hm?"

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "You're already fluent, so you don't even have to think about what you're writing. The only reason my English handwriting looks nice is 'cause I have to think harder about what I write."

"Ah… I guess so," Hitomi hummed. Although being left-handed would also play a part in it…

Being left-handed meant her hand covered what she was writing when it was left-to-right. Her English came out crooked if she wasn't paying attention, which was one reason she appreciated when she got the chance to write vertically in Japanese.

She finally started flipping through his notes, admiring it as she looked at the pages for the most recent lessons. Along with looking pretty, these notes are perfect too.

A thought suddenly crossed Hitomi's mind, making her look up from the notebook. "How's your pronunciation?"

"Why?" Bakugou huffed. "Isn't the test just going to be about grammar and shit?"

"Well, I've never heard you speak it before other than those special moves of yours! Oh, hold on." She grabbed a pencil, writing something in Bakugou's notebook. Once she was done, she held it up, pointing at the sentence. "Read this!"

Bakugou crossed his arms. "I thought you were checking my notes to see if there was anything wrong."

"Your notes are fine. Come on, just read this for me!"

Bakugou scoffed. "No."

Hitomi pouted. There he goes again, being stubborn… oh, I know!

"What, can't do it?" Hitomi teased. "You get good grades in English, but what's the point if you can't speak it to show you're good at it?"

"Shut up!" Bakugou growled. "You little- give me that!" He snatched it out of her hands, looking at the quote she'd written on the next blank page after his notes.

"'With great power comes great responsibility,'" he read out slowly in English, enunciating each word carefully.

Hitomi blinked, staring at him.

"What's that?" he huffed. "A movie quote?"

"Yeah…" Hitomi nodded slowly. "Your accent's kind of cute."

"What?!"

Hitomi blushed, slapping her hand over her mouth. Shit, I said that out loud…!

"N-nothing!"

Bakugou tched, tossing the notebook onto the table. "Whatever. Not like I'm moving to an English-speaking country anyways."

"Right…"

The two of them trailed off, finally drifting into silence.

Crap, Hitomi thought, her shoulders tensing up. We ran out of things to say. This is exactly what I was afraid of!

"Um…!" she blurted out, wanting to break the silence before it got awkward. "Anyways… So, uh- is there anything else you want to study?"

Bakugou shrugged. "No. You're the one who actually needs to study, not me."

Hitomi could feel a tick mark at the thinly veiled insult.

"Okay…" she grumbled, grabbing her history notebook. "Then how about we just study on our own for now? If there's anything either of us need help with, we'll talk about it. Sound good?"

"Sure, whatever."

At the very least, Hitomi thought as she looked back at the list Bakugou had written down for her, the silence won't be awkward since we'll be preoccupied.

…

40 minutes later -

"Oi."

Hitomi looked up, only to feel Bakugou press the tip of his pencil against her forehead.

"Eh…?"

"I've been calling you. Didn't you hear me?" Bakugou huffed. "Did you finish the math homework Ectoplasm gave us today?"

Hitomi stared at him in bewilderment. "Yeah, during class…"

Bakugou lowered his pencil, dropping his hand back onto the table. "Let me see it. I wanna see if we got the same answers."

Hitomi blinked, recovering from her trance. "What, embarrassed about how I noticed your mistakes on Saturday?" she teased.

Bakugou rolled his eyes as Hitomi rummaged through her bag. "I was distracted when I was working on those! My old hag kept calling me while I was doing that last assignment."

"Right, right," she laughed, handing over their latest homework.

Bakugou looked back and forth between the two papers, scanning the answers. Hitomi watched him, resting her head on her arms and letting out a small exhale. She'd been taking notes on the list Bakugou had given her for the past half hour, so a small break would definitely do her some good.

"Hey, Bakugou," Hitomi hummed, "what's your favorite subject?"

Bakugou glanced up from the papers for a few seconds, squinting at her before looking back at their homework. "Why the hell should I tell you?"

Ah… being aloof again…

Hitomi's lips turned up in a small smile. "Well, I guess you don't have to," she said sheepishly. "Just thought I'd ask."

She trailed off, leaving them in silence again as Bakugou continued comparing their answers. After several moments, he put the papers down, letting out a small huff.

"...Physics," he grumbled. "It's good to know for my quirk. Other than that, history isn't that bad either, I guess."

Hitomi sat up, clapping her hands together. "Really?!" she exclaimed, her smile widening. "You like physics? I like that too! Actually, I like almost all science-related subjects, but chemistry is probably my favorite." She laced her fingers together, tilting her head. "Math is another subject I like! Other people may find it complicated, or confusing, but I actually kinda like solving equations. It's pretty satisfying especially if you get the answer right!"

Hitomi suddenly stopped, her eyes widening. She slapped her hands over her mouth, feeling her cheeks were burning under her palms.

Shit!

She averted her gaze away from Bakugou, keeping her eyes glued to the table in embarrassment.

What am I saying?!

Dammit, she wanted to slap herself.

I sound like such a lame nerd!

"S-Sorry," she mumbled, covering her face. "I said too much… I probably sound like a dork."

He's definitely gonna make fun of me for this.

She heard Bakugou scoff, peeking at him through her fingers.

"Seriously, is there anything you're not embarrassed about?" He passed her homework back to her, putting his own in between the pages of his math notebook.

Hitomi lowered her hands timidly, her cheeks still a light pink. "Well, y'know… people say those kinds of things are nerdy."

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "And? Not your fault they can't fucking keep up. Besides, you don't see me acting all self-conscious about liking physics."

Hitomi puffed her cheeks out. "Well, you're just different from me…"

"So you like STEM, huh?"

Hitomi nodded, fiddling with her fingers. "Yeah. I wanted to be an astronaut, or even a chemist when I was younger, actually…" Nari's scar suddenly flashed in her mind, making her hands freeze. She was silent for a few seconds, staring into space.

"But… My mind changed a few years ago," she finished. Hitomi shook her head, hoping Bakugou hadn't noticed her momentary loss of composure. "Have you always wanted to be a hero…?"

Bakugou looked out the window, resting his chin in his hand. "Yeah. Heroes are people who always win, and I wanna be someone who claims victory more than anyone else."

"That's… an interesting reason…"

"What?" Bakugou grunted, eyeing her. "Got a problem with it or something?"

"Ah, no no!" Hitomi spluttered, waving her hands. "It's just… different. Not bad, or anything."

Bakugou picked up his phone and turned it on, letting out a small hiss. "Oh shit. It's almost 6 already?"

Hitomi pulled her own phone out, checking the time to see it was 5:51. "Oh, I guess time went by pretty quickly…"

She looked up to see Bakugou press the call button for their table, the blonde looking around. A waiter soon stopped by their booth, making a small bow.

"You called? How can I help you?" he asked.

Bakugou held up two fingers. "We need two menus. We're gonna eat now."

Hitomi's eyes widened. "Eh…?"

The waiter nodded in understanding. "Ah, of course. I'll be right back."

Hitomi was speechless as he left, looking back and forth between him and Bakugou as Bakugou began to put his notes and materials away.

"You wanted to eat now…?" she asked timidly. "You didn't have to ask for a menu for me. I'm not hungry."

As soon as she said that, her stomach let out a low growl, making Hitomi's face flush a bright red.

"Your stomach seems to say otherwise," Bakugou retorted, almost in a humorous tone.

Hitomi sweatdropped, scratching her head. "Well… even so, I wasn't planning on eating out. There's still leftovers I was going to have back at home."

"What, the food from three days ago that you brought to lunch? Don't you think it would be gone by now?"

Hitomi opened her mouth to deny his claim, only for her to pause. She grabbed her phone, unlocking it and going to her messages to send a hurried text to her older brother.

Me: is there any more adobo left?

She stared at the screen, holding her breath in anticipation as she saw her brother was writing a reply.

Kinkata 🎮👾: oh
Kinkata 🎮👾: me and Toku just ate the last of it like 10 mins ago
Kinkata 🎮👾: sorry lol 🙏

Hitomi sighed, resting her head against the seat. "My brothers both finished it."

Right then, the waiter had arrived with the menus, placing them on the table with a small nod before leaving Hitomi and Bakugou on their own again. Bakugou grabbed one, dropping the other one in front of her as he opened his.

"Then order something. Or you can go on an empty stomach, it's your choice."

With another sigh and pink cheeks, Hitomi put her own notes and school supplies away, picking up the menu. She stared at the cover, taking note of the logo before pulling the menu open.

Now that I think about it, I've never really been to this place before…

She skimmed over the food choices, noting some that sounded good until her eyes caught sight of the prices.

Wait a second.

She took a closer look, scanning the different parts of the menu and feeling her heart fall at the meal costs.

2590 yen. 3310 yen. 3620 yen. 2800 yen.

Aren't these… kind of expensive for a single person…?

Hitomi held up her menu to cover her face, as if it were a wall as she looked around the restaurant.

Now that I think about it, this place isn't exactly your typical family restaurant…

It was definitely higher-end than places she usually ate at, which were often fast food, cafes, or chain restaurants. She looked back at the menu, her eyebrows furrowing at the prices. The cheapest thing that could be considered a proper meal seemed to be about 2200 yen and it was seafood, which she didn't even like! Seafood made her feel sick just smelling it half the time.

Mom would kill me if she found out I blew 3000 yen on a single meal!

"Uh… you know what…?" Hitomi laughed nervously, putting the menu down. Now that she was paying more attention to it, even the menu's binding itself was really nice too. "Maybe I'll just get something from a convenience store on my way home." She could see Bakugou staring at her, avoiding his gaze as she scratched her cheek. "This place is a little expensive for me anyway."

Bakugou flipped to the next page of the menu nonchalantly. "So? I'm paying anyway."

"I couldn't make you do that!" Hitomi spluttered. "The food is expensive, and if you're already getting something for yourself, there's no way I could make you pay for me too…!"

"It's not like I can't afford it," Bakugou scoffed, rolling his eyes. "It's a free meal from a nice place. Who the fuck would turn that down? Order something."

Just a few minutes ago you were saying I could go home on an empty stomach… Hitomi thought tiredly.

"Then… I'll pay you back!" she exclaimed.

"No." Bakugou was quick to shoot her down, making her shrink back into her seat. "I don't want or need you to repay me." He closed the menu and put it down, presumably decided on his order. "It's for what happened yesterday."

Hitomi's eyes widened slightly, her head making a small tilt. "For yesterday…? You mean with what happened at the restaurant and everything?"

Bakugou made a small nod, looking out the window. "I know I was… being an ass yesterday," he grunted, his lips pursing in a pout. "And I didn't mean to make you leave on your own. So… this is me making up for it." He scowled, running his fingers through his hair. "Dammit! I'm paying for everything today, so stop staring at me and just fucking figure out what you want!"

Hitomi looked back down at the menu, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly as she shifted in her seat.

"Um… okay…" She picked up the menu, opening it timidly. As she started reading through it again, she would glance over the menu every few moments, taking a peek at Bakugou. He was currently fiddling with the call button, clearly intent on avoiding eye contact.

Is this… his way of apologizing?

Hitomi felt her lips curl up in a shy smile, letting out a small laugh. "Wonder what I'll order?" she hummed as Bakugou went still, glancing at her from underneath his bangs. "Since you're treating me, I'll take this opportunity to order something nice!"

"Oi," Bakugou cut in. "Just because I'm paying for you doesn't mean you can order something outrageous."

"Right, right."

…

"Your food is ready!"

Hitomi looked up from her phone, seeing the waiter had arrived with their meals. "Oh, that was pretty quick…!"

The waiter laughed in reply. "You can thank one of our chefs' quirks for that." He placed the plates of food onto the table, along with their drinks. "Steak and strawberry lemonade for you, right?"

Hitomi nodded. "Yes, thank you."

"And then spicy chicken penne pasta and ginger ale for…? Huh?" He trailed off, looking around as he placed the bowl of pasta down. "Where'd your friend go?"

Hitomi held her hands up, smiling apologetically. "He just went to the bathroom."

"Ah. Well, enjoy your meal!"

"Thank you again." Hitomi watched as the waiter left, before she turned to her food, staring at what she'd ordered and taking a sniff. That smells really good…

Hitomi could imagine she'd probably be drooling at the sight of her steak if she let herself space out, so she shook her head, grabbing her lemonade and taking a sip from the straw.

After ordering their food, Bakugou had spent about 10 minutes quizzing her again on the history notes she had been taking, until he felt the need to go to the restroom and leaving Hitomi sitting at their table on her own. After a few minutes, she'd gotten a text from him bluntly saying "got a phone call", leaving her to assume he went somewhere else to take his call in private. He had been gone the entire time Hitomi was waiting for her food, which was about 15 minutes.

I'll wait for Bakugou to come back first before I start eating.

Although, he is taking a while…

…

10 minutes ago -

"So how's it going, Bakugou?"

Bakugou leaned back against the wall, placing his hand in his pocket. "Fine."

After using the bathroom, he'd gotten a call from Kirishima, heading to a secluded corner of the restaurant to answer it.

"Did you apologize? Have you guys made up?"

Bakugou glanced at his booth from where he was standing, seeing Hitomi was scrolling through her phone. "More or less," he grunted. "I'm treating her to food as my way of apologizing."

"Hey, not bad! That's really manly of you!" Kirishima exclaimed. Bakugou could hear the smile in his voice. "Though, isn't the food there kind of expensive?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm paying for her to make up for yesterday. And what do you mean, 'is the food here expensive'?! Weren't you the one who suggested we hold a study session here?"

"I was under the impression we were only going to order drinks and like, one side dish there. I heard the portions of those alone were enough to feed more than one person!"

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "Well, we're eating dinner here as my treat."

"I wish I could've come…"

"If you did, I wouldn't have paid for you!" Bakugou scowled. "I'm only buying Kanetsukabe food because I drove her off yesterday!"

"Oh well," Kirishima sighed, feigning disappointment. "Well, what'd she say? Has she forgiven you?"

Bakugou was silent for a few moments, staring at his shoes. He glanced at their booth again, the white paper bag by his backpack partially obscured by the table.

"I think so," he mumbled, looking back down at the ground. "Weird thing is, she gave me a… 'peace offering' before I could even say anything about yesterday. She said she was annoyed, but she didn't seem mad."

Kirishima hummed. "Well, by the sounds of it, that was her way of asking you to move on from what happened yesterday! You're really lucky, Bakugou. It seems like she's forgiven you."

Bakugou's lips jutted out in a pout. "I guess. We were able to study without any problems too."

"I'm proud of you, man!" Kirishima laughed. "I think this is one of the first issues I've seen you solve without yelling or fighting!"

"Shut up!" Bakugou growled, his face settling into a glare. "I've solved other problems calmly before, you bastard!"

"...And now you're yelling again. I spoke too soon."

Bakugou scoffed. "So are you done or what?!"

"Just wanted to see how things were going, and it looks like I have nothing to worry about! I need to finish studying on my own anyways, so I'll see you tomorrow, Bakugou. Enjoy the rest of your night with Hitomi!"

"Yeah, whatever."

Bakugou pulled the phone away from his ear, ending the call. He let out a huff, staring at Hitomi from across the restaurant. She was typing something on her phone, leaving him to assume she was writing a text or something of the sort. Right as he was about to push himself off the wall and head back to their table, his phone rang again, making him freeze as he recognized the ringtone.

Bakugou glanced down at the screen, seeing his mom was calling him. He let out a tch, letting it ring for a minute or two until it went to voicemail. Right as he was about to put his phone in his pocket, it rang again, and Bakugou let it go on for another minute until he declined the call himself.

Only a few seconds later, his phone buzzed with a text.

old hag: stop ignoring my calls!
old hag: pick up or I'm giving you extra chores tomorrow!

His phone then rang for a third time, and with a sigh he answered the call, bringing the phone back to his ear. "What."

"Is that how you answer your mother, Katsuki? Where are you?"

Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "I told you I was tutoring some classmates for finals, old hag."

"I know that, but you didn't bother to tell me where!" his mother scolded. "Why do you think I asked?"

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "The nice western restaurant in the Ando district."

"Are you going to eat dinner there? That place isn't cheap, so if you are, remember it's out of your allowance."

"I know!" Bakugou huffed. "We already ordered food, so I'm not eating at home."

"Oh, are you eating with your friends?"

"Yes. And before you ask, yes, I'm paying for her, so just hang up already!"

"'Her'?" Mitsuki questioned. "You're eating at a nice restaurant with a girl? Wow Katsuki, I thought this day would never come!"

"Shut up!" Bakugou scowled. "Don't go getting any weird ideas! We're just classmates and we were only studying, nothing else. The only reason I'm buying her food is 'cause I pissed her off yesterday."

"Who is it, anyway?"

"Hitomi Kanetsukabe. Blue hair, weird hairstyle. You saw her at the sports festival; I fought her in the semifinals."

"Ooo, force field girl!" Mitsuki chirped. "I thought she was really cute. Nice going, Katsuki!"

"I already told you that's not how it is! Quit making things out to be more than they are, you old hag!"

"Quit calling your mother that!" she chided him, making Bakugou flinch away from his phone at her loud voice. "Just make sure you don't stay out too late. And make sure you get force field girl home safely if you can. You know it can be dangerous for a girl to be alone at night!"

"I get it, okay?!" Bakugou growled. "Quit nagging me! I'm hanging up now!"

"Don't go fooling around!"

"I know!"

He pressed the end call button, stuffing his phone in his pocket roughly. His mouth was in a deep frown while his eyebrows were pinched together, his face looking like someone had just personally insulted him. Bakugou pushed himself off the wall, trudging back to the hallway that led to the bathroom. He shoved the door open, walking to the sink and turning the water on, splashing some onto his face.

Conversations with his mom often ended with him annoyed, because of her tendency to nag, his disregard of it, and their clashing yet similar aggressive personalities. Mitsuki was less so than him, so Bakugou often ended up being the one more irritated by the end of it.

However, it's not like he was just going to flat out ignore her words. Despite their constant arguing, he did listen to her most of the time. He was already planning to do all the things she'd told him to; he just got annoyed that she felt the need to remind him, as if he didn't already know.

Except for the "taking Hitomi home" part. He was pretty sure they took trains home in opposite directions, so he didn't know about doing that.

Besides, he was also pretty sure Hitomi would be fine on her own. She was a hero course student with top-of-the-line combat training, not to mention she had a force field quirk that could protect herself…

Bakugou stared at his reflection in the mirror, seeing his face was in a somewhat sullen expression.

But if I don't, the old hag's gonna nag me about it.

Not to mention the girl's kind of a space cadet.

Hitomi tended to zone out half the time if she wasn't focusing on something important, and pair that with being alone at night, it could be bad news for her if she happened to run into someone scummy.

Bakugou shook his head, shaking the water off his face before grabbing a paper towel to wipe the rest of it off.

Whatever.

I'll decide what to do later.

…

"Hey, you're back!"

Hitomi smiled as Bakugou approached their table, the blonde plopping into his seat.

She saw him stare at her food, one of his eyebrows raising. "You haven't started eating yet?" he asked her gruffly. "You know steak isn't good when it's cold."

Hitomi waved him off. "It's fine! The food got here like a minute before you came back." She looked away, feeling a little bit sheepish. "Besides, I'd feel rude if I just started eating without you…"

Bakugou didn't say anything back, only clapping his hands together in prayer. Hitomi followed suit, the both of them saying a simple "thank you for the food" before they finally began to eat.

Hitomi ate her food cheerfully, her mouth in a wide smile as she enjoyed her food.

"Thanks again for treating me to this, Bakugou," she laughed, her voice a bit muffled.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth."

Hitomi covered her mouth in response, eyeing him in amusement. "I'm just trying to say thank you." They continued to eat their dinner, conversation minimal for the most part. It was a comfortable, easygoing silence, one that you would say could even be shared between friends.

Hitomi would glance at him every so often as they ate, finding she actually appreciated his company. She had been so worried, so paranoid of being around him without anyone else, but it really wasn't… as bad as she thought.

She wasn't exactly the most talkative person around, and neither was Bakugou, but somehow, today she had found herself wanting to keep talking with him. What surprised her even more was that he was willing to talk with her as well. Hitomi honestly had no clue what Bakugou thought of her, as up until the sports festival, she thought he would only ever view her as an extra, and that that would never change.

But then after that day, he started using her last name.

Hitomi remembered she had been surprised when she first heard him say it, so much so she had ended up staring at him for an embarrassingly long time when it happened. When she thought back on it, he hadn't used that nickname he'd referred to her by since their fight at the semifinals.

He called her by her family name, he didn't act so aloof when they talked like he used to (or still did sometimes, with certain people like Todoroki), and he was even treating her to a nice meal as his way of saying sorry for making her mad.

Does that mean Bakugou sees me as… someone he likes getting along with…?

She would have never thought they would get along like this. Their personalities seemed too different, incompatible, yet here they were, right now.

Hitomi continued to eat her meal, finally finishing up the last of her rice. She clapped her hands together quietly, tilting her head in a small bow as she mumbled another thanks for the food she'd been given. When she looked back up at Bakugou, she saw he was nearly done, opening her mouth to speak.

"Y'know, you really didn't have to do this for me," she said with a shy smile. "But… I appreciate your efforts to apologize for what happened yesterday."

Hitomi trailed off, her mind replaying the events of the day prior. Her small smile faded into a more neutral expression as she recalled Bakugou's old friends, and what they had mentioned.

"I think that Katsuki lost his shit when he heard that Midoriya got into UA, y'know…"

"Uh… actually, we kind of bullied Midoriya a lot back then, since he didn't even have a quirk."

There was a question lingering in Hitomi's mind that had been forgotten in her anxiety and worry of studying alone with Bakugou and wanting things to go smoothly with him. But now that the tension had finally settled, and she was sitting here eating dinner with him like this, the thought had resurfaced, leaving her with conflicted feelings.

How had Bakugou treated him before coming to UA?

It's not my place to pry; it's none of my business.

And yet…

"Um…" Hitomi looked up from her food timidly, staring at Bakugou directly in the eye. "There's actually been something I've been wanting to ask you about."

Bakugou paused, lowering the hand holding his fork.

Hitomi took a moment to compose herself, letting out a small sigh. "Is there… any particular reason you call Midoriya 'Deku'...?"

Bakugou tensed, making Hitomi break eye contact. This was definitely a touchy subject, but her question was already asked, and now she couldn't stop herself.

"Uraraka calls him Deku because it sounds like dekiru, which means 'you can do it', but… your 'Deku' seems different. 'Deku' on its own means useless, so… why do you call him that…?"

Bakugou was silent for several long moments, and when Hitomi dared to take a glance at him, he was glaring down at his food, looking like he was trying to burn holes into it with his eyes.

"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it!" she suddenly stuttered, waving her hands. "I just… since you got so mad from hearing him mentioned yesterday that you reacted like- like that… when he wasn't even there… I thought I would ask…" Hitomi looked down woefully, already regretting her decision to ask. "Sorry. I know it's none of my business. I shouldn't have said anything."

Bakugou placed his fork back onto the table stiffly, his silence eerie.

"...Deku was a lot different before he got into UA," he muttered, his quiet voice unnerving Hitomi. "He was just some quirkless nerd chasing some silly pipe dream, who always stuck to my back like glue no matter how much I tried to make him leave me the hell alone."

Hitomi gulped, her curiosity continuing to outweigh her rationality. "You two were childhood friends… right? Even though he's so nice to you, and talks about how amazing you are, you act so harshly towards him…"

"He's just a pebble," Bakugou scowled, making Hitomi flinch slightly at his souring mood. "That's what he was, all these years… But then he gets some flashy quirk, and…" By this point he was talking more to himself than Hitomi. "I don't get that fucking bastard…! The way he looks at me pisses me off!"

Hitomi suddenly stood up, cutting Bakugou off before he could get any angrier. The table shook from her abrupt movement, and Bakugou stared at her, his eyes wide.

Hitomi faltered slightly, avoiding his gaze. "...bathroom. I need to go to the bathroom."

Before Bakugou could respond, she ran away from the booth, making a beeline for the restroom.

She pushed the door open, stumbling inside and stopping in front of the sink. Hitomi breathed heavily, feeling her heart beating fast from her anxiety. She placed her hand on her chest, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down.

Hitomi stared at herself in the mirror, before she suddenly slapped her cheeks, her face in a grimace.

"Stupid!" she scolded. "Why in the world would you ask that?!" She continued to slap her cheeks, chanting, "stupid, stupid, stupid!"

She must've camped out in there, berating herself for 10 whole minutes, maybe even more as she tried to muster the courage to leave and face Bakugou again.

When she finally left, she came back to their table to find Bakugou was staring out the window, the sky dark. The table was clear, clean of any plates or crumbs with the bill at the edge.

"Did you… finish already?"

Bakugou turned away from the window, standing up from his seat. "I already paid, so let's get out of here." He slung his bag onto his shoulder, the white bag Hitomi had given him in hand as he walked away. Hitomi rushed to grab her own bag, scurrying after him as he opened the doors of the entrance.

Hitomi was hit with the summer air as they stepped out, a heavy weight in her chest as Bakugou looked back and forth down the sidewalk.

"Um… Bakugou…!"

He glanced at her over his shoulder, his sharp eyes making her tense. Hitomi gulped, bending over in a small bow. "I'm sorry for saying anything…!" she exclaimed, her fingers tight around her bag strap. "I was being nosy and I… I'm sorry for prying into your business." She rose from her bow, keeping her eyes trained on the ground. "You don't… owe me an explanation."

Hitomi stared at her shoes, biting her lip.

He isn't obligated to tell me…

But the whole reason I asked him why is because…

"You don't have to care," Hitomi said slowly, "about what I think. I just wanted to say that I… I disagree with the way you're always yelling at him."

Hitomi finally looked up at Bakugou, his face unreadable. "Midoriya is one of my friends, and I care about him. But…I care about you too." Her heart jumped at the words, something she'd never actually realized until this moment. "I do wish you could be nicer to him, or even get along, since you two were childhood friends, but… I get that you probably won't listen to me. I just… wanted you to know that after yesterday."

She searched his face for a reaction, an expression, anything at all. What she got was Bakugou turning away, the blonde readjusting his backpack.

"...Let's go."

Hitomi's shoulders dropped as she watched him walk to the crosswalk, worriedly following after him. They were both quiet as they walked to the train station, the hustle and bustle of other people heading home filling the silence for them.

I did everything I could to make sure we got along today, but… I might've brought myself back to square one.

Bakugou and Hitomi stopped in the middle of the station, surrounded by the different gates that would lead them to their respective train platforms.

"Well… I'll be going this way," Hitomi mumbled, pointing at one of the gates. "So… I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm not leaving yet. I'm going with you," Bakugou scoffed.

Eh?

EEHHHHH?!

Hitomi's eyes were as wide as saucers, feeling her nerves beginning to flare up. "Uh, what? Why?!" Her hands pointed in opposite directions, her arms crisscrossing. "Isn't your train in the opposite direction? Why would you take the same train as me?!"

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "Because I'm supposed to take you home, idiot."

"Why?"

"Fuck, do you have to ask why for everything?" Bakugou scowled, gesturing around them. "You're a 15-year-old girl that's traveling by yourself at night! Isn't it obvious?!"

Hitomi took a step back, holding her hands up. "Eh? So? Did you forget what my quirk is?! Besides, I was fine when I traveled alone for my internship…!"

"'So?'" Bakugou retorted, poking her in the forehead. "That's what you say in response?! You really are an idiot! It's better to be safe than sorry, idiot! You never know what creep could get past it! You might've just gotten lucky back then!"

"Wha- What-!"

"We're going!" Bakugou growled, grabbing her arm and dragging her to the gate. "And I'm getting you home!"

Hitomi stumbled after him, struggling to get her wallet out as he pulled her to the turnstile. He swiped his wallet with his card inside over the reader, Hitomi following suit all while he kept a firm grip on her arm. They eventually made it to the train platform, Bakugou finally letting go of her as they stood by some seats.

"Why are you so insistent…?" Hitomi asked as she rubbed the spot Bakugou had held in disbelief.

Bakugou's eyes narrowed as he stared at the train tracks. "...My old hag would kill me if I didn't. Besides, it's true whether she told me to or not. You have to be on guard, but an idiot like you happens to space out a lot."

"Wow, thanks," Hitomi huffed, turning to face the tracks as well. Her voice lowered to a whisper as her hands dropped to her sides. "Should've guessed it was because of your mom and not out of the goodness of your heart."

Bakugou whipped around to face her. "I heard that you little-!"

He was cut off by the announcement that the train was arriving, the two of them hearing the telltale sound of the train approaching through the tunnel. Their hair whipped around from the wind as they headed to one of the boarding areas, waiting at the end of a small line of people. The train soon slowed to a stop, the doors opening and people filtering out. Those ahead of Bakugou and Hitomi started to filter in, only for the two of them to freeze as they saw the inside.

"Ah… I don't think we'll fit…" Hitomi stuttered, staring at the amount of people crowded in the train car.

"All right, in you go."

"The hell-!"

Bakugou and Hitomi stumbled as a passenger pusher pushed them forward- along with the other people who had hesitated to go in- into the train car, cramming them in so close together Hitomi's cheek was pushed right up against Bakugou's chest as the doors closed. She blushed at the close proximity, letting out a small yelp when the train jolted as it started to move. Hitomi tried to jump back, but it was so cramped the most she could do was just lean back.

"Sorry…!"

The train picked up speed, experiencing another jolt that caused Bakugou to grab onto one of the straps hanging from the ceiling to maintain his balance. Hitomi wasn't so lucky, stumbling face first back into Bakugou's chest. She squeaked, feeling the blush had now spread to her ears.

"Oi!" Bakugou huffed. "If you don't want to fall over hold onto something…!"

Hitomi pulled away, looking around in embarrassment. They were standing in the middle of the train car, completely surrounded by people. "I can't reach any of the poles," she replied, proceeding to look up. "And I can't reach the hangers either. I'm too short."

Bakugou tched, looking around for anything else she could hold onto. When his search came up fruitless, he sighed, making a small nudge with his arm. "Then just hold onto me."

Hitomi's blush increased tenfold. "Eh?!"

"I said hold onto me!" Bakugou growled. "Just use my arm as if it's a handrail or something! Or do you want to keep stumbling around and making a fool of yourself?!"

"No…" Hitomi looked down, Bakugou's shirt the only thing in her line of sight as she raised her hand, timidly grabbing onto his arm that was holding the handle. "...Thanks."

She heard Bakugou make an aloof sniff in response, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. They were both silent for a while as the train moved, jostling every now and then.

Talk about unlucky…!

Being stuck with Bakugou taking her home (which took about half an hour in total from the Ando district, mind you) was already bad enough after sticking her nose where it didn't belong, but being squished in close proximity like this only made things ten times more awkward for her!

What do I do…?

Why'd I have to go and open my big mouth?

Why do I let my mouth work before my brain does?

Hitomi glanced up at Bakugou briefly, still unable to make out what he was feeling.

"Um…"

Bakugou looked down at her, causing her gaze to shift away.

"Are…" Hitomi gulped, trying to compose her nerves. "Are you mad? About what I asked you earlier…?"

Bakugou's nose crinkled as he stared out the window. "No," he huffed. "And why the fuck are you still stuck on that, huh?"

"Well…" Her fingers unconsciously tightened around his arm, wrinkling his sleeve. "I want us to get along…" Hitomi mumbled. "But I just had to say something, too."

Bakugou sighed, closing his eyes. "...Things aren't the same as they used to be," he muttered, Hitomi finally looking back up at him. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

He opened his eyes to stare down at her, the intensity of his red irises making Hitomi falter slightly. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tore her eyes away. "...I don't know."

"All I care about is being better than Deku." Bakugou's eyes narrowed, his mouth forming a scowl. "So I'm going to beat him at the exams with an indisputable difference and show him who's better. I'll show that half-and-half bastard Todoroki too."

Hitomi looked down, nodding quietly. "Right…"

At the end of the day, what Bakugou cares most about is… winning.

Bakugou tched at her response, turning his head towards the doors. "If you got your answer, stop asking me about it. Weren't you the one who was trying to apologize for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"

"Uh… that's true," Hitomi stuttered. "I'll stop bringing it up. Sorry… again."

Bakugou huffed. "Stop apologizing too. That's like the fifth time already."

"Sor-" Hitomi stopped herself midway, blushing slightly. "...Okay."

They were quiet as the train finally arrived at a station, coming to a stop. The doors opened, several of the people crowded around them stepping out and giving them both more room to breathe. Hitomi let go of his arm, grabbing onto the pole by the door now that there were less people around.

"So?" Bakugou said as she breathed a small sigh of relief. "How many stops until we get to your neighborhood?"

"Um… About six more, I think."

Bakugou readjusted his grip on the handle and looked away, leaving Hitomi to assume that was the end of their conversation. She leaned her head against the pole, closing her eyes as the train rode on home.

…

Hitomi yawned as they exited the train station, rubbing her eye. The train ride had taken a total of 20 minutes, and it would be about a 10 minute walk back to her house. Her ears perked up at the sound of a ping, seeing Bakugou reach into his pocket and pull out his phone.

She tilted her head as he suddenly stopped, a scowl on his face as he typed something out.

"Bakugou…?"

He stared at his phone for a few moments, eyes scanning the screen until he said something under his breath.

"Damn hag…"

"Um…" Hitomi readjusted her bag, watching him carefully. "Something the matter?"

"Where's the nearest convenience store?"

"Eh? Maybe a five minute walk from here… It's in the opposite direction of my house though. Why?"

Bakugou held his phone up, allowing her to read what was on the screen.

old hag

old hag: katsuki, are you still out?
old hag: can you pick up some AA batteries on your way home please?
old hag: we're all out
me: why the hell do you need them at this hour
old hag: just get some!

"Ah," Hitomi hummed as Bakugou put his phone away, the bluenette nodding her head in understanding. "Well, it won't take that long if that's all you need." She pointed down the street, gesturing for him to follow her. "It's this way. Let's hurry so you can get home sooner!"

…

Me: I'm at a convenience store, want anything?
Me: and no, I'm not buying you any snacks. We have plenty at home.
Me: only something you NEED
Toku 👹🎬: ...then I don't want anything

Hitomi let out a small chuckle, looking up from her phone and leaning her head back against the wall. She had decided to wait outside the store while Bakugou went in and got what he needed, knowing that if she went in she'd be tempted to buy something for herself. If she did that, then she would feel obligated to buy something for her siblings as well; she didn't want to spend a lot after eating an expensive meal, even if she didn't pay for it.

Not to mention she'd also spent money today getting that peace offering for Bakugou.

Hitomi's shoulders dropped slightly as she thought back to the explosive blonde, still conflicted on how she should feel about him and his past with Midoriya.

Is it okay to be friends with both of them, despite what he had apparently done…?

Even after hearing what his old friends had to say, getting angry with him, and getting all these complicated thoughts about how Bakugou might have possibly been awful to Midoriya in the past, she still… didn't want to just cut him off completely.

After all, she hadn't met him until coming to UA. And based on the behavior she'd seen from him up until now, the way Bakugou treated their classmate didn't seem to be the same as the way his middle school friends had described.

They did say UA has changed him…

There was the typical screaming, and name calling, but Bakugou also acted that way with everyone else. Including her, sometimes.

The times Bakugou seemed to get especially mad and have it out for Midoriya was often during hero training. Hitomi still remembered the very first lesson, when Bakugou had used those gauntlets of his to release a terrifying attack on Midoriya that destroyed a whole floor of the building.

Hitomi sighed, closing her eyes.

I don't know what to think.

Bakugou's an incredibly talented and capable person, but…

Is it really okay for me to think that someone who had also hurt someone else in the past is amazing…?

Hitomi's eyes snapped open at the sound of the door opening, looking to see Bakugou step out. She pushed herself off the wall, stashing her phone back in her pocket.

"Got what you needed?"

Bakugou held up the gift bag she had given him, allowing her to see the handles of a small plastic bag sticking out.

"So where's your house?" Bakugou asked, letting the bag fall back to his side. He placed his other hand in his pocket, looking around the street. "It's already dark, so I don't want to stay out for much longer."

"Ah, it's this way." Hitomi began walking in one direction, with Bakugou following after her. "Since we had to stop by the convenience store, it'll be a 15-minute walk."

The blonde grunted as they made their way down the sidewalk, the two of them falling into silence. Hitomi's eyes flitted back and forth between him and the ground as they walked next to each other, her conflicting feelings towards him turning over and over in her head.

Bakugou was none the wiser, simply staring ahead with a stoic expression as they crossed the street. They were surrounded by the ambient noises of the night suburbs; people milling around small shops or cafes, cars driving by, things like that.

Eventually, they'd made it into the residential area, on their way to Hitomi's neighborhood. Hitomi glanced at him, pointing down the street. "We'll take a few turns at the end of this road and be at my house in a few minutes. Probably 3 or 4, tops."

Bakugou didn't say anything in reply, focused on something down the street. His eyes widened, and without warning, he grabbed Hitomi's shoulders and pulled the both of them to the side. The bluenette yelped, stumbling over her feet as a car drove by, its wheel splashing through a puddle and sending water flying right behind them, just out of the way. Bakugou scowled, glaring at the car as it drove away.

"Dumbass!" he yelled, his face in a scowl. "Pay more attention to where you're driving!"

The car kept driving forward, eventually disappearing around the corner. Bakugou huffed, turning back to Hitomi and quickly pulling his hands away. "You didn't see the puddle," he scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You would've gotten soaked."

"Oh… Oh!" Hitomi blinked, looking between the puddle and Bakugou. "I… I didn't notice." She gave him an unsure smile. "Thanks. For that."

He rolled his eyes in response. "I just didn't want to hear any kind of whining about getting soaked. It would've been a pain in the ass to listen to."

Hitomi crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks out. "How do you know I'd complain? My quirk could just dry me off, y'know!"

Bakugou tched, turning away. "Even so." He began walking forward, leaving Hitomi to follow after him. "We go this way, right?"

Hitomi nodded as she caught up to him. Bakugou suddenly grabbed her wrist, yanking her to move to his other side.

"Hello?!" Hitomi yelped, pulling her wrist away as they walked. "What's with you pulling me all over the place?"

Bakugou's face was in a small sneer. "You shouldn't walk on the side close to the road, especially when there's no sidewalk. Your clumsy ass could get you in danger. Not to mention it's dark."

Hitomi huffed as they turned the corner. "Listen, I get you think I'm a klutz, but I'm not one that would somehow trip over her own feet onto the road. I walk this way to the station every day!"

Bakugou shrugged, following her as they made another turn and walking to her other side so he was closest to the road again. "Well, that's what my mom taught me," he mumbled under his breath.

Hitomi heard him due to the silence of the neighborhood, tilting her head. Her lips turned up in a small smile as she laughed. "You're kind of a mama's boy, aren't you?"

Bakugou's head snapped to her, wearing a glare. "What?! Like hell I am!"

Hitomi held her hands up, waving them sheepishly. "I don't mean that in the bad way, of course! It's just… you call her 'old hag' but… it seems like she doesn't mind that. And you seem to take the things she taught you really seriously. Even if it annoys you." Hitomi scratched her cheek as they made one last turn, now on her street. "I dunno… that's just the feeling I get, I guess."

Bakugou's nose wrinkled. "All she ever does is nag me. It's annoying."

"Yet you still listen to her anyway."

Bakugou huffed, readjusting his hands in his pockets. "And you? Your mom doesn't nag you?"

Hitomi laughed. "No, not really. She's more overbearing, than anything. She worries about me a lot… my dad too, maybe even more than her, since I'm their only daughter and all. Y'know, on the first day of school, when he saw me in my uniform he was all, 'I know you're excited about wearing it, but please be careful with the skirt! You can wear shorts underneath it, as a precaution!'" Hitomi sighed, letting out a chuckle. "But I guess that's just how dads are with their daughters, right?"

Bakugou grunted. "I guess so... If my first kid was a girl, I'd fucking deck anyone who'd even think of taking advantage of her."

Hitomi nodded. "My point is proven." She stopped, the two of them now standing by the entrance of her house. "Well… here we are."

Bakugou stared at the nameplate on the wall surrounding the property, his eyes glossing over the family name before they moved to the actual house, taking it in. It was pretty average, the standard two stories with some small trees and a few bushes at the front. From where they were facing it, Bakugou could see a driveway on the right side of the house that was closed off by a black gate, a silver car parked at the end of it.

Hitomi shifted her weight from side to side as Bakugou stared, fiddling with her hands. "You wanna come in? Have some water, or tea… anything like that?"

He scoffed, scratching the back of his head. "It's late. I need to get going."

Hitomi blushed, looking down at the ground. "Right! Right, of course… Don't know why I asked," she laughed. "Guess it would've felt weird not to." She gave him a small smile, bending her head down in a bow. "Well… thanks for taking me home. And… for helping me study today."

"Whatever."

Hitomi smiled at his typical aloof response, turning to the walkway that would lead to the front door. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, then?"

"...Yeah." Bakugou's eyes looked back and forth between her and the street, before he let out a small exhale. "Just… one more thing before you go."

Hitomi watched as he reached into the white bag, looking through it before he pulled out a small pink box.

"Here."

Hitomi blinked, seeing it was a box of strawberry Pocky. "What's this for?"

Bakugou rolled his eyes, gesturing for her to take it. "The meal was to make up for yesterday. This is so I don't owe you anything."

"Owe me?"

Bakugou held up the white bag, which held the gifts Hitomi had gotten him inside. "Now we're even."

Hitomi took the Pocky, nodding slowly. "Oh, I see…" She cradled the box against her chest, giving Bakugou another smile. "Well, thanks… again," she laughed.

Bakugou turned back to the road, looking at her over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow… I guess."

"Right. Tomorrow. Be safe on your way home."

"Obviously," Bakugou snorted, wearing a smirk. "I'm not the one who trips over their own two feet."

"Jeez, again with that?" Hitomi sighed, crossing her arms. "You're making it seem like that happens way more than it actually does." Hitomi puffed her cheeks out, mumbling under her breath. "...dummy."

"Idiot," Bakugou said back, turning away. "...Night."

Hitomi blushed at the fact she'd been heard, watching as he started walking away. "Uh, good night…!" she spluttered. "Bye…"

Bakugou didn't say anything in reply, leaving Hitomi to stare at his back as he walked down the street. Her arms fell back to her sides with a sigh, Hitomi staring at the small box of Pocky.

He'd gotten her the Crunchy Strawberry flavor, which used chocolate biscuits covered in strawberry coating and had real strawberry bits mixed in.

Her favorite one.

Hitomi didn't even remember ever telling him directly what was her favorite. It had probably been during some random conversation between their friends, where she made an offhand comment about which flavor of Pocky was the one she liked the most.

And Bakugou had not only been listening, but… he remembered.

Hitomi wore a soft smile, looking back up to watch Bakugou as he walked away.

I'll never know the person Bakugou was in the past.

But the one I know now…

The talented, determined, intelligent person I've met…

The Bakugou that I met now is the Bakugou I admire.

Hitomi would never truly understand his past. His relationship with Midoriya, or the kind of person he'd been back then.

But the person he'd shown her to be now… was the one she called her friend.

Hitomi watched as he finally turned the corner, disappearing from view. Right then, she heard the front door open, seeing her brothers in the doorway.

"There you are…!" Kinkata exclaimed. "Mom said you were running late. She got worried."

Hitomi checked her phone to see it was 8:04 pm, a little over half an hour later than she said she'd be back. "Oh… my bad. Sorry!" She ran down the walkway to the door, her brothers letting her through.

"You got yourself a snack?" Toku asked, eyeing the box of Pocky with a glint of mischief. "Did you get me anything?"

Hitomi placed her hand on his head, pushing him away. "I didn't buy this myself," she replied, holding the box away from him. "My friend got it for me. Too bad for you." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, making her little brother groan.

"No fair!" he whined, trying to reach for the box only for Hitomi to block him with a force field. Hitomi laughed as he rubbed his cheek, her little brother feigning annoyance.

"Is that Hitomi?" Her mom emerged from the kitchen, throwing the hand towel she was using onto the counter. Hitomi's dad was trailing behind her, looking relieved.

Hitomi smiled sheepishly as she walked to them, giving them both a hug. "Sorry I didn't text you. My friend treated me to dinner. He even took me home."

Her dad's face suddenly looked pained. "That sounds like-"

Hitomi held her hand up, a light blush on her cheeks. "Stop right there! Before you worry anymore, we were only studying!" she stuttered. "He only bought me food because we got into a fight yesterday, so he was making it up to me. That's all." Hitomi watched her dad's expression mellow out, lowering her hand. "We're just friends, Dad. No funny business, I promise."

He breathed a sigh of relief, patting her on the head. "Well, that's reassuring to hear, I guess."

Hitomi's mom huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "Ethen, dear, do you really need to get paranoid about any possibility of dating for her? Let her experience some romance!"

"I just want her to be careful, Calida," her dad said sheepishly, adjusting his glasses. "I don't want her to get taken advantage of by some bad guy."

"Guys…!" Hitomi spluttered, pulling their attention back to her. "Relax. Nothing happened."

"If you say so…"

Hitomi's eyes fell back to the box of Pocky again, staring at the pink box. "Besides, I wouldn't say he's a bad guy at all."

Her mom hummed, a playful tone in her voice. Hitomi blushed as she realized what she might be implying, her head snapping back up to her parents.

"B-But like I said! We're friends and that's all. All he was doing when he took me home was looking out for me."

Calida placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "Of course, Hitomi." She shot her a wink, holding a finger up to her lips teasingly. "But I wouldn't complain if you ended up falling for him."

"Mom…!"

…

"Did you get the batteries?" Mitsuki called as Bakugou walked straight past the living room.

He grunted in reply, making his way to the stairs. "They're on the counter. I'm going to bed."

"Already?" Mitsuki got up from the sofa, seeing the grocery bag and pulling out the pack of batteries he'd bought. "Oh, this is a lot. Thanks, Katsuki. Good night."

Bakugou didn't say anything back as he walked up the stairs, making Mitsuki roll her eyes. "I said, good night!"

Bakugou scowled. "Night!" he called over his shoulder, making his way to the top. "Now be quiet!"

"Stop yelling!"

"You did it first," Bakugou huffed, walking down the hall to his room. He kicked the door shut behind him, tossing his backpack onto the foot of his bed and plopping onto the mattress with a sigh. "Mama's boy, my ass," he huffed. His eyes fell back to the white paper bag that was still in his hand, placing it in his lap.

He never had any chances to look at what was inside until now. Might as well check it before he went to get ready for bed.

Bakugou reached in, pulling out the dark brown box he'd gotten a glimpse of when Hitomi had first given him the bag. He pulled off the black ribbon tied around it, reading the label stuck to the cover to find it was spicy chocolate bark. Bakugou raised a brow, setting the box down on his bed and grabbing the bag to see if there was anything else inside. He pulled out the receipt Hitomi had left, his eyes falling to the price at the bottom. His mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"Idiot. You spent 5000 yen today?! No wonder you didn't want to eat out…" he huffed. He reached into the bag again, feeling there was a folded piece of paper inside. Bakugou unfolded it, flinching when something fell out and fumbling to catch it before it fell to the floor. He clutched it in his hand, feeling it was a small piece of metal as his eyes scanned over the paper. It was a note Hitomi had left for him.

"Never tried this specific treat myself, but the confectionary shop I got this from has awesome stuff! Hopefully you like the spicy chocolate :)

Also, the keychain reminded me of those hero names you wanted to use. Too bad Midnight turned them down u.u

Hope you like them both. Let's get along, okay?

-Hitomi"

Bakugou opened his other hand, his eyes widening when he saw what it was.

It was a keychain, like Hitomi had written, of a cartoonish-looking bomb, it's fuse lit with an explosion going off behind it. On the bottom, the words "Bombing King!" were written in English in black and orange.

Bakugou stared between the keychain, the note, and the box of chocolate in disbelief, until he finally let out a snort.

"Nerd," he laughed.

A/N: HOW IN THE WORLD DO MY SIDE STORY ONESHOTS ALWAYS END UP SO LONG AUJDGHHSDJKGHK HELP 😭 74 FRIGGIN PAGES AAAAHHHHHHHH

But anyways hope you liked this! This maybe- possibly- might retcon some things just a teensy bit, but I feel like this adds more to Bakugou and Hitomi's dynamic as well as gives some insight to her feelings about his and Deku's relationship that I never really touched on much in the main story. It also kind of sets up how she handles his attitude during the final exams- she's accepted her friendship with him while still disapproving of his behavior towards Deku, and that kind of comes to a head during that arc. Even if she believes it's not her place to pry into their relationship, it doesn't mean she wouldn't intervene if things went too far, especially during then.

When I read back old chapters, I feel like there were a few gaps in the buildup of their friendship, so I added this to solve that :3 This arc was how they really started being friends, and her birthday and their I-Island "date" were when Hitomi started feeling attracted to him and her crush started forming. ^^

Again, hope you enjoyed this. Thank you for reading ️