Merry Early Christmas. I've been getting back into writing recently and I have a long break, so I'm going to try to publish a few chapters. Thank you everyone for being so patient and giving this story a lot of support. I really appriciate it.

As always don't forget to follow and favorite. Leave a review, I love reading them.


He wondered what she was doing. Bakugou hadn't seen her in a while, not even in the mornings before he left. Midoriya had been busy lately in the infirmary helping with the injured. She'd gotten good at tending to wounds. She started leaving early in the morning before the sun rose to help with the patients. A lot of people who went on runs had been getting hurt lately, and Midoriya being the selfless person she was, got up early every morning to help them.

It didn't take long for him to miss her. He missed waking up early in the morning to her holding his breakfast, a smile on her lips. He missed her asking how his day was when he came back from a run. Even managing to catch just a glimpse of her after she took a shower before she left for the infirmary was enough. Her hair would be dark and curly and her face would look radiant before she tied her grown-out hair up into a ponytail and left.

The odd thing was, even though six months had passed and they were always in the same room for at least ten hours straight, they barely talked to each other. It was like remnants of the life in the woods that followed them in Shiketsu, and with the addition of Midoriya hating him going out every day, he didn't see their relationship shaping up any sooner. As much as he wanted to fix it, he didn't want to ruin what they had left. And besides, she seemed to be doing just fine without him. Why should he bother her?

That morning he had to leave for another run. They'd been assigning him to runs a lot lately, or at least more than they already had him doing. He didn't mind leaving the stuffy halls of Shiketsu, but it meant he didn't get to see Midoriya as much. He wouldn't get to spare a glance when she entered the cafeteria, or when they passed each other in the halls while she took something to the infirmary and while he brought produce to the kitchen.

He hadn't been seeing Camie as much either, at least not after what had happened a few weeks prior. Midoriya seemed to avoid him after the situation as well, even when she was off from her duties. As much as he wanted to talk to them, he'd hate to distract them and get them in trouble. He had already gotten himself into enough trouble as it was. He didn't need Kayama further up his ass.

He just needed the run to take things off his mind. He was stressed. He needed fresh air and this was the way to do it. Once he was done doing his fair share of the work, he'd stop by the infirmary to see if Midoriya was doing all right. He didn't need to say anything, he just needed to see her. That would be enough.

"Oi, earth to Bakugo? You there, son?" he scowled as he looked at the dumbass ahead of him. He had only joined Shiketsu three months ago, but he'd given himself a good reputation with his ability to use a sniper rifle. His name was Satoshi, but for some odd reason (and to Bakugo a truly stupid reason) he went by Snipe. He was in his early thirties and sported dreadlocks, which Bakugou had a personal theory that the dumbass never brushed his hair.

"We've already been here," Bakugo duly noted, looking at the liquor store they had raided a few weeks back. There was nothing there, they made sure with three separate groups, but somehow the place kept ending up on the map as a location to gather supplies. Bakugo had ignored the first two times they decided on that area, he had his eyes on another area that promised a lot, but since that area was cleared and he was set to go on a run, he was forced to search the area he really didn't care for.

"Yeah," Snipe said, looking at the dreary building. "Kayama has suspicions about this place though. She wanted us to check it out." Bakugou looked back at the building, questions arising within him. Was it about the rumors he'd been hearing, about Shiketsu potentially having a spy? It wasn't common information, only people from the council and a few who did runs knew about it, and Bakugou heard about it from just walking around people who did runs, but he didn't assume it was true. Shiketsu was big, and it had a lot of security within the walls, especially since it had nearly doubled in size since he joined six months ago. If someone were stealing supplies they'd have to be insanely smart, and in multiple numbers too.

"Do we need our guns," he asked, his hand grazing against the metal object in his holster. Another rule that was added, and one that Bakugou didn't mind either. Still, the small rule told a lot. Something was happening, and the higher-ups were scared of it. Shiketsu was prospering, and of course, there would be some force to try and knock it down.

"Yeah," Snipe said, getting out from the driver's seat and stretching his arms. Bakugou got out as well, his eyes remaining on the building. There was nothing special about it, it looked like an old, degrading building, just like any other inhabited building. There were vines up and down the sides of the brick structure, and there were wild ferns and tall grass everywhere that had grown from the lack of care on the lawn. Bakugou's nose scrunched when he caught a whiff of smoke. If he looked closer, he could see the telltale signs of a fire with the scorch marks that littered the doors of the building.

Weird, he thought to himself, following Snipe into the building. There wasn't a lot of light inside. The place was barren, raided as Bakugou assumed it would be. Even the walls were barren of decoration, outlines of where photos and paintings hung on the walls stood out against the dust covered walls. Bakugou turned on his flashlight and flashed it toward the hallways. Barren too. With further investigation into the house, so were the other rooms.

"It's empty," Snipe states, his light flashing to catch anything that may seem out of place. Bakugou didn't respond to his comment, it was redundant to state what he can see. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. Why were they wasting his time with this bullshit?

"Oh shit," Snipe muttered when he dropped his flashlight. There was a loud thunk, then it echoed before there was silence. Snipe went to pick the light up but Bakugou beat him to it. He dropped the light, listening to the sound again, noting how much depth had to be under the floor for it to make that kind of sound.

The floor was hollow.

That area of the house had the only piece of furniture, a dusty rug. Bakugou lifted the rug, expecting to be overreacting and nothing to be there. He groaned, letting go of the dusty article. There was a trap door, and he had a feeling that what Shiketsu was looking for was behind that wooden door.


"Izuki honey, why don't you take a break," Fujimori, the head doctor in the infirmary, insisted. Midoriya smiled and gently shook her head. She wrapped the rest of the patient's leg in gauze before turning back to the elder lady.

"It's fine, Fujimori-sama. I don't mind spending my time here," she said. It was the truth. Since she and Bakugou had been spreading apart this was all she was looking forward to. Their time together was few and far between, and if she were to see him it would be while he was sleeping and she was getting ready to go. She wanted to give him and Camie the space they needed, and he didn't want to seem like a bad friend and not support them. Though, she was finding it hard to be with either of them given how she felt about Bakugou...

She knew it was wishful thinking to think anything could happen between them. She should have known he was going to shake her off eventually, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. He does runs for Shiketsu often, and he often didn't return to their dorm until late in the evening. She was usually asleep by then. The day at the nurse's office often exhausted her, and she couldn't help but feel like he was avoiding her. Like he didn't want to talk about what was between him and her, or him and Camie.

"Sweety, you've been working far too long," Fujimori said. She rested her hand gently on Midoriya's shoulder, her blue eyes shining in gratitude. "You skipped breakfast, correct? Lunch hour just started. Grab your rations and come back in a few hours. Ume-chan can take over for you."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I'm not that hungry." She was lying, she was starving, but she couldn't bring herself to eat another serving of cold soba. She was grateful for the food and needed every bite to gain some of the weight she lost, but she couldn't keep the noodles down.

"I'm sure Nagai and Atsuko are waiting for you in the cafeteria," she argued. "Go child. You need a break."

"Alright, Fuji-sama," she said. "But I'll be back in thirty minutes." She left the infirmary and made her way to the cafeteria. Hasaki could be there, but she doubted it. If she wanted to eat lunch with her, they would have grabbed her like they always did. She was like that, deaf to the word no as Midoriya pleaded for them to not take her away from the only thing she did.

She and Hasaki were on good terms, enough to where eating with each other wasn't much of an issue. Often Nagai would eat with her too which bothered Midoriya (the boy was too shameless for her taste and often harassed her), but Hasaki often kept him in his place. Midoriya never said much, she often just listened to whatever the two of them talked about, and the two of them liked to gossip.

She could see them all the way across the cafeteria, with Hasaki's bright red straight hair being obvious in the room. She was with Nagai, as Midoriya expected her to be. They were laughing and smiling like they always were, Hasaki waving her over when they saw her. Midoriya sat down across from them, her attention on whatever random thing they were talking about.

"Okay but like, I can't believe he actually gave in," Nagai said, his silver eyes wide in shock. "I mean, he was pretty distant from her when they first arrived."

"Camie's a pretty girl," Hasaki responded. She twirled her chopsticks in the noodles before bringing them in front of her mouth. "He's attractive and she's horny. It's a match made in heaven.

"What are you two talking about?" Midoriya asked, her interest peaked. Nagai rests his head on his hand, a pout on his lips. His dark hair created shadows over his eyes, making them look mysterious as he gazed in her direction.

"I don't know if we should tell you," he said. Midoriya frowned. Nagai was a lot of things, but being secretive was not one of them. If anyone was quick to spread gossip, it was him. It left her curious as to what she missed, mainly because she didn't talk to anyone else in Shiketsu.

"Come on. You know I'd never hear it from someone else."

"It's about your precious Kacchan," Hasaki said, her tone mimicking the way Midoriya said it.

"What about Kacchan?" she asked. "Did something happen to him?" Nagai rolled his eyes, his blatant dislike for the boy consuming his face. The three of them never got along no matter how much Midoriya tried.

"Oh, he did something," he said, his tone annoyed. "He fucked Camie."

Midoriya's world came to a halt. She knew it wasn't right, but she felt resentful. Even if she and Bakugou had no relationship or outwardly expressed feelings that could say they were more than friends, she felt envious of Camie.

"You're kidding," she giggled, though it sounded fake even to herself. She tried to control the tone of her voice, to make it sound like she was interested in the drama, but she knew she sounded obvious. She was too much of an open book. It didn't take much to know what she was thinking.

"Nope, Mei heard them from across the hallway after the party. She saw him leave the room with his hair a mess. There's no way he didn't do it," Nagai explained. Midoriya felt her heart crumbling into a thousand pieces. "Look, Izuki," She flinched when he said her first name. "Attractive people go for attractive people, that's just life, but when you mix people like those two together it's only expected they use each other for sexual pleasure only–"

"Nagai, that's enough," Hasaki said. "I swear you need a filter when it comes to Midoriya." Hasaki reached across the table, her hand gripping Midoriya's as she smiled gently at her. "You okay? You look sick."

"I'm gonna go," the greenette said. She didn't know how much longer she could keep the tears in. She knew they would come eventually, and she knew she didn't want to be in the cafeteria when they did.

"Are you sure?" Hasaki asked. "You didn't eat anything."

"I'm fine," she said. She gave them a sad wave, her eyes barely managing to look at the other two as she turned away. "I'll see you tomorrow." She didn't start running until she was out of the cafeteria. She ran all the way to their room, face planting on the bed as her eyes ran like waterworks.

She should have known something like this would happen. They'd only been drifting apart, and even if they were bonding still he'd never take an interest like that in her. Nagai was right, the two of them were made for each other. It would only make sense for him to go for the girl with the best body, the girl who had everything to give. Midoriya had nothing.

She didn't want it to hurt so much. She wanted Bakugou to be happy with whoever he wanted to be happy with, even if it was Camie. She was a sweet girl, and Midoriya was sure she'd be able to handle Bakugou. She had enough confidence and she stayed attached to him as if he was already hers, which she probably was. Midoriya never stood a chance.

She needed these feelings to leave. She couldn't let them continue to consume her life. She needed to forget him, to move on and find something else to devote her time to, but it was hard. She didn't want to ignore him, they lived together for Christ's sake. It would be near impossible to ignore him, but it wouldn't be hard. They already didn't talk much, so it wouldn't take much effort to continue to ignore him.

She wiped her eyes, frustration setting in. She didn't know what to do because she had never been in a situation where her heart was involved. She wanted to be impulsive and ask him about it and dig her nose in places where it shouldn't be, but she couldn't. It wasn't her right to judge his love life. Her only solution was to accept it, to ask him why he did it, and if that was what he wanted. She couldn't be overbearing but should be understanding, because to some extent she understood.

She'd put her heart aside if it meant he'd be happy with a person he cared about. It was the right thing to do.


Bakugou was surprised to see her sitting in their bed, wide awake. It was almost ten in the evening, and curfew was almost in order. She was usually dead asleep by now, completely exhausted from working in the infirmary. She was wide awake, and she wouldn't look at him.

"You're still up?" he asked. "Was work today easier than normal?" She didn't answer him. She looked down at her hands, picking at her cuticles. He found it strange. When they first arrived he didn't have to say anything to get her talking about her day. Now she as if it wasn't important to mention anything. "Did something happen in the nursing office today?"

"Nothing important," she said. Everything about the way she said it screamed it was important. She finally met his eyes. Her green, vibrant eyes were puffy and red. Her cheeks were flushed, the bright red matching the color of her eyes. She'd been crying, but what over.

"Did you have another nightmare?" he asked. She had them often when they were in the forest, but since they arrived at Shiketsu they'd been fading away. He was hoping she was finding peace of mind in that confusing head of hers.

"I haven't gone to sleep yet," she answered. "I just– I thought you were gonna be here later. I was gonna freshen up before bed."

"It's almost curfew," he said, looking at the digital clock next to them.

"Oh." Her cheeks turned a deeper red, which seemed shocking really. Something wasn't right, and Bakugou was gonna figure out what.

"What made you cry, Deku?" he asked. He took a seat on the edge of the bed. He started to untie his shoes and placed them next to his bag as he gave Midoriya his full attention. She brought her knees to her chest, her eyes continuing to look everywhere but at him.

"I know it's not my business," she started, her voice so quiet he had to strain his ears to listen to what she had to say. "But I know what you and Camie did."

It didn't feel right. He didn't like how tiny her voice sounded. He didn't like the small hint of disappointment built in her voice. He didn't like how she wouldn't meet his eyes, how she'd rather look at the floor than him at that moment.

He never wanted her to know. He didn't want to talk about it, but it would be awkward as fuck and lead to a lot more arguing than talking. It was a fucking kiss, one he didn't even want to take part in. If he knew it was going to have this big of a repercussion, he would have avoided the situation altogether.

"How'd you hear," he said quietly. Her eyes flashed to him for a second before going back to the floor.

"Nagai," she whispered. His blood boiled even further. Of course it was that fucker who told her. Nagai has been out for him since they first met each other. He was territorial, claiming Midoriya the moment she met her. Bakugou was quick to shut that down because no one had a claim over Midoriya. Since then, Nagai has been hell to be around. If it weren't against the rule, he'd beat the shit out of Nagai, but that could get himself and Midoriya kicked out. Midoriya would knock his teeth out. And besides, all Nagai wanted was to get into her pants.

"Why do you care, Deku," he said in a low growl. "Why does it bother you? It was just a dumb kiss." He had a specific answer in mind, one that would ease the tension in his hurt but he doubted she would say it. She was looking down on him again. He could feel the tension in her eyes as she looked at him. Now he was the one who couldn't meet her eyes.

"It was just a kiss?" she repeated slowly, emotions beginning to lace her words. "You slept with her, Kacchan, and you didn't say anything about it. Do you not trust me anymore? Did you want to keep it a secret?" He'd never heard her so heated before. This was new territory, and he was walking on thin ice.

"I was just a kiss, not even a peck on the lips?" he clarifies, his tone louder than he meant it to be. "I don't understand why this bothers you so much?"

"Do you want your own space," she said, her voice raising as well. She was looking at him dead center, her eyebrows furrowed in anger. "I can give you your own space with her if you want."

"What the fuck, Deku?" he snapped back, his gaze just as heated. "I didn't even kiss her, she kissed me! I don't know how the rumor started that I slept with her, but that never happened dammit!" he truly didn't know where the rumor started or how it got exacerbated to the point where he and Camie fucked, but none of that happened. Both of them happened to get buzzed and Camie went for the kiss, and he pushed her away because he couldn't help but want the kiss from a certain greenette instead.

Her eyes lost all anger and instead were replaced with confusion. "I don't understand, Kacchan," she said. She looked at the ground again, avoiding his eyes. She looked like she was thinking, tears starting to fall as she asked one final question. "What is the truth?" She looked torn between wanting to know and not wanting to know the answer.

"She kissed me," he said defeatedly, hating the way she looked. "That's it. I don't know why Nagai told you that lie, but we've never gone that far." She nodded quietly, giving a pathetic sniffle that messed with his head.

"You two aren't together?"

"God, no," he breathed out. "She's too fucking preppy, and she's always complaining about how I talk to people." If I wanted to be with anyone it's you, he wanted to say, but he felt that it wasn't the time.

"I'm sorry for avoiding you. I thought you wanted your space from me so you could be with her," Midoriya told him. "I know it's weird to stay with a girl that's not your girlfriend." He didn't know what to say. The thought of them not staying together gave him anxiety. He was already stressed when he had to do his runs and leave for the day, but to constantly be away from her not knowing if she was okay sounded like a nightmare.

"Damn right you are," he said. "You're gonna have to try harder to get rid of me Deku. I already told you, we're staying together until we're old and brittle. Got it?" He watched as her eyes widened, shock covering her face. She wiped her tears away before looking him dead in the eyes. She smiled.

"Got it."


"How short do you want it?" he asked her, pulling the hair over her shoulders to see what would look best. Midoriya seemed to be over whatever emotional turmoil she was in, seeming to believe him over Nagai. They decided to sleep on the situation (sleep was putting it nicely), and when morning came around Midoriya asked him to cut her hair. It was longer than he'd ever seen it, even longer than when they were kids. Her hair went well past her waist, and as good as he thought it was on her, he thought she looked even better with her hair shorter.

"You decide," she said. "I just want it shorter, it's annoying this long." She looked at him through the mirror, and by the look in her eyes, he could tell she really trusted him. Suddenly he felt like he couldn't mess up and that he had to appease her with his decision.

"Okay," he said, leaning down to guess which length would be the best. "How about here?" He gestures around mid neck to cut her hair, over half the length she already had to be chopped off. She nodded her head quietly, sitting up straighter when the scissors began to make contact with her hair.

"Have you talked to Camie?" Midoriya asked. "About the rumors?"

"No," he answered, his eyebrows scrunching together. He thought she was mad at her.

"I wonder if she knows about them?" Midoriya said. "There's been a lot of rumors around lately. Isn't there something weird happening with the supply runs?" Bakugo froze, scissors mid-cut as he registered what she asked. Were the rumors that far gone already?

"They're kind of true," he admitted. "We found a hideout full of Shiketsu supplies on our last run. They were all stolen, both documented and undocumented materials stolen right under their noses." It was all weird to them. For someone to steal that many resources they'd have to know Shiketsu in and out and the range of how far Shiketsu searches from the school, or even more specifically, what Shiketsu already searched and isn't interested in anymore.

"Do you think it had to do with somebody inside Shiketsu?" Midoriya asked, beginning to look down at the ground.

"Look up before I mess your shit up," he warned. She snapped her head up. "Yeah, we think someone's stealing from inside." She didn't respond to him, but he could see she was clearly thinking. She had a cute face on, her eyebrows scrunched together and her teeth unknowingly attractively bit her lip. He was sure she was already going through the variables in her head.

"It has to be somebody who does supply runs," she stated, eyes scrunched together in thought. "Nobody else is given the map of what's searched or not, and the only other people who are allowed to see the supplies other than those who do inventory are those who do runs."

"We're not in there long enough to memorize anything though," Bakugou said. He'd been there tons of times, but he never got further than the first row of materials before he was kicked out. People who do inventory are super strict to not let just anyone know how much is there for the specific purpose so people couldn't steal goods.

"Then there's more than one," she said. "Anyone who does inventory was chosen because they're trusted by the council. There's only one person I can think of who does both runs and inventory."

"Who," he asked. Cutting the final strands of her hair. He didn't know a lot of people who stayed at their camp. He wasn't social enough to care.

"Hasaki," she said. "If you want to know what's going on I can ask her." He thought about it. Hasaki was one of those girls Midoriya always hung out with, and he was pretty sure it was the red hair. She also hung out a lot with Nagai, which was a red flag in his book. He didn't like Nagai being anywhere near Midoriya most of the time.

"I wouldn't," he said, brushing through her hair to see if he missed any strands. "I'm sure Kayami will figure it out soon. We just need to keep our noses out of it." Something told him if they got involved it would only do them harm. Though, by the spaced-off look Midoriya sported he had a feeling she was still thinking about it.

"Mmm," she hummed, lost in thought. Bakugou shifted her gaze to the mirror. Her eyes widened.

"Do you like it?" he asked, watching for her reaction. She silently ran her hand through it, watching as it slipped through her figures. She smiled softly, then looked at him and blushed.

"Yeah," she said. "Thanks, Kacchan. I like it a lot."

"Mmm," he responded, watching her beam in happiness. He almost smiled as well. Short hair really suited her.

They cleaned up the mess they made and began to make their way back to their dorm. Eyes followed them, and Bakugou had to physically stop himself from glaring at people. He was never one to defend himself from a rumor. Why would he start that day?

"People are staring," Midoriya noted. "The rumor didn't take long to spread huh? I wonder if everyone knows about the runs too." She began to mumble under her breath to herself, and completely missed the fact that Nagai was heading their way.

"Bakugo," Nagai tauntingly said, practically begging to be punched in the face. "They need you for a run."

"I just came back from one, dumbass," he hissed. "Tell them to find someone else." He tried to walk away, but Nagai stepped in front of him. The albino had a challenging expression as if begging Bakugou to fight.

"Not my orders," he said. "The council wants you to do it, and what they say goes. It's a gas run. It should be quick anyway, and you'll be going with two other people."

"I said find someone else. Are you fucking deaf?" Bakugo responded, trying to control his anger. He finally got Midoriya to not be mad at him and wanted to spend some long-deserved time with her, but this asshole won't leave him alone to do it.

"Look, I get it. You don't like people telling you what to do, but guess what asshole! None of us do, but we do it anyway because we're not a fucking bastard who thinks the world revolves around him," he was smirking as if he actually hit a sore spot. He just annoyed Bakugou, and being annoyed was enough to make him want to fight.

"Listen here you piece of shit–"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Midoriya snapped, coming between the two of them. When Nagai tried to defend himself she glared at him, effectively shutting him up. "I don't know why you two hate each other, but it's getting annoying. Kacchan, just go on the run. You'll be back before sunset anyway. Nagai, I need you to calm down. All you do is harass people and it's really upsetting!" She let out a huff of air, crossing her arms as she scolded the two boys. Bakugo actually felt ashamed, but he wouldn't show it. Instead, he just scoffed and walked away, making his way to the front of the school so he could get the run done and over with so he could be with Midoriya again.


She watched him walk off, annoyed at the two of them. Nagai was a pain in the ass, always stirring up issues that should really just be left alone. She was enjoying her time with Bakugou. It was the most they had spent together since they first got to Shiketsu, and it definitely made her day better. She wished she had talked to him sooner.

"Where's Hasaki? She's doing inventory today, right? I gotta talk to her," Midoriya said, walking ahead of the albino without getting an answer. He made her uneasy in an angry kind of way. She was especially angry at him because he lied to her about Camie and Bakugo's relationship.

"You two made up after everything he's done to you?" Nagai asked, looking almost offended. Her eyebrows scrunched together, watching him closely. Why did he care?

"It was a misunderstanding," she told him, deciding that was all he needed to hear. He started it in the first place, why would she tell him more than he needed to know? His gaze remained on her for longer than it needed to before he put his hands in his pockets, looking distant as they continued to walk.

"I wouldn't be friends with him if I were you with the way he treats you," he said. She almost scoffed. He had the audacity.

"Let me make something clear, Nagai," she began, pausing in the middle of an empty hallway to give him her whole, undivided attention. She needed to get something into that thick head of his. Something she'd been suppressing for a long time. "Kacchan doesn't treat me as badly as you assume. In fact, I'd say he treats me better than you."

"He's an asshole!"

"And you're not?" she almost yelled at him, trying to keep her composure. Since day one he'd been after Kacchan, and it was driving Midoriya off the wall. No matter how rough their relationship is, she never wants to hear someone complain about Bakugou's behavior when they exhibited just as much of it.

"I don't get what you see in him," he said, giving her a heated look of something she couldn't describe. It was almost predatory, and it made all the anger she felt dissipate and be replaced with fear. Suddenly she wished she wasn't in a hallway alone with him anymore.

She didn't have enough time to push him away before she was pushed up against the wall. Her mind flashed back to the first time, how it was almost exactly the same, except he was in front of her now instead of behind her. His hand still covered her mouth, and he still looked oddly calm about the situation. She felt just as uncomfortable as before, wanting so badly to rip herself from his grip, but he was stronger than her and held her back tight. She didn't have to look to know that no one was in the hallway with them, and she doubted she could scream for help. Everyone was doing their designated duty, and the corridor they were in was pretty far from any other room with working people. She was stuck, the only way out was to think smart, but she couldn't think. Her heart started beating fast in her chest and her vision started to get blurry, she started to panic.

"What are you doing-" She couldn't finish her sentence before he forced his lips on hers. At first, she was frozen, so many sirens going off in her head, too shocked to really perceive what was happening, and then he bit her bottom lip, and it was as if life resumed tenfold. Without thinking, she brought her hand up and slapped him across the face.

"What the fuck!" he yelled out like he had the right to. She couldn't even respond, so overwhelmed that all she could do was stare at him with a gawk. Did he really just do what she thought he did? Is that what he meant when he said he'd treat her better? Romantically? She couldn't find it in herself to laugh at the thought, completely embarrassed to have been touched by him in that way.

"Don't-" she managed to say through her shaking voice. "Don't come near me ever again, Nagai." She turned, completely forgetting about meeting with Hasaki and making a beeline toward the dorm. Her vision blurred together, and her breath started to become labored as she began to walk faster, trying to reach her destination sooner. She couldn't think straight, her heart racing a mile a minute. She was too overwhelmed to even find the right hallway to walk down.

"Midoriya?" she heard. She froze and looked down the hallway. Brown met green eyes, and Midoriya let out a distressed wail. "Oh my God, what's wrong?" Midoriya began to wipe her eyes hurriedly, rushing into Camie open's arms as she cried her fear away. Camie rubbed a supportive hand on her back, whispering assuring words to Midoriya to try to get her to answer the question.

"I was so scared Camie," Midoriya told her, finally managing to form sentences. She was still shaking and her vision was still blurring, but at least now she could at least say what happened. "Nagai kissed me, but I didn't want it."

"He didn't force himself on you, did he?" she asked, extremely spurious as she held onto the greenette's shoulders. Midoriya paused, hesitantly nodding her head. He had pushed himself against her, but that was as far as he got. She felt if she had stayed longer…

"I was afraid," she stated again. "The way he was looking at me, it wasn't right. I don't know what would've happened if I stayed longer." Her tears were nearly gone before she stated that, and they almost came back like a river. That fear she felt, the need to run, she never wanted to feel that again.

"You're okay now," Camie said. "He's nowhere near us. You don't have to be afraid anymore." Midoriya nodded, wiping her tears away. She suddenly wished Bakugou was back from his run, he would've handled the situation a lot better than she would. She pulled away from Camie, frowning at the tear stains on her shirt.

"Sorry," she mumbled, rubbing her neck awkwardly. She was starting to feel like she overreacted, but then she reminded herself that someone forced themselves on her. It didn't matter if it was a kiss or something more intense, that wasn't right.

"You're too nice," Camie said. "I would've punched him in the balls if he kissed me without asking first. Speaking of which." She cleared her throat and her cheeks turned red. She began to ignore Midoriya's gaze. "Are we cool after what happened?"

"You mean with the rumors?" Midoriya asked, thinking of the best way to respond. She wasn't mad anymore. Maybe a bit crestfallen in Camie for kissing him, but it wasn't like the blonde knew Midoriya's feelings for him.

"You know that's not true right?" she informed her. "All we did was kiss, and even then it wasn't much. He practically pushed me off the moment it happened, and kind of just left after that." Midoriya sniffled, looking at the blonde. Camie looked ashamed at her actions and a bit embarrassed by the redness in her cheeks. That was enough to let Midoriya know she really regretted what she did.

"We talked about it, and I've already forgiven you," Midoriya said. "I can't blame you for liking him. I think you're the only other person here that's gotten close to seeing the real him."

"I betrayed your trust though," Camie said, sounding shocked. Midoriya nodded her head. She did do that. "You still forgive me."

"Yeah," Midoriya said. "I mean, you look guilty. I assume you feel it too. Why would I make you suffer more?" The blonde stared at him as if she were an enigma. Midoriya stared at her with big eyes. Did she say something wrong? She just wanted to let her know wasn't holding any grudges.

"I don't like you," she said jokingly. "Who in their right mind forgives a girl who kissed their boyfriend?"

"We're not dating!"

"Might as well be," Camie declared. "You guys practically act like you're together, why not be together?" Midoriya blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. It wasn't that easy. She was honestly scared of being rejected. He didn't act like they were anything more than friends, and he barely acted like they were friends!

"It's complicated," Midoriya said, noticing she no longer felt down.


Bakugou slammed the door shut, glaring at the descending sun. It was going to get late soon, and if they weren't quick the night was going to catch up with him. He felt that it was odd that they had him out so late. Typically they'd have them do runs around noon, so that let him know the mission was important.

"Remember, we need at least three canisters each of fuel to last us the next few days. Take from any cars you see, and make sure to get as much as you can from the car. Let's make this on a good run so we can get the day off tomorrow," Snipe said, walking towards the trunk to get the gas canisters. Bakugou heard another door slam shut, and he instinctively turned to look at the other extra. His name started with an N, Nakasura maybe? He couldn't remember, but from what he could gather, the boy was useless. He was skinny as a stick as if he didn't eat at all, and he was hunched over like his back couldn't support his upper half. He was a few inches shorter than Bakugou, even shorter with his hunch. He had a .38 revolver, but with a kickback like that Bakugou had a feeling he'd be giving him his pistol to use as a weapon.

Even though Bakugou hadn't done anything to provoke the boy, the mousy-haired male seemed to not like him. Bakugou didn't care much, he just didn't like the way he looked at him. There was so much hatred in his eyes like Bakugo had shit in his cereal or something. He was unsettled by it, especially since his fingers seemed to twitch near his gun. He pretended not to notice.

"Let's make this quick," Snipe said. "The sun is setting. I'd hate to be out here with no light." He took out his own personal flashlight as an extra precaution. Bakugou didn't believe it was going to get dark too soon. Summer was approaching, and the days were getting longer. It was getting warmer too, he could already feel the sweat collecting on his back.

"I'll take these few cars," he muttered, grabbing a canister and making his way toward a small cluster of cars. He was vaguely aware that the mousy-haired extra was following him, and even though his gut was telling him to keep an eye on him, he decided to focus on the task at hand. The quicker he got done with the assignment the quicker he'd get back to Midoriya.

He unlocked the door to the car with minimum ease. It was an older car, so it was fairly easy for him to pickpocket it open. He popped the lid to the gas tank and prepared his siphon to collect the gasoline. He had to mentally prepare himself for it. The last time he did it, he almost consumed a tank full of ethanol straight into his stomach if snipe wasn't there to stop him. He could almost still taste it, the bitter, stinging taste still fresh in his mind.

"Get over it," he mumbled to himself. "Get the fucking job done." He put his mouth on the chord, preparing to take a deep breath in when he heard a loud gunshot. He flinched, ducking behind the car he was by, looking for the source. It was a single shot, so there weren't a bunch of people shooting at one another. That was good, but still. Where did that gunshot come from?

"Nakasawa!" Snipe yelled. "We don't use guns unless we have to. Got it?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, kneeling by his car. "Sure, Snipe." He disappeared out of sight slowly, creepily. Bakugo suddenly found himself more worried about his whereabouts than the gasoline they were extracting. Once he was sure there were no infected coming his way from the sound of the gunshot, he began to siphon the gas. He spit the gasoline out the moment it reached his lips, rubbing his hand on his mouth as he watched the gasoline pour into the tank.

He saw a shadow over his shoulder, and he jumped as Nakasawa hung over him. He had a pole in his hand, his fingers wrapped tight around the thick metal. "Nagai says back off." He brought the pole down to Bakugou's head. He didn't have enough time to react before it made an impact.

Bakugo's world spun. He felt a throbbing pain in his head. Red started to take over on the left side of his vision, and he assumed it was blood. It obscured his vision as he stood to get away from the nut job. Nakasawa stood above him, lifting the pole into the air again. Bakugou anticipated the attack and grabbed the pole before it could fall on his head again. He yanks it out of his hands without much effort.

"Shit," Nakasawa said. He reached into his belt, pulling out a knife that was familiar to Bakugou. He'd seen it before, but he didn't have time to think about it before Nakasawa slashed at him. Bakugou jumped back, his head pounding at the action. His motor skills were slow. He felt blood seeping through his shirt around his stomach, but it was a thin cut. It would heal in no time.

Nakasawa slashed again, this time trying to dig the knife into Bakugou's head. Bakugou grabbed his wrist before he could get close, his grip tight enough to bruise. He didn't release pressure until Nakasawa let go of the knife. The boy fell to his knees, fear embedded deep in his chest.

"He said you'd be easy to kill," he mumbled. "I have to do it." Bakugou couldn't help but think the kid was crazy when he watched him bring the knife up into the air and into his stomach. He didn't know what to do at first, he just watched the boy and sat them in shock. He didn't want the kid to die, even if he tried to bash his head in. He needed to know what he meant with his words if Nagai really asked him to kill him. The last thing he needed was for Midoriya to be around a nutcase like that.

He put his hand on the open wound and provided pressure. He was vaguely remembering what Midoriya told him about open wounds, how excited she had been because she had stopped bleeding.

"I had to hold it a long time," he remembered, her sweet voice echoing in his thoughts. "It took a while, and I had to change the bandage once, but it stopped bleeding. I saved their life!" But can I save his? he thought to himself, weakly pressing on the wound. He was getting weak, the blood pouring from his head blinding his vision and making him lightheaded. He swooned, nausea threatening to incapacitate him. He needed help.

"Snipe!" Bakugo called out, but it wasn't more than a mumble. "Snipe… I need…" His vision was going dark, and he couldn't hear well. He heard a shout in the distance, but he couldn't tell what they were asking for. His eyes were already closed by then.