A/N:

️!READ!

(Long author's note ahead sorry but I need to talk about this 😅)

After 2+ years of being on hiatus…

IPP HAS FINALLY BEEN UPDATED! 🎉
(and on its 3rd anniversary no less)

For my old readers who are returning, welcome back and thank you for sticking with this story. It really means a lot ❤️
For new readers who are reading this fanfic for the first time and have just reached this chapter, hello! Yes, it did take me two whole years to post a new chapter because life got in the way and also my own insecurity over my old art/writing issues. It took me a little over an entire year to redraw old art and edit the previous chapters until I was satisfied 😭

But now that I'm done fixing old chapters, this fic is back on track to being updated again! :D

I wanna mention this now while we're here. I've rewritten/edited all the upcoming chapters from here on out maybe 4 or 5 times AT LEAST. Which is also why it took so long 😂 Every time I came back to them, I found issues, didn't like how the story was going, or just thought it could be improved. So if you see sudden shifts in quality/writing style, that's part of the reason why. I'm not as happy with how everything turned out as I used to be (looking back at something you wrote 2+ years ago and constantly trying to rework it without overhauling the whole thing entirely will do that to someone-), but ultimately, I'm satisfied with what I made.

Another thing I wanna mention is that there will no longer be a strict upload schedule. My OG plan was to draw everything in advance so I could post on a consistent basis (but we all know how that turned out aka I didn't upload for 2 whole years), but since I've made changes multiple times and had to scrap some artwork as a result, I'll be taking this at my own pace.

At the very least, I hope the wait was worth it and that you guys will enjoy :) ❤️❤️

Art -

[Complete Gallery] Add /21axlkt3bolc to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

[Ch. 56] Add /21r6tkkz5aiv to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

I like him.

Hitomi sat up abruptly, hissing to herself as her head throbbed in pain. Her eyes squeezed shut, her hand cradling her forehead as she waited for the pounding to subside.

That was a bad idea…

Hitomi lowered her hand slowly, staring down at her blanket. Her eyebrows furrowed as the thought repeated in her mind.

I like Bakugou.

"...That can't be right," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.

How…?

Why…?

Hitomi looked over her shoulder, catching sight of the moist rag that had fallen onto her pillow.

That hadn't been there when she went to sleep.

She then looked to the side, seeing the foldable tray table she usually kept in between her dresser and bookshelf was standing by her bed.

That hadn't been there, either.

Hitomi turned her body so she was facing the table, her legs hanging over the edge of the bed. Her eyes widened as she stared at the soup Bakugou had left for her, the steam wafting up from it indicating it had probably just been cooked. Next to it, there was a box of cold medicine, a glass of water, and a bowl of warm water that was likely for the rag.

Oh.

Hitomi reached up to touch her forehead, her fingers lightly tracing over her skin.

Bakugou had been… taking care of me.

Her heartbeat sped up again, the fluttery feeling returning.

Hitomi bit her lip, feeling her face heat up. Whether it was from her fever, or… something else, she couldn't tell.

But this… fluttery feeling was familiar.

Hitomi could recall the moments she felt this way clearly, even in her sickly state.

Her birthday, when he'd given her those precious earrings.

When they were hanging out at I-Island on the Ferris wheel, and she'd thought he looked pretty.

The first day of training camp, when she'd overheard him call her pretty.

When their friends had had that movie night, and he'd fallen asleep on her shoulder.

At least, those were the first ones to come to mind. They stood out to her the most.

But she could even remember the small moments in between.

There was that time they had to study together without Kirishima back for final exams. It was the day Hitomi first considered Bakugou a friend. He had taken her home, and she'd had to hold onto his arm during a portion of the train ride because it had been so crowded. She remembered being embarrassed about it back then.

She remembered he'd scolded her at training camp for her horrible cooking skills, criticizing the poorly chopped potatoes she'd presented him. Hitomi had found his seriousness about cooking delicious curry somewhat endearing, and she'd even made a throwaway comment that he'd make a good husband. She had gotten really flustered about that.

Hitomi's hands balled up into fists, wrinkling the fabric of her shorts.

I can't… I don't actually like him, do I…?

She thought back to when they were coming up with their ultimate moves.

...

"AP Shot!"

Hitomi watched from her cement platform, her eyes wide in awe as Bakugou blasted the Ectoplasm clone with a concentrated explosion, destroying it with ease.

"Wow, Bakugou!" she found herself calling out from her spot, making him glance up at her. Hitomi blinked, blushing slightly that her mouth had moved again without her thinking and she had caught his attention. "Ah… sorry!" She laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head and waving at him. "You already had super moves by the sports festival… you sure have a lot of ideas for them, huh?"

Hitomi couldn't help but give him a soft smile, holding up her fists. "That's really awesome!"

Before Bakugou could reply, Hitomi was kicked in the back by the Ectoplasm clone aiding her, making her stumble slightly. Hitomi squeaked, turning to face the clone of her teacher in surprise.

"Focus, Kanetsukabe," he scolded her lightly, lowering his leg. "The exam's this weekend. Concentrate on perfecting your own super moves, not admiring your other classmates'."

"Uh, right!" Hitomi spluttered.

...

Hitomi had thought Bakugou was cool with the ones he already had, and the fact he was able to come up with even more amazed her, to say the least.

Now that she thought about it...

Hitomi had always been enamored with Bakugou, ever since the first day of school. Even though she had been somewhat intimidated by him at first, she'd still admired his skills.

During hero training, she would often catch herself watching him with pure awe in her eyes.

Did she really pay attention to him that much…?

Thinking back on all these moments, and all the ones in between, Hitomi's heart clenched.

I like him.

I have a crush on him.

This was bad.

All she could think was… why?

If it had been someone like… Kirishima, or… or even Midoriya, she could understand. They were loveable and friendly people with admirable qualities, and she could understand if she fell for one of them. Heck, she understood perfectly why Uraraka was crushing on Midoriya.

But… apparently she liked… Bakugou.

Arrogant, loud, somewhat-of-an-asshole Katsuki Bakugou.

Why…?

Hitomi had to be honest with herself here. Bakugou was… honestly kind of a dick.

He yelled at people, would pick fights (usually with Midoriya or Todoroki), and he could get set off by some of the pettiest things.

But…

Today, he'd especially surprised her. He'd been taking care of her. He'd made her a meal that would help her feel better.

He'd even let her vent to him, and offered her some advice. He'd given her comforting words.

…Well, in his own way, of course.

Hitomi looked to her bed frame, staring at her phone. Her eyes shifted to her clock right next to it, seeing the time.

I need to talk to someone about this.

It was a little over half an hour past noon, so she wouldn't be at work yet…

Hitomi grabbed her phone, dialing Nari's number.

If anyone's going to know about this, it's her.

Hitomi held the phone up to her ear, holding her breath as the dial tone rang and rang. After a few seconds, there was an audible click.

"Hello!" her friend chirped. "What's up, Hitomi? Aren't you supposed to be in school right now?"

Hitomi opened her mouth to speak, only for the itchiness in her throat to make her cough.

"I'm sick," she coughed out, "so I'm staying at the dorms today."

"Oh. Well, what's-"

"I have a crush on Bakugou."

Nari's end was silent for several long seconds.

"...what?"

Hitomi's grip tightened on her phone, feeling her cheeks get warm. "I said," she repeated slowly, "I have a crush. On Bakugou."

"You have a…" Her best friend trailed off, falling silent as she likely processed Hitomi's words. After a few seconds, a loud gasp was heard.

"Oh my god!"

Hitomi flinched back at her friend's loud voice, holding the phone an inch or two away from her.

"Wait wait wait," Nari said, Hitomi cautiously returning the phone to her ear. "So… let me see if I have this right. You have a crush on… Bakugou? Winner of the UA first-year stage sports festival? Blasty boy?!"

Hitomi nodded, before realizing Nari couldn't see her. "Yeah…"

"Holy shit!" she heard Nari squeal. "Hitomi has a crush! Hitomi has a crush!" the blonde chanted. "You haven't had one since elementary school!"

"Nari!" Hitomi interrupted, clenching her jaw. "Calm down. It's not… it's not a big deal."

"If it wasn't a big deal why did you call me about it?"

"Uh…"

"That's what I thought," Nari giggled. "So what's up? Having boy troubles now~?"

Hitomi sighed, her eyebrows furrowing. "No… I just… needed to talk to someone about it."

At that she heard Nari make a questioning noise. "Talk to someone…?" she repeated. "How come? Is something wrong?"

"Well…" Hitomi bit her lip, staring down at the soup. "I… I'm just… confused."

"About what?"

"About… why." Her shoulders drooped as she looked down at her lap. "I don't understand why I like Bakugou. I mean… you've seen for yourself how he is, how he acts. He's not someone most people would like. I guess I just called you to see if you'd have an answer… or something. Since you have more experience with this sort of thing."

Nari hummed. "Well… I'd have to say I don't have an answer for you, Hitomi."

"Eh…? Why?"

"Your feelings are your own. The person who will know best why you feel the way you do is you. I can't give you an answer." Hitomi heard a chair creak on Nari's end, guessing that meant her friend had leaned forward in her seat. "I can try helping you understand though, if you want!"

Hitomi sighed, flopping back onto her pillow. "...Okay."

"Awesome!" Nari said cheerfully.

Hitomi closed her eyes, her mind in a daze. "...Glad to hear you're enjoying yourself with this," she huffed.

"Hush hush," Nari laughed. "So tell me… what are the good qualities you see in him? You can start with how he looks!"

Hitomi stared at the ceiling, her mind drifting back to the boy that was currently cleaning the common area three floors below.

"He's… really handsome, I'll admit that," she mumbled. "When he's calm and not screaming."

"Yes, yes," Nari replied. "And what else?"

"Well…" Hitomi thought back to the sports festival, as well as their final exams. "He's strong, and confident… he's amazing at using his quirk, and he does what he sets out to do… He believes in himself. I really admire that about him, I guess..."

"Hooh, that's interesting…" Nari teased.

"But admiration doesn't equate to infatuation, does it?" Hitomi asked suddenly, feeling her heartbeat rapidly increase.

"It doesn't always. But in your particular case it looks to be that way. Does being with Bakugou make you happy, like you want to spend more time with him?"

Hitomi was surprised to admit it, but she did enjoy spending time with the explosive boy. She had a lot of fun with him, and she got a rush of excitement whenever she got the rare chance to tease him, which only made her want to do it even more.

"...I guess I do," Hitomi mumbled, rolling over. "I like being around him, laughing with him, studying with him… When you look past his attitude, spending time with him can be a lot of fun…"

"How intriguing…"

Hitomi had heard once that vocalizing your thoughts could help you realize them better. She traced one of the small rockets printed on her blanket, thinking back on her own words.

So I really do enjoy being with him...

"Oh, shoot!" Nari suddenly exclaimed. "It's almost one, I gotta get ready for work!" Hitomi heard rustling sounds, meaning her friend was probably up and about. "Sorry, Hitomi, I've gotta go!"

"Alright… bye."

I need to sort my feelings out, anyway.

"Bye!"

Nari then hung up, leaving Hitomi alone with her own thoughts.

She sat up slowly, turning to face the tray table. Hitomi stared at the soup, seeing it was still steaming.

Somehow, Hitomi had developed feelings for Bakugou.

And she wasn't so sure she wanted them.

She couldn't help but wonder…

Would this change things?

She knew she was an easily flustered person, that much was obvious.

But with this new revelation, would this change how she acted around him?

After all, she didn't want to feel her heart race every time she looked at him, or get embarrassed, or stutter when she talked to him.

She didn't want Bakugou to think she liked him as more than a friend, and cause their whole relationship to change just because he thought she was in love with him.

No, wait, Hitomi thought, trying to correct herself. This isn't love. It's just… infatuation.

Yeah, that's it. That's all this is.

With a sluggish clap of her hands, she said a quiet "thank you for the meal," gently picking up the soup spoon.

After blowing on the soup to cool it down, she brought it to her lips, tasting it.

As Hitomi pulled the spoon away, her eyebrows furrowed as she felt her heart race.

"...It's good."

A/N: yes that was just a Promised Neverland reference :3 (rest in peace Goldy Pond Arc 😩)

Anyway, Hitomi has taken the time to understand how she feels a bit more aka it's time for her tsundere era lmaaaoooooo

Y'all asked for a slow-burn so you're gonna get a frustrating one XD This is what I meant when I said I'm not as satisfied with this arc as I used to be, 2 years of letting it sit made me realize this will be long and agonizing and maybe even a bit melodramatic ._. I apologize for everything in advance lmao