The Tinker

Chapter 85 - Bad Timing

"Do you have your pepper spray?"

"Yes."

"And your phone?"

"Yes, Kat."

"Are your location settings on? You gotta--"

"Katsuki," Y/N interrupted, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Dude. You need to relax. The graduation ceremony isn't even open to the public."

Bakugou's lips formed into an angry pout as he glared at her. It had been several weeks since the situation with the Yoarashi's but he was still unable to shake the nagging worry that she wasn't safe. He kept her close to him at all times, watching like an angry guard dog, unable to let go of her hand. He knew he was being unreasonable... but he couldn't help it, really. He hated it. He hated how stressed he was.

Y/N raised her eyebrows at him expectantly and his frown resigned into a sigh. Looking at her did relax him a bit, but his stomach flipped again when he saw the scar over her eye; not because she was any less attractive, but because of the anger that burned in his stomach because of it. That lingering guilt of not being able to protect her was still difficult to push down.

Without thinking about it he reached his hand up and brushed his finger over the wound. "Don't want you getting hurt again, Tinkerbell."

"I'm probably gonna get hurt again. So will you. That's life, man." She pulled his hand from her eye and down to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to his palm before turning back to her closet. When her back was turned he looked down at the spot where she kissed and felt shivers rush up his arm.

He shook it off and sat down on her bed. "It's bullshit that you aren't in the damn ceremony."

Y/N laughed. "For the last time, I didn't graduate here. I'll probably finish up my GED online or something."

"The fuck is a GED?"

"Nevermind, not important." She pulled a dress from her closet and examined it with a frown. "I wore this to that New Years party. I think it might show my burns from the plane though..."

"Who cares?" Bakugou grunted. "Your scars are hot."

Y/N smirked at him. "You have a thing for scars?"

"I have a thing for your scars, dumbass."

"What a romantic," Y/N said dramatically as she blew him a kiss. He rolled his eyes at her, pretending he didn't enjoy her antics. She held the dress up to her her torso. "Alright. New Years dress it is then. What about the after party though?"

Bakugou climbed to his feet. "Don't come," he said quickly. Too quickly.

Y/N squinted her eyes at him. "Why are you being weird?"

"I'm not."

She crossed her arms. "Alright, spill."

"Fuck off."

"NOW."

"No. Just don't come, why does it fucking matter?"

"What aren't you telling me?" Y/N snapped. 

She jabbed his shoulder with her pointer finger and he snarled at her, backing away. "Fucking drop it!"

"Tell me!" Y/N was getting more aggressive now. She pushed his chest and he fell back onto the bed. She was on the offensive and he was retreating, but he was running out of space to escape to.

Bakugou scooted as much as he could on her bed but hit the wall. Shit. He didn't want to hurt her and she knew that. She was using it to her advantage. Cornering him. Clever girl, he thought.

Y/N crawled towards him on all fours before sitting up on her knees and pinning his shoulders against the wall. 

An involuntary shudder ran through Bakugou's body. He froze. Why the hell was he reacting like this? 

She was closer now, sitting on his lap and forcing him to look at her. "Better tell me soon, Kat." God, she smelled good. 

"Make me," he spat. He regretted it quickly, remembering that his body was NOT working in his favor at the moment. His blood was pumping much too fast.

Y/N gave him a devilish smile that made his chest feel like it was melting. "Fine. Guess I'll go ask Kiri why you're being so wack."

"No!" He yelled before he could stop himself.

Y/N tilted her head and grinned at him. "Gonna talk yet?"

Bakugou weighed his options. He could tell her now, but she would force the embarrassing explanation out of him-- or she would go to Kiri and Kiri would know about the situation. Shit.

"It's... fuck, fine. I'll talk. Just-- get off me," He grumbled. He turned away; if he kept looking at her it was only going to rev him up more and he didn't need that right now. He didn't even know why he was so revved up. Since when did he like when other people had control in a situation?

He prayed that the burning he felt in his face wasn't a blush.

Y/N obeyed and climbed to her feet and crossing her arms expectantly, watching as Bakugou sighed and sat forward to lean on his knees. "The girls are wearing... like... costumes."

"Costumes?"

Bakugou groaned into his hands before running his hands through his hair. "I don't fucking know. They lost some fucking bet and now they have to wear... like..."

"Wear what?"

Bakugou wanted to die. "Playboy bunnies. The girls are dressing up as playboy bunnies."

Y/N blinked. The information took a second to process before she started laughing. It made Bakugou burn with embarassment. "So what? I'll just wear the same dress."

"Kaminari won't let you in unless you wear it."

Y/N scoffed. "Okay, then I'll wear one. Who cares? It's not like--"

"No," Bakugou demanded, climbing to his feet again.

"No?" 

"No. Don't wear it."

Y/N was angry now, he could tell. "What the hell? You don't get to choose what I wear."

"It's not like that," He grumbled. The embarassment was getting too much.

"You embarassed of me?"

"I don't want the other guys seeing you like that," He forced himself to say through gritted teeth. 

In the pause after his words the atmosphere changed from angry to... something else. He couldn't tell. But Y/N's arms uncrossed and were now on her hips as she stared at him. He regretted opening his mouth.

"You feeling jealous, Kat?" She said playfully.

Now he was the angry one. "I'm not fucking jealous."

"I think you are. I think you feel threatened." She took a step towards him and looked up at him with a grin. Bakugou felt chills run up his spine but the anger was still stronger.

"I don't give a shit. Wear the damn thing, see if I care! I'm not jealous!" He snapped before storming out of her room, slamming the door behind him.

Shit. The after party was going to be a nightmare.