Of Maybes and Yeses | Bakugo x Reader

XII - Stay

"Good morning, teach!" Kaminari joined the table, carrying a plate full of eggs and sleep still in his face. He took one of the empty seats in the dining hall, "You two were up early! Saw you guys talking outside."

Katsuki immediately sent him a glare, in case he saw something else and tried to even share it with the group but the sleepy Kaminari said nothing else, he didn't even see the other blond glaring.

"Good morning everyone!"

Mina followed close behind Kirishima who was energetic already, even though he still hasn't started breakfast. "You're too peppy in the mornings, Kiri. Tone it down." Pinky sat down beside me, "Hey teacher, you're up early."

"I usually am awake early." I responded and Mina grimaced, "You're not an early bird, are you?"

"I'm more of a cross between don't wake me bat and a tired owl." Mina shoved scrambled eggs in her mouth.

Katsuki rolled his eyes, "They're not a thing." He commented as he finished his food, "What the hell is a wake me bat and a tired owl?"

"You're smart, Kacchan, figure it out." Mina countered, "You're grumpy again. Teach, make him behave."

"Not a child." Katsuki growled softly before shutting up and turning to me, "You done?"

"Yeah, just not the coffee- Hey, wait. I can-" I watched Katsuki leave with the empty plates. I turned back to his friends, who were all grinning, "What?"

"He likes you, you know that...right?" Sero pointed his fork at me. I rolled my eyes so he continued, "Don't give me that, teach. Just because you don't want to see it, it doesn't mean it isn't true. Because we can all see it."

Kirishima laughed, throwing an arm on my seat, "He does like you."

"I know he does. We're friends, he said so." I countered. I didn't want to put ideas in my own head, I was already crushing on Dynamight. The Pro Heroes were giving me funny looks, as though I was missing something. I wasn't. They were simply making a mountain out of a molehill. "What?"

"Does she look stupid to you?" Sero leaned to Kaminari who shook his head, "Right? She looks smart. You look smart. Why are you missing this?"

There was a small part of me that wished he felt the same thing. The same warm, fuzzy feeling that I have swelling in my chest whenever Katsuki leans close. Or whenever he just chooses to stay beside me even though there were so many other places he could be.

But he was a Pro Hero, he was famous. He could have anyone he wanted.

Why would he look at my direction? My life wasn't exciting, it wasn't as flashy as his.

Kirishima nudged me gently, anchoring me back to where I left them with my thoughts. "Hey you, don't think about it too much, okay?" He grinned, before glancing at his friends, "Don't give them a hard time. We just got Kacchan back, we don't wanna lose him again."

Sero leaned back on his seat, his fork in his hand. "Well, what's worse that could happen? If we get Kacchan a significant other, he's more likely to hang out with us."

"If this ends badly, he'll disappear again." Mina pouted, "We don't want that, do we?"

"Well no, but can we not look at the bad side of things?" The dark-haired hero took a bite out of his toast, "Kacchan seems to really like her and you like him too, don't you?"

"I-"

Then the entire table paused.

"Stop making stories out of nothing, you extras." I heard from behind me. Katsuki looked pissed as he pulled me away from the table and out of the dining area.

"Katsuki! Stop it!" I protested as he dragged me out to the beach, probably the only place he can escape.

Katsuki finally stopped, the hard look on his face melted as he looked at my wrist which was red from his grasp, "Sorry."

"You didn't have to react that way. They were only asking me things."

He growled, "Things that they shouldn't ask about. They're damn gossips, all of them!"

I can't understand why he was so angry. They were only concerned about him, nothing more.

"They were only trying to help!"

"By doing what? Grilling you about your feelings for me? What do they think that's gonna do?"

"Oh, I don't know, make you be friends with them again?" I can't take it anymore. I wanted him to have that life he deserved, that life where he had other friends, that life where he can smile and be relaxed.

Not the life he surrendered into. Not the depth of darkness he has slowly sunken into.

"They just want to be friends with you again." I told him, "And they were only trying to see what can make you hang out with them more."

Katsuki's jaw clenched, his eyes piercing into mine, "They won't be able to do that if they keep on pestering you like this." He looked irritated, "What the fuck where they even thinking? Asking you how you felt about me? If you like-"

"Well, I do."

For the second time that morning, the anger melted away from his face. It almost took a few years away from his face, as though he went back to the Katsuki Bakugo who was in UA and was studying to be a ProHero.

"What?" His eyes looked almost desperate, why?

"I like you, Katsuki. I like your annoying ass self. I like how you constantly tried to wedge yourself in my life. How you cook dinner in my small kitchen." I wasn't sure why I even went into specifics. "I like you so damn much that I even wonder if I'm crossing the line to falling in love."

Katsuki closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

It was the longest minute I have ever spent waiting.

It was agonizing.

Did I just ruin our friendship?

"Y/N." He finally looked at me, Katsuki took my hands.

Before he even answered, I felt that sinking feeling in my chest.

Yes, I just ruined our friendship.

"No, this isn't what I wanted to happen."