The Eyes That Make the Storm

87) One Year

It was one of the days Staia sat at Bakugou's table and in the middle of lunch Stasia cleared her throat, setting her chopsticks down. "Bakugou isn't our anniversary coming up."

He started choking on his food and Stasia laughed as Sero quickly handed him his drink. When he was done he glared at Stasia who remained unphased.

"The hell?"

"Yes, I would also like to know," Kirishima confessed.

"Friend-aversary," she corrected. "We met a year ago."

"Wait, that means you've been here for a year then. Right, I mean you came after the summer break," Mina realized and Stasia nodded.

"Why the hell would I care about an anniversary with you?" Bakugou asked.

"Friend-aversary, it's a friend-aversary," Kirishima clarified, wanting everyone to be on the same page.

"Because I'm your best friend," Stasia answered, ignoring Kirishima.

"You are not my best friend!" he screamed.

"You're loud," she told him softly and he fumed.

Stasia infuriated him. She has since they first met, back when they were both too cocky sixteen years olds. When he thought there was absolutely no one in the world better than him, and she had the nerve to challenge that, and win, how dare she? How dare she become one of the few- if only people that get him, understand his desire- no need to win at everything. How dare she work with Gang Orca and help him get his provisional license, how dare she leave right after and not call until weeks after she'd been gone? How dare he miss her. How dare she come back stronger than before, beat him in the sports festival, push him to do better, be better. Make up a combination move with him, treat him like her favorite person, lie to his face like a stranger, scare him to death, lose her eye like an idiot and somehow still keep evolving. How dare he almost- enjoy watching her grow. And how dare he let her of all people become his best friend.

"I hate you," he muttered as the bell rang and she smiled.

"Love you too."

"That's not what I said!"

"Mhm," she hummed, standing up and grabbing her backpack as she motioned for Kirishima. "Sure."

She walked away and Kirishima followed, quickly making an effort to interlock their fingers. "What's this?"

"Okay, I hope."

'Yeah, it's okay. It's weird though."

"My hand?" he asked, slightly scared of the answer.

"No, no, that we met a year ago."

"A lot changed huh."

"No, not much, not you."

"In a bad way?" Again, he was on bated breath for her answer.

"No, not in a bad way. And I spoke incorrectly, you've definitely grown into a fantastic hero. I meant that you're still- after all this time- warm." It's a weird way to describe a person but it was the least embarrassing way for her to explain that he made her feel safe. Because she had one too many memories of her being too cold.

He squeezed her hand and it brought her out of her thoughts and she smiled and the way he grinned back, it was almost like he knew, of course, he did.

"Hey, I was thinking-"

"Sugiyama Nastasia and Bakugou Katsuki report to the teacher's center," Aizawa said dryly over the PA and Stasia turned back to Bakugou with a look of disbelief.