Strays (WHM)

Part 18

"Hey, wake up already."

"Mh?"

Senji slowly woke up, with someone nudging her shoulder and speaking softly near her face. It took awhile for her brain to catch up, piecing together the information around her and leading up to her current placement. Villains, investigating on her own. A huge fight, and lecturing by the pro hero sanctioning them in this foreign country. Then she bolted upright, looking toward the now-empty bed to her left.

"Hmf!"

She looked down, where her chest had connected with something hard.

"Katsuki?," she furrowed her brow, still processing. The blonde boy pulled himself back, holding a hand over his face. He leaned back into the chair he was sitting in, his eyes hidden by his messy hair.

"Took your sweet time waking up. The others've already packed up and left."

"Sorry," Senji apologized. For moving slowly, and for something else that was lurking in the back of her mind. A strange guilt that she had pushed back before, but now had trouble ignoring. Bakugo studied her expression for a moment, then clicked his tongue.

"Something happened on your little road trip, didn't it?," he asked, his tone harsher than h e meant it to be.

"Ah, n-"

Senji's answer caught in her throat, and she wasn't able to look at him. It wasn't like there had been any major event in that sense, but something definitely changed over the journey. Feelings that she hadn't expected, and an open vulnerability that she didn't fully understand even now. She looked down at her right hand, recalling several instances where it had found its way into Rody's, and her face got uncomfortably warm.

"Tch. What's with that reaction," Bakugo muttered. Senji frowned, struggling to find words that fit what she felt. There was a similar feeling there, like she felt toward the boy beside her now, but for someone else as well. One wasn't less than the other, and neither were less complex or strange. Her partner watched her struggling, picking his next words carefully and speaking in a measured tone.

"That's what I mean, there. The first place you looked when you woke up, too. You care about others, more than I'm able to, but still," he rambled for a bit, hoping the words would come to him when he needed them. Senji pulled her tail close, staring at the new scar as though she was studying every detail.

"I guess...I did force myself onto you. More than once. I never really asked you about it, either. And was pretty..bad before. If you don't wan-if you're just going with whatever I want, then.."

"No!," Senji shouted without meaning to, startling both of them. She swung her legs down, over the side of the bed she was on, turning to face Bakugo.

"I..it surprised me, is all. I never really...thought about stuff like this. I, um," she stammered toward the end, then took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. "I don't hate you or anything. And you should know that if I don't want to do something, then I won't. I-I..uh. I'm happy. And comfortable, when I'm with you I mean. I don't know how to...say it really."

Bakugo continued to study her expression while she floundered. Her words were choppy, and imprecise, but he more or less understood the meaning behind it. His face burned along with hers, hearing her try to say out loud what they both had shared without words before. He had been thinking about this while they rested in the hospital, all on his own. Reaching what he thought was the resolve to set her free, but finding that harder and harder to do now. In the end, he still had some growing to do as a person. Senji bit her tongue, cursed, then took a moment to regain her composure.

"You didn't...force anything on me. A lot has happened. I still feel...so many different things toward you. But I also feel those things..for someone else. It's weird. I'm not sure..how to move from here," she admitted finally. Bakugo let that hang in the air for a moment before reaching out toward her. He pulled her tail from her grasp and over toward his mouth, pressing a light kiss over the scales.

"Listen," his voice was barely audible, "I don't want to be that guy that says you can't be friends with other dudes or whatever. I don't think either of us really know what we're doing here, but..."

"Katsuki," Senji's voice took on a saddened tone. He didn't meet her gaze, and her feelings grew even more twisted and complicated. "If..you're about to ask me to choose-"

"N-no. I mean," he trailed off, thinking hard over his decision. There was another option, one that would be hard on his current emotional state. It would test his patience, and possessive tendencies to their max. And it relied heavily on how everyone involved felt toward it, meaning it was likely not an actual option.

"If...you feel the same for more than one. Then why should you have to pick?"

"Huh?," Senji blinked at him, confused. Bakugo felt his temper flaring up for a moment, and stood to leave before he blew up. He tossed some folded clothes at her, turning away and pulling the curtain aside.

"We have a few more days, think about what you want to do. Whatever happens, I'll...support you," he spoke without looking at her, fists clenched at his sides. Then he left the room entirely, leaving her with a fluttering heart and heavy head. She decided to shelve it for now, the feelings she didn't understand, and changed into the fresh set of clothes. A tank top with a low back, and thin straps. Shorts that were much shorter than her usual fare, frayed at the ends with a chain on one side. And finally, a black button-up that she didn't remember packing. She pulled it on anyway, then recalled seeing Bakugo wearing one similar before and her face went red.

"Idiot," she muttered to herself, then stepped out of the room with the rest of her belongings tucked into a bag.