Something Like a Star (B. Katsuki)

Four: Incident

"Good morning, class." Aizawa waddled into the room in his sleeping bag and the chatter immediately died away, the few people who were standing making their way to their seats.

Nadoka's return to UA had gone over smoothly, and her heart had been heavily warmed on Monday morning by all of her friends who were readily happy for her return. They had hugged her and welcomed her back and she had smiled wide enough to split her face in two.

The entire week was easy and simple enough, and before any of Class 1-A knew it, it was Thursday. Nadoka had easily caught up with her studies and fallen back into the role of being academically ahead of most of her classmates. She hadn't earned that number three spot for nothing.

The hero course that week had almost been boring. The only exciting thing to happen was the voting of Class Representative, and when the press broke into the school, tripping an alarm and causing an uproar.

The flood of students through the class had placed Nadoka in a rather awkward position, sandwiched between Kirishima and Bakugou with her face more or less shoved into Bakugou's chest. Both of them were red as tomatoes as they tried to shove each other off only to get pushed back together by other insane students, Kirishima among them. The moving crowd got stuck trying to breach a narrow doorway and for at least ten or so minutes Nadoka and Bakugou had to relent to being uncomfortably close.

Nadoka eventually got tired of trying to keep her head peeled away from his bulky torso and relented to turning and resting her cheek lightly against his chest. He stiffened and tried vainly to push at her shoulders, and Nadoka took note of the way he didn't necessarily try as hard as she knew he was capable of. "Hey! I'm not your fucking pillow, idiot, get off!"

"It's not like I want to be here anymore than you do, hedgehog," Nadoka answered calmly, but the longer she sat breathing in his strangely sweet caramel scent and felt his warm, comforting bulk so close to her, she was beginning to wonder if such a statement was a lie, "But this crowd is stuck and neither of us can move. I'm not gonna break my damn neck just so I don't touch you, I don't hate you that much, so just shut up and deal with it. If... If I really make you that uncomfortable, then I'll get up."

Bakugou picked up right away on the uncertainness and borderline hurt that tainted her last sentence and had to resist the urge to scream curses lest he burst her eardrums. He settled instead for growling and flicking her forehead, hating that he didn't desire to hurt her feelings. "I'm not... d-don't... fuck, I'm not uncomfortable, dumbass."

"I am," Nadoka admitted, and Bakugou was surprised to hear how shaky her voice was, "I, um... I don't do well in large crowds. I get very anxious."

Don't do it. Don't do it. Let her be anxious it's not your fucking problem. Don't. You son of a bitch.

     Bakugou let out a sigh so long it's a wonder his lungs didn't deflate and hesitantly raised his arms, letting them float in the air behind her a moment before biting the bullet and wrapping them around her. He felt her instantly stiffen as he rested his chin on her scalp. "What are you doing, Bakugou?"

"I'm doing you a favor, idiot." He responded grumpily. 'Doing you a favor', tch. More like doing myself a favor. What the hell am I doing? Fuck, she's tiny. Is she shaking? God, I probably look like some fucking dunce. "Just... don't think about the fucking crowd. Focus on your breathing or some shit."

     Over her head and unbeknownst to her, Kirishima had taken notice of the situation, grinning cheekily at Bakugou. If looks could kill, Kirishima would already be decomposing beneath the glare Bakugou sent his way, mentally daring him to try and poke fun or comment on it.