𝔄𝔫 ℑ𝔫𝔣𝔦𝔫𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔄𝔴𝔞𝔶 | Katsuki Bakugo x OC

Chapter 8 - The Mall & The Caper

"You'll never escape me doll.

Never.

And if you ever do manage to leave this underwater prison.

Remember, it's all Bakugo's fault."

Sapphire eyes shot open, erratic breaths ricocheting off the bare gray walls. But she couldn't hear her loud expiration as her ears were flooded with the burnt alpha's voice, refusing to let her forget about his command.

After what seemed like a few minutes, but in reality were only a few seconds, she heard light tapping at her door.

"You good short stuff?"

His timing was truly impeccable. The last person she wanted to see at the moment had found his way right at her doorstep.

She inwardly groaned when she heard him knock on the door a little harsher, his tone more stern.

"Oi firework, you okay in there?" He inquired.

Firework? Since he only said that during training, Hina never regarded it as a nickname. But in all honesty, she truly preferred 'firework' over 'short stuff'.

And so she decided she would reply to his call, letting him know that she was indeed all right. Throwing the covers off of her, she lightly treaded to the door, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes by using her knuckles.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by quite a sight.

Bakugo was fresh out of the shower, wearing black sweats and a white tank top that was slightly see through from the water that must've been on his torso before he put it on. A gray towel hung on his left shoulder, and his right arm was holding all his weight against the wall. Small beads fell from his spikes landing on his forehead, plastering his baby hairs to it.

She inhaled a breath, the scent of a clear summer morning diffused from him to around her, hints of burning sandalwood prickling through.

Hina wasn't sure if Bakugo was doing all this on purpose, or if he was just completely oblivious to how his whole presence seemed... implicit.

If it weren't for the stench of burnt, bitter caramel overloading Bakugo's nose, he would've noticed the hints of vanilla coming off of her.

He bore into her groggy yet fear-filled eyes, trying to decipher why she woke up so distressed. He heard her yelp in her sleep when he left his room. And when he reached her room, he heard her irregular breathing right before she woke up.

"You okay?" He asked in concerned whispers, his attention moving to the sweat droplets on her temple.

She wanted to lie. To say that she was fine, and he needn't worry. Yet, for some reason she felt that if she did hide the truth, he would be more upset about her dishonesty than her wish to be less of a burden to him.

And so with furrowed brows, she broke their eye contact, gluing them to her nervous fingers, her teeth softly latching onto her lower lip, trying to find the words to answer his vague question.

He noticed the shift in her demeanor. Noticed her trying to shake of the anxiety to answer him. Trying her best to not anger him.

Expelling a long sigh, he shifted his weight so now he wasn't looming over her. Last time he did that, she shooed him away.

After a few seconds, Hina still hadn't spoken, so Bakugo decided to ask another question that would help her find her voice.

"Nightmare?" He asked quietly.