Aesthete

Chapter 34

- Bakugo's P.O.V -

I was watching her, the way she relaxed on the couch curled into Uraraka, who toyed with her hair absently while a 70s sitcom played on the TV.

I didn't give a shit about wishing I was anyone else, my quirk was enough to demonstrate that I was a powerhouse with my abilities, but for only a second, I wanted to be stupid pink cheeks. I wanted Florence to curl into my side like that, nobody else's. Her chocolate brown eyes were drowsy, eyes glued to the screen as she would chuckle every now and then, inciting laughs from her friends around her.

That was the thing about her, however she responded to anything set the tone for people who were nearby. When Kaminari insisted that we spend the night before the Provisional License Exam letting our bodies rest for tomorrow, many people wanted to ignore him and dismiss his ideas.

She was the one who agreed, showing excitement when she suggested that we could rewatch old movies and she demanded to make brownies with her mother. I rolled my eyes, walking to Kirishima to tell him to train with me. Instead, his eyes were glued to Florence and he gave a soft smile in her direction. I scowled but said nothing. Everyone began getting settled in different spots of the common room, most were clinging to Florence but she was too distracted with Deku and pink cheeks to realize.

I allowed my mind to replay the moments after we sparred recently, the way she looked at me innocently when I pinned her, how those large doe eyes had an expression I couldn't recognize from her. Florence was too beautiful for her own good, she was a work of art, a pristine piece that shouldn't be looked at for too long, because if anyone else saw her the way I did, I wouldn't handle it.

I was holding back, I didn't let it sink in until she told me she loved me over the phone that disastrous night. When I let her slip through my fingers, Kirishima and Class Rep grabbing Deku and I as we both cried for her, I realized that this was one of those rare moments that I regretted everything.

I regretted taking so long to open up to her, I regretted not hugging her as often as I could, pushing her away when she wanted to show affection, swatting her head when I could've spent the time wisely by kissing her all over, memorizing the exact areas where her cheeks would turn reddest, how her eyebrows furrowing meant she was deep in thought of the moment, not that she was annoyed.

I spent all of my time dismissing her and not letting her push past my walls, but in reality, she already waltzed around my heart, acting like a shitty graceful ballerina while I refused to admit the truth. I only hurt the both of us the more I denied it, that's why I was so guilty.

I was ridden with culpability since the moment she kicked my back away from Dabi, I watched as she disappeared into the warp, eyes searing into Deku and I as she tried memorizing our faces. The guilt only increased when I arrived to Aizawa's house to hear him say she was gone.

That month without her was hell, I couldn't do shit without being reminded of Florence in anything and everything. She was in the rustle of the leaves, the smell of the flowers, in Annalise's expressions, in Deku's sadness. She consumed my mind without intention, and I hate myself for it all. I spent every night dreaming of her, wondering where she could've gone as her mother only gave me clipped responses, saying that she would come when the time is right.

I fell in love with her during the Sports Festival, but I wouldn't admit it to myself until she woke up, when I heard her voice at the cliff. Seeing her after those four weeks erased any pain I felt momentarily, all I could think about was holding her and never letting go. I didn't care if the others mocked me or laughed at my vulnerability with her, I needed to show it for once, to let Florence know that I never wanted her to pull that stunt again, abandoning us as if she was dying. The image of her disheartened face burned into my mind that day at the cliff, she seemed so lost and empty, a shell of the girl I love so ardently.