The Tinker

Chapter 32 - Roadtrip

Over the next few days, Y/N ignored Bakugou.

The humiliation of finding out that she had kissed him-- desperately kissed him-- was more embarassment than she could tolerate. She knew that if she was around him again, that feeling of shame would only grow. There were too many unanswered questions. Why didn't he tell her sooner? Could he see right through her and tell that the crush was genuine? Did he think the kiss was real? Had he kissed her back?

She didn't want to ruin what they had, but this added such a strong layer of awkwardness to their relationship that she didn't even know how to talk to him. Their conversations had always been competitive banter-- but in finding out that she had kissed him, that power had all gone straight into his hands. How could she ever feel like an equal again if that had happened?

It didn't help that Mina was planning a camping trip for the break and the entire class was invited. In the bustle of planning, there were too many instances where they were around each other. Y/N had to leave the room to keep her face from heating up and alerting her friends that something had happened. It was embarrassing enough with Kirishima knowing.

"We'll be renting a van to get to the campground," Mina said one morning at the breakfast table. "The cost will be split between all of us."

"I'll take my bike," Y/N said hurriedly. She quickly glanced at Bakugou who only glared at her-- but that could've just been his usual expression. It was too difficult to tell with him. Whatever it was, the thought of being forced into a compact van with him was already too much embarassment to deal with. "I like the drive."

Mina shrugged, not caring about it too much, but Bakugou wasn't stupid. He knew this was about him. He had been racking his brain for days trying to figure out why their last conversation had upset her so much. Wasn't it normal for them to make fun of each other? Why did finding out about the kiss make her so angry? What was so different about this?

"Momo will be making tents, but everyone needs to bring their own sleeping bags," Uraraka said. "Make sure you bring warm clothes! It'll be chilly!"

~~~

It wasn't a lie, Y/N did like to drive; it just wasn't the only reason she chose to do so.

She was slightly mad at herself for being a pussy, but she needed time to figure out what the hell she was going to do. As she rocketed down the road in front of the bus, she tried to think about her options-- preferably ones that would lead to things returning to normal.

It would be easiest to keep avoiding it, but in all honesty, she missed his company. They really were good friends, and it would break her heart if she lost that with him. There was a small bit of pride she had that she was able to make friends with the must unapproachable person in the class; Bakugou seemed to enjoy her company, and according to the group, that was rare.

She could confess her feelings for him. This option was at the bottom of the list for obvious reasons-- Bakugou would use it against her for the rest of their lives, or worse, reject her and ruin the friendship. Not an appealing choice for Y/N, and even thinking about it made her cheeks burn.

She could joke it off. Maybe he wouldn't even notice. She could force herself to go back to normal, maybe make him laugh about the situation with her, pretending that the kiss was just because she was drunk-- and they could go back to normal.

Or she could apologize. She could say that she was sorry for putting him in that situation, and that she hoped they could forget about it. Saying it was the alcohol's fault was partly true-- she wouldn't have kissed him without it--but knowing herself, it was most likely that she wasn't able to resist him anymore. There was nothing wrong with half truths.