Ten Days of Katsuki (Todobaku)

Day 5, Part 3

Once Bakugou is out of tears, we slip back into our room so he can wash his face before heading to the arcade.

"That shit was embarrassing," he says as he pats himself dry with a towel.

I sit down on the bed. "It's okay to cry sometimes."

He grunts. "Whatever. Don't tell anyone though."

"I wasn't planning on it."

He throws his towel where the couch used to be. "Good. And just so we're clear, that was just a side effect of those pain meds the doctors gave me. They're making me all emotional and shit."

Tilting my head, I blink twice at him. "But we're taking the same medication and I feel fine."

Bakugou tightens his jaw as he flares his nostrils. "Well, that's cause my body is super strong that I never need pain medication! But these damn doctors insisted I take them so I did. Now my body's having this weird chemical reaction to them. It's science, look it up. Oh put your phone away, dumbass, I didn't literally mean to look it up! But that's what happened."

"Wow," I say, stuffing my phone back in my pocket. "Well, I'm sorry that happened to you. Are you almost done with them?"

"Yeah, I just have one more to take before I go to bed. So hopefully the effects wear off soon."

Giving a soft smile, I nod at him before standing up. "Ready to go?"

"Yup. Just, um..."

I eye him with curiosity as his voice trails off, only to nervously bite my lip as he steps forward, closing the distance between us. Unaware of why he's standing so close, my body stiffens. He then raises his bandaged arm and lightly brushes several strands of my hair to one side, smoothing everything out when he's finished.

"The red half of your hair was falling over onto the white half." His lips curl into the smallest smile before he tilts his head down. "I can't call you Halfie if your hair isn't completely even, can I?"

Blood rushes my cheeks as my brain computes that Katsuki Bakugou just ran his fingers through my hair. And he actually smiled when referencing one of the many nicknames he's gifted me over the years. Normally he only throws one of those names out when he's upset with me. For my sake, I hope these effects of his meds wear off soon. If he keeps acting in such a delicate manner, I won't be able to handle it.

"C-Can we go now?" I say.

His small smile twists into a more confident one. "Hell yeah. I'm ready to kick your ass in every game they've got."

*

Well, at least Bakugou's a man of his word.

Whether it's a racing game, skeeball, air hockey, or basketball, I don't stand a chance against him. Though I didn't expect to do well. I wasn't any good at the games the first night I was here. But Bakugou never passes up the opportunity to flaunt his victories in my face.

"This is too easy," he laughs.

I fight back a smile. "How do you know I'm not just letting you win?"

"Easy," he replies, "you can still let me win without sucking so bad."

"You're mean," I say, pretending to look offended.

A hoard of giggles interrupt our conversation. Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, and Jirou call from behind us, their eyes shifting to our respective skeeball scores when we turn around. 

Yaoyorozu crosses her arms with an amused smile on her face. "Bakugou, are you picking on Todoroki?"

Bakugou throws his uninjured arm around my shoulder like it's the most casual thing in the world. Wow, those pain medications are sure doing a number on him.