Going Beyond the Past

Chapter 62: Back Again

"Class dismissed."

The bell rings, signaling the end of the school day and sending 1A back to their dorms. Katsuki glances down at his phone in his hand, having only received a good morning text from Leinei before he woke up. He had sent a few to her, but nothing that was read. It almost makes him anxious, biting the corner of his lip until Eijirou hooks his arm around his neck.

"You've been extra quiet today," the redhead remarks, grinning wide at his best friend. "What's up with that?"

"Yeah, we thought you'd be loud mouthed and bursting at the seams since Lei is coming home today," Denki points out, skipping just out of arm's reach when the ashen blond glared at him. "I-I'm just saying. You've been a little...mopey."

"A little?" Mina snorts, coming up behind them with her arms folded behind her head. "Try a lot. We still haven't come up with a decent idea for the class' thing for the school festival."

"We're supposed to do that as a class. And, since Jirou doesn't like the whole concert idea everyone threw out last night, the only really viable ideas so far are Sato's and, unfortunately, Kaminari and Mineta's." Hanta looks at the blond, who starts to drool a little bit. "Why are you the way that you are?"

"Hey, hey, I at least have class," Denki corrects his friend, putting a hand up with his palm facing the taller male. "I can respect a gorgeous girl in anything, and keep my lewd thoughts in my head."

"Why is that better?" Eijirou asks.

"I mean, it is for some reason. At least he didn't try to climb the wall between the hot springs at the summer camp," Mina points out. "Bakugo probably would've killed him if he saw Lei naked before he did."

"Oh yeah, speaking of that," Denki says, slipping back closer to Katsuki, who was back to studying his phone and willing a text from Leinei to come through. "Since she slept at your house and all, did you...y'know, see anything?"

"Kami!"

"What?! We're all curious!"

"Even if I did," Katsuki starts, his voice a grumbled growl that causes Denki to stumble back a few steps. "Why the hell would I tell any of you extras what my wi-girlfriend looks like?"

"Hold on," Mina gasps, grabbing the back of his uniform shirt as he locks his phone and pulls away from Eijirou. "Hey, hey! What did you call her! Come back here!"

"Shut up! I called her my girlfriend, like I always do. Why are you freaking out about it?"

"Because you were totally about to say something else," she whines. He picks his pace up, his shirt pulling away from her hand as he rounds one of the corners leading to the doors outside. "Ughh..."

"You'd think he'd be in a better mood with Leinei coming back," Hanta remarks, shrugging as he rubs the back of his head. "He just seems to be more pissy."

"Do you think he had an argument with her? I know he was upset yesterday because Todoroki went to the funeral but he didn't."

"Didn't Lei ask him not to?"

"I mean, but still. Your partner loses someone they love and they don't want you around them for that? She's been pushing him away since she found out," Denki points out. "If it was me, I'd cling to them."

"I'm sure Lei has her reasons," Eijirou replies. "They have their own methods for working things out."

Katsuki nearly breaks the knob off his dorm door, his face burning and trying hard not to cry. Opening the door, he drops his bag by the nightstand and steps inside, stopping when he sees Leinei sitting on his bed with Mr. Spokes against her chest and reading a book. She looks up and smiles at him.