Down The Aisle (Bakugou x reader medieval au)

Chapter 6 - Last Day

Authors note: I've been using italics to represent thoughts, but I've come upon some technical difficulties with it, so I can't do that anymore. I'm sorry if it makes the story more difficult to read, but I doubt it should make any difference.

(Y/n) pov - the next day

     "So why did you get all irritable when Kiri mentioned visiting your parents? Do you not get along with them?" I ask Bakugou, gasping for breath. We've been sparring pretty consistently since breakfast this morning, and I'm about ready for a lunch break.
     "Something like that. Why the hell do you care anyway?" He grunts when I trip him, using a new move he taught me. I shrug as I extend a hand out to him, helping him up.
     Kirishima and Midoriya left a while ago, something about Kiri wanting to give him a tour. They should be back soon, then we'll all break for lunch.
     I go at him again and land a few punches before he gets more defensive. There must be something on his mind. He seems distracted. I'm soon able to trip him again, but this time, he brings me down with him. We just lay there on our backs next to each other, staring up at the sky through the canopy of trees.
     It's a peaceful silence, for me, at least. Hopefully, Bakugou can use this time to get whatever is on his mind resolved. We're interrupted by the sound of Kiri and Midoriya returning. I sit up to see them smiling and laughing about something they're discussing.
     "Finally. I'm starving," I yell, standing up and following the boys toward the cave for food. I glance behind me to see Bakugou still laying in the dirt. "Are you coming, Bakugou?"
     "In a bit, just go inside. I don't wanna have to keep listening to your loud ass stomach." He grumbles, causing me to smile as I head inside.
     I enter the cave to find Midoriya and Kiri sitting in the middle, eating sandwiches. I sit beside them and notice the last two sandwiches Midoriya and I brought have been laid out for Bakugou and I to eat. I grab one and start munching, the calm silence being broken by the boys striking conversation.
     "Practice must have been good, Bakubro seems pooped," Kiri compliments, flashing me a smile.
     I shrug. "I think he's got something on his mind. He seemed distracted." Bakugou then decides to make an appearance, taking a seat next to me to eat his lunch. "So what should we do for the rest of the day? There's still plenty of daylight left." I ask, leaning back with my arms behind me for support.
     "Well, if you guys are done sparring, maybe we can take (y/n) exploring. She didn't get to go earlier, and I'd hate for her to never have seen this place before leaving," Midoriya suggests. "It's really beautiful (y/n)."
     I grin and look to Bakugou and Kiri for an answer. I'd like to see more of this place. I haven't been here long, and I already feel like I'm gonna miss it. Bakugou just shrugs, taking the last bite of his sandwich, while Kirishima jumps up in excitement. "That's a great idea, Midoriya! We should go swimming too, right Bakubro?!"
     Bakugou rolls his eyes. "In what hair for brains? We don't have swimsuits, and it's not like this idiot can go in shorts like us," he gestures to me, and I pout. He's right, though. I can't swim in only shorts, and even if I put on a shirt, it could ride up, and that would be embarrassing. I blush at the thought.
     "But we can go exploring or whatever. Any of that shit needs to be done today. We're packing up and heading out tomorrow, so we need to collect as much of our crops as possible before nightfall," Bakugou says, grabbing several baskets and passing them out to all of us.
     "What are these for Kacchan?" Midoriya asks, giving him a look full of confusion.
     "For fucks sake Deku! How else are we supposed to carry the damn food back here?!"Bakugou shouts, making Midoriya flinch. Bakugou heads outside, and I follow him, with Kiri and Midoriya making quiet conversation a few steps behind me. I take in my surroundings as we walk through the forest. It really is remarkable, much better than any pictures of forests I've seen in books.
     There was a small grove of trees on the grounds back at the castle, but it was nothing like this. Our mini forest was not only smaller than this but was constantly maintained. The paths were always clear of leaves and debris, and no birds or other small creatures were making their homes in it.
     This forest is wild and untamed, bursting with life around every corner, on every branch, and in every bush. All I can see are endless trees in every direction, no man-made creation in sight. The birds are chirping as they fly overhead, making it louder than I'm used to but somehow more peaceful.
     I'm so busy marveling at the landscape surrounding me that I end up bumping into Bakugou's back when he makes a sudden stop. He turns around and gives me a look. "What the heck was that for dumbass?!" He shouts, but my smile doesn't fade.
     "Sorry Bakugou, it's just really beautiful here," I apologize, gesturing to everything around us. He rolls his eyes, but I swear I see a hint of appreciation in his gaze as he looks around. It's quickly replaced with a sad look as he begins to walk through the small garden we stopped at the entrance of. He's probably going to miss it here. I hope he doesn't regret it once we leave it all behind.
     I follow him through the garden as the others catch up to us. We spend the next little while in silence, splitting up to pick fresh fruits and veggies from the plants. As I reach the fruit portion of the garden, I inhale the mouthwatering scent of apples, grapes, and a variety of berries.
     I begin picking apples off one of the trees and placing them in my basket. I'm reaching for the last one, having to strain up on my tiptoes, but my fingertips barely brush the fruit. I sigh before trying again and continuing to fail miserably.
     I freeze when I see a hand reach up from behind me and grab the apple. When I turn around, I'm met with Bakugou, dropping the fruit into his basket. "We should get heading back," he says, smirking at the very noticeable red tint to my face. I nod my head and follow him back to the entrance of the garden where Kiri is already standing there waiting.
     "What should we do next?" I ask, jumping up and down in excitement. Kiri and I start laughing, and he joins me in my jumping game.
     "I can't believe I'm spending the foreseeable future with a bunch of idiots," Bakugou grumbles, rolling his eyes.
     Midoriya catches up to us and watches Kiri and I quizzically. We're still jumping and laughing. I motion for him to join us, and he looks to Bakugou to determine the degree of his irritation. Kiri and I stop jumping, and I walk right up to the grumpy hedgehog.
     He gives me a weird look, probably about to yell at me for being all up in his space. I boop his nose before he gets the chance to say anything and run behind a tree squealing in terror and excitement. I peek around the tree to see him frozen with a mix of shock, anger, and embarrassment on his face.
     He composes himself and glares at me before smirking, causing me to freeze in fear. 'Run' he mouthes the word before I take off running in the direction of the cave, leaving my basket of food on the ground. I hear Kirishima laugh, along with heavy footsteps chasing after me.
     Shit! Boy am I in for it when he catches me. I let out a laugh. Oh well, this is worth it. I turn my head to see Bakugou catching up to me, a wicked grin on his face. Kiri and Midoriya are nowhere in sight, they'll probably just end up walking back together.
     "You are so dead when I catch you brat!" He yells to me. It's a good thing he's loud or I wouldn't be able to hear him through the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. I laugh again and continue running, judging the distance between myself and the approaching cave. If I'm lucky I can make it to the cave before he catches up to me...
     My thought and hopes are interrupted as I feel him grab my waist from behind, hoisting me up into the air. "Put me down!" I scream, kicking my legs in an attempt to get him to release me.
     "As you wish," he says and I go pale, landing on my back when he drops me. That is not how I pictured that going. He looks down at me and smirks before leaning towards me and booping my nose. Then his face goes serious as he talks. "If you ever do that again, it'll be much worse for you, got it?"
     I nod my head and stand up, dusting myself off. Bakugou goes over to the logs and sits on one of them. I do the same, leaving a foot or two between us. I replay the last several minutes in my head, trying to get my head around how everything turned out. I completely expected him to beat the shit out of me, but he was surprisingly gentle.
     Kiri seems to think he has a soft spot for me. I've tried to convince him, and myself, that it's probably just because I'm a girl. But according to Kiri, Bakugou has never gone easy on or shown any restraint to the girls they used to see in Migrator's Branch.
     Does Bakugou have a soft spot for me? I mean he did save me the first time he saw me. I blush at the memory. Wait! Why am I blushing?! There's no way I could have any sort of feelings for him besides friendship, right? He's a hot-headed jerk, although sweet in his own way I suppose. I don't know, I probably don't like him that way, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I did...
     "(Y/n), your alive!" I snap out of my thoughts as I hear Midoriya and Kiri call out to me. I wave and they come to stand in front of where Bakugou and I are sitting on the logs.
     "I told you he has a soft spot for you (y/n)," Kiri grins and I blush slightly, remembering what I was thinking about before they showed up.
     "Like hell I do Shitty hair! I'll kill you all!" Bakugou yells. If he was a cartoon character I swear he would have steam coming out of his ears.
     I roll my eyes at his empty threat and brag a food basket from Kirishimabefore heading inside the cave to put it away. I can hear the boys arguing outside, though I can't make out exactly what they're saying. I chuckle and think about how I might have to deal with their constant bickering for the rest of my life. Who knows, maybe they'll grow out of it.
     "Mind if I help?" I jump slightly and turn around to see Midoriya holding up two more baskets. "Kirishima and Kacchan are still outside, so I thought I'd give you a hand. I feel like we haven't seen each other as much since we left the kingdom. I'm sorry for scaring you by the way." He puts the baskets down beside me and gives me an apologetic smile.
     "Oh no it's fine, and I would love the help," I say as I go back to sorting the food.
     "Kacchan didn't hurt you too bad did he?" Midoriya asks.
     "No, of course not! You know Kacchan, just a bunch of yelling and screaming," I chuckle nervously. I don't know why I didn't tell him the truth, I guess I just don't think it's something Bakugou wants everyone to know. He probably thinks showing mercy makes him weak.
     "That's strange. We didn't hear any yelling," he points out, and I hurry to come up with an excuse.
     "Oh, I guess it just sounded louder to me being the one he was scolding," I say, relieved when Midoriya seems to believe me. We finish up with the food and grab things for dinner just as Kiri and Bakugou make their way inside.
     As I take a closer look at them I notice that Kiri has an amused look on his face and Bakugou's cheeks are a little pink. I shrug it off as we sit down to eat, trying to think about what we should bring with us on the journey and what's okay to leave behind.