The Way Through Stone Village (Naruto)

3: In Sight

[OP: "Grow"--The Oh Hellos]

Bakugo chased Camie much farther in the rocks than they realized because they all looked the same, and finally Camie ran out of breath and leaned on one of them.

"All right, I give, I give," she gasped.

Bakugo caught up to her then and put his hand on the rock next to her shoulders. "Stop freaking making fun of me to your dumb friends!"

"I'm sorry, all right? You're such a drama queen." Camie put her hands up. "I didn't mean anything bad."

"Stop telling them I'm freaking shy too!"

"But you are," Camie said, like it was nothing.

Bakugo's ears turned red, and he turned and blasted into some rocks, displacing the beetles next to them.

"Calm down, angry boi," Camie said. "Gosh, what did that rock ever do to you?"

"It's pissing me off," Bakugo said. "And so are you."

"I'm sorry. I already said I was sorry. Are you gonna let it go or what?" Camie rolled her eyes. "What do you want me to do, go back there and tell them I hurt your feelings?"

"Freaking no way!"

"Then what?"

"Just stop doing it."

"Well, you could have just asked me to before and not chased me out here," Camie said. "I, like, get it--you didn't want anyone else to hear this, and it's totes romantic to be alone and all--and after, like, 5 days crowded by other people--but aren't you worried about getting lost in here?"

"No," Bakugo said. "I can just blast up there and see where we are."

"Right, I guess that works," Camie said. "Well, since we're alone anyway--" She jumped at him and hugged his chest.

"What are you doing?" Bakugo turned beet red.

"We've barely had time to cuddle at all since Mist Village," Camie said. "So I'm taking the chance now before the others find us."

"Are you nuts? We have to get back to them, and you're trying to suffocate me," Bakugo huffed, embarrassed.

"They can wait, like, 5 minutes, Bae... Unless you're saying you don't want to hug me," Camie said.

"It's stupid to do it just for the sake of doing it," Bakugo said. "It has to feel like the right time."

"I feel like any time is right to hug you." Camie straightened. "Because I'm not ashamed of my feelings, but you're always acting like you're embarrassed by liking me."

"I'm not freaking embarrassed by you," Bakugo said.

"No? You don't think people think less of you because I'm such an airhead?"

"I think they're stupid if they think that, and their opinion doesn't matter to me," Bakugo said.

"Then it doesn't matter to me if people think you're super angry and loud, 'cause I know they don't know you the same way." Camie held up her hand. "But I didn't want them to think that, so I was just trying to explain. Is that so wrong? I thought it would bother you."

"Well, it freaking doesn't. You don't need to defend me," Bakugo said.

"But you always defend me from them, and I want to be a good girlfriend," Camie said, giving him the doe-eyed begging look that always somehow worked despite Bakugo not being the type you would think it would work on.

Bakugo felt like he was going to cave and lose what was left of his dignity.

"Stop freaking doing that." He looked away. "It's annoying."