After Burn

Stay II

At the same time that the girls were having their little debreif—the guys were doing the same. Bakugo, Kirishima, Sero, and Denki sat in a circle, one half on the couch and the other on the floor, talking about romance—the apparent topic of the night... a topic that Bakugo hated. He found other people's romance boring, and the thought of talking about his own made his head hurt. He liked being private, that way, nobody could ever hold his own thoughts or feelings against him—something that he was constantly making sure of. But somehow, despite his caution, he found himself being included in a discussion of romance.

"...what about Hokori? I mean, I know she's a villain and all but I would be lying if I said she isn't totally hot." Bakugo tuned back into the meaningless conversation—catching the trail end of Sero's confession.

"Man you're kind of right though, plus I saw her in a bikini and she has a totally rockin bod." Bakugo frowned at the compliments, they were giving her too much credit.

"She's a total brat." Bakugo found himself adding in, slightly surprising the group with his input.

"I dunno dude, her personality makes her more attractive. I'm into it." Denki said matter-of-factly.

"Well date her then, if you're so into it." Bakugo didn't know why he was getting so annoyed at  the fact these idiots liked her. Maybe because, in his mind, she didn't deserve it? Denki laughed awkwardly at Bakugo's response.

"I dunno, I kinda have a thing for Jiro. We've been talking on the low." he proudly stated, expecting shock, but being met with unamused gazes.

"About time!" Kirishima teased, it was always pretty obvious that Denki liked Jiro—even Bakugo could tell.

"Anyway, back to the Hokori thing..Bakugo, do you really think she would make a good girlfriend? I mean, I was thinking about getting into something with her but the fact she's leaving so soon kinda put me off." Sero inquired, continuing his thought. Bakugo's stomach twisted at the mention of Hokori leaving—he was the only one who knew that there was a chance of her staying. He kind of brushed off Seros statement until he noticed his attentive gaze—expecting an answer.

"No, it was a joke. Hokori would be an ass girlfriend—at most—she could be a decent one night stand." Bakugo spoke without really thinking, his harsh words trailing off as he realized what exactly he was saying. The boys looked a bit horrified, he knew what he said was bad but he didn't think it was that bad. He then noticed that they almost seemed to be looking behind him. In order to satisfy his curiosity, he looked behind him—his breath staggering as he saw Hokori standing there, an empty popcorn bowl in her hand. Her mouth remained slightly open before she let out an odd and forceful laugh.

"Hokori-! Bakugo was just kidding..Bakugo apologize!" Kirishima scrambled, trying to repair the situation as Bakugo stayed silent.

"No it's okay Kirishima! He can think whatever he wants, I don't really care—it's not like we're friends or anything." she calmly stated—though her voice sounded genuine—there was no way she meant it. She walked to the kitchen, placing the bowl in the skink before walking back out in silence.

The group sat in silence, trying to process what just happened. Bakugo crossed his arms against his chest and leaned back on the couch—trying to push down the ache which was forming in his heart. He felt a bit guilty..but only because he got caught. He was surprised to notice Kirishima frowning at him—through all the years they've known each other—Kirishima had never truly been upset with him. Not that he cared, shitty hair was being a baby by getting mad.

"You need to go apologize bro." Kirishima demanded, an unusually distraught look on his face.

"Why would I ever do that?" Bakugo stoically replied, looking away from the group. For some reason, he couldn't face them—the regret growing.

Denki got up, frustration controlling his movements. "Bakugo you're my guy and everything but you can be a real dick." He sighed before leaving to go to his dorm. Bakugo didn't like how they were all ganging up on him like this. Was what he said so wrong?

Soon after, Sero and Kirishima left as well—bringing the hangout to an end. Bakugo returned to his dorm as well, staring off blankly as he thought about the exchange. The more he thought about it, the more emotionally confused he became. Eventually, the lack of sleep got to him and he found himself standing in front of Hokori's dorm door, lightly knocking.

Almost immediately, she answered—the girls no longer in her room. Once she looked up to meet his gaze, her jaw tensed. "What's up?" She said, her voice dry. Bakugo looked away, shoving his hands in his pockets as he grit his teeth, pushing himself to apologize.

"Listen..about earlier.." almost as soon as he began to speak, she interrupted him.

"If this is an apology I don't want it. I wasn't lying when I said I didn't care. You can say whatever you want about me—it's not like I'll be here much longer." Bakugo's irritation quickly mixed with another feeling he couldn't quite identify.

"So you decided?" he retorted, thankful that he didn't have to force out an apology. At his question, her jaw relaxed—her gaze meeting with his.

"Well...actually, I'm not sure. As much as I want to go back to being a villain, I don't really have anywhere to go. My previous.. situation... no longer works." Bakugo raised an eyebrow at her phrasing, but chose to shrug it off—not caring enough to pry.

"Well, either way—I'll know your decision on Monday. Kinda lame you're considering reducing yourself to scum though." At Bakugo's words, her guard lowered—recognizing the faint complement he hid in the, otherwise, cold hearted statement.

"So you're saying I'm better than scum?" She teased, knowing that's not exactly what he meant.

"Yeah. Basically." His response surprised her. She expected him to get annoyed and try to make sure she knew he hated her guts—however, seeing him like this made a big grin spread across her face. As he took notice, he quickly added to his statement.

"You could never be a hero though. It would be pathetic."

"Says the guy who still applies my strategies to this day." Sass dripped off her words, her hands moving to rest on her hips.

"Tch. You may claim them but you didn't invent them." He argued, a small part of him knowing she was right.

"Whatever floats your boat, big guy." Something about how her tone fluctuated when she spoke almost sounded promiscuous, daring Bakugo to respond. A small smirk crept onto his face.

"Night, shitface.."