Detonate ((BAKUGOU KATSUKI X OC))

Chapter 8

It was early in the morning on the first day of the weekend, and Bakugou huffed out even breaths as he ran laps around the HANY campus. It was still relatively dark outside, and a chilling fog had settled over the ground he ran across. Loud music played from the earbuds he wore, and he squinted his eyes against the freezing wind blowing back in his face.

He kept his gaze trained ahead of him, mind fixated on the slight burn in his legs. He had been unable to sleep through the night, and sought out distraction when he finally had enough of the tossing and turning. He couldn't make sense as to why he had become so restless, and it frustrated him.

He hastened his pace as his irritation grew, and eventually he came upon the HANY student dorm buildings. He looked at the dark trees that surrounded them, and when he broke the tree line, he saw that Courtney was standing in the center of the courtyard — without shoes and dressed in nothing but a baggy T shirt and sweatpants.

Bakugou stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her. Her long hair that was usually held in a ponytail blew tangibly in the bitter morning air, and when she continued to stand perfectly still, Bakugou decided to approach her.

A lump formed in his throat when he wanted to speak, and when he came up beside her, he could see that her eyes were hazy. She stared off into the distance without an ounce of emotion on her face. It appeared that she had been standing like this for some time due to her wind-burnt cheeks, but when he placed his hand on her shoulder, her skin felt hot.

"Courtney?" Bakugou gave her a gentle shake, brow furrowing as he waved his free hand in front of her face. She didn't flinch or make a sound. "What's the matter with you?"

He shook her by the shoulder again, but her response remained the same. His gaze eventually rose from her face and toward where she herself had been staring, and when he saw nothing, he grew frustrated. He remembered reading somewhere not to wake someone who had been sleepwalking, and he couldn't think of anything else that made sense. He stood there for a moment while he thought of what he could do, and when he looked down, he saw how red her bare feet had become while standing on the freezing concrete.

Bakugou groaned quietly to himself once he made up his mind, and carefully scooped Courtney into his arms to take her back inside. She crumbled into him easier than he had expected, and her glazed eyes finally fell closed as she slumped into him. Her body began to emit steam, and she grimaced when Bakugou set her down in the open doorway of her dorm building.

He held her up against his shoulder as he watched her brow furrow, and found himself mildly relieved to see her beginning to wake up. Her eyes squinted open, and she inhaled deeply as she turned her face into his chest, seeming to still be unaware of where she was. Bakugou remained silent despite this, and when she finally looked up to him, something seemed to click inside her head.

She shoved herself off of him with a force strong enough to knock him over, and when she whipped around to look at him, her face was bright red.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" She whisper-shouted at him, hugging herself as she stood on her knees.

"I was running and saw your wacko ass standing in the snow with no shoes on!" He pushed himself up on the floor, fuming. "I should have left you out there to freeze!"

Courtney took a moment to look him up and down, and saw that he was in fact dressed in warm workout attire. Her tense shoulders relaxed just barely, and she lowered herself to sit on her legs.

"Oh," she said lamely, and looked down. She seemed troubled by something. "Sorry..."

"Why were you out there?" Bakugou leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Do you sleepwalk?"