I'm scared to talk to Bakugou.

The first time I glimpse him in his classroom after the whole kidnapping business, I nearly cry. Seeing him alive and safe sends so much relief coursing through my veins I go weak at the knees.

I didn't know I cared about him that much.

These feelings are all so new and terrifying to me, and I have no idea what to do with them. Knowing myself and my tendency not to filter anything between my mind and my mouth , I know I'm going to start blurting out very stupid things around Bakugou in an attempt to ignore these…feelings. I guess that means I'm avoiding him for now.

I feel terrible. The guy I like gets kidnapped and all I do after he's recovered is avoid him? I am so failing this route.

To be fair, it's not just this stupid cocktail of new and annoying emotions prompting me to flee at so much as the sight of Bakugou Katsuki . I'm also afraid to talk to him because of what happened. It's a bit of a stupid reason, but I feel like if I talk to him, I'll wake up from this dream and realize he's still kidnapped, still in danger. I'm so terrified of this being too real and too sudden that I can't bear to even look at him sometimes.

It gets so bad Bakugou actual sends me a text message. It really says something about the situation when a guy as antisocial as Bakugou Kastsuki texts first. And it also probably says something about me as a person but I'm going to ignore the implications of that.

where the hell are you

I don't answer it immediately. I have no idea what I can even begin to say. However, it's the guilt of not talking to him for so long that eventually overtakes me as I bullshit a reply.

didn't come to school 2day. sick

The reply to that comes so fast I do a double-take. Bakugou isn't usually a fast replier. He's more the type to answer hours or even days later, enough to the point where you think he's been murdered or kidnapped or something.

Oh shit, I made that joke way too soon. Abort Mission! Abort! Abort!

bullshit. I saw you earlier

My heart beats sporadically and if my nerves were a person, they'd be giving me the side-eye and evil smirk to tell me how screwed I am. My phone vibrates again with another message.

why the hell r u avoiding me

Goddammit, does Bakugou really have to be so smart?! Can't he just be like any normal hot-headed shounen character who thinks with their muscles?! Lord, have mercy on me!

I obviously don't respond. I heft the strap of my bag higher on my shoulder and exit my classroom. Maybe if I escape fast enough, I can nib this development by the roots before it develops into something that could potentially put my life in danger.

I'm at the gate when I'm assaulted by a giant ball of fire. I really did not think this through. Damn Bakugou for using the Wait At The Gate tactic like the delinquent he really is! Can I not catch a break around here?

I fling my bag in the direction where it came, hoping to catch him upside the head, and flee the opposite way like a madwoman. I'm just out of range of any more attacks when I trip and go flying.

"Bakugou, dude! You almost killed her!"

I'm trying to run even as I scramble to my feet but something tucks the front of my shirt and I came face to face with a very pissed off pretty boy.

I'm dead. I'm officially dead. Tell my mother I love her and tell my dad he can have my secret stash of pudding I hit on the third shelf behind the leftovers. Oh, and also tell that Todoroki boy I'd totally tap that if I had any days left or any semblance of sanity. This is coming from the girl who fell for Bakugou Effing Katsuki after all.

"Bakugou!" I try. I am not going down without a fight or some Last Words worthy battle quote, "Didn't see you there! What is up, my man!"

His glare is murderous, almost enough to do the job itself. I do not give him the chance to talk.

"Heard you were kidnapped!" Great subject changer, me. Next thing you know I'll make a crack at his love life. Shit, that's a horrible idea. Kidnapping sounds so much better next to an accidental confession. "I'm really glad you're safe!" Why does my voice sound like a plastic TV host from the 90s? Or like some overenthusiastic American visiting Akiba for the first time. "I was really worried!"

"Spill."

Excuse me what? "Huh?"

Bakugou narrows his eyes and his grip shifts slightly so he has an even better hold on my shirt. "Talk. Now."

Wait, so he wants me to talk? I thought I was already doing that! Albeit very badly. "…about what?"

"Why the hell you're not training."

Oh. Right. Training. I haven't done that in a while, have I? This explains quite a lot actually, the texting, the waiting, the anger. Of course Bakugou would be pissed off to lose out on some training. The guy loves a good punching bag. So much has been going on, I'd completely forgotten about it. He probably hadn't even noticed my disappearance and despondence until now.

There's something like disappointment curling around my stomach, though from what, I'm not entirely sure.

"I told you," I begin with a bit of force as I try to remove his hand. It would probably more believable if I actually looked him in the eye. "I'm sick."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see his eyes narrow even further as he snarls, "You're lying."

This stupid jerk is too smart for his own good. I really wish he'd let go out of my shirt. I just now notice some guy with ridiculous spiky red hair staring at is like a kid in the candy store, and it is not making me any more comfortable.

I struggle to remove his hands but that just makes him angrier.

"Why the hell aren't you training!"

"Would you let go of me!"

"Talk, dumbass!"

"I don't want to talk!"

"You better talk right now or I'll do something to make you talk!"

"I—! I was just, uh,busy! I didn't have time to train!"

"Bullshit!"

"Let go of me, butthead!"

"What did you just call me?!"

"A butthead! I called you a freaking butthead!"

"Tell me what the hell is wrong before I kill you!"

"I freaking like you, Bakugou Katsuki, ok!"

The fists in my shirt lower just a bit. I keep going like a bottle that's just exploded.

"I like you! A lot! I don't know why but I do! You've helped me so much but you're so mean! I don't know what to do half the time! And when you were kidnapped, I was so freaking worried! I was so worried I'd never be able to tell you how grateful I am for you! You helped me so much! You helped me get better! Get closer, actually feel like... like I could attain something and be something and I—!"

I enclose my hands around his and finally am able to remove them away from my shirt. Just thinking about looking at his face in this moment is burning my cheeks off like no tomorrow.

"I love you for that..!"

Oh god now I've done it. I accidentally glimpse his face. He's... very surprised. His eyes are wide, and the snarl on his face is gone. I can easily place his hands back while he's like this, and then I just start to fidget uncontrollably under his gaze. Is it ok for him to gawk at me like that? Sure a confession is an astonishing occurrence to some, but I can't help but think he's more surprised at the fact I confessed than anything else. And, no matter how much I try to pin it on the fact this is Bakugou Katsuki, who is about as close to the word romance as Japan is to Canada, it... hurts.

A lot.

Spikey Redhead is about a second away from whooping like some kid on a field day.

I can't take any of this.

I bolt.

I can't believe I actually did that. I thought we all agreed this wasn't a shoujo manga. I regret not kicking Bakugou in the crotch before running away just to prove that point.

I'm pretty sure my relationship with Bakugou has been severed at this point. I was avoiding him before, and now he's stopped sending me messages asking about my whereabouts. I'm really upset, but this wasn't something I hadn't expected. What do people even expect when they confess to Bakugou Katsuki? I kind of wish he'd called me stupid and beat me up if just to get some sort of response with him. I mean, despite me expecting and knowing this would happen, I didn't actually want it to happen. Nobody in the world wants their crush to say no, not even people like me who knew the answer was no from the beginning.

Maybe it's because I'm an idiot, but even now I have hope for the narrative to take a one eighty. I wish Bakugou would show up at the door of my class, call out to me all like 'hey, idiot', and give me expectations of what could be. I wish he'd pull me by the arm after that, ignoring my protests like the jackass I know he is until we reach a quiet, deserted part of the courtyard.

Ok, is it just me, or has this hallucination gotten a little too real? I mean, my arm really hurts where I imagined Bakugou squeezing it too hard, and I really want to punch him for it. I always want to punch Bakugou, so that part's real for sure, but this pain in my arm is really stings, which means…

Shit, my wish became reality. Somebody take the narrative away from me before I accidentally transport us to an alternate dimension.

Bakugou takes a fighting stance. "Get ready."

"Huh?" You remember the thing I said about this not being a shoujo? I'm also not really into all the fighting that comes with this being a shounen either. Can't we come to a compromise?

Bakugou comes at me with a flying kick aimed at my head, and yeah, that compromise definitely took a swan dive out the window. I automatically block with my arms, a reflex honed by all the other times Bakugou's come at me with a flying kick. At least something has come out of this godforsaken story.

Well, we finally did get the shoujo defying fight we were all waiting for, even if it did crank up the theme to a more boys-oriented manga. Leave it up to Bakugou Katsuki to run that campaign anytime. He's always the man for the job. Let's just hope that doesn't entail entering fanservice zone because my body is definitely not ready for that.

"I really have no idea what's going on right now!" I say, even as I parry and throw punches and kicks of my own. If it's a fight he wants, and not some discussion about feelings, then there's no damn way I'm losing. I'm really glad he's not using his quirk, but since there was no verbalization about not using quirks, I won't do him the gratification of reciprocating his unspoken rules.

I hold my breath, and the moment where his punch slides through my head, I take a deep breath, and slam my foot into his crotch.

He crumples instantly. I start whooping.

"I did it! I did it! I beat Bakugou Katsuki! In your face!"

I'm usually not one for dirty tactics but holy shit is it gratifying to finally bring Bakugou to his knees. The satisfaction is amazing up here. Sure Bakugou's about to make me regret that a million times over, but it was totally worth it.

Arms in akimbo, I stare him down triumphantly as he continues to grunt in displeasure.

"Would you be mad if I put my foot on your head? I kind of feel like I'm obligated to after seeing you like this."

The murder in Bakugou's eyes is tangible.

"It was a joke." It was not a joke.

Silence passes as Bakugou just sort of gives up and stays on the ground. I refuse to give up the high ground to join him, even if it would make this situation so much less awkward. Why did I knee him where the sun doesn't shine again? I mean, I had a reason for this, right? I can't even remember, though he totally deserves it for being an ass all the time.

"So," my hands are sweating already. I really need to stop regretting this right now. "Was there a reason for this fight, or was it just training?"

Bakugou's eyes are on the ground when he answers, "Both."

"Are you gonna tell me, or do I have to guess?"

There's no response. I steal glances right and left to make sure no one is around and take my chances.

I put my foot on Bakugou's head and bellow a villainous laugh.

"I have finally put in an end to the people's hero, Bakugou Katsuki! Any last words—eep!"

Bakugou grabs my foot and slams me to the ground. That was totally worth the ache that explodes across my back.

"If you ever do that again, I'll beat you up so bad you will regret the day you enrolled in this school."

"Yeah, yeah."

For some reason, there's a band of warmth around my ankle. I realize rather belatedly that Bakugou hasn't let go of my foot yet, and my face heats up like the back of a pan. I suddenly think back to the villainous act I just dished out and I hope to the moon in back that I didn't accidentally give Bakugou a panty shot. Someone save me for myself.

"Don't stop training."

"Excuse you, I just kicked your ass, maybe you should stop talking and get some training in. I mean, if I can beat you—"

"Shut the hell up! I'll kick your ass any day of the week! You're just a—!"

Bakugou stops talking abruptly. I peek at him out of the corner of my eye. I can't decipher his expression at all. The fingers around my ankle inch closer together.

"Don't stop training."

Don't stop training. Don't stop training. I feel like it's supposed to mean something that isn't the obvious. I also feel like I know exactly what it's supposed to mean but won't dare to believe it.

I guess I have to take the initiative here.

"Bakugou."

I sit up so we're both now sitting on the ground, facing each other.

"I… I like you. Like like you. Like, if we were five, this would be where I would propose to be your wife ten years from now."

He smacks me upside the head.

"No."

"I'm not actually proposing, you jerkface! I'm just trying to make sure we both understand each other okay?"

He doesn't disagree, so I take it as a sign to continue.

"But you… you're not into this type of thing right now, right?"

It takes a moment, but he eventually nods gruffly.

"But that doesn't mean you don't want me around me because you still like me as a person, right?"

I grin despite myself, hiding behind it my insecurities. He rolls his eyes and looks like he really wants to say no, but it would be a moot point to deny it now.

"So, now, I guess we just keep doing what we're doing right? I'm not gonna pretend I don't like you, and you're not gonna pretend you don't know, but that's not gonna stop us from spending time with each other since we are kinda still friends in the end. Keep training, right?"

I've never seen somebody use so much self-restraint not to deny everything I just said in favor of his usual outburst. I'm touched.

I cross my arms and lift my head triumphantly. "Can you believe I deduced all that just from 'keep training'? I'm so awesome."

"Shut up."

"I got eighty on all my tests. All of them."

"Liar."

"No joke. I burst out laughing when I saw them."

"Eighty is nothing. I could get eighty blind."

"Oh shut up. Just because you're a genius, doesn't mean everyone else is stupid."

"You're stupid."

"I'm not dignifying that with a response."

A/N: So I honestly wasn't expecting this story to get as many hits and reviews as it did. I really just wanted to write something short and silly and fun without much effort. Thank you so much for everyone who took some time out of their day to review this silly thing. I might write an epilogue at some later point that's really just one more round of Nanashi Nonsense, but for now the story is complete. I have an AO3 with the same username if you want more silly stories though most of them are written for Haikyuu! I also have a tumblr of the same name if you want to yell/talk to me! Thanks again for all the reviews! I hope you all have a wonderful day!