So I'm only working 4-5 days a week now which gives me 2-3 off :) I'm hella exhausted though... Who knew I'd get so out of shape? XD I'm going to try out a watered-down version of 1-Punch-Man's exercise regimen *MAYBE* and see if I can get my 24-year-old ass smoking by winter. I may not want to date on the grounds that I'm an absolute wrecked shell of a person, but damn it do I want to be oggled. #GoingForThatSixPackAndOmegaPlumpAss

Stay safe with cities/states/other stuff reopening my peeps!

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What I've Done

Chapter 9

"Who's ready for—" Inko starts, her voicing abruptly ending when she sees me holding the repulsive nanny cam. Panic quickly begins to fill her eyes as she realizes that I know what it is now, but that's soon replaced by hostility when she turns to Shinso.

I can already tell that she's going to have a fit and decide to redirect her attention back to me, unable to prevent myself from allowing an edge of accusation to color my tone. "Why are you watching me, mom?"

Expectedly, Inko's composure continues to slip as she can't seem to decide on what she should do: lay into Shinso for helping me to see the truth of this 'gift' or give some pathetic explanation for why she thought it was necessary. The tense silence stretches almost endlessly, leaving us statuesque while we wait for something to give.

I'm almost relieved when Naomasa finally comes wandering after his wife to see why she hadn't brought us out for dinner yet. His expression is equally unnerved once he takes stock of the situation and he rubs the back of his head. "Izuku, why don't you help Hitoshi pack his things, hm? I think we're going to need to have a family night…"

Naomasa is quick to grab Inko's shoulders and pull her out of my doorway, though not before she manages to snap out of her shock and shoot Shinso an extremely damning glare. I can hear Naomasa cooing to her as he leads her away—likely to calm down before she says something unmotherly—whispering things like 'it's okay, Inko… I'll take care of it'.

Shinso and I don't move yet though. His breathing is just as calm as it had been earlier, but there's a distinct strain in his shoulders that tells me he's unhappy with something. I hadn't meant to get him into trouble and probably should have waited to bring up the offending camera once he was gone, but, there isn't much I can do about it now. "I'm sorry," I state truthfully.

He waves off my concern though and somewhat awkwardly touches my shoulder, giving me a comforting smile. "Don't worry about me, Izuku; Dad isn't going to chew me out for something like this. He's more of the absentee type of parent that lets me handle my own affairs unless I really screw up."

Shinso pauses for a moment then and flickers his eyes down to the camera before shifting them to where Inko had been standing. "I am concerned that I made things harder for you though."

Unfortunately, no matter when this had been brought up, the result would have likely been the same. Inko will up her overbearing 'protectiveness' even more and will dogmatically believe Shinso convinced me I shouldn't be supervised so closely no matter what I say. "It's okay; dad is good at calming her down."

Shinso relaxes some from my reassurance and chuckles as he goes to collect his homework. "Yeah, Mr. Tsukauchi does seem to have a way with people. The great 'Erasurehead' could probably take a few notes from him."

It's hard to describe the emotions I feel blossoming in my chest as I watch him text his dad and pack up his things—likely for the last time if my assessment of my 'mom' is correct. Shinso has been the only person who, albeit unintentionally, tempered Inko's obsession with spending time with me, but it's more than that.

As unacceptable as it is, I think I'll miss him…

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Routine is something I know very well; it's something I'm usually comfortable with since it has been my life for nearly a decade. I suppose that after my first day at school, things fell into a routine of sorts. I get up, go to school, come home, exercise, study, and then go to bed so that I can do it again the next day. It's almost a mirror image of my life with Tomura but somehow here it's monotonous in a bad way, restrictive, and suffocating.

Since 'The Nanny Cam Incident', Shinso hasn't been allowed over just as I predicted. Inko might have been shocked into silence at first, but the moment Aizawa showed up to collect his son later that night, she had plenty to say. I somewhat wonder if he and Naomasa are friends anymore or could even function as colleagues since Inko suggested that Shinso had told me just to stir up trouble.

I did attempt to ask Inko to remove the wretched object from my room the following morning, but she outright refused and tried to use my safety as an excuse for her controlling behavior. Apparently, it's there just in case someone tries to sneak in… Which is annoyingly accurate since that's the very reason I don't want it there.

With how things are currently going, I don't know how I'll ever be able to go to UA and complete my mission. Maybe if I had someone to 'protect' me, then Inko wouldn't hover so much. The clear option is Bakugo since he has a powerful quirk and a fairly vicious disposition… not to mention his continued attention towards me.

He hasn't broken Inko's command about interacting with me, but he watches me almost constantly, only averting his eyes when I start to turn my gaze in his direction; I think with a little push he'd be willing to ignore her threats.

I've not defied a direct order in years out of fear of being a bad pet, but I steal my nerves to do so now; Inko isn't Tomura and I don't care if I displease her. Despite telling myself this is necessary to break down Inko's illogical fear of something happening to me though, I can't deny that I feel a tremor of anxiety approaching Bakugo at his locker after classes are let out for the day.

He nearly drops the book he was slipping into his backpack, clearly surprised that I've approached him when I haven't spoken to anyone in the two months I've been at school.

"Uh… H-hey?" he finally mumbles, shuffling on his feet nervously.

"Will you take me somewhere?" I ask, daring to peek up at him through my curls. For whatever reason though, I feel compelled to remind him of the risks of agreeing to my request. "Mom will call dad and he'll put out an amber alert. You could be arrested and will likely have a restraining order on your permanent record."

Despite the loud clatter of lockers slamming and people talking, everything seems silent as I wait for him to respond. His jaw keeps falling slack and then retightening, Adam's apple bobbing beneath his tan skin. Then he nods and I release a small breath I didn't know I'd started holding, relieved.

"Is there anywhere you want to go?" he asks while he grabs a few more books and gets situated.

I shake my head and resist the urge to fidget. Bakugo gives me this look though… it's soft even on his sharp features and makes puts me at ease. I don't understand, but it's almost like he does.

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"She usually picks you up at 3:40ish, right? How long before she freaks?" he questions as I trail a step behind him through the back parking lot. I check my watch, noting that it just turned 3:41.

"With her behavior since my return, I'd imagine she is already agitated if not frantic."

I can see his smile in my periphery and feel a glimmer of nostalgia. That's certainly a look I remember on his baby-fat covered face; it's one that screams 'I know this is a terrible idea, but it will be fine because I'm awesome'. Why is it that I'm comforted by that narcissistic grin?

It's only a few more minutes before we reach the destination Bakugo picked. I blink at the bright colors of the ice cream shop, finding I can't even remember the taste or texture of the treat. Inko has offered me some but I always refuse; I'm ineffective for Tomura if I'm out of shape. My 'partner in crime', however, is perfectly sculpted and he brought me here, so I reason that a single indulgence won't be so wrong.

"No way," I hear him say, gesturing to where I'd started digging in my pocket for extra lunch money. "I might get in trouble, but your mom is going to freak the fuck out. The least I can do is buy your shit for you."

Unfortunately, that's very true. Once I tell the police that may or may not show up that this was my doing, Bakugo should be more or less off the hook whereas I will have to answer for my disobedience. I nod and let him go pick something out for me.

My phone hasn't stopped vibrating since Inko realized I wasn't coming to my pickup spot, but I'm almost positive she has one of the GPS trackers I've heard so much about, so it's not like she won't be able to find me. I pull it out just long enough to turn the ringer down farther before shoving it back into my pocket.

Bakugo returns soon after, setting down a simple scoop of vanilla and a sundae. The sundae looks REALLY good even though I can't imagine what it tastes like… I doubt I could handle that much sugar all at once. My eyes trail up a little higher to find he's watching me and for whatever reason, my cheeks start to feel warm.

"You eat the same boring ass food every day for lunch, Izuku." He smirks, taking a large scoop of the caramel-hot fudge-whip cream-all the things I'm never supposed to eat-sundae and holding it out to me. "So, I wasn't sure which you'd prefer."

I hesitantly take the utensil, blinking in complete shock the moment I slip the bite into my mouth. It's cold and hot at the same time, sweet with a tang of salt from the nuts sprinkled over the top. This is possibly the best thing I've eaten in my life and I've only had a single spoonful.

"Heh, you always did go for the sugar…" Bakugo chuckles, pushing the bowl in my direction. He takes the plain single dip and I feel almost bad? Maybe? I can't remember what he used to eat… I vaguely remember my tongue burning whenever I'd go to his house, but that's all.

"Tsk…" He continues, apparently reading my thoughts. "Sweets aren't my thing, De—Izuku. I like spicy food, remember? Eat the damn sundae; you deserve it…"

Bakugo's voice seems so forlorn; sometimes there's an edge to it, but mostly it's quiet and reflective. He also almost called me Deku that time before correcting himself and I can't say I'm happy about it. I'd honestly prefer to be called that over my given name since that's what Master and Tomura call me.

"You can call me Deku, Kacchan," I state softly.

The look I receive isn't rage like it would have been if I'd done something so rude as to correct someone at home. It's shame and shock and it causes that same damn ache to return to my sternum. He pushes his spoon around in his treat and swallows, gaze flickering between me and the table.

"Are you sure? I… I used to call you that to h-hurt you…"

"I'm sure… It's what my Masters called me."

"Shit." I curse internally, scolding myself for saying the wrong thing again. I've been studying facial expressions so I better understand what is going on around me and if he looked upset before, then he looks absolutely distraught now. I bit my lip to prevent myself from speaking out of turn even though I feel a desperate urge to find out what I messed up. Tomura always told me right away.

Seconds tick away and I swear that each one is an eternity in itself. Less than a minute goes by in total and I'm already at my limit; I open my mouth only to snap it shut right after. Naomasa, my mom, and at least three police cars are pulling into the parking lot. Bakugo follows my gaze after I tense and I hear him snort.

"I know she hates me, but this seems excessive even for your mom…"

"I apologize, Kacchan. For putting you in this position and for causing you distress with my last response." I state, grateful he said something so that I felt comfortable enough to speak. "If you aren't given a restraining order, would you please explain what I did wrong?"

He's frowning, but not angrily… It's like disbelieving confusion. Facial expressions are hard; they can mean so many different things and I'm used to only seeing Tomura's… he has a very limited range of expression and it's easy to follow.

"Izuku!" Inko screeches as she comes flying through the door, Naomasa and several officers hot on her trail. They've got their guns out and I almost can't resist the urge to slam my head on the table; this seems way more extreme than necessary even if they didn't know I just with Bakugo and not some 'villain'. "Oh Gods, why weren't you answering? I thought you were taken again, Izuku! Did Bakugo make you leave with him? Steal your phone?"

"He bought me a sundae," I state with the barest hints of annoyance coloring my tone; it's not enough to be really noticeable though. I somewhat wonder if she heard me at all since my mouth was crushed into her shoulder.

Naomasa is looking around at the terrified expressions on the other customer's faces, eventually landing on our table once more. Bakugo is leaning on his elbow on the table and glaring at the ground while I numbly let Inko drag me from my chair and out the door. The last thing I see before I'm led out of the store entirely is Naomasa gesturing for everyone to lower their weapons.

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Thanks for reading the update! I'd love to hear from you about your thoughts on the story as well as how you are doing in general!

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