Chapter 161 - Her Anchor

Start from the beginning
                                    

"Hey!" Bakugou yells from the car, already sitting inside, impatient to get going. "Don't forget you said you'd give me that tofu recipe."

"Don't worry," Todoroki interjects. "I'll remind her to text it to me."

Kira sends Fuyumi one final glance, before approaching the vehicle, where Bakugou scoots over to the far side. Endeavour's posture causes her to hesitate, her hand on the roof of the car, as she judges the pro hero.

"Fuyumi," Endeavour's solemn tone speaks up. "Thank you."

Kira doesn't know what to make of Endeavour anymore. She always knew that he's a man of few words, his personality dismissive and fierce. At least, he used to be defined that way. He isn't that person anymore. His past is enough to cripple his entire family and his decisive change may not be enough to fix it. Especially now that Kira knows some of the deeper secrets about the Todoroki family's pain that they were forced to endure as children.

Kira slides into the car, shuffling over so she's beside Bakugou. The car is large, considering it belongs to the number one hero, but it's still a tight squeeze for all four of them in the back. Kira cranes her neck to gaze out the open door, watching Midoriya and Todoroki utter their final goodbyes to Fuyumi, before they enter the car too.

The driver and Endeavour finally climb into the car and it pulls away from the Todoroki house. Kira leans past Midoriya, spotting Fuyumi waving them away with a gleeful smile. As upset as she is in her situation, Kira likes to think that her meeting them and sharing some darkness in her past has offered her a kind of relief. A weight off her shoulders.

Kira looks down at her intertwined fingers, fiddling with the ends of her school blazer. To her left, Midoriya and Todoroki are discussing the fast approaching finals, asking one another for help on specific subjects, while Bakugou to her right sulks against the window. She can tell how annoyed he is just from the way he's slouched against the car door, but whether that has anything to do with what he just learnt about the Todoroki's, or his failure to meet Endeavour's standards over the course of the last week, she isn't quite sure.

The car starts to pick up speed, joining a series of fast lanes, other cars flying past the windows in the dark city scene. Kira allows her own past to cloud her mind, the mistakes she's made, the choices she clings to, the relationships she's built. Her own family has escaped her clutches, so she created a new one. She looks to Bakugou's left hand, his fingers clenched into a fist on his knee and contemplates reaching out, feeling his warmth race up her arm and to her heart. But, she doesn't. Not here.

She slowly looks up, allowing her eyes to scan Bakugou's shoulder, brushing against her own with every other bump or crack in the road. Her gaze lingers there before admiring the beauty across his features. Even from a mere sideways glance, she can spot the delicate frown on his brow as he relives his progress in his mind, the gentleness of his jaw, as he grits his teeth in irritation and the piercing redness in his eyes, as he glares out at the dark road soaring by.

He deserves more from her.

When he blurted out his apology on the beach, she shouldn't have run away from such a modest and mature revelation. She should have returned the sentiment, poured her heart out to him there and then when she had the chance. Hopefully, it's not too late to do so.

"What?" Bakugou grumbles, still staring out the tinted window.

Kira blinks a few times, too lost in her own thoughts and feelings to register that he even spoke. That is indeed the question - what can she say? What can she do? What does he expect from her?

Bakugou fidgets in his seat, his thigh lightly pressing against her own, waiting for a response he'll probably never get. With Midoriya and Todoroki beside her, Endeavour and the driver in front, she isn't sure how to voice her concerns in such a crowded space. She wants to use as little words as possible to ensure that what they share with each other isn't spoilt by attentive ears.

Stuck With You | Katsuki Bakugou x OC [Book One]Where stories live. Discover now