Advice 2

Hawks's goodbye had been a much more casual event, filled with more teasing than actual advice she could use... And if the Pro Hero 'advised' that she should be a 'big girl' and 'give that sexual tension with Pilot a chance' one more time, she was going to start leaking his secrets to the press.

And she had told him as much, to which he had just smiled, because he was confident she wouldn't. And of course, he was right. Star feared the press more than she feared most things, afterall. That seemed to be the one thing the two of them had in common. Staying out of the press. Something that had been confirmed when the article for the Hero Killer was printed, and as requested, Hawks name wasn't in it.

The empty threat had left a sour taste in her mouth, and she wondered why it felt more unnatural than lying. A lot of things felt different now, actually. Her quirk hadn't been quite what she thought it was. Knowing it had to do with connections now had helped streamline her training, though. Something Sir Nighteye had glared at Hawks for teasingly taking credit for. It was easier to imagine walking back across the bridge into her own mind now, though it was a concept she was only able to apply one on one at the moment, hence why she was currently sipping wine in anticipation of the rush hour crowds.

Unknown to her mentors or Bakugo, her archery had also improved. And after a call that took much longer than expected with all the excited rants and ravings, the star student of the support course had agreed to add the equipment to her hero costume. She'd have to contact Melissa about the broken headphone device, though...

Being able to project was also helpful, and she was excited to have an offensive aspect to her quirk now. ...But it hadn't been enough. If she had been able to keep Stain away, maybe she wouldn't have been so helpless and reliant on her friends and they wouldn't have been in danger. Her shoulder was still wrapped, the injury reopening a few times. She knew Hawks was aware it had been her own fault, and was thankful when for once, he didn't bring it up. Maybe he had changed a bit as well. The weirdest change though, had been Bakugo.

She hummed to herself, glancing over at the explosive man next to her. With his eyes closed he looked almost normal for once, no smirk or scowl maring his face. Like a bodyguard, his wide shoulders were still tense, and his muscular arms remained crossed tightly against his chest. She wondered if he literally ever relaxed, even in his sleep.

His sleep…

She looked away from him quickly, feeling the blush rise to her cheeks. It hadn't been until Hawks had opened his big mouth that she had realized just how intimate their sleeping arrangements had been the past few days. It wasn't like she had much experience in that area... She had only had one boyfriend before! No wonder Hitoshi had always been annoyed whenever she insisted he stay next to her on the couch!

But it had helped a lot with the night terrors and flashbacks during the trigger filled week, and it had felt... safe. A feeling she hadn't been blessed with since before the party for the Sports Festival. Did Bakugo consider it intimate like Hawks? Or had he been annoyed like Hitoshi?

Hand raising to twirl her hair nervously, it dawned on her that she wouldn't have that safety anymore, now that they were returning to UA and their own beds. Maybe this was a good thing. Afterall, she had promised herself she wouldn't be relying on anyone. Couldn't be relying on anyone. Not with the threat echoing in her dreams as a reminder of what would happen if she let anyone in on why she was so scared…

Pressing her lips together, she ignored the tight feeling in her chest. She would be stronger. Had to be stronger. Star Skyline refused to be the victim anymore. And if keeping the memory of that night to herself meant keeping her friends safe, she would just have to keep lying, whether she liked it or not.

The chimes of her text tone going off in her earbud startled her, causing her to hit her forehead on the window. She didn't need to turn around to know Bakugo was snickering at her, thanks to his relaxed hold on his mind, but she did anyway with a huff. Bakugo cracked an eye open, and had a half smirk on his face. His red irises glanced down to her phone, but she felt his intent to snoop and snatched it away before he could.

Thank goodness she did, she thought as she opened the picture Hitoshi had sent her. The man really did have a death wish with his need to piss Bakugo off. Sending a reply, she avoided Bakugo's curious gaze by turning her back to him in the seat. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, but seemed to let it go.

Because Hitoshi had been training with Aizawa, he had stayed on campus for the week, balancing his internship with his General Education studies.

Bakugo had been hesitant to leave Lord Explosion behind. Something he would never be caught dead admitting out loud, but he couldn't hide mentally from her for long. So apparently Aizawa, a cat lover himself, had stepped in and offered to watch the kitten while Bakugo was gone. What Bakugo didn't know though, was that Hitoshi had been joining his mentor for the task, also a fan of cats. And Star was 98% sure that if Bakugo found out Hitoshi had been in his room multiple times and played with his kitten while he was away, that the entire dorm building would fall in wake of the aftermath. That man was strangely protective of the things he cared about.

Her phone chimed again, and her face flushed as she read the text. What was with everyone recently?!

"What's got your panties in a twist, Red?"

The voice was much too close to her ear, and with a jump and an embarrassing squeak, she hastily locked her phone.

"Nothing!"

The emotions she felt from Bakugo were rapid, before he shut them down and leaned away from her with a 'tch'.

Her nose wrinkled as the center screen movie in his mind moved to the background with the rest of his mental images and thoughts. It was an uncomfortable feeling, and reminded her of when they had first met at the beginning of the semester.

"Stop doing that."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, letting a satisfied smirk leak from his stoney expression. "Is it working?"

His pride at the (correct) assumption that it was indeed working felt intoxicating, and she had to physically lean back to pull herself further out of the connection. Electing not to respond, she simply replied to Hitoshi's text instead. Feeling his curiosity, and something… sour(?) flare up again, she put her phone in her pocket, away from his prying eyes. He seemed to have something against her being on her phone, she had noticed. His mood shifted to irritation as her action made him realize he had not, in fact, blocked her off.

"You're never going to completely block me off, Katsuki. Especially if I'm ever completely sober."

As the words left her mouth, she immediately regretted them as his posture changed. His eyes burned at the unintentional challenge, and as the train came to a halt at their stop, he picked up her bag with a smirk.

"Tch, we'll see about that."