chapter 45

THE NEXT DAY

"I don't get it."

"What's not to get? Read the words, smart one."

Shimamura huffed and puffed out her lip like an actual child. "Why would she betray her friends like that? I thought she was one of the good guys!"

Bakugou rolled his eyes from behind her. He leaned against the headboard of her lavender bed while she sat between his legs, criss cross with his comic book in her lap. His hands currently threaded through her long white hair as he tried to braid it neatly. He held a few bobby-pins between his front teeth but spoke through them anyway.

"She was and she wasn't. It's complicated. She was playing both sides to see which side would give her the most benefits."

"Benefits? You're telling me the bad guys offer dental?"

He narrowed his eyes as she snickered. "No. You know what I mean, Whitey."

"But why would she be playing both sides? She fed either side information."

"Exactly. She's an antihero. She's just looking for the biggest payout—or at least whichever side lets her survive the longest."

Bakugou was an expert with the comic book she was currently reading. Some sort of hero story about alien races and advanced people being the last known members of humanity in the galaxy. Shimamura didn't really pay attention to those details. She was more focused on the characters.

"What an uncertain way to live..." Shimamura sighed. "Never knowing which side she'll end up on in the long run. Having to dance around friends to avoid making connections—oh, that explains why she didn't kiss Jax."

"Bingo," he said as he pressed a bobby-pin into her scalp, pinning back a stray piece of hair. "Plus, when you read the comic, you're reading it from Clarisse's point of view—the antihero's. She's the narrator. We get to see things from her perspective on both sides. It makes it that much more interesting, you know?"

Shimamura giggled, but didn't say anything. He raised an eyebrow as he finished tying off her long braid in the back, proud of his work. "What? What's so funny?" He growled.

Shimamura leaned back so she was lying against his chest, his knees on either side of her as he had his legs propped up. He looked down at her as she stared up at him with a silly smile on her face, still giggling about whatever had tickled her so.

Current bipolar level: 8

"You sound like Midoriya, you nerd."

Bakugou immediately scowled at her.

"You take that back. Right now."

Shimamura laughed and shook her head no. His mouth creased further into a frown and he pinched her nose. She squealed and swatted his hand away.

"Alright fine! Fine! I take it back!" She screeched as he released her nose after a few seconds.

"Damn right."

Bakugou let out a breath and shook his head at her. His thumb lightly grazed her cheek, lingering there momentarily. She stared up at him happily. The bright blue radiance of her eyes flickered ever so slightly, signaling a change in bipolar level. Not anything significant. But a change nonetheless.

Shimamura sighed and got up from her lying position. His hand left her face and he leaned back on the headboard again, propping his hands behind his head. She stood up and walked over to her desk, staring at her reflection in the mirror above the surface. She grinned, seeing the intricate braid he had somehow mastered. She trailed her hand across her silvery hair, admiring it.

"I should have you doing my hair more often," she complimented.

"Only if I get paid. A kiss per braid."

"Do I get a discount?"

Bakugou made a "pfft" sound from behind her. She turned and raised an eyebrow at him with a smirk. "Really? No discount?" she questioned.

"Fine. Two kisses per braid."

Shimamura crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back on her desk. "Usually, adding more of something is the opposite of a discount. But given the price, I'll take it."

Bakugou grinned and patted the empty space in front of him where she once lay. She rolled her eyes with a smile and moved to lay back down with him again, but she stopped dead in her tracks.

Knock knock knock knock

Shimamura stopped and turned her head to the repetitive knocking at her dorm room door. She let out a breath and glanced at Bakugou who groaned and got up from her bed. He moved into one of the corner beanbags where he couldn't be clearly seen from the entrance. He took his comic book that Shimamura was reading into his new spot with him, giving him something to do while Shimamura went to open the door.

She scratched her cheek as she walked to the door. Opening it up slowly to—

"Teeks! I finally finished our baby!"

A hand slammed against the door and forced the door  to swing open wide. Shimamura jumped, startled by the sudden movement. She blinked, her heart pounding, seeing the pink haired girl grinning at her in the doorway, almost maniacally.

"Hatsume?!" Shimamura choked out.

Hatsume cackled and her smile seemed to widen, if that was even possible. She clasped her hands together. "Oh, Tikki! You're going to be so happy with the improvements I made!"

"I-improvements?" She questioned, confused.

Hatsume nodded profusely. "The improvements to your covers! Your new equipment you asked for! Remember?!"

Shimamura's eyes widened. Right, the covers we were working on. I completely forgot about them... but they weren't supposed to be done until next week?

"You already finished them?"

"Yyyyep! Now lemme in so we can give them a test run!"

Shimamura slapped her hand on the door, creating a barrier with her arm to keep Hatsume from crossing into her room. Hatsume almost ran face first into her forearm, but stopped with a skidding of her boots against the carpeted hallway floor.

"No time to waste, Tikki! Let's go!" Hatsume latched onto Shimamura's arm, trying to get her to move.

"Mei Mei, now isn't really the best time to be doing this. Can you come back later?" Shimamura urged.

Hatsume rolled her eyes. "Ridiculous! Our baby should take full priority!"

Bakugou contorted his expression from behind the wall, watching Shimamura hold the door. 'Baby?' he thought to himself.

In that split second that he looked over, Shimamura glanced in the corner of her eye at him as well. Their eyes locked and she gave him a look of 'I know you can't help me but I'm still mad you're not helping me.' Her eyes narrowed at him before snapping back to Hatsume.

Bakugou shrugged and went back to his comic.

"Hatsume, please—" Shimamura pleaded for her to leave, but never finished.

"Oh, hey Hatsume!"

Shimamura and Bakugou froze at the male voice echoing from down the hall. The green haired student walked over as he waved to Hatsume. The Support Course student waved absentmindedly, still trying to get Shimamura to let her into the room. Shimamura doubted Hatsume even knew who she was waving to:

Midoriya.

Midoriya smiled at Hatsume, trying to get her attention but he'd never receive it. "What brings you to the Alliance Dorm?"

Shimamura answered for her. "Oh she was just leaving—"

"Our baby, Teeks! Think of our baby!"

Midoriya raised an eyebrow. "You two were working on a project together?"

"No—wait, actually, yes. We were." Shimamura forgot that he understood Hatsume's strange terminology. "But we weren't working on it now—"

"Well of course we aren't working on it now! I already finished it!" Hatsume shouted.

The girl pushed on Shimamura's stomach to try to get her to move, but Shimamura stood stiff in the doorway like a brick wall. She scowled momentarily at Hatsume. The two were friends, but she didn't need Hatsume barging in... especially when Bakugou was in the room.

"Mei!" Shimamura yelled.

It was as if a lightbulb lit up above Hatsume's head. Her eyes flashed open and in a split second, she had disappeared from Shimamura's line of sight.

Hatsume squatted down and crawled underneath and through Shimamura's legs to shimmy quickly into her dorm room. She hopped up proudly and rushed to set up her equipment on Shimamura's desk. But by the time Hatsume was in the room, Bakugou was only halfway into the closet, staring at her with wide eyes.

Shit shit shit shit, was literally his only thought process.

"Hatsume!" Shimamura spun around to see Hatsume at the desk. But she hadn't seen Bakugou yet.

"Mind if I join you guys? It must be pretty cool if you were both working on it. What were you making?" Midoriya stepped into the doorway where Hatsume used to be.

Shimamura spun around again to face him. Her crystal eyes widened. "I—uhm—No! We! We... uh...?"

"Teeks where do you store your tool kit?!" Hatsume shouted to her from within the room.

Shimamura turned her head, answering without even a second's hesitation. It was second nature. "Bottom drawer on the right—wait, I mean, can you leave?"

"Found them!" Hatsume said giddily as she yanked out about half-a-dozen tools from the drawer. Screws and bolts flew everywhere out of the desk.

Shimamura brought her hand to her face, biting on her nail nervously. "Oh god..."

"You don't need any help?" Midoriya asked her.

Shimamura turned to face him again. She was flustered, frantic, almost panicking. "No! No help! No thank you!"

Hatsume dropped the wrench she was holding and it bumped off the desk and landed on the rug behind her. She whirled around on her heels and took a step forward to pick it up. But it was in that little pick up did she notice the student only halfway covered by the closet door.

"Oh hi!" Hatsume waved to the student, not even giving it a second thought.

Bakugou didn't say a word or make any movement to acknowledge her. Maybe she'd think he was a statue if he didn't move—

She cocked her head to the side, staring at him funny. "Teeks, you have weird friends."

Midoriya watched Hatsume's interaction and furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "Is someone else with you—?" He leaned to peer into the room, but Shimamura smacked her hand on the door again, blocking him.

"No! Nope! No one! Just Hatsume!"

Midoriya gave her a suspicious look. "Ok...?"

"Hey guys! What's up?"

Another voice drew towards them from across the hall. Kaminari waved to Midoriya and Shimamura as he walked over. He had a massive grin on his face, wondering why everyone was clustered around. He noticed Hatsume in the room too.

"Hey Kaminari," Midoriya greeted.

"H-hey—" Shimamura stuttered, trying her best to keep Midoriya out.

Bakugou from in the room was trying to shoo Hatsume away as if she was some sort of wild animal. But to be fair, she kind of was one. Hatsume giggled at him and shook her head.

"Whatcha doin?" Kaminari asked.

"Not much. Hatsume and Shimamura are working on a project. I wanted to help out."

"Coooollll! Can I join?" Kaminari grinned.

Shimamura pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "Guys, we're not working on a project."

"Right! Cuz I finished it—!" Hatsume shouted from within.

"Hatsume. Get out of my room."

"Then why is he allowed in?" Hatsume pouted. She pointed with her thumb at Bakugou.

Midoriya's eyes widened. "Shima, who else is in there?"

"No one!" Shimamura insisted, but she was getting too overwhelmed at this point.

"That's cool," Kaminari said, as if he flat out ignored what everyone else had said. "Hey Shima, you wanna go get boba later? Jirou and the others were craving fast food, but I wanted some drinks—you feel me?"

Shimamura didn't meet their eyes. She pinched the bridge of her nose harder, leaving little indents with her nails. Everyone's voices were just becoming too much. Static was beginning to replace their words and a certain darkness filled the corners of her vision.

Overstimulation was a bitch.

Current bipolar level: 4... steadily decreasing with the current stimuli.

"Shima who is in there?" Midoriya concern and curiosity insued.

"Teeksssss! Let's try out our baby!"

"—boba just you and me. Relax!"

Kaminari reached out to put a hand on Shimamura's shoulder, but he never even touched her.

Suddenly, an explosion enveloped his hand and sent him flying across the hallway. Kaminari skidded against the carpeted ground like a ball being kicked across a blacktop, and he rolled onto his back in the center of the hall. He coughed as he sat up, staring in shock back at Shimamura's doorstep.

He expected to see Shimamura standing with some sort of flaming punch gun at her side. As if that was the project she and Hatsume were working on.

What he didn't expect to see was Bakugou standing at Shimamura's side, with his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders, and his other hand extended towards where Kaminari once stood with his fingers curled. The blond scowled at Kaminari, threateningly. His grip around Shimamura's shoulder tightened and he brought her closer to his side in a protective nature.

Hatsume stood peeking her head out from behind Bakugou's arm, quickly analyzing his quirk to start on some elaborate project again probably.

"F- off, dumbass. She's mine."