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Y/N had always been able to maintain a firm grasp on her emotions. With her usual upbeat nature and her ability to handle situations calmly, she never let her feelings cloud her judgment—until now. It had been a gradual thing, starting with those fleeting moments when Bakugo would glance at her just a little too long or speak to her with an unfamiliar gentleness. But it was all so subtle at first that she hadn't been able to put a name to it. She had simply brushed it off.

Until now.

Y/N sat on her bed, her phone resting in her lap as she mindlessly scrolled through messages. Her thoughts were elsewhere, though. In fact, her mind kept circling back to Bakugo, of all people. His insults, his fiery temper, the constant sparks of energy that made him so different from anyone else—yet recently, there had been something else there. Beneath his usual abrasiveness, there had been moments of kindness, moments where he was more aware of her than anyone else. She couldn't explain it, but it felt real.

"I must be losing it," Y/N muttered to herself, shaking her head. She let her phone fall onto her bed and stood up, pacing back and forth. She had to stop thinking about him like this. He was Bakugo—brash, loud, and constantly on edge. He wasn't the type of guy anyone should get emotionally involved with.

But no matter how many times she told herself that, the more she found herself thinking about the moments they shared. Like the time he saved her during a mission, his sharp instincts kicking in before she even knew there was danger. Or when he had, without thinking, made sure she was okay after a particularly rough training session, even if his words were as abrasive as always.

And it wasn't just his actions that were confusing her; it was the way he looked at her sometimes. When his guard came down—if only for a brief second—she could have sworn she saw something there. A flicker of something deeper than just annoyance.

"No way," she said out loud, shaking the thought away. She flopped back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She had to stop this. There was no room in her life for confusion, especially when it came to Bakugo.

Meanwhile, Bakugo was wrestling with his own confusing thoughts.

He had always prided himself on being straightforward. He was blunt, ruthless, and never held back when it came to expressing his thoughts. But lately, every time he interacted with Y/N, something seemed off. He would snap at her like usual, expecting her to fire back with her usual cheeky remarks, but instead, there was something different. It was in the way she would smile at him when he least expected it, or how she would brush off his insults without taking them to heart.

It made him... uncomfortable. He couldn't figure out why. He hated how her optimism seemed to rub off on him, how her easygoing nature made everything feel less intense. It was like she made him feel like there was more to life than explosions and fighting.

"Damn it," Bakugo muttered as he stared into the mirror, his reflection a reminder of his confusion. "Stop thinking about it."

It didn't help that every time she was near, his chest would tighten. There was this odd feeling that was growing stronger and stronger—something he wasn't used to. It wasn't just irritation, it was something else, something he didn't know how to deal with.

"Focus, Bakugo!" he scolded himself. "Get your shit together."

But the more he tried to ignore it, the more it kept creeping up. And every time she smiled at him or gave him that strange, soft look, it gnawed at him. His heart didn't race, but it was a kind of tension he couldn't shake. She was too kind, too selfless, and that pissed him off—because he didn't know how to deal with that kind of attention.

Later that day, Y/N found herself in the training room. She had barely slept the night before, her mind full of thoughts about Bakugo. She didn't want to admit it, but it was clear to her now: she had feelings for him. There was no point in denying it anymore. But what did it mean? How was she supposed to navigate this? The last thing she wanted was to make things awkward between them.

She shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts as she began to stretch in preparation for training.

Just then, Bakugo entered the room, his usual fiery intensity filling the space. He barely glanced at her as he walked past, muttering a quick greeting that felt forced. He was always like this, pushing everyone away, especially her.

"Ready to lose, Y/N?" he shot over his shoulder, not waiting for a response.

Y/N narrowed her eyes but smirked as she adjusted her stance. "We'll see about that, Bakugo."

The two of them squared off, beginning their warm-up. It was the usual drill—sparring, testing each other's limits, seeing who could get the upper hand. They had been doing this for months, but today felt different. The tension in the room was undeniable, thick and almost suffocating.

As the match progressed, Y/N found herself not just focused on the fight, but on Bakugo's movements. Every explosion he set off, every sharp shift in his stance, seemed to draw her in further. She knew he wasn't the type to back down from a challenge, but there was something else to his aggression today. His attacks were almost calculated, as if he was waiting for her to make a mistake.

The thought hit her unexpectedly: was he doing this on purpose?

"Come on, Y/N! Are you gonna stand there all day?" Bakugo taunted, his voice pulling her back into the present.

"Shut up!" Y/N snapped back, shaking off the thoughts that had started to cloud her mind. "I'm not going easy on you just because you're grumpy today."

She launched herself at him, ducking to avoid his explosion and spinning to catch him off guard. But as she made her move, she felt the familiar rush of adrenaline—and something else. A flicker of doubt. Maybe it was the way he had looked at her earlier, or the way his eyes seemed to track her every move. Whatever it was, it was enough to make her hesitate just long enough for Bakugo to counter.

With a quick, calculated move, Bakugo caught her arm and twisted it behind her back. His other hand pinned her to the ground, his breath heavy, but controlled.

"I told you to stop being so damn predictable," he growled.

Y/N lay there, her heart racing not just from the physical struggle but from the strange feeling she had in her chest. Her pulse throbbed in her ears, and for a split second, the world seemed to still.

It wasn't just the fight anymore. It was something else, something she couldn't explain. And as much as she wanted to shake it off, she couldn't.

"Let me go, Bakugo," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, but failing to hide the undercurrent of vulnerability that had crept in.

Bakugo's gaze softened, just slightly, though his grip didn't loosen. He didn't answer right away. Instead, he stood there, his chest heaving slightly, his usual cocky demeanor nowhere to be found. And for just a moment, he looked at her—not as an annoyance or a teammate, but something different.

Y/N swallowed, trying to gather her thoughts. "Bakugo?"

He exhaled sharply, as if snapping himself out of whatever moment they had been sharing. "Fine," he muttered, stepping back and letting her go. "Next time, don't hesitate."

She stood up slowly, her body tense from both the physical contact and the strange connection she felt with him in that moment. Bakugo turned away, clearly trying to dismiss the interaction. "You're lucky I'm letting you off easy."

Y/N watched him go, her heart still racing.

That night, lying in bed, Y/N stared at the ceiling, unable to shake the weight of the moment. Was this just some weird feeling because of the fight? Or was there something more to it? And why the hell did she care so much?

She knew one thing for sure: she couldn't ignore it anymore.

The next day, Bakugo felt an odd sense of unease. He tried to shake it off as best as he could, but when Y/N looked at him—really looked at him—he wasn't sure how to act. Something was changing between them. And neither of them was ready to admit it.

For now, though, the denial was the only thing he could hold onto. Because if he admitted what he was starting to feel, he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop.

The days following that training session were filled with tension that neither Y/N nor Bakugo knew how to address. Y/N kept herself busy, throwing herself into her studies and training with the rest of the team, trying to push aside the strange feelings that had surfaced. She couldn't ignore the fact that the brief moment they shared during their fight kept replaying in her mind. She'd told herself she was just overthinking it, that it was nothing more than a fluke. But the truth was, the way Bakugo had looked at her, the way he had softened for just a fraction of a second, it hadn't been a fluke. It had felt real.

She tried not to dwell on it, but each time she saw him, she felt the same unsettling sense of awareness. It was like something was shifting, and it scared her. Maybe she was just being too sensitive, she reasoned. After all, Bakugo had never shown any real interest in her—at least not in a way that suggested he felt anything beyond annoyance.

But then again, there were those moments. Those quiet moments when his eyes lingered just a bit longer than necessary, or when he would glance her way during training, his expression unreadable. What did it all mean?

As for Bakugo, the whole situation was driving him crazy. He couldn't stop thinking about Y/N. She had always been in his peripheral vision, sure, but now it was different. It was impossible to ignore how his heart would beat faster every time she smiled at him, or how his thoughts would shift toward her when she was in the same room. It irritated him, to be honest. He wasn't supposed to feel this way about anyone, especially not her. He hated the vulnerability it made him feel.

But no matter how hard he tried to bury it, the feelings kept resurfacing. Even when they were in the middle of a training session, his mind would wander to her. The way she had looked up at him when he'd pinned her to the ground, the way she hadn't fought him off, had just let him hold her there for a moment—why had that felt different? Why had he felt something shift in his chest?

It was infuriating. But what bothered him most was how he couldn't get rid of the feeling, no matter how many times he tried to push it down.

He wasn't ready to deal with this. He couldn't be.

A few days later, Y/N found herself in the kitchen at U.A. with Mina, chatting over coffee. She had just finished training and was trying to relax for a few minutes before the next session.

"So, what's going on with you and Bakugo?" Mina asked, eyes twinkling mischievously.

Y/N nearly choked on her drink. She had been hoping Mina wouldn't notice her weird behavior around Bakugo, but it seemed that hope had been in vain.

"What?" Y/N tried to sound casual, but her voice cracked just slightly.

"Don't play coy," Mina said with a grin. "I've seen how you two act around each other lately. It's so obvious."

Y/N groaned, sinking lower in her chair. "Mina, seriously. There's nothing going on between us."

Mina raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, but I've seen the way you look at him when he's not looking. And don't even get me started on how you two interact during training. It's practically electric. Something is definitely up."

Y/N wanted to deny it. She really did. But the truth was, Mina was right. There had been a shift, and she wasn't sure how to handle it. She was starting to develop feelings for Bakugo, and no matter how much she tried to convince herself it was just a passing crush, deep down, she knew it wasn't.

"I don't know what to do about it," Y/N admitted, sighing. "I don't want to complicate things. He's Bakugo—he's always so angry and intense. I don't think he's the type of guy who could ever actually like someone like me."

Mina leaned forward, her expression softening. "Y/N, listen to me. I've seen the way he looks at you. I don't know what's going on in his head, but I know that he's got something for you. It's just... you two are both so stubborn, it's gonna take forever for one of you to admit it."

Y/N felt her cheeks heat up. "I don't know if I'm ready for all that."

"Well, maybe you don't need to rush into anything," Mina suggested. "But maybe just stop avoiding it, huh? You can't hide from this forever."

Y/N nodded slowly, her mind racing. She didn't know what to do with these feelings, but maybe Mina was right. Maybe she had been running from the truth. She needed to face it, but was she ready?

That evening, after dinner, Y/N decided to take a walk. The night air was cool against her skin, and she wandered aimlessly, trying to clear her mind. It wasn't long before she found herself on the training grounds, the large space bathed in moonlight.

To her surprise, Bakugo was there, working out on his own. His usual explosive energy was nowhere to be found, replaced by a strange, almost somber focus. He didn't notice her at first, so Y/N stood there for a moment, watching him. The way his muscles tensed with each move, the way he breathed deeply, clearly trying to work off some pent-up frustration—it was all so captivating.

"Y/N?" His voice broke through her thoughts, and she snapped her head up to find him staring at her, his gaze sharp and intense.

"What are you doing out here so late?" he asked, though his tone was less abrasive than usual.

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied with a playful smirk, though her heart was pounding for some reason. She couldn't explain why being near him felt so charged.

"I just needed to blow off some steam," Bakugo muttered, turning his attention back to his training.

Y/N hesitated, unsure of how to respond. But something inside her told her to take a step closer. Slowly, she approached him, feeling the weight of the moment settle between them.

"You know, you've been acting different lately," she said softly, trying to keep her voice steady.

Bakugo froze mid-motion, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Y/N took a deep breath, her heart racing. "I don't know... I just feel like something's changed. Between us."

For a long moment, Bakugo said nothing. He didn't look at her, but she could see his jaw tightening. His fists clenched, his body tense as if he was struggling to keep something contained.

Finally, he spoke, his voice low. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Y/N stepped closer, her eyes softening as she studied him. "Maybe I do."

And just like that, the air around them seemed to shift again. Bakugo's guard was up, but it wasn't as strong as it used to be. It was as if something between them had been cracked open, just enough to let the truth shine through.

But whether either of them was ready to face it remained to be seen.