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The common room was quiet, a rare moment of calm in the usually chaotic dorms. Most of the others had gone to bed after Mina's dramatic hallway discovery, leaving Y/N alone on the couch with her thoughts.

Her fingers fiddled with the hem of her hoodie as her mind replayed the moment. Bakugo's smirk, his confident grip on her waist, the way he didn't even flinch when Mina had caught them kissing—it was all so... Bakugo.

She let out a sigh, her cheeks warming at the memory. As much as she hated the attention Mina would inevitably bring, she couldn't deny the thrill she felt knowing Bakugo didn't seem to care. It was refreshing, grounding even, to have someone so unapologetically... himself.

Footsteps broke her train of thought, and she turned her head to see Bakugo walking in, hands shoved into his pockets. His usual scowl was in place, but his eyes softened when they landed on her.

"You just gonna sit here all night?" he asked, his voice gruff but lacking its usual edge.

Y/N shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Too much on my mind."

"Tch. Figures," he muttered, plopping down on the couch beside her.

She arched a brow. "And you? Couldn't sleep either?"

"Didn't feel like it," he admitted, leaning back against the cushions.

For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence, the faint hum of the refrigerator the only sound in the background. Y/N glanced at him from the corner of her eye, noting the way his jaw tightened and relaxed as if he were deep in thought.

"Bakugo," she started, hesitating.

"Hm?"

"I..." Her words caught in her throat, her pulse quickening. "I don't get you sometimes."

His eyes shifted to hers, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, one minute you're blowing up at me, and the next..." She gestured vaguely, her cheeks heating. "You're doing... that."

He tilted his head, his lips twitching into a smirk. "You mean kissing you?"

Her face turned bright red. "Yes! That! You're so confusing sometimes."

He let out a low chuckle, leaning closer. "What's so confusing about it? I like kissing you."

Her breath hitched, her heart thudding loudly in her chest. "But... why? I thought you hated me."

"I don't hate you," he said, his voice softening. "You just get under my skin. Always have."

She blinked, caught off guard by the honesty in his tone. "That's... not much better."

He huffed, running a hand through his hair. "You're not listening, dumbass. I mean you get under my skin in a way no one else does."

Her lips parted in surprise, her mind racing to process his words. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh.'" He leaned back again, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. "You make me think about things I don't wanna think about. Make me feel things I don't wanna feel."

Her heart ached at the vulnerability in his voice, a side of him she rarely got to see. "Bakugo..."

"Don't." He cut her off, his eyes narrowing. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're about to say something sappy."

She couldn't help but laugh, the tension easing slightly. "Fine. No sappy stuff."

"Good."

But the smile faded from her lips as she gathered her courage. "So... what now?"

He turned to her, his gaze intense. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." She gestured between them. "Us. What are we doing? Are we just going to keep pretending this doesn't mean anything?"

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, she thought he might brush her off. But then he sighed, his shoulders relaxing. "I don't know, okay? I don't know what the hell this is or what to do about it."

Her heart sank at his words, but she forced herself to nod. "Okay."

"Don't 'okay' me," he snapped, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "You think this is easy for me? I don't do... feelings."

"I never said it was easy," she shot back, her voice firm. "But you don't have to do it alone. That's kind of the point."

His eyes widened slightly, her words catching him off guard. For once, he didn't have a snarky comeback, his silence speaking volumes.

She reached out hesitantly, her fingers brushing against his. "We don't have to figure it out right now. But... I need to know you're willing to try."

He stared at her hand for a long moment before finally intertwining his fingers with hers. "I'm trying," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

A soft smile spread across her lips, her chest swelling with a mix of relief and hope. "Good."

They sat like that for a while, the unspoken understanding between them more comforting than any words could be. It wasn't perfect, and it certainly wasn't easy, but for the first time, it felt like they were on the same page.

The dorm common room felt smaller than usual, the silence between Y/N and Bakugo thick with unspoken words. Though their hands were still loosely intertwined, the weight of their conversation hung heavy in the air.

Y/N glanced down at their joined hands, her heart fluttering at the way his rough fingers brushed against her skin. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him this vulnerable—if ever.

"You're awfully quiet for someone who just said they're trying," she teased gently, hoping to lighten the mood.

Bakugo's lips twitched, his usual scowl softening into something almost resembling a smile. "Takes time, idiot. Don't expect me to change overnight."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she replied, leaning back against the couch. "But maybe you could start by not calling me an idiot every other sentence."

"Don't push your luck," he shot back, though there was no malice in his tone.

A comfortable silence fell between them again, and Y/N found herself studying him in the dim light of the room. The sharp lines of his face, the way his crimson eyes seemed to glow even in the dark—he was frustratingly attractive, and it made focusing on anything else nearly impossible.

"Why are you staring?" he asked suddenly, his gaze snapping to hers.

Y/N blinked, caught off guard. "I'm not!"

"You are," he said, smirking. "What, can't help yourself?"

Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly looked away. "Don't flatter yourself."

"I don't have to. You're doing it for me."

She rolled her eyes, though her heart raced at the teasing lilt in his voice. "You're impossible."

"And yet you're still here," he quipped, leaning closer.

Her breath hitched as his face came dangerously close to hers, his smirk fading as his eyes searched hers. For a moment, she thought he might kiss her again, but instead, he sighed and pulled back, running a hand through his hair.

"This is so damn complicated," he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration.

Y/N frowned, her earlier amusement fading. "It doesn't have to be."

He let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, it kinda does. I'm not... good at this crap."

"You don't have to be perfect," she said softly. "You just have to try."

He looked at her then, really looked at her, and for the first time, she thought she saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "You're really not gonna give up on me, huh?"

"Not a chance," she said, a small smile playing on her lips.

Bakugo shook his head, a low chuckle escaping him. "You're an idiot."

"Maybe," she said, her smile widening. "But you like this idiot."

He scoffed, though the faintest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Tch. Don't get used to it."

"I'll take that as a yes."

Before he could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, and they both tensed. A moment later, Kirishima's head peeked into the room, his red hair messy from sleep.

"Yo, what are you two still doing up?" he asked, his voice thick with drowsiness.

Y/N quickly pulled her hand away from Bakugo's, her cheeks burning. "Just... couldn't sleep," she said, trying to sound casual.

Kirishima raised an eyebrow, his gaze flicking between the two of them. "Right. Well, don't stay up too late. We've got training tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Bakugo grumbled, his usual irritation returning.

Kirishima lingered for a moment, clearly suspicious, before finally shrugging and heading back to his room.

Once he was gone, Y/N let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "That was close."

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "Like I care if he knows."

Her eyes widened. "Wait, really? You're okay with people finding out?"

He shrugged, his nonchalance both surprising and oddly reassuring. "It's not like it's a secret. Not anymore, anyway."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, and she couldn't help but smile. "Wow. Look at you, all mature and stuff."

"Don't push it," he warned, though there was no real heat behind his words.

They sat in silence for a while longer, the tension between them easing into something more comfortable. Y/N leaned her head against the back of the couch, her eyes drifting closed as exhaustion finally caught up to her.

"You're falling asleep on me now?" Bakugo asked, his tone soft.

"Mm, maybe," she murmured, a sleepy smile tugging at her lips.

He sighed but didn't move, letting her rest her head against his shoulder. "You're lucky I like you."

Her smile widened, and she let herself relax, feeling more at ease than she had in days. Maybe things were complicated, and maybe they didn't have all the answers yet, but for now, this was enough.