The trial of battle ended in your victory.

You weren't there to see exactly what happened, but you could hear the deafening explosions and most importantly, Izuku's attack—that which had nearly ripped the building in half and shattered all the windows. He'd directed a swing at full power up through the roof, and it had given you the opportunity to activate your light-speed and retrieve the weapon from Iida. When you'd scrambled down the stairs, Izuku was already being pulled out on a stretcher; his arm had been mangled and broken and his body was littered with burns and bruises. You were worried about him, of course, but there was really only one thing that had been running through your mind.

Namely, your first words to Bakugou.

It was obvious that he knew, with the way his expression had faltered and he'd called out to you even in the heat of battle. You'd finally spoken to him, and he was now aware of the fact that the two of you were soulmates. Which was a good thing, right? It had taken all your courage, but you'd finally managed to muster up the resolve and accept him—from here on out, the two of you would only be getting closer; you'd actually be able to look at one another without the rift that had been there before. It was a good thing, you told yourself, and you were already determined to speak to him a second time. But when you caught sight of him in the ruins of the building, you realized that wouldn't be possible.

Now, you didn't know much about Bakugou—other than the fact that he was impulsive, violent, and just overall seemed to look down on others, but you knew for a fact that he was strong. That's why, when you saw his expression, your heart nearly sank.

Right now, he didn't look anything like the strong, ruthless person you'd made him out to be. Bakugou's crimson eyes, which normally burned with the vigor of a thousand flames, were so subdued and vacant that they almost didn't look like his own. His skin was so pale that he looked like he'd seen a ghost, and his bottom lip was quivering uncontrollably. From where you were standing, you could hear the shallow, uneven breaths he was taking in a fit of near-hysteria. He just looked so completely and utterly broken, and you couldn't understand why.

Immediately, your chest filled with guilt.

Is it my fault? Because I threw him off by speaking for the first time, and he lost the battle because he was distracted...? Is that why he looks so shattered?

You didn't know much about Bakugou. But for the first time, you realized that you wanted to.

"Now, now," All Might chided, gently placing his hand on Bakugou's shoulder. "No matter whether you won or lost, you need to take a look and reflect on this experience, and then move on with your life. Let's all head back for our critique, young ones!"

He waved the group over towards the monitor room, where you'd all collected to go through with the first evaluation. A dark-haired girl with a ponytail raised her hand and began commenting on how each and every one of you had performed in the trial. Izuku was being carried off to the infirmary, so he wasn't present, but she confidently declared that the best for the match was Iida anyways. She mentioned something about the fact that you'd put in a good effort, but you faltered on many occasions and didn't act as quickly as you should've. Well, that much was a given, since you'd been so focused on your words to Bakugou.

You knew that you should've been focusing on reviewing the details of your battle, but all you could do was keep glancing over in Bakugou's direction. His head was slumped forward, eyes trailing listlessly across the ground. The mark above your hip would throb ever so often; it seemed to hurt more every time he trembled.

It was almost as though you could feel his pain.

—

From that point onward, all you could was stand idle and watch the remaining matches go by. Your eyes kept flitting over towards Bakugou's frame, but you just couldn't manage any words, no matter how hard you tried. He was so bitter and zombie-like that you got the feeling anything you said right now would only make things worse.

Izuku had been sent to the infirmary as well, so you also had that playing at the back of your mind. Seriously, you'd come to U.A to become a hero, and it felt like all you'd accomplished so far was nearly developing an ulcer from your nerves.

So you were tuned out to most of the battles with your constant staring at Bakugou, but you managed to catch a few glimpses—the most outstanding by far was when one of the students by the name of Todoroki Shouto froze an entire building into a chunk of ice. On a normal occasion, you would've been in total awe and marveling at such a display of strength, but you literally could only think of the ash blonde male whom you'd come to accept as your soulmate.

Eventually, the battles finished, and you were sent to change out of your costumes and head home. This time, you promised yourself that you would speak to him.

I don't know how much good it's going to do with the current state he's in, but this needs to be addressed. We both finally know about each other...we have to say something, right?

You'd resolved to finally have a proper conversation with Bakugou, but when you stepped back into the classroom wearing your usual uniform, he was already gone.

"Where's Bakugou-kun?" you asked Uraraka, who was currently in the process of gathering her belongings. You hadn't even bothered to beat around the bush, and she looked genuinely confused by your inquiry.

Her brows furrowed together. "You want to talk to him, too?"

"Too?"

"Yeah," she mumbled. "I mean, Deku-kun came back from the infirmary not too long ago and went running after him. He seemed like he had something pretty urgent to discuss—which isn't surprising, considering the battle they had—but I didn't know you were very close to him."

Uraraka's expression was rife with worry, but you didn't have time to explain. You'd already turned to rush off towards the doorway when you felt her hand clamp down on your wrist.

"[Name]-chan..." she frowned. "You'll...tell me if there's something bothering you, right? No matter what, you know you can always trust me."

You smiled. "I know. Don't worry, I'll explain everything soon."

Ever-so-gently, you pulled away from her grip and ran off in the hopes of catching Bakugou. Uraraka could only sigh, brown orbs glazing over in fatigue. She was going to have you give her the details, and stat.

Now sprinting like a madman, you made your way through U.A's seemingly endless corridors and rushed outside. You were worried that Bakugou would be long gone, so you were relieved to find him facing Izuku a little distance off from the main gate.

Just as you were about to step forth, you heard Izuku's voice ring out.

"I obtained this Quirk from somebody else...!"

You stopped.

What...did he just say?

It sounded so ludicrous that you were sure he was making things up, but the way his voice trembled with each imploring cry made you realize that he couldn't have been lying. Something like receiving a Quirk—really, it didn't make any sense. But for some reason, you believed him.

Bakugou did not.

All you could do was watch with wide eyes as he clenched his fists by his side. He was shaking, just like he had been after his loss, but it was so much fiercer now; so much more resolute. This guy, who was meant to be your soulmate, you really didn't know very much about him at all. But slowly and surely, every assumption you'd made about him was proving to be wrong.

He wasn't all-powerful—he too, could show weakness. And right now...he was realizing that even he could lose to others.

Bakugou gritted his teeth, tears pooling at the corner of his bright, crimson eyes. The fire, which had been extinguished earlier, was re-lit and burning with a newfound determination. Honestly, it was the strangest thing—here he was, yelling and cursing at the top of his lungs just like always, but for once it was more than just tasteless threats and malice. His words actually meant something.

You realized right then and there that you were to blame all along.

"Don't you dare get the idea that you'll ever beat me again!!" Bakugou cursed, turning on his heel. "Fuck!"

You'd deserted your little hiding-spot, breaking out into the open and passing by Izuku, who paled once he saw you walk by.

"[N-Name]-chan...!" he croaked out. "Don't tell me—were you here...? This whole time??"

You nodded dismissively, breezing past him. "Yes, but don't worry—I don't intend to tell anyone the details. Right now, I just need to talk to Bakugou-kun."

He'd begun to stammer in place, looking stricken by grief that you'd overheard, but it didn't matter to you. All that mattered right now was that you finally have the conversation the two of you were meant to have the moment you discovered he was your soulmate.

Bakugou was still wiping away at his eyes, but he hadn't gotten very far. A few quick strides and you'd caught up to him, hastily latching a hand across his arm and pulling him back. He stiffened at your touch, slowly craning his neck to look back at you.

"Oh," he deadpanned, eyes narrowing into slits. "It's you."

Already, you could feel the roof of your mouth drying out, but it was too late to back down. You pulled your hand away faster than Bakugou could shake it off, pressing your lips together.

"I know...you probably don't want to see me right now," you began, "But I needed to talk to you, no matter what."

Bakugou's eyes were still bloodshot and puffy from the tears, but he still managed a harsh glare.

"Why the fuck bother?" he practically spat. "Just go back to being mute—I liked you better that way."

You had to take a breath to steady yourself.

"I know you're mad."

"Then maybe you should fucking leave," he growled, making you shiver from his ruthless tone. "Seriously, I'm warning you. I'm not in a good mood right now."

Even though you were almost buckling at the knees, you shook your head. He was harsh and intimidating, but you'd just confirmed for yourself that he wasn't the person you'd made him out to be. There was more to him than that, but you'd never get the chance to find out if you backed down now.

"We need to talk," you stated calmly. "The more we avoid each other, the worse things are going to get."

Bakugou gritted his teeth. "Seriously? You're seriously going to say that to me? After you've been biting your tongue back to keep from saying a goddamn word this whole fucking time?!"

"That was—"

"It was a load of fucking shit, is what it was!!" He clenched his hand into a fist, doing everything in his power to keep from raising it to your head. "I know exactly what was going through your damn mind," he muttered. "You must've found out earlier—you already knew I was your soulmate, and that's why you wouldn't allow me to hear your first words. Because you didn't want me to find out."

All you could do was nod sullenly. Lying would only make the situation worse.

"...You're right. I was avoiding you."

Bakugou's eyes widened a fraction. It was almost as though he'd been clinging to the hope that you hadn't been trying to hide from him, and this was all just one big misunderstanding. He actually looked hurt. But soon enough, that "hurt" dissolved and was replaced by bitterness and rage.

"I fucking knew it," he seethed, lurching forward on one foot. "I fucking knew you were hiding something for the longest damn time. So, what was it?" He was getting dangerously close to you now; to the point that your chests bumped. "I'm not good enough for you or some shit—that what it is? You think you're better than me? Like I'm the shittiest fucking person you could ever get as your soulmate, that's what I fucking am. Right?!"

You bit down on your lip. "Bakugou-kun, please just—"

"FUCKING ANSWER ME!!!"

He'd latched his hand onto your wrist, and was shaking your arm furiously. The tears from earlier still hadn't fully dried out, and it looked as though he was doing everything in his power to keep them from spilling out again. You exhaled slowly and regained your breath.

"Okay," you mumbled, gently pulling away from his grip. "If we're being honest here, then yes—I wasn't happy when I found out that you were my soulmate."

"You little, fucking bit—"

"But that was my fault," you continued, watching the way Bakugou's eyes widened. "It was wrong of me to come into this with some sort of perception of how you were supposed to be. It's true that you're not the type I could see myself getting along with on normal terms; you're loud, swear a lot, and are quick to start a fight—I'm probably almost a complete opposite to you. So, when I first found out...I guess I was just surprised," you admitted. "Since it just felt so unexpected. But these things aren't meant to be planned for, and I wasn't supposed to envision who you were. I lied to myself and tried to fight this, and that's where I went wrong."

Bakugou had gone silent, staring backing at you with narrowed eyes and a stiff jaw. It was so faint—almost to the point that it was hardly noticeable—but his expression had softened, just a bit. At the very least, he no longer looked like he was about to punch you in the face.

"...So, great," he scoffed. "You're aware of the fact that you were being a bitch. Fucking perfect. That still doesn't change the fact that you don't want me to be your soulmate. You said that I'm not 'the type of person you would get along with' just now, which means that you didn't want shit to do with me in the first place. That's how I know this is just a waste of fucking time." He readjusted the strap of his bag, rolling his eyes at you. "Just do me a favor and fuck off. I can already tell this shit isn't gonna work out between us."

"That was before," you said simply.

"...Huh?"

"That was before," you repeated, stepping closer to him. "I was being resistant to the whole idea, and I might not have wanted to get closer to you back then, but it's different now. My impression of you was wrong—I've realized that now. You're...not the bad person I thought you were."

Bakugou looked at a genuine loss for words. All he could do was run a hand through his tousled locks and scowl.

"Piss off. You don't know jack shit about me."

You smiled. "Then, will you give me the chance to get to know you better?"

It was the strangest thing. Earlier this very day, you were doing everything in your power to place as much distance between the two of you as you possibly could. Yet now, you were actively seeking him out; hoping that he would give you a second chance.

For the first time, you actually felt like he could be the one.

"You sure change your fucking mind quick, huh?" He half-scoffed, cocking his head to the side and assuming a sarcastic tone. "Am I really good enough for you, though? 'Cause you sure seem to think you're the fucking best damn thing to ever walk this earth."

"And you seem like the type to hold a grudge," you chuckled. "Not that I'm surprised, though."

"HUH?!"

You shook your head, smiling again. "No, it's fine. I realize I've been selfish this entire time, and we got off on the wrong foot, but things will be okay. Instead of resisting, I think we should just let things flow the way they should—naturally."

"Sounds fucking stupid," Bakugou dismissed. His words were sharp, but he didn't look anywhere near as upset as before. "I've been talking to your sorry ass long enough. I'm going home."

He'd already turned to walk away, but you pulled him back by the sleeve of his uniform. Bakugou clicked his tongue and let out an annoyed grunt, glancing back only to see you looking up at him with a small flush on your cheeks.

A warmth had swelled up in your chest. You'd been so opposed to this relationship in the first place, yet somehow, for some reason, you were left craving more.

"I really do want us to get along," you mumbled timidly. "So, if it's possible, could we...start calling each other by our first names?"