"Just imagine the light surging into your fingertips," Hana instructed, kneeling to a crouch beside you. "There you go—just like that."

You drew in a sharp breath, hurriedly nodding your head. It was a few days into your internship, and you'd been working more on your Quirk these days. While out on patrol, you'd found a bird fallen from a tree; its wing was broken. Hana had promised to treat it herself if you weren't successful, but she'd suggested trying out your own powers first.

"I hope it works," you mumbled hoarsely. "I don't want the poor thing to be in pain any longer."

"You'll be fine," she reassured. "Just focus."

The injured avian let out a distressed trill, which only made your heart ache even more. You'd treated others' injuries before, but it was only minor things, like cuts and bruises—sometimes fatigue. Now that you were holding this tiny animal in the palm of your hands, you felt like you truly understood how fragile a life could be.

A weak huff escaped your lips. Simultaneously, you sent a wave of energy into the bird's core. Its body began to glow with a faint light; you watched with wide eyes as the shape of its wing slowly shifted, until it had regained its original structure.

"I-I think I did it...!"

As if on cue, the bird flopped its body against your palm, slowly propping itself upright. It tentatively shook out its previously injured wing, and finding it satisfactory, it began flapping up and out towards the open window. Your lips split into a grin—Hana's was even wider.

"Great job!" she appraised. "That went over perfectly. How are you feeling? "

You pursed your lips. "Hm, a bit tired, but not really. I think because the bird was so small, it required less energy expenditure on my part. For healing a full-size human body, it would probably be more draining."

"Well, that's just fine. To work your way up, you have to focus on the little victories first." The silverette brushed her braid to the side, reaching across the counter to pick up a tray. "Here, have a cookie. You earned it."

You giggled. "I feel like I eat better here than I do at home, Hana-san."

"Oh no, that won't do," she retorted, feigning a stern expression. "I'll have to contact your parents and tell them to give you proper meals."

"Could you? That'd be great."

Hana smiled, taking in your beaming expression with much gusto. Her assistants were clustered around the table as well; some had been encouraging you while you used your powers, others had simply come for the cookies. It was a lot different than you'd envisioned your internship unfolding—for one thing, Hana was infinitely nicer than you could've hoped for—but you'd really come to enjoy your time here. It was such a warm, close-knit group; almost like a second family to you.

"Yes, yes," Hana ushered. "Help yourselves, everyone. I've got pizza on the way as well. Ah—could you set the donuts down over there? Thank you very much."

You nibbled on your cookie, surveiling the scene with a contented smile. The energy was so pleasant, you almost never wanted the week to end. Everyone was so happy here; Hana especially, and—

"—Oh, dear."

The room fell silent; Hana's voice had dipped from its usual cheerfulness. Everyone looked back at her with furrowed brows, and you were shocked to see her expression so distressed.

"There's been an emergence," she muttered bitterly, staring down at her pager. "In Hosu District—an outbreak of Noumus, all around town."

Did she just say Noumus...??

Hana reached into her pocket to pull out a large, silver hairclip, which she used to fasten her braid in place. "I'm afraid they need me on the scene. I may not be the best healer, but I'm close enough to get there on time. Kim, Reina—I'll need the two of you to come with me. The rest of you please stay put and on alert, and [Name]—" She turned to you with a gentle smile. "Please go home for the day. It's rather dangerous, and I can't involve you if you don't have your provisional license yet."

Your chest tightened. It went without saying that you wouldn't be allowed to help, but somehow, knowing that there was something like this going on and that you wouldn't be able to help, well...it made you feel a bit powerless.

Even so, you knew the rules.

"Alright," you affirmed. "I'll head back home. Please be safe, Hana-san; everyone."

"Thank you. We will be."

They collected their bearings and left the office in one fell sweep. You were about to be heading home as well, but it wasn't until the heroine had exited the door that everything sunk in.

Hosu, isn't that...where the Hero Killer was spotted?

—

"Uraraka-chan, calm down. You're saying you spoke to them just now, right? If they've already had their treatment done, I'm sure they'll be just fine."

Currently, you were curled up on the couch, a blanket thrown haphazardly over your legs as you tried to placate your very frantic best friend. Even though you couldn't actually see her, you had no doubt the brunette's usual rosy cheeks were completely pale, and she was probably struggling just to keep still.

Then again, you couldn't blame her.

; Hero Killer "Stain"—apprehended just hours ago in Hosu District.

[subheader]: Three U.A students caught in the fray, but ultimately rescued by Endeavor.

You'd had a bad feeling ever since you found out Iida's brother had been injured by Stain, but it was only just now making sense why he chose to do his internship at a small-time hero office right in Hosu itself. You felt like an idiot, honestly. If only you'd picked up on his anger and frustration earlier; Izuku and Todoroki wouldn't have had to get involved, either. As someone who was aspiring to become a hero, it was a little disheartening to know that you hadn't been able to protect your friends.

"I just feel absolutely sick," Uraraka sniffled. "Deku-kun's arms have already been injured time and time again—who knows what'll happen to them now? And Iida-kun, too...we should've been there for him. If we had, he wouldn't have run off on his own to do something so terrifying."

You nodded sadly. "I understand how you feel. It's hard not to feel frustrated, but they're in good hands now, alright? The police is camped all outside the hospital, and they'll be escorting them back as well, I'm sure."

"It's horrible, though. I can't even imagine how scared they must've been, and—"

"...Hold on," you frowned, feeling your phone buzz in your hands. "I'm getting another call. I'll phone you later, okay? They're fine, Uraraka-chan. Try not to worry too much, and draw yourself a nice bath."

Uraraka let out a soft whine from the other end, but agreed nonetheless. You blinked twice when you saw who was phoning you.

[incoming call: Katsuki]

You hurriedly swiped the screen, bringing the phone back up against your ear. "Hello?"

"Where the fuck are you right now?"

"Uhh—"

What kind of greeting is this?

"I'm at home," you mumbled groggily. "Why?"

Katsuki cleared his throat. You thought you heard him mutter "thank god" under his breath.

"Just makin' sure you're not getting into any dumb shit. Your internship was close to Hosu, right? With that healer-bitch?"

"Hana-san is not a bitch," you protested firmly. "But...thanks for remembering. I'm surprised."

You heard him let out a derisive snort. "I have an excellent memory, loser. You weren't out on the streets, were you? When all that shit with the Noumus was happening?"

"Oh, no. Hana-san sent me home right away; we were back at the office, not out on patrol anyways. If it was up to me, I'm sure I would've gone with her, but—"

"Good thing you didn't. You would've gotten hurt."

The apples of your cheeks began to burn. There it was again—that nonchalant way he had of expressing his concern for you. It wasn't romantic or anything; brash at best, but it still made you get all inexplicably giddy. It was just nice, hearing that he cared about you.

"I'm okay," you smiled. "Thank you for calling to check in on me. I appreciate it."

The other line went silent for a moment. Eventually—

"Let's meet up," Katsuki breathed out.

"...Sorry?"

"I wanna meet up," he repeated. "The fuck's not making sense? I'm saying I wanna see you, so hurry up and come out before I change my mind. There's a park near your house; we'll meet there."

"Hold on a min—"

"See ya."

And with that, he clicked off. You were staring at the screen of your phone, jaw slack and eyes widened.

"Who the hell does he think he is...?"

—

[Katsuki's POV]:

Katsuki had never been the type to give a shit about his appearance. Granted, he was fully aware of the fact that he wasn't ugly—far from it, in fact. But he'd never spent the time to actually invest any energy into his looks. His face was his face; his clothes were just his clothes; and his hair was, well...

"It looks like fuckin' shit right now," he scowled.

As strange as it was, this was one of the incredibly rare occasions where Katsuki found himself frustrated with the way he looked. He'd been spending his internship at Best Jeanist's office—the hero in question had insisted on parting his hair and gelling it down so slick that it wouldn't budge. He'd honestly tried everything the last few days; shampooing it multiple times before bed, raking a brush through it, tousling it with his fingers, but nothing worked. So here he was, about to meet up with you, and he looked like a preppy schoolboy.

The hell do I even care what she thinks of it? I shouldn't give a fuck. It's just hair.

Katsuki grimaced, lifting a hand to place on his stiff, ash blonde locks. No matter how hellbent he was on convincing himself that he didn't care, he knew it was far from the truth. The funny thing was that he wouldn't have cared less if he was meeting anyone else, but you...

Well, you had a way of making him feel nervous—something that nobody had successfully accomplished before.

Still griping about his new hairstyle, he eventually spotted a familiar figure approaching from the distance. It didn't take long for him to realize that it was you, trotting down the path to meet him at the bench you'd both agreed on beforehand. All at once, his chest felt tight, and his cheeks were already flushing when he imagined your reaction.

"Hey, Katsuki-kun." You shuffled up closer, furrowing your brows a bit when you got a full look at the blonde. "Oh. New hairstyle, huh? It looks nice on you."

Katsuki blinked. "Eh? You trying to be funny or something?"

"Uh, not really. I think you pull it off pretty well. You have a nice face, so it just works." You managed a sheepish smile. "Although I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer your old look."

The blonde had to bite down on his bottom lip to hold back what would likely have been the goofiest grin of his life. Seriously, was he sick? It felt like it should be illegal to feel this damn happy around someone.

And her fucking smile, christ. If that shit isn't the cutest damn thing I've ever seen—

"Whatever," Katsuki replied flippantly. "Stop kissing my ass, will ya?"

...God, I'm stupid.

Why was it that every time he envisioned saying something in his mind, it came out almost entirely opposite? He was the type of guy who always spoke his mind, but some things were just so fucking hard to say. The things that involved feelings—the stuff that made him feel weak; vulnerable.

Yeah, he really sucked at those things.

"I was just being honest," you shrugged, lips still holding their smile. "I can sit down beside you, right?"

"The fuck are you asking my permission for? Go ahead."

"Thanks."

Katsuki watched you smooth down your skirt, tucking it underneath before having a seat. He wondered why in the hell someone would wear a skirt at this time in the evening, but then he got the feeling that you'd done it for him, which made him a bit happy. Then, he remembered seeing the whole news reel about the Hero Killer—discovering it had been in Hosu, and realizing that you could very well have been out on the streets in the middle of all that. He couldn't even remember the details of the clips; all he felt was the chilling of his blood as he wondered what could possibly have happened had you been there along with the others.

"I was sca—worried," he muttered out, glancing hesitantly to his side. "Call me stupid, but after seeing that asshole Deku and those others in the news, I almost immediately thought you might've been involved, too. Couldn't give less of a shit about them, but if you'd been there...I don't know. I don't want to think about what could've happened to—"

"Sshh. It's fine," you reassured, timidly placing your hand atop his own. "I'm alright, Katsuki-kun. I didn't get hurt. You can see that I'm just fine."

Katsuki swallowed thickly. How was it possible for someone to have such kind eyes? Even now, he wanted to slap himself—for saying such weak, sentimental things—and yet, you made him feel like it was all okay. Like it was okay for him to tell you anything, and everything; you wouldn't judge him no matter what.

A feeling like this, what did people call it again...?

No.

He turned away, squeezing his knuckles tight under the warmth of your palms. He'd just barely gotten to know you. What kind of sick joke was this, for him to be having these kind of feelings? It if weren't for the fact that the two of you were soulmates, he would've never allowed himself to fall so hard.

...But we are soulmates.

At the very least, Katsuki could find solace in that fact, and that fact alone. Knowing that you were his destined one—and he, yours—somehow, it made things okay. The aching in his chest...it made it more tolerable. As long as he knew that you were his, and he was yours.

So long as that fact remained, things would be alright.

So long as you remained his.