softie ᝰ katsuki bakugo ✓

stretching

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the gym had started to quiet down as the afternoon rush thinned out. y/n and mina had just finished their workout, heading over to the stretching area to cool down. y/n wiped the sweat from her forehead, dropping her bag onto the floor as mina began demonstrating a series of stretches with her usual energy.

"come on, y/n!" mina encouraged, grinning as she bent into a lunge. "stretching is the best part—it means we're done!"

y/n smiled faintly, following mina's lead. her muscles ached from the unfamiliar exertion, and she was more than ready to be done. as she leaned into her stretch, a loud and familiar voice echoed through the gym.

"there you two are! i was wondering where you disappeared to!"

y/n looked up to see kirishima strolling toward them, a water bottle in hand and his signature grin plastered across his face. his fiery hair stuck up in every direction, and his gym bag was slung casually over one shoulder.

"kiri!" mina straightened up, her face lighting up at the sight of him. "finally decided to show up, huh?"

kirishima laughed, dropping his bag and plopping down next to Mina. "hey, i was here earlier! just took a break, that's all."

mina rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. "sure, sure. let me guess—you were slacking while bakugo did all the work?"

"hey, not true! i was spotting him," kirishima defended, holding up his hands. then, as if on cue, he turned and called over his shoulder, "oi, bakugo! get over here!"

y/n's stomach flipped at the sound of his name, and she instinctively glanced toward the weight area. bakugo was there, of course, adjusting the plates on a barbell. his scowl deepened when he heard kirishima, but after a moment of hesitation, he grabbed his towel and stalked over to join them.

"this better be good," bakugo muttered as he approached, towel slung over his shoulder. his eyes flicked to y/n briefly, sending an unintentional jolt through her, before he focused on kirishima and mina.

"we're stretching," kirishima announced proudly, sitting cross-legged on the mat. "and so are you."

bakugo snorted. "like hell I am."

"come on, man! you'll feel better after," kirishima insisted, already leaning into a stretch. mina chimed in, "yeah, bakugo! it's good for you. even Y/n's doing it."

bakugo's gaze shifted to y/n again, and she quickly averted her eyes, pretending to focus on her stretch. for a moment, it seemed like he was going to argue, but then he let out a low growl of annoyance and dropped onto the mat beside her.

"fine," he grumbled, tugging his gloves off. "but don't expect me to enjoy it."

As mina and kirishima launched into a playful argument about the "proper" way to stretch, y/n and bakugo were left sitting side by side in relative silence. the space between them felt heavier than it should, and y/n couldn't help but steal a glance at him. he looked surprisingly relaxed, his usual scowl softened as he stretched out his arms.

"so," y/n ventured cautiously, her voice barely above the hum of the gym. "do you come here a lot?"

bakugo raised an eyebrow, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "yeah, keeps me from going insane."

y/n chuckled softly. "i get that. mina practically dragged me here today. i think she's trying to save me from my laptop."

bakugo smirked faintly. "couldn't picture you here, honestly."

she tilted her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "what, you don't think i look like the gym type?"

he shrugged, leaning into his stretch. "not what I said. just... you seem more like the kind to bury yourself in books."

y/n laughed lightly, the tension easing between them. "you're not wrong. but mina's convinced me that I need balance or something like that."

bakugo didn't reply immediately, his eyes flicking toward mina and kirishima, who were now shamelessly flirting and laughing. he let out a scoff, shaking his head. "those two are ridiculous."

"yeah, but they're good together," y/n said, watching the way mina playfully shove kirishima's shoulder, her grin wide and unrestrained.

bakugo hummed in agreement, and for a moment, the two of them sat in companionable silence, the noise of the gym fading into the background. it wasn't much, but the small exchange felt... easy, in a way y/n hadn't expected. she glanced at him again, catching the faintest hint of a smile on his face, and for once, he didn't seem quite so intimidating.

maybe, she thought, this wasn't such a bad idea after all.