Eventually, the time came that you and Katsuki would have to go your separate ways. You would've liked to stay with him longer, but it was already late, and you got the feeling that both of you were incredibly tired. You left him with a parting hug, blushing shyly as you waved goodbye. He nodded, the corners of his lips curled up into the faintest smile.
When you arrived home, Uraraka was waiting.
"Oh?" You arched your brows, surprised. "I figured you would've already left by now. Did you...stay behind to talk with my mom?"
"Yeah. A bit."
She looked up at you from the couch, tight-lipped and stony-faced. There was a book in her lap; she moved it aside and set it down on the coffee table. Even now, you could still sense that some of the tension from earlier had yet to dissipate. Your fault, admittedly.
"Um—"
"I'm sorry!" Uraraka blurted out, two palms pressing up against her rosy cheeks. She shook her head dismally. "I contacted Bakugou-kun, and I know I shouldn't have. It definitely wasn't my place, but—"
"Hey." You'd shuffled over towards the couch, taking a seat beside her. "It's fine. You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should be thanking you. Because we met tonight, we were able to sort through all of our issues. We made up."
"Y-you did?"
"Yes," you smiled, "Because of you."
Uraraka bobbed her neck forward, brown locks swaying across her forehead. She puckered her lips together, knuckles squeezing the thin blanket draped over her legs. Eventually, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Well...thank god," she mumbled. "I'm happy for you guys. I know it was inappropriate for me to interfere in someone else's relationship, and I did go behind your back in this instance...but I just felt like it needed to be done. I wanted the two of you to talk it out. Especially since it was clear that you'd been missing him."
You nodded. "You're right. You were right even before I left, about how going was a mistake, and I was still feeling bitter about our fight. Instead of running from my problems, I should've reached out to him earlier, and tried to make things work."
She nibbled on her lip, brows knitting together. "I mean...I get the feeling that Bakugou-kun isn't an easy person to deal with, so I can understand why this is so frustrating. This is just coming from me; someone's who's barely even spoken to him."
"I know. It's true that he's difficult, but I'm willing to work harder. He's worth it."
Uraraka's lips broke out into a wide grin. She hastily nodded her head, already opening up her arms to wrap you in a big hug. You placed a hand on her wrist, stopping her before she could.
"[Name]-chan...?"
"Before you do that," you mumbled, "I need to apologize as well. For the way I behaved earlier, I mean. I was just frustrated, and it's been scary, dealing with all this. But it still wasn't a reason for me to lash out at you. I'm better than that, I promise."
She smiled, nodding her head in understanding. "I know. You're a kind person, [Name]-chan. You've just been dealing with a lot recently. I'm sure I'd be just as stressed out if I were in your position."
"Thank you. I appreciate you saying that." You pulled your hand off her wrist, beckoning her forth with a flick of your fingers. "Come on," you smiled. "Time for hugs."
Uraraka all but pounced on you, forcing you onto your back with her full body weight. You chuckled hoarsely; luckily, your back just sank into the plush cushioning of the couch. She was warm too, just like Katsuki. You were surrounded by some really good people, you realized. You should never forget to take the time to appreciate them.
"Uraraka, did you want another—oh." Your mother had poked her head out from the kitchen, expression softening once her eyes fell over your two figures, interlocked on the couch. "Back already?" she asked.
You nodded, shaking out the blanket so that it covered the both of you. "Yeah. I didn't care for the people there."
"I see." She nodded once, turning to head back towards her office.
"Hey, mom?"
"Yes?"
"I have a boyfriend," you declared. Her eyes widened just so, but her smile never faltered. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, humming in approval.
"I know, sweetie. I was just waiting for you to tell me."
—
[Monday, 6:47 AM]
Me:
Morning :) We have our written exam today. You nervous?
Katsuki:
Morning. And no, as if.
The fuck do I have to be nervous about?
Me:
I guess nothing, since you're really smart. I'm feeling a lot better though, considering that I had you as my tutor.
Even if you were pretty mean
Katsuki:
I wasn't mean.
Eat shit
Me:
ew no thx
Katsuki:
die
Me:
Miss you too :')
Katsuki:
Were you always this annoying?
Me:
Yes
Katsuki:
Well fuck my life.
Meet me outside class a bit early?
Me:
Okay!
[...]
You were hardly ever early for class, and when you were, you preferred to spend your extra time inside, talking to your classmates. Nonetheless, you were feeling a bit giddy at the notion that you and Katsuki had set up your own private, 'meet-up' time, away from the others. You didn't mind arriving early if it meant you got to spend more time with him.
"Morning, loser."
You felt two fingers flick you on the forehead, prompting you to glance up from your phone. Katsuki was standing in front of you, one hand in his pocket; the other was retracting itself from your frame. You furrowed your brows at him.
"Good morning," you grumbled, rubbing at the sore patch of skin. "Did you really have to flick me?"
He shrugged. "You were staring at your phone with a zoned-out, moronic expression, totally unaware of your surroundings. How could I not flick you?"
"Your charm knows no bounds, I see. Anyways," You smoothed out your skirt, smiling up at him. "How are you feeling?"
"Same as always," Katsuki replied passively. When he saw the little pout forming on your lips, he sighed. "You know what I mean. Better, of course. Obviously better, after we dealt with that shit."
"Good. I feel much better, too."
You leaned back against the wall, a scarce few meters away from the massive class 1-A door. Students were slowly trickling into the halls now, though it was nothing like the usual hustle and bustle of morning rush-hour. You'd arrived early enough to avoid the throngs.
"...You look pretty today."
"Eh?"
You blinked hurriedly, certain that your ears must've been deceiving you. Katsuki scowled, dragging his foot across the tiled flooring. His cheeks were flushed bright red.
"You heard me," he muttered, "So don't make me say it again. This is just that, you know? I'm trying to be...nicer, or whatever the fuck. For you."
"Oh. Wow." You honestly didn't know what else to say. For someone like Katsuki, you realized just how much it took for him to swallow his pride and dole out compliments offhand. You didn't even think you looked all that great today, considering how much of a hurry you'd been in to get ready. It was strange, though. His words made you feel like you'd never been prettier.
"Thank you, Katsuki-kun." You blushed in turn, fiddling with the hem of your skirt. "Um, for what it's worth, I think you also look really nice today. Y-you always do, though."
"S-shut up," he snapped back, cheeks only glowing more profusely. "Weirdo."
You swallowed hard, chest beating against your ribcage. There was none of the unpleasant aura from before, but you now felt at a genuine loss as to how to behave around him. The fact that you'd set aside your differences and agreed to look at one another properly—you suddenly felt nervous around him, in a way you never had before. The whole 'butterflies in your stomach' sensation was actually real, you could attest to that.
"You still nervous?" Katsuki asked, cocking a brow at you sideways. You blinked, confused. It actually took you a moment to remember—
"The exam," you shuddered, clutching your sides. "Yeah. I'm still nervous. I get test anxiety sometimes."
"The fuck's that?"
You frowned. "It's like...even though I've prepared for it a good deal, and I'm comfortable with the material overall, when I get to writing the actual test, I sometimes mess up. Because I start overthinking things, and get in my head, and then before I've realized it, time's already up."
Katsuki scratched at the back of his head. "Sounds dumb."
"Wow, thanks."
"You'll be fine. Relax," he chuckled, lightly bumping your shoulder. "Don't give me those puppy eyes. You were tutored by yours truly." He pressed his thumb flush against his chest, smirking back at you. What you would do to have that kind of confidence.
You smiled wistfully, still not entirely convinced. Katsuki leaned forward and gave your cheek a quick poke. "You'll ace this," he promised. "We'll ace this. Alright?"
"Okay. You're right."
More and more people had taken to filling up the halls now. Katsuki gestured towards the classroom with a flick of his wrist, and you started trailing behind him. He looked back over his shoulder, grinning coyly.
"Besides, if you ever feel like you're losing focus during the exam, just imagine me yelling at you to hurry up and get your shit together. I'm sure that'll give you the boost of motivation you need."
You sighed. "More like it'll give me nightmares..."
"The fuck did you say?!"