"[Name]-chan, you feeling okay?" Uraraka frowned. "You've been looking a little out of it for the last while..."

"Huh? Oh, no. I'm...fine."

You forced your most convincing smile, but if the soft sigh the girl let out was anything to go off, it was clear that she wasn't buying it. You didn't like to worry her like this, but the truth was that you'd been finding it difficult to keep a clear head ever since Katsuki had said those words to you earlier. It was stupid, really. The Sports Festival was nearly about to begin, and your mind was plagued with thoughts of him. And the worst part was that you had only yourself to blame.

I shouldn't have gone up to him in the first place. I thought that we were getting closer; after that trip to the grocery store together, I was convinced we were, but clearly I was wrong. Even now, he stills wants nothing to do with me.

What had you been expecting, really? For things to just change overnight? For him to suddenly pleasant, amicable, and kind? It just wasn't realistic. Even if the two of you were soulmates, you got the sense that this was just how things would be for a very long time.

And that thought scared you.

"Ah, it's the pro heroine Midnight! She's known as the "18+ Hero", is it really okay for her to be working at a high school...?"

Up ahead, Midnight had taken to the podium to conduct the opening ceremony. You'd been lined up alongside the other classes, waiting impatiently for the formalities to be dealt with so that you could move on to the real Sports Festival.

"Now, then!" she called out. "Time for the Student Representative—Bakugou Katsuki of 1-A!!"

Your eyes widened through sheer instinct, and you couldn't keep your head from turning in the blonde's direction. He was striding passively through the crowd, both hands shoved into his pockets; it was as though he didn't have a care in the world. Katsuki's crimson orbs flickered towards your own as he passed by you, but you immediately averted your gaze and whipped your head down to the ground. You heard him click his tongue.

"Still angry about earlier, seems like."

You glanced back towards him, only to see that he'd stopped mid-stride and was staring back at you with his brows furrowed. You were searching for the words; any words, really, but they just couldn't seem to come out. Katsuki half-shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Just forget about that shit from before. I can see the way it's throwing off your game, moron. For now just...take a good look at me."

He left before you had time to ask him what he'd meant, and worked his way up the podium steps to hover in front of the microphone. Even though he was meant to be addressing the crowd, those dark, crimson eyes seemed to be staring at you, and you only.

Katsuki shifted in place and parted his lips to speak.

"I'm gonna place first."

It was scarcely a few words, yet those words were all it took to throw the entire stadium into disarray. Students began crying out at the top of their lungs; spewing insults in the blonde's direction and berating him for being so overconfident. You honestly wondered if that was the case.

Not having moved a single inch, all you could do was stare up at the boy in a sort of breathless wonder. Katsuki had already begun his descent, not bothering to acknowledge any of the torrid cries headed his way. He passed by you once more as he re-assumed his place in line—again, those bewitching, blood-red irises met with your own. He didn't say anything this time, but he didn't really need to.

If that was what he'd wanted you to see, then you were right in thinking that it was more than a display of arrogance. Such a bold statement would bear a lot of weight, and it would only hurt him that much more if he didn't hold true to his promise. In essence, he was backing himself into a corner, determined to turn his words into reality.

...Oh.

You didn't even realize that you'd been smiling, but the tug on your cheeks said it all. It honestly made no sense—just earlier you'd been sulking and feeling depressed because of him, and now you were grinning like an idiot, also because of him. How strange.

Unbeknownst to you, those very same pair of deep red eyes were still watching you from the back of the line. Katsuki could only clench his fists, wondering what the hell was wrong with him if just seeing you smile was enough to make his cheeks burn.

Fuck, he cursed. I'm not liking where this is headed.

—

You'd been expecting the Sports Festival to be full of twists, but you certainly hadn't been expecting to have to face off against a mob of massive, hulking robots.

The boy from your class—Todoroki...Shouto? Was that his name? Well, whatever the case, he'd managed to freeze nearly half the competition in place right off the bat as you all swarmed to get through the starting gate. The very first stage was an Obstacle Race, and it seemed as though students weren't above playing dirty tricks in order to secure their win.

You remembered thinking, "shit, shit, shit!" when the ice spread across the ground, but you'd been lucky enough to be spared from being frozen in place. Your fingertips glowed a faint auburn, emitting small waves of heat as they glowed with bright light. It wasn't going to melt anything right off the bat, but if you summoned forth enough light at a particular intensity, you could, in theory, break free of Todoroki's ice. Still, it was probably best to be on the safer side. You weren't so strong that you could afford to take big risks.

Steering clear of the sheets of ice, you let out a huff.

I mean, I kind of already figured from when he froze the building during the Battle Trial, but that guy's really strong. Could he actually beat Katsuki-kun in a fight?

...Ah, shit. Even when you were right in the middle of a race, your thoughts still went to him. You were starting to feel a little love-sick, and it wasn't exactly the greatest feeling.

"SHIT! He blocked us off!!!"

It was at this point that the ginormous robots made their appearance. Suffice it to say, they were a thousand times bigger than the ones you'd gone up against during the Entrance Exam. Todoroki was the only one who'd managed to tackle them head-on—and when he did, he made sure to cause the robots to fall over and block the way. Damn scheming bastard.

You were at a genuine loss as to what to do, and then you heard the deep, husky cry that you'd gotten so accustomed to. You didn't even need to look back (although you did) to see Katsuki propelling himself forward and grinning maliciously. Rather than forcing his way in between the robots and trying to take them on, he opted to vault over them with a series of explosions. You couldn't help but look on in awe. Some part of you secretly felt proud for knowing that your soulmate was so strong and capable. It was just plain silly, and frankly a bit embarrassing to think about him as if he was some prized possession, but it really did make your chest swell.

The way he was, tackling obstacle after obstacle, he honestly looked...happy.

In that moment, you almost forgot that you were competing against a swarm of students. All you could do was gaze at him from afar, bewitched by the strong, relentless frame that was determined to beat down anything that stood in his path. You were striving to become a pro hero yourself; hell, that was the whole reason you were even participating in the Sports Festival to begin with. But somehow, that just didn't seem to matter anymore. If proving himself to others and making a display of his strength was what it took to see him smile, you were more than okay with that.

Which is why you wanted him to win.

—

But he didn't win.

From your position near the front of the crowd, you'd seen the whole thing unfold—the relentless fight between Katsuki and Todoroki; the way Izuku had soared over-top of them on a metallic plate; and finally...the moment he'd swept in and snatched the victory from right under your soulmate's nose.

It was a conflicted feeling, really.

On one hand, you wanted to rush over and congratulate your friend for his win, but on the other hand, you wanted nothing more than to run towards Katsuki and tell him that everything would be alright. Unfortunately, you knew that probably wouldn't go over well, but you couldn't possibly just leave him alone, not with the way he was feeling right now.

You hobbled across the terrain, spotting the tuft of ash blonde hair. His back was facing you, but the second you caught a glimpse of his profile you knew that he'd been shaken to the core.

"Again...?!" Katsuki croaked, clutching onto his quivering arm. "Shit...goddammit!!"

It wasn't surprising to see him react this way, especially given what you now knew about his relationship with Izuku. Granted, he was nowhere near as intensely emotional like he had been after the Battle Trial, but you could tell that he was hurting, just the same. Losing was one thing—losing to Izuku was infinitely worse.

Your fingers clenched by your sides. Taking a shaky breath, you slowly walked over towards where the blonde was quivering in place. Maybe it was a bad idea, approaching him when he was this rattled; you realized that it was, honestly, but you still couldn't keep yourself from bridging the distance between the two of you. You gently placed a hand on his shoulder, causing his head to whip around in a second.

"Hey, Katsuki-kun." You smiled, hoping that he wouldn't misinterpret your gesture as an insult. Katsuki was staring at you in confusion, eyes widened as though he was thinking "what the fuck is wrong with this chick?". It actually was pretty stupid to approach him, all things considered. It was almost like you were asking for trouble.

But in spite of the fact that you'd expected him to swat your hand away and bite your head off, he didn't do anything of the sort. His jaw stiffened, piercing red eyes finding your own.

"What?" he demanded. "You got something to say?"

You kept your smile, noting the fact that he still had yet to shake your hand off. You decided to pull it away just as a precaution, though. And after a few moments of wordless stares, you let out a small sigh.

"I just wanted you to know that I did what you said. All throughout the obstacle race; the entire time I was heading for that goal...I-I was looking," you stammered. "At you. I'm sure that's probably not what you meant back then at the opening ceremony, but I did it all the same. And I just...don't want you to look so upset. Honestly, I thought that you were really cool; I could tell that you were doing your very best and even if you didn't get the position you wanted, I still think you should be proud of yourself." You smiled crookedly, adding, "I am. I mean, I know I'm proud of you. It probably doesn't mean much to you, and I can understand why, but I'm still—"

"Just stop talking for a bit."

You stared back at him, lips parted mid-sentence, only to see that he'd let go of his throbbing arm and was shifting closer to you. A small part of you had the urge to take a step back, but strangely enough, another part was telling you to remain completely still. And so you did, and later, you would thank this part of you—it allowed Katsuki to lean in and rest his head in the crook of your neck.

Your cheeks flared up in a matter of milliseconds, and your heart was already on the verge of leaping out your chest. All you could was keep yourself rooted to the ground, even as Katsuki's scruffy, ashen blonde locks tickled your skin. You took shallow, uneven breaths, waiting for a sign that it was okay to move. You didn't know what the hell he was trying to do. But you realized that you'd be okay if he just stayed like that forever.

After a while, you regained control over your pulse. Katsuki had buried his head into your neck, and you could feel the warmth of his breath hitting your nape. You were already beet-red by this point though, and you'd accepted it. How long had the two of you been standing here in total silence? You hadn't a clue. It could have been minutes; more likely seconds, but finally, you heard him speak.

"...Thanks."

It was all he said, but it was more than enough. You wouldn't have thought that it was possible to blush any deeper, and yet, here you were. Katsuki's hands were still hanging loosely to his sides, as were yours, and the only thing that could have made this better was if his strong arms wrapped around your back. It was a hollow dream, you knew that, but the thought still made your head feel warm and fuzzy.

You decided that you would test your luck. Shaky fingers slowly crept up Katsuki's back, settling into the rough, tousled patches of his blonde hair. You let out a soft sigh, placing your palm down and gently stroking his head. He didn't say anything; instead, he buried his head even further into your neck. You couldn't see his expression, but his cheeks felt hot against your skin—which was saying something, given that you were flushed the shade of a tomato. You could only imagine how awkward the two of you must look to everyone else watching, and the thought made you chuckle.

I guess doing weird stuff like this is just part of being soulmates.

You smiled inwardly. The fact that you'd accepted the term you'd been resisting for so long was nice, to say the least. And even though you still couldn't see Katsuki's expression, you got the sense that he felt the exact same way.