The finals were about to begin, and for various reasons, you were a nervous wreck.

Sure, the fact that Katsuki was facing off against the other strongest member of the class was a bit worrisome, but you had faith in his strength. He wasn't the type to ever admit defeat; hell, you were convinced he'd sooner die than ever say those words. That was a problem in itself, plus there there was also the fact that you'd kissed him earlier, and you still felt like a total moron for doing it.

You didn't really know what you'd been expecting, but you realized that some part of you was hoping that he would've been happy, not just stunned and at a loss for words. Then again, maybe you were asking for too much. It had barely been a peck on the cheek, but even still—

I'm so damn embarrassed over it.

"What's wrong?" Uraraka frowned. "I feel like I've been saying this a lot today, but...you've sure been looking real out of it."

You chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, no, I'm just feeling a bit nervous—Katsuki-kun's about to fight, after all. I know he probably doesn't need me to worry about him, but the anticipation's really killing me..."

"You look more than just nervous, though. Something else is up, I'm sure of it."

"N-no. There's nothing going on, I swear."

For probably the millionth time that day, your best friend let out a lofty sigh. She could tell that it had something to do with Katsuki, that much you were sure of, but she was a good friend and knew when to respect your privacy. You'd never kept anything from her before though, so you imagined how this situation must've been a little frustrating. It was frustrating for everyone, really. What would your life had been like if your soulmate was someone else?

Less stressful, probably.

You chuckled inwardly, giving a slow shake of your head. By now you knew better than to try and refute your situation. He was your soulmate—end of discussion. You could take it or leave it, and if things kept progressing the way they had been, things would be just fine.

Everything would be fine, right?

"...And now for the finals!!"

Already, Present Mic had begun with the start-of-the-match announcements. You felt your chest tighten as you saw Katsuki stepping out onto the arena from his respective side. Todoroki was coming in from the other, and before long, the two soon-to-be competitors were staring each other down from opposite ends of the ring. You were seated god-knows how many yards away, and you could still feel the tension between the two of them.

Katsuki was glaring like usual, while Todoroki's expression was vacant at best. He was incredibly hard to read; you wondered if he even got nervous at all, or if his emotions were really so nonexistent. If you'd made it to the finals, you were sure you would've been shaking in your boots right about then.

"[Name]-chan, you're cheering for Kacchan, right...?" Izuku spared you a timid glance, to which you slowly bobbed your head in response.

"Well...yeah," you mumbled. "He's been talking about taking first ever since the opening ceremony. It'd be a shame if he didn't get to after all the work he put in."

Your friends exchanged a few looks among one another before smiling. Your cheeks flushed instinctively.

"W-what is it?" you asked.

"Hmm, nothing," Uraraka grinned. "You just seem really different whenever you talk about him now. This must be what they mean by the aura of a maiden in love!"

"Oh, stop it." You playfully smacked her shoulder, prompting a small giggle in response. The brunette bobbed her head forward and extended her index finger.

"Shh. It's about to start now. You have to cheer on your boyfriend, right?"

You let out a flustered huff, but decided that correcting her wasn't worth the effort. Besides, she wasn't that far from the truth, anyways. If you were soulmates, it would mean that you'd even be married someday—a thought which made your cheeks burn even more. You were lucky the battle had just begun, otherwise you were sure you would've drowned in your own embarrassment.

"—And Todoroki is the first to strike, with a preemptive surge of ice!!"

You clenched your fists, watching as your soulmate's opponent unleashed a massive first blow. Katsuki was quick to retaliate, sparking off explosions left and right, but it seemed like the ice was steadily encasing him and he was already on the verge of being pushed off the arena.

Please no, not like this...!

Your bottom lip quivered at the sight before you, and you could only hold your breath as you heard a dull echo from within the icy enclosure. Todoroki stood absolutely motionless, waiting to see how his opponent would retaliate. Finally—

"As I would get done in so soon, half-assed!!"

You didn't even realize that you were smiling as Katsuki carved his way through the ice and propelled himself towards Todoroki's side. He screamed out a curse at the top of his lungs, grabbed the boy by the hair and sleeve, and threw him towards the opposite end with all his might. The only thing that kept Todoroki from falling out of bounds was the thick layer of ice that caught him right at the edge.

"Ah, damn," you grimaced. "So close."

The match was unraveling so quickly that you barely even dared to blink. Katsuki had taken note of Todoroki's brief falter near the arena's edge, and he took it as an opportunity to lunge back after him and spark off an explosion in his palms. Oddly enough, he wasn't striking the boy head-on—rather, it seemed like he was deliberately gunning for his left side. All at once, you remembered the conversation you'd listened in on earlier that day.

"I will get to the top without needing to use my left side—this is my total disavowal of my shitty old man."

You saw it in the way Katsuki's lip quivered when Todoroki sent him flying backwards rather than using his flames; he was challenging him, to see if his opponent would unleash his full power, and yet Todoroki seemed unwilling to do anything of the sort.

Katsuki staggered backwards, quickly regaining his footing after sliding down the icy structure. He ran the back of his hand across his chin, eyes narrowing into slits.

"You still won't use it, huh?" he rasped. "So then, what? Are you trying to say that I'm not strong enough for you to need your full power? That's what you're trying to say, aren'tcha?!"

Todoroki's eyes widened; your own followed soon enough.

"How fucking dare you?!" Katsuki roared. "Stop making a fuckin' fool out of me, you shitty half-assed!! The first place I'm gonna be taking is the real fucking deal—I can't prove myself if I win against some shithead who's not even trying! If you don't even have any intention of winning, then don't stand here before me!!"

Katsuki broke out into a run, and even still, Todoroki didn't move an inch.

"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL STANDING HERE, ASSHOLE?!!"

In truth, you didn't know what did it for you—it could've been the intensity of Katsuki's screams, or the shrill despair that laced his voice; or maybe it was the expression on Todoroki's face, that showed how totally and utterly lost he was. It could've been all these factors combined, but more than anything, you realized that it also had to do with the searing pain that had erupted on your hip. It cut through your skin like a blade, and you felt it send send a shock that rippled up your spine.

It hurt, and it made you realize just how much he was hurting in this very moment.

After all, why wouldn't he be? For someone who yearned to be nothing but the best, and was determined to prove himself to all the rest, to achieve victory in such a way could only be described as meaningless; an insult, really. It was a kick in the face to all that he stood for, and quite frankly—

It pissed you off.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, TODOROKI-KUN?!!"

Your friends could only gape as you stood up to scream from the stands, and even with the embarrassment racking your core, you were still far from done.

"Can't you see that Katsuki-kun is facing you with all he has?! How can you just stand there and not be willing to do the same??! You want to be a hero too, don't you?! In that case, don't just roll over and give up now!!"

The boy's mismatched orbs trembled as they locked onto your frame. You gritted your teeth, uncaring as to who was even staring at you anymore.

"If you don't take Katsuki-kun seriously, I swear I'll never forgive you...!!"

You didn't know if your words would have any effect, and you realized you'd definitely overstepped your bounds, but you didn't give a shit. All this time you'd spent trying to understand what kind of person your soulmate was, and to see them get undermined like this? You just wouldn't stand for it. You couldn't bear to see Katsuki be faced with such disappointment, and as chance would have it, your words did get through to Todoroki—you couldn't even describe the relief you felt when you saw those smoldering flames lap up his left side.

Katsuki could only look up at you in bewilderment, looking just as stunned as Todoroki had a moment prior. He'd seen the flames burst out from his opponent, and he must've realized that he had you to thank for that.

Because for just a moment, you knew that Katsuki was smiling at you.

—

If only things could have ended on such a good note.

"Mr. First Place isn't looking too happy there."

"Yeesh, is that Bakugou??"

"He's like a wild animal, seriously."

You could only let out a sigh. It was currently the awards ceremony, and the finals had ended in a less-than-satisfactory manner. Todoroki must've had some residual doubts about using his powers; he cancelled his flames at the last moment, effectively admitting his defeat. Katsuki had blown him away with his last attack, but when he got up, he knew that his opponent had given up right at the end, and he could hardly keep himself from rushing over and screaming at the top of his lungs. He had to be put to sleep with the use of Midnight's Quirk, and now...well...

He was throwing a fit, plain and simple.

"Sorry, [Name]-chan." Uraraka flashed you an apologetic look, awkwardly twiddling her thumbs. "I guess this really was the worst possible ending you could've asked for. Ugh, I don't really know what to say, but...stay strong, alright?"

Izuku nodded from beside her. You actually wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but you were finding it a little difficult to be humorous right now.

"Thanks guys, but there's no need to feel bad for me—I'm not the one who's most disappointed, after all. He'll probably be upset about this for a while, so I'll just try and keep my distance in the meantime; until it passes."

"That's probably for the best," Izuku agreed. "Once Kacchan's fuse has been lit, just trying to go anywhere near him is a risk..."

"Yeah...I learned that the hard way," you sighed.

You were definitely frustrated for him, and you wished that things could've worked out better, but there wasn't much you could do at this point. Katsuki had even told you himself—when he was in a particularly bad mood, giving him space was really the best thing you could do. It wasn't something you wanted to do, but as his soulmate, you needed to respect his wishes and keep his best interests in mind. You were sure that once the whole thing blew over, the two of you would be fine anyways.

I just wish I could hug him right now...

You sighed again. It was unfortunate, but nobody had the luxury of hand-picking what type of person they'd end up with; these things just sort of happened. And so, with a weary smile, you watched the awards ceremony unfold in all of its glory—from Tokoyami graciously accepting his third place medal, right up to Katsuki screaming and refusing his medal until All Might had to forcibly cram it in between his teeth. It was a wild ride, that was for sure, and you'd honestly never been more relieved for something to be over. You couldn't wait to get home and have a nice, relaxing bubble bath.

Katsuki had been chained to his pedestal during the awards ceremony, but after much consoling and a ton of patience on the teachers' part, they finally released him from his bindings. He was currently gritting his teeth and mumbling curses under his breath; the medal was stuffed into his pocket, but you were sure he would've thrown it away if not for All Might's insistence that he keep it. You were all to board the bus and stop to regroup at U.A grounds before heading home for the day, which meant that someone would have to sit next to a very angry Katsuki; whoever the poor soul may be, you already felt bad for them. Either way, you knew what you had to do right now, and it was to give him as much space as possible so that he could—

"[Name]."

You blinked. Surely you must've been hearing things, otherwise you couldn't understand why the angry blonde in question was calling out to you.

A bit begrudgingly, you turned to look back at him. "Yes?"

"Come here," he said; or rather, ordered. All things considered, you didn't know if getting too close to him was the best idea, but then again, he was the one who'd called out to you—he couldn't fault you for just listening, now could he?

"What is it?" you asked, as gently as you could manage.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "I said come here."

"Uh, I am here though?"

"No, not there—here. Come closer."

You swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a bit wary. You couldn't help but wonder if he was going to start screaming at you and use you as some sort of punching bag for him to take his anger out on. It sounded barbaric and far-fetched, but hey—he wasn't exactly in the best mood right now.

Still, you did your best to appease him. A small smile rose to your lips, and you shuffled closer to him; until your shoulders were grazing and chests nearly pressed up against one another.

"What is it?" you asked again. "Are you feeling alright? I mean—sorry, I know you're not feeling that great right now, but I mean...is there anything else on your mind? That you wanted to talk to me about?"

Katsuki shook his head. "I don't want to talk."

"Huh? Then why did you—ah!"

You couldn't help the small squeal that escaped your lips when you felt his arms wrap around your back. It all happened so quickly; before you knew it, his head was buried in the crook of your neck, and all of the air was being squeezed out of your trembling frame. A shudder racked your body, and it felt as though you'd even forgotten how to breathe.

"K-Katsuki-kun...?" you croaked out, only feeling more flushed as the seconds passed. "Can I just—"

"Don't say anything," he breathed. "I just want to hug you. I'm pissed at fucking everything and everyone right now, other than you. If I try to talk, I'll just end up yelling at you without even meaning it, so just—I wanna just stay like this, okay?" He hugged you tighter. "Please."

If you hadn't already turned to mush before, then you definitely had just now. Really, how could you possibly turn him down when he was being so damn cute?

"...Okay," you mumbled, allowing your own arms to fall around his back. "We can just stay like this, without talking, if that's what you want to do. I'll wait here as long as it takes."

Katsuki nodded wordlessly, easing himself into your embrace. You needed to board the bus soon, and you were sure that there were people watching the two of you right now, but you just didn't care. He'd gone out of his way and actually come to you when he was feeling upset—not the opposite. Even in spite of all his protests and him telling you that he wanted to be left alone in such moments, he'd actually felt the need to with you, his soulmate, and that said something.

It was a change—for the better.

I doubt we'll actually be allowed to stay out here much longer, but if he wanted me to...I could probably hug him for hours.

You flushed at the thought, thankful for the fact that Katsuki's head was buried against your neck and he couldn't see how red you were. You felt the air rush by your skin as he inhaled through his teeth.

"...[Name]," he murmured.

"Yes?"

"I still don't want to talk."

"I know," you smiled, gently caressing the back of his head. "You don't need to say anything. I don't mind."

"I don't want to talk," he repeated, "But about what you said back then; in the arena...I liked it. I liked that you put that asshole in his place, and that you stood up to say all that. I know you said it because I was pissed, so...thanks. For trying to help."

Your chest felt like it was on the verge of collapse. Seriously, you couldn't even believe those words were coming out of his mouth—when he'd been screaming at the top of his lungs a few minutes earlier, no less.

"I'm glad," you mumbled. "I wanted to help, even if it was just a little."

"...One more thing."

"Yes?"

Katsuki's arms squeezed your body tighter than ever before. You might've been imagining it, but it was almost as though you could feel how red his cheeks were purely from the heat of his skin against your own. It was stiflingly hot, yet pleasant all the same.

He drew in a shaky breath.

"I liked it when you kissed me, too."