With all the buzz and excitement from the Sports Festival, it only seemed fair to allow the students the next few days off to get back to reality.

The truth was that even now, with yesterday's events behind you, it still felt like you were in that stadium; the audience's cheers would continue to echo in your ears. You remembered your loss, as frustrating as it was, and you also remembered the loss of your soulmate—including the whole mess that had followed. It really had been a day to remember; one that you were sure would hold steadfast in your memory, but you'd be lying if you said that the Sports Festival itself was the most memorable part of the day. After all—

"I liked it when you kissed me."

You felt silly clasping your palms up against your cheeks and getting giddy as you replayed his words, but you just couldn't help it. Those had been the last words Katsuki had spoken to you—before you'd been instructed to board the bus and the two of you had sat apart from each other out of sheer embarrassment. Granted, you also knew that he was definitely still upset with the way his "victory" had played out, but you liked to think that your time with him had helped, even if only a little.

Things just finally felt...right between the two of you. It had taken some time to get to this point, but you actually felt excited about the way your relationship was progressing, and you found yourself wanting to see him more and more.

"Honey? What's wrong?" your mother frowned, spooning your breakfast into your plate. "You're biting your lip again."

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I was just remembering some things...."

"Ah," she smiled. "About the Sports Festival, I presume?"

You flushed. "Well, kinda."

She nodded her head, a small smile playing at her lips. You'd mentioned to her about finding out about your soulmate very briefly, but your parents were generally pretty good with respecting your privacy—they knew when not to push you, or pry too far. It was clear that they were dying to see what kind of person your fated one was, but it would all come in time; one day, you were sure you'd bring Katsuki home with a bright smile and introduce him to your family.

"Alright, then." Your mother patted down her skirt, picking up a napkin to blot her lipstick. "I need to head to work now. You be good today, alright? You've earned a break, so if you want to go out with your friends, just make sure to check that you've locked the door and turned off all the lights. And send me a message if you plan on staying out late, okay?"

"Okay," you smiled. "I'll do that. Bye, mom."

"Bye, sweetie. Try to take it easy for now, alright? I love you."

You could hear her shuffling towards the front, and the dull clicking of her heels across hardwood floors as she slipped on her work shoes. Scarcely two minutes later, the door opened and shut; in one fell sweep. You were left alone to chew on your breakfast at a leisurely pace.

Your phone buzzed while you were in the middle of your next spoonful, and you nearly spewed our your bite from how loud the vibration was. You hastily wiped your mouth with a napkin, then reached out to swipe your screen open. It was probably just Uraraka wondering if you were free the rest of the day; maybe she'd invite Izuku and Iida to come along as well.

Or not—?

Katsuki:

[8:45 am]

Yo. What are you doing today? I'm annoyed as hell and my shitty parents are just pissing me off even more. Let's meet up.

You blinked slowly, having to read over the message a few times just to get a handle on the situation. Sure, you remembered giving your number to him—during class sometime, in passing. He'd never actually messaged you before though, and you'd been far too nervous to ever try and text him first. And now this. It wasn't even really a request; more so a demand, but he was basically saying that he wanted to see you. So for the first time, he was actually going out of his way to try and spend time with you.

Would you be wrong in calling it a date then...?

Me:

Hey! I honestly wasn't expecting you to message me, so this is a nice surprise :) I'm definitely free today, did you have anything specific in mind?

Katsuki:

I don't know. We'll figure it out as we go along or some shit. You know the mall we went shopping for groceries at, right? We can meet there. Or if you wanna tell me your address, I can swing by your place. Your call.

Me:

Mall sounds good :) I'll meet you there!

Katsuki:

K. Is an hour enough time to get ready or are you gonna take your sweet fucking time?

Me:

Oh, haha. Coz girls take forever to pick out clothes, huh?

Katsuki:

You didn't even answer my question.

Me:

...

Kay I'll just text you when I'm almost ready lol

Katsuki:

Fuckin' knew it. Alright. Let me know.

A small giggle fell out your lips, and you couldn't help but realize what a nice turn of events this was. On any other day, you would've loved to meet up with Uraraka, but this...well, it was definitely a change for the better. And while Katsuki may not have been considering it a date, you sure as hell were, and you were determined to make your best impression.

"Okay, then," you huffed, sliding your closet doors open. "Let's see what we're working with here."

—

Me:

[11:40 am]

Hellooo. I'm here now, right in front of the fountain. Are you close? :)

Katsuki:

The hell? I thought we agreed on meeting at noon. You're early as fuck.

Me:

I just didn't want to make you wait :) I don't mind being early

Katsuki:

Weirdo. You're lucky I'm punctual as fuck. I'm almost there, too.

Me:

Yay! Can't wait :D

Katsuki:

Weirdo

You smiled to yourself, tucking your phone back into your purse. You were excited; so much so that you could barely stop fidgeting, but you also felt nervous.

If it was a meeting with any other guy, you probably wouldn't have felt all this pressure. Yes, he was your soulmate, so you realized that things would unfold however they may, but you still couldn't help the tight sensation in your chest. For probably the hundredth time in the last ten minutes, you patted down your [f/c] dress and let out a long, forlorn sigh. You'd styled your hair in a way that you almost never had the patience to do for school. It looked nice though, so you decided it had been worth the effort. You'd also chosen to wear heels—a decision which you knew you'd come to regret, but alas, beauty and pain went hand-in-hand.

Overall, you were happy with your appearance. You just couldn't help but wonder if you were overdressed, and if you'd inadvertently put more pressure on yourself just by doing this.

Ah, well. Too late now.

You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, [e/c] orbs scanning the distance for the ash blonde in question. Before long, you could see Katsuki approaching from afar; his hands were shoved into his pockets and his brow was as furrowed as ever as he forced his way in between the crowd. You looked at him for all of two seconds and decided that you were overdressed, but then again, you hadn't been expecting him to dress up extra nice or anything.

He'd thrown on a loose-fitting bomber jacket and wore a tight, white v-neck underneath. He was wearing jeans; his belt was riding as low as ever—you wondered if you should comment about that—and he had on some casual street shoes. Compared to how hard you'd tried for your outfit, his really seemed nonchalant and effortless by comparison, and yet somehow he still looked hot as hell. You didn't know how he did it, and you cursed him for being so attractive (although you'd be lying if you said you weren't happy with how he looked).

Katsuki waded closer to you, and his eyes fell on your frame before widening into saucers. It almost looked like he did a double-take; he was probably trying to wrap his head around why the hell you were so dressed up. You couldn't help but flush in response, suddenly feeling way more self-conscious than you'd expected.

"Uh, hey," he blinked, lifting a hand to scratch his jaw. "You...really went all-out, huh? I don't know what you were expecting, but I ain't taking you out to a fancy restaurant or anything. Sorry to disappoint, but I don't exactly have that kind of money."

You chuckled softly. "No, it's fine—I'm just way overdressed, I realize that. I guess I just got a little nervous about us meeting up...and I didn't really dress for the occasion. Does it look bad, though?"

Katsuki swallowed hard, shaking his head in protest. "No. You look—I mean—ah, shit," he blushed. "I'm horrible with compliments and all that crap, but yeah. It's good. Y-you're good. You look nice."

Your own cheeks swelled and flushed a deep crimson. The way he fumbled with his words when he got flustered was just too endearing. It was taking all your self-restrain not to jump up and wrap him in a bear hug.

"T-thanks," you smiled. "You look nice, too. I like seeing you in casual clothing; we're almost always in uniforms around each other, so I never really get the chance. Your really do like riding your pants low, though, huh?"

"Piss off," he scowled. "They're my damn pants and I can wear 'em however the fuck I want."

"Aren't you worried they'll fall down though? And then you'll be left in your boxers in front of everyone..."

"You trying to annoy me or what?!"

You stifled a giggle, Katsuki only gritting his teeth in return. You'd begun walking towards the food court; it seemed like both of you were intent on filling your bellies before trying to do anything else. It was a bit crowded, but you were able to find a free table without too much trouble.

"So," Katsuki started. "What are we getting?"

"Hmm, I don't really know. You said before that you like spicy food, right? Curry or something then?"

The blonde drummed his fingers across the table-top. You'd taken a seat for now, eyes flitting all over as you tried to figure out what type of food you wanted. You were exactly picky per se, but you liked to take your time a bit when picking out your meals. Unfortunately, your partner for the day had less patience than a five year old, and stood up before you could even come to a decision.

"We're gettin' pizza," Katsuki declared. "I'm not waiting around an all day just so that you can figure out what the hell you want. I know this place, alright? They have some pretty good shit, so just trust me on this."

You opened your lips to protest, but soon found them curving into a smile. "Okay, then. I'll trust you, Katsuki-kun. Surprise me, okay?"

"You'll thank me for this later," he smirked. "It'll probably be one of the best damn pizzas you ever—huh? The fuck are you doing?" he frowned, watching as you pulled out your wallet from your purse. "Put that shit back, dumbass. I'm paying."

"Eh?" you blinked. "But I can—"

"Put it back."

"But it's not nice to—"

"Put it back."

You let out a weary sigh, deciding it wasn't worth the trouble. You definitely hadn't expected him to insist on paying for you—he wasn't exactly the most gentleman-like type. Him doing this really did make it seem like you were on a date. But then again, maybe that was the point...?

"Okay, then," you smiled, tucking your wallet away. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Don't thank me. I didn't do shit."

"But still."

Katsuki flushed, hurriedly running a hand through his tousled locks. "Whatever. Just sit here, alright? I'll be back soon enough."

You nodded back at him as he began walking away. The pizza place was nearly on the other side of the food court, but it didn't look like the line was too long, so you weren't worried. You didn't mind waiting, either way. Just the fact that he'd actually gone out of his way to invite you to spend time together—it spoke volumes about how far your relationship had progressed.

We're not even really doing anything special, but it already feels like it's enough. I wonder if it's okay for me to be this happy...?

You'd been so caught up in your fluster that you didn't even notice the three figures creeping over towards your side. When you looked up, you could see that a trio of adolescent males had collected beside your table and were looking down at you with expressions that boded for trouble.

"Hey, pretty lady." The tallest of the three; a boy with raven-black hair, was looking down at you with his lips pulled up into a salacious grin. "You sitting out here all alone?"

You frowned almost immediately. It wasn't as though you wanted to be pretentious or overly confident, but you'd seen this scenario play out before, and it was pretty clear by their stances and expressions that you were being hit on.

"Um, hello," you smiled, in the hopes that it didn't give your discomfort away. "I'm actually not alone—I'm waiting here for my friend until he comes back with our food."

The boys didn't seem very much disgruntled by your words, merely chuckling in response.

"Ah, we got it," another mused. "How 'bout we keep you company in the meantime?"

"Uh, there's only one other seat though? And he'll be real upset if he comes back to see that someone else has taken his spot..."

The dark-haired male smiled again; he had a pungent smell—cigarettes, most likely.

"Not to worry. We'll make room for your friend once he gets back, alright?"

You opened your mouth to protest once again, but he'd already taken a seat in what had previously been Katsuki's spot. The other two pulled out chairs from a nearby table, and dragged them back towards your own. They were practically sitting in a ringed formation, effectively caging you in place.

You wanted to just stand up and run away from them, but you felt like doing that would just add even more friction to an already unpleasant situation. Besides, Katsuki had told you to wait for him here—if you just up and rushed away, you couldn't imagine what he would say to you afterwards. Maybe he'd think you were a coward from backing down from a challenge, or not holding your ground. You didn't know. Which is why even though every fiber of your being was screaming at you to leave, you had to muster up the strength to keep your cool.

"Um, excuse me," you spoke up, furrowing your brows a bit. "I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but if I'm being totally honest, you guys are making me a little uncomfortable...I was just out here trying to have lunch with my friend, and I'm feeling a little cornered right now."

Raven-hair narrowed his eyes at you. "What's the problem? We're just sitting down and trying to have a chat with you. I'm not asking you to fuck me or anything, god. Why are girls so damn sensitive to every little thing?"

"Stop being such a prude," another cut in. "Loosen up a little, shit."

You didn't know what else to say now. Their jaws were clenched and eyes narrowed into slits. Before, they'd just been flirting with you and forcing their way into your table, but now they actually looked hostile—suddenly, getting up and leaving no longer seemed like an option.

What am I getting so worried over? I'm training to be a hero, for god's sake. What's it say about me if I can't endure a little harassment...? I just need to tell them off and—

"This is a nice dress," one of them chuckled. You felt your entire body tense up as he ran his hand up and down the fabric by your thigh. Truly, you hadn't expected that they would go so far as to touch you, and the sensation of his fingers skirting dangerously close up your dress made you want to gag.

"P-please stop," you croaked out, voice quivering more than you would've ever thought. "I really don't appreciate this. I'm going to get upset if you don't leave me alone."

You tried to swat his hand away, but he'd taken to clamping it down onto your thigh and squeezing down painfully tight. The boy positioned on your other side shuffled closer as a warning; Raven-hair merely chuckled and leaned into the table with another smile.

"Just relax," he drawled. "We just wanna talk. What's your name, by the way? You were so cute I forgot to ask earlier. I guess I forgot my manners while I was—"

"Get your filthy hands off her right now before I fucking murder you."

The air you'd been compressing in your chest all but rushed out at the sound of the husky voice. You couldn't even begin to describe the feeling of relief when you saw Katsuki towering over the table, holding a tray of food in each hand.

Now, normally, guys knew when to back off when they saw or heard that another guy was involved. The chances of being hit on while cruising the streets hand-in-hand with a boyfriend were very low, and telling some persistent flirt that you were already involved with another man was usually enough to get them off your case. It wasn't so much as respect; no, most of these types of people didn't have that sort of decency, but rather the element of fear. If they knew that another guy was in the picture, it would invoke some sort of intimidation; some social cue that messing with this particular girl was the wrong idea.

Normally, that was the case, but unfortunately it wasn't this time.

Maybe the assholes you were dealing with were just especially shameless, but they couldn't seem to care less that Katsuki was glaring them down and just about ready to bash their faces in. They could've been cocky, and they also might've thought the fact that there were three of them and only one of him made it an easy battle to win. Whatever the reason, they didn't seem very much intent on backing down.

And that was a huge fucking mistake.

"I think we're fine right here," Raven-hair smiled. "You left your little friend all alone, so we decided to give her a bit of company. Ah—you can leave the food here, though. Thanks, man."

Katsuki's glare was venomous at best. He didn't even spare the black-haired boy another glance; he merely slammed the trays down onto the table and waded over towards your side, where the other guy still had his hand clamped down across your thigh. Your eyes barely had time to widen before he'd grabbed the guy by the collar of his shirt and yanked him up and out of his seat.