You drew in a sniffle, hurriedly wiping away at your eyes. Katsuki was crouched down before you, his expression growing increasingly more concerned.

"The fuck is going on?" he repeated. "Why are you crying?"

A small part of you was tempted to try and come up with some bullshit excuse, but you got the feeling he wouldn't buy it this time around. You couldn't keep arguing that you were stressed over school forever. You got the feeling his mark was probably hurting right about now too.

"Sorry," you mumbled, swallowing another wave of tears. "I didn't want you to have to see me like this. I've just been feeling pretty shitty these past few days."

"Okay," Katsuki frowned, "I can see that you're not feeling well. But why?" He extended out his hand to help prop you to your feet but you merely shook him off, pressing your back closer to the wall. Realizing you weren't about to go anywhere, he slunk down to the floor, sitting cross-legged before you.

"I'm pretty sure you've already realized this by now, but I'm not a patient guy." Katsuki was furrowing his brows at you, fingers gripping down onto the fabric of his pants. "Something's been bugging you for a long-ass time, I can tell. And I'm not buying your excuses anymore. We're gonna sit here, however long it takes, and you're gonna fucking tell me what the hell is going on with you."

But what if I don't want to tell? you thought, already wiping away a slow-rolling tear. Admittedly, you didn't have much of a choice. When Katsuki set his mind to something, there was nothing—and no one—that could keep him from getting what he wanted. It was just scary, coming clean with a reveal as big as this.

It felt like this was the last conversation the two of you would ever have.

"So?" Katsuki prodded, eyes flickering with impatience. He watched as you nibbled on your bottom lip. "Are you gonna tell me, or what? And what's your fuckin' problem right now? Why the hell are you looking at me as if you're scared shitless?"

"Because you are scary," you mumbled softly.

"I'm not—what?" He stared back at you, stunned to silence. You'd never seen him look quite so lost for words before. The sensation of bile was climbing up your throat again. "How the fuck am I scary? Is that actually—hey. [Name]," he glowered, "Is that actually how you fucking see me?"

You shuffled your feet against the floor, bringing your knees up flush against your chest. You gave him a slow nod. "Yes. I feel nervous to say things around you at times. It freaks me out, imagining the ways in which you'd react."

"...Wow."

It was the only thing he said. His expression was still sweltering with a mixture of bewilderment and irritation. You hadn't even actually told him what was bothering you, and already he looked as though he was on the verge of exploding.

"You're so full of shit, you know that?" He was glaring at you now, jaw clenched. "All the times you told me that I was a "nice" guy, and you felt "happy" to be around me—so that was all a big fucking joke, huh? You're still convinced I'm some monster who's not good enough for you."

You shook your head. "I'm not scared of you in the sense that I think you'll lash out and hurt me, but sometimes I really do feel anxious around you. It feels like I can't speak my mind without you being upset with what I've said. You're a headstrong person—and I respect that—but it honestly feels like you're not willing to take into account anything that anyone says, if it doesn't happen to coincide with your own opinion." You squeezed down on your knees. Your hands felt clammy and cold. "I'm just saying," you breathed out, "I don't feel as if I can be 100% honest around you and share how I truly feel, because I'm always worried that you'll take things the wrong way and get angry in a second."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "So I can't handle your words; I'll just lose my shit and overreact every time you wanna speak your mind. That's what you're trying to tell me right now."

"That's not—you see that? You're doing it right now. You're getting riled up and misinterpreting my words."

"Just cut the crap," he snapped. "I'm not an idiot, you know. I can see that you're trying to avoid the topic at hand. Yeah, okay—I'm "scary", or whatever. I'm so fuckin' scary, and that's why you get nervous trying to tell me shit. But you still haven't actually told me what's been bothering you. I can bet that you didn't just start bawling your eyes out thinking about how "terrifying" I am."

You swallowed thickly. He was right, of course. No matter how intent you were on doing so, it wasn't as if you could hide the issue from him forever.

"What's been bothering me is this—" You gestured back and forth between the two of you. "It has to do with our relationship, or whatever you want to call it."

Katsuki clicked his tongue. "Yeah, and? I could already fucking tell it was about that. I'm asking you what specifically is bothering you."

"It's—ugh. God..."

You slumped your head forward, wanting nothing more than to bury it in between your knees and pretend like you weren't even here. Your heart was beating spasmodically now; it felt ready to burst out from between your ribcage any moment. Katsuki's watchful gaze was only becoming more and more intrusive. It felt like you were suffocating, and the words just wouldn't come out.

You wanted them out; gone. You wanted the weight to be finally lifted off your chest, and—

"Would you believe me if I said that my soulmate mark was fading?"

Silence.

There, I said it.

You inhaled sharply, digging your nails into the exposed skin of your thighs. You were still facing straight down, [e/c] orbs staring at the dirt-smeared floor. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a tile that was out of place. You had the sudden urge to reach out and try to force it back into place. It looked lost; pitiful, even. It reminded you of yourself.

"...Show me," Katsuki finally managed. You jolted upright, eyes widening. You were trying to string together an appropriate response, but the blonde had already begun tugging at the fabric of your uniform. You shuddered when he pulled down the hem of your skirt, revealing your left hip. And the fading mark.

He didn't say anything at first. You yourself were frozen in place, warily eyeing his expression; searching for any changes. There was nothing to see—literally. You'd never quite seen him with an expression so blank and devoid of emotion. His crimson eyes were affixed to the point on your hip; to the scraggly, disappearing words.

You inhaled. "Katsuki—"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" It hadn't taken long for his features to morph into sheer, unbridled acrimony. "That fucking—your writing's smeared. How the fuck does something like that happen? I know for a fact that those shitty marks don't disappear, no matter how much you rub at them."

So he's tried to get rid of his own before.

His words stung a bit, but you weren't surprised, considering how much he'd been opposed to the whole soulmate arrangement at the start. Knowing him, he'd probably loathed having a marking all his life; he'd taken it a sign of weakness, no doubt.

"Does that mean that—is mine fading, too??" Katsuki hurriedly tugged at his shirt. He shifted his belt aside just a smidge, enough to confirm that his writing was still intact. You knew you didn't imagine the sigh of relief he let out.

"I know it's a lot to take in so suddenly," you began, "That's why I was so scared to tell you in the first place. With all the things I've heard and read...I've been terrified, Katsuki-kun. No matter where I look to for answers, all I hear is that this isn't good news."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I-it's just...not good." You hugged your knees to your chest, still averting his gaze. "I heard from a friend of mine that he witnessed something terrible go down—between two soulmates that he'd met. Their marks started fading away, and then they both started getting incredibly sick. They were forced to miss more and more classes, and eventually..."

Katsuki's voice was as rough as sandpaper. "What?"

"They p-passed away," you finally managed, shuddering involuntarily. "I read up on this on websites and essentially every source I could find. A lot of the times, a fading mark means that one of the partners—or both—is about to have something really terrible happen to them. That's why I've been so scared to tell you; the whole thing is frightening beyond belief."

"You think one of us is gonna die?" Katsuki reinstated. He looked more baffled than worried. "Are you fucking delusional or what? Just because this happened to a couple of other people, you automatically assume the same shit's gonna happen to us, too?"

"I-I didn't say it was for certain!" you protested. "But it's a terrifying thought! I have yet to meet anyone else with a soulmate bond, so the fact that I have literally no one to go to for help has just been making me crazy...! I'm losing my mind going through all the possibilities!"

"You do know someone else with a soulmate bond."

"What...?"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "You know me, dumbass. I should've been the first fucking person you came to with this shit, but instead you decided to hide it from me, like the selfish piece of shit you are. Regardless of what happens, this affects both of us, clearly. And you still insisted on trying to deal with it all on your own. No shit you were gonna drive yourself crazy."

"How could I have possibly told you? Was I supposed to go up to you one day and casually mention the fact that one of us could very well die soon??"

"Neither of us is going to die," Katsuki gritted out. "And you're an idiot for buying into that shit."

"How the hell do you know?!"

He chuckled humorlessly. "You're right. I know almost nothing about this soulmate crap, and I never cared enough to learn. But what I do know is that of all the people you tried to reach out to, I should've been your first. We're supposed to be in this shit together; partners or whatever garbage you wanna call it. I'm the only other person who this concerns, and still, you decided that you'd keep this from be and turn it into one big, messy secret. I might not know much," he muttered, "But I know I'm right about this."

You went silent. Your cheeks were burning, both from shame and frustration. You couldn't refute anything that he was saying. You knew he was right. He should've been the very first person you went to—if not to get to the bottom of it, then at least for comfort and reassurance. You'd been selfishly withholding important information, purely because you were too scared to address the issue at hand.

I'm a coward, you thought, wiping at your gritty cheeks. I've only been making the situation worse for the both of us, and now we're here.

"How long?"

"Sorry...?"

You frowned, surprised to hear Katsuki speak up again. He was staring at you, eyes lidded. He looked angry and defeated all at once.

"How long ago did you find out?" he asked monotonously. "When did you first notice that the writing was fading away?"

Your limbs went stiff. It was all coming back to you now. Right after the Sports Festival, before the internships, before you'd gone over to Katsuki's place to study. So then...

"A few...weeks," you mumbled quietly. His brows arched almost immediately.

"Weeks??!" he cried out, eyes bulging out of their sockets. "You led me along by my fucking nose for weeks without telling me this shit?!"

You parted your lips, but he'd already stood up, glaring daggers down at you. With his sturdy frame towering above your feeble own, the situation felt that much more intimidating.

Katsuki scowled. "You know, you talk a lot of shit about how I'm scary and shit, but you're not such a fucking angel yourself. Instead of coming to me with your problems, your solution is to fucking hide and pretend like there's nothing wrong. As if that's gonna make the issue disappear."

You balled up your fists. He wasn't wrong, of course, but it still made your chest feel hot. You were already having a hard enough time as it was; you weren't in the mood to have your mistakes thrown back in your face. You stood up to face him.

"I was scared," you muttered. "Yes, I realize I messed up by not going to you right away, but it doesn't take away from how frightening this whole situation is. You—aren't you even somewhat worried? You're glossing over it and acting as if you're totally unaffected, but some really fucked up stuff could happen. And we don't even know when or how!"

"Only an idiot would worry about something that hasn't even happened yet." He watched your eyes widen and merely scoffed. "When a problem arises, you deal with it—that's all there is to it. And yet you're making yourself sick with grief, trying to imagine all the fucking possible outcomes."

You bit down on your lip. One part of you was tempted to just turn on your heel and run away, as far from this situation as possible. You realized just how cowardly that sounded, but you couldn't deny its appeal. It was just like Katsuki said—when a problem came up, you would have to deal with it. It was pointless to rack your brain and try to imagine the worst, when it hadn't even happened yet. This was frustrating, too; knowing that in spite of all his lack of self-control and shortcomings, he was still able to be more mature about you on this topic.

You began to feel increasingly upset. You had the sudden urge to try and hurt him.

"Recovery Girl told me that a fading mark generally signifies that the relationship isn't meant to be," you blurted out. It didn't take long for Katsuki's eyes to widen. He now looked genuinely concerned.

"...What?"

You knew you should have stopped yourself, but you were acting purely out of emotion now. "When a soulmate's mark begins to fade away, it could mean that there was some sort of miscalculation. The relationship wasn't as secure as previously thought; both partners—or at least one—aren't happy with the other. That's why the writing begins to fade. Because there's no future to be had."

The top of Katsuki's brow had begun to crease, but not out of anger. His eyes were dim and crestfallen. You thought you heard him whimper.

"So you don't fucking like me," he muttered bitterly. "That's why all this is happening."

He lifted his head, seeming to implore you with his gaze. It was as if he wanted you to reassure him that he was wrong; he needed to hear from your own mouth that it wasn't so. Your chest felt tighter now. You wanted to put him at ease, to stop him from hurting.

But still, you hesitated.

"I do," you finally managed, forcing a smile. "Of course I like you. I just think that...some things aren't right between us. We suck at communicating with one another, and that's why—"

"You're lying," Katsuki grimaced.

"What? I'm not—"

"Yeah," he muttered, "You are. It's like what you just said. My mark is just fine; yours is the only one that's fading away. Because you're not happy with me, isn't that right?"

You paused, warily scanning him down. You knew that whatever you would say from this point onward had to be very calculated. Already, he looked on the verge of tears.

"It's not...as clear-cut as 'like' or 'dislike'," you sighed. "Katsuki-kun...at the beginning, I'm pretty sure you really hated my guts." You paused, searching for a shift in his expression. He didn't budge. "Well...that was at the start," you continued, "But at some point, you seemed to accept the notion of us being soulmates. I thought I would be happy about it, but it just felt like that was the only thing you saw me as—your soulmate. Not [Name]; not the person I was. I think you started off by being strongly opposed to soulmates, but as time went by, you became okay with it. You seemed to want to be with me more, but only because of that. Only because I was your soulmate. That's why I was so terrified to tell you this." You clenched your fists, shoulders trembling. "I thought...you would stop caring for me the second you found out. Because if I'm not your soulmate, then I'm nothing. It felt like you didn't like me, but the idea of being with me. If that makes sense."

Katsuki's eyes lifted. He finally broke his silence.

"That's the single most idiotic thing I've ever heard in my entire fucking life."

You had to do a double-take, unsure you'd heard him correctly. His words hurt. This had been the most genuine thing you'd ever said to him; your bravest display of honesty and vulnerability. And he'd just thrown your words back in your face, just like that.

And he wonders why I can't speak my mind around him.

"You really are full of shit," Katsuki spat, "Trying to tell me what my feelings are. Coz suddenly you know exactly what's going on in my mind, hm? You've got a second, telepathic Quirk you haven't ever told me about?"

"No, but I'm—"

"You're lying through your fucking teeth, is what you're doing. God, and to think that I was dumb enough to actually try for you!" Katsuki brought his palm up against the side of his head. His fingers began mercilessly tugging at his ashen blonde roots. It must've hurt, but he didn't show it.

"S-stop that," you urged, extending out your hands. "Katsuki-kun, I understand that you're upset, but don't do what you're—"

"I'VE HEARD ENOUGH OUT OF YOU!!!"

The cry surprised you, even though you should've expected something like this. You took a hurried step backwards, swallowing hard in an attempt to cut off a fresh wave of tears. You could feel them prickling and stinging at the corners of your eyes, threatening to overflow any second.

Katsuki pulled his hand back, withdrawing strands of hair between his fingers. "Just be quiet," he rasped. "I don't need to hear you try and tell me the way I feel about you. Clearly, you don't fucking know. Clearly, you have no idea how incredibly fucking difficult it is for me to tolerate anyone—let alone romantically. You just...do you seriously think I would've let you hang around me if I didn't fucking like you?!" he cried out. "Soulmate or not—if you were a shitty person that pissed me off, I would've kicked you to the curb a long time ago. You think I would've blown all my fucking cash on a dress for you, if I didn't care? Fucking seriously??"

You stood as still as a statue. You wanted to cry.

"I wouldn't have fucking called you after I heard all the news about the Hero-Killer," he gritted out. "Not if I didn't give half a shit about you. I would've done fuck-all; I wouldn't have bothered to see you. I wouldn't have—" He hurriedly scanned the halls, cheeks reddening. "I wouldn't have kissed you if this was all bullshit, like you claim it is. I'm not the type of person who can fake the way I feel. But I guess you don't have any problem doing that."