Maybe it was because you weren't one to get injured often, and you certainly didn't have Izuku's history of requiring Recovery Girl's healing, but for whatever reason, you were surprised to find that all your injuries had practically disappeared by the time you came to. Your head felt a bit heavy; almost as if you'd taken a nap for too long, but other than that, you were fine.

You hesitantly rubbed at your left shoulder—it had healed back into place, and wasn't as sensitive to the touch as you'd expected. Your eyes trailed around the room. Katsuki was lying down in the infirmary bed just beside your own. His eyes were still closed, but you heaved a sigh of relief. He'd regained color in his cheeks and was looking much better than before.

"He should be up soon," a voice called out. You blinked, not even having spotted Recovery Girl huddled in the corner of the room. She smiled gently. "Don't worry, my dear. He's almost good as new."

You nodded hastily. "T-thank you. Seriously, I can't thank you enough."

"Nothing to thank me for. Although I had to reprimand Toshinori for going so hard on you three." She let out a huff, shaking her head despondently. "I swear, that man doesn't know the meaning of holding back. If you're wondering about Midoriya, he walked out not too long ago after I treated him. He's always getting himself hurt," she sighed, "so I suppose he's used to the pain by now. Not that it's a good thing."

"Yeah," you chuckled, "I guess we were all a little desperate this time around."

She smiled again, then fell silent. You noticed her eyes flickering towards your hip, though you could tell she was holding back the urge to ask about your mark. You brushed your hair back, eyes softening.

"It's still fading," you mumbled, "but I'm okay. I'll figure things out as I go. We will, I mean."

"Ah..."

Recovery Girl glanced back towards Katsuki, who was snoring peacefully on the bed. It was such a rare sight to see him with his brows un-furrowed and expression relaxed. He looked so angelic and sweet; you just wanted to curl up beside him and stroke his hair.

"Well, if you kids have figured out what you want to do, then I'm happy for the both of you." She smiled at the sound of Katsuki shifting slightly in bed, rising to her feet and shuffling towards the door to leave you two alone. "He may still be a little tired and disoriented at first, but I'm sure he'll be glad you waited for him to wake up."

The door clicked behind her, and you hummed in affirmation, steadying yourself forward on the edge of the bed to get a closer view at Katsuki's pure, sleeping face. You felt a bit shameless watching him so intently, but you just couldn't help yourself. You were probably one of the few people who'd gotten the chance to see him like this.

"...mmn."

Katsuki shifted across the bedsheets again, this time letting out a low, rumbling noise from the back of his throat. You held your breath, not wanting to wake him. A few moments later, his crimson eyes had opened slightly.

He studied you for a bit, no doubt taking a second to get accustomed to the image before him. You didn't say anything, not until he'd propped himself upright and slumped his back against the wall.

"Hey, Katsuki-kun." You smiled gently, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. "How are you feeling?"

Katsuki blinked groggily, eyelids heavy. "I'm fine."

"It doesn't hurt anymore?"

"Not really."

"That's good," you sighed. "I was worried, you know? You can be pretty reckless sometimes."

"I said I'm fine." He averted his gaze, instead staring down stiffly at the white bedspread. You felt your chest tighten. Of course he'd be like this, after everything that had just happened.

"What about you?" he mumbled softly, still refusing to make eye-contact. "All Might fucked you over, too, I saw. I'm not the only one who bit the dust."

You smiled. That fight couldn't have possibly gone the way he'd envisioned, but he was still worrying about you, even now.

"I'm feeling all better," you reassured, "but thank you for asking. You know...you were really cool out there, Katsuki-kun."

"Eh..?"

Katsuki's eyes widened. He lifted his head, only to find you staring back at him, smiling again. You shuffled closer to him.

"We wouldn't have passed if not for what you'd done," you continued. "Truth be told, I was really scared when I saw how far you were willing to go, but it was still amazing. I know you probably feel upset right now, or bitter, but you really shouldn't. You were incredibly strong."

You leaned in, giving him a quick, chaste peck on the cheek. Katsuki blinked repeatedly, temples flushing in a matter of seconds. You were just as red, if not more.

"S-sorry," you apologized, though you weren't quite sure what for. You still hadn't gotten a hang of all this. Just the thought of kissing him made your face burn every time.

Katsuki blinked slowly.

"...cute."

"Pardon?"

"You're cute," he repeated, pulling you in by the wrist. You let out a soft yelp as you teetered forwards on the bed and fell against his chest. You began to apologize, worried that you may have opened up his wounds again, but he merely shook you off and wrapped his arms around your back.

"C'mon," he prodded, burying his hot face in the crook of your neck, "say more nice shit about me. There's more you wanted to tell me, isn't there?"

"W-what do you mean?" you croaked out. Your hands fell to the sheets, a few fingers gripping Katsuki by the fabric of his costume. You were thankful for the fact that he wasn't looking you in the eyes right now; you were so freaking red. "I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay," you mumbled. "And, um, I guess...I wanted to see you for a bit, as well..."

He tightened his grip. "Why's that, hm?"

"Are you actually gonna make me say it...?"

"No shit. Spit it out, already."

You swallowed, heart beating so fast you were surely on the verge of passing out. Katsuki's breath brushed by your ear. You could've sworn you heard him chuckling to himself.

"I wanted to see you, and talk to you...because I like you. Obviously..."

"Yeah, I know. You're clingy like that."

"Wha—?!" You forcibly pushed him back by the chest, brows furrowed and cheeks puffed out. "You're so mean!" you whined. "I take back everything I just said!"

Katsuki bit down on his lip to keep from laughing. He reached out to tousle your hair, grinning shrewdly when you slapped his hand away in an attempt to remain pouty.

"I was just kidding," he mused. "You can say that stuff more, I won't think you're annoying or anything."

"Gee, thanks."

"See? I'm such a nice guy." He watched as you rolled your eyes, then pulled you back into his arms. This time, you didn't resist. You felt his lips brush by your neck.

"I like you, too...[Name]."

—

Eventually, the other matches finished up, which meant that you were free to change out of your costumes and head home for the day.

Sero, Ashido, Satou, Kaminari, and Kirishima had all failed.

You felt really bad for the five students—especially your red-haired friend. It sucked most of all because he'd endured Katsuki's hellish tutoring in order to pass the written exam, and now he'd flunked out of the practical one. You were upset not only on their behalf, but also because you knew this meant that they wouldn't be allowed to come along for the training camp.

I guess there's definitely worse things that could've happened. We were pretty close to not passing, as well...

You decided to just count your blessings, and made a mental note to fill your friends in on everything once you got back from camp. Now, you just wanted to go home and take a long nap.

"We're walkin' home together," Katsuki announced, standing outside the classroom once you'd changed back into your uniform.

"Oh." You smiled, hurriedly nodding your head. "Yeah, okay. Let's go to the station together."

"Not just to the station." He turned on his heel, already in the process of walking down the hall. "I'll drop you off at your place."

"Ah, but—"

Your house isn't even all that close to mine...

Katsuki glanced back over his shoulder, brows arched. You stood there for a moment, eventually shaking your head and smiling once more.

"Nevermind," you brushed off, "let's head home then."

He scoffed, muttering something about how indecisive you were, but you were too happy to pay it much notice. Your fingers hesitantly reached towards his own, but you snapped them back in a hurry, blushing at the thought of another classmate seeing the two of you hold hands.

As the two of you passed by the lockers, you stopped. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and an all-too-familiar smirk.

"Monoma-kun!" you called out, scrambling after the Class-B student. He was picking up his things and just about ready to leave for the day. When he saw you approaching, he stiffened—especially because of who was with you.

"The fuck are you doing?" Katsuki snapped. He buried his hands into his pockets, scowling almost immediately when he saw you standing beside Monoma. "Ah," he said dryly, "it's this asshole again."

Monoma scrunched up his nose, ready to cut back. You hastily shook your head.

"Don't mind him, please. I just came here to apologize to you, Monoma-kun. For everything up until now."

The boy blinked. "Apologize? You...apologize to me?"

"Yes. I was thinking back on it, and I really didn't like the way I lashed out at you, even if it was out of stress and fear. You were just trying to warn me. I shouldn't have yelled at you the way I did."

"O-oh. Alright then," Monoma coughed. "I...accept your apology. And I hope you've been able to accept mine."

"I have," you smiled, "thank you."

Katsuki was staring the two of you down, much more silently than you'd been expecting. He definitely didn't look happy, but you remembered how hostile he'd been the last time with Monoma, and you could tell that he was holding himself back from acting out again.

"Another thing," you smiled, reaching out to grab Katsuki's hand in your own. He stiffened a bit, as did the other blonde, but made no attempt to pull away, not even when you squeezed his fingers and looked back at Monoma. "We've been working on our relationship," you explained. "We finally spoke about the fact that my mark was fading, and even though we had a fight, we were able to figure things out. Right now we're not fixating on all the soulmate stuff; we just want to focus on each other."

Monoma blinked a few times, eyes narrowed in scrutiny. Katsuki still hadn't pulled his hand away, much to your surprise. You didn't think he would've liked to parade around, displaying any signs of affection, but it was pretty much the opposite. His possessiveness made him want to show you off; you felt it in how tightly he squeezed your fingers. This was his way of telling Monoma that you were already taken.

"I'm not going to steal her from you," Monoma snorted, chuckling a bit when Katsuki realized he'd read his mind. "We're only friends, I told you that much before. If [Name] isn't scared anymore, then I'm happy for her. I don't have a soulmate of my own, so I have no idea how I'd handle this situation, but I'm glad that things are starting to work out for her."

You smiled. "Thank you, Monoma-kun."

"Huh?" Katsuki scowled. "You actually buy this shit? It's obvious he fuckin' likes you. He's just pretending that he only wants to be your friend." You let out a weary sigh, parting your lips to protest, but Katsuki was already sticking out his tongue and flipping Monoma off. "Nice try, asswipe. She likes me, and only me. She's way out of your league anyways, so best to give up now."

You gaped at him. "Katsuki-kun! You are so rude!"

"What, so now I can't speak the truth?"

"None of what you said is true! We're just friends, and Monoma-kun is a great guy who'll find a great person!"

"Yeah, sure," he waved off. "Just wanted to make sure he knows it ain't gonna be you."

"Katsuki-kun!"

Monoma watched the two of you shamelessly bicker and flirt, merely rolling his eyes. The boy wondered why he'd even been worried about you in the first place. Clearly, there'd never been anybody else for you other than this guy.

"I've wasted enough time talking to you and your deranged boyfriend," he yawned. "[Name]— I'll see you around."

"The fuck did you just say, asshole?!"

"Adieu!"

With a snap of his wrist, he was off. You remembered that you'd been wanting to ask how his practical exam went, but you supposed you could always find out another time.

"That fucker's annoying as hell," Katsuki grumbled. "You sure you need to hang around a loser like him?"

"He's my friend," you sighed, "so yes—I intend to speak to him every now and then."

He crossed his arms. "You don't need friends that are guys."

"So this is all just you throwing a jealous fit?"

"J-jealous—?!" he croaked. "Who the fuck said I'm jealous?! I just don't want you wasting your time with morons like him...!"

"Right, right." You threw your bag over your shoulder, taking Katsuki's hand in your own again. Whatever hesitation you'd had before was gone now. You didn't care if others saw you anymore. There was nothing to be embarrassed about. After all, you wanted to show him off, too.

"Let's get ice cream on our way home, Katsuki-kun."

He huffed. "Fine. But after that, you have to promise that you'll never speak to that asshole ever ag—"

"No."