Somehow, when you'd first heard about this school trip, being trapped in a forest full of magical beasts wasn't what you'd been expecting.

"They're everywhere," you groaned, massaging your bruised forearm. "Hasn't it already been well over three hours? No chance in hell we're making it back for lunch..."

Aizawa had introduced your class to a surprise pro hero guest group—the Pussycats. It had been nice enough, since they were veterans on the field that pretty much everyone had heard of, but that was before they'd thrown you off a cliff and trapped you down in the forest below with these beast-like creations. You were supposed to make your way through and reach the lodge by noon, but that was already a pipe dream.

"Stay close to me, [Name]." Katsuki was poised in front of you, crimson eyes searching for the next target. There were a ton of these monster things, and they really packed a punch, but mostly they just kept pouring in one after the other. Katsuki's hands had begun to seize up from over-use of his Quirk.

"Thank you," you smiled. "I feel safe with you by my side, Katsuki-kun."

"No shit. Just don't wander off too far, you hear me? It's easy to get lost in this damn forest."

"Ooh, cute," Kirishima teased, grinning up to his ears. "Bakugou's being so overprotective of his girlfriend. What a manly guy."

"Eat shit, hair-for-brains!"

"I was just saying—"

"And I'm tellin' you to eat shit!"

You chuckled wearily. Since you didn't have the most offensive power, you were mostly just supporting people like Katsuki, and helping heal a bit from time to time. Your maneuverability helped to get around those big, lumbering piles of rock. It wasn't all that bad, but you were really freaking hungry.

A few more hours went by, and only then did you reach the lodge.

"Lunchtime, as if," Kirishima groaned, "I seriously thought I was going to starve to death."

Pixiebob giggled from across the field, blonde locks swaying by her eyes. "Sorry, sorry—I meant by our standards."

"Wow, nice humble-brag."

Katsuki gritted his teeth, clamping his palm down on his forearm like a vice. It was seizing up much more intensely now. You eyed him worriedly.

"I could try healing the muscles a bit? So that they calm down?"

"It's fine," he waved off, "nothing I can't handle."

"But it looks like you're in pain."

"Ease off, [Name]. You've been healing me enough already. Don't act like you're not dead tired, too."

You smiled inwardly. He was being gentle and considerate behind that tough bravado, like always. You reached out and pulled his fingers into your own, noting the small flush that rose to his cheeks. The spasms could be felt against your palms, but they seemed to calm down a bit when you gave his hand a squeeze.

"I can't wait to lie down," you sighed, leaning your shoulders against his own. "I'm sleepy. It'd be nice if we could bunk together, like we did last night."

Katsuki snapped his head away in a hurry, blushing deeply. Of course he couldn't have already forgotten the night you'd spent together, sleeping in the same bed. It really was nice. You'd fallen asleep almost immediately, soothed by the presence of his warm body. Obviously, they wouldn't allow co-ed rooming on a school trip, but it was nice to dream...

"Another time," he muttered under his breath. "We'll be able... to do that another time. I-if you still want to."

"I definitely do. I loved it."

"Shit," he cursed, bringing a palm up against his burning temples, "stop it, already. Stop being so fucking cute."

"Hehe, I'm glad you think so."

"Shut up. I'm gonna ignore you now. You're embarrassing me."

"Awe, don't be embarrassed!"

You held his hand tightly, refusing to let go even as Katsuki grumbled about how touchy-feely you were being. He obviously didn't mind. You could feel him squeezing your fingers back.

"Well, regardless," Pixiebob smiled, "you guys still did very well with clearing the forest. There were a few that stood out from the rest, not only in terms of combat ability, but also experience. You four..." She was looking at Izuku, Todoroki, Iida, and Katsuki respectively. Her blue eyes glinted with mischief. "If you're already so strong this early on, I'm excited to see how you'll turn out in the future! I call dibs!"

She was clawing at the air now and shamelessly blowing kisses in the boys' direction. You gaped at her openly. Mandalay mumbled something about how the blonde was getting impatient because she was at the marrying age, but you weren't really listening. You'd grown hot in the face, squeezing down on Katsuki's arm before even realizing it.

"Y-you can't have Katsuki-kun!" you declared, puffy-faced and indignant. "He's already mine!"

"Oh?" Pixiebob blinked twice, scratching at her neck. "I wasn't really—"

"You can't have him, okay?!"

She was a grown woman, and obviously wasn't actually coming onto him, but for some reason, knowing that someone else was looking at Katsuki that way made your chest feel awfully tight. A bunch of your classmates were staring at you now, some of them grinning shrewdly while others chuckled at your little display of possessiveness. It was strange, since you'd both met as soulmates, so you'd never taken the time to think about how others might look at Katsuki that way. Brash personality aside, he was really handsome, so you were sure that people must have liked him before...

That thought just made your chest tighten ever more.

"Shit," a raspy voice chuckled, and you glanced timidly to find Katsuki grinning down at you. "So even you can get jealous, huh? So fucking cute."

"I-I wasn't jealous," you lied.

"Yeah, you were."

"Was not."

"Were too."

"I'm just—whatever," you flushed, biting your lip as you turned away. "What's the big deal? People are allowed to know I'm your girlfriend, right?"

"Awe, babe." Katsuki pulled you into a bear-hug, chuckling by your ear. "Don't be jealous. Especially not over an old hag like her."

"I said I wasn't jealous! I just starting thinking of something unpleasant! Just—s-shut up, already!"

"So cute."

"I said shut up!"

—

The day had been long and arduous, and after having a well-overdue meal and finally getting to unpack your belongings, you couldn't wait to get into the baths.

"Today's been crazy!" Uraraka exclaimed. "I'm seriously pooped!"

You smiled, draping a towel over your body as you tucked away your clothes into the locker. "It's been hard, for sure. I'm pretty excited, though. It's nice to get to take a trip like this with everyone."

She grinned. "You say everyone, but I'm pretty sure you're only referring to one person..."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind! Let's go, [Name]-chan!"

The brunette dragged you along by the wrist, practically jumping into the heated waters. You were tempted to chuckle at her silliness, but a small part of you was giddy just the same. Already, the rest of the girls had stepped inside and were giggling among themselves about one thing or another. You let out a contented sigh, tilting your head back and allowing the water to rush over your unclothed body.

It was nice, peaceful. Studying for heroics was always hectic, so this was nice, for a change. But...

For some reason, I feel like everyone's staring at me...

"So?" Mina grinned, her eyes glinting with mischief, "things are going well between you and Bakugou, huh?"

"Oh..." You cast your head down, blushing faintly. "Yeah. At least, I think so. We only recently started dating, but I think it's been good."

"Talk about an understatement! You two can hardly keep your hands off each other~"

"I-I wouldn't go that far..."

"It's true! Whenever he looks at you it's almost like he's undressing you with his eyes!" Mina pointed towards your chest while making obscene groping motions. "Lucky him, too. You've got curves for days, girl. Lemme touch!"

Uraraka stuck out her tongue and wrapped her arms around your neck. "Sorry, but I'm her second choice after Bakugou-kun."

"Damn, [Name], you've got a side chick and everything! You're set for life!"

You chuckled good-naturedly. Something like this was fun too, every now and then. Your relationship with Katsuki was something you could be proud of, after all. You didn't even think you could properly express to them how happy you felt around him. Yeah, you had it bad.

Most of the girls chimed in about how cute you and Katsuki were together, but Jirou was studying you with a careful gaze. She cleared her throat.

"Um... [Name]? Sorry, I hope you don't think I'm being rude or anything, but... that's a soulmate mark on your hip, right? Or is it just a tattoo?"

Your chest tightened. Uraraka tensed from beside you, and you felt her hand hurriedly grab your own. A sickening sensation was rising through your throat. She hadn't seen that it was fading, had she...?

"K-Katsuki-kun and I are soulmates, too," you replied hastily, earning audible gasps from the rest of your classmates. "We kind of... kept it under wraps, because we didn't want to make a big deal over it, but we decided to try and pursue a normal relationship without worrying too much about the 'soulmate' title. It's just simpler this way. We wanted it to feel less strenuous."

"Oh, I see." Jirou smiled and nodded her head. "Sorry, I was just curious is all. Hope I didn't make you uncomfortable or anything. For what it's worth, I think the two of you really are a good match. You have a way of calming him down, and I don't see anyone else that's able to do that."

"Thank you..."

So she hadn't noticed the fading letters. You couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. That was good. The fewer people that knew, the better. Otherwise it would just become that much more difficult to keep from worrying.

You slunk down further, letting the warm water nuzzle your nose. Your classmates went on chattering among themselves. Uraraka smiled by your side, sighing happily and making small circular motions with her palms atop the water's surface. It was turning out to be a rather pleasant evening, in contrast to the grueling day you'd had.

At least, until you heard the perverse noises coming from the other side.

"On the other side of this wall... lies paradise! For this reason I've trained all this time...! PLUS ULTRAAA!"

You grimaced, looking back at your friends with a scrunched up nose. "Oh, lord. Don't tell me that's—"

"YOU REALLY THINK I'M GONNA LET YOU SEE [NAME] NAKED, YOU LITTLE SHIT?!!"

The small, squelching noises of Mineta scaling the wall were abruptly cut off by a deafening explosion. You could hear the little perv squealing from the other side. Katsuki was yelling out curses at the top of his lungs and pounding his fists into the peeping tom's face.

"Oh, shit!" Mina guffawed. "Your boyfriend's using him as a sandbag! Cheer him on, [Name]!"

You laughed, raising your voice so that the boys could hear you. "Thank you, Katsuki-kun! Appreciate it!"

"No shit! I gotchu, babe!"

Mineta let out what could only have been described as a dying cat noise. The other girls broke out into a fit of chortles. Uraraka's lips curled up into a wry smile.

"Awe, he calls you babe."

"Yeah, yeah."

"You're his babe."

"I got it, already."

"He must really love his babe—"

You grabbed Uraraka by the head and forced her underwater.