"Monoma-kun, how's your training going so far? Did you manage to come up with any special moves?"

He scoffed. "Assuming I had, do you really think I'd let a miserable Class-A student such as yourself in on my progress??"

"I'm not a 'miserable Class-A student', I'm probably one of the closest friends you have."

"Ludicrous!"

"No, it's really not all that hard to believe, given how much you turn people off."

"What was that?!"

You chuckled softly. It was lunch-time, and normally you would've been eating alongside Katsuki and Kirishima, or Uraraka and them, but you already got to see your classmates plenty because of the dorms, and you figured a proper chat with your pretentious blonde friend was long overdue.

"Katsuki-kun's doing great," you mumbled between bites—something that made Monoma scrunch up his nose in disgust. "Well, I guess that's to be expected, though. He's always been a quick learner. Actually, the more time I spend around him, I start to wonder if there's anything he isn't good at..."

Monoma rolled his eyes. "I have no interest in hearing you brag about your boyfriend."

"Huh? I-I wasn't bragging, or anything..."

"You were," he sighed. "Every time you bring him up, your eyes light up and you get this goofy grin on your face. As if you're trying to keep from smiling fully. It's not very lady-like, [Name]."

You puffed out your cheeks, Monoma merely flashing you his trademark conceited smirk in return. You eyed the pudding cup near the edge of your lunch tray and very carefully loaded a bit into your spoon, angled it backwards, and flung it straight towards the unsuspecting male. It settled into the silky strands of his blonde hair. Monoma blinked in confusion, patting at the top of his head and feeling gelatin upon his fingers.

"[Name]!" he shrieked. "What on earth are you doing, you barbarian?!"

You stuck out your tongue. "That was for making fun of me."

"What is wrong with you?! How would you like it if I started chucking food your way?!"

He reached for the edge of his tray, gritting his teeth as if daring you to press him any further. You loaded up your spoon with a piping-hot portion of curry this time—a much more dangerous form of ammunition.

"...what in the fuck are you two morons doing?"

You and Monoma both glanced to the side in unison, only to find Katsuki hovering by the table and looking remarkably unimpressed. Well, that much made sense. You were holding your curry-spoon like a catapult, after all.

"Nothing," you and your friend replied in tandem. You set down your cutlery and smiled. "Come eat with us, Katsuki-kun."

"Hell no."

This time, it was Monoma and Katsuki who'd echoed one another. The blondes glared each other down; your boyfriend bearing a snarl, and the other turning up his nose as if he'd smelled something rotten.

"Tell this guy to screw off," Katsuki snapped. "What happened to us eating together? The hell are you disappearing for without even texting me?"

Monoma smirked. "Oh-ho? I'm sorry, Bakugou... could you please repeat that? It's almost as if you were implying that [Name] needs your permission to do what she wants..."

"The fuck was that?!"

"Can both of you please calm down," you sighed. "Katsuki-kun—I just wanted to eat with him because I can see you and the others all the time at the dorms. I figured I should use lunch-time to meet with my other friends, too."

"Ha!" Monoma chortled. "She's choosing me over you. Hear that, Bakugou?! You've officially lost this—"

"Monoma-kun, shut up already."

The boy hissed through his teeth, but swallowed down whatever acidic remarks he'd prepared. You gestured to the spot beside you at the table. Katsuki glared at both you and Monoma in total silence for a few moments, then, realizing you wouldn't budge, let out a heavy sigh and planted himself down in the seat adjacent to your own.

"Two minutes," he gritted out impatiently. "Two minutes and then this asshole's gone."

"Good lord, you're such a brute."

"Shut it, copy-cat bastard."

You smiled, unwilling to be fazed. The fact that he'd even agreed to stay with Monoma already spoke volumes. Just like with the movies a few days prior—it was subtle, but you didn't fail to take note of the little ways he was making an effort for you.

How sweet.

Katsuki had proceeded to reach across the table and swipe the muffin off Monoma's tray. The boy shrieked like someone had just poked his ribs with a knife. A bit more and they'd start ripping out each other's hair. Well, this had its own merits. Lunch and a show, really.

"Katsuki-kun," you prodded, "tell Monoma-kun about how your special moves are coming along."

Monoma let out a groan. "God, [Name], not this again. I told you, I couldn't care less about your boyfriend's egocentric tales."

You ignored him. "I mentioned it a bit earlier, but what was it called again? The one you'd been focusing on lately? Something... shot...?"

"AP shot," Katsuki grinned, tickled pink by having been granted the opportunity to brag. "I focus the explosion on a single point between my fingers rather than my palms. The destructive power's fucking insane. It can bust through slabs of rock stacked against one another."

"Oh, joy. The perfect skill for a meathead like you."

Monoma forked his beef patty with growing disinterest. You wondered what kind of moves a person like him would be able to even develop, since his Quirk relied almost exclusively on others' powers. You weren't really in a place to judge to begin with. Lately, you'd mostly been focused on expanding upon the parameters of your abilities, though you'd noticed your healing had improved somewhat.

"Well," Katsuki sneered, resting his chin on the back of his hand, "I guess there ain't really shit someone like you can do, besides imitate others. Kinda sad when you think about it."

"Amusing. Have you already forgotten how it felt to receive your own explosions right to the face?"

The Sports Festival still had a ways to go before being put behind them, it seemed. Still, all things considered, it was incredible that the three of you were able to sit together like this right now.

"Here, Monoma-kun. You can have my pudding cup, I'm full."

He narrowed his eyes as you slid it over to his side. "How truly generous of you, considering you'd only just assaulted me with your sticky dessert a few minutes prior."

Katsuki stared. "So why the fuck do you talk like you're an old man?"

"I do not—!"

"You're trying way too damn hard. It's sad."

Monoma's cheeks inflated like a puffer-fish. One second he was seething silently, the next he'd grabbed his meat patty and slammed it right into Katsuki's face. Globs of thick, beefy juice dripped all the boy down the boy's face until the patty fell over and flopped down onto the table.

You hummed.

Yeah, he's screwed.

"YOU SERIOUSLY WANNA DIE TODAY, HUH?!"

If not for U.A's strict policy prohibiting Quirk use and violence outside of classes, you were sure he would've jumped across the table and strangled Monoma right then and there. Even a hothead like Katsuki wasn't that much of a loose—

Nevermind.

"Katsuki-kun," you mumbled between bites, "please stop wringing my friend by the neck."

"This fucker needs to pay!" he screamed, rattling Monoma back and forth hard enough to give him whiplash. Any more and the boy would probably start foaming at the mouth.

"[N-Name]," the blonde croaked out. "P-Please help... me..."

You popped another spoonful into your mouth, smiling brightly.

"Awe, I think he likes you."