Sunlight trickled in through the blinds, and you awoke with Katsuki cradling you flush up against his chest. You heard movement, then a soft sigh. His crimson eyes were open, affixed to your frame.

"Morning, babe." Katsuki's lips shifted into a small smile. "You feeling a bit better today?"

"Yeah... a lot better, actually."

Last night had been a hellish fever dream, one you'd been desperately trying to break free from. But it was over now. The mark was finally gone, and the two of you were just as you'd always been. This test, trial, or whatever it had been, it was over now. For good. And...

"I love you."

You'd been half-asleep, but you knew you hadn't imagined hearing those words, in that low, gravelly voice. You flushed without even realizing it, rolling over and clutching the blanket up to your nose.

Katsuki had said those words, to you. He wasn't the type to say things he didn't mean—you knew him far too well by now to think that. He'd actually said those words, the very same words that been bubbling, festering in your chest and begging for escape. You never thought he'd even say it, let alone say it first.

"[Name]?" Having taken note of your silence, Katsuki leaned over to get a better look at your face. You blushed deeper and held the blanket up so that most of your expression remained obscured. "The hell are you doin'? Hiding from me, aren'tcha?"

Without warning, he ripped the blankets away from you, earning a frantic squeak in response. Katsuki chuckled to himself, immediately pouncing onto you and pulling you into a bear hug. You felt his lips kiss the edge of your jawline, a moment before he began blowing raspberries straight into your neck.

"S-Stop!" you squealed, giggling and flailing your limbs out in protest. "Katsuki-kun, stop it! I-I'm ticklish! I'm super ticklish there...!"

He grinned. "You're cute, is what you are. I wish I could just eat you up on the spot."

Your temples flushed a blistering shade of scarlet, but Katsuki's grin merely widened. He pressed on with the onslaught of sloppy kisses and nips he was attacking your neck with. Your stomach heaved along with each burst of laughter, the likes of which were making your sides ache. You were out of breath by now, but your heart felt pleasantly full. The boy pinning you down was chuckling at his victory, cheeks red and eyes alight. You thought back to the marking, the writing of yours that had disappeared, and your first words to him.

It really is amazing when he smiles. Even after all that, I don't think I'd go back and change what I said to him that first time.

"Katsuki-kun," you started, "I—"

"I love you," he blurted, making your breath all but hitch in your throat. Katsuki swallowed hard. You could feel his fingers trembling against your wrists. "I thought, maybe, you didn't hear me when I said it last night , so... uh..."

You nodded hurriedly, unable to utter a response.

"Oh, well, great," he coughed. "That's g-great. I just... I know it's a lot, and I obviously don't expect for you to say it back or anything, I just wanted to... make sure you knew. Yeah. I just want you to know, that's all."

He smiled, and you could tell it was genuine. You wanted to tell him, more than anything, but you'd promised yourself you'd wait until it felt right. Until you were ready—not because you were worried that he needed to hear it back, or that it was the last time you'd ever see him. You didn't want those fears to act as your motivation anymore. You didn't want to live so afraid of making others unhappy, or not being who they wanted you to be.

If being with Katsuki had taught you anything, it was that you needed to start living for yourself from here on out. Your own emotions, your own wants. You would try being more honest about them going forward.

"I'm really happy," you smiled, cradling his cheek with your palm. "Thank you, Katsuki-kun, for telling me. I'm sure it wasn't easy, so this really means the world to me."

"Yeah?" He breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright. Shit, 'cause... I didn't know if you'd heard me the first time, so... to be honest, I didn't get any damn sleep last night over this."

You laughed. "I did."

"I know, loser. I could hear you snoring."

"What—?! I-I don't even snore!"

"You did this time."

"Stop lying!"

Katsuki chuckled and pulled you in closer. You smiled against his chest, letting your arms fall around his broad back. He was warm, like always—almost unbearably so, but you'd since come to crave this warmth in a way you hadn't even known was possible. When he held you this tight, it felt like you were melting into his embrace, time and space a mere concept.

"We gotta start getting dressed soon," Katsuki mumbled, a tinge of reluctance in his voice. You sighed and nodded begrudgingly.

"Do you think... Aizawa-sensei found out about last night?"

"Doubt it. Kirishima should've taken care of it. If not, I'm seriously gonna bash that guy's head in."

"You shouldn't talk that way about your friends, Katsuki-kun."

He pressed a quick peck on your forehead, pulling away with a coy smile. "If I can't trust him to take care of shit like this, then he's not exactly worthy of being my friend, is he?"

You knew he didn't mean it, so you smiled again. Katsuki slowly relinquished his hold on your waist, and you both pulled up from the bed, Katsuki already in the process of ripping off his shirt to change. You bid him a quick goodbye and retreated towards your own room to get dressed for classes. As you waded through the halls, a familiar pain nipped at your left hip.

You frowned, sure you'd just been imagining it.

—

Morning classes unveiled much like always, but you didn't miss the concerned glances coming your way from Kirishima and Shouji alike. Considering your breakdown last night, you supposed that was a given. You'd have to properly explain what had happened, but it didn't look like any of your other classmates—and thankfully, Aizawa—had heard the news. Your friend had done a good job of keeping it under wraps.

Now, during lunchtime—

"Did you guys hear some screaming last night?"

You swallowed. Ashido was making her way out the classroom, brows furrowed together in confusion. Tsuyu was just behind her, slowly nodding her head.

"I think... I heard something, alright. Maybe crying, maybe groaning. In the middle of the night. It woke me up for a bit, but then I fell right back asleep."

"Really? That's odd."

"Oh, jeez... what if the dorms have a ghost trapped within their walls??"

"Don't be stupid, Kaminari."

"Kaminari's always being stupid, though."

"EH?!"

Katsuki found his way over, gripping you by the hand before your heart could hammer away anymore. He gave you a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry, no one'll find out. It's up to you when you want to tell them—if you even do. Whatever you wanna say, I'll be by your side."

You managed a smile. "Thank you, Katsuki-kun. This whole stigma around soulmates has just been such a hassle... I feel like it's simpler if less people know about what we've been through."

"Again, it's your call. But you're right, we don't owe anyone an explanation."

He began leading you towards the cafeteria so you wouldn't have to listen to everyone's "ghost" theories anymore. Kirishima met you at your table, and Shouji even stopped by momentarily, to ascertain that everything was okay. You smiled and reassured him that you'd just had a very intense, very vivid nightmare. He seemed to believe you, and wished you the best.

"So you're feeling better now, right, [Name]-chan?" Kirishima was eyeing you worriedly. Unlike Shouji, he didn't seem convinced that a mere nightmare had made you bawl like that and throw yourself into Katsuki's arms. You slumped your brows. Ideally, you didn't want others to know, but Kirishima was one of your closest friends.

"My soulmate mark's been fading for a while," you muttered in a hushed-out tone. Kirishima's eyes widened, but he hurried to compose himself, listening attentively. "It had been for a while," you admitted. "Katsuki-kun and I were really worried about it... I'd heard, from various sources, that if your soulmate bond begins fading away, it means that your partner could be in danger of dying. Last night, mine finally faded altogether, so..."

"So you ran over to Bakugou's room because you were worried?" You nodded your head, and Kirishima let out a heavy sigh. "Jeez... that's heavy. I didn't know you guys were dealing with something so serious all this time..."

"It's okay, though. It's all fine now." You glanced to Katsuki with a smile. "It's finally faded, but the both of us are still here, and we're doing great. From the beginning, nothing was guaranteed. We shouldn't have tried to predict what was going to happen and just enjoyed our time in the present."

"That makes sense, but... I feel like most people would be worried, all things considered."

"The point is that we're fine now," Katsuki rasped, downing a swig of his milk. "We're fine, and nothing's every gonna fuck with us again. Right, [Name]?"

You smiled again. "Right."

The three of you turned your attention to the trays of food on the table. You were in between bites of your sandwich when you felt a soft top on your shoulder.

"Er, Todoroki-kun?" you spluttered, hurrying to wipe away at your mouth. "Yes? Was there something...?"

"I heard you crying last night," he stated placidly, both yours and Katsuki's eyes widening in one fell swoop. "I'm a pretty light sleeper," he went on, "and I could recognize it was your voice. I went upstairs to try and see what happened, but I guess you'd already gone back to your room back then." He leaned over your shoulder, eyes gentle. "Would you... tell me what happened? If it's too personal, I understand. I was worried you'd gotten hurt, is all."

Katsuki was pressing you up against his side before you could even blink. "None of your damn business," he snapped. "[Name] wasn't feeling well, so she came to my room. End of story, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't poke your shitty nose where it doesn't belong."

"But why wasn't she feeling well?" Todoroki pressed. "I would really like to know, otherwise—"

"...s-shit!"

You fell from Katsuki's arms, collapsing limply to the floor. The blonde was hovering above you in an instant, his entire body shaking and face so pale it was almost ghoulish. Todoroki and Kirishima followed suit, kneeling closely beside you.

"[Name]! What's wrong?! Talk to me, are you—do you feel dizzy, nauseous, or, or—?"

"I-It hurts...!" you wheezed, veins burning as though they'd been filled with molten lava.

Katsuki propped you up on his lap, carefully cradling the back of your neck. "What hurts, babe?" His eyes sweltered with fear. "[Name], please, tell me what hurts...!"

You hissed, small tears prickling at the corner of your eyes. Your entire body was aflame, but one point in particular was throbbing with unrivaled intensity. Gasping for breath, you moved your fingers and tried to claw at the area by your left hip. The fabric of your uniform obscured the way, but you were in too much pain to pull it aside. It felt like you were running the most dreadful fever of your entire life.

What's happening to me? What's happening—why am I— oh god, don't tell me this is— !

"She's trying to point here," Todoroki breathed out, immediately moving to un-tuck your shirt. Katsuki elbowed him out of the way, eyes glinting murderously.

"Don't fucking touch her."

"I'm just trying to—"

"Well, don't!"

"Alright, jeez...."

Your head lolled backwards, and by this point, you were burning so fiercely that it felt like you were seeing stars. Katsuki was gripping you as gently as he could manage, but you could feel the way his fingers were quivering. Out of fear, or impatience, or both. He lifted the edge of your shirt, shimmying your skirt down just enough so that he had a clear look. You heard his breath hitch.

"There's... writing here, [Name]."

You groaned weakly. "What? No... it's gone. I checked last night. It's gone, I checked—"

"No, I mean, there's new writing here. It's not the same as before. Actually, it's all blurred out so I still can't read what it says, but it looks smaller than the mark you had before."

You shuddered violently. Ever-so-slowly, the burn began to desist, and you could feel your consciousness reforming. It melted away as suddenly as it come, without warning, or explanation. Kirishima helped lift your shoulders as you sat upright. Todoroki offered you a glass of water to drink. You downed it readily, Katsuki's crimson eyes staring into your own, unblinking.

The burn was gone, lingering only, but slightly, upon your left hip. You leaned to the side to see it for yourself.

Katsuki was right. Right there, in the exact same spot where you'd previous mark had been, a new patch had begun settling in. It was smudged, the likes of which you'd been well-accustomed to after having your own fade away, but this one was, in fact, smaller. Smaller, as in, fewer words. Either your soulmate bond was reappearing in chunks, or this was some new writing altogether.

"Come here," Katsuki croaked out, pulling you into a hug almost immediately. His breath was rising and falling uncontrollably. "You scared the shit out of me. Are you okay now? Does it still hurt?"

"N-No." You blinked, [e/c] orbs still affixed to the new lettering. "It was super sudden, and it hurt a lot in that instant, but it's disappeared now. Just this one point, on my hip... it's still throbbing a little, but that's all."

Todoroki and Kirishima were staring at you, brows knit together. A few other students from the cafeteria were also looking in your direction, you noticed. Well, you'd fallen to the floor screaming, after all.

"[Name], you... your soulmate bond disappeared completely?" Todoroki asked. Katsuki tensed from beside you. You'd almost forgotten that time, so overcome with nerves, whereupon you'd thrown yourself into Todoroki's arms and sobbed about your mark fading away.

"Well... yes," you mumbled. "Last night, it did. That's why I was crying—or screaming, or whatever. That. The fear that my bond had disappeared, and that it would mean that Katsuki-kun had disappeared along with it."

"Oh."

He was lost for words, understandably. Katsuki scoffed in the boy's direction and picked you up into his arms, ignoring your cries of protest.

"We've gotta get Recovery Girl to check this out. To tell us if your symptoms are worrying."

"I-I'm fine, though. She won't know what to do when it comes to soulmate bonds. They're erratic, and unpredictable..."

"Well, we're doing it just in case. So that we won't have to drive ourselves insane by worrying all over again, alright?"

You nodded slowly, ignoring all the pointed stares directed your way. The new patch on your skin was hot to the touch, and it would throb ever-so-often. You gingerly pressed your fingers against the illegible words. It hurt, but somehow, it was a comforting warmth.