You and Katsuki enjoyed a lovely day together.

It could've been because of the comfort you'd found in Hana's words, but you'd been in high spirits to begin with, and some time alone to yourselves like this had really turned out to be something you needed. You ate your sweets, walked around the park, laughed about silly, mundane things, and then it was finally time to head back to the dorms.

"Awe," you sighed, stepping through the building's front door. "I was hoping today would never end."

Katsuki's eyes softened. "I know. It's fine. We'll go out another time soon, okay?"

You smiled, giving him a cheery nod. Most of your classmates were hanging out in the communal area, like usual, and Kirishima grinned as he saw the two of you making your way over. He waved and gestured for you to take the free spot beside him. You turned to beckon Katsuki forth as well, but blinked upon realizing that he'd already disappeared. You looked around the room and eventually spotted him.

He was talking to Izuku.

Why would he...?

You crinkled your brows. Katsuki avoided the freckled boy like the plague, so you were more than taken aback to see him going out of his way to speak to him. It didn't seem like he was yelling, either. Only a few words were exchanged, and then Katsuki walked away, leaving a wide-eyed Izuku stunned to silence. You wondered what had been said there. You wondered if it would be okay to ask.

"[Name]-chan, Bakugou, how was your date?" Kirishima asked. His eyes were glistening like a newborn's. You almost laughed. It was cute how much he cared.

"It was good," you replied with a smile. Katsuki of course told the rest of them to "fuck off", but by this point, hardly anyone was ever fazed by his brash remarks. You took a seat beside Kirishima—he'd saved the perfect space for you and Katsuki—and turned your attention to the TV. It seemed like they were watching newsreels and the like; highlights of the latest break-ins and hero escapades. You felt Kirishima shift beside you.

"Uh... [Name]-chan?" Kirishima looked up at you from underneath his lashes, a rosy tint speckling his cheeks. "Could I, um—" He coughed, dropping his voice to a whisper. "I mean... do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Hm? Yeah, sure. Of course."

Kirishima's eyes flickered towards Katsuki, who was staring listlessly at the television with an apathetic expression. He looked back at you, as if having ascertained the former wasn't listening in.

"Last night... did you and Bakugou, uh... well... y'know..."

Your face exploded into streams of crimson. Kirishima muttered an apology under his breath, but you shook your head, trying to compose yourself. You remembered bumping into him in the morning, after all. It wasn't the first time you'd slept in Katsuki's dorm, but he must've been able to tell...

Cheeks still blistering with heat, you meekly nodded your head. Kirishima's lips curved into an oval.

"O-Oh, wow, that's..."

"If possible, I don't want to talk about it," you admitted. "It's pretty embarrassing."

"No, of course...! Sorry, it was really inappropriate of me to have asked in the first place... I was just curious. Um, but... that's good!" he chuckled hoarsely. "I mean... the two of you are a good couple, so I'm glad that you're serious enough about each other to do that."

"Y-Yeah..."

He wasn't wrong. You couldn't imagine yourself sharing that level of intimacy with anyone but Katsuki. In a way, you supposed it was good, that your bond was so strong.

"This shit's boring," Katsuki muttered suddenly. He stood up from the couch, dusted off his pants, and turned to leave. "I'm tired. Gonna go to sleep."

"Katsuki-kun?"

You had spent nearly the entire day together, and it made sense that he'd be tired, but still. You didn't know quite how to put it, but looking back on the day, and how happy he'd been then compared to now... somehow, something felt off.

"Sorry, Kirishima-kun." You smiled apologetically, turning to follow Katsuki. "We'll catch up some more later, okay?"

"Oh. Yeah, for sure."

Ignoring some of your classmates' grumbles and whines of disappointment, you skirted down towards the hallways. Katsuki was striding forward, hands shoved down his pockets, muttering inaudibly.

"Katsuki-kun!" you called again, making him stop in place. You stepped beside him, searching his expression for some sign of what was going on. The mark on your hip was throbbing again, the way it had countless times in the past. He looked troubled, upset. "Please tell me what's going on," you pleaded.

He didn't meet your gaze for a few moments, instead allowing it to trail to the ground. When he finally looked you in the eyes, your heart did a pang. He wasn't angry, or irritated.

He just looked incredibly sad.

"What happened?" you croaked, cradling his cheek with your palm. "If I did something to upset you today, I apologize. I would just really like to know what it was..."

Katsuki chuckled humorlessly. "You didn't do anything. Of course you didn't do anything wrong. You shouldn't be so quick to try and take the blame."

"I'm just—"

"Something's been on my mind," he muttered grimly. "For a long time, actually. Before you start getting into your head, let me just clarify that it has nothing to do with us. It's my problem, and getting you involved would be a shit move on my part, but..."

"But?"

"But I kind of want to tell you," he breathed out. His shoulders slumped, the bridge of his nose quivering just so. "I know I probably shouldn't. I definitely shouldn't. I shouldn't, but... I don't know. If it's you, it'll be okay, right? Tell me it'll be okay, [Name]. Please."

You didn't know what to say. You had no idea what was weighing on him so heavily, but it had apparently been the case for quite some time, and you hadn't even noticed? That right there felt like a punch straight to the gut. If Katsuki said it was something serious, then you'd no doubt it was. Maybe he was right, and it wasn't your place to get involved. Maybe if you got involved it would be pointless, dangerous, unethical—you had no idea, but he wouldn't keep secrets from you unless he absolutely had to.

Maybe it wasn't your place to know, but it was your place to care.

"You can tell me anything, Katsuki-kun." You stroked his cheek, smiling gently. "If it's too painful, I understand, but I'll be here for you no matter what. I want to know everything about you, the way you know everything about me. It's okay if it's difficult. I'll still support you as best I can. That much I can promise, okay?"

Katsuki's chin quivered. He leaned forward, nestling his head in the crook of your neck. He stood there, absolutely still. You brought a hand down to rest in the scruff of his ash blonde locks. He inhaled by your ear.

"You know how Deku said he got his power from someone else?"

Oh. He did say that, you remembered. You remembered because it was the first actual conversation you'd ever had with Katsuki—just after the trial of battle, when he was arguing with Izuku outside. You definitely recalled your friend declaring something along those lines. And back during the Quirk Assessment, you'd heard Katsuki muttering on and on about how Izuku was supposedly "Quirkless", or something like that.

After a pause, you nodded. "I remember him saying that, yes. I didn't overhear much, but it was back near the beginning of the school year, after our battle trial."

"And you know I went to school with that shithead before, right?"

"Uh... well, yes. He told me that you'd known each other since kids."

"I did." Katsuki's hand moved to bear down on your hip. He was applying too much force, and it hurt, but you remained still, just running your fingers through his hair. "[Name], I... I knew that asshole ever since I was four years old, and he never had a Quirk. It didn't manifest on time, he didn't have it as a kid, and he definitely didn't fucking have one all throughout middle school. I remember him spewing bullshit about wanting to get into U.A, just like me. Of course, I thought there was no damn way for someone who was Quirkless to do that, but then he actually did get in. He got in. Him."

Katsuki squeezed you tighter. You still didn't move.

"Not only did he fucking get in, but he beat me, during that trial of battle. Him, of all people, actually managed to score a win against me. He won, and he unleashed this massive power! I couldn't believe my fucking eyes! How in the hell did he—when he was just—?!"

Katsuki inhaled sharply, trying to reclaim his breath. You didn't stop stroking his hair. You were sure your hips would bruise with how tightly he was gripping you, but you didn't care. He was shaking in your arms right now. He was trembling so violently you would've though he'd seen a ghost. This was something terribly important to him, something that had left an impact for years upon years and instilled a bitterness and hatred for someone that couldn't even be described in words.

He'd told you he loved you. He'd shown you another side to him; a vulnerability that he'd no doubt ever shared with anyone else, but there was still more. Even with how much your relationship had developed, he'd almost never gone into detail about his past with Izuku. He'd only ever scratched the surface of it. He'd never gone further, deeper, and revealed the festering wound in its entirety. You could only imagine how much this was hurting him, looking back on every moment that had fueled his bitterness and rage.

"He never had a Quirk," Katsuki finally continued. "You have to believe me when I tell you this. No one was more fucking surprised than me; no one was angrier than me when I found out that he actually had something—but not just something—intense, destructive power, and power that just kept on growing and growing. To see that happen... how in the fuck was I not supposed to lose my shit? And now, even with the provisional license exam. He passed, and I failed. He beat me again, for the hundredth goddamn time...!"

"He didn't beat you," you tried. "He might've passed, but it was only circumstance, and you'll get another chance—"

"He beat me, [Name]. He did, and how do I fucking know it? Because that power of his, it's not... he..." Katsuki sucked in another breath of air. He finally pulled back to look you dead in the eyes. "You can't tell anyone what I'm about to say. You can't tell a living soul, you got me? I shouldn't even be telling you right now, but I just couldn't—I couldn't handle handling this all on my own. You're the only other person who's allowed to know, [Name]. You're the only person in the world I trust."

The only one.

How long had you been waiting to hear those words, to feel the extent of his love for you? It had been just the opposite at the beginning. He refused to share anything with you—his pain, his sorrow, his ambitions, his happiness...

But now you were the only person in the world whom he'd entrust with such a secret.

"I'm gonna tell you, but you have to promise to—wait, why the fuck are you crying?!"

"Sorry," you laughed, wiping away at your misty eyes. "I'm just so happy. I can't even put into words how happy I am right now. Knowing that you're willing to rely on me means the world, it truly does."

"This is why you're so..." Katsuki clenched his jaw. A small smile pulled on his lips. "Fuck's sake. At least I know I'm making the right decision."

And so, he told you. He told you everything, from the very start. All of his suspicions going forth, stemming off of Izuku's declaration. The way those creatures were found wielding multiple Quirks, All For One's ability to steal powers, and, of course...

The Symbol of Peace's flame being extinguished.

"It looked as though he'd been losing his powers for some time," Katsuki muttered bitterly. "From the very start, Deku was awfully close with All Might. It seemed like favoritism or some shit at first, but then I thought long and hard about it, and realized just how similar their powers really were. When he stepped down as the Symbol of Peace, my theory had all but been confirmed. I spoke to Deku about it earlier, too."

"You told him you knew about his powers?"

"No, not exactly." Katsuki shifted on his foot, expression heavy. "I told him we needed to talk about his powers, but I didn't go into the specifics. By now, I'm sure that asshole must already have a clue, but still. I have no intention of backing down."

Backing down...?

Your chest tightened. This wasn't just meant to be a confession, was it? He was plotting something. Something you were sure you wouldn't approve of.

"I told him to come out after hours," Katsuki went on. "I'm going to meet him outside, and we're going to fight."

"You're going to... fight."

It hurt, but you couldn't say you were surprised. Katsuki wasn't good with words. The best he could do was put his feelings into action.

"Why do you need to fight him?" you asked.

"Because," he rasped, "I need to see for myself why in the fuck All Might chose someone like him. I need to understand it, because if I don't, I actually might go insane. I want him to fight me with all his strength, and I want it to be all-in, without anyone to stop us." His eyes narrowed. "So, [Name], you're—"

"I won't stop you."

He stiffened, evidently caught off-guard. You lowered your head to the ground, smiling wistfully.

"From what you've told me, it's clear that this is something that needs to happen. In order for you to obtain some form of closure. Obviously, I don't approve, but... if it needs to happen, I don't intend to stand in your way. I know this is important to you."

"[Name]..."

In an instant, you'd been entrapped by Katsuki's arms. He was still shaking, though not as violently as before. This must've really been terrifying for him. He must be dreading receiving the answers, and laying everything on the line. Knowing that his rival been chosen by All Might instead of him... you couldn't imagine how much this had been eating him up from the inside.

"You can fight him, just don't get yourself killed," you laughed. "I know you're always going off telling people to die, but at least promise me this won't end in casualties."

Katsuki snorted. "I don't want to make a promise I have no intention of keeping."

"Hey."

"Alright, fine."

You broke away from the hug, eyes softening. "I know this isn't going to be easy, Katsuki-kun, but please try to remember that you're no less than anyone. You're amazing, and I mean it when I say this. You're the most amazing person I know, so just... I want you to be proud of how far you've come. That's all."

He pressed his lips together. "Okay."

"Be safe out there."

"I know."

"I'll be up all night now because you've told me this."

"I know."

"And, Katsuki-kun?"

"Yes?"

You grinned. "Go win."

Katsuki's eyes widened. Before long, he was smiling.

"I intend to."