You knew transferring into Class 1-A would come with noise. You just didn’t expect him.

U.A.’s most chaotic classroom was exactly what you’d been warned about: intense personalities, occasional flying debris, and quirks going off in all directions. But the one thing your mentor forgot to mention?

Bakugou. Katsuki.

Human megaphone. Walking detonation. Perpetual shouter of things that definitely did not require shouting.

Your quirk, Sonic Sense, made your hearing ten times sharper than a normal person's. Great for detecting whispers, tracking footsteps, or sensing the faintest vibration. Not so great when a blonde with a voice like an explosion decided to scream three desks away.

“DUNCE FACE, STOP BREATHING NEAR ME BEFORE I BLOW YOUR STUPID-LOOKING HAIR OFF!”

You flinched. Hard. The notebook you were writing in jolted as your pen skittered across the page. Your hands instinctively flew up to cover your ears, even though it was too late—the sound had already rung through your skull like a fire alarm.

The chatter around the room quieted for a beat. Not because Bakugou had stopped yelling. But because he had... paused.

His crimson eyes slid toward you.

You didn’t even look up. Just kept your hands over your ears, your head ducked, breathing slowly to keep from getting dizzy. You were fine. This was fine. You were used to noise. You just hadn’t built up immunity to Bakugou's volume yet.

Then, surprisingly—shockingly—the next words didn’t come at a shout. They came out… awkwardly. Like he was trying to wrestle the noise back into his throat.

“…Oi.”

You blinked. Did he just use his indoor voice?

You looked up cautiously. He was standing there now, one hand shoved deep into his pocket, the other awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. He wasn’t looking directly at you—more like vaguely to the left of your face, as if making eye contact would physically hurt him.

“I wasn’t yellin’ at you, dumbass,” he muttered, almost too quiet to catch. “Didn’t think my voice was… y’know. That bad. So... just chill or whatever.”

You stared at him.

Bakugou Katsuki. Struggling to be gentle.

A couple of his classmates were already staring, wide-eyed. Kirishima looked like he’d just witnessed a miracle.

Bakugou glanced over, caught the looks, and immediately snapped, “SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!”

You flinched again.

He flinched at your flinch.

”Tch. Damn it,” he hissed under his breath. Then, more quietly—just for you:

“… Sorry.”

Not for the yelling. Not for the volume. But for the fact that it hurt.