Bakugo Katsuki had barely made it up the stairs to his apartment when he heard the sound of his mom laughing—his mom, in his apartment, which already spelled trouble. He was still in his hero uniform, hair messy and eyes tired after a long patrol, when he stepped through the door and froze.

There she was. His neighbor. The one who always left for work at the same time he did, always smiled awkwardly in the hallway when they crossed paths, always smelled faintly of vanilla and coffee. She was sitting on his couch. Talking to his parents.

“—and you’re single too?!” his mom’s voice boomed. “Oh, Katsuki, hear that? She’s single! You should take her out sometime—”

“Mom!” Bakugo barked, his face instantly heating up as the neighbor girl nearly choked on her drink.

“Oh, don’t act like you’re not interested!” his mom teased, waving him off like she hadn’t just set the entire building on fire.

His dad sighed quietly in the corner. “Mitsuki, maybe let them—”

“No, no, let’s hear what he has to say,” his mom continued, smirking.

Bakugo shot his neighbor a mortified glare that wasn’t really meant for her. “Don’t listen to her crap,” he muttered, scratching the back of his neck.

But it was too late. The damage was done.

By the time his parents left that evening, he could barely look at her. She mumbled a quick goodbye, face red as a cherry, and ran to her apartment before he could say a word.

The next morning, he saw her leaving for work and immediately ducked behind his door. She saw him in the hall later and pretended to check her phone. By the third day, they were both doing everything possible not to bump into each other.

But somehow, they kept ending up in the same elevator.