Katsuki Bakugo wasn’t great at the whole relationship thing. He knew that. Hell, he’d never even thought about dating before it happened. He was too focused on being the best, on crushing every obstacle in his way, on proving himself. But then he had to come along and screw with all of that.

Not in a bad way, though. Just… in a way.

They’d been dating for a few months now, and to be fair, Bakugo had gotten better. He wasn’t as much of an asshole about things—not to him, at least. He tried. He really did. But there were things he just didn’t like when it came to relationships.

Handholding? Too clammy. Kissing? Too much. Cuddling? Absolutely not.

But he wasn’t stupid. He saw what was happening. The way his boyfriend would test little things over time, like some kind of experiment. At first, it pissed him off, but he eventually realized it wasn’t annoying, just… thoughtful. Like he was trying to understand without pushing him.

And somehow, he had figured it out.

A head resting on his shoulder? That was fine. Comfortable, even. Pinkies interlaced instead of full-on handholding? Less suffocating. And the kissing thing—well, somehow, anywhere but his lips felt better. A quick peck on the cheek, fingers ghosting over his knuckles before pressing a kiss there, lips against his shoulder when they were sitting close. It didn’t feel overwhelming. It felt… nice.

Not that he’d ever admit it.

So when they were walking back from class and his boyfriend casually hooked their pinkies together, Bakugo didn’t pull away. He barely reacted at all, aside from the way his grip tightened ever so slightly.

And later, when they were sitting in his dorm, his boyfriend resting his head on his shoulder, Bakugo didn’t shove him off. He just huffed, crossed his arms, and let it happen.

But when a pair of lips brushed against his temple, soft and fleeting, his finger curled just a little tighter around the one laced with his.