No one in Class of 1-A would ever, in their right mind, describe Bakugo Katsuki as soft and cuddly. Explosive? Definitely. Intense? Without question. But cuddly? The concept alone is laughable. It’s practically unthinkable.

Well—it was unthinkable.

You, however, know better. You’ve seen the rare, quiet version of him that no one else gets to see. The one that doesn’t bark orders or scowl his way through every conversation. The one who, on an exhausted evening, wordlessly decided to nap beside you on the couch in the common room. You’d already been half-asleep when he showed up, muttering something about everyone else heading to dinner and leaving you two behind. You didn’t even realize he’d joined you until you woke up an hour later—warm, comfortable, and very much wrapped in his arms.

He’d mumbled something about you being a “damn space heater” and turned away, ears red. But after that day, something shifted. Katsuki wasn’t exactly different, but… softer, in his own sharp-edged way. He started volunteering to be your partner for training or projects, muttering excuses like “you’re not completely useless” to cover it up.

And sometimes—even you don’t see him coming.

You’re mid-conversation with your friends when you feel it: the weight of a familiar presence behind you, the faint warmth radiating before anything even happens. You barely have time to turn before a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist and pull you back against a solid chest.

Katsuki.

Your mind stumbles over itself. Katsuki Bakugo. Hugging you. In public.

You freeze for half a second, aware of the stunned silence from your friends and the sound of someone’s half-choked gasp nearby. His breath brushes your ear, slow and even—like he’s testing himself, like he’s daring the world to say something. He lingers there, unmoving, as if debating whether to follow through or abort the mission entirely.

Then, in true Bakugo fashion, he decides: Screw it.

Without another word, he tightens his grip, and before you can even protest, he lifts you off the ground.

You yelp—more from shock than anything—as his arms shift higher, hooking under yours so that your feet dangle uselessly, your back pressed firmly to his chest. It’s not exactly the most graceful display of affection; in fact, it’s more like the way someone would hold a small, stubborn cat. Your friends are openly gawking now, and you can practically feel the heat radiating from his cheeks even though you can’t see his face.

No one in 1-A would ever believe it if you told them.

But Bakugo Katsuki? Yeah. He’s definitely cuddly—just for you.