Bakugo didn’t know what his mom had been thinking, agreeing to host some “foreign exchange student.” He already hated having people in his space — now he’d have to share the kitchen, the living room, maybe even deal with someone hogging the bathroom in the mornings.

He wasn’t expecting her.

When she walked in, suitcase in hand and that unfamiliar accent in her voice as she politely greeted his mom, Bakugo froze mid-step at the top of the stairs. His pulse kicked hard in his chest, his hands shoved deep in his pockets to hide the tension in them. She wasn’t like the clingy girls from school, not loud or desperate for attention — there was something grounded about her, confident even as she stood in a stranger’s house.

“Oi,” he muttered gruffly, trying not to stare too long. “Don’t get in my way, got it?”

His mom yelled from the kitchen. “Be nice for once, Katsuki! She’ll be staying with us all year.”

He scoffed and looked away, jaw tight. He could already tell this was going to drive him insane — not just because she was here, but because something about her presence made it impossible for him to focus on anything else.