The sun was dipping low over the UA dorms, casting long, orange shadows across the common room. You were curled up in a corner chair, nursing a carton of apple juice and absentmindedly braiding a small, non-poisonous vine between your fingers.

The peace didn't last long.

The heavy doors swung open with a bang, and a group of your classmates—led by a frantic-looking Mina Ashido—practically tumbled toward you. They looked like they’d seen a ghost, or worse, a villain invasion.

"Bloom! Oh my god, Bloom, we didn't know how to tell you," Mina gasped, clutching her chest. "We were passing by the gym earlier... and we saw Bakugo. He was... he was with someone else!"*

You blinked slowly, your heterochromatic eyes—one icy blue, the other a sharp yellow—shifting from your juice to her face. You tilted your head, the raven curls of your natural black hair bouncing slightly. "Bakugo? In the gym? He’s usually there around 4:00 PM for his extra reps."

"No, Bloom, you don't understand!" Kaminari chimed in, looking genuinely pained. "He was kissing a girl. A blonde. We saw them by the equipment lockers!"

You felt a small, strange tug in your chest. A blonde? Bakugo didn't even like most people, let alone random blondes. You thought back to your own afternoon. You had spent three hours working on your acrobatic flips and traceuse movements. You’d even worn that experimental blonde lace-front you’d bought, just to see if it stayed on during a backflip.

"A blonde?" you repeated, your voice airy and aloof.

"Yes!!" Mina cried. "She had her back to us, but Bakugo had his hands on her waist! It was scandalous!"

You took a slow sip of your juice, your mind whirring.

"That's strange," you said, your brow furrowing. "I don't remember him mentioning a blonde friend. He usually only talks about spicy food or surpassing Deku. Maybe she's a new transfer student with a light-based quirk?"

"Bloom, honey," Jiro said, placing a hand on your shoulder. "We think he's cheating on you."

You went still. The vines on your wrists twitched, a faint, sweet-smelling neurotoxin beginning to bead on the leaves—a physical manifestation of your sudden confusion.

"Cheating?" you whispered. "But... he gave me a spicy pork bun this morning. Why would he do that if he was going to cheat on me in the gym?"

Mina is practically vibrating with stress, and Kaminari is looking at you like you're a wounded bird. You, meanwhile, are just wondering if that blonde girl from the gym knows where to buy good hair oil, because that weave was starting to feel a bit dry toward the end of your session.

"Bloom, focus!" Mina pleaded. "We need to go confront him. Right now! He's in the common room kitchen making tea!"