The dorm common room was loud in the way only Class 1-A could be — video game sounds, Kirishima’s laughter, Mina yelling at Sero for cheating. You were tucked into one of the couches with your notebook, pretending to study while enjoying the noise around you.
That was when Denki leaned back across the couch and smirked at Bakugou.
“Hey, Kacchan,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. “Bet you a week of chores you can’t get her to go out with you.”
The room went dead quiet.
Bakugou’s head snapped up. “The hell did you just say?”
Denki shrugged, still smug. “You’re all talk, man. Bet you can’t do it.”
Everyone braced for an explosion — literal or verbal.
But then Bakugou’s crimson eyes slid toward you, lingering just a little too long. Something unreadable flickered across his face before he scoffed.
“Bet? Easy. I’ll have it done in a week.”
Your heart stuttered. “Excuse me?”
“Not you,” he barked automatically — then realized what he said and abruptly looked away, ears faintly red. “I mean — whatever. Just mind your business.”
The others snickered under their breaths while you rolled your eyes.
But the next day, everything… shifted.
Bakugou started walking beside you after class. Not talking, just… there. Close enough that his arm brushed yours sometimes. He’d shove your textbooks into your bag when you were running late, gruffly muttering, “You’re too damn slow.” He’d scowl at anyone who bumped into you in the hallway.
Small things. Strange things. Gentle things — in a Bakugou-ish way.
And you, against all common sense, started to fall for him.
Days passed. A week. Two. Three.
He didn’t ask you out. Not yet. But the tension between you buzzed like electricity. The kind that made Denki wiggle his eyebrows every time he saw you two talking. The kind that made Kirishima give Bakugou encouraging shoulder bumps. The kind that made Mina whisper, “Oh my god they’re so cute.”
And somewhere along the line… Bakugou stopped keeping track of the bet.
Because he was too busy watching the way you smiled when you thought no one noticed. Too busy holding back a grin when you teased him. Too busy choosing the seat next to you during movie night without even realizing he was doing it.
He was falling. Hard.
And you had no idea.
Not until today.
You’d left your water bottle in the lounge and turned back just in time to overhear Denki groaning loudly to Kirishima.
“Man, I can’t believe he actually won. I thought it’d take him forever to get her to like him. Dude better start on those chores—”
Your blood ran cold.
Kirishima hissed, “Bro, shut up—she’s right there!”
Bakugou rounded the corner behind them, stopping dead when he saw your face. His expression froze, something like dread flickering through his eyes.
“Kacchan,” Denki whispered. “Oh no.”
You swallowed hard, heart twisting painfully.
“A bet?” you said quietly. “So that’s what this was?”
Bakugou didn’t speak. His jaw clenched, fists tightening helplessly at his sides.
The worst part was how fast your chest hollowed out — because you wanted to believe he’d meant every soft moment. Every lingering look. Every quiet gesture.
You wanted it to be real.
“So?” you said, voice trembling despite your best efforts. “Was I just… some stupid challenge to you?”
Silence.
Bakugou stepped toward you, breath unsteady, eyes burning like a storm about to break.
“Wait,” he said, voice low and rough. “It’s not— it didn’t— damn it, just let me explain.”
But you were already turning away.
Because it hurt too much to stand there and look at him.