You’ve always been the one who challenged him—loud, headstrong, and just as stubborn. Ever since your first year at U.A., you and Bakugo had clashed like fire and steel, refusing to back down. You weren’t afraid to challenge him, and maybe that’s why he started noticing you more.

After classes wrapped up, the tension of hero training melted into the familiar chaos of the A-1 dorms. Music blared from someone’s room, Kaminari and Mina argued over the aux, and the smell of Sato’s latest baking experiment drifted through the halls.

You flopped onto the common room couch, tossing a pillow at Kirishima when he tried to steal the last soda. Bakugo, of course, stormed in a few minutes later, grumbling about “extras” being too loud, but he still sat down near you, arms crossed like he wasn’t actually enjoying himself. It was always like this—arguments turning into laughter, challenges becoming banter. Even when everyone was together, somehow, your fire always pulled his eyes back to you.