A loud tune made (Y/n) jerk awake to see her ringing phone's light illuminating the dark from her bedside table. Burying her face back in her pillow with a groan, she blindly reached out for her phone and repeatedly tapped on the screen. When the phone finally stopped ringing, (Y/n)'s hand went limp over the bed's edge as she drifted back to sleep. It wasn't long until the room was filled with her soft, drawn-out snores again.

The phone started ringing again and (Y/n)'s head shot up from the pillow with a disgruntled 'goddamn it'. Realizing that it wasn't the alarm but someone calling her, she groggily grabbed her phone from the table and brought it closer to her to check the caller ID. Supporting herself up on her elbows, she cracked her heavy eyes open and squinted at the bright screen.

The words 'Unknown Caller' flashed across the screen along with a number she didn't recognize. Thinking it was her mother calling her from an office phone again, she accepted before pressing it to her ear.

"Hel-"

"Why the fuck did you hang up, you fucking raisin!"

With a sharp intake of breath, (Y/n) froze. Aware of how fast her heart was beginning to pound, she whispered. "...Katsuki?"

The line was silent with no reply from his side and for a moment, she thought that she had imagined his voice and was still dreaming.

"No, you idiot. It's the tooth fairy," he deadpanned.

(Y/n) let out the breath she was holding and scrubbed a hand across her face to wipe the sleep from her eyes. Slowly recovering from the initial shock and having his gravelly voice so close to her ear, she collapsed back on the pillow with a sigh.

"What do you want?" she rasped.

"It's fucking eight-fifteen. Didn't you set an alarm?"

She scoffed. "Bold of you to assume I let an alarm wake me up and not my problems," she sighed again. "And can you stop talking so loud? You sound like a vibrator on the highest setting..."

"Don't make me come up there and fuck up your lazy ass, (Y/n)," he warned. (Y/n)'s brows furrowed when she heard something banging against a surface. She went to ask what he was breaking but he beat her to the punch. "Be down in ten minutes. And while you're at it, get out of bed!"

(Y/n) let out a groan while she rolled over.

"Okay. Okay. I'm up," she mumbled and rubbed her eyes. "And why am I only getting ten-"

Katsuki hung up on her before she could finish.

She blinked.

She pulled the phone away to glare up at the screen. This guy calls me and then has the nerve to hang up on me? How did he even get my number in the first place?

The 'Save to contacts?' dialogue box popped up and she pursed her lips. She pressed the phone to her chest and stared at the ceiling.

Oh my God. I can't believe I talked to him on the phone...She drew her lip between her teeth and tapped her nails on the back of her phone. Should I... save his number perhaps?

The weight of her absurd thought hit her and her expression tightened. She let out a sound of disappointment as she covered her face with her hands.

What is wrong with me? She slid her hands down her face and glared up at nothing. Don't be such a dumb bitch, (Y/n). Get a hold of yourself...jeez.

Shaking her head, she grabbed her phone and tossed it aside on the bed. She ripped the covers off her and threw her legs over the edge to sit up. Taking in a deep breath, she raked her fingers through her hair and loudly exhaled. She stared sightlessly into her dark room and shook her head once more.

I never learn, do I?

Slipping on her indoor slippers, she got up and opened her curtains to allow the morning light into her room. She then proceeded towards her dresser mirror to check her appearance before she left the room. Lidded eyes trailed over her slightly puffy face and disheveled bedhead and she curled her lip up in disgust.

She curled a lock of her hair around her finger. She contemplated on changing out of her onesie or at least brushing her hair and washing her face but she decided not to since it would be a hassle. If it were someone else, especially if the someone was Midoriya, she wouldn't have thought twice about attempting to look decent. But since it was Katsuki, a.k.a the guy who had seen her look like a trash rat a few days back, she didn't give a single fuck about how she looked. Seeing her fresh from bed could actually be considered an upgrade as far as comparisons went.

Besides, what would be the point of trying so hard for someone who didn't care?

Sighing, she let go of the lock and placed a cold hand over her stomach. Since talking to him, the butterflies had never stopped fluttering around in her tummy. A minor part of her felt like she was experiencing a blood rush, one that left a tingly feeling behind dancing all over her skin. However, a major part of her felt like she was the biggest idiot to ever exist, still feeling some type of way for a person who only brought her heartache and pain, and she only had herself to blame for her carelessness and stupidity.

Despite what she felt, she couldn't, under any circumstances, let herself get lost in the sauce and act like a fool for him again. Doing that would only lead to her crashing and burning, and just like last time, he wasn't going to be there to extinguish the flames and pick up the pieces with her. If whatever she was feeling was really what she thought it was, then she had to try to contain it as much as possible until she was able to find a solution to get rid of them. And to accomplish that feat, it would mean being extra careful to not let anything slip, especially in front of him.

She wrapped her arms around herself and sighed.

It wasn't difficult to imagine how that scenario would go. Katsuki would do something or say something to her and then she'd react in the worst way possible. He'd pause for a moment and the gears in his head would start to turn. Katsuki was infamous for his impulsive actions and words and at first glance, one would think that he was just a dumb person who shouted a lot to get attention. But behind that violent thug façade, he was actually very smart, much more than people gave him credit for. And when it came to piecing things together, he was a natural. If she made the fatal mistake of making a wrong move in his vicinity, he would figure her out in mere minutes. Just like he did the first time.

And who knows what would happen after that. Would he be confused? Would he taunt her? Or worse, would he repeat his very words from back then and call her stupid for making the same mistake? The latter was more likely to happen in light of the recent events.

Her fingers tightened around her arms, her nails digging into her flesh as the cruel scenario played in front of her eyes. Realizing that she was getting ahead of herself, she snapped out of it with a shake of her head and looked back at her reflection.

Whatever his response would be, she didn't want to know or think about. The mere thought of it made her shudder and want to crawl into a hole so it was better not to further stress herself with it.

Unwrapping her arms from around herself, she sent one last look at her reflection before she left for the door.

She knew what she had to do to prevent a disaster in the making. It wasn't going to be a walk in the park but she had to avoid having too much interaction with him as much as she could.

And maybe in the process, she'll also be able to avoid possible future heartbreak without a hitch.

***

(Y/n) sat on one of the sofas in the common room, her legs crossed, while she waited for Katsuki so they can finally leave. Her bag rested next to her as she busied herself with a game on her phone. Heavy approaching footsteps from the elevators' direction distracted her and she diverted her attention from her game to the person. (Y/n) did a double-take as a loud crash sounded from her phone.

Dressed in a black with red sleeves varsity jacket over a white shirt and black pants sagging low, Katsuki sauntered over to her with hands in his jacket's pockets and his bag slung over one shoulder.

(Y/n) mentally regarded her own outfit in comparison to his. She had thrown together a plain hoodie and yoga pants, not the most fashionable choice when pitted against his. Although his clothes were simple, he knew how to rock the casual look and dammit did he look fine...

(Y/n) bit the inside of her cheek and looked down at her phone. The words ''YOU LOST'' in blood-red were plastered across the screen and she grimaced. She hated that game sometimes, but she had never bothered to delete it since it was great for killing time.

Maybe it was due to her weakness that the game incessantly chose to mock her with those words every single time she was in a mood.

Frowning, she exited the game before slipping the phone in her hoodie pocket. She then grabbed her bag and stood up.

"Got your shit ready?"

(Y/n) glanced at the boy standing next to her and quickly looked away, nodding. While she desperately tried to block out the intoxicating fragrance of his cologne and act unaffected at the same time, she put on the bag without sparing him another look. As she fixed her hair over her bag, she mentally slapped herself for allowing it to get to her in the first place and cause some, ahem, parts to flutter.

Katsuki scowled at the side of her face, his jaw tightening at her dismissive behavior towards him. Ever since talking to her on the phone, she had been acting...weird. She walked around looking like she had a lemon stuck in her throat and wouldn't speak unless she was spoken to, which didn't happen at all when she came down for breakfast as he wasn't the type to start a conversation for no good reason.

But when her silence had begun humping on his last nerve, he was forced to corner her and demand to know why she was acting the way she was. She didn't give him a direct answer like he wanted. Instead, she rolled her eyes and gave him a generic excuse saying that she was simply tired and nothing more. If it were a year ago, Katsuki would've taken the excuse and ran with it. But after months of watching her and learning some of her mannerisms, he instantly saw past her bullshit but he didn't make a point to push it, thereby concluding the short-lived conversation. Although her bitchy attitude still didn't sit right with him, he just chalked it up to it being her time of the month and left it at that as that was one discussion he'd rather not have.

"Oh. You guys are leaving already?"

The two turned to the masculine voice and immediately, (Y/n)'s face lit up. Katsuki gave her the side-eye and his expression soured.

"Hey, Izuku," smiling, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Good morning." Her eyes fell on the other two students trailing after him and she waved at them. "Good morning, Uraraka, Todoroki."

"Good morning," they said in tandem, similar big smiles on their faces expect for Shouto. They all walked into the kitchen to fix themselves some breakfast.

Katsuki huffed while bitterly mocking the love-struck voice (Y/n) had used while addressing Midoriya in his mind. It was too early for all that disgusting positive energy in one room, especially when it came from the two people who annoyed him the most. Those two bright fucks needed to take it down a notch and maybe slip into a coma for his sanity's sake.

He nudged (Y/n)'s shoulder with his, causing her to flinch for some reason. She shot him a vague look but he brushed it off.

"Come on, dumbass," he said. "We're going to be late."

He wasn't standing this close to me two minutes ago. Did he move? "Uh, yeah sure," (Y/n) said before turning to the others. She put her hands together and forced an apologetic smile. "Sorry but we have to get going now," she raised her hand in a small wave. "Bye!"

Uraraka paused from preparing her tea to wave back. "Bye, (Y/n)!"

"Safe travels," Shouto said, a cereal box in his hand.

"Hey," playfully glaring, she pointed at the boy. "I hope you checked the name this time. I don't want you eating my cereal again because you mistook them for someone else's."

Shouto turned the box around and read the sticky note stuck on the upper right corner. The name (L/n) was scribbled on it with a little heart at the end. He looked up.

"No, it's not," he said, his flat expression not betraying him once.

"Okay," she smiled with a nod. She waved at him. "Bye again."

"Bye, (Y/n)!" Izuku waved. "Say hi to your parents and (B/n)!"

The girl's features softened as she gave Midoriya his own wave. "Sure will. I'll see you on Monday morning, okay?"

"Sure!" Midoriya eagerly nodded before his green eyes darted to the boy standing next to (Y/n). "Bye too, Kaccha-" he cut himself off, his smile fading when he saw the death glare Katsuki had reserved for him. It was a look he hadn't seen for a long time now, a look straight from the deepest parts of hell and one that sent chills down his spine.

Stifling a shaky gasp, Midoriya swallowed thickly as his hand slowly lowered. (Y/n)'s forehead creased at his sudden unnerved demeanor and she was about to question him on it when a hand roughly grabbed her arm and tugged her back.

"Come on!" Katsuki demanded, ignoring her yelp. (Y/n) swiveled around with her mouth gaping and eyes blown wide to meet his glower. "In case your stupid brain didn't register the first time, we're going to be fucking late!"

(Y/n) went to say something but Katsuki had already turned and began pulling her towards the door.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Stop it! Let me go! Stop pulling!"

She tried clawing and prying his fingers off her but he was unfazed by her ministrations. When that didn't work, she rooted her heels on the ground to apply resistance against him. Growling at her stubbornness, Katsuki stopped to shoot her a glare over his shoulder and yanked her forward, causing her to stumble. He took advantage of her momentary disorientation and continued pulling her to the door.

While ignoring her protests, Katsuki yanked the front door open and stepped outside. If there was one word that could describe him at that moment, it was he was fucking ballistic. How fucking dare she act like a bitch towards him all morning and the minute that damn nerd shows his dumb face, she lights up like a Christmas tree?! Enduring (Y/n)'s sappy behavior towards damn Deku was one thing, but enduring her behavior towards damn Deku while she ignored him? Now that's where he was going to draw the fucking line.

The three teenagers awkwardly watched from behind the kitchen counter as Katsuki struggled to get a screaming (Y/n) out of the door while she clung to the door frame with one hand. To them, the scene looked comically akin to that of a stressed-out parent trying to drag their defiant child back to school after a bad first day.

Katsuki once again proved to be the superior in strength when he wrapped his hand around her waist and successfully pulled her outside. He then slammed the door closed behind them and silence soon flooded into the common room. The only sounds audible to the three left inside were the flurry of insults that flew out from both (Y/n)'s and Katsuki's mouth from outside and the running tap Uraraka had left open when she got distracted watching the two.

As their voices grew distant, Midoriya let out a strained chuckle, breaking the silence.

"I guess Kacchan and (Y/n) finally made up?" he said as he turned to the other two. "It's nice to see that they're not fighting a lot like they used to."

Shouto nodded as he grabbed a bowl from the cabinet.

"Seems to me like they were able to reach a stalemate in their simulation room," he opened up the box and poured the cereal into the bowl. "They must've had a talk."

"Yeah," Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, a concerned look on his face. "But he's still too rough with her," he sighed. "I guess Kacchan's still Kacchan even with (Y/n)."

"Perhaps I should have a word with him about how he treats her?" Shouto asked as he set the box on the counter.

The freckled teen shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Especially when it's concerning her."

Shouto hummed critically as he stared at him. He glanced at the door before looking back at him.

"On a scale of one to ten," he began, "how angry do you think Bakugou is going to be when I approach him about the matter?"

Midoriya scratched his cheek, sweat beading on his temple. "I-I don't think such a short scale can adequately express that kind of thing, to be honest," he sent the boy a shrug and a smile. "Besides, (Y/n)'s always had a way of handling him so you don't have to worry about it. She'll be okay."

Uraraka stood at the side while she dunked a tea bag in and out of her tea. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the two boys, a slightly taken aback expression on her face as she listened to their conversation.

Wow, I can't believe they're speaking about aspects of their relationship in front of me, she blew on her hot tea before taking a sip, how bold.

Midoriya noticed Uraraka's prolonged silence and stare on them and he turned to her. He tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed. "Uraraka? Why are you looking at us like that?"

"Hm?" eyes guiltily flickering to another spot of the room, she lowered her cup and shook her head. "Oh, uh, i-it's nothing..." she glanced back at him before looking down at the contents of her cup. She sadly smiled. "You guys really like (Y/n), huh?" she looked up. "Even Bakugou is softening up to her."

The two exchanged looks.

"Yeah, we do," Midoriya confirmed. "(Y/n)'s a nice person and she can be funny at times," he held up a palm. "Besides, if Kacchan didn't like her, he wouldn't have agreed to go home with her."

Shouto nodded. "He's right. She also has great taste in cereal."

Uraraka absentmindedly nodded, a tight smile on her lips. Oh my God, I was right. They so easily agreed to my question, they even gave each other a look before they did!

"Eh? Todoroki?" Midoriya raised his eyebrows as he regarded the box next to Shouto's bowl. "Did you take her cereal again?"

Shouto looked from Midoriya to his bowl and back to him. "...Don't tell her."

"I won't if you let me have some."

"Alright. Here."

As the two boys illegally shared (Y/n)'s cereal between them, Uraraka vacantly stared at the space in front of her, all prior movements ceased while her mind went to work. Little did the two know that she had only listened up to the part where he said "yeah, we do" and had completely zoned out from there to join another dot in her outlandish theory.

She didn't know what to do with that response but she felt quite settled as the theory no longer remained a speculation but a likely possibility. It was still difficult to comprehend how (Y/n) and Midoriya would both venture into that kind of relationship, but now that she was one step closer to getting answers, she was slowly accepting the painful reality of things.

That she had fully lost Midoriya to (Y/n) and it was about time she thought about letting go.

***

For everyone who suggested a hero name, thank you so much for your inputs. I chose The Transfiguration Hero: Catalyst, as suggested by the wonderful sunshine-simp. Thank you for that, love ❤️