(Song: Hoobastank - The Reason)

(Y/N's P.O.V)

I never thought I'd feel this lonely without Katsuki.

The rest of the matches fly by in no time, and soon enough, we're all grouped together in front of All Might. His wide grin and straight posture, while cool-looking, show exhaustion. After all it has been a super tiring day... Especially with that disaster fight at the beginning of class.

I roll my wrist, the aching feeling deep in the bone still residing. It pops a little bit, each pop bringing a small, stinging burst of pain. I sigh and let my arms go limp to my sides, only half-listening as All Might talks about how we did in class. Soon enough, he says something about "Exiting like a real hero" and dashes away, leaving many students star-struck. 

"Y/N? Y/N-Chaaaan???" A bubbly, bright voice chirps. My previously unfocused eyes center on a pink-skinned girl with fuschia hair. Her eyes, bright yellow in colour with black sclera, sparkle with curiosity. Two pale yellow horns bent at different angles protrude from her head.

"Oh!" I gasp, stiffening up, "U-Um, hi, ah--no, I mean, uh... Who are you??" I clasp my hands together and look at the girl, who grins broadly and laughs.

"Oh, sorry! Asui told me your name, I couldn't help but say hi... I got so excited I didn't tell you my name! I'm Mina Ashido," She sticks out her hand, and I delicately take it in my own. She shakes it rapidly. "So what's your quirk? I love your tail! Why do you hang around Bakugou so much? I think he's kinda scary..."

"Um, well... I uh-- wait, w-what was the question again?"

"Never mind that, let's get back to class!" Mina grabs my hand and tugs me through the crowd, which moves towards the exit in a big group. I swivel my head around in concern, looking for my distraught blonde friend in the crowd. He must be at the back... I think. I can't see him...

My lips press together as I turn my head back towards Mina, my heart slightly weighed down by the lack of Bakugou's presence.

~~~

An hour later...

~~~

"Hey, Blondie! You doing alright? Want me to walk home with you?"

"Leave me the fuck alone."

"...Oh... Okay..."

I sit quietly at my desk as the class bustles with after-school excitement. I try to hide the wrappings on my wrist (courtesy of Recovery Girl). If I show them, people will come over ask me what happened. I don't want them to see me cry...

My eyes, stinging with the slight onset of tears, are focused on a book in my lap. The words on the pages are nothing to me, just a mess of a story I'm not focusing on. My lip trembles. He's never told me to leave him alone. What did I do wrong...? We walked home from school yesterday, and he didn't mind...

...Does he not like me anymore?

"Hey, it's Midoriya!" A voice cuts through my thoughts. Wiping my eyes and taking a breath, I look up at the door. "Good to see you back, Super!"

Midoriya gasps quietly as a couple of students crowd around him. "Man, I don't know what you were saying during that match, but you were all fired up, huh?" A boy with spiky red hair and eyes says with a grin.

"Man, I can't believe you held your own against Bakugou, he's super strong!" Another boy with black hair laughs.

"You did a great job dodging!" Mina chirps.

"You guys really turned up in the first match, so none of us held back in our rounds, either!"

"It was far from elegant, but I suppose--"

"And that dodging was like, woah!!"

I manage a weak smile at my classmates' enthusiasm, grabbing my bag and taking a stand. I move closer to the group, watching in silence.

"Hey, I'm Eijiro Kirishima! We've been goin' over training results while you were in recovery." The red-head points his thumb to the boy with straight black hair.

"Hi. I'm Hanta Sero," He grins.

"More importantly, I'm Yuga Aoya--"

"I'm Mina Ashido, and I just gotta say, your dodging was awesome!!" The pink haired girl bounces up and down happily.

"Tsuyu Asui. But please, call me 'Tsu'."

"Hey. Sato."

"U-Um, hey guys!" Izuku stammers nervously, overwhelmed. His eyes dart from student to student as they introduce themselves. Maybe he'll feel better if someone he already knows is around him. That always helps me.

"You already know who I am," I smirk playfully, stepping up to his side and placing an elbow on his shoulder. He seems to relax a little bit. Works every time!

"Hi, Y/N-Cha--"

"--And my name's Mineta!!"

The crowd babbles on with the talk of names and argues about Aoyama's level of sparkliness, Iida power-walks over to another student. This boy has a Raven's head replacing his own. He casually sits on a desk, talking to a girl with purple hair and a boy with a fluffy tan tail. "Tokoyami!" Iida yells. "Get off of that desk this instant!"

Yeesh, I think to myself, shaking my head. Does that boy ever chill? It seems like he's always on the move. He's loud, too. Sighing, I watch, slightly entertained, as the two argue over "our upperclassmen" and "respecting the desks".

Patting Izuku's shoulder, I smile. "I should be getting home now. See ya, Broccoli. Bye, everyone."

"Bye!"

I turn and make my way out of the classroom, heading to my left. Bakugou's probably out front by now. I'll just... Go the back way. He wants to be left alone, s-so...

My black mary-janes click against the tile floors, the mere sound echoing loudly throughout the halls. The lump in my throat returns, bringing along with it the stinging sensation of tears. Blinking, I allow a tear to slide down my cheek. What did I do wrong?

~~~

I shove my house key into the doorknob and twist it, successfully unlocking the door. I step inside and close the door again.

My chest heaves with a long, sad sigh as I take off my shoes and head into my room. I loosen my tie and strip free of my uniform. My phone buzzes in my backpack, but I ignore it for now and shove the clothing into the washing machine, pouring a cup of laundry soap over the clothes before closing the lid and starting it up. It whirs to life as I head into my bedroom for a new change of clothes.

My phone buzzes again as I slip a new pair of jeans over my legs, and once more as I put on my shirt. With an annoyed huff, I finally kneel down and grab my phone from my bag, opening it up to see the new alert.

3 Messages from Blondie

My heart leaps for joy. My fingers shake so badly that I mistype my passcode twice, and when I finally do manage to open my phone, I go straight to the messages app.

Blondie:  hey dumbscales
Blondie:  come over in 15 minutes
Blondie: dont fucking ask questions

Nervous, I furrow my brows and type a reply.

You: Oh. Okay, I'll be there. See you then

Blondie:  yeah yeah wtf ever just get here

Grabbing a pair of sandals, I stuff my phone in my pocket and jog for the door, my heart beating fast from a mix of fear, worry, and excitement.

~~~

The sun shines dimly through a sheet of clouds. It's probably going to rain soon. I should hurry... I pick up my pace until I move in a jog, my tail swinging to and fro behind me. I hope Katsuki isn't mad at me. I don't think I could bear that.

I make it to his house in no time, hair slightly frizzy from the wind that brushes through it. Katsuki has his back turned towards me as he locks the front door to his house. When finished fiddling with the lock he turns around.

He wears a beige coat with a black skull shirt underneath and slightly ripped blue jeans with black and orange sneakers. He looks nice... I smile to myself. I begin to slowly pad over to him with trembling hands. I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans to stop them from shaking.

"Blondie!" I smile nervously. His red eyes focus on mine, and linger there for a moment or two. His cheeks are tinted a pale red colour as he breaks eye contact, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jacket, like me.

"C'mon," He mumbles, walking past me and towards the street. "Dumb nerd."

"Oh... Okay. Where are we going?" I ask, moving at the same pace as him.

"The gazebo. I told you not to ask questions." He growls, red eyes darting around. Is he trying not to look at me...? I ask myself. Shaking the thought away,  I take my hands from my pockets and continue to walk. A distant flash of lightning briefly illuminates the dark grey sky.

"It's gonna rain soon," I note, looking up at the sky. A cool breeze plays with my hair.

"Psh, fuck rain." Bakugou replies, "I could give a shit."

"I hope it doesn't rain while we're out here. We'd get soaked." I laugh. Bakugou shrugs nonchalantly, eyes turned towards the ground. A drop of water hits my nose. It's definitely gonna rain... Bakugou is more important. After all, the gazebo should provide coverage.

We reach the small wooded area in just about five minutes. Bakugou walks ahead, brushing plants and shrubbery out of his way.  We walk for a few minutes longer until we reach the clearing. By now, it's sprinkling, but Bakugou doesn't seem to care.

We walk under the coverage of the gazebo. I sit cross-legged on the wood and Pat a spot just beside me, looking up at the blonde I've come to befriend. My heart races inside my chest as he sits down as well, eyes still directed away from me.

"So... What's up?" I ask with a smile.

"I'm..." He mumbles the rest of his sentence, his words unintentionally inaudible. I

"What?"

"I'm fucking..." He sighs, hands barely trembling. His cheeks, already pink-ish, turn a deeper shade of red as he murmurs, "...Sorry."

My brows raise somewhat in shock. He apologized to me... That's not like him, he'd never say something like that, unless... My face settles into a soft expression of understanding. Unless he cares... As the droplets of rain pat against the roof of the gazebo, I scoot closer to the boy and place my hand on his leg.

"Hey," I murmur, smiling. He doesn't look up. "You don't have to apologize. I forgive you."

His shoulders hunch slightly. "I'm fucking mad because I lost. To make it worse, it was to Deku. He's just a big I can smash, h-he's been that way for years. But today he beat me. He made me look like an idiot." He murmurs through clenched teeth. His hands ball into fists as his breath becomes shallow.

"Bakugou?" I ask quietly.

"He's more powerful than me. He's outshined me and I'm weak compared to him!" He chokes, head still hung downwards. His scruffy hair drapes over his eyes. Suddenly, he looks up, staring into my eyes. I gasp quietly at his face, which is twisted into a hurt expression. Teardrops streak from his cranberry eyes, down his cheeks. They drip from his chin onto the floor below.

He's crying.

"Oh, Blondie..." I murmur, holding back my own emotions. "Please don't cry...  I understand you're angry about losing, but there's always another chance. You can take from this experience and learn to beat him next time. I'm gonna be here to help the whole way."

I reach out and cup my hand around his cheek, wiping away a tear. "I'm your best friend, remember?"

Bakugou turns his head away from my hand and curls his knees up to his chest, burying his face into them as he crosses his arms. He continues to cry, but softly. The pitter patter of the rain becomes stronger by the minute.

With my heart aching to help, I snake my arms around his chest and hug him, nuzzling my cheek into the crook of his neck. "Bakugou," I begin quietly, "I'm here for you. We'll beat his ass and prove you're still gonna be number one, even if it takes years to do."

He doesn't respond. I continue to embrace him, listening to his heartbeat. A clap of thunder rolls in the distance as the rain becomes stronger. The gazebo creaks in the wind.

After a while, I break away from the hug. Bakugou begins to stand up, wiping away his tears, and I follow suit.

"Aw, crap... How are we gonna get back?" I ask, brushing a hair from my face. "We'll have to get to your house, and fast, but how--"

Bakugou grabs my hand and books it from the gazebo, holding an arm over his head. In an instant, we're dashing through the downpour, shoes slapping against the wet ground. I curse under my breath at the cold wind racing against our faces. Water streaks down my face. His house comes into view.

"Run faster, dammit!" The blonde yells through the loud claps of thunder rolling across the sky. The trees around us sway and shake with the wind; The gutters below flood with water. My feet slam hardef against the ground.

Bakugou leads me up to the front door and under the coverage of his porch, fumbling with his keys. He eventually unlocks the door and roughly pushes it open, shoving me inside and slamming it behind him.

I pant quietly as I look at the slightly familiar interior of his house. Bakugou leans against the door, out of breath. His hair is plastered to his face, it's once spiky form now flattened and dripping water.

"Katsuki Bakugou!!" A woman's voice shrieks. "Why in the hell are you soaking wet?!"

"What the fuck do you think, hag?? It's raining outside!!" Bakugou retorts, standing up straight. His regular scowl returns once more. I look up at Mitsuki Bakugou, who's piercing red eyes would bring a grown man to faint.

"Well you shouldn't be... Oh my god, Y/N!!" Mitsuki gasps, looking up and down my soaked form. "You're soaked! You'll get hypothermia! Katsuki, why haven't you taken care of her?!"

"Because we just got home, bitch! Don't blame this on me!" The blonde clenched his fists.

"Well--Ah, I have no time for this!! Stay here, Y/N." She hurries up the stairs and disappears into a closet, leaving Bakugou and I to stand at the door. I exhale slightly, stepping out of my wet sandals and hugging my trembling arms. Bakugou growls angrily and takes off his own shoes and jacket.

"I hate her," He mumbles.

"Aw, it's okay. It's not your f-fault." I laugh, rubbing his arm comfortingly.

Mitsuki runs back down the stairs, towels in hand. She wraps one around my shoulders and shoves another at Katsuki, leading us both into the parlor.  "You must be freezing. I'll turn up the heater and get you something to drink. Do you need anything else?" She asks worriedly, clasping her hands together.

"N-No, I'm good." I smile. Mitsuki nods.

"I'm going to start dinner. Stay in here and warm up, okay? I don't want you going out in that rain again." She then moves into the kitchen, shooting her son a glare as she does so.

"I'm gonna go take a fucking shower. Don't do anything stupid or I'll blow you up." Bakugou snaps, walking upstairs and into his bedroom.

Sighing, I settle into the couch and look around. Pictures of their family hang on the walls and sit on shelves, presenting pictures of Bakugou, Mitsuki, and Masaru. I smile softly, allowing my eyes to fall to a small leather book on the table beside the couch. My curiosity peaks as I gently take the book in my hands. It's dusty, as if nobody has flipped through it's contents in a long time. I read the cover, which has red letter stickers on it that spell out 'Katsuki'. Is this a picture book?  I wonder.

I lift the cover. On the first page, a photo of a baby lays in a laminated pocket. I gently pull the picture out and examine it.

In this picture, a small baby is halfway swaddled in a pale yellow blanket. One of the child's small hands are curled around the ear of a small bunny toy, the other lays beside his head. His eyes are closed. Flipping the picture over, I read the writing on the back.

Katsuki - Three hours old 
4/20/03

"Aw... He was such a cute baby..." I smile, holding my free hand over my heart. Gently, I place the picture back in the pocket and flip to the next page.

These photos depict Bakugou as a toddler, crawling on his hands and knees. His spiky blonde hair had formed at this point. Red eyes twinkle with curiosity at the sight of a small All Might doll sitting in front of him. Another picture of him as a baby shows him being held by Masaru. He has a fistful of his father's brown hair, which makes me laugh quietly. The writing on the the back of both photos reads,

Katsuki - 1 year
8/12/04

I continue flipping through the photos until I hear Bakugou coming down the stairs, at which point I close the book and put it back where I found it. I'll have to take a look again when I get the chance... So cute!

"Hey, Blondie." I say as he nears the bottom of the stairs.

Without looking up, he mumbles, "Hey," and sits on the couch. I unwrap the towel from my shoulders and place it over my hair, rubbing the fabric against my waterlogged H/C locks. My shirt, damp and cold against my skin, hugs my body closely.

"Um, Blondie?" I ask, looking over at the boy.

"Eh?"

"Do you um... Do you have a spare shirt I could borrow? Mine's... Not exactly dry." I give a sheepish smile. Bakugou stands up with a roll of his eyes.

"Fine," He grumbles as he walks up to the second level again. After a moment or two, he comes down to the parlor again with a black t-shirt and tosses it in my face. "Here. Don't ruin it."

I nod and stand up. "Be right back." I say, walking up the stairs and into Bakugou's room, closing the door. I pull the dampened shirt from my body and ball it up before placing it on the ground. I pat my upper area dry and slip the new piece of clothing over my head. It's baggy and about two sizes too large, with the sleeves hanging low on my arms and the bottom trim ending at my lower thighs. A cartoon explosion with the word 'boom' is printed on the chest. I love it.

I pull the collar up and over my nose, taking in Bakugou's scent. The light smell of burnt sugar fills my nose. He smells like caramel...  I note with a smile. I allow the aroma to linger in my nose for a while before picking up my damp shirt and walking back into the living room.

"Hey, Blondie... Where do I put my shirt?" I ask, looking around. "I don't have a bag or anything."

"I don't fucking know. The dryer I guess. I'll give it back to you tomorrow, when it's dry," Bakugou takes the clothing from me and disappears through a door below the stairs. Before he enters the room again, I lift the collar to my nose again and take a breath. It smells so nice... That's kind of a  weird thought, though... I drop the shirt collar to my chest once more as Bakugou enters the living room.

"Hey Y/N, are you staying for dinner?" Mitsuki asks from around the corner.

"I suppose so. My dad comes home at eight 'o clock, and it's still raining... So yeah, I'll stay." I smile. Mitsuki gives me a thumbs up and vanishes into the kitchen again. Bakugou walks up the stairs without a word. I follow closely, walking with him into his bedroom. The blonde flops down on his bed and sighs.

Smiling, I sit beside him.

"You know, Bakugou... You act angry and tough on the outside, but really, you're just so soft and fuzzy on the inside."

"The fuck I am!!" The blonde shouts, sitting bolt upright. "I am not soft!!"

"Yes you are, whether you believe it or not. It's a gift, so be proud of it," I smile, poking his cheek. He growls in anger, but doesn't respond to my comment. "Besides, it's what makes you, you."

"Yeah, yeah. What the fuck ever. If you ever tell anyone I cried today I'll fucking murder you." He grumbles, cheeks rosy with embarrassment.

"Understood."

~~~

Publishing date: June 30th, 2019