A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers and silent readers and for all the follows and favorites so far! I really appreciate every review, view, follow, and/or favorite each of you leave behind.

Also, I was not expecting this fanfic to garner so much traffic. I knew Katsuyu was loved, but I was actually expecting just a small number of views because (1) to my knowledge, only a small percentage of people in the My Hero Academia fandom ship Katsuyu, (2) I'm not that much involved with writing in the My Hero Academia fandom, and (3) my updates are sporadic. So, imagine my surprise when I find out that wow, it's been viewed a lot more than I expected! Honestly, this makes me happy because that means the Katsuyu fanbase is bigger than I originally thought! (Either that, or I'm already converting people to ship Katsuyu, haha.)

Anyway, this chapter's a little longer than the other ones so far because of the interactions between Katsuki and Tsuyu. I found myself continually adding more and more, especially since this chapter is, in my opinion, one of the biggest turning points in Katsuki and Tsuyu's relationship.

With all that said, enjoy!

Note (2/18/2021): cassavasuman on Tumblr made a comic strip of one of the scenes in this chapter. Go check it out!

Change of Heart

Chapter 3: Understanding Each Other

That night, Katsuki had difficulty sleeping because Tsuyu's face when she spoke those words—her tone when she confessed that she had always thought of him as…as a friend, when he rarely interacted with her—just kept popping into his head. None of it logically made sense because he never saw her as a friend. They were just…acquaintances who had mutual friends, and they didn't know anything about each other.

He didn't know her birthday, the things she liked or disliked, what her hobbies were, the things that made her smile or light up on a terrible day, anything about her past or anything personal—hell, he just didn't know anything, so how in the world could she perceive him to be her friend?

God, the more he thought about that facial expression she gave, the guiltier he felt. It just kept stirring up inside and giving him that stupid queasy, uneasy feeling in his gut.

Unsurprisingly, Katsuki barely had any sleep that night, so when he left for the morning and saw Tsuyu's door open, he inwardly panicked and hastily tried to lock his door, but failed to because he ultimately dropped his keys in the process.

"Shit," Katsuki grumbled before he bent down to pick it up. He glanced out of the corner of his eye as he stood back up, but he was surprised to see that Tsuyu had already finished locking her door. He tried to resist whirling his head to look at her because dear God, he felt so awkward about everything that happened last night, but the second he saw her walk past him without saying anything—no greeting, no smile, absolutely nothing—he immediately turned his head to look at her.

He was stunned, to say the least.

As he watched her continue to walk away, heading to the elevator, he felt his guilt increase further, and yet, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. As soon as she entered the elevator, he turned his head back, acting as if he hadn't been staring after her this entire time, and proceeded to lock his apartment door.

When he heard the elevator doors close, he let out a small sigh as he furrowed his brow.

They weren't friends. He made that clear last night.

So, why the hell wouldn't the guilt in him just go away?

For the rest of that week, Katsuki had a hard time meeting Tsuyu's gaze or even being around her presence, but she made it easy for him: she always ignored him and never once acknowledged him, not even when they both left or came home at the same time. He had, however, heeded Tsuyu's words to avoid taking that route near the café she worked at when heading home. After all, the last thing he needed right now was seeing Ochaco, who would undoubtedly make him become an even worse of a mess than he currently was.

And now, here he was, on a Saturday night, standing outside Tsuyu's apartment door at 10 P.M., hesitating to ring the doorbell because for all he knew, she was already asleep, or at least, that's what he kept telling himself, so he could just leave and forget about doing this.

But, he knew that he had to settle this, whether he liked it or not, so without another moment of hesitation, he rang the doorbell and proceeded to wait. Once a minute of silence passed, he realized that perhaps Tsuyu didn't even want to talk with him after she saw it was him through the peephole.

That thought immediately disappeared when he saw the door swing open, however, and there stood Tsuyu, who gave him a blank, but almost tired stare.

Katsuki couldn't help but take in her appearance. Compared to him, who was wearing a white t-shirt, gray sweatpants, white socks, and black sneakers because he wanted to look at least somewhat presentable, she had her long hair tied into a bun and adorned a form-fitting dark green tank top and beige shorts that revealed almost entirely her thighs and, if anything, accentuated her petite curves.

Upon realizing that she was presenting a lot more skin than he was accustomed to seeing, he immediately cleared his throat, reminding himself to just stop stalling already, and quickly brought up his gaze to meet her eyes.

"Hey," he muttered lamely, and he resisted the urge to facepalm at how idiotic and passive he sounded just now, so immediately, he furrowed his brow and let out a small sigh. "Uh, I was wondering if we could…talk?"

Tsuyu continued to stare at him in response.

"You know, catch up since it's…been a while," Katsuki added, inwardly hoping that maybe Tsuyu bought his excuse and that Tsuyu's offer on catching up really hadn't expired yet.

Tsuyu said nothing for a few seconds before she finally sighed in defeat. "Come in."

Katsuki's eyes widened. "What?"

"I said to come in," Tsuyu replied, now stepping aside to allow Katsuki to enter.

Katsuki hesitated to enter because he was entering a girl's apartment alone, so he narrowed his eyes in conflict.

"Unless you'd rather talk out here in the open where others can hear us?" Tsuyu asked, raising an eyebrow.

Katsuki grunted in response, knowing fully well that she had a point, so he entered her apartment without hesitation. He tried to say something to her when she locked the door behind him, but he closed his mouth once she walked past him.

She paused in the hallway and looked back before gesturing to Katsuki. "Well? Come on."

Katsuki hesitated, but when he saw Tsuyu still waiting for him, he sighed in defeat and followed.

When they arrived in the living room, Tsuyu turned around, therefore stopping Katsuki in his tracks, and nodded her head toward her couch. "Feel free to take a seat, if you'd like. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine," Katsuki replied before he followed her to the couch. Katsuki stayed silent, trying his best to figure out what the hell to even say as he sat down on one end of the couch while Tsuyu sat on the opposite end. Katsuki cleared his throat, just to grab her attention and give him extra time to think, and he turned his head to look at her. "So…"

Tsuyu turned her body to look at him and tilted her head. "Yes, Bakugo?"

Katsuki also turned his body, just so he could face her naturally, and he hesitated to continue, or rather, he didn't know how to continue. Where should he start? What should he say? Finally, he let out a long sigh and closed his eyes as he furrowed his brow in frustration. "It's about last week." Katsuki paused before adding softly, "You know, about that…incident in my apartment."

"About you not seeing me as a friend?" Tsuyu asked.

Katsuki resisted the urge to cringe as he felt his guilt begin to rise, but he managed to quickly push it down, so he could continue to speak in a coherent manner. "Yeah." Katsuki felt the air between the two almost thicken when she didn't respond, so he pursed his lips and added, "I…didn't realize that you saw me as a friend this entire time."

A long moment of silence ensued, and as every second passed, Katsuki hoped that she would've said something, at least, to lessen the tension in the air. Finally, he heard her sigh, so he brought his gaze to her.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised that you don't consider me as a friend," Tsuyu said. "I mean, you had a point that we barely hung out with each other. But, just because you didn't consider me as a friend doesn't mean that I never considered you as my friend." Tsuyu paused, this time lowering and almost softening her tone. "I always thought of you as my friend—from the very start, in fact."

Katsuki inaudibly gulped, suddenly feeling parched. "Why?"

Tsuyu shrugged. "You were friends with Midoriya and Kirishima. In my mind, because you were friends with them, that made you my friend as well."

Katsuki stayed silent, not knowing what to say or how to respond.

"Well, that wasn't the only reason," Tsuyu added.

At this, Katsuki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion at her, especially when he saw that faraway look on her face. "What was the other reason?"

Finally, she gave him a rueful smile, almost out of empathy this time, compared to last week. "Let's just say that I know how you feel." Tsuyu paused. "You know, about liking someone who…actually likes your best friend."

Katsuki's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but mutter, "What?"

Tsuyu smiled sheepishly. "Um, yeah…"

Katsuki frowned, pausing for a moment, before he asked, "Do I know them?"

Tsuyu let out a small giggle and gave him a smile. "Now, now, Bakugo, do you really think I'd tell you?"

"I think it's only fair, considering you knew that I liked her," Katsuki deadpanned.

"You mean like," Tsuyu corrected, raising an eyebrow.

"No, liked," Katsuki retorted, this time narrowing his eyes at her.

Tsuyu stared at Katsuki, unfazed by his glare, and stayed silent, waiting for Katsuki to continue.

"I'm just…trying to move on," Katsuki added after sighing, but he could tell that his tone became bitter, so he glanced away again. "That's all."

"And do you think you're close to fully moving on?"

"I don't know," Katsuki grumbled. "Have you?"

When a moment of silence ensued, Katsuki realized what slipped out of his mouth, and he was about to open his mouth and apologize because damn it, he was trying to make peace with her, not screw it up again, but instead, he closed it when he turned his head and saw that Tsuyu gave him a peaceful smile.

"I moved on a long time ago, Bakugo," Tsuyu replied. "So, yes. Yes, I have. But, I know everyone moves on in their own way, and…at the very least, I want you to move on in a healthy way, so your bitterness won't eat you up."

"Too late for that," Katsuki grumbled under his breath, not even realizing that slipped out of his mouth until he heard Tsuyu sigh.

"Well, anyway, how have you been?"

Katsuki frowned, but he was thankful for the change in subject. "You want my honest answer?"

Tsuyu shrugged. "That's up to you, Bakugo."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at her when he realized that she made a snarky comment, especially since the growing smile on her face only confirmed it, but he decided to brush it off by sighing. "Honestly? Kind of stressful."

"Why?"

The tone that Katsuki heard somewhat gave him goosebumps, and he didn't know how. She was sitting on the other end of the couch, but somehow, some way, her concern for him seeped through, despite the calm look on her face, and in her quiet apartment, that one word seemed to affect Katsuki a lot more than he thought it would.

Katsuki resisted the urge to clear his throat, trying his best to ignore the goosebumps, so instead, he gulped inaudibly. "Couldn't find a job."

"I thought you had one?"

"I do. But, that's part-time. I was trying to find another one for extra expenses and everything." Katsuki paused before he felt the stress of job hunting come back down on his shoulders. This past week, he had been so guilty and eaten up over what transpired between him and Tsuyu that he stupidly forgot about job hunting, so he sighed. "I had been looking for one since summer break started, but it was hard to find anything that was within a close distance from home and reasonable. Eventually, I just went, 'Fuck it,' and told my manager I'd be willing to do overtime shifts whenever needed during the summer."

There was a long pause until finally, Tsuyu asked, "Would you be interested in working as a server?"

Katsuki blinked before his eyes widened. "What? Where?"

"At the café that I work at."

Katsuki furrowed his brow. "Is your place even hiring?"

"Well, no, not right now, but I can try to convince the manager to take you on board."

Katsuki frowned. "Look, Asui, as much as I appreciate the offer, I doubt your manager would be willing to take on another employee if they already have enough people. Besides, I already have a part-time job dealing with people that's somewhat related to customer service. I'd rather not have another one that instead deals with serving people."

Tsuyu hummed for a few seconds before she nodded. "Good point. That temper of yours might get you fired on your first day."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at her comment, but when Tsuyu giggled in response, he let out a small growl before he scowled. "You seem awfully happy tonight."

"What makes you say that?"

"You're smiling and laughing a lot more than usual." Katsuki paused. "Well, considering how you ignored my presence for almost a week…"

"Well, you made it clear that you didn't see me as your friend, so I didn't see a point in interacting with you."

Katsuki resisted the urge to flinch as he glanced away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Now that he thought about it, he said her last name just now, didn't he? For as long as he remembered, Tsuyu would always correct people to call her by her first name or "Tsu," a nickname that only close friends could call her. So, if she didn't correct him just now, that meant that…they weren't friends, right?

Katsuki didn't know why, but he felt his heart drop a bit.

"Is that all?" Tsuyu asked, breaking Katsuki out of his train of thought.

Katsuki blinked. "Uh, what?"

"I meant, is that all you've been up to?"

Katsuki relaxed, allowing his shoulders to relax a bit as he leaned back. "Oh, that's what you meant… Yeah, pretty much."

"What did you think I meant?"

Katsuki snorted. "I thought for a second that you were trying to kick me out."

"Well, it is 10:30 P.M. now, and we should both be asleep to get ready for the day tomorrow," Tsuyu pointed out, raising an eyebrow, but it didn't hide the small smile on her face.

Katsuki stared at the small smile Tsuyu gave for a few seconds before he frowned. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how have you been?" Katsuki asked before he paused. "Now that I think about it, why did you move here?"

"Wow, Bakugo, you're sure talkative this late at night."

"Just shut up and answer the question."

Tsuyu giggled softly in response.

Katsuki tried to not let Tsuyu's giggles embed themselves into his head. Maybe it was because it was so late, the apartment was so quiet, and the two of them were both tired that it was easy for him to just stare at her figure, at her happy face that lit up when she smiled and laughed, or how much her skin her clothes revealed on this hot summer night.

He just didn't know what it was, but he wished she would cease those stupid smiles and giggles of hers. Why couldn't she just go back to being calm and making snarky comments?

"Well, I really wanted to stay with my parents and siblings, but…" Tsuyu's face dropped a bit. "Commuting to and from home got difficult sometimes."

"Long commutes?" Katsuki asked.

Tsuyu nodded. "My parents would need me for things here and there, and if it weren't them, my siblings would need me, so it got a bit too hectic for me to stay at home." Tsuyu paused. "I handled it, but there were times when it just got…extremely overwhelming for me. One day, it got really bad, and…that was when my parents finally noticed how difficult things have been for me."

There was a long pause this time, and Katsuki noticed how Tsuyu shifted her position to a ball, almost reflecting the anxiety etched on her face, but he said nothing and waited for her to continue.

"They started asking less of me and told me to focus on my studies, but that made me feel terrible, you know? I'm their eldest daughter, and if they need my help, they shouldn't hesitate to ask. So, one day, they called me down and told me that they rented out an apartment for me to live in, just so I can live closer to school and not worry about what's going on at home."

Again, there was a small pause, and Katsuki could've sworn he saw Tsuyu's eyes turn glassy.

"Of course, I argued with them," Tsuyu continued, clearing her throat. "I mean, don't they need me? And what about my siblings? Don't they need me, too? But, they told me that I can come visit over the weekends to spend time with them, so for now, they wanted me to get better and feel less stressed about everything."

"And have you?" Katsuki asked, and he was surprised as to how soft his voice came out. It sounded so loud in the apartment because of the quietness, and he could've sworn his voice would've echoed if he spoke just a tad louder.

Tsuyu nodded slowly. "Honestly? Yeah. I feel less stressed. But, I didn't want them to worry about the rent, so I told them that I'd take a small part-time job to pay for it." She paused. "I just wished they talked to me about it beforehand."

"They were just thinking about you."

"I know, but…still." Tsuyu sighed, almost shuddering, before she looked at Katsuki with those big glossy eyes of hers.

Katsuki was thankful he wasn't sitting anywhere close to her. The way that she looked at him right now made her seem so vulnerable, so fragile, and yet, so innocent that it felt wrong for him to even lay his eyes on her, and he was the type of person who would almost never be affected by sights like these.

"Well, anyway, that's how I ended up here. I didn't expect you to be my neighbor, to be honest. Doesn't Todai offer student dormitories?"

"Yeah, but those are meant for the international students," Katsuki replied before he grimaced. "Besides, after those student dorms we lived in for high school, I'd rather not be around my peers."

"But, you live within the area, don't you? So, why not commute?"

Katsuki grimaced before he raised an eyebrow. "You really wanna know?"

Tsuyu raised an eyebrow back, almost teasingly as a smile came onto her face.

Katsuki resisted the urge to grimace even more because she really needed to stop smiling.

"Well, considering how I shared with you what I said…" Tsuyu trailed off, gesturing Katsuki to talk.

Katsuki sighed. "To put it bluntly, I didn't want to go back to that hellhole of a home, so as soon as I graduated, I tried to find a place that I could live that was near Todai, packed my stuff, and left."

Tsuyu blinked a few times. "And…your parents didn't say anything?"

"My mom was a bit disappointed, but she understood."

"What about your dad?"

Katsuki frowned before letting out a sigh. "My old man passed away back when I was five."

Tsuyu's eyes widened before her eyes softened and she whispered, "I'm sorry for your lost."

"Thanks," Katsuki replied softly.

"So, it's just been you and your mom, then?"

"Yeah, up until she got together with her on-and-off ex-boyfriend when I was in eighth grade."

"That…doesn't sound healthy."

"Well, their relationship was originally stable—at least until my mom found out on accident about how shitty he treated me." Katsuki then scowled. "He's a two-faced bastard in my opinion. He always showed a good face to her and in front of her and treated her well, but whenever she was out of the picture, he'd always be instigating shit with me." Katsuki paused, his eyes darkening. "It was like I was the bane of his existence or something."

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that, Bakugo."

Katsuki grunted in response.

"I really am." Tsuyu paused. "But, why didn't you ever try to tell your mom?"

"Couldn't."

"Why not? He treated you so poorly—"

"Because he's the first man who made my mom smile the same way my old man used to," Katsuki interrupted, scowling before he let out a long sigh. "My old man passed away due to a heart condition he had. It took a long time for my mom to be able to even start dating again." Katsuki paused, lowering his tone. "I may be an asshole, but I still have a fucking heart. I'm not going to ruin my mom's chance at happiness again."

"Even at the expense of your mental health?" Tsuyu whispered.

Katsuki hadn't realized then that Tsuyu had crawled across the couch to sit closer with him until she was right beside him. Honestly, it took everything in him to not flinch when he realized their proximity, but he calmed down when she sat down with her legs crossed, still facing him.

Finally, Katsuki shrugged before he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "Wouldn't you do the same?"

There was a long pause until Tsuyu asked, "So, is that why you ended up here?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Katsuki let out a sardonic laugh, but when Tsuyu didn't respond, his smirk dropped, and he raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Were you…ever kicked out at some point?"

Katsuki's eyes widened.

"Midoriya or Kirishima didn't tell me or anything," Tsuyu added quickly. "I…I just remember overhearing you say that you slept over at Midoriya's at some point to Kirishima one day."

"Oh, that," Katsuki grumbled before he sighed. "Yeah, I was. When my mom went on those long business trips of hers, and he was there to watch me, he would always kick me out whenever he got pissed off at me, even if it was over a minor thing, or he would instigate me and then kick me out."

"That's horrible," Tsuyu mumbled, her eyes drooping and her tone softening.

Katsuki shrugged. "Well, that's the kind of shitty person he is. He would tell me that he just couldn't believe how a beautiful woman like my mother would somehow give birth to a delinquent like me."

"You're not a delinquent, though."

"Yeah, tell that to the judgmental asshole," Katsuki grumbled before he sighed. "Anyway, the first time he did it, I ended up running over to Deku's house in the rain, mind you, and asked if I could stay the night. His mom was more than happy to let me stay over after she found out from Deku what was going on at home with me. Since then, whenever I got kicked out after a big fight with him, I'd sleep over at Deku's."

"And…your mom never knew this?"

"Yeah."

"Did she at least know that you slept over at Midoriya's?"

"Yeah, I told her where I was when I came back the morning after. I think at that point, she just started phoning his mom whenever I was over to check in on me."

"I see…"

"Yeah," Katsuki muttered before letting out a long exhale. "Eventually, my mom found out on accident when she came home early from one of her business trips. She found us in a heated argument after he criticized the shit out of me, and since then, they've been in an on-and-off relationship. My mom eventually got tired of the relationship, too, and they've been off for at least two years now. Aside from that, I didn't want her to worry about me anymore, so that's also why I ended up here."

And it was in that moment of silence that Katsuki realized that surprisingly, he felt comfortable talking about this issue with Tsuyu. Granted, he had always brushed it off and never wanted to talk about it unless the other person was Izuku or Eijiro. Perhaps it was because he knew deep down that Tsuyu wasn't a blabbermouth and wouldn't dare to talk to anyone else about it, or maybe it was just because it was so late, he got sentimental and had to share something personal about himself to her, especially after she shared something so personal to him.

Katsuki frowned.

Why was it that she decided something that personal to him? Was she getting sentimental, too? Or did she still view him as a friend, even though he was a total jerk to her last week? But, if that was the case, she would've corrected him about referring to her by her last name by now, wouldn't she?

Katsuki began to scowl.

"Bakugo?" Tsuyu called out, breaking Katsuki's train of thought. "Is everything okay?"

Katsuki grunted. "It's nothing."

Tsuyu only stared at him in response.

Katsuki resisted the urge to shift, no matter how uncomfortable he felt from her gaze. He knew that she saw through his lie because of that stupid keen sense of hers, but he hoped that she would just move on already.

"Well, Bakugo, as much as I like talking with you, it's nearly midnight."

Katsuki's eyes widened, and just as he was about to exclaim, he felt Tsuyu's finger pressed against his lips. His body suddenly became stiff as he stared at Tsuyu, wondering what the hell she was going to do next.

"Bakugo, I know you like to yell—"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at her.

"But you really shouldn't yell when it's this late."

Katsuki grabbed her wrist—the same one that had her finger against his mouth—and moved it away gently. "You do realize that I don't give a damn what my neighbors think, right?"

"Yes, but you're in my apartment," Tsuyu remarked, tilting her head as she smiled in amusement and raised an eyebrow. "Meaning that if you make any loud noises, I'll be the one who suffers from the complaints."

It was that smile of hers that made Katsuki fall silent. He didn't know why she kept smiling this evening, and when he finally noticed their proximity—how close he was to her, how soft the skin on her wrist felt, the way she tilted her head, the way she smiled, for God's sake—he immediately cleared his throat, let go of her wrist, and stood up from the couch.

"Bakugo?" Tsuyu asked in confusion.

"You're right," Katsuki replied, thankful that his voice didn't crack, as Tsuyu stood up beside him. "I should be heading back. I'm exhausted, honestly."

"All right, then. I'll lock up after you."

Katsuki nodded before he headed to the doorway. He knew Tsuyu was behind him, despite the light footsteps he could barely hear. It was only when he was at the door and put on his sneakers that he noticed Tsuyu standing still, simply staring at him instead of moving towards her door. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Are we friends?" Tsuyu asked.

Katsuki's eyes widened, completely taken aback, and he took a short moment to compose himself. Just why did she have to ask that question so suddenly?

"You can answer me honestly, Bakugo." Tsuyu paused. "Do you consider me as a friend?"

Katsuki shifted his gaze to the floor, frowning as he thought about her question some more. Did he really consider her as a friend? Yeah, he told her all that stuff about his parents, and yeah, she told stuff about herself, but…did that really qualify them as friends? Friends meant that they were someone who you hung out with, right? And he barely hung out with anyone except Izuku and Eijiro.

It was only after he heard Tsuyu sigh as she walked past him that he broke out of his train of thought. When he snapped his head to where she was, she was already at the door, about to unlock it.

"Yeah," Katsuki blurted out, and when she froze and slowly turned around, almost as if to torture him with the suspense, he inaudibly gulped.

"Do you really mean that, Bakugo?" Tsuyu asked, staring at him with a blank look on her face, but there was something in her tone that suggested…hope.

And honestly, Katsuki didn't want to crush that.

"Yeah," Katsuki muttered, suddenly shifting his gaze again and feeling uncomfortable.

It was only when he heard Tsuyu giggle softly that he looked at her again, and in that moment, he couldn't bring himself to look away from that genuine, soft smile of hers, paired with those eyes full of elation, no matter how hard he tried.

"I'm glad," Tsuyu whispered, her tone so happy and full of relief.

Maybe it was just the lighting, the summer night heat, or perhaps her own embarrassment over saying that out loud, but when he saw a small blush overcome her cheeks, he felt his breathing hitch, and honestly, he just didn't know why.