Honestly, today was so eventful (other than class), Mina had forgotten about her newfound crush up until now. But the dorms were in sight. He was in there. Images from the night before started pouring into her mind on cue.
The sound of their class returning alarmed the two boys. Midoriya handed the notebook back to Bakugo, who was a little peeved at his assumption that he wanted it back in the first place. However, their classmates trickled through the door, so he had no time to argue. He stuck the notebook in his back pocket and sat back down.
"Heh, you two making out in here?" Sero joked before being raged at by Bakugo, forgetting about his violent tendencies.
"You know I gotta say, it's pretty weird not having you two in class."
"Yes, I suppose Yaoyorozu is right. However, house arrest is a fate for delinquents." Iida appeared after returning from scolding Midoriya, a wave of disappointment and tough love filling the air. "Bakugo, just what will you do about your studies now!?"
"Dammit Four-Eyes, I thought I told you and Icy-Hot to get off my damn back!"
"Hey, where is Todoroki anyway? He was supposed to help me study…" Mina asked as she walked through the door. But more importantly to Bakugo, what the hell did she care?
"Oh, come on Iida, that hurts you know." As Midoriya scratched his head in shame, Mina blinked, realizing who Midoriya was now.
"Oh my gosh, Midoriya! We're partners!"
"H-huh? What do you- OUCH!" Mina had socked the boy right in the arm, before filling him in on today's events. Iida made sure it was only details on the assignment, as they couldn't be filled in on anything else. Meanwhile, Bakugo thought he had enough to worry about, but certainly stormed off to his room after this foolery.
Uraraka, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky...
"Bakugo...come on, open up." Uraraka leaned against his door, knocking occasionally. Did he really have to be so rude? "Hey, I know you're in there!"
"I'm not actually."
Bakugo spooked the cute girl from behind, casually walking with his hands in his pockets. "What do you want Round Face?"
"Well, you see, you and I are-"
"'Partners'. I know, I heard already." Bakugo walked past the girl before him, opening the door to his room before laying a notebook on his desk.
"Oh, I see. Well, I guess I'll get out of your hair…" As Uraraka was practically dismissed, Bakugo sighed.
"Uraraka, I won't be saving you, so be on your guard."
The girl was shocked, but then smiled as she turned back and nodded confidently. Bakugo had a weird way of being nice and saying 'do your best' to her.
The night was quiet, slow, and a dash of peaceful. Class 1-A mingled amongst themselves in the common area during the young night: Bakugo sat and looked over the rigorous notes Midoriya had taken on Mina (he'd had it flipped open in a way that made it seem like they were average notes), Izuku chatted with the others about what they thought was going to happen with this test that was apparently underway already. Others were in their room taking a nap or changing into proper attire.
As Bakugo read through pointless material, a certain horned girl walked by. It was subtle, even Bakugo was caught off guard while some of the other boys looked up in awe and gossip.
"Hey Baku~!" Mina said sweetly, roughing up his hair a little as she approached him from behind.
"What the—!" Bakugo scrambled with the notebook, looking at the pink girl as she smiled cutely at him. He felt the heat rush to his face as he turned away angrily. Was he...blushing?
"Where the hell did you get that from?" Bakugo snapped, referring to this nickname she came up with. He slyly slipped the notebook under his leg as Mina sat right in front of him, rather close.
"What? You don't like it?" Mina tilted her head like a cute puppy.
"Does it sound like I do!?" Bakugo was more of a hound.
"You know Bakugo, I don't appreciate how disrespectful you are to me."
Mina dug a finger into his chest, frustrated. Bakugo gritted his teeth, but anyone who took the time to tell him to be nice, must've cared what he thought to begin with. It was like a little Midoriya angel was in his ear, telling him he'd better make up for his fiendish attitude quickly.
"…sorry." She'd have no idea how hard that was for him. He wasn't going to look her in the eye either, so she'd better accept it or that was all she'd ever get.
Even Izuku would steal a glance with wide eyes for only a second. Kirishima couldn't help but snort, his laughter breaching his defenses while he continued to do his work.
"Oh my gosh, Bakugo! I was kidding, I'm sorry!" Mina laughed lightly, pressing an open hand on his shoulder in apology. Could she ever be serious for once!? "Now I feel bad. No, you're fine. Honestly, it suits you."
"W-what's that supposed to mean!?" Mina was really starting to think he was part dog, inside voices something he didn't know how to use at all.
"I dunno, it's just you charm. Y'know, what makes you so cute."
Cute? She thought he was cute!?
She tapped his nose lightly before leaving the 'dark side', Katsuki with a burning red face glaring around at anyone who dared to continue whispering and making faces.
"If I hear a word about this, I'm killing every last one of you..." Bakugo's head was scrambled, and he was rather embarrassed to say the least. He left to his room before she'd come back around and bug him even more, and Kirishima's smirk turned up any more than what it was already. Kaminari would stare down the hall for a moment, before confirming he'd went to his room and cued the gossip to unravel.
Mina, on the other hand, ceased her playing to join her group of friends in what was a hushed whisper. "Ooh, Girl's Night! I can't wait!" Mina clapped her hands together as she walked over but saw an unwanted boy being swatted like a fly.
"Yeah, beat it Mineta. Just because you were telling the truth earlier doesn't mean you're a saint." Sheesh, Jiro was harsh today, pushing the boy away from her friends.
"Hey, I thought we were all one unit! I want in!"
"Yuck! You're drooling!"
The nonsense was broken up by Mina's laughter. "You guys crack me up sometimes, you know that?"
"Oh Mina, you're here!" Her invisible friend shot out of her seat, impatient for the games to begin.
"Did you miss me Hagakure?" Mina said with a wink, being nudged by her friend.
"We gotta fill you in silly! Come on!" A glove grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her to Yaoyorozu's room, where the crowd of girls minus Mineta started to shift.
"Alright everyone, let's begin!" The girls sat around on Yaoyorozu's oversized bed. "Hm! Could've started sooner if someone wasn't late."
"Y'know Jiro, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." Mina retorted, playfully bickering with the earphone jack user.
"So Mina, which one of our classmates was it this time?" Jiro tried to get some stirring out of the pink girl, but Mina quickly covered her tracks with a classic
"I just had to use the girl's room!" and paused before realizing what Jiro was implying. "Hey wait a sec, what do you mean 'this time'!? There isn't anybody!"
"Alright Jiro, enough teasing Mina." Yaoyorozu chimed in before Mina exploded from her flustering. Sure she went off on a tangent about him sometimes, but they couldn't have known. However, all this teasing was starting to bring back that warmth. She really wished she'd gotten more time to talk to Bakugo earlier, she liked being around him.
"Yeah, Momo's right. Besides..." Hagakure resumed, and Mina was getting anxious by the chatter and laughter that was stirring. "We still have our game to play. Momo, if you'd do the honors."
Game?
"Ooh! This is gonna be so much fun!" Yaoyorozu clapped her hands together in excitement. With that, the creation quirk user made a glass bottle and a speaker. Mina looked around at the content faces. She'd been a bit late so having a bottle and speaker didn't really explain what she was about to get herself into.
"So like, what's going on again? Because this is weirrrrd...~!"
"Oh yeah! Mina you weren't there. We're going to play—"
"Spin the bottle!" Hagakure's eager spirit assured Yaoyorozu she'd handle things from here, then turned back to her curious-looking horned girl. "So how we play is, we spin the bottle, and the person it lands on gets asked questions!
"Uh, duh! Pfft! I got this!"
"But you have to answer truthfully."
"Yeah, I'm gonna know if you're lying or not based on your heartbeats." Jiro twirled her earphone jack in her fingers, before tapping the Momo produced.
Mina couldn't tell but somehow, she knew that Hagakure's eyes were gleaming with anticipation.
But this was fine, Mina thought. She needed to indulge in some girl activities, do anything.
Anything to get her mind off of Katsuki.
"And soooo…" the invisible girl used her stealthy inject Jiro's jack into the pink girl's arm. "Mina, you're up first!"
"...huh?" Mina blinked. What just happened?
"Who's got a question!?" Auctioneer Hagakure stirred the pot, a jumble of questions being hurled at the helpless girl.
"H-hey! No fair! One at a time!"
The menagerie of an activity was underway, and each of the young ladies was forced to defend themselves. Some questions like "Are you and Aoyama going to be a thing?" and "Who do you see yourself with 5 years from now?" got a direct "No way!" and "I don't know!".
But there were others that made some hot like. Like Mina being asked, "Were you and Shoto flirting this morning?", and Yaoyorozu having to deal with, "Who do you think was the hottest in the class?"
"Well, that's a no brainer..." Momo held her heated cheeks, Ashido roling her eyes and sucking. Like the answer was obvious, she thought. As of a few days ago, as far as she was concerned, that was no longer the case.
The sudden attitude shift from Mina didn't go unnoticed, however. Jiro spun the bottle once more, but Toru schemed after witnessing her friend's change in mood, silently slipping of her glove.
"Aaand it's...Uraraka!" Beady eyes glared at the girl who somehow managed to dodge most of tonight's question.
"H-hey not so fast, look!" Uravity defended herself, hastily pointing at the 'weapon of mass destruction'.
"W-what!?" Mina slammed her hands on the floor, getting a better look at what appeared to be the bottle directly on her! "That's totally not fair! I-i-it was on Ochaco! You guys saw it, right!?"
"Someone's gettin' cold feet, I dunno'..." That cocky smile was Kyoka was starting piss her off.
"I call a do ov-!"
"Do you have a crush on anyone in our class?" Asui's question was calm and composed.
Mina would soon become neither of those things, her mouth hanging wide open like a fool. Her face burned with excruciating heat, before fidgeting in her place amongst the bed. She searched her brain for answers, only to find a vast emptiness.
Although, to be 'empty', she would've had no answer at all...
"Mm...y-yeah...?" Ashido had never looked so vulnerable.
"~Oohhh, Minaaaa~!" Her friends were ruthless, Mina pinker than ever.
"S-so what!? We all do, right? I mean, it's not that big of a deal you guys..."
"Yeah, but you're different!" Jiro interjected, her curiosity starting to boil. Everyone else agreed that Ashido was an...'exception'. She was a free spirit. So one had to be rather exceptional to catch Mina's eye. "Come on, no secrets. We're your friends, tell us!"
"Yeah come on!"
"Please Mina!"
"Well you only get one question, so m-maybe if-" To Ashido's surprise, the bottle was spun almost immediately. She didn't even get time to finish her sentence.
Only enough time to watch as the glass spun and spun...and land...
*dink*
...on her.
"W-what the- it just moved again! You guys saw it!"
"Rules are rules!" Yaoyorozu declared with royal decree, and Mina's fluster began to boil into frustration. She narrowed her eyes, and couldn't help but notice a ruffling glove.
"Hagakure...!" Ashido narrowed her eyes, disgusted in all of the fraud. "You're cheating!"
"What!? No uh!" Her quirk did wonders to hide her nerves.
"You lost, fair and square. Spill." Kyoka demanded.
But Mina couldn't help but be reluctant. As her frustration started to become visible, Ochaco did he best to alleviate the pressure.
"Guys, maybe we should just skip. This doesn't seem right..." But the girls were well beyond that point.
"Kirishima!?"
"What?" Ashido gave an expression of obsurdity. They were good friends, sure, but-
"Mm-mm, it's not something as simple as Todoroki or Kirishima." Momo was far to keen- she'd dreamt of nights like these, and her wits were beyond prepared.
"Hm...oh oh! How 'bout Midoriya!? He's cute!"
Izuku was his rival, and went hand and hand. Mina's heartbeat pumped through the speaker as she thought about him, and her one friend in all of this looked to her desperately, hoping that weren't true.
"What? N-no..." This whole ordeal was starting to get a little out of hand. Mina felt her heart stop despite the excessive pounding. She was nervous about Midoriya, but why? What did Midoriya have to do with who she liked so damn much that she wouldn't even say?
It just had to be Jiro putting the pieces together.
"...holy crap!" Kyoka knew the answer, Mina was sure of it, and everyone looked on in anticipation as her heart was exploding. Ashido shook her head while she grit her teeth, slidding off the bed while pulling the jack from her arm. But her friend persisted, wagging her finger and following suite.
"Y-you totally like Baku—!"
"Bastaarrd~!"
"You guys hear that?" Hagakure wondered, Momo trying to focus in.
"That sounded like—"
The lights started to flicker in the room, before completely going out. And there was an insane commotion in the common area, everything shook around them, causing the girls to scream.
"What was that!?" Hagakure trembled next to Momo, who encouraged everyone else to investigate the commotion alongside her.
However, as everyone filed out, Ashido could only rub her arm in dismay. Some 'friends', she thought, as their shenanigans tonight made her rather upset. She was never discussing her feelings with them again, as she now questioned her own heart, and whether or not it was in the right place.
"Hey." A face brighter than her own took the girl out of her trance, Ochaco glancing out the door before cupping her mouth.
"If you ask me, I think you and Bakugo would be pretty cute together~"
Mina would burn with a fire stronger than Shoto's left side, while Uraraka giggled and signaled her friend to follow.
During this time…
Bakugo sat in his room, looking over Midoriya's notes. Some of the things he'd written made Bakugo angry.
"Moron, I could've told you these things!" he thought to himself, as he read about Mina's favorite color, hometown, and quirk.
Frustrated that he didn;t have more information, he threw the notebook across his room, watching it slide down his wall on some random, scribbled pages.
What was he doing? Was he really in his room trying to devise some kind of plan to approach her?
No, that wasn't it. Bakugo just wanted to experience that feeling again...
That feeling of closeness, that feeling that he was the only one that mattered in a single moment. That feeling of her smooth hand, lovely eyes, and warm heart wrapping him up and admiring him because he was the only thing worth admiring.
Hearing the voice of Kirishima on the other side of his door pulled Bakugo out of his own trance, annoying him nonetheless. He just needed some time to think!
"Yo, Bakugo! Come hang out with us man, instead of being all cooped up in there."
"Beat it, I'm busy!" Kirishima immediately opened the door, walking inside in confused dismay. "Hey, what the hell!? Knock, you damn idiot!"
"Busy? You're just sitting there. Geez man, I get you don't want to hang out but you gotta relax sometime."
"Tch! I'm relaxing, right now. Besides, the hell do you know? Loser." Bakugo looked away in anger. It was moments like these where Kirishima really admired Midoriya. How did he put up with this as a kid?
"Look, I'm all saying is, you've seemed pretty off lately. Talk to me! If this is about the licensing exam—"
"Shut your damn mouth Kirishima, we had this conversation already...!"
Bakugo glared at him with rage, and Kirishima could feel the sweat forming on his temple as he glanced back at his hot-headed friend.
"If one more of you damn idiots bring up the exams, I swear, I'll send you straight to hell, you hear me!?" Bakugo got up from his seat, standing his ground—ground that was by no means threatened.
But ground where his pride stood.
"Rr! You know what!? Fine!" Kirishima wasn't the type to let his angry boil, but Bakugo could be so stubborn sometimes. Especially as of late. "Stay in here and keep moping, you idiot!"
"In three months you'd better have that same attitude red-head!"
"I will!" As Kirishima walked out, he was disgusted with how much Bakugo let himself go with his cleanliness. "Just look at this place, what's he thinking!?" Kirishima thought to himself, looking around.
He was even leaving his school notes on the floor.
As the Hardening quirk user picked up the notebook Bakugo had thrown earlier, the explosive boy's eyes widened.
"H-hey! Put that down, you bastard!"
"What, this?" Kirishima was confused at Bakugo's sudden frantic behavior. But then he thought to himself.
"What, this your damn dairy or somethin'?"
"Don't be ridiculous! As if I'd have a diary, you moron!"
"Mm...not convinced."
"W-what!?" Fortunately for Bakugo, the book had fallen on some tattered and scribbled pages, writing barely eligible. But once Kirishima showed signs of flipping through it, this little game wasn't funny anymore.
In fact, it wasn't funny to begin with.
"Alright then, let's see what we've got he— oh crap!" To Kirishima's surprise, Bakugo had blasted forward and damn near caught him. The red-haired boy turned and hightailed it for the common area.
This was the beginning of a fateful night to come.