Thieving winds would run off with the loose fabric of shirts and hem of skirts, and would accompany the lonely. Mina was lonely. Cold. But she'd walk in the early grey of dawn by herself, her skin tickled by faint droplets of rain.

"Hm, maybe I should've canceled class…" Aizawa leaned against the window sill with usual fatigue, but was startled as the door to Class 1-A's classroom slide open in mystery.

"Ashido?"

"Morning Mr. Aizawa." The horned girl spoke with dead energy.

This morning wasn't ordinary, that much he could tell already. It was a low-energy Monday that even the teacher would rather pull some excuse from his ass, than sit through and act like he didn't realize how little his students cared today.

However, it seemed that today's darkness would haunt his 18th-ranked student into a cold demeanor icier than his own.

"Everything alright Mina?" Aizawa gave her his full attention, which was rare unless she was talking over him during class.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Ashido took her seat and pulled out her book, studying.

Mina, was studying...an hour before class. Everything was not ok.

"You know, if-"

"Really teach, everything's just the way it should be." Shouta had never seen such young eyes filled with such grief. Mina had lost someone of great importance.

And the look she used to scan the next student to walk through the door head to toe in disappointment, only left Aizawa feeling sorry for the girl. He cared enough to remain concerned for his student, but he did think there were things more important than high school relationships.

"Then at the very least, stay after class. Please."

'Stay after class'? What for? Bakugo would've taken the time to care, but he was trapped in the gaze of the girl sitting down. Her gaze spoke of sadness, regret, and apologetic resent.

It wasn't fair, his eyes begged for mercy but Mina would hold her gaze for a whole second and some change, before returning to her book and nodding to Mr. Aizawa's strange request.

"Geez, I can't even take this…" Aizawa thought before getting up to get a coffee. He'd need it if the tension in class was going to be this thick today.

Bakugo twiddled his thumbs in silence while internally begging his teacher not to leave.

There were ghosts infesting the room, god, it was so cold.

He dared to look at her, his eyes slowly rolling to his right. Mina looked so...tired. It was the bags in her eyes that said how long her night was, and her hair: it was messy- well, it was always messy. But this was different.

Bakugo quickly looked down to his thumbs, his palms sweatier than usual.

"Shit, did she see me!?" The blonde sank in his seat a bit and scratched his head while trying to survive the morning.

"Hm, he's so cute…" Those were Mina's thoughts. All of the anger and frustration she felt drowned in the sea of sorrows she wept the night before. Now she was feeling...what was she feeling? Guilt? Regret? "More like crap…" Mina thought to herself. But as befuddled as she was, with this culmination of 'ugh' swirling around in her head, her heart would always stay true when it came to her love for Katsuki.

But did he feel the same? What was Bakugo feeling? He always looked so angry, so she couldn't distinguish his emotions. Even now, he grit his teeth, and rose from his seat. The noise of the chair, scraping against the floor, was excruciating. He walked closer, and Mina's heart was beating from her chest. He was approaching dangerously fast, and fear was spilling from her body.

But then, all Mina could feel was the cold wisp of Bakugo walking past her, and the smooth fragrance creeping up her nose. He didn't even acknowledge her, she thought, breaking down slightly after the patter of his feet were well down the hall.

And that's just how class proceeded. They weren't classmates anymore, just two strangers proceeding with their days as usual. Except, it wasn't usual. Certainly not for Bakugo, who couldn't even eat without feeling sick to his stomach.

"Here." Bakugo placed his apple in his red-haired friend's plate, as his stomach churned in hunger.

"Hm? You never skip apples."

"I'm not hungry."

*rumble*

…!

"Piss off, alright? Not today."

"It's 'not today' every day with you lately." Kirishima bite into his delicious red fruit, apple juice flourishing on his taste buds.

"Thanks, I needed that…are you kidding me..." The blonde rolled his eyes in irritation.

"Sarcasm? That's, er, cool I guess..." The Hardening-quirk boy said with a mouth full. That was more of Mina's thing, so seeing the sarcastic side of Bakugo only meant that she was still on his mind. Kirishima had spent more time than he would've liked with the pair, but he knew his friend well enough to know that Ashido was always of Katsuki's concerns, especially after the other day.

"Mina..."

"Hm?" Eijiro looked up with a mouthful of food. Bakugo's eyes were glued to his phone.

"Kirishima...did I make a mistake?"

The boy was baffled, choking on his food while gawking at the explosive child's words. "What!? No man— "

"How do you know?" Bakugo was growing impatient. He looked back to the food he couldn't even look at without growing disgusted. "How can you be so sure?"

"Bakugo, listen to yourself! Are you serious?" Eijiro banged his hardened fist on the table, angry with his friend who was reduced to this pitiful thing compared to his usual self.

"...Look, no offense, but you're growin' kinda soft— er, no pun intended…!"

Bakugo stood from his seat. What good was saying no pun intended, he'd just insulted his superior as far as Katsuki was concerned.

"Get real redhead, as if!" Bakugo, enraged, charted this off as blasphemous.

"Oh yeah?" Eijiro turned his seat, never missing the opportunity to bring his pal down to everyone else's level for once. "Then why'd you break up with her in the first place?"

Bakugo gritted his teeth, but Kirishima had a point. If it were so easy to go back on what he was feeling, then maybe it was 'soft' of him to let go of Mina in the first place. He didn't have to walk away, he knew that much. But Bakugo just wanted a reason to, and Mina gave him one— even if she immediately regretted it.

Why not walk away? She sold herself so short and settled with Katsuki Bakugo: sure, his pride was the pinnacle of his stature. But he didn't know what it meant to swallow it until he met the girl. Being around Mina made Bakugo feel like shit. Not because she was lacking in the brains department and flawed.

It was because she was capable of loving, and having fun with friends even if things were all wrong. Bakugo's entirety was about being the best and he only 'tolerated' a handful of his classmates at best; if it weren't a competition to establish class, count him out. Hell, he turned a volleyball game into a battle royale, and look where that got him: being told off by his skin-hardening friend that he needed to ditch the skirt before he lost more than just the love of his life.

And to Bakugo, there was already nothing worth more than Mina. Not even-

"Besides..." Kirishima, there were matters much more important than just Bakugo's satisfaction with his situation. "What would you possibly tell Uraraka? You can't put her through that again..."

Katsuki's gaze was fixed on the table, processing all kinds of thoughts. He looked up to his friend, got infuriated at the apple he monstrously devoured- the crunching and oozing ringing in his head- and slapped it to the floor.

"Hey! Not cool man!"

"We got class idiot. Let's go."

The blonde-haired boy took his seat, but he couldn't give a rat's ass about whatever nonsense would be spewed out of his teacher's mouth this time. It all sounded like gibberish, white noise. Now his mind raced with a certain brunette.

"Uraraka…"

"Hellooooo~!?"

Bakugo stared blankly, and blinked after realizing he was gazing into chocolate orbs. The girl before him pouted cutely and held her hips in frustration.

"No, yeah. I hear ya."

He didn't.

"Hmph! You think I'm joking? No more of this 'Round Face' nonsense mister- hey, are you even listening to me!?" While Uravity raged at him, Bakugo wondered where his day wandered off to. Was class already over? When did he get to Ochaco's dorm? Why was he stuck in this 'fast forward' effect?

His thoughts were disrupted when crushing weight pressed against his crotch, and the cutest face lay inches away from his, Uraraka straddling the explosive boy who sat on her dorm bed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" That soft voice was soothing and all, but Katsuki'd be a liar if he said he weren't distracted more so by her lips.

"Nothing. I-"

"Liarrr~..." Ochaco moaned into the crook of Bakugo's neck, planting light kisses against his flesh. He hissed in pleasure, but his hands never moved to run across her body like usual. "Talk to me, what's up?"

It was those eyes of hers. They weren't as strong as Mina's: he'd sweat just at the thought of lying to her face. However, Ochaco's blanketed him with serenity and whispered in his ear that everything would be alright.

Not to mention, his relationship with Mina had progressed into something serious. In terms of his relationship with Uraraka, it was child's play. What did they know about anything then? Their issues and disagreements were always hashed out through sex or foreplay, so when it came actually moving forward, it was rather difficult.

"I don't know, just...what time is it?" Ochaco scoffed at his question.

"Really? That's what's wrong? You need a watch?" Bakugo fell over and trapped the girl under his body, delighted by the playful squeal that escaped her lips.

"Real funny."

"There he is." Uraraka laughed, before tenderly kissing Katsuki with explosive passion. Even Bakugo was at a lose- she'd surprise him from time to time. But even now, she could see it: there was an obstacle in the reflection of his eyes, in the form of a pink girl with horns that gatekept Ochaco from Katsuki's heart.

"It's Mina, isn't it?"

His eyes widened, and he felt tension oozing from the girl below him. Ochaco rose from the bed while pressing against Bakugo's chest, looking rather unhappy.

"You're mad at me."

"I mean, why wouldn't I be?" Uraraka snorted, shaking her head while muttering under her breath, gazing towards the cloudy sky of dusk. Then, she suddenly spilled tears. Hot, angry tears that resembled her frustration. "Uraraka…"

"I just. Want. 'Us' again..."

He gave her the floor, because it was rare for the pure white heart of Ochaco to spill the drowning sorrows she snuffed out with cute character.

"I know…" Bakugo said lowly, sitting at the edge of her bed, staring at the floorboard. "I just— "

"You just what, Bakugo?" Narrow eyes dissected his soul, filled with water that was built up for who knows how long. "You always break my heart with this stuff."

"Oh, now you too!?" Bakugo bared his fangs, his mental fortitude snapping. She grew a bit scared, she could feel the hate seeping from his tongue. "You think I need that shit stuffed down my throat at every chance someone gets? Huh!? Dammit Uraraka, I don't feel strong enough, alright!?"

Ochaco leaned back a little while Bakugo used whatever ounce of strength he had left to keep himself from completely exploding. He gritted his teeth so hard one would think they'd break, and he held himself pitifully as though trying to keep himself from falling apart.

"I just... I feel like I'm drowning…! Like I can't swim or something…and every day, I go farther and farther into the deep end…" Uraraka had never heard something of that magnitude before, her tears turning into sadness for the boy who was slowly dropping his guard, hands falling to his sides. "I can't be with Ashido, because she's just this bundle of happiness that I just make…dirty…"

"Bakugo…"

"And I can't be with you because you're just so damn perfect, I can't stand it." Katsuki's voice shook and broke, Ochaco shaking her head wishing this weren't happening right in front of her for a second time. "No matter what I become, you'll always be better, and deserve better than m- "

"Don't say it!" Uraraka silenced the boy by wrapping her arms around his head and pulling him closer. But he'd never been held so strongly, warmth coursing through his body.

"I'm so sorry…!" It was real quiet, hardly a whisper. Still, the words meant everything to the boy who began to shutter in Ochaco's arms. In response, she slowly pet his hair and hushed him until this wave he found himself caught in subsided.

To Bakugo, Uraraka was just like All Might: someone who would have been better off if he stayed out of their way. But Mina was like that idiot. Like Deku: someone who was always so far behind him, and before he knew it, warranted chase into the unknown. But unlike Midoriya, Ashido was out of his reach; he couldn't catch her.

But to Uraraka, Bakugo was the complete opposite: he made her whole. Being around him made her realize that there weren't parts of herself she had to cast off to be able to retain a smile. Every day she awoke with him by her side was just another opportunity for Katsuki to tell her she was beautiful in any and every way. That she was strong in her own right. And she wouldn't lose him. Never again.

The moon was robed by gloom and dark clouds crying upon Heights Alliance. Bakugo fell into a deeper slumber, his face nestled in Uraraka's chest, warm blankets around their bodies. But as his days were flying faster than the speed of light, another's days would proceed dangerously slow.

As far as she was concerned, Mina was still being held hostage after school, helping Mr. Aizawa grade papers. It was in her face: exhaustion, sadness, 'god, I wanna go home right now…'.

At least that's what Aizawa thought she was thinking.

And he wasn't too far off. Mina rubbed her eyes while trying to stay awake. They'd been at it for hours, splitting the stack with him grading at his desk, and Mina trying to bust out her stack at hers.

"Doing alright Ashido?" Her teacher asked, glaring at her coldly. It was always so difficult to know when he was truly concerned.

"Mhm." Ashido huffed, making check marks on her next paper. "Geez, Mineta's really is a genius. Too bad he's so...ugh." Mina placed his paper to the side with the others and grabbed the last one.

Oh. Of course. She hadn't seen his name yet, and it wasn't like Bakugo just didn't do his work.

His paper was wet. How? It wasn't like she was crying or anything. That was 'baby shit'— or what Katsuki used to always tell her anyway.

"You know why I asked you to stay after class?" The pro asked, creeping up to her desk while turning the paper around to do the grading for his heartbroken student.

"Because I'm not doing well in my classes?"

"What- no. Ashido, your grades are skyrocketing. Honestly, I'd think you were cheating…" Shouta tapped his fingers on the name on the upper left-hand corner of the paper, the source of it all.

"...If I didn't see you studying all the time with him."

"Yeah, well that's over now." The horned girl played with her nail, chewing the inside of her cheek to hold back the pain melting her soul to ruin. She was so needy and annoying- 'clingy' as Denki put it- looking back on her mistakes was an awful experience to relive. She just wanted to crawl into a ball and disappear.

Mina looked up as Aizawa sighed, clearly uncomfortable about a situation that's probably childish or something to him.

"I-it's alright Mr. Aizawa. You don't have to-"

"You have potential Mina."

Mina glanced at her intimidating teacher in shock. "Really? It's that surprising?"

"No, sorry! It's just, only Bakugo used to think so…" She laughed at the uncomfortable thought.

"And you?" Ashido stared blankly, unable to decipher the words. "Do you recognize your own strength?"

Did she?

Mina thought about this the whole way back to campus- she had the time to now that she walked alone, accompanied only by the drizzle of rain. Before she thought she was only strong because of Bakugo. No, that's what she still thought. Which meant…she was weak without him.

Mina, dampened, walked through the door of the common area without uttering a word. No time to mingle and chat. She didn't want to anyways. It wasn't like she was sad- well, she was. Being without Katsuki was like being without her soul. She was just a husk, and the joyous alien she once was grew heavily ill with a case...ah, who cares.

Mina changed out of her U.A coat. She figured she'd just get ready for bed then, and think about Mr. Aizawa's words until she fell asleep. And that worked for maybe 5 minutes or so. But how could she think about that when her mind was only occupied with one thing?

"Ugh, screw this." Mina slipped out of bed, this wasn't working. She'd rather 'take a piss' than think about some shit that wasn't making sense at the moment.

The pink girl washed her hands, looking at herself in the mirror. But she jumped, frightened.

This reflection...this wasn't her.

No, she was just tired. Mina splashed her face with cold water, but all that did was reassure herself that she was gazing upon someone else. Sunken eyes that screamed exhaustion, vibrant alien skin ungodly ashen and 'ew'. And did she even do her hair these days? It was even in her tongue, she didn't sound or even think like herself anymore.

*creeek~*

Mina stood frozen, yet Todoroki was meters away from the girl's bathroom.

No, she stood frozen with conflict, unsure if she should break down to the floor in front of those cocoa-colored orbs of hers, or melt that pretty little face and watch her scream as Ochaco's precious hazel-brown hair rotted into her skin.

Uraraka could feel the heinous desire to maim and destroy; she certainly wasn't safe here. Not while Ashido locked onto her like a hawk.

The magenta-skin beauty growled in bottled anger, but no. She was better than this. And she definitely didn't need...need...

"Mina-"

"Stop talking."

Uraraka grew disheartened as fast as she was denied, Mina letting a deep breath before looking at Ochaco with empty eyes. As though her soul had left her vessel.

"Just...'I'm happy for you'."

Mina couldn't think of a worse way to leave her angel-faced friend, turning the former's words against her before leaving the bathroom with a cold wisp chilling the air. She brushed past Uraraka, who stood frozen in time before looking back frantically to the girl who would continue to lock herself in her room.

Ashido lay back down and stared at her roof. Even now, the thoughts swirling in her head weren't hers.

She was ashamed with herself. What were those thoughts occupying her mind moments ago, as if she could harm a fly- let alone Ochaco. The acidic girl assumed some kind of alter ego that was a compilation of all the negative energy she'd been bottling up. Ashido remembered she'd gotten into her parents' pantry as a child, and sipped from the funny-looking bottle of 'water'— wait why was she thinking about this?

Maybe because even now, Mina felt intoxicated, but this time with something different churning in her stomach. She was drunk, and probably off the boy whose personality she was assuming day in and day out. Maybe—

"Alright, open up!" There was excessive knocking at the horned girl's door, and a hushed whisper. Mina cursed and shot up in startled fashion.

"Jiro, please!"

"Oh, be quiet- Mina, open the damn door!"

"What do you nerds want- wait, did I just say that...?" Mina slowly palmed her face. Ugh, she sounded just like him.

"God, you're starting to sound just like—!" The sound of stomping getting louder stopped Kyoka in her tracks.

The door swung open, and Jiro and Hagakure froze when gazing into the eyes of an infuriated Ashido.

"Don't."

She pressed her tongue against the inside of her bottom lip, a pointing finger stabbing into Jiro's chest.

The girl with earphones sighed, holding her hands on her hips.

"Uraraka was crying- what did you do to her?"

"Uh! W-how the-really!? I didn't do anything!" Although, now she was wishing she had.

"Psh! Yeah, and Hagakure's not invisible."

"I am pretty invisible, heheh..." Transparent sweat droplets rolled down Toru's face, Kyoka turning menacingly slow, exaggerating her frustration with the goofiness. "Er, I, uh- d-did you say something?" asked Hagakure, a bit oblivious to the whole love triangle.

"Rr! That's not important, ya moron!" The last thing Jiro wanted was her friend group falling a part because of some unspoken feelings and a hot head. "Mina, listen…"

"No, I-I'm done listening." Toru grew concerned, her dear friend's voice lower and much more sinister than she could ever imagine. "I've heard it all, and I'm done. I'm done talking about it, I'm done- I'm done thinking about it, I... I'm just done…" Ashido finished her rant while out of breath, slowly closing the door on her concerned friends.

"I'm sorry you guys…" With that, Mina shut the door to her night.

"...gosh, what do we do now?" Hagakure's brightened soul was dampered by the dark aura around her pink friend.

"I don't know, I guess she just needs more time." Jiro began to trail away from the door.

"Yeah...so like, I guess we have to tell Sato that there's gonna be extra, huh?"

The door behind the girls swung open once more, with a drooling Mina eyeing her friends with hunger and curiosity.

"'Extra' what?"

"Uh, S-Sato's angel cak- hey!" Jiro couldn't even finish her sentence before Mina bolted past her friends to get her share of goodness.

"So like, tell me." Jiro, mouth full, pointed her piece of cake at her friend who had already gobbled hers down like a monster. "Why the hell would you get ready for bed now anyways? It's, like, 7:30." They sat in Mina's room, Kyoka and Toru pulling her away from the everyone else in silence.

"I dunno. Not much reason to stay up anymore I guess."

"You're being stupid!"

"Ouch, Hagakure! Gee thanks, I needed that..." Mina pouted while she could, her mood and spirits a little lightened with the remnant sugar swirling on her taste buds. "You guys said you needed 'a girl talk with the alien'- honestly, I don't even know if I want that to be my hero name anymore…"

"You don't seem too sure of a lot of things these days 'Raccoon Eyes'..." Jiro snickered while folding her arms.

"God- how do you even know about that...?"

"Because you'd always talk about it?" Mina's friend took a seat closer to her.

"Look, even though I really don't think you need that guy...I can't deny how happy you were whenever Bakugo was around- and oh-ho, trust me: I thought you were 'happy' before." Mina laughed off the earphone jacker's words, but Hagakure sent them home over and over.

"No really Mina! You make Katsuki sound like a dream!"

"That's because he is a dream..." Ashido gazed out her window, reminiscing, it looked like. "Everything about him is great. His personality, his smile, even the…" Mina giggled to herself with a faint blush in her cheeks, holding her knees closer. Jiro and Hagakure were confused for a few seconds, but soon after, Kyoka flared red.

"M-Mina! Gah, gross!" Jiro covered her ears, with Toru catching on.

"He's like a prince from a fairy tale…"

"Alright, we get it!" Hagakure rattled with a bad case of the gitters.

"Sometimes, he and I would- HEY!" Jiro knocked Mina out of her blissful daze with a slam of a pillow.

"Keep your love life to yours- OW!" Mina retaliated back, laughing openly as she whacked Kyoka square in the face.

The girls engaged in giggles and pillow fighting. And honestly...Mina hadn't had so much fun in her life.

Or that's what it felt like anyways. The pink girl hadn't really indulged or enjoyed her own time lately. She owed all of her unparalleled happiness these past few months to Katsuki.

And she was eternally grateful. But Mina grew dependent of him somewhere down the line, and lost her sense of independence somewhere down the line as well. It came at the cost of pushing Bakugo to be more than what he already was.

And he was her everything.

Before her friends let her get some shuteye (Jiro still insisted that Mina was crazy for sleeping so early like a child), they left even more words for Ashido to think on as she slept— as if Mr. Aizawa's weren't enough.

"As much as I wanna tell you to move on with yourself Mina...you're dumb if you think that guy's not thinking about you, right now."

"But I dunno Jiro. Uraraka really likes him too...!" The invisible girl added. "All this time, I thought she had the hots for Midoriya, but I guess I was wrong."

"We were all wrong." Mina's eyes were covered by frizzy locks, but they shaded her sadness. "I teased her all the time about it, meanwhile there I was, kinda stealing her boyfriend away…"

"Oh, get real!" Jiro scoffed while rocking an attitude, and rolled her eyes at the nonsense. "If you ask me, it's Bakugo who needs to make up his mind here!"

"Jiro…" Mina shook her head as if it were some joke; some reality she didn't have to face.

"Mina." Kyoka placed her hand on a sunken pink shoulder and smiled in reassurance. "Just make sure he loves you as much as you love him...god, I feel gross..." Jiro stood up with a heave stating she was out of there. She could tell Mina had a lot of thinking to do, and how heavy her heart was right now.

And Mina would think...every waking moment.

Envy…

Was that what it was called? Her and Bakugo had this talk, but it was Mina who remembered it much clearer than he did. It was months ago, a late night in the dorm kitchen like they used to have before they were together…

Bakugo flicked Mina in the head while shaking his own in disappointment.

"Why the hell are you so envious of me?" He demanded the answer- honestly it was a little intimidating.

"Well-uh-I~..."

"Ashido, if you say 'I don't know', I'm going to bed."

"Hey! No, don't leave!" Mina cuddled his arms in desperation, Bakugo growing a little pink.

"Y-you're getting handsy again!"

"Sorry!" This girl was all over the place. Bakugo didn't understand in the slightest, even while keeping in mind on Uraraka's 101 on girls. 'Girls are more emotional' she said, 'we're delicate sometimes' she said, his ass. He wasn't going to subject Mina to this kind of generalization.

She was different.

"I'm just-"

"One the lowest ranked in class?"

"Uh, thanks!?"

"Pretty weak compared to me?"

"Ok, now you're just being rude..."

"Dense."

Mina bit her lip while fishing for words to defend herself. But he wasn't wrong, and she slowly sank in defeat. Of course he wasn't wrong. Compared to Bakugo, she was a joke, and she shared none of his triumphant qualities. Just someone in his way, someone who couldn't even keep up.

"I wouldn't take Mina Ashido any other way."

Mina looked into Katsuki's crimson orbs in shock. Surely, he was kidding.

"Of course you wouldn't." The words of encouragement weren't working, Mina looking down to her feet. A king needs his court jester, or things would get pretty boring. She, a fool, could understand that at least. But Bakugo detested to this.

"...shut up."

To make matters worse for the butterflies in her stomach, Mina was pulled to Bakugo's side, and she fawned over the most handsome smile she'd ever laid eyes on.

"You're not here because you're 'good enough', you're here because you're among the best." Mina died shortly after, it was the nicest thing anyone's ever said to her. And she'd never expect it to be from Bakugo's mouth.

"Bakugo, I-…"

"No no- no more of this mushy stuff. Come on." Bakugo took the girl's hand and walked her to her room, assuring her every step of the way that she was in his presence at U.A High for a reason: because of her strength alone.

"You're wrong." Mina smiled to herself, tears running past her stuttering lips. "Because I'm so weak without you…"