Bakugou's entire section of his army, including Tsuyu, was gone for nearly a month and a half, leaving you to fret and worry over what you had told him. Although he said he would listen to you, there was never a true confirmation that he really did change his plan. All you could do was hope that he had, that they would come out of their battle as successful as the history books said. You spilled all your worries through the weeks to your little fish friend Sushi, who listened with a continuously gaping mouth and blank stare. The creature always stuck around right at the edge of the pond when you came to sit, making you curious as to if he truly did understand what you were doing there. He was just a simple Koi fish, completely white with not a speck of color anywhere on him.

Although you knew your assigned guards were listening, you couldn't help but verbally express your worries to the fish. Just getting it all out was enough to calm you, and often you talked through your problems with yourself to find solutions. It was nice, and you always thanked him for his time when you decided to return to your room or walk elsewhere.

At the one month and two weeks mark, you had just finished your time in the garden, and you were casually walking when you heard it. The familiar voice of your guide, calling to you from behind.

Turning to face her, you smiled at Tsuyu as she approached, still dressed in her war attire that you had first met her in. You assumed they had just returned, which was only confirmed by how tired she looked as she stopped before you. "Hello, Tsu! I'm so glad to see you made it back okay! How long have you been back?"

"A while," Tsuyu responded, working to untie one of the hard pieces of armor she had on her arm. "I guess you wouldn't know from this far into the palace. Your company has been requested, however, so I've come to fetch you."

"Huh? Is everything okay?" You followed her as she began to walk in the direction she had originally come, her hair bouncing as she walked.

"Everything is just fine, Miss. But I cannot discuss it, Bakugou wishes to in private."

If your stomach wasn't in knots before, it certainly was now. In fact, you felt like your entire throat was near closing off. You were shocked that just mentioning being alone with him made you so nervous you considered taking off and hiding somewhere where they would have a very hard time finding you. It didn't help that you were anxious about the results of the ambush, if it had gone how you predicted or if he even listened to you in the first place.

Eventually, the two of you reached an area of the stables and fenced off area for the horses, and you spotted the subject of your anxiety almost instantly. Bakugou was standing out in some random spot in the fenced in section, watching his young palomino horse trot about. A bit confused, you looked down at Tsuyu. "Uhm, what is he doing?"

"After a battle of any kind, when we return home, he often likes to be alone like this to clear his mind. This was also that mares first time out in a real battle, so I believe he's watching her for any sign of unknown injury or distress."

"He… wants to talk to me out there? With a horse running around us?"

"Yes." Tsuyu looked at you like the request was the most common place thing to ever happen, so you decided not to make a fuss about it, even though it did seem a bit ridiculous.

Approaching the fence, you looked down at her. "Do I just… go in-"

You were interrupted as Tsuyu gave a whistle, gaining Bakugou's attention. Without a word, he pointed to an area further down the fence, which upon inspection, was clearly a gate. Bidding Tsuyu goodbye for the moment, you entered the area through the gate, being sure to shut and secure it behind you.

"Hurry up, Demon!" You heard Bakugou snap at you, making you quickly scurry over to him. Giving a bow, you waited for his approval before standing up straight, gazing up at him curiously.

"You wanted to see me?"

"You were right." His words were quite snappy, though he spoke with an uncharacteristic softness. As his horse approached him, she eyed you with obvious reluctance, though seemed calmed when Bakugou gave her strong neck a few pats. "Your strategy or… prediction. It was right."

"So you won? Did anyone get badly hurt?"

"We did win. But we lost many troops. No one you know by name." Bakugou turned his gaze to the horse, giving a few soft clicks to calm her. You were unsure why, but his calm demeanor and gentle noises to the horse brought a heat to your cheeks. His praise only made it worse, and you didn't really know what to expect from all this.

"I'm glad," you started, taking a half a step closer. "Did you tell Lord Yagi?"

"I told him before we left what you had said. He did admit that there was no way you could have known anything about the enemies side of that ambush. And that your… input was of great value." He looked back down at you again as you moved, and you caught his eyes wandering your form for just a moment. "He's still skeptical, as expected. And in all honesty, so am I. I can't tell if it's luck that's getting you by, or if you really are just that good of a liar. So, from now on, until I can tell a difference, you are going to meet with me to go over strategies before and after I present it. To see if you truly have a 'power' of some sort."

You gave a timid nod. "Yes, of course… But I may not be able to do it for… every battle. The more impact, the more I can see." You had to make up a reasoning behind your inability to remember some of the smaller and insignificant skirmishes, and you hoped this would work. "Sometimes things don't come to me. I cannot be held accountable for that."

"If you have no input on some things, then so be it. But I except your best attempts, Demon."

"I feel like I've proved how willing I am to cooperate and support you…"

"You have. That is why I am easing up on your restrictions. And I'll provide you with more entertainment resources so you aren't so… bored, is what you had said?" The snarky smirk on his lips made your cheeks flush, though you quickly nodded.

In truth, you were unsure exactly what to feel. You were happy that it had worked out, and yet you were still technically a prisoner, untrusted and constantly watched. Still, this would be an improvement, and perhaps even a chance to get closer to him. You weren't sure why your heart fluttered so violently any time you laid eyes on him. It was like something inside you was hopelessly drawn to him, and for a moment, you wondered if he felt the same thing. In your mind, you pictured it like magnets, and one day you would surely collide if given the chance.

"Thank you," Pushing through the embarrassment, you smiled up at him, your heart nearly skipping a beat as his stern expression faltered for just a split second. "I don't think I said that to you directly. I assume you got that from the reports of me talking to Sushi."

"The stupid fish? Yes." Bakugou turned more to face the horse, as if looking at you frustrated him. "I've learned a lot about you from those reports. In particular, you seem to talk a lot about your family."

At the mention of such a sensitive subject, your emotions instantly flared, making your throat constrict and a burning rise up into your eyes. "Yes, I… I do." It was impossible to control the wavering of your voice, turning your gaze down to look at his feet. "I think about them all the time and I wonder if… they are still thinking about me, too."

"I would allow you to send them a letter… if you so wished."

Feeling your chest tighten, you looked up at him in shock, very surprised to hear such a suggestion come out of his mouth. Seeming a bit bashful about it himself, he didn't look down at you, though instead continued to pet his horse while he awaited your response. Sniffling, you quickly reached up and wiped the tears from your face, unable to resist the small smile that crossed your lips.

"That's… very kind of you. But there is no point in doing that. I feel like it may be better to just let them get over me than to give them any hope… Thank you, though. I think you're much nicer than this persona you strut around with." A sly smirk crossed your lips as the tips of his ears flushed, holding back giggles as he glared down at you.

"Shut up," Bakugou barked, returning to his previously mentioned persona. "You barely even know me! I was just offering as a payback for helping us!"

"Mhmm, sure, sure." Smile never leaving your lips, you took a few steps closer to his horse, looking her over. "May I?"

"Tch, do what you want." Bakugou, even though he was obviously embarrassed, watched you closely as you softly placed a hand on the pale hair of the mares neck. With a gentle touch, you ran your hand along her strong body, walking with it until you were standing at her side.

"She's beautiful. She looks almost exactly like her mother." You chanced a quick glance at him, glad to see his expression not falter at the mention of his fallen horse. "Except for that she has the black running up her back leg here."

Bakugou walked around the other side of the horse, running his hand along her back and displacing a bit of dust. "She's filthy right now. But yes, she is a wonderful horse. Much like her mother."

"She did well out in battle?"

"Of course she did. She was bred from our two strongest war horses, my Taiyō and Yonaka. She's still young, but Higure will be magnificent in time."

"Ooh, so that's where that little splash of black comes from. How cute! She seems very fond of you." Smiling up at him, you felt a heat return to your cheeks, finding the way he looked down at you to be so… soft. It was obvious to you that there was something on his mind besides the horse, but there was still something preventing him from speaking it. You wanted to ask, to confess that you felt this ridiculous connection to him and you wondered if he felt it, too. But you couldn't. All you could do was take a step back as Bakugou gave a small pat to the horses' rump to send her off, both of you watching as she trotted away towards the stables.

With a sigh, Bakugou turned his gaze back down to you. "It is difficult for me to admit that my strategies were incorrect or ineffective. I've studied most of my life to perfect my skills, and yet… I still have times where I'm wrong and that angers me. This year in particular seems to be having it's way with me. Despite my troubles, I've decided to trust you. I hope that won't be another mistake."

Feeling your stomach bubble with anxiety, you shook your head, taking a few steps closer to him. "Don't think that way. I will do everything I can to help you… Though it's more than just wanting to preserve my life in any way. I… want to. I want to help you."

"Good. Enough of this." He waved his hand at you in sudden annoyance, beginning to make his way towards the stables as well. "I will put Higure away and retire for the evening. Tomorrow we will both meet with Lord Yagi to discuss your prediction and the results of the ambush. I recommend you prepare yourself and sleep well."

Smiling, you watched him walk away. "Goodnight to you, too!"

His only answer was a quick glance over his shoulder, before he vanished inside a building along with his horse. Your heart and spirits lifted from the pleasant conversation, you gave a soft sigh in adoration before heading out the way you came, finding Tsuyu dressed back in her more casual clothing at the entrance to the palace. She must have noticed the unconscious dreamy look on your face, as she gazed up at you curiously.

"Are you okay, Miss?"

"I'm just fine, Tsuyu. That went… much better than what I expected."

Smile crossing her lips, Tsuyu nodded, beginning to lead you back into the castle. "If I'm incorrect, than please let me know, but I think that you may be a little bit soft for him."

"W-what?" The heat that rushed to your face was more severe than anything you had experienced that day, quickly bringing your hands up to cover your face. "Tsu, please, that just isn't true! He's just- I'm just-"

"Shh, miss, it's quite alright!" Tsuyu laughed, smiling up at you. "There is nothing to be upset about. Bakugou actually has a very hard time connecting with people, so I'm glad to see that you both get along decently well."

"Y-yeah…" Lowering your hands, you hugged yourself tightly, keeping your embarrassed gaze locked on the ground. "Even though he can be quite mean, I… like him. There's more to him than what he wants to show."

"I think that having read my reports on you has helped him feel more comfortable around you. Otherwise, I don't think it would be like this. But either way, I am glad!"

Swallowing the lump that had groan in your throat, you nodded, the vision of his soft expression locked in your mind. So handsome, powerful, loyal and snarky. At this point, you knew you officially had a crush on the gruffy hotheaded man, and now that you were told you would be spending more time around him, you had a feeling it was only going to grow more intense.

Only time would tell if that would be a positive experience. For now, all you could do is think of him, with imaginary pink hearts fluttering about your face.