The dorms were alive with the easy buzz of laughter and chatter. After a long day of classes, most of Class 1-A had gathered in the common room. Some were sprawled on the couches, others sitting on the floor with snacks, and a few were engaged in a lively game of cards that Kaminari and Kirishima were taking way too seriously.
"Dude! You can't explode the cards just because you're losing!" Kaminari whined, shielding his hand from Bakugo, who sat nearby with his usual scowl.
"I didn't explode anything, dunce face," Bakugo muttered. "Maybe your brain short-circuited again."
Mina giggled from the kitchen, where she was helping Sato bake a batch of late-night cookies. Uraraka and Iida were seated on the other couch, going over notes, though Iida kept casting suspicious looks at Kaminari's increasingly loud frustration.
That's when the room began to quiet—subtly at first. Heads turned one by one toward the elevator that led to the dorm rooms.
Emi was standing there, holding her stuffed cat, with a nervous expression on her face.
For the first time since the Kamino incident, the bandage on the left side of her face was gone.
The damage was visible now—raw, pale, and scarred. The skin around her left eye was rough and slightly sunken. Her eye itself, a soft cloudy pink, stared out unfocused and unmoving.
Her hair was down, gently brushed over her shoulder. She wore a soft hoodie and leggings, clearly still adjusting to comfort. But she stood tall—hesitant, but not hiding.
It was silent for a beat.
And then Mina stood up and smiled gently. "Hey, Emi."
Emi gave a small nod. "Hey."
Kirishima stepped forward next. "You look… like a total badass," he said with an encouraging grin.
"You've always been cool," Uraraka added, beaming. "This doesn't change anything."
"Yeah!" Kaminari chimed in. "Honestly, the scar kinda makes you look like a serious warrior from a fantasy game or something."
As the warm words flowed in, the tension in Emi's shoulders eased—just a little. She blinked her right eye, the only one that could still see, and gave a small smile.
Katsuki watched from the couch. He hadn't said anything yet. Just looked at her—not with pity, or hesitation, or awkwardness.
Just… her.
She met his gaze across the room. Her breath caught in her chest, but he stood and made his way over to her slowly. He stopped just in front of her, eyes scanning her face.
"'Bout time you took that thing off," he said simply. "You look like you."
Emi's chest tightened. Her hands, still faintly bandaged, clenched at her sides.
"…Do I?" she asked, voice quiet.
He nodded, voice softer now. "Yeah. You do."
And with that, he reached out and tugged the hood of her sweatshirt up over her head, ruffling her hair a little in the process.
"There. Now you're officially part of the late-night crew. Come sit down."
Emi gave a watery laugh and let herself be guided toward the couch, settling beside her friends for the first time in what felt like forever.
The room slowly filled back up with conversation, with the game, with laughter. But there was something new in the air now—something warmer, something closer.
The card game had devolved into a chaotic free-for-all where Kaminari somehow managed to lose three rounds in a row, and Jirou was softly strumming a guitar in the corner. Laughter buzzed gently through the room like background music.
Emi sat cross-legged on the couch, nestled between Uraraka and Katsuki, who was leaning back against the cushions with his arms crossed like he wasn't completely at ease—but his knee kept brushing hers, and he hadn't moved it once.
"Alright, alright," Mina said, plopping down dramatically on the floor in front of them. "We need to talk about the real story here."
"What real story?" Emi asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.
Mina grinned like a shark who smelled blood. "Oh, you know…" She leaned on her elbows and wiggled her brows. "The way you and Bakugo have been acting lately. You two are definitely closer."
At that, Katsuki's eyes narrowed. "What the hell does that mean, Pinky?"
"It means," Kaminari said, appearing behind the couch with a cookie halfway in his mouth, "that you've been looking at her like she's made of nitroglycerin—like she's dangerous but you'd still fight someone to protect her."
"Maybe he's just soft now," Kirishima added with a snort. "Our guy's got a heart, after all."
"Shut up, all of you," Katsuki growled, though the tips of his ears were noticeably pink.
Emi glanced at him, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "You didn't deny it, though."
Katsuki side-eyed her, then muttered, "That's 'cause there's nothing to deny."
"OHHHHHH," Mina and Kaminari howled in unison, jumping to their feet in dramatic gasps of glee.
Uraraka clapped a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Even Iida paused mid-sip of tea, his glasses flashing. "This seems… emotionally significant."
Emi giggled softly, the sound lighter than it had been in days. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said playfully, hugging the stuffed cat Katsuki had given her, which now rested in her lap.
"Yeah, just two friends, right?" Jirou called out from her corner.
"Friends who blush when they bump knees," Hagakure added from the floor.
"Friends who patch each other up and secretly bring them cat plushies," Sero chimed in.
"Friends who—okay, you get it," Mina finished with a dramatic wave of her arms.
"Can we move on before I blow something up?" Katsuki grumbled, though he didn't actually get up or move away from Emi. In fact, his hand was resting along the back of the couch now, right behind her shoulders.
Emi tilted her head slightly toward him, smiling into her hoodie. "Relax, Katsuki. They're just teasing."
"Hmph. They're lucky I like you."
Dead silence.
Every head turned.
Katsuki's eyes widened slightly as if he hadn't meant to say it out loud, but he didn't take it back.
Emi's cheeks flushed, and she turned to him slowly, her lips parting in surprise—and something softer. "You… what?"
He clicked his tongue and looked away. "You heard me."
The room collectively exploded with giggles, gasps, and exaggerated screams.
"Okay, okay, that's our cue to give them space!" Kirishima shouted, herding Kaminari and Mina toward the kitchen.
"I regret nothing!" Mina called back. "But also, you two are adorable, please carry on."
As the crowd slowly dispersed into smaller groups and conversations, Emi leaned her shoulder against Katsuki's arm, heart fluttering in her chest. "Thanks," she said softly.
"For what?"
"For not caring about the scar."
Katsuki glanced down at her, expression serious. "I didn't fall for your face, dumbass."
"…Wait, so you admit you fell?"
He groaned into his hand. "Shut up, Moshizuki."
She laughed, the warmth in her chest settling like embers in a hearth.
The dorm was dimly lit, a soft golden glow coming from the lamp on Katsuki's desk. Emi sat cross-legged on the edge of his bed, her windstreamers draped across her lap like lazy ribbons. She wore an oversized hoodie—probably his, judging by the way it nearly swallowed her arms—and her bare feet dangled just above the floor.
Katsuki sat across from her, one leg bent up on the bed, the other foot on the floor, elbows on his knee. He was silent, picking absently at the edge of his palm-wrap.
For once, there was no yelling. No teasing. Just quiet air and the occasional rustle of wind through the barely-open window.
"Thank you," Emi said softly.
He glanced up. "For what?"
"For staying at the hospital, and helping me with everything."
"Tch. Don't need a thank you. Just don't scare me like that again."
Her smile was faint, but real. "I'll try."
Silence stretched again, not uncomfortable—just charged. Emi looked at him through her right eye, the one that still worked, the one that saw everything clearly. Her pale left eye stared ahead, unfocused.
"Everyone keeps saying we're together," she said, voice quieter now. "They're not wrong. Not really. But we've never actually said it out loud."
Katsuki stared at her for a long moment. "Yeah. I know."
She shifted, drawing her knees closer to her chest. "Does it matter to you? Saying it?"
He exhaled through his nose. "I'm not good at this stuff."
"I know," she said. "But I don't need perfect words. I just need real ones."
Katsuki leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. His voice dropped, lower than usual, stripped of its usual sharpness. He hesitated then said "You make me feel like I'm not just a weapon. Like I can be more than what people expect me to be."
Her breath caught, just a little.
He didn't look at her when he added, "I care about you. Not just in the 'teammate I'll protect' way. I mean it."
Emi stood slowly, closing the space between them. She reached up, placing her hand gently against his cheek, her thumb just brushing along his jawline.
"I love the way you fight for people. Even when you're rough around the edges." Her voice was soft. "And you… you make me feel seen."
He finally met her gaze—both eyes, the fierce and the faded.
"Then say it," he murmured.
"I care about you too, Katsuki," she said, sure and steady. "More than I thought I could after everything."
He leaned into her touch for a heartbeat—then pulled her gently into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. It wasn't rushed. It wasn't fiery. Just quiet and steady, like the wind right before a storm.
They didn't need to say anything else.
A low buzz of nervous energy pulsed through the building as Class 1-A prepared for the Provisional Hero License Exam. The dorms were alive with the sounds of zippers, muffled yawns, and rushed footsteps.
"Why are we even awake? It's barely six!" Kaminari whined from the hallway, one sock on and one in his hand. "Can't we just get licensed in our sleep?"
"No!" Iida barked from his room, already dressed, tie perfectly knotted. "This is an important day, and we must be ready early! Gather in the common area by 6:15 sharp!"
Emi stood in front of the mirror in her room, pulling the zipper up on her updated hero costume with a slow, steady breath. Her hands were still healing, so her gloves had been reinforced by the Support Course with extra padding and pressure regulators. Her blind eye was uncovered now—no more bandages. The scar was bold, the damage visible. But she didn't hide from it anymore.
There was a knock on her door.
"It's open," she said, not turning.
Katsuki stepped in, already suited up and radiating his usual confident intensity. But there was a softness in his eyes when he looked at her through the mirror.
"You good?" he asked simply.
Emi nodded. "Yeah. Nervous. But good."
He crossed the room and adjusted a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You're gonna kill it."
"You too," she said, offering a crooked smile.
They stood there for a second longer—close, quiet—until she bumped her shoulder against his. "Ready?"
"Hell yeah," he muttered, then added under his breath, "Let's get it over with so we can come back and nap."
She laughed as they walked out of her room together, side by side. By the time they reached the common area, nearly everyone was already there, still pulling on boots or adjusting gear.
Kirishima spotted them first. "Hey, hey! The storm duo's here!"
"Twister and Boom Boy," Mina chimed with a wink. "Looking fierce as hell!"
Katsuki scowled. "Don't call me that."
Emi sat on the couch arm beside him, pulling her gloves tighter. "You're gonna be fine, Boom Boy."
The group froze.
Bakugo blinked at her. "You wanna die?" Giggling she placed her hand on his shoulder, leaning into him.
But there was no heat behind it.
Mina leaned forward, eyes narrowed like a cat watching something interesting. "Did… you just tease him? And is that a little PDA I see??"
"Wait," Kaminari said slowly. "Are we missing something here?"
Uraraka grinned. "I knew it! The teasing yesterday wasn't just flirting…"
Jirou raised an eyebrow. "You guys are a thing, aren't you?"
Emi paused, then glanced at Katsuki. He gave her a slight nod, as if to say, your call.
With a soft smile, she turned to the group and said, "Yeah. We're dating."
Dead silence.
Then—
"WHAT?!" Kaminari and Mina shrieked in unison.
"I KNEW IT!" Mina screamed, throwing a pillow into the air in celebration.
"Wow, I did not see Bakugo admitting it," Sero said, shaking his head in disbelief. "But now that you've said it, I'm glad."
"I approve!" Kirishima beamed. "You guys are badass together."
"Congratulations!" Iida declared, striking a pose. "But I hope you're both emotionally prepared to maintain your professional decorum during the exam."
"Relax, Four-Eyes," Katsuki muttered, slipping his hand behind Emi's back briefly. "We'll be fine."
Midoriya looked flustered but smiled genuinely. "I'm happy for you, Emi-chan. And you too, Kacchan. Kind of surprised but… it fits."
Emi looked around at all of them—at the chaos, the teasing, the warmth.
And for the first time that morning, her nerves melted into excitement.