The common room was alive with chatter, laughter, and the clatter of snacks and game controllers. The lights were low, the TV glowed softly, and the smell of popcorn lingered in the air. Most of Class 1-A had migrated here after dinner, claiming this was "decompression time" after their grueling morning training.
Bakugou sat in a corner, arms crossed, half-slouched against the couch, glaring at the TV like it personally offended him. Y/n hovered nearby, leaning against the wall with a bag of chips in her lap, trying to appear unbothered while watching Kaminari and Mina bicker over the next game.
"Man, this training is so brutal," Kaminari complained, picking up a controller. "I almost died just trying to not step on a panel. And then… well… your little screaming match." He looked pointedly at Bakugou and Y/n. Mina grinned. "Yeah! Checkpoint C! Who knew yelling at each other could trip sensors?"
Y/n froze, cheeks heating. She glanced at Bakugou, who scowled at her like it was her fault for existing in the same room. "Shut up," Bakugou snapped, though his voice had that faint crack of embarrassment he tried to hide.
"Ohhh, I think they're embarrassed!" Mina teased, nudging Kaminari. "Bakugou's all red, Y/n's… well, Y/n's probably gonna implode any second." Y/n pinched the bridge of her nose. "I did not implode. You're imagining things." Bakugou muttered something under his breath that Y/n definitely heard. "…Your yelling nearly blew up the field."
She blinked. "…And you almost tripped three sensors by yelling back."
"Details," he said, voice clipped. "Not my problem." The rest of the class dissolved into giggles. Jirou elbowed Kaminari, whispering, "I've never seen them like this before. It's… cute, in a terrifying way." Y/n shot him a look that could have frozen molten lava. "I heard that."
Bakugou leaned forward suddenly. "Did you really just say… cute?" Y/n smirked, though her cheeks betrayed a flush. "Yeah. Don't let it get to your head." He growled. "Don't act like you don't know what you did back at the checkpoint."
"I tripped sensors? That was your fault."
"I didn't yell!"
"You didn't stop yelling!"
"…Tch. You're impossible."
"I'm not the one who threw me into the literal containment field by yelling!"
The room erupted into laughter again.
Mina jumped up, clapping her hands. "Ooooh, the sparks are flying! Can we get a slow clap for our star couple?" Y/n groaned and hid behind her chips, but Bakugou of all people gave a strangled sound that was not a laugh but not a growl either. "Star couple?" he spat. "I am not a—"
"You're definitely not, but that's what makes it fun!" Kaminari teased, clearly enjoying every second. Y/n rolled her eyes but couldn't help the corner of her mouth twitching upward. Somehow, between the teasing, Bakugou's glaring, and her own stubbornness, she felt… lighter. Less tense than she had all day.
Bakugou, of course, didn't notice. He was too busy planning how he was going to make someone regret calling him "cute," though he wasn't entirely sure if it was the name or the situation that bothered him more.
The room settled into chaos games, laughter, teasing while the subtle tension between them hummed in the background. Neither of them spoke about it directly, but the unspoken acknowledgment was there.
Y/n stole a glance at Bakugou, who was still scowling but watching the game quietly. Her lips quivered in a faint, tired smile. And maybe, just maybe, she didn't hate having him here tonight.
The thought startled Y/n so much she immediately shoved another chip in her mouth, as if the crunch could drown it out. Unfortunately, Kaminari chose that exact moment to let out a strangled scream as his game character fell into digital lava. "WHAT?!" he wailed, tossing the controller up. "I was winning!"
"No, you weren't," Jirou deadpanned, snatching the controller midair. "You ran into the same fire trap three times in a row."
"Shut up, Jirou, my thumbs slipped—"
"Sure they did," she said, rolling her eyes.
Laughter rippled through the room again, and Y/n found herself grinning despite herself. But it didn't last long because Mina's eyes were on her again. And then Mina's grin widened. "So, Y/n," Mina began, dragging out the words, "if you had to pick a partner for the rest of the semester, who would it be?"
Y/n froze. Every set of eyes turned to her.
"…Anyone but him," she said automatically, jerking her thumb in Bakugou's direction.
The class howled. Kaminari practically fell off the couch.
Bakugou clicked his tongue. "Like I'd ever pick you."
"Good. We agree for once."
They glared at each other, but it was halfhearted. Bakugou noticed it too, the tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth, the way her eyes didn't burn as sharp as usual. He shifted, annoyed at himself for noticing.
The night wore on. The game rotated through players, laughter spilling until the common room felt too warm and too full. Eventually, Y/n ended up wedged between Ashido and Kirishima, controller in hand, playing some ridiculous racing game. And Bakugou… somehow ended up sitting just behind her. Close enough that every time she shifted back, her shoulder nearly brushed his knee.
"Turn left, Y/n!" Mina shouted.
"I am!" she barked back, furiously steering the controller. "Not enough, you're gonna—"
Her car smacked into the digital guardrail. "DAMN IT!" she groaned, throwing her head back. It hit something solid Bakugou's knee. She whipped around, mortified. "Sorry!" He scowled down at her, but there was no real heat in it. "Tch. Figures. Can't even drive in a fake game."
"Oh, shut it, like you'd do better!"
"I would."
Kirishima grinned. "Prove it, bro. Next round."
Bakugou snatched the controller before Y/n could stop him. The class cheered as he started the race and, predictably, flew off the track within seconds. The entire common room erupted. Y/n doubled over laughing so hard her stomach hurt. "Oh my gosh—YOU'RE WORSE THAN ME!"
"Shut the hell up!" Bakugou barked, cheeks tinged pink.
"You literally drove backwards."
"I was testing the controls!"
"That's what Kaminari said, too," Jirou drawled. Bakugou threw the controller onto the couch, muttering curses under his breath, but when Y/n leaned back again, still snickering, she caught something in his eyes. For just a second.
Not anger. Not annoyance.
Something else.
It was gone before she could name it. Still, the thought lingered as the night wound down, classmates slowly filtering back to their rooms, the energy quieting. And maybe, just maybe… she didn't hate having him here tonight. It wasn't something she'd admit out loud. Hell, she wasn't even sure she'd admit it to herself. But the warmth of the common room, the easy laughter, and even Bakugou's grumpy muttering in the corner made the day feel less heavy.
Slowly, the night fizzled out. One by one, students peeled away with yawns and goodnights. Kaminari finally gave up on beating Jirou at a rhythm game and trudged upstairs. Mina skipped off with a wink and a whispered "Don't stay up too late~," which made Y/n's face burn.
Before long, the common room was nearly empty—just the low buzz of the TV still running, the faint hum of the lights overhead, and two people who hadn't moved yet. Y/n stretched out across the couch, legs dangling over the edge, clutching a pillow against her chest. Her eyes were heavy, but she wasn't quite ready to go to bed.
Across the room, Bakugou leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, eyes half-closed like he was listening to the quiet instead of watching the screen. It was strange. The silence between them wasn't the same as the silence in training tense, sharp, biting. This was… softer. Almost bearable. Y/n shifted, breaking it first. "You know… for someone who talks a big game, you really suck at video games."
Bakugou cracked one eye open, glaring lazily at her. "You're seriously starting this now?"
She smirked into the pillow. "Just saying. I lasted longer than you."
"You're delusional," he shot back, but his voice didn't carry the usual edge. It was quieter. Tired. Almost… relaxed.
Y/n tilted her head, watching him. His eyes weren't as harsh in the dim light, his posture not quite as rigid. For the first time since she'd known him, he looked less like a bomb waiting to explode and more like… well, a boy her age. "You're not… always this awful, are you?" she asked before she could stop herself. He blinked at her, caught off guard. "…What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
She hugged the pillow tighter. "It means… Maybe I don't totally hate you. Tonight. A little." For a moment, the only sound was the low hum of the TV. Then Bakugou snorted. "Don't expect me to say it back."
"I wouldn't," she shot back quickly, cheeks warm. But when she glanced at him again, there was the faintest tug at the corner of his mouth, not quite a smile, but close enough to make her heartbeat trip over itself.
The silence stretched between them again. Not tense. Not sharp. Just… there. And maybe, just maybe… she could live with that.
Y/n shifted on the couch, pressing her cheek into the pillow as if that could hide the way her heart was thudding in her chest. She hated that he could get under her skin like this not just with his yelling and insults, but in these quiet, unguarded moments where he felt… human.
Her voice came out softer than she intended. "Do you ever get tired?" Bakugou turned his head slightly, eyeing her. "Of what?" She shrugged, gaze fixed on the faint glow of the TV screen. "Of fighting all the time. With me. With everyone. Like… don't you ever just want to stop?"
For a second, she thought he wouldn't answer. His jaw worked, his arms tightened across his chest, and then—
"…If I stop, I fall behind."
The words were low, gruff, like he regretted letting them out the second they left his mouth.
Y/n's throat tightened. She knew what it was like, feeling like you couldn't slow down without losing everything. Maybe that's why she never backed down from him—because in some twisted way, she understood.
She sat up a little, hugging the pillow to her chest. "Maybe… slowing down doesn't always mean you're weak, y'know." His eyes flicked to hers, sharp and unreadable. For once, he didn't snap back.
The silence stretched, heavy but not uncomfortable. Y/n forced a crooked smile. "Not that I'm saying you should take advice from me. You'd probably combust on the spot." "Tch." He rolled his eyes, but his voice lacked heat. "You're a pain in the ass."
"And you're impossible." Their eyes met across the room. For once, neither of them looked away first. Something cracked open in the space between them small, fragile, dangerous.
Y/n's chest ached, and she blurted out before she could stop herself, "You're not as insufferable when you're not yelling, y'know that?" Bakugou stiffened. His ears burned red. He tore his gaze away, muttering, "…Go to bed, dumbass."
Y/n bit back a laugh, shaking her head as she pushed herself off the couch. She clutched the pillow in her arms like a shield as she passed him, the air between them charged in a way she couldn't explain.
"Goodnight, Bakugou."
He didn't look at her, but his voice was quieter than usual when he replied.
"…Night."
And when she finally slipped into her room, Y/n couldn't shake the way it sounded—like maybe, just maybe, she wasn't the only one whose walls were starting to crack.