Chapter Text
seven nights and three days is all it took for you to fall in love with bakugou katsuki.
on the first night, you met him through your friends. mina had spoken about him briefly, and from her words, you assumed he was rude. harsh, and unforgiving. what you weren’t expecting was for him to be so quiet.
maybe that’s an overstatement. he was loud, very loud- but his actions were quiet. his thoughts were quiet. you could see them racing behind his eyes, waiting to be seen. to be acknowledged.
mina was excited. this would be your first time going clubbing with her, with her friend group. she spoke so highly of them, it was like you already knew them from the way she described them, their personalities, like they were your childhood friends. she dragged you into her closet, pulling out a skimpy dress at first, to which you immediately refused. you settled for something else, something you preferred.
you all met up at a club- some random, small bar where it wouldn’t draw a lot of attention from big groups coming in. mina was gushing on the way there, excited about you finally meeting her friends. you couldn’t help but feel giddy yourself, the feeling bubbling in your chest like a can of soda you’d just opened.
as you sat at the circular booth, mina introduced you. immediately, you were bombarded with questions, like “what’s your major?” or “do you work anywhere?” you told them you majored in business, and that sparked them to ask further questions. you were enjoying it, the feeling of being included in the group, like you had already known them before. all the while, bakugou katsuki was quiet. he chose to be. he simply observed the table, watching people interact.
bakugou katsuki was.. different. he wasn’t as rude as you thought, and you don’t know if you’d describe him as harsh. he didn’t tell half-truths or sugarcoat things, but the way he worded his sentences made you think he really did care about his friends. you were almost drawn to him, in a way. his eyes were a little bit too perceptive, too knowing, and it almost scared you. they were crimson, intense. beautiful.
mina was the first to get up and dance. she dragged you, too, and then all of a sudden half of the group was dancing. honestly, you had a good time, and you hadn’t even drunk that much.
by the end of it, when mina and kaminari could barely walk by themselves, it was time to go home. the train station was the last meeting place, the last goodbye before everybody went their separate ways. they all took a different train, one by one, and then it was you and bakugou. alone, with only the stars to keep you company.
the moon was now above you, casting the train station in a silver glow. you fidgeted with your hands, unsure of how to break the silence. he did it for you.
“when’s your train comin’?”
your eyes snapped to his, and then to the screen behind him showing the times.
“ten minutes. you?”
“same.”
it was quiet again. this time, your brain screamed at you to make some sort of conversation, to get out of this awkward state, and so you let the alcohol do the job for you.
“you guys all went to the same high school, right? yuuei? i heard it’s really nice,” you say. he takes a seat next to you, leaning back and staring off into the distance.
“‘twas fine. just like any other shitty high school.”
you looked away. neither of you were really offering any sort of conversation starters, and you picked at a loose hangnail, trying to distract yourself.
“how’d you meet mina?” bakugou asks. the question has you smiling.
“i sat next to her in econ. she forgot her notebook, once, so i shared mine. we started talking, and now, you know, we’re friends.”
he hummed. it was obvious he didn’t really know what he was doing, trying to be friendly- you wonder if mina told him about you.
the both of you sat in silence until the train came, and it was more manageable when you pulled your phone out and started scrolling on social media. you reminded yourself to text mina when you got home, like you promised you would.
the train finally came, and when you both got on, you sat next to him. he froze for a moment when you did and you paused, waiting for a silent confirmation that he was okay with this. when he relaxed, you sat all the way down.
you pulled out your phone again. this time, yoy opened spotify- opting for a playlist you usually play when you’re alone. you pulled out a pair of wired earbuds.
bakugou watched you. he saw you open spotify, and the corner of his mouth twitched when he saw some artists he liked. suddenly, you were offering an earbud to him, and he took it, trying to ignore the feeling of your soft hands brushing against his.
“if your music taste is shitty, ‘m not gonna listen,” he said, and you smiled.
“well, you’re lucky i don’t have bad taste,”
the length of the earbuds made it so that you had to sit close to him, but you didn’t mind-you were more worried about invading his personal space. when he scooted closer to you, you relaxed a bit, leaning on him slightly. he offered that support.
the rest of the train ride, you sat there with him, listening to the music. at some point, he started tapping his foot to the beat mindlessly, and you started to tap the offbeat with your fingers. you didn’t know if he’d noticed, but it helped keep your mind off things.
coincidentally, you both got off at the same spot, and he offered to walk you home. you were planning on refusing, but you wanted to be selfish- you wanted to spend a little extra time with someone before you had to be alone with yourself. not that you would stay awake for much longer, anyways.
the walk to your dorm was quiet. you turned your music off when you both got off the train, but you didn’t mind the silence. it wrapped around you like a blanket, a comfort of sorts; maybe it was because you felt safe around him, like he offered you solace in the night.
at one point, you stopped to look up at the stars. they were dim, from all of the city lights, but you could still make out a few constellations. when bakugou noticed you’d stopped, he turned to you, and looked up at the sky when he noticed you were.
“have you ever seen the stars in the countryside?” you asked. it didn’t take long for him to respond.
“never really paid attention to them.”
“you can see the milky way. it’s gorgeous.”
you started walking with him again. some part of you wondered if he was tired, if he only offered to walk you home because mina told him to, but you told yourself otherwise. you didn’t have to know the truth. you could be selfish for one night.
and then you were in front of your dorm building. bakugou stayed at the steps while you swiped your id card to get inside. before you shut the door, though, you turned one last time.
“thanks for walking me home. i’ll, uh, see you around?”
he nodded. “see you.”
and then you were alone. in the halls, in your living space, in your bedroom, with the cold air around you making you realize just how warm bakugou katsuki was. it bit at your skin, a reminder of loneliness. you tried not to think about it.