It started with a dare.
Or maybe a bet. Or maybe just Mina Ashido being Mina Ashido — which meant chaos wrapped in bubblegum pink and a grin that spelled trouble.
"Come on," she whispered to Kaminari and Sero, eyes gleaming. "They've been circling each other like angry cats. Let's give them a little... bonding time."
Sero raised an eyebrow. "You mean trap them in a room?"
"Exactly."
Kaminari snorted. "You're evil."
"I'm effective."
—
Y/N had barely finished their post-training shower when Mina cornered them in the hallway.
"Hey! Can you help me grab something from the storage room? It's super quick, I swear."
Y/N blinked. "Uh... sure?"
The room was tucked behind the common area — a small supply closet used for training gear and cleaning supplies. Y/N stepped inside, scanning the shelves.
"What are we looking for?"
Mina didn't answer.
Because she was gone.
And the door had just clicked shut.
Y/N turned sharply. "Wait—"
Click.
Locked.
Y/N tried the handle. Nothing.
"Mina?" she called. "This isn't funny."
From the other side, her voice rang out, muffled but unmistakably smug. "You'll thank me later!"
Y/N groaned and turned around — only to freeze.
Bakugo was standing in the corner of the room, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
"Oh," Y/N said flatly. "You're here."
He didn't move. "Obviously."
"Did she trick you too?"
Bakugo scoffed. "She didn't trick me. She shoved me in here and slammed the door."
Y/N blinked. "That's... kind of impressive."
He didn't respond. Just leaned against the wall like he was trying to fuse with it.
The room was small. Too small. One shelf, two crates, and barely enough space for two people to stand without brushing shoulders. The air was warm, and the silence was worse.
Y/N sat on one of the crates. "So. This is happening."
Bakugo didn't move. "I'm blowing the door off in five minutes."
"Pretty sure Aizawa would love that."
He grunted.
Minutes passed.
Y/N tapped her fingers against her knee, trying not to fidget. Bakugo was a storm contained — all tension and heat and unreadable silence. But something about the way he kept glancing at them, quick and sharp, made their chest tighten.
"You always this quiet?" Y/N asked.
Bakugo's eyes flicked toward her. "You always this nosy?"
Y/N smiled faintly. "Only when I'm locked in a closet with someone who tried to blast me into a wall yesterday."
"That was training."
"You called me reckless."
"You are."
Y/N tilted her head. "And you're what? Controlled?"
Bakugo's jaw tightened. "I know what I'm doing."
"Do you?"
He stepped forward, just slightly — enough to close the distance by a fraction. "You think you're the only one with a past? With something to prove?"
Y/N's breath caught.
Bakugo's voice was low, rough. "You walk in here with your mystery quirk and your blank file and think you're untouchable. You're not."
Y/N stood slowly. "I never said I was."
Their eyes locked. The air between them felt charged — like the moment before a storm breaks.
"I don't care what you've been through," Bakugo said. "But if you're in this class, you fight. You earn it."
Y/N nodded. "I plan to."
Silence again.
But this time, it wasn't cold.
Bakugo looked away first, muttering something under his breath. Y/N didn't catch it, but it sounded suspiciously like "damn closet."
Then — mercifully — the door clicked open.
Mina peeked in, grinning. "Bonding achieved?"
Bakugo shoved past her without a word.
Y/N followed, heart still pounding.
Mina called after them, "You're welcome!"
Neither replied.
But as Y/N walked back to her dorm, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted. Not much. Just a flicker.
A spark.
And Bakugo hadn't tried to blow the door off after all.