i hate you. (Bakugou Katsuki x OC)

40 | Coincidences

If I felt embarrassed barging into Mr. Aizawa's room, face still puffy from my panic attack, ranting about villains and lilies, I feel downright stupid now.

All the girls—and most of the guys, frankly—have made their way to my bedroll, forming a makeshift circle around me as a pajama-clad Mandalay peer out the open window of our dorm. She examines outside for a few moments before humming in approval.

"There's a cluster of Black Charm Asiatic Lilies blooming right under the window," she announces, gently tugging a reddish-black flower into view for the class. "The wind probably blew the one you found in during dinner."

My stomach sinks as everybody's eyes move to mine in expectation. "It was perfectly placed on my pillow, though. No wind just casually does that."

"Toshiba," Aizawa says, his voice infuriatingly calm and low, as if he's protecting me from prying ears. With how close we all are, though, everyone can hear him. "Have you been stressing yourself out again?"

Heat creeps up my cheeks. "What? No, I haven't been stressed—" I don't think I have, at least. Exams are over. But... there was Izuku's attack and then my realization about Katsuki and everything. Have I been stressing myself out without realizing it? "—it was just... the flower was this thing my mom and I used to do."

Aizawa's face softens at the mention, nodding as if everything clicks together. "It was just a coincidence."

Coincidence.

Is that all it is? A random act of nature. Not some villain tracking me down, not some cruel reminder from the past, just a flower caught by the wind. Suddenly, I feel like a child overreacting about nothing.

I try to swallow the lump in my throat, but it only grows thicker.

"Anxiety is normal in your situation," Aizawa adds in his usual blunt tone, though I can see a flicker of sympathy in his eyes. He isn't trying to make me feel bad—he never does—but that doesn't stop the embarrassment from crawling up my spine. Anxiety? Over a flower? I feel ridiculous.

"I..." My voice cracks, and I wish the ground would just swallow me whole. "I'm sorry. For making a big deal over nothing."

"It wasn't nothing to you," Aizawa says, his voice softer than I expected. But his reassurance doesn't help, not really. Not when I know everyone has been watching me unravel like a loose thread in front of the entire class. I can feel their eyes on me, waiting for me to say something, anything, to make the situation less... awkward.

I clench my fists, trying to steady my breathing, and force a smile. "I'm fine, guys. Really. I'm probably just tired from today. I didn't mean to worry you all."

Somehow, that seems to satisfy them. There are a few mumbles as the group begins to disperse, shuffling back to their bedrolls—though I can still feel a few lingering eyes on me.

Ignoring the feeling, I crawl back to my bedroll. The lily is gone—Katsuki probably still has it—but the scent still clings faintly to the pillow, a ghost of the panic that gripped me earlier.

Just a coincidence.

I bury my face into the pillow, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to convince myself that Aizawa is right. It was just the breeze. It doesn't mean anything.

-

-

-

"Today's training is going to push you," Aizawa calls, his voice loud enough to shock us all out of our exhaustion. When he had warned that we would be starting at six yesterday, I had assumed he meant waking up at six. He did not. "Your quirks aren't just flashy abilities for hero work. They're evolutionary tools designed to help you survive in life-or-death situations.