𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 | 𝘬. 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘨𝘰𝘶

thirteen.

Shinso and Y/n walked back to the dorms side by side, their conversation flowing easily. After spending more time with him, Y/n found that talking to Shinso was relaxing. He didn't push her or ask too many questions, just shared his own thoughts and listened. It was a welcome change, especially after the tension she had been feeling around Bakugou lately.

When they reached the dorms, Shinso gave her a small wave before heading off to his own building. "See you tomorrow," he said casually, disappearing down the path.

Y/n waved back, smiling faintly. "Yeah, see you."

Once inside, she dropped off her bag in her room but didn't feel like resting yet. The day's events left her feeling restless, and there was too much on her mind. Bakugou's sudden coldness, her growing friendship with Shinso, and the upcoming school festival-it was all swirling in her thoughts, and she needed a release.

Maybe some training will help clear my head, she thought.

Without much hesitation, Y/n made her way to the training room, her mind set on pushing herself harder than ever. As she stepped inside, the familiar sight of the equipment and open space greeted her, but tonight, it felt different-charged with her need to release the tension that had been building up for days.

She started with her warm-up, stretching her muscles and loosening up her joints. Once she felt ready, she activated her quirk, letting the low hum of sound waves ripple through the air. She started with simple strikes, sending controlled bursts of sound toward the target dummies across the room. Each wave hit its mark with precision, dispersing in soft echoes.

As the night wore on, she upped the intensity of her training. She focused on creating waves of different frequencies, some sharp and piercing, others low and rumbling. She experimented with varying the distances, switching between short, powerful bursts and longer, sustained pulses of sound. The air around her seemed to vibrate as she honed in on her technique, refining the precision of her strikes.

Y/N moved on to defensive maneuvers, using her sound waves to create barriers, carefully modulating their strength to deflect incoming projectiles fired from the training system. The impact of the projectiles against her sound shield sent small ripples through the air, but she held steady, adjusting the frequency of the waves to absorb the blows.

As sweat dripped down her face, she began to push even harder, combining her offensive and defensive tactics in quick succession. She practiced launching a barrage of sound waves toward multiple targets, then immediately raising a shield to protect herself. The room echoed with the crackling energy of her quirk, the sound reverberating off the walls in waves.

The effort was draining, but she pressed on. Her legs grew heavy, her arms ached from the constant movement, but she refused to stop.

Time flew by as she immersed herself in the rhythm of her training, the repetitive motions slowly easing the tension in her mind. Before she realized it, the clock had struck 2 a.m. Exhausted but satisfied with her progress, she finally decided to call it a night. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she felt the burn in her muscles and the fatigue settling in, but there was a quiet sense of accomplishment as she left the training room.

Feeling parched after her intense session, Y/n made her way to the common area to grab a glass of water. The dorm was quiet, with most of her classmates already asleep. As she stepped into the kitchen, however, she was surprised to see someone else there.

Bakugou.

He stood by the sink, his back to her, sipping a glass of water. Y/n froze for a moment, unsure of what to do. Her heartbeat quickened, not from exhaustion, but from the tension she could already feel creeping up between them.

Deciding to break the awkward silence, Y/N stepped forward and spoke first. "Hey, Bakugou," she said, trying to keep her voice casual. "Didn't expect to see you up this late."

Bakugou didn't turn around right away. When he finally did, his expression was unreadable. "Yeah. Couldn't sleep," he muttered, his voice gruff.

Y/n bit her lip, feeling the weight of the tension between them. His replies were short, distant, just like they had been for the past week. She felt the frustration building inside her again. She had no idea why he had been acting like this, and it was starting to grate on her.

She tried again. "So... how've you been?" she asked, hoping to at least get him to talk.

"Fine," he replied, his tone clipped.

Y/n clenched her fists at her sides, trying to keep her cool. She had had enough of this cold shoulder treatment. Every interaction with Bakugou over the past few days had been cold, distant, and it was driving her insane. She couldn't understand what had changed, why he was shutting her out.

"Seriously, Bakugou? What's your deal?" she asked, her voice sharper than she intended. "You've been avoiding me for days, and I have no idea why."

Bakugou's eyes flicked to her, his expression hard and unreadable. "I don't have a deal," he said flatly. "You're imagining things."

Y/n's frustration bubbled over. "Oh, I'm imagining things? Right. That's why you barely talk to me anymore and act like I don't exist. If I did something to piss you off, then just say it."

Bakugou turned away slightly, his jaw clenching, refusing to meet her gaze. "You didn't do anything. Just drop it."

Y/n wasn't buying it. "No, I'm not dropping it! You used to actually talk to me, but now it's like I don't even exist. One day we're fine, and the next, you're acting like I'm some annoying stranger."

He shot her a look, his crimson eyes narrowing. "Maybe I've got other things to focus on. Not everything's about you, you know."

Y/n felt a sting at his words, but she didn't back down. "I never said it was about me! But I thought we were at least friends-"

"Friends?" Bakugou scoffed, cutting her off, his tone mocking. "Since when? Just because we've talked a few times doesn't make us friends."

His words hit like a punch to the gut. Y/n stared at him, her heart sinking. She could feel the warmth draining from her face as his cold words settled in. Was that how he really felt? Had she been wrong this whole time?

"What... what are you saying?" she asked, her voice quieter now, the edge replaced with disbelief.

Bakugou looked away, his frustration seeping into every word. "I don't need any distractions, alright? If you think we're anything more than classmates, you're wrong."

Y/n's breath caught in her throat, the hurt deepening. "Distractions?" she echoed, her voice trembling with anger and pain. "So that's all I am to you? A distraction?"

Bakugou's jaw tightened, his fists clenching by his sides. He could see the hurt in her eyes, but he didn't back down. Instead, he let out a harsh breath, refusing to show any softness.

"Yeah. A distraction," he said, his voice harsh and unyielding. "Just stay out of my way."

The words sliced through the air, sharper than any quirk could have. Y/n stood there, frozen for a moment, staring at him as the weight of his words sank in. Her chest tightened, and for a moment, she couldn't find the strength to reply.

When she finally did, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Fine."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. As she made her way back to her room, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed between them.

And she didn't know if it would ever go back to the way it was.

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As she left the kitchen, Bakugou could only stand there, his fists still clenched, his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn't meant to be that cruel, but the words had come out before he could stop them.

And now, he wasn't sure if he could take them back.

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