[??] ??????? ??????? ????????? ?????????

The walk back to the dorms was painfully quiet. Bakugou, still a bit confused by your attitude, had his usual arms stuffed in his pants' pocket, staring out at the sunset with his usual scowl.

You, on the other hand, were fighting the urge to say something more about the incident at the café. But part of you didn't want to turn this into a bigger deal than it was. You thought you could just let it go.

When you arrived back at the U.A. dorms, the heavy silence between you and Bakugou was palpable. It had been building since the moment you left the café, and neither of you seemed willing to address it yet.

As you walked through the entrance, your steps quickened, desperate to escape to the safety of your room before he could say anything.

But Bakugou wasn't one to let things slide.

"Oi, wait," he called, following closely behind you. His voice was rough, but there was a hint of confusion in his tone. He reached out, catching your wrist lightly. "What's going on with you? You've been actin' weird since we left that café."

You pulled your wrist out of his grasp, trying to keep your emotions in check. "It's nothing, Kat," you muttered, eyes focused on the ground. "I just... I want to be alone tonight."

Bakugou's eyebrows furrowed, his expression a mix of irritation and confusion. "Like hell it's nothing," he said, stepping in front of you, blocking your path. "You're acting like I did somethin' wrong, but you won't even tell me what it is. If I pissed you off, just say it."

You clenched your jaw, avoiding his intense gaze. The weight of your frustration and hurt was pressing down on you, but the last thing you wanted was to blow up in the middle of the common room. You just needed space to sort out your emotions.

"I'm not in the mood to talk about it," you said quietly, your voice strained. "Just... please. I need to be alone right now."

Bakugou stared at you for a moment, his eyes scanning your face for any clues, trying to figure out what had caused this sudden shift in your attitude. "Alone? What the hell does that mean? You're mad at me, but you won't even tell me why?"

You shook your head, taking a step back. "I'm not mad," you lied, the words coming out more as a reflex than anything else. "I just need some space."

"Space?" Bakugou echoed, his voice rising slightly in frustration. "That's bullshit, and you know it."

You winced at the harshness of his words but refused to back down. The knot in your chest tightened even more. "I don't want to fight with you right now, okay?" Your voice was shaky, and you hated how vulnerable you sounded. You couldn't let him see how much this whole situation was eating at you.

Bakugou's jaw clenched, his fiery temper barely under control. He took a deep breath, trying to reign in his frustration. "If you don't want to fight, then just tell me what's going on. I'm not a mind reader, you know."

You shook your head again, your resolve crumbling. "Kat, I really can't. Not right now. Just... let me go to my room."

He stared at you, clearly frustrated and at a loss. You could see the inner conflict playing out on his face, he wanted to push, to demand answers, but something held him back. Maybe it was the tired look in your eyes or the way your voice trembled when you spoke.

With a grunt of frustration, he stepped aside, running a hand through his hair. "Fine," he muttered, his voice strained. "But don't expect me to just drop this."

You didn't respond, didn't even look back as you quickly retreated down the hallway toward your dorm room. Your heart was pounding, emotions swirling in a chaotic mess. The second the door closed behind you, you leaned against it, pressing your hands to your face.

Why did you feel like this? Why had seeing Camie flirt with Bakugou-and him being okay with it-hurt so much?

You swallowed hard, sinking onto the edge of your bed. It wasn't that you didn't trust him. You knew Bakugou wasn't interested in anyone else. But it stung to see him so unaffected by Camie's attention when he was usually so quick to shut others down. It made you feel... small. Insecure. Like maybe there was something wrong with you for feeling this way.

Your phone buzzed on your nightstand, pulling you from your thoughts. It was Bakugou.

Bakugou: "We're gonna talk about this. Tomorrow."

You sighed, fingers hovering over the screen. You couldn't bring yourself to reply, so you let the message sit, the weight of unresolved tension pressing down on you.

Curling up under your blankets, you tried to push everything out of your mind, but sleep didn't come easily. The image of Bakugou talking with Camie kept replaying in your head, along with the nagging thought that maybe you were overreacting. But every time you tried to convince yourself that it didn't matter, the knot in your stomach twisted tighter.