Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia.

"I didn't mean to fall in love
Took one hit and I was gone"

- Small Doses, Bebe Rexha

It seemed like a good idea at first. A couple people from class 1-A decided to go check out this supposed matchmaking fortune teller. The claim was that she had a quirk that could tell you who your soulmate was. Realistically this made absolutely no sense, quirks didn't work like that did they? I mean, sure, she could make things float if she touched them, and there was a guy who could literally control your mind if you answered his question, but soulmate tracker? It seemed fishy. But Ochako and a few others couldn't help but be drawn to the idea.

So, now there stood Ochako along with Ashido, Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, Hagakure, and Deku all in front of a small shop with neon lights advertising "matchmaker" "find your soulmate" "palm reading" and various other taglines associated with modern day fortune tellers, with colorful blackout curtains hung up to hide whatever lay beyond those windows.

"I'm surprised you're here, Deku. I didn't think you were interested in this kind of stuff." Ochako asked him curiously.

"Well, if her quirk is for real, I'd want to ask her a few questions. I know it's probably not a quirk that would have much use in battle, but maybe there are other quirks like it. It could be useful to know about." Of course. Leave it to Deku to turn this into a research session.

"I think she'd want to keep that a secret, y'know, fortune tellers don't really like their techniques getting out." Ashido commented, chuckling nervously.

"Well, she does advertise it as a quirk. So there's not much secret to it is there?" Countered Yaoyorozu.

Kaminari grinned, nudging Momo's side. "Who's the crush that's got you here?"

"E-excuse me?" She faltered, Ochako noticed a faint blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Everyone knows she's got it bad for Todoroki! Come on guys let's stop stalling and go inside!" Ashido interrupted, pushing a flushed Yaoyorozu through the glass pane door. Everyone followed.

Inside it looked...an awful lot like a waiting room at the dentist. "This… isn't really what I was expecting." Mina said, looking around. "It's a lot less-"

"Mystical?" Finished Hagakure.

"Yeah."

On the far wall was even a little window, like the one where a receptionist in the dentist office would sit to check you in for your appointment. It occurred to Ochako this might actually have been a dentist's office prior to the fortune teller moving to town. Just then, the frosted glass pane in the window slid open to reveal a young woman. "Do you have an appointment?"

"You guys are sure this isn't just a dentist's office right?" Kaminari asked, apparently they'd all been picturing the same thing.

"Um, do we need appointments to get our fortune told?" Ashido stepped forward. It made sense, she'd been the main reason they all found out about this place, so she was essentially the leader in this situation.

The woman looked at the crowd of students in her office. "Not necessarily, but someone did call to make an appointment, so I was curious if it was one of you seven."

"No it's not one of- wait, seven?" Mina turned around to look at her friends.

That was when they all noticed someone in their group that they were all pretty sure hadn't been there before. Not to mention, why the hell would he have tagged along too? Bakugo stood in the corner of the room, hands in his pockets, surprisingly quiet.

"Kacchan?" Deku was the first to acknowledge the surprise boy's presence. "What are you doing here?"

"Someone had to point out how dumb you losers are for doing this bullshit."

"Ohhhhh." All six of the other students nodded in unison. That made sense, leave it to Bakugo to tag along for something he'd find stupid just to make fun of the people taking it serious.

"I take it my appointment is a no show then. Well, walk-ins are welcome too, and fortunately-" She stopped, covering her mouth to hide a laugh. Was that supposed to be a pun? "-there are no other clients tonight. So I'll take whoever wants to go first into the back."

And at that moment, there were no takers. Even Ashido suddenly seemed reluctant to go back. Finally Deku came forward. "I...I'm not really here to get my fortune told, I just want to ask about the fortune teller's quirk."

The young woman grinned. "Well we used to be called psychics back before quirks were a thing, but sure I'd be happy to tell you all about how my quirk works. It's not like there's any illusion that's going to fall apart if I do."

"Wait you're the fortune teller, psychic, whatchamacallit?" Kaminari blanked.

"What did you think I was just a receptionist? Haha, no I understand. That's a joke I like to play on the clients." How was that a joke? "It's not a really good joke, but it's fun to play on kids like you." She closed the glass window, and a moment later she stepped through a door to stand in the waiting room with the rest of them. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

"How does… your quirk work for one? It doesn't really make a lot of sense." Momo beat Deku to the punch. They were all pretty curious about it, honestly.

"Hmmm, well you know that there are only three types of quirks, emitter, transformation, and mutation. Mine is classified as an emitter quirk. You've heard the folktale about the red thread of fate right?" As she spoke, she leaned up against a chair, crossing her arms.

"Of course! It's so romantic to think that you're tied to your soulmate by an unbreakable thread!" Hagakure swooned. Even invisible, Ochako could tell the girl was probably blushing cutely.

"Well, my quirk allows me to see the thread that binds people together. It works a lot like palm reading, but I can only see it if you know that person already."

"Ohhh, gotcha." Ashido said with realization. "In that case, I'll go first!"

"But I wasn't done asking-" Deku didn't get a chance to finish, Mina and the woman had already disappeared into the back. Thus, everyone left behind ended up sitting down in the chairs set up around the room.

Minutes passed, and finally Ashido emerged. "She's ready for whoever wants to go next…" She looked a little bummed. Ochako guessed that she probably couldn't see Mina's soulmate.

"Don't worry, you'll find him!" Ochako comforted, given that Mina didn't deny it, she obviously guessed right. "At least you weren't matched with Mineta!" Ochako added softly.

"Oh, god, you're right."

Next went Kaminari, it was almost surprising when he decided to go with their group, but he did have a tendency to flirt with the other girls. He also came back with a negative response. Ochako was starting to think it was extremely unlikely that any of them would have even met their soulmate already. She glanced at Deku. He was her reason for being here. Even though she had put her feelings for him on the back burner for their hero training, she still couldn't help but be curious to see if these feelings were even worth having. Yaoyorozu went next. She came back shortly after, blushing profusely.

"How'd it go?" Ashido asked curiously.

"A-Apparently I have met my soulmate…" She answered, staring at her feet. "And no. I'm not telling who."

"Darn it!" Ashido groaned, flopping back down into her chair. Ochako could tell from the grin that Momo was trying to hide that it wasn't exactly an unpleasant answer.

"I'm gonna go next if that's okay with you Ochako!" Announced Hagakure, who seemed eager to have her turn. It made sense why she was here, Toru was a girly person, and what was more girly than getting your fortune told to find out your soulmate?

"Go ahead!" Ochako smiled. That meant she would be last. That's fine, not like going first or last made any real difference in this situation, right? It was probably all fake anyways, she reasoned with herself. Still, if Momo got a desirable answer could that mean something? Mina and Denki got no answer though, so maybe she was just guessing who your crush was and telling you THAT was your soulmate. She wouldn't know until she got in there.

"Your turn Ochako!" Toru announced happily.

"Sounds like she found your soulmate too." Mina huffed, looking annoyed until Hagakure spoke again.

"Nope! But I won't let it get me down, it just means he's waiting for me somewhere out there~!"

"Are you gonna go Uraraka?" Deku asked. Apparently she'd just been sitting there, too nervous to move.

"Y-yeah! Just, hyping myself up!"

"The fuck is there to hype up? Just go in there and get it over with. You can't be scared of a fake fortune." Piped in a grouchy Bakugo.

She hated to agree with him, but really it was nothing to be scared of! "I'll be back, guys!" She said, before walking through the door.

She walked down a hallway and into another room, that was cheesily decorated like an Arabian tent. The fortune teller sat down at a small round table, with another chair opposite her. Ochako figured that was where she was supposed to sit. As soon as her butt hit the seat, the fortune teller spoke.

"Hold out your hands."

"O-okay!" She placed her hands on the table, watching the woman intently as she took her hands, tracing her thumb over her pinky finger. The motion made her spine shiver.

The fortune teller chuckled.

"W-what's so funny?"

"I was just thinking you've got an interesting match." The fortune teller said with an amused grin.

"Y-you mean I've met my soulmate!?" Ochako nearly hopped out of her seat. All at once her doubt flooded from her mind. She was invested in whatever the woman had to say.

"Met him? Oh sweetheart you've been sitting in the same room with him since you got here."

Was it Deku? It had to be Deku. Ochako leaned forward, waiting for a name, a description, anything.

"Although even I have to say I never would have matched you with him at first glance. Maybe the brash young man in the waiting room is softer than he looks."

Wait. What.

Brash young man..? Who could- "W-wait you can't be talking about Bakugo…"

"Bakugo?" The woman's eyes widened with realization, as if she'd heard that name before. Of course she probably had, he'd been on the news a lot after all. "I see. That makes sense now."

"W-what makes sense? Definitely not me and Bakugo! We're… he's… it's impossible! I mean, maybe I could be friends with him, but, but-"

"We don't always get the answers we're looking for, hun. That doesn't make them wrong though." The fortune teller said wisely, letting go of Ochako's hands. "It just means we have to overcome our challenges."

"Yeah but he's- well- a jerk!" She said it bluntly. Sure he had good parts about him, but otherwise he was just too much a bully sometimes. On the off chance they ever went out on a date, nothing would ever come out of it. They weren't compatible in the slightest!

"People do surprising things for their partners." Mused the fortune teller, resting her chin in her hands. She seemed to be enjoying Ochako's reaction too much.

"Nope! No! I don't believe it!" The brunette stomped out of the room and back down the hall, fuming. Of course it was all fake! It was all a ruse, and the woman had probably just picked a random face out of the room to say was Ochako's soulmate to mess with her!

"Uraraka how did it-"

"I'm not talking about it!" She shouted, interrupting Deku.

"I'm guessing she didn't get the answer she wanted…" Ashido whispered to Kaminari, who nodded in response.

"Well now that this dumbass nonsense is over, can we fucking leave? It's getting late."

"It's only 8:30 at night…" Mumbled Kaminari.

"Ochako, aren't you going to eat? Ribbit." Asked a concerned Tsuyu.

"H-huh?" Ochako blinked, looking down at her plate, apparently she'd just been pushing her breakfast around instead of actually putting it in her mouth. Her mind had been elsewhere, and so had her eyes as Tsuyu pointed out.

"Did something happen with Bakugo?"

"What! No!" She said defensively.

Tsuyu stared, clearly unconvinced.

"N-no… just… something some stupid person said." She mumbled, going back to pushing her food around. She didn't have much of an appetite right now.

It had been a week since they visited the fortune teller, and Ochako had convinced herself that it was all a big hoax. Under no circumstances could a quirk that could see the red string of fate exist. So there was absolutely no way she saw that Ochako's thread was tied to Bakugo. None. Nada. Zilch. So why did it still linger in the back of her mind? She and Bakugo were DEFINITELY not compatible. Nobody would deny that. Anyone who said otherwise could be considered clinically insane.

"Was it the fortune teller? Ribbit."

"Yes- wait- hold on-" Ochako was caught off guard, stumbling over her words as Tsuyu hit the nail on the head. "Y-you got it all wrong Tsu! I-I-"

"Ochako, it'll be easier if you're just honest with yourself." Said the frog girl wisely. Ochako hated to admit it, but she should probably admit it.

"Alright, fine! Yeah… She… she said that Bakugo was my soulmate." Chocolate eyes drifted over to the spiky haired boy as he talked rowdily with Kirishima. She wondered what they were discussing.

"Do you believe it?" Tsuyu tilted her head curiously.

"N-no. Of course not. There's probably not a single universe where we'd end up together." Ochako huffed, puffing out her cheeks as she pouted.

"Then it shouldn't bother you, should it. Ribbit." Tsuyu put a finger on her chin, "Unless a part of you believes it's true."

Unfortunately, she was right. As much as she would deny to the ends of the earth that their pairing could ever be functional, there were some things that made her consider otherwise.

It was extremely difficult to earn Bakugo's respect, but you could tell when you had. The fact he called her by her surname was enough to tell her she'd done something he saw worth being seen as an equal in his eyes. He'd seen she wasn't weak and fragile like some people would mistakenly assume. All after she gave him hell at the sports festival. In fact, she almost thought he was disappointed, like he expected her to do better. It was interesting, considering he'd never once acknowledged her before. But that was just her speculation.

He wasn't necessarily a terrible person either, she'd seen the good in him on several occasions. Sure he was… obnoxious, loud, and just plain mean sometimes, he had potential to be a good guy. If anything she'd heard about his mom from Deku was true, Bakugo could probably still be a brash person without being a complete jerk if he put his mind to it.

Then there were the superficial things, like his appearance. He was definitely someone the girls probably fawned over in middle school, even after he yelled at them to bug off. His features were chiseled, and his training gave him some attractive definition to his muscles. Plus his eyes, when he was fired up, while gave off the chilling sense that he'd murder anyone in his way, were also filled with a handsome determination. Not to mention they just straight up looked like sparkling rubies. He looked big and strong and like if he really tried, he could be a comforting rock to the right person.

"Ochako you're staring again. Ribbit."

"I'm not!"

"In hero work you're not always going to work with people you or your quirks are compatible with. It's a fact of life that pro heroes have to deal with every day when they are caught in a situation with other pro heroes." Aizawa droned on. Ochako listened intently. She figured that might be the case, considering SOME people she knew.

Class 1-A had assembled in one of the training areas, dressed in their hero costumes. Today apparently was a team building exercise, though it was a little different.

"While you've all had experience fighting together already, and some of you are quicker thinkers than others who can analyze the situation and plan around your disadvantages, some of you still need to work on communication and tactics in the field if you are to encounter a situation like the one I described. Today I've purposefully assigned you into pairs I don't see working together very well. We're going to simulate a disaster situation for each pair individually, nothing quite the scale of your test for your provisional licenses, but enough to show how you adjust to inopportune situations."

She could already tell some of the pairs he was likely to announce. Todoroki with Hagakure. It would force him to control his attacks without seeing where his partner was, and it would be difficult for Toru who would have to maneuver around his-

"First pair. Bakugo and Uraraka."

This week just kept getting worse.

She didn't even pay attention to the rest of Aizawa's pairings. Did it even matter? She was stuck with the last person she wanted to be alone with. She almost wondered if the teacher had picked up on that when he put them together. Though it wasn't like Aizawa knew that she was having an internal struggle over teenage romance.

"Alright, that should be everyone. First pair, you get to stay here while the rest of the class heads up to observation with me." Aizawa said as he walked away, waving for the rest of the class to follow.

Ochako caught Tsuyu's sympathetic look as she walked away.

"Well! I guess we'll just have to make the most of this!" She said, trying to remain cheerful.

"Or we could just get this bullshit over with." Bakugo said gruffly.

"Right…" What was she expecting? They'd been partnered because Aizawa didn't think they were compatible. That was a good thing though. It proved what she'd been saying to herself all week. Of course he meant battle wise, but what was the saying about love and war? Oh it's not like it matters right now.

"Ready yourselves." She heard Aizawa's voice over an intercom system echo through the training area. She glanced to Bakugo out of the corner of her eye, he looked determined and slightly annoyed.

It was kind of attractive.

"Oi, Uraraka, open your fucking eyes!" Shouted Bakugo. Apparently he'd already started moving, it took her a moment to register why. She was surprised to see the smaller robots from their entrance exams starting to flood the streets. So this was how they were going to simulate the disaster.

Easy peasy.

.

.

.

Is what she thought, but it had ended up being a little more difficult. Having learned everything they had thus far, she'd become well aware of the need to reduce the amount of damage they left behind, which was difficult when Bakugo's quirk exploded things. However she found they actually made a pretty good match up quirk wise. Just like at the sports festival she was able to use the debris from his attacks to her advantage, and at some point it almost seemed like he was purposefully destroying things that looked replaceable for her to use. He didn't really listen to directions, but when he was doing his own thing he wasn't hard to work with. She was… actually starting to wonder why she and him had been matched up for this exercise.

"Bakugo watch your right!"

"Uraraka, float that bastard so I can knock him to space!"

"Don't blow that up! That looks like apartments!"

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing!"

"I think we're almost done here!" She shouted enthusiastically. This hadn't actually been so bad. They made a really good team. Maybe the fortune teller hadn't been wrong after all.

Wait.

Crap.

She shouldn't have thought about that. Once she had, it had frozen her in place as if the small epiphany had hit her like a freight train. Suddenly the idea of her with Bakugo wasn't terrible? Maybe if he just… toned it down a notch to be more tolerable she'd find dating him something plausible. And that might be a thing that came with age and maturity, so was it really that far fetched that he might not be unbearable in the future?

"Wake the fuck up, Uraraka!" She felt herself being shoved, snapping back to reality just in time to see one of the robots aiming right for her, only for Bakugo to blast it away once she was clear.

"R-right! Sorry!"

.

.

.

After their mock battle, Ochako had gotten a minor scolding for freezing up in the middle of a fight. Aizawa attributed it to fear, so she'd let him believe whatever he wanted. Still, they passed with flying colors despite her apparent panic. She wanted to ask Aizawa why they'd been matched up for an exercise where they weren't supposed to compliment each other, but she couldn't find the words and she didn't think she actually wanted the answer. She was almost afraid he'd say something like, Didn't you realize it was all a ruse to get you to work better with your teammate? or, Actually I knew you two were a perfect match. Now go get married and have explody floating babies.

Okay that last one was probably just her imagination running haywire.

"Are you okay, Ochako?" Tsuyu had pulled her aside during the next pair's simulation. "It wasn't fear that made you freeze up, was it? Ribbit."

"I mean, it was a kind of fear." She scratched her cheek sheepishly, eyes flickering over to Bakugo where he'd gone to stand near Kirishima and Kaminari. "A fear that maybe it's not so impossible that Bakugo and I are soulmates."

"So?" Tsuyu stared at her, as if suggesting there was really nothing to fret over.

"S-so? So it means…" What did it mean?

"Is it really terrible to think Bakugo could be someone you'd like? Maybe even love? Ribbit. He's not a bad person after all. Ribbit. Just loud."

"N-no… I… guess not…"

"Besides. What will be, will be."

"I can see your point, Tsu, but…" She glanced over to Deku now. She'd been so sure of her feelings for him even if it had taken her some time to admit them to herself in the first place. Was it just because she idolized him? Was it the fickleness of teenage girl's love? It almost felt like betraying Deku if she were to ever actually like Bakugo instead. Let alone date him when the two boys were rivals.

"Deku would understand. He'd probably be happy for both of you. Ribbit." Tsuyu said, as if reading Ochako's mind, but really she probably just saw where she was looking.

"Haha… yeah…" She sighed.

"Does Bakugo know about this?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Have you told him what the fortune teller said. Ribbit." Tsuyu clarified.

"N-no! No way! Never! I… he'd mock me for even believing it. That's why he came the other night. To make fun of those of us who participated." She looked down. In fact, it occurred to her that there was the real flaw in their being soulmates. Who'd make the first move? Certainly not her, she'd be too shy to ever admit she liked him (if she ever did) for fear he'd laugh in her face. He wouldn't do it, because he was brutally honest but not when it came to himself, plus he'd never be attracted to someone like her in the first place. Surely his type was more… well… more.

Tsuyu hummed in thought. Ochako hadn't been looking when the frog girl had turned her attention to Bakugo. Ochako had also missed how quickly he'd looked away from the two girls who were deep in quiet conversation. "You never know. Ribbit."

Ever since the trip to the fortune teller, Ochako had felt all weird about Bakugo, and having to pair up for that exercise the other day hadn't helped in the slightest. In fact, it only made it worse. She'd never actually had to avoid Bakugo before because it seemed like he just avoided everyone else. Except now, if he so much as breathed in her direction she was on edge. This had to be how people who had a target painted on their back felt around him too.

Did she like him? That was… hard to say. She didn't really know anything about him outside of school. Deku had told her a little bit, but sometimes she got the feeling even he was out of the loop when it came to Bakugo, and they grew up together. If he'd opened up to anyone it was probably Kirishima and she doubted he ever willingly did so. All she knew is that he was attractive, smart, yelled a lot, should probably wash his mouth out with soap, and clearly really wanted to be a hero just like the rest of them. Knowing only that, she could probably say she was at least currently infatuated.

But that still translated to a crush didn't it?

The worst part was, she wasn't even sure if it was real. Her feelings that is. Maybe it was all just in her head, after what the fortune teller said. Maybe if she'd never been told that he was her soulmate she would never in her life have found herself in this predicament.

"Soulmates don't have to be romantic you know." Tsuyu had said, late one evening, trying to ease her friend's mind. "They are just people who you are made to get along with. Ribbit. Maybe you're just meant to be really good friends in the future?"

That was ideal, she had always deep down hoped she could become friends with Bakugo. She wanted to be friends with all her classmates, and she was pretty sure she already was good friends with at least half of them.

"I read that some people don't always find their soulmate in each life. Y'know as we're reincarnated sometimes our soulmate is put someplace or sometime where you'll never meet!" Hagakure had explained after Ochako asked about the fortune teller not seeing her soulmate. "That doesn't make me sad though, it just makes me hopeful for the next life if I don't find them in this one!"

So she was lucky that she even found her soulmate? If Bakugo really was hers. Did that mean she'd be an idiot to try and turn this away?

"Eh? Kacchan's never really had a girlfriend that I remember… I mean… girls liked him, but he never really showed any interest in girls." She didn't know why she even bothered to ask her original crush, but Deku was her best shot at getting closer to figuring out the puzzle that was Katsuki Bakugo without being terribly obvious by asking Kirishima. "Actually, you're the only girl he's ever called by name, Uraraka."

GREAT! LIKE THAT MADE HER FEEL WORLDS BETTER! To know she was probably the only girl that Deku was aware of that Bakugo respected enough to call by name was just another arrow to the heart. It almost made her feel superior. If Bakugo saw her as his only female equal that meant she could do anything!

Oh she hated how much she loved that idea.

Sitting on her bed, Ochako grabbed her pillow and shoved it over her face so she could safely scream in frustration without disturbing anyone else. She almost missed the sound of paper being slid under her door. Peeking over the pillow, she saw a white envelope on the floor in front of her dorm room door. Curious, she crawled off her bed to investigate it. Upon picking up the envelope she saw it wasn't sealed, so she opened it with ease to find a handwritten note. She recognized it as Tsuyu's handwriting.

Ochako. I think I have an idea of how to fix the Bakugo situation. Meet me in the common room after everyone has gone to bed.

-Tsu

This is why this girl was one of her best friends! Leave it to Tsuyu to come up with an idea for how to fix Ochako's problem. Hopefully, it meant finding a way to forget about it all together! Because she'd definitely tried on her own. Unfortunately, it just made her think about it even more. She didn't even question meeting up that late. After all, she didn't want anyone around to hear about her might-be-crush on Bakugo. It was bad enough that all the girls and Aoyama were onto her crush for Deku. What would they do if they found out she maybe switched to Bakugo instead?

Oh she'd never hear the end of it.

So she waited, until she was certain that everyone was either sound asleep or in their rooms for the night. Slowly, she tiptoed out of her dorm and down to the common room. It was dark, so she really couldn't make out much and she didn't want to turn on a light, but she mostly found her way through muscle memory.

"Tsu?" She called out once she was sure she was in the common area. It was dark in here too, save for the light coming in through the windows from the full moon. "Did I get here before her..?"

"Uraraka?"

Oh.

Oh no.

She knew that voice.

Oh HELL no.

Tsuyu had tricked her.

"B-Bakguo! What are you doing up this late?"

"Fuckin' frog." He cursed.

"What?"

"I said what does it matter to you." She almost certainly knew that was not what he said, but she'd let him get by with it since it sounded like Tsuyu had tricked him too. As she walked closer, she started to make out his figure in the moonlight. Or that could just be her eyes finally adjusting to the dark. "I'd ask you the same damn thing, but something tells me I don't need to. Waste of time anyways."

"R-right…" Whatever he meant by that.

"I'm not gonna beat around the bush, Uraraka, like that bastard Deku. What's your fucking problem lately?"

She blinked, surprised by his question. "Excuse me?"

"Not that I give two shits, but you've been acting funny. And that stunt during our training? I know you well enough to know you wouldn't've frozen up like a little bitch baby over some scrap metal." Oh how nice of him to put it so eloquently. Bakugo really was a true wordsmith.

"I just-"

"No. Not 'I just'. I want the cold hard shit stained truth."

"Geeze you can tone it down a little…" She mumbled, but she was thankful for the dark. This way, he couldn't see her blushing. To think, Bakugo could make her blush like a girl in love. Because she wasn't! In love that is!

"I'm waiting." She could tell his arms were crossed, but that's really all she could make out. Otherwise, she could imagine the probable scowl on his face.

"It's… embarrassing…"

"Don't care."

"You'll laugh."

"Deal with it."

"I don't want to tell you!"

"Do I gotta beat it out of you?!"

"No! Ugh… fine! But… it's… it's really just… actually it's stupid…" She rubbed her arm, looking down at her feet.

"Well that's no fucking surprise." She could almost HEAR him rolling his eyes.

She huffed in frustration. "Fine! You wanna know? It… the fortune teller. It's her fault! She told me you were my soulmate, and… and it can't be true right? I mean sure we can fight together, but a relationship between us just wouldn't work! Except she put it in my head and now… now I just can't stop thinking about it… And it's dumb… it's really dumb that I let this get to me!"

She couldn't believe she just spilled it all. She expected him to start laughing, yelling, something! He was just quiet though, like he was thinking.

"So?" Was all he said when he finally responded.

"S-so? What do you mean, 'so'?" She stared at him, confused.

Finally, he stepped more into the moonlight so she could make out his face. He looked… annoyed? But also not? It was hard to say. He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Why the fuck should it matter what that phony said? I told all of you who went you were idiots for believing any of that shit. Besides, fuck destiny and fuck fate. You're the only one who chooses your future. Just like nobody is telling me- or you, that you can't be a hero. Because you can bet their fucking asses I'm going to be at the top of all the damn best heroes in the world. That scam artist fortune teller ain't telling you who your soulmate is, because that's for you to decide."

She was stunned. He had… a really good point, and it had been the same one she'd been trying to make to herself for the past week and a half, but for some reason it only made sense coming from him. Maybe it was because it was so weird for Bakugo to be motivational, even when his speech contained Bakugo-esque vocabulary.

"Now get your shit together, Uraraka, or I'll have to knock some sense into that pee-brain of yours." He groaned, turning his back to her. "And go to bed. It's the middle of the fucking night."

"R-right- um… thanks? Good night, Bakugo."

"Fuck off."

As Uraraka made her way back to her dorm room, she held her hand over her heart. For some reason, it just wouldn't stop pounding in her chest after what he'd said to her. Bakugo was probably one of the first of her classmates to see she wasn't just a fragile piece of glass, and now he'd gone and told her she could essentially do whatever she wanted no matter what anyone said. He'd managed to simultaneously convince her that the fortune teller was baloney, and also maybe genuinely capture her heart? She still honestly couldn't tell.

In fact, when she'd gotten back to her room and laid down, hugging her pillow tightly, she felt more confused than she'd ever been.

Perhaps—even if the fortune teller's fortune had been a hoax—perhaps she hadn't been wrong?

"That didn't help at all Tsu!" She shouted into her pillow.

A/N: Oh wow, I can't believe I'm starting a new thing. Again. Well, except I can. Because that's just what I do. Good news is, it's just a two shot, and the second half writes itself. Or rather, has already written itself. It's pretty much done. I just have to expand certain areas and (shittily) proofread. Despite having been in Uraraka's shoes more than once when it comes to a crush, it was REALLY REALLY HARD TO WRITE FOR HER. For some reason, she just takes a lot of energy out of me to make her character seem right. Probably because I relate more to Bakugo, in the "keep my feelings bottled up and swear a lot" sense and not the "angry shouty asshole" sense.

Anyways, part two will be up in no time. If I do get enough good feedback, I might consider expanding it into a larger series, who knows. I don't because I don't know what you think. So thank you for reading, and remember that reviews and feedback are always appreciated!