"Ugh, seriously? Again?" she questioned out loud.

A comforting hand fell on her shoulder. "I can't believe they'd even allow that after what happened last year," Iida tsked. "You say the word, and either I or Midoriya will request to take your place."

"Yeah, and if not that, then I can help you with strategy!" Izuku offered brightly.

"No."

Ochako turned. The two boys saw the look on her face and wisely stepped back.

"I'm going to win this all by myself," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm going to get him back for last year."

Izuku gulped. "R-Right! Of course!"

Iida nodded seriously. "Go get him, Uraraka. We'll be cheering you on from the stands."

Her friends left the room shortly after, and the moment the door closed, Ochako felt herself begin to panic. She was facing off Bakugo again, and she knew there was no way he'd go easy on her. He didn't last time, he wouldn't this time.

Sure, she'd grown in her abilities since the last sports festival, but so had he. She'd witnessed how downright terrifying he could be when properly motivated, and the idea of that blazing gaze on her sent a wave of nausea through her.

Ochako shook her head. Worrying would do nothing— she needed a plan.

Her distraction from last year had worked, but not well enough. Throwing her jacket again would be too obvious. He wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. So how could she catch him off guard this time?

The only time she ever saw Bakugo off his game was when he became erratic and unstable because of his anger. His aim would become frantic and inaccurate, shooting wherever he could in a desperate attempt to get the upper hand.

But how on earth could she make him fall into that pit of rage? The only thing that used to spur it on was Izuku or All Might, but over time, those fits of anger had gradually dissipated. And even if they hadn't, she couldn't bring herself to taunt him. That was mean, and the last thing she wanted to do was mistreat her classmate. He had enough people picking on him as it was.

Groaning in frustration, Ochako sat down at a table and put her head down. If only this stupid waiting room had a magic mirror that could tell her exactly what to do.

She lifted her eyes and glared at the mirror across from her on the wall. Her own reflection stared back, and suddenly, an idea popped into her head. It was dangerous, reckless, and possibly the most ridiculous battle plan she'd ever constructed. Then again, against Bakugo, this might be her only chance.

She had to catch him off guard. Only this time, it wouldn't be with her jacket.

"And finally, from the incredible class 1-A, please welcome Ochako Uraraka, or as she likes to be called, Uravity! She's got the crazy quirk of making anything and anyone she touches lose their connection to gravity! It's pretty sick!"

Ochako barely heard Present Mic's introduction of her. Bakugo was staring her down from across the field, his gauntlets already up in anticipation. She took in a deep breath and ran the plan through her mind one final time. This was her chance to prove herself. She was going to win this.

She walked up to the platform, crossed the boundary line, and stopped. She sent a cordial nod to Bakugo. He grinned and nodded back.

Midnight walked up, glancing between the two. "Ready…set…fight!"

Bakugo immediately fired off a massive explosion. Typical. Ochako jumped out of the way, rolling to the floor and getting back up on her feet. Another boom sounded, and she took off for the sky.

'Get in close, get in close,' she told herself. 'Let him make a scene.'

"You're playing defense, Ochako?" Bakugo taunted. "Didn't think all that training would lead to running!"

She rolled her eyes and dodged another blast. If only he knew what she was planning to do— she wasn't so sure he'd be playing mister tough guy, then.

"Just trying to get you to work harder!" Ochako called back.

A growl sounded through the field. "Maybe you should take your own advice!"

Snickering, she side stepped a round of explosions. She'd been running circles around him and was now on her third lap. He was playing right into her hands.

Ochako kept it up, running as fast as she could, narrowly avoiding his attacks. Slowly, she wound the circle in tighter. He kept blasting, and when Ochako's entire field of vision was filled with smoke, she knew she had her opening.

"Hey Bakugo, ever wondered why we have matching dots on our suits?" she questioned. "I think it's cute!"

The frustration in his voice was evident. "Why are you asking me something like that?" he shouted, firing a shot where her voice had come from. But she had already moved.

He let out an annoyed groan, his eyes searching through the smoke. "Are you even taking this seriously?! Are you wasting my time?!"

Perfect.

Ochako tackled him from behind. He struggled against her, kicking up his knees to get her off before she could touch him. They rolled over, and she put all the force she had into rolling them back so she was on top.

His eyes blazing in anger, her opponent opened his mouth to speak—

She cut him off by crashing her lips into his.

Bakugo stiffened under her. Ochako braced herself. Who knew how he would react? She fully expected for him to have thrown her off by now, gauntlets blazing and all.

But then, his shoulders relaxed, and he kissed her back.

Ochako almost let go of him in surprise. But she held on tight, keeping to the plan and activating her quirk. Their feet left the ground, and the pair began floating up to the sky.

Well, that had been a success…so why was she still kissing him?

Maybe because she'd never experienced something so wonderful in her entire life.

His lips were moving slowly against hers, passionate and hot as they found a steady rhythm. His hands released his gauntlets, and she heard them crash to the ground before he wound his arms around her waist. Her hands drifted up to his neck of their own accord, and when she tugged on his hair, he let out a soft moan before he redoubled his pursuits.

She couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe she was kissing Bakugo of all people, and enjoying it. More importantly, she couldn't believe how good he was at it. She'd never been kissed before, but she was certain that he had some sort of expertise in this field.

Ochako let herself become lost in the sensations of it all, the thought of winning their fight long abandoned. He was tilting his head now, kissing her deeper. His mouth opened and his tongue swiped at her lips, and she let out a squeak of surprise. Bakugo chuckled warmly before he returned to their former methods.

She felt herself scowling a little. She wanted to surprise him, too! Feeling emboldened, she made to part her lips and show him who really owned this battle.

Then a thought hit her. They'd been floating off the ground for who knows how long now. And if they rose above the smokescreen he'd accidentally made—

A sharp gasp ran through the audience.

'Oh no,' she thought. 'This is bad!'

Bakugo broke the kiss and looked around. "Crap," he muttered. His eyes suddenly snapped back to her, and they both gaped at each other. Had that really just happened?

Her mind came to a grinding halt. Her parents were watching. Mr. Aizawa was watching. Her entire class was watching.

And in her panic, she let him go.

They began falling, falling down to the ground. She hadn't realized how far up they'd gone— there was no way this landing would come without injuries. She closed her eyes in acceptance. She should've known this stupid plan wouldn't work out the way she'd expected.

"No!" Bakugo yelled.

An arm snatched her waist, and she clung on tight. She looked up to see Bakugo's face twisted in concentration.

"Hold on," he grunted. The hand that wasn't holding her reached out, and he set off a blast. She realized what he was trying to do immediately— he was trying to lessen the impact.

Ochako squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in his chest. Their bodies slowed down with each explosion, but they were still going fast.

She dared to peek an eye open. Ten meters and counting.

Bakugo's arms came around her like a shield. She wondered why all of the sudden she knew everything would be okay.

They hit the ground with a hard thud. Ochako groaned, blinking her eyes open blearily. She couldn't remember the last time she'd let her quirk screw up that bad, let alone fallen from such a height.

The sound of heavy panting drew her attention, and she looked to her left. Bakugo was next to her, his hand holding the side he'd fallen on. He met her gaze, and their eyes widened.

He stammered, "Ochako, I—"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off by Midnight, who declared, "Bakugo is out of bounds! Uraraka wins!"

The pair looked down. Ochako's heart twisted. Bakugo was just past the boundary line. She, however, was safe inside, right where he'd put her.

Cheers broke out in the stadium.

Ochako half expected him to throw a tantrum. That's what he usually did when things ended this way. But instead, she just stared after him, frozen, as he got up and walked away, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He cast her one final look back before he left the field, and she swore she'd never seen someone so heartbroken in her entire life.

"Bakugo," she whispered. Why did he look like that? Why did he save her? He could have used that to his advantage. He could've won the fight easily when she panicked and stopped using her quirk. But instead, he made the choice to save her instead of claiming the victory.

Her eyes lifted and found her class in the crowd. They were muttering amongst themselves, all of them looking confused beyond belief. To be fair, she was, too.

But then, she saw Iida and Izuku. They were pointing to the exit Bakugo had taken, swinging their hands and shouting something. She understood what they were trying to say.

Ochako got to her feet and began running. She had to fix this.

She ran through the exit and looked both ways at the intersection of hallways. A mess of blond hair turned a corner, and she took off in his direction.

"Bakugo!" she called. "Bakugo, wait!"

Even when she skidded around the corner, he didn't look at her. He kept walking, making his way to his waiting room and closing the door behind him.

She shook her head and followed after him. Like a closed door was going to stop her. He should've known better.

Ochako pushed the door open without hesitation. Bakugo was there, slowly taking off pieces of his armor. His wings and mask were set on the table in front of him. He didn't acknowledge her when she entered.

She took in a deep breath before she blurted, "Bakugo, I'm so sorry you got out of bounds for saving me. I'm so grateful, and I think the ruling was entirely unfair. If you want me to, I'll petition right now for them to let you take my place in the next round. I think they'll let you if I ask really nicely! Who knows, maybe I can get Izuku to find All Might! I bet he could convince them—"

"That's not the point."

Ochako shut her mouth.

Bakugo turned slowly. His eyes had regained some of their usual fire.

"Did you know you were my weakness?" he questioned softly. "Is that why you used it against me? Did someone tell you?"

She blinked. "I-I…no, no one told me anything like that! Not at all!"

His eyebrows furrowed. "Then did you figure it out? That I liked you?"

…he what?

Everything felt like it was going way too fast, and Ochako's brain could barely keep up with it all.

"You…you like me?" she whispered.

Bakugo looked to the ground. It was silent for a moment. Then, he raised his eyes to meet hers, and he began to walk toward her, each footstep carefully measured.

"What I want to know is—" he started, all the while continuing his approach.

She didn't realize she'd been walking backwards until her back hit the wall.

He stopped inches in front of her, staring down at her with guarded eyes. "—is do you like me?" he finished.

Standing there, with him so close, his eyes gazing steadily into hers, she wondered why she'd never asked herself that question before. She also wondered if her heart was beating hard enough for him to hear. It was so quiet, and the air between them felt so thick with tension.

"I— I don't know," Ochako finally admitted. "I hadn't thought about it much until…" The memory of his smoldering lips on hers made a flash of heat run through her. "…until today."

Bakugo searched her eyes for several seconds. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he sighed and hung his head. "It's okay," he said. "I should've known someone like you would never be interested in someone like me."

A piece of her heart shattered. She'd never seen this kind of look on Bakugo's face before. He was always confident, excited, smiling at the thrill of a challenge. But now, he was quiet, smiling at her bittersweetly.

Ochako opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Bakugo stepped back and made his way over to his gear. "It was a smart move, by the way," he commented idly. His eyes flicked back to her. "Congratulations. I had the feeling you wouldn't make this easy for me. You were a worthy opponent, just like last time."

She wished she still didn't feel so frozen. There were a thousand thoughts running through her head, but none of them would come out.

So she watched in silence as he packed his gear into his bag. He cast her one final look, nodded, then started toward the door.

Ochako's eyes widened. "Bakugo, wait!"

He turned. Heat rushed to her cheeks upon seeing his curious stare.

"I-I, um," she stammered. "J-Just because I don't like you now doesn't mean I won't ever." His eyes betrayed his surprise, and she felt her feet begin to move toward him of their own accord. "I didn't mean to use you, but I guess it's horrible of me that I didn't think it could be taken that way. But anyways, I just…"

His eyes filled with hope. "Yes?"

She paused, wondering why she'd never noticed how smooth his voice was before. When he wasn't yelling, that is.

He was still staring down at her, and his gaze was almost too much to take. Her eyes darted to the floor, and she clasped her hands together.

Ochako swallowed. "Maybe…maybe after the tournament is over, we could…" She dared to peek up at him. "We could go do something together?"

Bakugo blinked, and then, his tense shoulders fell. "That would be nice."

"O-Okay," she replied. "I, um, I guess I need to go get ready for the next round."

He nodded. The tension in the room had tapered off slightly, but there was still something left. As much as she wanted to address it, she knew she had another fight to win— especially now that his pride was on the line, too.

Ochako moved to walk past him out the door. As she raised her hand to open it, however, he lightly grabbed her wrist. She spun around to look back at him.

"Don't go out with me just because you feel bad for me," he murmured. "I don't want to get my hopes up again. If you really don't want to, just tell me."

Ochako felt her heart squeeze painfully. Bakugo's eyes were on the ground, but she could still see the desperation in them. He was terrified she was doing this just to be nice.

Summoning all the courage she had, she turned to face him. She brought her hand up to his cheek, gently coaxing him to look up at her.

"I'll see you after the tournament," she said firmly. "You decide what we do, okay? Although if you want my input, there's a restaurant down the road I've been wanting to check out for a couple months, now. It's new."

Understanding hit him slowly, and Bakugo grinned. He leaned down to her level, placing himself just inches away from her. "I think we can make that work," he breathed.

His breath tickled her lips, and Ochako shuddered.

His eyes were burning into hers, and the air felt so hot between them. Her eyes flickered down to his lips in an unspoken question. Bakugo readily answered.

He closed the distance between them, pressing a searing kiss to her lips. There was no movement this time— only a firm, unrelenting pressure, almost like a promise. His hands, warm and gentle, cupped her face, and Ochako squeezed her eyes shut, happily letting herself get lost in the addicting sensations all over again.

Then all too quickly, he pulled away.

Bakugo leveled her with a steady look, a little twinkle in his eyes. "Don't break my heart, Ochako. It's already more wound up in you than you could possibly know."

She nodded breathlessly, completely dumbfounded.

Seeming satisfied with her response, Bakugo leaned down and brushed his lips against her temple. "Good luck in the next round," he whispered. The next second, he was out the door.

As soon as the door shut, Ochako sank to the floor. The tension in the room had dissipated as soon as he'd left, but she found herself wanting to beg him to come back.

She closed her eyes and set her head back against the wall. The all too recent sensation of his lips on hers ran through her mind. Why did she feel tingly all over? Was that normal? Was it hot in here?

She placed her hands on her cheeks and found that yes, it was just her face that was burning. Groaning, Ochako put her face in her hands.

There was no way she'd be able to concentrate on the next match after that.

My first My Hero Academia fanfic! Not too shabby, in my opinion. I'll most likely be doing a follow up, so stay tuned for the next chapter from Bakugo's perspective!

Please leave a review!