Katsuki dropped his final box of things on the kitchen counter of his first apartment with a grunt. He glanced around at the bare apartment walls, then to the shitty pre-furnished living room that was also suspiciously vacant and harrumphed in agitation.
"Where is that shitty—"
As if on queue there was a loud crash outside of the front door followed by a jarringly familiar groan that would have made Katsuki groan himself had he not gotten on better terms with shitty Deku while in high school.
There was a boisterous laugh, a trademark of Uraraka Ochako.
"Sorry, Deku!" She sang. There was a faint jingle that must have been her searching for the apartment key, accompanied by her giggling to herself and saying, "Oops, wrong one!" Katsuki watched, unimpressed, as the doorknob jiggled as a result of her jamming the right key (hopefully) inside while trying to turn it at the same time. A moment later, Ochako was bursting through the door as if she had been using all of her weight and force to open it followed calmly by Deku. There was a beat up, old toaster in his arms and he was rubbing into the back of his curls like it had just fallen on his head—which might have been the case, considering her quirk.
"Hey, roomie!" She giggled, waving at Katsuki and rolling a sizeable suitcase into the entryway.
"Tch," Katsuki offered as an acknowledgment of her greeting.
"Kacchan!" Deku chirped, clapping him on the back before placing the toaster on the counter. He then threw himself down on the couch like he owned the damned place—which he absolutely did not.
"Oi," Katsuki growled, going up to Deku and digging his knuckles into his skull. Deku yelped, batting pathetically at the blonde's hands in between laughs. "Get your lazy ass up and go get the rest of your girlfriend's shit."
Deku stiffened, glancing over at Ochako.
Katsuki raised an eyebrow, glancing over to regard his new roommate. She rubbed the back of her head, avoiding eye contact and pissing Katsuki off for not just getting to the point.
"What?" He barked.
"Kacchan—"
"This is the rest of my shit, Bakugou," She grumbled, red faced and—oh. She was embarrassed.
Well.
Well, now he felt like a dick.
He'd initially been pissed off that she hadn't been around because he wanted to see what they both had—appliances, tapestries, dishes, whatever—so that they could determine what they needed or what they did not need. But now he just felt terrible for being mad over that.
He eyed the toaster on the counter, feeling like his entire foot was in his mouth and that it was physically impossible for him to remove it.
An apology was bubbling up from somewhere inside of him, foreign and heavy and getting stuck in his throat. Logically he knew that it needed to be spoken, to show to her that he wasn't trying to be a jerk—but Katsuki can't remember the last time he verbally apologized to anyone.
So instead he grunted, meandering over to the kitchen and opening up the box that he had put up on the counter. If he didn't pull out the high-end toaster his parents had gifted to him to replace hers, then she didn't need to know.
The next day he went to the store to buy her dishes and a rice cooker—he told her that they were gifts from his parents for accepting to be his roommate.
A few days later and they'd thankfully gotten over their awkward start as roommates. And by them, Katsuki means just him. As in, he was the only one even worried about it in the first place. She had brushed it off almost immediately, a trait of hers that he'd always respected.
"Uraraka," He barked, pounding on her door, "Get your ass up or we're going to be late!"
"Ugh!" Came the muffled reply from inside her room, "I'm up!"
He rolled his eyes, trudging back to the kitchen to finish up the pancakes he'd been whipping up. He flipped the last of them onto the big ass pile he already had stacked up just as the door opened to her bedroom and Ochako stumbled into the bathroom sleepily.
"Tch," He glowered at the clock, wondering if he should leave for the bus without her if she took too long. Not even five minutes later, just as he was putting the juice on the table, she emerged from the bathroom stretching and yawning. Katsuki averted his eyes when her shirt rode up.
"Oi," He growled as she started inhaling the pancakes, "You're gonna fuckin' suffocate yourself!"
"Theef are delififuf!" She said through a full mouth of food. She swallowed just to beam up at him, "Are you going to make breakfast everyday, Bakugou? 'Cause I could get used to this!" She poured herself a glass of OJ, using it to wash down her pancakes.
"I'm not your fucking slave," He growled, sitting down across from her to dig into his own plate, "Make your own damned breakfast."
"We could take turns!" She chirped.
"Whatever," He agreed.
They ate and cleaned up and left quickly afterwards, taking the same bus until Ochako's stop separated them. Ochako talked his ear off the whole time and it was irritating as fuck, but he only jammed his earphones in his ears until after she left.
She attempted to make breakfast the next day and nearly burned down the apartment in the process. She was banned from the kitchen unless it was to make toast or rice, and Bakugou prudently came up with a breakfast schedule so he could know what to make every morning.
Their first Saturday evening as roommates finds Katsuki trying to catch some shuteye after a long week of patrolling and paperwork. Just as he was about to snooze off, there was a soft knock at his door followed by an even softer, "Bakugou?"
He almost didn't answer, but when she called for him again he could immediately tell that something was off. He grumbled his way over to his bedroom door, opened, and fixed Uraraka with a glare that would make anyone who wasn't her piss their pants.
"What?" He barked, albeit with minimal heat. The look in her eyes was so sad and pathetic—it was hard to stay annoyed at being woken up when he was even more annoyed with her gloomy demeanor.
"Were you sleeping?" Ochako inquired, red faced. Bakugou realized belatedly that he had answered the door wearing nothing but his boxers. "I—uh, nevermind. You can—go back to sleep."
"What're you doin here?" He raised an eyebrow, just now noticing that she was dressed up for something nice. She was even wearing high heels, which was a rare occasion for the brunette who preferred much more practical shoes. "Thought you had a date with Deku."
"Something came up," She murmured, avoiding his eyes, "Villain attack, and—well…you know how he is." Her eyes flicked up to his, "Sorry for bothering you, though. Go back to sleep." She waved before turning away to head towards the living room.
"What did you want?" He growled, stopping her before she got too far.
She sighed, "It's stupid."
"Spit it out."
Another sigh, "I was just wondering if you would like to watch a movie with me? You know. Have one on one roommate time? I could make some popcorn, and we could finish off the Oreos in the pantry…"
"Fine," He said, "Let me change into pajamas."
Ochako's lips twitched in amusement, and Bakugou knew he was probably about to regret being kind. Like he always fucking does.
"You want to make this a pajama party?" She teased, "That's adorable."
"I take it back," He snapped, "I'm going back to bed."
He moved to shut his door, but her foot snuck in before he could.
"Nuh uh!" She protested, pushing on the door with alarming strength, "You already agreed! We're having a pajama party." She hummed to herself like she just had a brilliant idea, "If I let you pick the movie, will you paint my nails?"
Bakugou narrowed his eyes and stared at her for a moment. When she didn't crack under his glare, he knew he was fighting a losing battle.
"Fine," He barked again, "We're watching Interstellar."
Ochako grinned, "I love that one!" She removed her foot from his doorway and her grin was seriously starting to put strain on his eyes, "I'll…meet you in the living room then?"
He grunted in affirmation, closing the door so that he could get dressed.
When he padded into the room wearing his black skull shirt and plaid pajama bottoms, he found her at the microwave waiting for the popcorn to finish. She was wearing an All Might t-shirt and sweatpants and she had pulled her hair back into a bun.
Katsuki went to the TV stand and rummaged through the drawers for Interstellar and popped it in just as she was bringing over the bowl of popcorn. They sat at opposite sides of the couch.
They hardly said a word during the actual movie, not that Katsuki cared. He preferred not talking sometimes. Glancing over at Ochako, he figured she was just as comfortable in the quiet. The only talking that occurred was when she asked him what color would look best on her nails and he picked out a deep red that went best with her skin tone.
Two hours into the movie, because he forgot how long the damned thing was, he peeked over at her to see that she was drooling all over her arm. There was popcorn in her hair and her blanket had fallen off of her. Katsuki grabbed the remote, turned off the Blu-ray player, took the popcorn bowl from her lap and pulled the blanket back over her shoulders. He turned the lights off in the living room and moseyed back to his own room to turn in for the night.
He had his first nightmare in this apartment four months into living there. They happened less and less as more time passed, but they always came back eventually. He woke up to darkness breathing heavily, and immediately flicked on his bedside lamp. Sitting up in bed, he threw off his covers and trudged out of his room and into the kitchen.
As he was reaching into the cupboard for a glass, a chipper voice called out, "Hey, Bakugou!" He nearly exploded the cup in his hands, and he chalks up his self-control at all the extensive quirk training he did at U.A.
"Fuck!" He yelled, rounding on Uraraka with murder in his eyes, "What the fuck, Uraraka?! Don't startle me like that!"
The smile on her face fell as she took in his ragged appearance.
"You okay?" She asked, setting aside her laptop—it was two in the fucking morning, no wonder she always got out of bed at the literal last second—and meeting him in the kitchen. Her footfalls were loud as fuck. Go figure she'd only be able to surprise him when she'd been sitting in the same spot for literal hours.
"M'just getting a glass of water," He grumbled, not wanting to talk about this right now. Or ever.
"You look like you've just seen a ghost," Ochako pressed on, reaching out hesitantly to touch him. She stopped an inch away from his bicep as soon as she noticed him stiffen and dropped her hand back to her side. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"Shut the fuck up, round face," He snapped, drawing himself out of her reach and angrily shoving the glass under the tap. It was a low blow pulling out the old nickname—one he hadn't even bothered with all that long since she was able to gain his respect so quickly. Probably faster than anyone else in their stupid class. "I'm fine," He tried again when he saw the gleam of incredulity in her eye, removing the glass from the water once it was full.
"It's okay if you get nightmares, Bakugou," Her assurance was laced with aggravation, which was probably the most effective kind of assurance that could be used on him, and her brows were pulled down in a glare. "If they make you feel weak, then you should know that I get them sometimes too. Now, look me in the eyes and tell me I'm weak." She raised an expectant eyebrow.
Bakugou stared her down for a long while, the words getting caught in his throat because he knew that they would be a lie. Fuck her for having that sly card to play.
"You're not weak," He said honestly.
Her eyes softened a bit, and she was finally able to lay that comforting hand on his arm without him flinching. "And neither are you," She said, squeezing his shoulder once before letting her hand drop back to her side.
He nodded, tears stinging at his eyes for whatever stupid reason.
"Still don't wanna talk about it," He said, bringing the glass of water to his lips and taking a sip in a vain attempt to disguise the emotion in his voice. He thanked every deity he knew of that she didn't comment on it.
"Wanna blow something up?" She asked instead.
He snorted, nearly choking on the water. She patted his back while he coughed into his elbow.
"That a no?" She said before he could even recover, "Hmm. What about an emotional support animal? Koda always used to let his bunny spend the night in the girls' rooms whenever we couldn't sleep or had a nightmare. Actually really helped."
Bakugou blinked at her as the last of his coughs died off.
"A cat maybe?" Ochako persisted with shrewd eyes, "You seem like a cat person. Plus cats are easier to take care of with a busy schedule."
He continued to stare at her like she'd grown another head. Was she really suggesting that they get a cat together?
Ochako sighed, "You're not giving me a lot to work with, Bakugou."
"Where the hell would we keep a litter box?" He barked eventually, "We would need to get a shit ton of supplies for a furry little fucker."
Ochako shrugged, "We'll figure it out."
"Fine," He said, his voice hoarse but thankfully devoid of emotion, "But I'm not leaving you to pick out the damned cat by yourself. Knowing you, you'd pick out an ugly fucker just because you think its funny. I'll be there to supervise."
Her smile melted into something warm.
"I would do that, huh? You've been paying attention."
Bakugou was thankful for the dark lighting and that she couldn't see the way his face heated up.
"Shut up," He growled, "We're going tomorrow after work."
"Deal," She beamed.
"Get some fucking sleep, Uraraka," He barked, setting his glass to the left of the sink. He crossed his arms while she gathered her things together, waiting for her to retire to her room before he trudged back to his own.
His mind was a lot calmer now as he got comfortable in his bed. He punched his pillow a few times before digging his head into it, staring into the darkness and perhaps imagining a pair of brown eyes staring back.
There was a knock on the wall behind his head.
"Good night, Bakugou," Ochako's muffled voice called out.
"Tch," He responded, reaching up before he could stop himself to knock back.
He fell asleep in minutes.
A month later Bakugou was walking up the stairs to their apartment just as Deku was running down, nearly bulldozing him and the fucking eggs he'd picked up. Katsuki bristled as soon as the nerd's massive shoulder bumped into his, nearly knocking him off balance.
"Watch it, nerd!" He barked over his shoulder as Izuku continued to descend outdoor staircase.
"Sorry, Kacchan!" He called back, waving in apology before continuing to book it out of the apartment complex.
Bakugou walked into the apartment grumbling about damned nerds and fragile eggs. Lord of Death and Havoc—Havoc for short and, God, he and Uraraka should never be allowed to name another living creature ever again—bounded towards him as he shut the door behind him. He snuffed, putting the bags of groceries on the counter before stooping down to offer the black cat his hand. Havoc's big green eyes regarded him like he was a fucking idiot before turning her back on him.
Bakugou fucking loved that cat.
"Uraraka?" He called out, figuring she was here if Deku had been leaving, "What was Deku in a hurry for?"
Ochako didn't respond, and normally Bakugou wouldn't give a shit but somehow he knew that something was up. Like an idiot he forgot the groceries and walked over to her bedroom door. He knocked softly, remembering too late that he should probably ask if she was okay in there but not really sure how to do that without sounding like an idiot.
"You…uh," He started, scratching the back of his head, "doing…good?" As he listened more intently, he could hear her sniffling. When she didn't respond immediately, he figured that she probably just wanted to be left alone. "Alright," He said, stepping away from her door awkwardly, "Just let me know if I need to beat Deku's ass."
The doorknob jiggled just as he halfway to the kitchen, and then Ochako was padding into the kitchen behind him with red eyes.
"He's so—so obtuse, Bakugou!" She proclaimed, wiping tears away from her eyes angrily. She sat at the bar, watching him put away groceries as she started in on a tirade, "I tell him that I want to spend more time with him—and he just fucking nods as he goes off to respond to another villain incident that's not even in his fucking precinct! I'm always second to hero work with him—which I always knew was the case. I thought I was ready for that because I just liked him so much, but I'm not! It sucks! And it sucks that nothing's changing, because I just wanted this entire shitty situation to just change but it's not and I can't take much more of it! I don't know what to do!"
Halfway through her rant Bakugou had leaned up against the fridge with wide eyes, dreading when she'd finally finish and he'd have to say something. And now that she finished, it's just as he expected: he didn't know what the fuck to say to comfort her. He was the last person that should be comforting someone in this kind of distress. It had taken three entire years at U.A. just for him to get decent at comforting people in need of help because of villain attacks or natural disasters or whatever the fuck else.
"Uh," He started eloquently, shifting his weight nervously, "Have you…talked to Deku about these feelings?" If there was one thing that he knew about Deku, it was that the nerd was pretty obtuse about anything that didn't revolve around hero work. Not that Katsuki was much better, but it was something that the blonde had actively tried to improve upon.
Ochako shook her head, a fresh wave of tears erupting from her eyes. Katsuki winced.
"No," She cried, "I know exactly where that conversation is going to lead!"
Katsuki huffed—this was probably the one thing about Ochako that drove him crazy. She didn't know how to chase her own happiness.
"To where?" He growled, stepping forward to lean over the counter to glare at her, "To you dumping that nerd so that you can have a more healthy relationship with him that doesn't revolve around you constantly comparing his dedication to you to his commitment to his fucking job? To the both of you getting your heads out of your own asses so that your thoughts can air out enough for you to actually think of what's best for the both of you? God, he ran out of here not knowing that there was even a goddamn problem because you won't say anything." He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, "Both of you are obtuse, Uraraka. Goddamn."
His eyes flicked to hers, and he sighed when he saw that he had made her cry even more.
"Aw, shit," He whispered, berating himself and pinching the bridge of his nose, "Uraraka—"
She shook her head. "Don't let that be the first thing you ever verbally apologize for," She said shakily, wiping tears from her eyes, "That's…actually what I needed to hear. Thanks, Bakugou," Havoc jumped up in her lap, and she began petting the cat mindlessly, "for never coddling me."
He nodded, unsure. She said it was all fine and dandy, but she was still bawling her eyes out like he just killed her mother. His hand hovered over her shoulder for a moment until he thought better of it and brought it back to his side. He tapped the wood of the counter.
"Want me to grab some ice cream?" He inquired, watching her fingers thread through Havoc's fur.
She nodded, biting her lip like that would stop the sobs from coming out.
"Alright," He said, already retrieving his keys from the kitchen counter, "We'll have a stupid pajama party, okay? I'll be back soon."
She nodded again.
When he returned, they popped in a movie and shared the tub of chocolate ice cream—although Ochako definitely devoured most of it. When she finished it off, she shoved her feet under his thighs to warm them up. And for whatever reason, he allowed it.
She and Deku broke up the next day, and she was a wreck for an entire week. But damned if he wasn't proud of her for putting on a brave face and getting her ass to work and taking down just as much if not more villains than she usually did.
"Hey," Ochako said on the bus not even six weeks after her break up with Deku. They hadn't been able to snag a seat this morning, and they were crowded together amid the other passengers. "Can we train together sometime?"
Katsuki perked up, leveling her with a look of curiosity. He grinned down at her, pulling down on the handhold just to feel the muscles of his arm work. "You wanna rematch, pink cheeks?" He inquired, showing all of his teeth, "I'd love to know what tricks you have up your sleeve these days."
"Hah!" She exclaimed, delighted, "I'm sure you would."
"We could also train to use our quirks together," He thought out loud, wondering when shitty Deku had rubbed off on him, "Bet we'd kick ass in a team-up." He declared it easily, because it was the truth. Ochako said nothing and when he looked down to see what her deal was, she was gaping up at him with wonder in her eyes.
"What?" He barked, staring over her head so that he wouldn't have to look her in the eyes.
Before she could answer the bus hit a pothole and she stumbled into him, her hand landing on his chest to steady herself. They were closer to each other than they had ever been before in the time they've known each other, and the warm line of contact of their bodies felt like a brand. All at once, his mind couldn't focus on anything else. His cheeks burned, and he craned his neck so as to keep his face as far away from hers as possible.
"Ha," She exhaled, her warm breath hitting the skin of his neck and he wondered if she could feel the pounding of his heart, "Sorry, Bakugou!" She rocked her weight back onto the balls of her feet to create space between them again, and Bakugou mourned the loss of her warm hand on his chest. "But yeah," She picked up their previous conversation, "We could totally practice using our quirks together. I'd really like that, actually."
He grunted, suddenly feeling like he forgot how to use words.
She kept up a one-sided conversation until she reached her stop and they parted ways. He stared after her like an idiot. When she was off and the bus started rolling away, he groaned into his hands. This new revelation was just what he fucking needed, huh?
"Fuck."
"Okay, let me get this straight," Kirishima said, holding onto the punching bag as Bakugou pounded it relentlessly, "You and Deku are on good terms and you actually want to maintain that, but you're hot for his ex-girlfriend who also happens to be your roommate."
"Where are you confused, Shitty Hair?" He grunted, pausing for a moment before punching into the bag again.
"At the part where you actually have romantic feelings for someone," The redhead answered with a stupid grin on his face, "I mean, I always figured the concept of romance and wooing someone would eventually make itself known to you by slapping you in the face someday—but I figured that wouldn't happen for another couple of years."
"And why the hell not, huh?" He asked, stopping again to raise an eyebrow at his friend. He stood up straight from his stance, and walked over to the gym bench nearby to cool off. Kirishima followed him, eagerly trying to put together this new puzzle.
"You're just super focused on becoming a better hero and—huh."
Katsuki rolled his eyes, glowering at Kirishima to let him know he was ready for whatever bullshit revelation he just had.
"You know, I guess it makes sense," He said resolutely, "She makes you better, dude. I noticed that even back in high school. S'probably why you like her so much."
"Aw, fuck," Bakugou sighed, "You're making sense."
"Alarming, isn't it?"
Bakugou grinned, "Heh, yeah. You're supposed to have hair for brains. When did you grow a cerebral cortex?"
Kirishima pouted, "I'm pretty sure you're insulting me and complimenting at the same time, and I don't know how to take it."
Katsuki rolled his eyes, standing up and clapping Kirishima on the shoulder.
"Come on, Eijirou," He said, pausing to take a swig from his water bottle, "Let's go run."
"Wait, wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wait," Kirishima protested, grabbing Katsuki's arm and stopping him from walking towards the track, "We need to talk about this more—what are you going to do about it?"
"Fucking—nothing, probably."
"What!? Why not?"
"She and Deku just broke up, Ei," Katsuki reasoned, "I could care less about what the shitty nerd would think about me making a move on his ex—I'm more concerned about how she's fucking feeling. And, sure, it's been like a month since their breakup, but she's still pretty beat up over it."
"Yeah, okay," Eijirou allowed, "But what if she likes you too?"
"Haaah?"
"What? You've never considered that being a possibility?"
"What the hell would she like me for?" Bakugou snapped.
"Um," Kirishima started like he was about to throw down some serious ammunition, "Maybe because you make her better too?" He grinned, like he was holding the last nail for Bakugou's coffin, "Saw you two on the news the other day—you guys make a helluva team."
Katsuki couldn't quite disguise the pride he felt at that statement. He swung a fist at the redhead's knowing smirk, but Kirishima dodged it easily.
"We fight well together. So what?"
Kirishima shook his head, "It's not just fighting—you push each other to do your very best. Neither one of you underestimates the other and it gets your gears going. You help each other keep a good mindset. I've noticed it in both of you ever since you two became roomies!"
"Whatever."
"I'm serious!"
"I know you are. Still doesn't mean she likes me. Now shut the fuck up and get your ass on the track." He literally jogged away from the conversation, leaving Kirishima pouting after him.
Bakugou may have gotten clipped on his side during a villain fight a month later—and he may have ignored it with all the adrenaline running through his system. Furthermore, he may not have mentioned it to fucking anyone because he gods honest forgot. So Ochako really shouldn't be getting mad at him for being so careless.
"I'll patch myself up," He persisted, batting her insistent hands away from his side, "S'not even that deep of a cut. No bid deal. Got worse in high school."
She held a bubble in one side of her mouth, eyebrows scrunching together in aggravation. Bakugou could only just make it out in the darkness of their apartment, and he had to bite his tongue to keep his thoughts on how good she looked to himself. "We had Recovery Girl to take care of us in high school. Now we have all sorts of access to different responders with healing quirks—and you should have called them hours ago."
"Fuck, okay," He agreed, "And I'll make sure to go to 'em next time. But I'm already home and I wanna fuckin' sleep so I'm going to handle this by myself tonight."
Ochako huffed, pushing his shoulders until he backed into the couch. "Take off your shirt while I go get the first aid kit," She commanded, pushing him down onto the cushions and leaving before he could protest. He groaned but did as she said, wincing as the muscles sitting underneath the wound flexed and the pain receptors in his brain went fucking wild.
He hastily held his shirt to his wound, not wanting to get blood on the couch.
"Move," Ochako demanded, returning to his side with the first aid kit in hand. Thinking she wanted him to take the antiseptic and gauze from her hands so that he could wrap himself up, he reached out only for his hand to be knocked away. He blinked, realizing too late that she had every intention of cleaning up his wound herself. "You're going to visit a responder tomorrow morning before going out for patrol, got it?"
He hissed as she pressed a cotton ball with antiseptic to his wound.
"Holy fuck," He growled, "Give me a goddamned warning next time, Uraraka!"
She pressed the cotton ball more firmly against his skin, "Got it?"
"Got it!" He snarled, snapping at her hands with his teeth—which she avoided easily, "I'm sorry, alright? Fuck."
She froze, removing the cotton ball from his skin and blinking at him stupidly.
"Did you just apologize?" She asked, voice softer than before. She reached for the gauze and taped it over his wound, taking care to be gentle with him—like no one ever bothered to be around his explosive ass. He was struck suddenly with a sense of déjà vu, except that their roles were reversed. Years ago he had shown her how he fought a worthy opponent, and now she was showing him how she cared for a friend in need.
"So what if I did?" He snarked, face red as she brushed her fingers over the dressed wound.
"Well apology accepted. If—" The glare returned to her face, "—you promise not to do it again."
He rolled his eyes, "I promise."
She beamed, just as Havoc strolled up to them to check things out.
"Hey, fucker," He greeted the cat as she rubbed up on Ochako's legs, "You worried about Ochako more than the actual injured person? Figures."
"Don't be petty," Ochako said, smacking the back of his head lightly, "This is why she likes me more. Cats can understand the tone of your voice, you know. Can't you, Lord of Death and Havoc? Aw you're a good girl, aren't you?" Ochako proceeded to lose herself in her fuckin' baby talk.
"Yeah," Bakugou deadpanned, "I ain't talkin' to the cat like that."
"Katsuki's just grumpy, Havoc," Ochako informed the cat, picking her up and staring into her eyes, "Just ignore him." His name on her lips wasn't just a weapon, but an entire arsenal she could exploit if she wanted to. He supposed he shouldn't be mad, however, considering he started it.
"Whatever," He said as he got to his feet, wincing, "I'm going to bed."
Ochako laughed, hugging Havoc to her chest before letting the squirming cat free, "Goodnight, Katsuki."
He stopped at his doorway, his heart pounding.
"Night…Ochako."
From there on out, Ochako decided that she was suddenly allowed to touch Katsuki as much as she wanted to. Which was probably his own fault, seeing as he didn't do a damned thing to stop her. So now he had to live being on the verge of cardiac arrest constantly. On movie nights, she'd lean on his arm and reach around his stomach for the popcorn. At breakfast, she would brush her leg against his. She'd squeeze his bicep playfully after lifting weights together at the gym. She would ruffle his hair in goodbye whenever her stop came on the bus. Everyday she would come up with a new way to torture him with her touch.
Alright, but this one took the cake. And she hadn't even actually touched him.
He had made an offhand comment about how Havoc was supposed to be helping him sleep, but the damned cat only ever seemed to snuggle up in her bed at night. They had both made the habit of keeping their bedroom doors open at night, just in case the cat wanted to go back and forth. But Havoc only ever bothered with Katsuki's room when Ochako was gone on extended missions.
He nearly had an aneurism at her response.
"If you really want to snuggle with Havoc that bad at night, then maybe you should just sleep in my bed with me."
She giggled at the look on his face, and he wondered if the offer was a serious one.
They had nearly been roommates for a year when Ochako came home from an extended mission limping and covered in bandages. She greeted Katsuki with less gusto than usual as she trudged to her room, and when he went to check on her a little later she had already passed out on her bed. She was fully clothed and hadn't even had time to pull the blankets over herself.
Katsuki crept over to her quietly, carefully removing her shoes and readjusting her gently into a more comfortable position. He pulled the covers over her shoulders and swept his fingers through her hair before he could think better of it. The prodigious urge to lean over her to press his lips to her forehead was staggering—but he wouldn't even know how to go about that, couldn't remember ever wanting to shower someone with that kind of affection.
So he pulled away, flicked the lights off and retreated to his own room.
That night he woke up to heavy footfalls in his room, blinking blurry eyes up at a bedraggled Ochako. Havoc was at her feet, curiosity in her eyes as she watched the brunette creep closer to Bakugou's bed.
"Katsuki?" She asked softly, clearing the distance from the door to the foot of his bed with a few more limps.
"Whazzit?" He slurred, leaning up on his elbow to get a better look at her. He then glanced over at the clock only to see that he still had another three hours before his alarm was supposed to go off.
"Can I sleep here?"
Her voice was so soft and he was so tired that he just nodded and scooted over. She climbed under the covers and cuddled into his side like it was the most natural thing in the world, the warmth of her body quickly luring him back to sleep.
He was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.
When he opened his eyes the next day, he was greeted with a pair of green eyes staring at him with disdain. Havoc was perched on his chest, her tail flicking back and forth lazily. His brows furrowed in confusion, unused to seeing the cat in his room when Ochako wasn't—
His eyes widened as his brain caught up to his surroundings and he immediately flicked his eyes over to the girl sharing his bed with him.
She was hugging his arm close to her body and she was using his shoulder as a pillow. Her chocolate locks billowed across his collarbone where they fluttered with each of her warm exhalations. Even though he was stiff as hell from sleep, he didn't move a muscle—too afraid that he might break the spell.
He didn't have to wait long before his alarm went off, however.
Ochako groaned, smacking his face as if she was in search for the alarm herself. He yelped, surprised by the petite hand slapping him—he grabbed her wrist, halting her smacking motions and reaching for his alarm himself. Havoc bounded off of him in the process, leaving the two of them alone.
"Stop hitting me, Ochako," He growled, disabling the alarm before sinking back into the pillows.
As if his voice triggered a new alarm in her head, her eyes opened wide and she sat up quickly in his bed. "B-Bakugou!?" She eeped, pulling the covers over her chest as if to protect her modesty even though she was wearing her sweats and baggy t-shirt from last night. He could see in her eyes that she was putting together the pieces of what lead to her waking up in his bed. As realization dawned on her, her muscles relaxed and the blankets she was holding up dropped into her lap.
"So…" He started awkwardly, "You doing okay?"
Her face darkened.
"Uh, I, um," She said fluently, "Yeah. Hah, why do you ask?"
"You don't usually demand entry into my bed at night," He deadpanned.
"No, no," She insisted nervously, "I'm fine!"
He raised an eyebrow, patiently waiting for her to elaborate.
"I just," She continued, twiddling her thumbs and avoiding his eyes, "I didn't have a nightmare or anything—I honestly thought I was dreaming last night? But I guess I really did come in here to sleep, huh?" She hid her face in her hands and shook her head as if to shake off the mortification. "This is so embarrassing. I totally invaded your space!" She berated herself, peeking out at him through the cracks in her fingers.
Bakugou rolled his eyes, yanking her back down into the mattress with him just to shut her up.
"Does it look like I give a fuck?" He inquired, throwing an arm over his eyes.
"Hmm," She hummed, wiggling into his side experimentally, "I guess not."
His face burned and he didn't argue with her. Ochako was a smart girl, and she probably understood him better than anyone besides Kirishima. She had all the fuckin' clues and he was pretty sure that she was about to slide the last one into place. His intuition was reinforced when he felt her settle against him again, so he threw all caution to the wind and wrapped an arm around her waist so that he could tug her even closer.
She meeped.
Bakugou lifted his arm from his eyes just a smidge so that he could peek out at her—if he was reading everything wrong and she actually didn't want this with him, then he'd back off in an instant.
"You okay?" He asked again—although for a different reason entirely—rubbing his thumb back and forth over her clothed stomach.
Ochako nodded, settling her own hand on his chest shyly and watching it rise and fall with every breath he took. "Thanks for being the best roommate ever," She whispered, her lips skimming against his skyrocketed pulse. She pulled his arm from his eyes so that she could interlock their fingers and lay them back down on his collarbone. Then she giggled.
"What's so funny?" He growled, squeezing her hand.
"I just really like you, Katsuki," She answered honestly, nuzzling into his neck, "And you're always making time for me, and I really appreciate it."
His heart pounded against his chest like a snare drum.
"Yeah, well," He grumbled. He knew what he was about to say was going to completely ruin the mood, but he literally couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. "I liked you first."
"Does everything have to be a competition with you?" She deadpanned, rolling her eyes.
"Yep," He replied, popping the 'p', "But you like me for it anyways."
She rolled her eyes but didn't argue—a small detail that made his heart soar.
"So, we're sleeping in today?" She asked instead, sliding her other arm up so that her hand could snake into his hair. He pressed into the contact like a cat, letting her know the affection was more than welcomed.
"Uh huh."
"You're gonna skip breakfast? You?"
"We'll get to it later, pink cheeks," He grumbled, stuffing her face more thoroughly into his neck in hopes of stopping her flurry of questions, "But we're fucking cuddling right now, so shut the fuck up."
She giggled again but complied, throwing a leg over his so that their bodies could become even more entangled.
They stayed like that for an hour longer than he had intended, but there wasn't anything going on today that couldn't be pushed back and she felt way too warm and perfect cuddled against him. He couldn't find it within himself to pull away, nor did he want to.
It wasn't until both of their stomachs cried for sustenance that he steered her to the kitchen, unwilling to keep his hands off of her. They made the food together, Bakugou standing behind her as he guided her hands with his and murmured directions into her ear.
There was a lot for them to talk about, but right now he could settle for pressing his lips into her hair like he'd been dying to for months.