Uravity was beat up, tired, and so ridiculously satisfied.
"Good job, Uravity!" and other variations of praise echoed throughout the crowd that had gathered during her skirmish with a particularly volatile villain. She still had the poor bastard pinned to the ground, the heel of her boot digging into his hand while she held the other one down behind his back. She couldn't help but smirk. And maybe Katsuki has been rubbing off on her, but she just felt so good.
She had taken down this villain by herself—before other heroes could even make it to the scene. And the only damage to the surrounding area that could be pinned on her was a sizeable hole on the side of a brick building from where she had bat the unlucky adversary careening like the home-run he was. Oh, and she might have uprooted a tree to use as a bat.
Her agency's insurance company would be pleased, meaning that her boss would be pleased, meaning that she was that much closer to being assigned a better zone where she could show the world just what she could do.
When the police took the villain into custody, she couldn't even be mad that she still had the press to deal with.
"Uravity!" reporters called all at once, waving fanatically in order to get her attention.
She usually didn't bite, especially when it was a crowd like this. But her good mood guided her towards the cameras and microphones with a victorious smile on her face.
"Uravity!" a woman boldly stepped out of the crowed, eager to be the first to interview the young hero. "Is it true that you and Ground Zero have moved in together?"
Ochako's nose scrunched.
"I don't see how that involves my job as a hero," Ochako stated resolutely. And the answer was no—not that anyone besides her, Katsuki, and their good friends needed to know that. Reporters had been asking this same damned question for months, and she's a little miffed that they were so focused on her relationship that they were ignoring her accomplishments as a hero. "If you don't have any questions involving the villain takedown just now, then I really don't want—"
A young girl, perhaps in middle school still, pushed her way to the front of the crowd. She was breathing heavily, like escaping the throng of impassioned news reporters required heavy amounts of physical excursion. Which. Ochako couldn't imagine it being all that easy weaving through a sea of sharks.
"Uravity!" she exclaimed between pants of air. Ochako, who had been turning away from the crowd, stopped in her tracks. The hero strode over to the girl, patiently waiting for her to catch her breath. She held out a hand, smiling. The girl stared at it with wide eyes, clearly not expecting to get this far. The grin on her face was unmistakable, and Ochako couldn't help but mirror it as she grasped her hand eagerly and gave it a hearty shake.
"You're my hero!" she proclaimed. "The way you took down that villain was so cool! I wanna be an awesome combat hero like you one day!" She threw an arm to the square, flexing to indicate Uravity's strength.
Ochako blinked in surprise—no one had ever referred to her as a combat hero before.
"Can I have your autograph?" the girl inquired, jumping up and down in excitement as she offered Ochako the back of a flier and a bright pink sharpie, and hardly giving the hero any time at all to recover from her shock.
But Ochako squared her shoulders, smiling down at the girl again.
"What's your name?" she asked, accepting the flier and sharpie and waiting for her response before she started signing.
"Nanase Sawa!"
"What's your quirk, Nanase-chan?"
It was Nanase's turn to blink in confusion. It was obvious that she was a little caught off guard by Ochako's genuine interest in her, making the hero wonder how many hot shots have told her to get lost. But Ochako couldn't help but giggle at her perplexed expression. This girl was adorable and reminded her of a young Mina.
"I can make surfaces bouncy at my touch," she explained, smiling brightly as Ochako scribbled out a message on the flier. "It's kind of like your quirk in a way!" And then, as if reminded of something, she glanced away from Ochako with a pout. "All the boys at school tell me it's better for rescue work, and that I'd be dead meat in a scuffle." She flicked her eyes back up at Ochako, and her smile immediately returned, "but you use your quirk to fight all the time! I wanna be just like you!"
Ochako laughed, unable to resist the sudden urge she had to ruffle the girl's black hair. But Nanase didn't seem to mind.
"Well, I say," she winked, finishing her signature with a flourish before she offered Nanase back her flier and sharpie, "that you show those boys what you're made of."
Nanase took the flier back with a squeal, making Ochako laugh again.
"Can I take a picture with you?" Ochako asked, slipping her phone from her utility belt—Katsuki had gifted it to her and had added her to his plan as a birthday surprise, which had made her explode at his excessiveness until he compromised and allowed her to pay for her portion of the plan while he paid for the monthly cost of the phone itself. It made her think of their little lover's quarrel every time she pulled out her phone—she had been so mad at him at the time, but now it only made her laugh.
"W-with me!?" Nanase screeched, her ears turning red. "I should be the one asking you that!"
Ochako shrugged.
"I don't want to forget you, Nanase-chan," she confessed, tapping on her phone's screen to open up her camera. "You inspired me, you know."
"I-I did?!"
"Yup!" Ochako nodded.
Nanase's eyes had stars in them as Ochako reached an arm around her shoulders, offering a wink and a peace sign to the camera. She took a few just to ensure that she'd have one that wasn't blurry—Katsuki always shit-talk her photography skills, so she could never be too careful.
"I'll put that up somewhere," Ochako said. She was still awful at social media outlets, something that drove her recently hired public relations agent mad, but hopefully this could abate the poor bastard for now. She offered Nanase one last smile, "feel free to tag yourself in it. I'm glad you're safe, Nanase-chan." She waved at the young girl, ignoring the twittering crowd of reporters that looked like they were going insane over their small interaction. "You can rest easy when I'm on the job!" Ochako winced as the words came out, still unsure if having a catchphrase was something she could get behind. It's something she says all the time about her inspiration for becoming a hero—so that her parents can rest easy—and when her PR agent, Okomoto Hidemitsu, heard it he clung to it like a repelling rope. They had argued back and forth over using it while on patrol until she had given in and promised to give it a try. She really was making all of his dreams come true today.
Ochako pressed her hands together to float herself to the top of a building and away from anymore embarrassment.
"Byeeee, Uravity-san!" Nanase called after her, waving fluidly.
Ochaka smiled, shooting finger guns at her until she made it to a roof and returned gravity to herself carefully.
She let out a long breath once she was back on her feet. Then, she shook off the dust as she tuned back into her comms and was off to another place in need of her help.
"Do you think I'd have a shot as a combat oriented hero?" Ochako asked Deku and Iida at their weekly meet-up for ice cream. She glanced down at her phone, watching as notification after notification came in on the photo she had taken with Nanase. She had put it up on social media, as promised, and she had to put her phone on silent to stop it from dinging constantly. She put it aside for now, looking back up at her friends.
The thought of shifting more toward combat work had been stewing in her mind for a while—probably since high school. She had walked the path of learning all sorts of fighting styles while at U.A., and it wasn't something she let herself get rusty with now that she was older and an experienced hero. She's grateful for that training—it only makes rescue work that much easier.
So yeah, she's thought about it before. But after establishing herself as an able rescue hero, she figured she could be satisfied enough with that.
But was she actually?
Without missing a beat and not bothering to look up from his ice cream, Deku said, "you've already got a pretty good balance of combat experience and rescue experience—you probably lean more to the rescue side, sure. But I'm not gonna be the person to tell you that you're not capable of something. 'Cause I know you are."
Iida nodded enthusiastically as he made chopping motions of agreement with his hands.
"You've proven yourself countless times Uraraka-kun," Tenya agreed. "Combat is a little about your quirk, but also involves how you use it—"
Deku cut in with shrewd eyes, likely catching onto Tenya's train of thought.
"I've watched every video that exists about your work in the field," he declared proudly, "and you're easily one of the most creative heroes when it comes to your quirk's application. Anyone else born with zero gravity probably would be stuck as a rescue hero—what makes you capable of being a combat hero is you."
Iida nodded again.
"You're truly a great hero, Uraraka," Tenya proclaimed. He reached across the table, Ochako assumed to grab her hand in this touching moment. But before she could reach for him back, his other hand rushed forward to begin unbuttoning the sleeve of his dress shirt. "Look," he said seriously, as he rolled up his sleeve, "I won a Uravity tatoo at a nickel arcade with Todoroki-kun."
"Aw!" Deku cried, sticking his nose close to Tenya's wrist, "a little chibi Uravity! Did they have any Deku tattoos, Iida-kun?"
"Nope," Iida answered honestly, causing Izuku to pout only for him to shake it off a second later.
"I just bought a Uravity bracelet," Izuku confessed as he took another bite of his ice cream. "I wish I had it on me to show you—s'got a little infinity sign with tiny orbiting planets around it." He sighed, "you've got the coolest merch, Ochako."
Ochako rolled her eyes at their antics.
"Oh please," she said, "your merch is the coolest, Deku. Even Katsuki's got a Deku themed water bottle."
"He does not," Deku exclaimed with a smile. Ochako could see in Izuku's eyes just how much that information meant to him.
"He does," Ochako reaffirmed, "and Ingenium sneakers."
"Come on, you two," Iida said too seriously but with a tilt to his lips that gave away how proud that information actually made him, "we all know that its Bakugou-kun who actually has the coolest merch."
"Pffft," Ochako conceded, "yeah, you're right."
"Regardless of that," Tenya continued, buttoning his sleeve back up, "my point was—you're a revered hero, Uraraka. Not because you focus on rescue instead of combat or vice versa, but because you do what's needed when needed. You're versatile. More so than most heroes. It's truly admirable."
"Thank you, Tenya," Ochako murmured quietly, touched by his and Izuku's words. They ate their ice cream in comfortable silence for a moment until her phone buzzed on the table, and Ochako glanced down to see who was trying to contact her.
one spicy pepper (5:42 p.m.)
i'm making dinner tonight, so don't stay out with those nerds too long
Ochako (5:42 p.m.)
and what if i do? :P
one spicy pepper (5:43 p.m.)
then you'll be heating it up yourself and i'll be fucking you in bed instead of over the countertop
Ochako (5:43 p.m.)
charming. i'm not sure i see how that's a lose for me?
one spicy pepper (5:43 p.m.)
you love it when i take you anywhere and everywhere and especially in the kitchen you weirdo
one spicy pepper (5:43 p.m.)
don't deny it
Ochako giggled, biting her lower lip into her mouth and finding herself unable to resist teasing her boyfriend.
Ochako (5:43 p.m.)
yeah, you're right
Ochako (5:43 p.m.)
but not as much as you love crawling into bed at 8 pm sharp
one spicy pepper (5:44 p.m.)
exactly, pink cheeks
one spicy pepper (5:44 p.m.)
clock's ticking
Ochako rolled her eyes—he couldn't say 'I miss you' like a normal person. But it was so endearingly Katsuki. It made her heart flutter inside of her ribcage like it had grown wings and was rearing up to fly away.
"You're making bedroom eyes at your phone, Ochako," Izuku observed with fond eyes. "Tell Kacchan I say hi." Ochako silently vowed to do just that, even though she knew Katsuki and Deku went out for drinks every week and trained together what felt like every other morning.
"Am I that obvious?" Ochako sighed with red ears, slipping her phone back into her pocket so as to include herself in the present again while simultaneously leaving Katsuki hanging—he loved when she kept him hanging. It drove the blonde up the wall in the best way possible. Whenever she played games like this he would quite literally bust his nuts proving to her that it was impossible to ignore him.
"Blaringly obvious," Tenya affirmed, "and I would also like for you to tell Bakugou-kun hi for me."
"Will do," she promised, scratching the side of her face and pushing the rest of her ice cream to the side. "Do you guys mind if I leave a little earlier?"
"As long as you spare me the details of why," Izuku chirped, "then by all means."
Ochako rolled her eyes. "Katsuki's making dinner."
"Uh huh," Deku said, unconvinced, "I'm not sure devouring each other counts as dinner, though."
"Weren't you the one that wanted to be spared the details?" Ochako raised an eyebrow.
Iida nodded vigorously. "You're only egging her on more, Izuku-kun; you and I both already know way too much about their sex life."
Ochako pouted, "why is it that Todoroki and Tsuyu-chan are the only ones willing to talk with me about this kind of stuff?"
"Because they both have no shame," Izuku answered resolutely, "and Todoroki low-key wants to get in on that action."
"He does not," Ochako laughed, but there was no hiding her burning ears.
"Hookay," Izuku said quickly, "please don't ever make that a thing. I might be able to get you to shut up about sex, but I know that Todoroki wouldn't hold back on any details if you were to have a threesome."
"Shut it, Deku!" she exclaimed too loudly, kicking his shin under the table, "that's not a thing!"
Deku grinned, throwing up his hands in mock defense.
"If you say so," he said like the little shit he is.
Ochako rolled her eyes and fixed the green-haired hero with a scathing glare she'd learned from Bakugou. "I'm gonna kick your ass extra hard at the dojo for that one."
"Wha—?" Deku's eyes widened in actual fear. "I'm just teasing! Come on, there's no need for that!"
Iida's glasses glinted.
"You've made your bed, Izuku-kun," Tenya said seriously, "and that means you have to sleep in it."
Deku gulped.
When Ochako let herself into Bakugou's apartment with the spare key he'd given her, she was bombarded with the mouthwatering scent of his cooking. Holy fuck, did that smell sinful. She was a pretty good cook herself when she allowed herself to splurge on groceries, but Bakugou was a god in the kitchen.
She kicked off her shoes and tossed her bag to the side of his front door while trying not to drool all over the wood flooring.
"Oi," Katsuki called from behind the counter, wearing his favorite black tank top and sweats underneath an apron. Ochako was starting to think he wore sleeveless shirts whenever she was coming around because he knew how much of thing she had for his arms. "Get over here."
"Hey, babe," Ochako greeted, stepping around the counter and into the circle of his arms. She stole a quick peck from his lips, and slid her hand down his back until she had a handful of his ass to give it a hearty squeeze. Ochako hummed in appreciation and could practically feel Katsuki rolling his eyes at her antics, but she wasn't ashamed in the slightest.
"Save it for after dinner, angel face," Katsuki reprimanded, pulling away with that stupidly attractive smirk of his on his face. "You're so fuckin' insatiable."
"I can't help it, Katsuki," Ochako whined, letting him go regrettably so that he could get back to the stove, "I even had plans to tease the hell out of you, but one look at you and my resolve crumbled." She grabbed the strings of his apron and yanked playfully. "I think it's the apron."
Bakugou flicked the stir fry around with a lazy motion of his wrist. "So you admit you're a tease?"
Ochako raised a brow, "only if you admit how much it drives you crazy."
Katsuki snorted.
"Done," he said with pride, strolling over to the cabinets to pull out a couple of plates and handing them to Ochako, "and that's old news. You drive me fuckin' crazy; you think I'm embarrassed by that? If you're tryna catch me with that one, it ain't gonna work."
Ochako pouted. She wasn't sure why she still bothered. Whenever she tried to make him at a loss for words, it only ever backfired on her. Even now Ochako struggled to come up with a retort, and the look in those ruby eyes told her that he knew he'd won.
But instead of rubbing it in her face even more, he barked out a laugh, free and open—oh, how she adored that laugh—and nodded towards the table where there was already a pitcher of water, a plate of katsudon, and a bowl of rice waiting for them. She grinned back at him sheepishly, sitting down at the table with the plates.
"How was your day?" He inquired, like he hadn't already watched the news and read up on her villain attack anyways. Katsuki was just as big of a nerd as Izuku in this regard—both of them made sure to keep up with their old classmates and coworkers. Katsuki tried to play it off as him just keeping an eye on other heroes to see who he needed to outdo, but Ochako knew that underneath it all he was a fan boy at heart.
"I felt like a badass today!" she proclaimed despite all of that, punching an imaginary adversary as Katsuki came over with the pan of stir fry and a hot pad. "Taking down the villain always gives me such a rush!"
"You're always a badass, idiot," he scoffed, throwing the hot pad down followed by the stir fry. Now that his hands were free they came up to her face and grabbed her by the cheeks. Katsuki stooped down to steal another kiss, slower this time like he wanted to savor her. Something about the action—stopping to kiss her at the dinner table and how domestic that was—sent her heart dribbling. Even after being with him for almost a year, moments like this with Katsuki made her feel just as giddy as their first date.
She could feel that her face was burning from the care he put into the kiss, but decided not to hide it. Ochako knew he had a soft spot for her pink cheeks, after all.
He pulled away and Ochako's eyes fluttered open just in time to watch him plop down onto the chair across from her. Without a word, he grabbed her plate to start dishing up the rice that was just out of her reach.
"Missed ya," he said quietly, like it was something only for her ears despite them being completely alone in his apartment. He handed her plate back to her without looking her in the eye, red dusting across his nose and cheeks. He had no problem flirting to tease her, but as soon as even a hint of tenderness escaped through his bristly exterior he became stiff and awkward and so fucking adorable.
The warmth that flooded her heart in response to that small confession was staggering, and she couldn't help the giggle that escaped at how cute he could be.
"Missed you too," Ochako repeated, just as tenderly. It was sometimes difficult to maneuver their relationship through their busy schedules, but they made it work—in fact, the time spent away from Katsuki only made her long for him more. This time round it had only been a few days littered with flirtatious text messages, heartfelt good night calls, and one round of steamy phone sex where Katsuki had put his filthy mouth to good use. But none of that compared to the warmth of his body—tangible and hers.
She slid her leg between his underneath the table to steal that same warmth for herself and offered him a soft smile.
After Ochako had given Katsuki a more in-depth rundown of her day and had kept up on her promise to tell him hi from Deku and Tenya, Katsuki grunted out a recap of his own day in less than three sentences.
When she asked him what he thought about her turning her focus on combat, he only quirked an eyebrow and said, "if you wanna kick more ass, then kick more ass. The only approval you need for that decision is your own."
To which Ochako smiled and nodded, as if she had been expecting that kind of answer.
Dinner was a quiet affair after that.
Until Bakugou flicked rice into her hair as she was finishing off the rest of her katsudon.
Ochako froze mid-bite, rounding on him in an instant.
He'd averted his eyes and brought his cup to his lips, gulping down water innocently like he hadn't just declared war. She narrowed her eyes at him, because there was absolutely nothing innocent about this man.
She pulled some rice away from her plate with her hands and threw it right at his face as soon as he put the glass back on the table. As if expecting it, he opened his mouth wide and caught the projectile like it was nothing. He chewed it smugly, raising an eyebrow as if to say 'is that the best you got?' From there, it was a battlefield.
Even rarer than Katsuki's tender moments, were the ones where he instigated something as playful as this. Ochako would take what she could get and run.
Which is why, as soon as Ochako got a grip on him—taking note of how both of their hair was littered with rice and how there was sauce from the stir fry streaked across various parts of their bodies—she activated her quirk on him. She threw him over her shoulder with ease, and gave back his gravity just in time for him to slam down onto the table. Gently enough that it wouldn't hurt him, but harshly enough to steal his attention in a new way. A few of the dishes clattered to the floor, including the bowl of rice. Ochako clambered on top of him before he could react. Forcing her knee in between his thighs, she pressed the weight of her body down onto him with a smirk.
"It's almost past your bedtime, Katsuki," she purred, low and breathy and right in his ear.
Katsuki growled, yanking her down into a kiss and pressing down onto her ass with his hands until she was grinding down onto him. When he pulled his lips away to stare up at her, his pupils were eclipsing the red of his eyes with an intense hunger that made her toes curl.
"M'not going to bed until you cum around my dick, Ochako," Katsuki declared, clenching his fingers around her ass.
"Fine by me," she agreed, pressing down onto his hard-on deeper and taking immense pleasure in the way his breath hitched. Trailing her lips down his throat, her hands snuck their way underneath his shirt trailing over hard muscles. She frowned when her fingertips skated over a line of scabbed skin on his side, causing a hiss of pain to escape through his teeth.
"What's this from?" she inquired, pulling back to lift his shirt up.
"Crazy-ass villain with a lock-on quirk," Bakugou explained with a huff, his hands roaming her body to pull her away from the worry and back to the desire.
But she only frowned further.
Bakugou growled, "will you wipe that look off your face? I'm a hero—I can handle it."
"It's okay for me to worry about you, Bakugou," she countered, dropping his shirt and sliding her hand back up his chest so that she could cup his face. "You're smart in the field, and I know you size up every situation like a fuckin' machine. But even you have limits."
"S'just a scratch," he mumbled, cheeks red, "wasn't even close to being overpowered."
Ochako pressed her forehead to his.
"On the off-chance you ever do feel overpowered," she spoke quietly, "call someone." She paused to kiss the pout from his lips. "I only worry because you think you've got to do everything alone, you know."
"I know," he grumbled, "and I'm working on it."
"Mhm," she agreed with a hum, moving against him again, "you're so good, Katsuki. I'm so lucky."
His dick twitched in his sweats and the responding groan that left his mouth was sinful. He pulled her down by the neck, connecting their lips again and moving with her fluidly.
They took their time with each other as their clothing was lost in the mess they had made, reveling in the other's skin and committing everyone moan and sigh to memory. The look of reverence in his eyes when she finally sunk down on his cock right there on his kitchen table, sent her reeling. She rode him desperately, keeping her eyes locked with his as her pleasure built in slow waves.
He looked just as fucked out and close to the edge as she felt and her fingers dug into his sides for better purchase—being wary of his wound—as she chased her orgasm. She came first, arching her back and squeezing around him and quickly sending him over the edge with her.
She felt so relaxed and wonderful as they laid together on the kitchen table—naked and panting—that it was a struggle finding the motivation to clean up their mess. But Katsuki wouldn't stand for a dirty kitchen, and Ochako wouldn't make him do it by himself.
She rolled off of him begrudgingly when he pushed at her shoulders, watching him stand back on his feet for a moment so as to appreciate his naked form. His naked form that was bending down to pick up the fallen dishes off the ground.
"Put your clothes back on first, Katsuki!" she laughed, rolling back to her feet and picking up her own clothing.
"What for?" he barked, as he walked the retrieved dishes over to the sink. "Those clothes are a mess, and we're just going to get out of them again when we start the fuckin' shower."
Ochako could feel more laughter bubbling up from her ribcage.
"You're not really going to scrub down the floors in your birthday suit, are you?" she giggled, opting to throw her clothes to the side and slip on his shirt since it was apparently free for the taking. She almost had an aneurism when he pulled out a spray bottle of cleaning product and a handful of rags from the cabinet under the sink. "Oh my god, you are. You're so fuckin' ridiculous sometimes."
"S'my fuckin' apartment," he countered, rolling his eyes. "And you've seen every inch of me already. Hell, you've done one better and felt up every inch of me already. So what's the problem, huh?"
"Just keep the chemicals away from your dick, I guess," Ochako laughed as she grabbed the remaining items from the table—somehow there was still a few things that hadn't been knocked onto the floor during that round of sex.
He snorted, "will do."
Ochako couldn't believe she was humoring him, but she really couldn't come up with any argument other than he was just so extravagantly ridiculous. So she fetched the broom and dustpan and began sweeping up the rice as best she could.
Watching Bakugou aggressively clean his dining area without any clothes on was probably one of the funniest things she's ever seen, and she was best friends with Tenya—a certified drama queen without even realizing it. Idly she wondered if Katsuki did things like this just to get her laughing—if that was the case, then it was definitely working.
Once she had everything put away, she really couldn't do much but watch the show and make lewd comments about his ass.
"You done?" she asked when he finally stood up and wiped at his brow looking like a greek god in all of his nude glory. God, his hip bones.
"I know you liked the free show, juicy fruit," he said, rolling his eyes, "so quit griping and lets get in the fuckin' shower." He put the cleaning supplies back where they came from, and then manhandled Ochako towards the bathroom.
Bakugou tried his best at ignoring her advances once they were standing together under the hot spray, barking about how it was time for him to be in bed, but in the end she was victorious when she offered to suck him off. Albeit, the offer was made while she was on her knees in front of him, her mouth inches away from his hardening cock—but she never said she played fair.
And since he was a man of pride he couldn't possibly walk away without returning the favor.
By the time they collapsed onto his bed, it was almost nine-thirty and Bakugou was verging on passing out. Ochako chuckled as she snuggled up to his back, completely in love with his little quirks. She pressed her lips to the back of his neck, making sure she grabbed a handful of his pec.
"Love you," she murmured, closing her eyes.
"Love'ya too," he slurred before falling asleep.
So Ochako talked to her boss at her agency, asking the seasoned pro hero if she could be put on patrols with more heavy crime fighting. She was surprised by how easily her request was accepted, and before she knew it Ochako was studying the boundary lines of her new patrol area.
Her eyes lit up when she noticed that her zone intersected both with Todoroki and Deku's. She hasn't gotten many opportunities to team up with her friends all that much since graduating high school, so no doubt this would be a great opportunity for them to show the villains some of their old moves.
When she got both of them on the phone to tell them the exciting news, Todoroki suggested that the three of them find time to train together to freshen up on the power move they had made together during their third year at U.A. that Uraraka called 'hail storm'. Todoroki and Deku's quirks were so cool together—she was getting the jitters just thinking about how she can be a part of that again!
"Why don't we have any combo moves?" Katsuki grumbled enviously as she was chirping about all of her ideas to him over lunch. "We work together all the fuckin' time."
Ochako blinked. "Only because your patrol zone covers where I live. It's honestly amazing we've worked together at all, if you think about it."
"Yeah, about that," Katsuki allowed, leaning forward on his elbows and fixing her with a serious look, "I've been thinking about your shitty apartment complex—"
"That's rude, Katsuki," she sniffed, glaring at him. "It's all I can afford, and it's not that bad."
"That's the area of my patrol where I have the most villain encounters," he deadpanned, taking a sip from his drink. "And you do remember what my quirk is, right?"
"Are you implying that you're going to accidently blow up my apartment complex?" she grinned.
"Maybe if that'll get you to move in with me, 'Chako," he shot back, his tone taking as serious an edge as his gaze. Ochako froze, turning wide eyes on her boyfriend. She didn't say anything for a long moment, and she didn't even really realize that her mouth had been gaping wide open until, with a fond expression, Katsuki nudged it shut with a finger.
"You want me to move in with you?" she inquired, heart racing.
"It's about time, don'tcha think?" Katsuki said. "I don't know why the hell we've been stalling this long."
"You—you want that with me?" she asked again, tears of happiness pooling at her eyes.
"You think I don't!?" he growled.
Ochako bit her lip in an effort to hold back the strong emotion she was feeling and she shrugged. Katsuki always liked his space—she's not sure she ever saw the inside of his dorm in high school. He was a private person by nature and didn't like other people in his business. The fact that he feels relaxed enough around her to ask this made her feel like a warm summer's day.
In hindsight, it shouldn't have shocked her that he was asking this. If it hadn't been for their busy schedules, she's sure they would have been living together for months by now.
"You're going to make me say it, huh?" Katsuki asked, glaring at the people around them who kept sending them curious gazes. "In front of all these people?"
"You were the one who brought it up in front of all these people," Ochako pointed out with a watery laugh, giving him the brightest smile that she could muster up. Bakugou sighed, reaching across the table and taking her hand in his.
"I love you, don't I?" he muttered quietly, ignoring the aww's coming from the other guests of the diner at their display. "And you love me, don't you? And waking up to your drooling face s'not bad, and I hate that its not a permanent thing. So move in with me already."
Ochako laughed, squeezing his hand. She thought back to when he had asked her out—even back then it had been more of a demand rather than a question. She supposed, this time round, she could show mercy on him.
"You haven't changed at all, huh?—of course I'll move in with you, idiot!"
Katsuki bristled.
"Oi!" he growled loudly, disturbing the peaceful scene and startling the people who had previously been preening over them. "I'm not a fuckin' idiot!"
Ochako nodded happily, resisting the urge to jump across the table and into his arms.
"I'm so happy, Katsuki!" she proclaimed proudly, offering him a fry which he ate out of her hand with a roll of his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, averting his gaze, "don't think we're done talking about training together. I still want a combo move that'll blow Deku and Icyhot's out of the water."
Between her sessions at the dojo, her new morning routines with Katsuki, going to the gym with Kirishima and Mina every Saturday for arm day, practicing her combo move with Deku and Todoroki on Wednesdays and Fridays, slowly moving all of her things into Katsuki's apartment, and her daily patrols, Ochako was beat. But could also handle it.
Ochako glared down at her phone while her, Deku and Todoroki all took a rest. It was their fifth week training together and sweat was dripping down her face, but she felt satisfied knowing that the boys were just as tired and sweaty as she was. That satisfaction was short-lived, however, when she saw an article about her most recent work in the field.
"Uravity overworked and underwhelming?" she read aloud to herself, eyebrows scrunching together. "I took down twice as many villains last week than I usually do!" She turned to her friends, shoving the phone into Todoroki's face who's eyes crossed trying to look at it despite the deadpan expression on his face. "Tell me this is bullshit, Todoroki."
Todoroki exchanged glances with Deku.
"Er," Deku interjected, placing a hand on Ochako's shoulder and kneading into the muscle there a bit, "I actually think they might have a point this time—not about the underwhelming point, of course!" He raised his hands up in defense, even though Ochako hadn't done anything to indicate she was going to lash out. "You've really been successful at changing your focus as a hero, and its pretty bogus that you're being compared to heroes who've been combat focused for years. But." Izuku smiled sheepishly. "I do think you might be overworking yourself a bit?"
Todoroki nodded.
"I'm sure if Bakugou weren't forcing you to get a decent amount of sleep," Shouto said, his eyes gleaming with a hint of worry, "you wouldn't be sleeping at all. You have to take care of yourself, you know."
Ochako pouted, her shoulders falling a little.
"I just wanna be on the same level as you guys," she admitted quietly.
"But you are?" Todoroki declared resolutely, although it came out more like a question. Like he wasn't sure why she would think otherwise.
"Ochako, you hand me my ass at the dojo every week," Deku supplied, his eyes full of honesty and care. "And you're smart. Even though your focus has shifted, you still orient your efforts on rescue as needed—not because you're second guessing yourself or any of the other bullshit the press has come up with. But because you're smart and know when and where your quirk is the most useful."
"That doesn't make you better or worse than us," Todoroki finished, taking her water bottle that was sitting at her feet and icing it up before offering it back to her. "Actually, more heroes should follow your example. Most of us are shit at balancing combat and rescue. Myself included."
"But you're totally badass, Todoroki," she said, halfheartedly punching his arm before accepting her water bottle back.
Shouto smiled, that little smile that only appeared on rare occasions.
"Thanks," he accepted, "but you're redirecting."
"You should ask Kacchan about this," Izuku offered. "He'll give you an honest answer."
Ochako snorted, "you're right about that."
"Come on," Todoroki nodded his head towards the training grounds, "let's get back to it."
There was an incident just outside of her patrol area that any hero within thirty minutes of the city, on or off duty, were called into—and Uravity was one of the first heroes on the scene followed closely by Deku, Red Riot, and Ground Zero. From what Uraraka surmised from the reports, it was a team of villains hell bent on making a statement on the state of their society. What hadn't been clear in the radio call was how every single villain involved seemed to be under the effects of some quirk enhancing drug.
"What a pain in the ass," Kirishima voiced, his hardened arm punching through a piece of debris that'd gone flying from where one of the villains was playing as a human jackhammer.
"What, you breaking a sweat?" Ochako taunted, stepping behind his hardened shoulders to shield herself from the projectiles, "we haven't even started yet."
Kirishima snorted, slamming his fists together, "I think you've been spending too much time around Katsuki, Uravity."
Ochako rolled her eyes, and tapped on the comm in her ear.
"Does anyone have eyes on what's happening beyond the flying cement?"
"They're trying to level a building," Shouto's voice responded in her ear, "hacking at it like a tree. Some meta-physical slicing attacks are shooting out of a villain at an alarming rate. Building hasn't been evacuated."
"Good thing you're here then, cheeks," chimed Ground Zero.
"Uravity," Ochako reminded him with exasperated fondness. Katsuki didn't respond, but the battlefield was littered with explosions, ice, and green electricity as her and Kirishima's other three former classmates maneuvered around so she figured he was busy. "What's the plan, boys?"
"Hail storm?" Deku suggested with a grin in his voice.
"Tch. What about the building that's ready to collapse?" Bakugou griped, apparently not busy enough to subtly display his frustration at her, Todoroki and Deku having a combo move when she and Bakugou still hadn't polished one off. "Uravity should focus on that."
"Can't really do anything about it until we stop that villain throwing the debris everywhere, though," Todoroki reasoned, accompanied by a cool breeze as he conjured up a sizeable block of ice.
"What the fuck you think Riot's here for, dumbasses?" Bakugou shot back.
"I can handle that jackhammer villain, easy," affirmed Red Riot with a smile.
Ochako shook her head, "it'll be faster this way." She tapped Kirishima's shoulder. "After I send the ice floating guide me towards the building, Red."
"Shouldn't we wait until Deku's part of hail storm?!" Red Riot grunted as more and more debris came barreling towards him.
"I need to be there in case I need to catch it in a cinch," she replied smoothly.
"What?" Bakugou growled into the comms, "no. That's a reckless fuckin' plan, splittin' your focus like that. Wait until you finish off this jackass jackhammer, or for Riot to distract him before entering that warzone."
"I'm with Kacchan," Deku supplied, using the force of his kick to knock away debris that was headed his way. "Kirishima can get through and—"
"By then that building could already be coming down. If you guys have any other ideas, I'm all ears," she fired back, pushing Kirishima towards the steadily growing block of ice that was beginning to dwarf some of the buildings. "Just a minute ago you were all on board the 'let Uravity catch the building' train—don't worry, I got this."
"We know that," Bakugou barked, the crackle of explosions sounding from the other side of the battlefield and shaking the ground, "that's not the fucking issue. You don't have to fuckin' do everything by yourse—"
"The ice is ready," Todoroki intoned, interrupting Bakugou, "but we probably should rethink this."
"Who else can catch a building without destroying it?" Ochako persisted, becoming steadily annoyed with their lack of faith in her as she and Eijirou trudged their way over to the large block of ice. "Any of you?" There was silence on the comms. "That's what I thought."
"You're still not getting the fuckin' point—"
At that moment there was a blinding pillar of light that flashed across the sky, what looked like three blocks away from them. It was like a damned flash grenade and it blinded them for a few precious seconds.
"Another quirk?" Ochako yelped in alarm, staggering forward with a hand on Kirishima's shoulder.
"Shit," Bakugou said into the comms, as he blindly careened through a window of the same building that the villains were currently trying to take down.
"Fuck," her and Eijirou said at the same time.
"You okay, Katsuki?" she inquired hurriedly, her vision returning with bright imprints that weren't at all helping matters.
"That's Ground Zero," he grunted back, followed immediately by a long groan of pain, "and m'fine." He paused for a moment, and then barked as if to somebody else, "oi! The hell you doin'—?" There was an explosion inside the building, blowing through the glass on the same floor he'd been flung into and raining down shards below. Thick smoke followed shortly after, black and ominous. After that, Katsuki's comms were uncharacteristically quiet.
"Shit," they all said collectively, just as Kirishima and Ochako made it to Todoroki's wall of ice. She grit her teeth and tapped it with all five of her fingers, reminding herself to stay calm because Bakugou could take care of himself. She watched the ice crack and break away from the ground while biting back her worry to focus on the matter at hand. Once it was free of gravity and was floating to the sky, she tapped Kirishima too. He yelped, not expecting to become weightless, and she used that moment to activate her quirk on herself and kick off the side of a building. She began to careen forward, a straight shot towards Kirishima's back and the building. The integrity of it's stability was becoming shakier with ever second that passed, and the flying debris wasn't helping things. Kirishima grunted as she hid behind his back and he took the brunt of all the flying cement and earth that they were soaring through like they'd been shot from a catapult.
"Now, Deku!" Ochako yelled, pressing her fingers together and releasing her quirk both on herself and Kirishima as they cleared the jackhammer villain's blast radius, and made sure to be out of Deku's oncoming attack. She and Kirishima crashed to the ground, rolling to lesson some of the impact.
There was another flash of blinding light, but Deku had already initiated his attack—thank god. Ochako heard the tell-tale omen of crackling ice—the brunt force Deku released on it made it sound like rolling thunder. The next instant, what felt like a blizzard breezed rushed through her hair. She breathed out, and her exhalation immediately froze to her eyelashes. She regained her vision in time to watch a meteor shower of ice rain down onto the jackhammer villain, effectively taking him out.
Powdery snow flew into the air like a cloud of smoke, and once it had settled Ochako could finally make out the villain that was attacking the building. Just as Bakugou had predicted, she had turned her attention onto Ochako. She jumped out of the way of an energy blast, trusting that Kirishima had done the same.
"I'm going after whoever the hell has that flash quirk," Deku informed them. "You guys good?"
"We're fine," Todoroki replied, throwing a blast of fire at the villain attacking Ochako as he slid closer on a trail of ice. He nodded towards the building, indicating for her to keep her focus there. Ochako nodded back, backing away from the villain and allowing Todoroki to take it from there. She slunk around them, heading towards the building that was beginning to rumble worryingly.
Planting her feet at the same time the building began to topple, she brought a hand above her hand and waited for gravity to guide it to her. As the sleek metal of the building's exterior made contact with her fingers, it's gravity was negated instantly. Instead of a messy crash, it floated serenely through the air.
The villain's were apprehended quickly thereafter. Katsuki had already started an evacuation plan before Deku had even sent the ice and the jackhammer villain to hell. Ochako rounded the perimeter to offer help, to which he scoffed before chucking a businessman towards her from the fourth story. She tapped the alarmed man before he could hit the ground, rolling her eyes. More heroes showed up to the scene, equipped with a safety bed that the civilians could jump onto to speed up the evacuation process.
By the time the evacuation was over and she finally released her quirk, she was tired as hell and ready for a hot bath.
"Oi!" a familiar bark sounded from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, and there was Katsuki stomping over to her with murder in his eyes. He was covered in soot from head to toe except for where he must have wiped at the sweat pooling down his face, and there was blood dripping down the side of his head. Ochako was torn—she couldn't decide if she should be worried over his battle wounds, or upset with his tone of voice.
"What the fuck was that, Ochako?" he bit out harshly, gesturing towards the building.
Ochako scoffed, "I caught the building, Katsuki."
"Not what I'm fucking talking about," he growled, getting up in her space and glaring at her.
Ochako sighed as she back away, not in the mood to fight with Katsuki. "Then elaborate, babe, because I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."
"I'm talking about how you tossed all your teammates to the side like pieces of shit," Katsuki barked, eyes on fire. "You didn't even want to listen to anything that wasn't your fuckin' plan. What kinda shit's in your head that's got you looking down on us, huh?"
"Looking down—?" Ochako shot back, her anger spiking. "I wasn't looking down on any of you—!"
"Really?" he drawled, his voice poisonous and bitter, "then why don't you go ahead and ask Shitty Hair how he felt about you snuffing him?"
Kirishima, who'd obviously been listening nearby—at this point the two of them were nearly shouting, and she couldn't really blame the onlookers from snooping—raised his hands in defense, and said sheepishly, "hey, man. You don't have to—"
"Tell her, Kirishima!" Bakugou barked at him.
Ochako turned to the redhead with a raised eyebrow, stubbornly awaiting his response despite the spike of guilt she was already feeling.
Kirishima's gaze shifted between her and Bakugou before he sighed and sent her an apologetic look. "I could have handled that villain, Uraraka," he said, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort. "I wasn't gonna say anything," he shot Bakugou a pointed look, "but it didn't really feel like you had all that much confidence in me."
Ochako bit her lip, averting her eyes in shame.
"M'sorry," she said quietly, "that's not what I was trying to imply at all."
"Tell me what the fuck you were trying to do then, cheeks?" Bakugou growled, tiny explosions crackling at his palms. "Because he's not the only one you turned up your nose at!"
"Bakugou, bro," Kirishima tiptoed forward like he was stepping on eggshells, "she said sorry. Let's leave it at that."
"Tch—" Bakugou eyed her up, one-hundred percent still livid. Ochako glared back, a weird mix of guilt and pride fighting one another inside of her ribcage. "Fine." Katsuki said shortly, shouldering through her roughly, "but don't go pulling this shit again, Ochako. You're fuckin' better than that."
Ochako watched his back as he left, really wishing that she was the one with the explosion quirk so that she could let off some steam.
She walked away from Kirishima without another word.
She stayed at her own apartment that night, despite the only thing of hers that was there filling the space being her bed. She kept being tagged on her social media outlets to several different articles congratulating her success today. Eventually, she turned her notifications off and fell asleep with a horrible pit in her stomach.
"This is probably the worst fight we've ever had," Ochako told Tsuyu the next morning, in tears and slumped against the empty walls of her apartment while her best friend listened patiently on the other end of the phone, "he's never been that level of mad at me—ever. Even back at U.A."
Asui hummed. "Why not just explain yourself, Ochako-chan?"
"God, Tsuyu," Ochako sobbed, "because he was right. What the hell can I even explain—he can read me like a fucking book."
"So then apologize?"
"He hasn't sent me a single message since yesterday!" Ochako countered pitifully. "He needs to cool off right now just as much as I do."
"And then you'll apologize?" Tsuyu pressed. There was silence as Ochako pondered over her question. Then, a sigh. "For someone so strong, you can be kind of dense sometimes."
"Huh?" Ochako sputtered, wiping at the tears running down her face.
"You're making this a bigger deal than it actually is," her best friend affirmed. "If you need to cool off, then do it. But don't run away from this because you don't want to face whatever reality he's brought to your attention. You wanted my advice, Ochako?"
"Mhm," Ochako whimpered.
"Get off your ass and face him. Now."
"H-he's on patrol right now—"
"Then tonight," Tsuyu amended, "but don't put it off."
Ochako sniffled, "fine. Okay. I'll…talk to him."
"Because you love him."
Ochako laughed, wiping at the snot dripping down her nose, "yeah."
Ochako was in the elevator heading up to Katsuki's apartment that evening, fluttering nerves in her stomach as she glared down at her phone.
Trouble in Paradise? read the online article. Underneath the headline, there were pictures of her and Katsuki's little spat on the battle grounds. Ochako got three sentence into the damned thing, before scrolling back to the pictures and scowling down at her own face.
The dull headache she had from her crying episode was on the cusp of becoming a fully fledged migraine with this shit.
She had twenty-three missed calls from her PR rep, and about forty-six texts from him when she finally decided that the media outlets knew nothing about her and Katsuki. Even if they did, they still would find a way to twist it into something ridiculous. No matter what her and Okomoto did to affirm that, yes, she and Katsuki were like any other couple and that, yes, they occasionally got mad at each other and that, no, that didn't mean that their relationship was hanging by a thread—no matter what they could do to appease the journalists and the gossip columns, none of this was going to stop.
Ochako has worried over her image since she first started out as a hero—but that stopped today.
Her phone dinged, and she exited out of the article to click on the new message.
Okomoto-kun (6:34 p.m.)
How can I help you, Uraraka-san?
Ochako smiled weakly, her finger pads pressing at the buttons quickly.
Ochako (6:34 p.m.)
I'm sorry, Okomoto-kun! I don't want you to worry, but let's leave this until tomorrow.
Ochako (6:34 p.m.)
Is that okay?
Okomoto-kun (6:34 p.m.)
Of course! Please don't do anything stupid in the meantime!
Ochako (6:34 p.m.)
:P
The elevator dinged just as she was slipping her phone into her back pocket, and the metal doors slid open to a surprising sight.
Katsuki stood on the other side of the elevator with his mouth hanging open; he was covered in dirt and ash like he hadn't bothered with a shower after getting home from patrol and his eyes were glimmering like he was shocked to see her there.
The strangest part of it all was the bouquet of roses and sunflowers in his hand.
They continued to stare until the elevator doors automatically began to shut themselves. Ochako, feeling completely out of her element, threw her arm out to stop it.
"Katsuki," she murmured softly, stepping forward until she was awkwardly standing half in and half out of the elevator.
He cleared his throat. "Angel."
He thrust the flowers towards her, holding them out without a word and an expectant glint in his red eyes. Her heart floated up serenely from the pit it had been in all day. Their fingers brushed as she accepted the flowers from his calloused hands, and she could feel the sudden prick of tears at the edges of her eyes.
"So cheesy," she told him, bringing the flowers to her nose and inhaling deeply. "No one would believe me if I told them how romantic you can be."
"You deserve it," he murmured, offering her his hand which she accepted readily as if his touch was a cold glass of water on a hot summer's day. "And I don't want you to feel like you're not welcome here when you just fuckin' moved in." He squeezed her hand as he lead her back down the hallway towards their apartment. "I'll take the couch next time we have a fight, got it?"
"Got it," she said with a smile, not wanting to protest right now even though she had really been the one mostly at fault. She allowed him to pull her through their apartment door and into the living room happily as she fought back tears of happiness. They gravitated towards the couch, Ochako leaving the bouquet on the coffee table as they passed by. Katsuki fell into the couch cushions, patting his thighs in invitation. Ochako accepted that invitation easily, sliding into his lap with her legs on either side of his—she towered over him like this, but it was exactly the kind of connection she craved from him.
"I really am sorry about yesterday," she murmured, leaning back to look him in the eyes more easily.
Katsuki's hands began to wander, making their start by cupping her elbows and then sliding up her arms to her shoulders before making their way back down again. Ochako shivered, but continued on in determination.
"Ever since high school, I've been fighting the temptation to just lean on others," she said, trying her hardest to ignore how Katsuki was now tracing her collarbone. "I don't mean to, but now I try to put everything on my shoulders like I'm scared of falling back into that pattern—which is so hypocritical when I'm always telling you to stop facing the world by yourself." She sighed. "I didn't mean to make you feel like I was looking down on you, and I'm sorry." There was more to it that that, but they were both aware of those other circumstances—Ochako was sick of people not recognizing what she was already doing, so she tried to take on more and more just to get the kind of recognition that other heroes got more easily. But those reasons didn't really need to be spoken—not right now at least. "I didn't mean to make any of you feel like that."
Katsuki hummed, one hand sliding up her neck to cup the back of her head. The other hand continued its journey in the opposite direction, tracing down her arm again and migrating to her thigh.
"You learned from it, right?" Katsuki asked, leaning forward to press a kiss to her collarbone. Before she could answer, he moved on—because he was Katsuki and he really could read her like a book. He already knew the answer to his question. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."
Ochako snorted, feeling warm, "perhaps not. But I don't really blame you."
He shook his head, his hair brushing against her chin pleasantly.
"We both did shit," Katsuki continued, "and you're not the only one who needs to own up to it."
Ochako brought her hands to his hair and began to weave her fingers through his ash blonde spikes.
"You're amazing, Katsuki," she said before pressing a kiss to the top of his head, "so good to me."
He pulled back, and she was happy to see that his usual smirk had made a return to his handsome features.
"Right back atcha, angel face." His hand journeyed south to meet his other one underneath her ass, and she squeaked when he gave it a hearty squeeze.
"I need like five glasses of water if we're going to have sex," Ochako whined.
Bakugou rolled his eyes, "you're shit at keeping yourself hydrated. How about I just grab you some water and an ibuprofen, we watch a movie now, and save the sex until tomorrow morning?" He pinched her butt, drawing another squeak from her.
"Can we make out during the movie?" she inquired seriously.
"Whatever you want, juicy fruit," Katsuki affirmed.
"Maybe even get a little handsy?"
"I'm handsy with you right now," he deadpanned, sliding his hands around to the inside of her thighs.
"Shouldn't you take a shower first?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.
Bakugou pushed her off his lap, causing her to fall into the empty space of the couch. "So many damned demands," he growled half-heartedly, stomping towards the kitchen and filling up a glass of water for her. He came back to the couch and placed the water and two ibuprofen pills onto the coffee table before marching towards the bathroom and stripping as he went. He didn't even bother closing the door, and a moment later Ochako could hear the spray of the shower.
She smiled, taking the pills and gulping them down.
Katsuki truly did make her feel like she ruled the world—in so many aspects of her life. For someone so brash and explosive, he treated her exactly how she wanted to be treated. Her admiration for him was staggering, and she knew that there was a lot for her to learn from the explosive hero who was also her boyfriend. Who loved her. And he learned from her too. Her high school self had no idea what a perfect match they were for each other—but she's so fucking grateful she's found him.
"Babe," she yelled, loud enough for her to be heard over the spray of water.
"Yeah?" he yelled back.
"Love you."
She could imagine him rolling his eyes fondly when he called back, "love you too, cheek
