Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any other copy-righted material.


She's No Angel


Chapter 3: Here Are The Rules Cheeks

What the hell am I doing?

This was the question that had plagued Katsuki's mind since that night.

He could clearly recall opening the door that led to his home, and seeing a certain brown-eyed girl shivering in the cold, tears dripping down her cheeks like a faucet that hadn't been shut off properly.

It was a scene that made the inside of his chest twist in such a god-awful way, he couldn't fucking take it.

He couldn't just leave her out there by herself.

"Bakugou…I have nowhere else to go…"

This person was vaguely familiar, but at the same time a complete stranger. He still questioned whether the woman in his flat was truly Ochako Uraraka, or just some phony.

He had never once seen the pleading desperation swirling in her brown depths, like he had that night.

Why him?

This was the other question that had been plaguing him. He just couldn't wrap his mind around why the woman had chosen to track her way back into his home. Uraraka, surely, had her parents, or some other friends she could have stayed with, someone who knew her far better, and was way fucking nicer than he would ever be.

She had never been the silent stand-offish type like he was. She also didn't spout curse words every other damn sentence, like he did.

Basically, it was really fucking confusing as to why he was the one she turned to, not that it bothered him. Hell, maybe she couldn't reason it out herself to begin with.

It was strange that she had depended on him in any case.

Normally, Bakugou knew himself well enough to be able to say he would've absolutely slammed the wooden door shut, and told whoever was on the other side to 'fuck off', and figure out how to take of their own damn self.

He wasn't one to wipe a crybaby's ass for them, and put a band-aid over every wound they obtained.

That wasn't how he had been raised. And that sure as hell wasn't the kind of thing that earned his respect.

But something about the flare in Uraraka's eyes had always appealed to him, it reached a side of him he would rather forget most days.

She was tenacious and hard-working. He'd always known that.

She had earned his respect a long time ago; and once someone gained that it was hard to lose once he acknowledged someone as his equal.

Literally, the chick had kicked his ass, whether she was aware of that or not. He'd never forget the sparring sessions class 1-A used to have. It was a habit that prepared them for the martial arts competition in the sport's festival U.A. held each year.

Bakugou would be damned before he'd accept anything less than first place each year.

In a sick twist of fate however, their freshman year, he and Uraraka had been paired up in a stand off...and damn if she didn't deliver.

Before their fight, if someone had asked him what he'd thought about the chubby-cheeked round faced girl, he would have said he thought she'd tap out within seconds of the starting call.

He couldn't have been more full of shit...

Never in his entire life had a girl fought him with such reckless abandon. She tried everything she could, to the point that she very nearly took him out.

He won in the end...but if Uraraka had landed one more blow the outcome would've been flipped.

Even when she was unable to move, her eyes still held those remnants of burning embers of, a silent strength that made his heart race.

No part of her was fragile.

So how did this woman who he'd come to admire...stand before him on that night like he was the only thing that could save her?

The image of her glistening brown orbs haunted him, the fear swirling inside and the cry for someone to understand her pain. She looked broken...

That undaunted, fearless girl with a incessant drive...was just...broken.

The scene had evoked an unforeseen gentle aspect within him.

He didn't know that kind of comforting nature resided somewhere in the dark depths of his personality. His being.

He had pulled her away from the brittle nip of the cold air and into his home, without a second thought, without a spoken word.

It was completely irrationally disturbing to him, how radically his natural defensive instinct seemed lower around the brunette.

Thus led into the last few days of Ochako's ill-defined and undiscussed arrangement of living inside of Bakugou's flat.

Each morning in the short few days since she had arrived had gone pretty much the same.

He got up each morning at 6 AM, made breakfast, left enough for her, and then he went to the station to work his shifts.

He had no fucking clue what Uraraka took to doing while he was away in the daylight hours, but when he returned home, covered in ashes and charred remains of fires, the food he'd set aside for her was eaten and the dishes washed.

It was like they were some sort of unspoken married couple, and it wigged him the fuck out.

But oddly enough, Uraraka kept mostly to herself. He didn't have a problem with that, per say, but it did leave a lot of questions and concerns he had unanswered.

One of which included: what the fuck had made her go from a bubbly wide-eyed girl with a dream, to this gloomy introspective woman with a number of scars both visible and locked away that she had no interest in talking to him about?

In the minimal words they had exchanged over the last week, he understood that she had been evicted from whatever shithole she'd been living in previously. He also acquired through difficult means, that she was unemployed, and completely out of money. Ergo she had nothing to offer him other than her illusive company.

This was just a fucking weird situation right?

Bakugou, being the type to not know how to approach any sort of emotional, and/or potentially awkward conversation, turned instead to Mina and Kirishima for some much-needed advice and goddamn sanity.

"So she just like…showed up?" Kirishima asked in a matter-of-fact tone, a skeptical look dawning on his face.

"Yes." Katsuki answered curtly, annoyed by the repetitive nature of their conversation.

"Well man, honestly I don't know what to tell you. Uraraka has been through a lot is all I know, maybe she has no one else except well…you as odd as that seems." The red-head offered, scratching the back of his head as his brows pulled into a furrow. Kirishima didn't have a fucking clue either...great.

"You know Bakugou…" Katsuki shifted his attention the pinkish freak absentmindedly admiring the glittering ring adorning her finger.

"…as condescending as this will probably sound; for all of your less desirable traits you are dependable in a crisis." A vein flared in Katsuki's temple as he fought the urge to throw the chair he was currently occupying at Mina's forehead.

"Your point pinky?" he growled as the pinkette met his gaze, unfazed by the hostility.

"I just think that maybe you should consider just seeing where this whole thing goes. I mean it's not like we aren't all still friends!" she chimed, a fat smile enveloping her face.

Kirishima shared a knowing look with his fiancee, Bakugou hated their seeming telepathic communications, especially nowadays. The engagement seemed to have only added to their ability to speak without him hearing.

"Yeah no amount of distance or time is ever gonna change the friendship that class 1-A has!" Kirishima beamed aloud, looking proudly at Bakugou, who merely listened to his upbeat chatter, looking bored and slightly annoyed.

"Tch." Katsuki frowned, still conflicted about what the hell his next move was in this peculiar circumstance.

"You know Bakugou, since I'm basically all moved in here, you've got an extra bedroom now right?" Bakugou turned back to see the questioning look on the red-head's face, nodding his head slowly.

"Well dude maybe you've just found a new roommate! Sure the way it happened is kind of weird but I was hoping that something interesting would happen for you, your life is way too boring as is." Katsuki stood, his hair standing on end and his murderous facade that rivaled a demon's presence in place. He lifted his middle finger up and thrusted it straight towards the couple.

"Listen fuckwipe I'll live life however the hell I damn well choose!" he yelled, his temper brimming as usual.

Kirishima and Mina laughed in unison, Kirishima even sporting a single tear as he slapped his knees in amusement.

"Hey this is a good sign I haven't seen angry Baku in a long time!" Katsuki glared at each of them in turn and then shifted to grab his coat of the doorway rack, slipping into the warm material with ease. He didn't understand what was so funny about his temper.

"Leaving already?" Mina called after him, a tinge of sadness in her lilting voice. Her yellow eyes followed his form, looking somewhat dejected by his sudden departure.

"Hell yeah I don't need anymore of yall's stupid advice." He opened the door and paused, hands gripping the sturdy frame.

"…besides I gotta figure this whole thing out so…whatever." And with that he slammed the door closed as set off towards his own home.

He'd opted to walk to Kirishima's today instead of ride his bike. It helped to clear his head when mundane problems became too piled up. He hadn't considered how cold it was getting though. He cursed quietly to himself for not thinking ahead of time.

He'd been so caught up in his own mind lately, he couldn't even think straight about his priorities.

His fierce orbs ran across the scenic view spread in front of him, he took into note the deep colorful hues of the tree's leaves and the smell of frost in the wind. There were several people walking about today, and he wished they would have stayed in.

Nature, unbeknownst to most was something he enjoyed, but people on the other hand were not.

Mountain climbing was his favorite pastime apart from cooking, because it afforded the ability to settle in the natural silence of the elements.

A local convenience store caught his eye as he continued along his path, and impulsively he decided to stop inside for relief from the bitter chill and to pick up some things for dinner.

He wondered briefly, as he stared over the limited selection of fresh ingredients before him, what would Uraraka want? Did she like spicy dishes or was she a pussy about that?

Then he stiffened, why the hell did he care anyway, this was HIS house and HIS dinner, she might not even be in their for more than a few days.

He swiped some green onion, pork, broth and miso, among other various spices and produce and went on his merry way, contemplating the steps he would take to make a hot pot.

A sudden memory triggered in his mind as he passed alongside a family on the sidewalk. He eyed the reflective package held in the little boy's hands, he had a huge front-tooth-missing grin plastered over his ruddy cheeks.

"Dad, Mom when I grow up can I be strong enough to never lose to any bad guy, just like Superman?" Katsuki grimaced, his ears perked at the little brat's wishful statement.

He eyed the opened pack of playing cards in the kid's hands. They looked to be various depictions of superheroes, reflected on holographic slots of paper.

His eyes darkened considerably as he focused his muddled scarlet orbs onto the pavement..

He was reminded of how as a kid he used to believe that his talent alone could be enough to win against anything that stood in his way, which one day came to including house-fires.

He was foolish enough to rely on the physical prowess he'd been born with, to the extent that he hadn't realized he needed help to save everyone. He was weak too. Just like any other asshole in the world, he just hadn't realized it soon enough.

And he'd paid dearly for that immaturity...

"Young Bakugou, you have so much room to grow!"

Katsuki clenched his fist as All Might's words echoed in the back of his mind, and then he slowly uncurled his knuckles, letting the spark of anger be put out by the overwhelming guilt burdening his shoulders. The feeling washed over him like rain, soaking him to the core.

He'd never be able to forget the image of his mentor's outstretched hand among the bright orange and red flames seething all around, hissing as they tried to take bites out of he and All Might. The damning look of bitter acknowledgement on the older man's weathered face as he understood that Katsuki couldn't reach him among the charred debris.

Katsuki couldn't save the one person who had tried to teach him that he couldn't win every fight, the one who taught him he didn't need to win every fight to prove his value. All Might embodied the concept that winning wasn't the only thing that meant you were strong.

Katsuki bit the inside of his lip, pressing with his teeth until it was painful and swollen.

He couldn't save the man he'd held in such high regard…it was HE who had ended All Might's time...he'd ended the greatest hero's career because of something as trivial as his own pride.

The jostle of his house keys brought him out of his dark reminiscent reflection, and he turned his focus back to the problem at hand.

A new image of a flurry of brown and auburn strands of hair, and big doe eyes leaking with tears flashed through his mind.

He and Uraraka needed to figure out what the hell this thing they were doing was. They needed to talk.

After entering through the door, and quietly sliding off his loafers, Katsuki hung his keys on the post by the coat rack and stepped foot further into the dwelling.

His eyes widened at the sight of long brunette waves facing him from the back, the person whom they belonged too gave no sign of notice at his presence.

Katsuki pulled his brows together, eyes flitting away from the woman in slight frustration, and silently he set to preparing dinner, surprised when a certain nonchalant individual stalked timidly towards him, cautiously observing as he chopped every vegetable perfectly even.

He found an ease in the boiling sound he heard emitting from the pot on the stove-top as he set to work seasoning the meat he'd picked up. He kneeded the reddened flesh with precision, rubbing in the amount of seasoning he deemed necessary for each slice by eyeball.

He caught hold of Ochako's curious gaze finally, and gestured for her to take over. She blushed, looking unsure as she tentatively took the knife out of Katsuki's hand, making sure not to brush any part of his skin with the sharp blade.

He leaned back against the counter while, elbows propping him up as he surmised her cooking skills. She didn't really seem to know what the fuck she was doing, but even so cut the meat as best as he could expect, and gingerly placed each piece inside the gurgling pot on the stove.

"Uraraka." Her name felt foreign in his mouth, his tongue contorted oddly as if it wasn't a phrase he'd ever uttered beforehand. But it wasn't completely unpleasant.

The girl in question turned to look at him, her eyes steeled with iron defenses he couldn't see through. Her walls were up. Walls that were high.

She was guarded through and through, clearly not trusting him even with all of the actions she'd taken leading up to this point.

"What is this?" he pointed to himself, the food, to her, and then back to himself. He realized that his gesture was somewhat cryptic, but Uraraka wasn't an idiot, she could figure this out.

She took her sweet time scrutinizing every inch of the hardwood flooring until she'd seemed to have built up the courage to answer his question.

"I don't...I don't really know Bakugou. But I'll leave if you want me to go. I have nowhere to go, but I won't force you to put up with me. Just say the word and I'll walk out that front door." Bakugou felt the tight line of his lips tug downwards at her words.

"If I'm being honest with you I don't know why I came here to begin with…" Uraraka continued, shrugging her shoulders in emphasis. The slight tilt of her head, and the false shroud of sincerity coating each of her words made him feel like he was an asshole.

He felt like he should have just stayed complacent in their odd little exchanges, if it had meant he wouldn't have to see that expression on her face.

He sighed deeply before speaking, breathing out.

"Look cheeks, I don't mind you bein' here I just gotta know what that means." He stated calmly, but refused to look at her. He wasn't sure how the odd twisting pang Uraraka seemed to conjure inside of his chest would handle anymore of her uncharacteristic reactions.

"U-Um I don't have any money…so I-"

"Money isn't an issue here." He assured before she could finish, noting the frantic tone in her voice but continuing to keep his gaze fixated on anything except Ochako.

"I don't want to keep taking your bed away from you, I don't deserve you letting me have it." She insisted quietly, the ending of her last sentence bothered him. Why the hell would she think she wasn't worth enough to have the right to a bed at night? Did she really think that little of herself?

After all his mistakes, he could never really atone for what he'd done. Between the two of them, he was definitely the one that deserved the sofa.

He gathered his thoughts and resolved himself, letting out an exasperated exhale of air. He looked over her once again.

She turned her chin downwards in an attempt to hide her hopeful expression from his piercing gaze. His harsh exterior visibly softened at the sight.

"Turns out, Kirishima is moving in with his soon-to-be bride so I'm out of a roommate. His spot is all yours if you want it." Katsuki said in a voice just above a whisper. He didn't fail to notice the glimmer of relief that shot through her as she relaxed involuntarily in the ease of joy, it made his heart flutter in a odd way.

"W-Well if it's open then yeah I'll take it." She sputtered, her mouth not capable of keeping up with her thoughts. So Uraraka was still a fast-talker when she got nervous?

"Alright enough with the happy-happy, now we need some rules." Uraraka returned to her typical blank look, awaiting his next demands.

"I don't do drunk people. I don't have time to babysit, so if you get drunk don't come crying to me to care of your ass Uraraka." Katsuki fired off sternly, recalling how much work it had been to make sure she hadn't kicked the bucket throughout the night she'd blacked out not too long ago.

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Second…" he started, flicking his crimson orbs to her, locking onto her eyes.

"…you need to get a job of some kind…eventually." Uraraka nodded again, shifting her feet slightly.

"Anything else?" she asked her voice monotone, no indication of the whirlwind of emotions he could see gathered in her brown depths.

"I feel like I need to know what happened to you angel-face, the mystery here is killing me." Bakugou had meant for his question to come off as light-hearted, but Uraraka looked unamused by his casual encroaching of the sensitive subject. Her stinging glare rivaled his own.

"Absolutely not. If you need to know that I will leave right now." Her small fists were clenched tightly, the serious intent forced behind her words as she bore into him. Katsuki dropped it altogether, choosing to fight the battle another time.

"Fine." He agreed begrudingly, and to his surprise Ochako spoke next.

"I have a rule too." Katsuki stifled a chuckle.

"You got a rule? Lay it on me sweetheart." Uraraka pressed her full lips into a rigid line.

"I don't want you to call me angel-face...ever again." Katsuki raised an eyebrow, curiosity spiking within him, but nodded in agreement nonetheless.

"You got a reason for that?" he asked suspiciously, his interest overriding his sense of boundaries, and he noted her eye spasm in irritation.

"Listen Bakugou…" she started, and laid down the knife and meat occupying her hands.

"…there are some things that happened in the past…that I don't think I can…I can talk about ever. I think you probably have some skeletons in the closet too, so if I'm being truthful here, I'm a pain in the ass. I'm moody, a drunkard, and I don't care one bit about myself. So I'm offering this up to you, you want me to get out of your hair and this life you've built for yourself just point me in the direction of the exit and I won't hold it against you."

Katsuki studied her expression carefully, scanning over her knitted eyebrows and fallen strands of sunset-colored hair.

Her words didn't match the frightened look in her eye. He could see the fear lingering behind the cracks in the thick walls of cement she barracaded herself into.

Something inside of him, urged him to tear away at those bricks, hands and nails until there was nothing left except gravel and dust.

He wanted to see what was so scary underneath the rubble.

His life had been in a stalemate ever since All Might's death, and he was in need of a new purpose...perhaps this would be it.

But when he looked at Uraraka, something about the messed up pieces he could see of her laying on the ground, splayed out like shattered glass, made his body react before he could think.

There was no reason in this, in truth when she looked at him in a certain light, he completely forgot about the past, and he just moved.

Caring for her was like breathing in and out, he did it and didn't even stop to wonder why.

"Hand me the salt, Uraraka." He turned back to dinner, forcing his mind to dwell on other things, and swiftly snatched the shaker out of Uraraka's slender hand. He also failed to notice the small fleeting smile that crossed Ochako's features as a strange sense of ease settled over her.

In Bakugou's mind, something about her mysteriously chaotic and somewhat rough-edged presence made him feel like he had someone who understood how much shit a person could get into. Her very air made his shoulders raise as if the past that was constantly weighing him down each day and dragging his feet like shackles was being held up by another person's hands, carrying the load from behind him to relieve the burden on his head.

He wondered if having someone around, who was clearly as fucked up as you were, made him believe he wasn't without hope.

You can do this... His mind seemed to say when he caught sight of her.

Ever since he'd known the pink-cheeked, brown eyed, charismatic woman standing inches away from him, the one defining trait he'd seen in her core was strength.

He admittedly, found her boldness stupidly attractive.

Even though she'd been glued to the curly-haired nerd's hip since they'd started high school all those years ago, he never saw her give in when she believed in something.

He didn't fully understand why he felt that surge of hope ache in his chest with her around. He wasn't sure he ever would. But somehow he wondered if by seeing her fight against the demons holding her down, he would find the courage to eventually face his own.

He wanted to make that desire become reality.

Maybe that feeling was what had convinced him to hold that door out to her in the first place, in order to offer himself as a lifeline. A body and hands to pull her out of that deep and dark abyss she'd fallen into.

He wouldn't let her stay there alone.

If with his meager will, he could save her from that crippling despair she was captured inside, maybe he too, could find a way to save himself.

He'd always thought she'd seemed like an angel, maybe this was why.


A/N: Today in update 3 we have seen a very introspective Bakugou!

What's this about All Might? Who died? Guess you'll have to find out. I am loving writing this story, it's angsty and different than how I usually write.

I really appreciate the feedback you guys leave, hope this update was a good one!