"Gooooood morning, young heroes!" a muscular All Might welcomed Class 1-A. "I trust that you had a productive training period and formed deeper bonds with your respective partners?"

Murmurs began to stir.

"Oh, they formed deeper bonds alright," Aizawa rolled his eyes and frowned at Bakugo and Uraraka. One was clearly agitated but trying his best to remain composed under the gossip of their peers while the other was pink in the face and rubbing her gloved hands together. Thick cotton gloves, it seemed. 'Honestly,' Aizawa mentally criticized the oblivious man next to him, 'What was he thinking pairing hormone-driven teenagers together and leaving them to their own devices? We'd end up overpopulated if left up to him.'

"Ehhh? Just yesterday they were both so showy about it," Bakugo heard someone whisper from behind.

"Now look at them— they won't even acknowledge each other!" a second person snickered.

"There's no way they're for real, right?" another came from Uraraka's right side, "It's gotta be some sort of prank to see how we'll react."

"Enough! This isn't an appropriate topic we should be discussing in class. Give Bakugo and Uraraka their privacy."

"But they kissed!"

"So that means they're together, right?"

"I don't know! Why are you asking me?"

"Sshhhhh! Keep it down or they'll hear us!"

Bakugo's hand twitched from under his desk, the other grabbing a fist full of spiky hair and tugging them from his scalp. "Or just shut up altogether you damn fucksticks!" he ground his teeth, "Before I blow all of your heads off. For fuck's sake, you're not even trying to be subtle."

"I told you they'd hear us. Stupid."

"Ow!"

Aizawa's eyes flashed crimson and the murmurs immediately died. 'This is going to be troublesome,' his gut told him.

"Hmm?" All Might reverted to his nearly skeletal form and scratched his head. "Quiet crowd today, eh? Something must have happened over the course of their training period."

"Your perceptiveness never fails to astound me," Aizawa grumbled in return.

All Might sought to dig deeper into the matter, but suddenly remembered, "Ah! Your final!" He placed his suitcase on the podium and began rummaging through it. "No, not that folder...mmm...no, not this pile either. Where could I possibly have put them? Hmm…"

"What exactly are you looking for?" an impatient Aizawa asked.

All Might looked up from his suitcase. "The test papers. I'm sure I prepared them all last night. For some reason, I can't find them now."

"...By any chance, were they in a green folder with yellow stick-on notes protruding from the sides?"

"Why, yes! That's exactly the folder I'm looking for!"

"You left it in the copy room this morning," Aizawa facepalmed, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "You said you wanted to make extra copies just in case you were short and you were up there for two hours making an unnecessarily large amount of copies. Now you mean to tell me you left all of the test papers up there?"

"Ah, no need to ruffle your feathers, old friend," All Might soothed the quirk eraser, "I simply need to fetch them. I shall return shortly." He packed up his suitcase, excused himself and brisk walked out of the classroom.

The class breathed a sigh of relief, almost like that of children who had narrowly avoided getting their vaccinations. Rather than being left in peace, however, Aizawa decided to approach two certain students who were still fidgeting in their seats. "Alright, listen up," he said, "For all our sakes, it's time we just address the elephant in the room." He crossed his arms. "You two are an item now, aren't you?"

Uraraka and Bakugo swallowed thickly, their classmates' eyes burning holes in the back of their heads. "Y-yes…" Uraraka answered first, pressing her hands against her cheeks. "So-som-something like...that." It was a good thing she was wearing gloves or else she would have floated out of there in an instant.

"Whaaaaaaat?!" everyone except Kirishima, Midoriya, Todoroki, Kaminari and Jiro bellowed.

Since they sat beside one another, Kaminari and Jiro were both surprised at their own composure. "You knew?" they asked each other.

"Tch," Bakugo hissed, "I don't see what the big deal is. You're all just too damn nosy for your own good."

"Because it's...it's…" Mina pointed at them.

"It's you and Uraraka!" Sero finished for her, "Look!" He shook Kirishima's shoulders in front of him. "Even Kirishima's so shocked about all this that he's not saying anything! Right, Kirishima?"

"...A-ahh...yeah…" Kirishima forced a puzzled look. "S-so disturbed. I mean, shocked. I totally didn't see it coming."

A vein popped along Bakugo's temple. "There you go acting stupid again!"

Sero glanced down at the redhead. "You knew and never clued me in on this?"

"Dude!" Kirishima threw his hands up at Bakugo in exasperation. All his efforts playing semi-double agent— ruined.

Aizawa shot another glare across the room, silencing the rattled teenagers.

...

Truthfully, he happened upon this discovery by accident when he rushed into the common room last night to inspect what all the reported hollering was about only to open the door in time to see Bakugo and Uraraka pull away from their lip-locking. His eyes felt drier than usual as he repeatedly blinked to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. It wasn't until he heard Mineta yowl, "Bakugo and Uraraka are together!" that his suspicions were at last confirmed true.

And as an added cherry on top of this messy sundae, Bakugo suddenly sprang from the ground. "O-oy! What the hell?!" Visibly perturbed by his sudden ability to take flight, the boy struggled to keep his hold on Uraraka's hand while she fought to pull him back down.

Uraraka's other free hand fumbled with her shirt that was starting to slide too far up for comfort. She hurriedly pressed the material against her torso, yanked it down, then proceeded to pull Bakugo back harder. "I've got you, Bakugo! Just hang on!" That was until she, too, started to float upwards. She and the others cried out in horror again.

Clearly, these heroes-in-training were just too far gone to put two and two together and save themselves so Aizawa did his guardian duty and activated his quirk on Uraraka. Unsurprisingly, the duo instantly hit the ground and Yaoyorozu was given the task of covering Uraraka's hands with any available oven mitts. "Go. To. Bed. Now," was Aizawa's last, carefully enunciated order for everyone before he left the vicinity that night.

...

Given how just about everyone was still reacting to Uraraka and Bakugo this morning, Aizawa deduced that they must have followed his instruction, preventing their chances of clearing any discomfort or confusion on the topic. "Right," he grunted and pinched the bridge of his nose. "None of you are elementary kids anymore so let's stop with the senseless screaming and confront this matter as adults."

"Yes, sir…" Class 1-A mumbled back.

Uraraka sighed a faint, "Alright," and began to rise from her seat until Bakugo's hand gently pressed on her shoulder and sat her back down. "Bakugo?"

The explosive quirk user instead rose from his seat, held up his head and announced, "Ochaco is going out with me from now on and there's nothing you fucksticks can do about it!"

Uraraka's jaw hung wide open and Aizawa shook his head.

This crass announcement only succeeded in causing another uproar, some firing back with "We knew that already! We wanna know how it happened!" others with "Quit being stingy with the details!" and the main demand being "Tell us!"

"I don't owe you extras anything!" Bakugo barked at his peers, "Move on with your boring ass lives!"

"Booooo!" they protested, "You suck, Bakugo!"

"Seriously!" Bakugo huffed as he plopped back into his seat. "Making a huge fuss out of something like this. It's like they're not even U.A. students. Or their own age, for that matter." He looked at Uraraka to gauge her reaction but was rather stunned to find her looking more embarrassed than proud like him.

"That's one way to put out a wildfire," Aizawa commented and gave Bakugo a light pat on the back. "Well done, hero."

Bakugo scowled at him. "Hmph."

"And while I don't have any right to say who you should date and when…" Aizawa looked between the two. "I personally recommend students not be involved with each other that way until after graduation or even later than that— for the sake of completing hero training without distractions and exceeding the peak of your potential without hindrances." His glare intensified as he waited, wondering what their response would be. When read between the lines, the underlying questions he presented were— had Bakugo finally found someone worth protecting? Could he grow as a hero who saves rather than destroys? Could Uraraka exceed her limits now that she had this kind of person by her side? As their expectant teacher, he had to know. He meant every word of what he said, of course, but it would be up to the two if they wanted to listen to him or not.

"Do you think we're toddlers?" Bakugo finally countered, "We're well aware of the consequences. I'm not backing down from my dream and neither is she so you don't need to tell us what to do."

Uraraka's eyes remained on Bakugo, glistening with admiration. "Bakugo…"

'As expected of this kid. Despite how he is, he's pretty perceptive.' Aizawa nodded and replied, "As long as you understand." Holding back a pleased smile, he then walked up to the podium and cleared his throat. "Now that that's finally over with, it's time you all collect yourselves and focus on what's really important— your final exams."

Among the groans and nervous sighs, Uraraka released her own, shaking her head from side to side.

"Oy," Bakugo called to her, "What's the matter with you?"

"I-it's just that…" she stammered, "You...called me by my first name."

"And?" Bakugo countered as though he had just heard the most ridiculous thing all day. "Isn't that how dating works? It's only natural that we be on familiar terms now." He laid his chin on his palm and his elbow against the desk. "I also...don't want you calling me by my last name anymore. I thought I made that clear before."

Uraraka placed a hand on her chest, her heartbeat tapping giddily under her padded fingertips. True, she hadn't complied to that specific request of his even after realizing their feelings, but the reality of dating the infamous hothead Bakugo Katsuki was something she never thought she would end up doing and that, in turn, made her insides twist and knot in directions she couldn't quite comprehend. She respected him as a classmate first, a friend and somewhat rival after, and now it was mutual with them as- The next word brought her hands to her face. 'Lovers?!' She quickly shook away the impure thoughts that crept into her head. "But it's going to feel so weird..." she admitted with a sheepish grin, "I've called you 'Bakugo' all this time so it's the name that feels most natural to me."

"I swear," Bakugo griped, "If you ever call me by my last name again, I'll train you so hard that all your hair will fall out."

'Huh? What kind of a threat is that supposed to be?' Uraraka smiled to herself and replied, "Alright, I won't! Sheesh. So then...please take care of me..." She hesitated a minute, but never expected the name to fall so smoothly from her lips, "Katsuki." Like it was always meant to be that way.

Bakugo's eyes widened for a split second before he sank to the desk's cold surface and buried his face in his arms.

"Are you tired?" Uraraka asked, frowning slightly, "What's wrong?"

"No," Bakugo's muffled answer came. His shoulders rose and fell as his arms tightened around him. "I can't calm down right now. And my face feels hot as fuck."

It took a couple of seconds, but Uraraka understood what he meant and reddened as a result. "I-I see," was all she could say because she knew that she felt the same way.

Without warning, something that felt very much like a clipboard bonked the two on their heads, jarring them back to the classroom. "Pardon me, lovebirds," Aizawa grumbled and tapped the edge of the clipboard against his shoulder. "But class is still in session so we'd all appreciate it if you could stop with your whispering. It's really distracting."

"It's okay, Mr. Aizawa," Mineta spoke up from the back corner of the classroom and lifted his tear-stained face. "I want to hear what they're saying. How Bakugo took the kind and gentle Uraraka away from us. I want to know it all. So please— let them continue all they want."

Aizawa's eyebrow twitched. "Don't you realize what you're saying right now?"

"I have returned!" All Might, again donning his god-like stature, announced with a vigorous swing of the door. He walked up to the podium and pulled from his briefcase the very folder he and Aizawa spoke about earlier. "With your exam pap-" The last word never made it out as he suddenly deflated to his stick-thin self and coughed blood into his sleeve.

Midoriya jumped from his seat and shouted, "You're overdoing it, All Might! We already said-"

All Might waved the folder at his apprentice. "Now, now, settle down, young Midoriya," he gurgled, "I'm retaining that form out of my own volition so there's no need to worry. Even I know my limits."

While Bakugo and Todoroki averted the former number one hero's gaze, Aizawa's grimace only deepened. Midoriya opted to make another protest but lost his voice and returned to his seat with a defeated, "Sure."

"First things first," All Might noted, "Everyone must now hand in their Hero Analysis notebooks. I look forward to reading pages filled with insightful thoughts on your experiences working as partner heroes."

'Insightful, huh…' everyone dreaded at the same time as the ones seated in the back passed their notebooks to the front. Aizawa collected them promptly then laid them on the podium.

"Thank you, Mr. Aizawa," All Might nodded and began handing out the test papers. "These are standard academic questions for the first-year final exam, but I've added my own twist for the written portion. Read over the prompt carefully and give it your best answer. You have two hours to complete the packet. Begin!"

After taking his own packet from the stack and passing to the back the rest, Bakugo immediately flipped to the last page where the exam prompt read:

"What does being a hero mean to you?"

The hand that twirled his mechanical pencil so restlessly just a few seconds ago suddenly stiffened. He vaguely recalled how his mother asked him this same question the day she dropped him and Uraraka off at U.A. just before midterms. "What did I say to her back then?" he mumbled to himself. A smirk played on his lips. That day almost felt so long ago and so much had happened that he could hardly believe this was his reality. Dating was never on his agenda going into U.A., much less class-favorite Uraraka Ochaco of all the girls in this top-notch school, but here they were and he couldn't stop the inexplicable fluttering that would tickle his chest every time he remembered that she was his first girlfriend. Ever. 'Shit.' He covered the lower half of his face with the test packet. 'I seriously need to calm the fuck down before my own head explodes.'

"Eyes on your own paper," Aizawa reminded the teens, "And absolutely no talking." He seemed to have caught Kaminari in the middle of spitting out a whisper to Jiro because the blonde suddenly turned rigid, swallowed whatever air he had inhaled and bent down to work on his packet.

Uraraka bubbled the first two circles in the multiple choice section before shyly peeking at Bakugo to see how he was faring.

Aizawa caught this and snapped, "Uraraka, what did I just say?"

"Yes, sir!" Uraraka squeaked and retreated to her own small space to continue her test.

"Ahhh!" Sero moaned, "What kind of questions are these?"

"Now, young man," All Might calmly started, "Remember, you mustn't-"

"Shut up, tapeface! We're trying to take a test!" Bakugo quickly rebuked.

Aizawa unleashed his scarf on both boys and rasped, "Both of you compose yourselves before I fail you right here and now!"

Todoroki shook his head disapprovingly. "Since having worked with him for our Provisional Hero License test, I sometimes forget that Bakugo has that side to him," he quietly admitted and returned to bubbling in his packet.

A few ticks of a second passed before Midoriya stiffly turned to Todoroki and remarked, "But it's Kacchan. How do you forget?"

"Mmm…" Todoroki shrugged.

Fortunately, the first day of finals only consisted of written and multiple choice packets. This remained true for Present Mic and Midnight's final exams as well, successfully draining Class 1-A of any bookworms they kept burrowed in their brains as English and History were taken back to back after All Might's own heroics test. The questions were intense, demanding, tricky— unforgiving villains in their own right. There were frustrated groans heard and pensive looks shared, but alas, everyone persevered. After the last test paper was collected that day, nothing stopped the students from bolting out the door for some much-needed repose.

...

It was a bittersweet feeling when one's best friend started dating someone, Kirishima began to realize as he changed into his outdoor shoes. True, he had supported Bakugo and Uraraka in their budding relationship and was more than ecstatic when they finally made it official in the grandest way possible, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel somewhat left behind. Normally, he'd be running up to Bakugo after they changed shoes, practically harassing him to go to the arcade or grab a couple of burgers or some other after-school activity. But now that the guy had a girlfriend, he supposed he'd have to give them their space and hang out by himself or other people.

"Oy, Kirishima, let's go."

Kirishima froze, dumbfounded, and slowly lifted his gaze to a scowling Bakugo. "Bakugo?" he asked, "What are you- I mean, erm, go where?"

"Where do you think?" Bakugo snapped, "I'm fuckin' starving and I don't feel like slaving over a hot frying pan today just to get some grub in my gut. Now c'mon, it's happy hour at Wacdonald's and you're damn sure my second burger is going to be half off. Grab tapeface too if you see him."

"But-" Kirishima looked around. "What about Uraraka? Aren't you going to do something together? ...By yourselves?"

Bakugo raised his eyebrow and grunted, "What for?"

Kirishima nearly tripped over air. "What kind of boyfriend are you turning out to be?!"

As far as Bakugo knew, sitting in classes with Uraraka and meeting with her during breaks satisfied him to a good-enough degree since he knew he'd see her again when they got back to the dorms. So what was Kirishima's problem? "Hmph, fine," he grumbled and skulked to where Uraraka's shoe locker was. Sure enough, the bubbly brunette was there with two members of the nerd club— Deku and naggy glasses guy. "Ochaco."

It felt as though not only Uraraka but everyone in Class 1-A whipped their heads to the blonde. "Baku-" Uraraka choked upon noticing Bakugo's glare. "I-I mean…" She glanced at Iida and Midoriya who gave her a questioning look while fidgeting with their books to ease their discomfort. Her heart was jumping way too much for her liking, but she knew she had to get over her complex in order to mature. Even just a little. So with a determined smile, she beckoned Bakugo over to her side and chirped, "Katsuki! Hi!"

Huddled at a corner, Mineta broke off a piece of rice cracker he held between his teeth, tears pooling in the corner of his eyes. "Baku...go…" he sniveled, "You sly Cassanova, you…!"

Asui noticed his gloomy presence and flatly remarked, "You shouldn't cry like that or else people will feel sorry for you."

"You'll never understand a man's heartache…" Mineta sniveled and chomped on the remaining rice cracker.

'Maybe it was a mistake telling her to call me by my name,' Bakugo came to the conclusion as he fought back another smoldering assault on his cheeks. "We're going to Wacdonald's for a bite," he said, "You coming?"

Uraraka looked at Kirishima and he waved gingerly back. "Um," she grinned, "It's okay, I've got some stuff to take care of before it gets too late. I'll just head back with Deku and Iida."

Bakugo's eyes narrowed on the owners of those names. "You're going back to the dorms with two other guys?"

"They're not guys!" Uraraka defended, "They're my friends!"

"Hey!" Iida and Midoriya both huffed indignantly.

"Pfft…burn..." Kaminari held back a chortle then relinquished a hushed, "Sorry" when Jiro shot him a glare.

"Hmph," Bakugo smirked, patting Uraraka on the head. "Keep that up and you'll be as savage as me by next month."

"Eh?" Uraraka tipped to her side and blinked curiously. "What do you mean?"

Kirishima furrowed a disapproving brow at his best friend. "You're awful."

"You'd better not try anything, Deku!" Bakugo warned, ignoring Uraraka's question and Kirishima's comment.

Midoriya flinched at the stringent tone thrown at him. "I-I won't."

Bakugo turned to leave with Kirishima but stopped in his tracks a moment. His fingers clenched and relaxed then traveled to his pockets, yanking both his hands inside. "And don't let her wander off, got that?" he muttered then marched outside.

Kirishima turned to Uraraka. "You sure you don't want to come?"

"Positive!" Uraraka held up a peace sign. "You guys have fun! We'll all meet back at the dorms anyway."

Kirishima's jagged teeth gleamed, his chest light with relief. "I'm glad it's you, Uraraka," he said and ran after Bakugo.

Uraraka placed her knuckles on her hips. "Geez, treating me like a kid now," she whispered to herself, "Oh, it's okay, Mr. I'm-too-tough-for-anyone. It's not like I'm a hero-in-training like you or anything. And what did Kirishima mean by what he said anyway? Acting kind of weird, too."

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing you and Bakugo interact the way you did," Iida confessed with a sharp chop of his hand, "But it's refreshing in its own way."

Midoriya nodded and laughed, "It's so natural— like you two have been like that since ever."

Uraraka nearly cringed. 'Well, he's not wrong…' The playful banter was always their staple since before they even partnered up, so receiving an odd praise like that didn't really surprise her.

The three stepped outside and were well on their way back to the dorms until Mina bounced up to them, exclaiming, "Hey, you guys! Wait up!"

They turned to the pinkette as she stopped behind them to catch her breath. "Are you alright?" Uraraka asked.

Mina flattened her skirt. "Listen," she sighed, looking straight at Uraraka. "I just wanted to properly apologize, Ochaco, for the things I said last night in the common room. And I'm also sorry that I made you uncomfortable, Midoriya."

Uraraka and Midoriya immediately turned bright red, both flailing their arms and sputtering, "N-n-no! Don't mention it!" They glanced at each other and quickly drew their arms back to their sides.

"I didn't have any right to do that," Mina resumed, "I promise, it won't happen again. I'll be more vigilant from now on so please keep being my friend!"

Uraraka's eyes widened, taken back by Mina's sincere apology. She had no idea the alien girl was worried about such a thing all this time. Without a second thought, she offered her best smile and said, "I never stopped, Mina."

Mina smiled back. "Thank you, Ochaco! Say, let me make it up to you with karaoke tonight. Jiro, Kaminari and Aoyama are going, too." She gestured at the other three waiting behind her. "We tried asking Momo along, but she said she had some things to study up on with Tokoyami. Party poopers."

"I'm good," Uraraka politely declined, "I have to study tonight and can't stay up too late. Maybe when finals are over."

"Aw, fine..." Mina shrugged and ran back to the others. "Let's go, everyone! Karaoke with just us tonight! Woohoo!"

An electric jolt seemed to pass Iida as he perked upright and adjusted his glasses. "What is this leisurely activity they're speaking so freely of?" he criticized and stomped after the four. "Return to the dorms at once, all of you! We are at a very crucial point in our studies and slacking off is not an option! You should be reviewing your class notes! Do you hear me?! Hey!"

And off their class rep went, inadvertently seduced by the very delinquency he was scolding the others about seconds ago. Midoriya and Uraraka looked at each other, shared a laugh and proceeded to the dorms on their own.

"So, um," Midoriya began, "F-finals were pretty rough today, huh?"

"Ye-yeah!" Uraraka's voice rose an octave.

And silence. They knew there were more things to be said between them and both held a good weight of hesitation for it. True to her quirk, Uraraka was the first to lighten the gravity with a strained chuckle of, "Um, so about what Mina said…"

Midoriya rubbed his head, emerald eyes darting from side to side in apprehension. "I-it-it's okay, Uraraka," his soft voice shook, "I-I know that it was j-just an inside joke between you guys. I didn't...I'm not taking a-any of it...personally."

Uraraka hid a pained smile. 'He never saw me that way after all.'

"I mean, there's no way you could have ever seen me like that," Midoriya unknowingly tittered the reflection of her thoughts and rubbed his head harder. "We did hang out a lot so I can see now how people may have misunderstood. Besides, you've always held an interest in Kacchan, right? To be honest, I thought I was just imagining things until certain events happened in the past few months that made me doubt myself and then you two just made it official that you're dating so I'm positive that our relationship has been nothing but platonic all this time. Again, no need to worry because I take no offense to it at a-"

"I liked you, Deku."

Midoriya's mouth immediately clamped shut, his eyes wide and filled with stupor. "Eh?" his breath hitched, "Wh-what did you...just...say?"

Their footsteps slowed to a halt as Uraraka met his gaze and repeated, "I liked you as more than a friend...at one point."

Too stunned to speak, Midoriya slumped against a light post and held his head. Luckily, no one else was around or they'd think something strange was going on.

"I never found the chance to tell you," Uraraka explained, looking away. "I'm not sure if I ever wanted to tell you, but Mina was telling the truth."

"Why…" Midoriya whispered hoarsely, "Why are you telling me this now? You and Kacchan-"

"First and foremost," Uraraka intercepted with a heavy breath, "You're my friend, Deku. I want to be honest with you and...get some closure."

Midoriya nodded. "I see."

"I'm with Ba- Katsuki now," Uraraka quickly corrected herself and grinned. "Falling in love with him, I learned so much about myself that I never even hoped of delving into. He's helped me grow as both a hero and my own person and I can only hope that I can do the same for him. So...what I'm trying to say is...I'm really happy and I'll always be thankful to you for giving me the chance to find him." If she had wings, she swore they'd burst from her back by now, carrying her to the vanilla sky to embrace the immense lightness she felt. 'I did it,' she thought to herself, 'I finally told Deku everything.'

Midoriya demonstrated his famous toothy smile and answered earnestly with, "And thank you for having liked me, Uraraka. Kacchan's a complicated person who constantly puts up walls around himself so it's always worried me, but I'm glad it's you who's taking them down."

Uraraka held her breath. What Kirishima said was starting to make sense now.

"Ah?!" Bakugo's voice bellowed, cutting the moment of tranquility between Midoriya and Uraraka. "I told you not to try anything, Deku! You want to die, don't you?"

Uraraka rubbed her eyes. "Eh? You guys are back already?" She brought a small fist to her lips. 'I wonder if he heard everything?'

A panting Kirishima and Sero tiredly held up their goodie bags. "He insisted we take our orders to go," Kirishima explained, "Then we somehow ended up running all the way back here."

"Yeah," Sero commented with an annoyed frown, "It was like the guy's pants were on fire— he couldn't sit still and looked pissed the whole time. After he was the one who invited us, too…" As expected, he received a smokey knuckle to his noggin.

"No one asked you, tapeface!" Bakugo barked.

"Your girlfriend asked," Sero reasoned and earned another punch.

Midoriya curled into a ball and cried, "N-no! Kacchan, it's not what it looks like! W-we were just-"

"Katsuki!" Uraraka suddenly chirped, taking off her gloves and making a dash for the irate blonde with open arms.

Sensing imminent danger, Bakugo quickly started backstepping. "Hold on!" He found no time to maneuver as Uraraka skillfully wrapped her arms around his torso, locking him in place. "What are you-"

"I had a sudden need to hug you, that's all!" Uraraka giggled.

Despite her harmless wording, Bakugo knew all too well what she had done when the floor left him. "Fuck!" he cursed with a flail of his burger bag, "I hate it when you do that! Put me down, Ochaco! Right the fuck now!"

"Remember what we talked about regarding your Baku Rage Aura," Uraraka pursed her lips.

"Who cares about that?! Just put me down!"

"I don't think that's a polite way to ask someone for anything."

"Who says I'm asking?!"

Kirishima, Sero and Midoriya watched with fascination as Uraraka nonchalantly took Bakugo's hand and carried him off like an oversized balloon, blatantly ignoring the snarls and flames spewing from the explosive teen's mouth and nostrils. Shrugging, Sero dug into his brown bag and gobbled down on the french fries he pulled from it. "To be honest," he chewed, "I'm kind of glad they're not the gross couple that smooch and say cheesy things to each other all the time. Bakugo's still Bakugo, it seems like, and vice versa."

"You're taking this pretty well," Kirishima chuckled.

"And why wouldn't I?" Sero sneered, "Since he's got a girl now, you know what that means?"

"...What?" Kirishima And Midoriya asked, unsure of where the dark-haired jester's ideas were headed.

Sero scarfed down the last of his fries and licked his fingers. "We can get away with more things with him now! After all, Uraraka's our friend, too, right? Come on!"

Kirishima and Midoriya looked at each other, shrugged, then jogged after Sero who had taken off into a run. "Oy, Sero!" Kirishima shouted, "Just what are you up to?"

"Giving them my blessing!" Sero shouted back.