Taking a drunk Uraraka home was like herding a cat. Bakugo himself was too drunk to really keep an eye on her the way he felt he should. She stopped frequently to point in window displays and when she wasn't babbling about things he didn't care about, she was running off in random directions, insisting it was the way they needed to go.
"Get back here," He called to her with a hint of annoyance in his tone as she began to be drawn away by a curious sign again. He was beginning to feel cold and he could see her apartment complex ahead so he was feeling impatient to get her home.
She glanced over her shoulder at him innocently, "But I want to look at-"
"No," He cut her off and waved her back toward the correct path, "We can look another time."
Uraraka pouted at him as she turned around and fell back into step beside him. She glanced up at him and found him staring ahead with a shielded expression. Her feet were killing her in her shoes as she tried to keep up with Bakugo's brisk pace but she only noticed it when she was walking quietly beside him. It finally dawned on her why he had been hurrying her along when she noticed him shift his hands in his jean pockets.
"I'm sorry," She blurted out and looked down at the sidewalk as they walked.
"Huh?" He jerked his head to the side to find her hiding her face. "The fuck are you talking about?"
She gave him a guilty look before nodding toward his bare arms. She fingered the bottom of the coat he had lent her before turning her gaze away in embarrassment. She'd let her drunk impulses get the better of her during their journey.
He glanced down to see the goosebumps on his skin and he shrugged, "It's nothing." He lifted his eyes to see her hiding her face again and he sighed softly, "Seriously, it's nothing."
"I feel bad," She muttered as she focused her gaze on her apartment building ahead. "Why don't you come in for a bit and warm up before you go home?"
"I'll be fine," Bakugo huffed despite how enticing that sounded. Truthfully, the cold wasn't the worst part of the journey. It was his drunkenness. He hated feeling like he didn't have control over his own body and he wanted nothing more than to sober up.
"I insist," She turned a small smile toward him, "Please, stay for a bit." She bumped her shoulder into him, "I don't really mind your company that much anyway."
He gulped as he steadied himself and tried to hide the dusting of pink on his cheeks, "I'll think about it."
"Well you don't have long to think," She could see the stairs to her apartment now and she skipped ahead with a playful giggle. "And if you want this coat back, you better hurry your drunk butt up!"
Her fingers found the railing and she used it to steady herself for a moment before playing it off as intentional and swinging herself onto the step. She tossed a goofy grin back at the blonde that was still a few feet away. A teasing laugh passed her lips as she began hurrying up the stairs, letting herself slip back into the drunken cheerfulness from before.
Bakugo waited until her back was turned to him to smirk at her dopey drunken state. He had to admit to himself that she was a fun drunk and it tickled a smile onto his lips. His heart tugged in his chest when her jovial laughter hit him and he caught a glimpse of her coy grin as she reached the second story.
He grabbed the railing of the first floor and took it one step at a time, reveling in the fact that it felt like a slow chase. Neither of them had anywhere to go but up but she still bolted ahead of him.
He slowly climbed and soon she was out of his sight, but he could hear her trying to get her key in her lock. She was giggling to herself and he could help the grin on his lips as he reached the second story and began up the third, glancing through the slants in the stairs for a glimpse of her above him.
The moment he could see the top of the stairs, all he could see was wisps of brown hair and a black shoe as they disappeared inside. Something in him sparked to life. An exhilaration and anticipation that he hadn't felt before. He found his pace quickening a bit as he pulled himself up the stairs and came up to her door.
"What's the password?" The door was cracked and a pair of brown eyes peered out mischievously.
Bakugo scoffed lightheartedly and glanced to his left to try and push away the slight blush that threatened his cheeks, "Could it be… Roundface?" He smirked and turned a glinting eye back on her.
"Nope!" She giggled but all he could see was her eyes. "I'll give you a hint if you want."
Bakugo sniffed at that but didn't reply, hoping she'd offer it without him having to ask and she obliged him.
"Who's your hero?" She narrowed her eyes playfully.
He almost chuckled at her cleverness, "I'm not saying that shit, roundface."
"Say it." Her eyes sparkled with a challenge, "I happen to really like this jacket and I might want to keep it."
Bakugo felt a flame of competition in his gut flare up and he finally let himself look at her again, a smirk on his lips, "Oh yeah?"
"It's warm," She blinked at him and he could only assume that she was smiling on the other side of the door, "And I think I look better in it than you."
Bakugo dropped his eyelids a bit and breathed humorously, "I'd be inclined to agree," He pressed a palm against the door, "But I'm still not going to let you have it."
"Password!" She giggled hard as she felt him push on the door hard and she tried to hold it closed. Her shoes didn't help her case and she couldn't deny the fact that Bakugo simply had more strength than she did.
"Password?" The word came out teasingly as he shoved harder on the door and it slowly began to slide open and Uraraka's laugh seemed to break down his tough guy act, "How about 'I'm coming in?'"
"Bakugo!" Uraraka smiled madly as she gave up on trying to push him out and she couldn't stop her roaring laughter when she released the door and he stumbled forward a bit. "You're not supposed to just force your way in!"
"Why not?" He asked pointedly as he steadied himself and used his elbow to push the door shut behind him.
She was still laughing a little as she pushed him jokingly on the shoulder, "You're supposed to say that I'm your hero and you'd pretty please like to come inside and warm up."
The blonde scoffed at her before shaking his head, "I think I just proved that I can be my own hero, roundface."
"Oh stop," Her cheeks were rosy now as she moved to her kitchen and turned on the light. "You cheated." She pressed one hand on her counter top before lifting up her feet one by one and she pulled her shoes off with her free hand. "Ah," She breathed contentedly as her feet finally stood flat on the floor of her kitchen.
Bakugo couldn't take his eyes off of her now. The single light from the kitchen cast long shadows in the room and he stared at her as she rolled on her heels. He couldn't see her face as the shadows covered it.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Uraraka's tone was curious now, replacing the humor in her voice.
He blinked and swallowed, suddenly aware of the fact that she'd seen him gawking at her silhouette. "Like what?" He cleared his throat when he realized his pitch was a little dry.
"You know what I mean," Uraraka's shoulders shrugged but he still couldn't make out her expression. He could hear the playful note in her voice, letting him know that she'd caught him.
He cleared his throat again and looked away, trying to focus his eyes on her refrigerator, "I wasn't looking at you like anything."
"Mhmm," Uraraka hummed as she tried to catch his eyes again but he was insistent, "Want some water or something?"
"I'm fine," Bakugo grunted as he tried to calm his nerves. This situation was making him uncomfortable in all the right ways. Something about being alone with her in the late hours of the night felt adult and enticing. He tried to cram down the shaky feeling in his chest but his tipsy mind wasn't having it.
"Well I'm going to have some," Uraraka popped open a cupboard and grabbed a cup before filling it at her sink. She took a long drink, watching the blonde beside her front door. She almost giggled into her glass as she analyzed him.
He shifted his weight from foot to foot and his hands couldn't be dug any deeper in his pants pockets. He had turned his face away from hers but she could still see his side profile and he seemed to be thinking pretty hard. He looked a bit like a stubborn teenage boy after a scolding and something about that made him so easy to tease.
"Why don't you like Mirio?"
The question caught him off guard and the blonde whipped his head back toward her, "What?"
"Why don't you like Mirio?" She asked again with a pointed tone and a shrug before taking a half-step back and letting the light illuminate her curious expression.
"What kind of fucking question is that?" Bakugo scowled at her and he rolled his shoulders forward a bit.
Uraraka took another sip of her water before she placed it down on her counter top, "It just seemed like you kind of had it out for him tonight."
Bakugo scoffed and rolled his head away from her, "He's just a chump."
"Hm," Uraraka nodded with a slight smirk, "Everyone else thought he was charming."
Bakugo didn't face her way but his eyes slid in her direction, "That doesn't surprise me."
"So you admit that he's charming," Uraraka slid a finger tip lazily over her counter.
"I admit he's a chump," Bakugo bit back and jerked his head toward her again before frowning. "Why the fuck do you even care what I think?"
Uraraka breathed and let a small smile creep onto her face, "I don't know, actually." She pulled her hand away from the counter to play with the hem of his jacket, "Call it mild curiosity."
Bakugo grunted with annoyance before he glanced around the apartment to fill the awkward silence with an activity. He searched for something new to say but she beat him to the punch.
"What exactly is a chump anyway?" Her tone was sing-song now.
He turned himself in a circle to look at her dead-on, "What the fuck do you think a chump is?"
She shrugged and giggled softly, "Why else would I be asking?"
Bakugo blinked at her for a moment before he sauntered toward the other side of the counter top, "Someone with no personality," He leaned an elbow on it so he could look across it and into her eyes, "Predictable. A pretty boy."
Uraraka raised her eyebrows teasingly, "So if I'm following what you're saying, a chump will always do what you think they will and they only have one character trait."
"Exactly," Bakugo tilted his head from side to side as he rested his other elbow on the surface, "They're boring and reasonable."
"So following your logic," Uraraka leaned over the other side of the counter and grinned knowingly, "The opposite of a chump would be… a crazy person?"
A long pause passed between them before the blonde scowled and stood upright, "Sure whatever."
"Bakugo," Uraraka giggled and rolled her head forward, "I'm just teasing you."
He glanced at her but his frown didn't disappear. His head was still muddy from the alcohol, despite it beginning to subside. He couldn't come up with a worthwhile response but that wasn't what bothered him. He felt like he'd taken a hit to the chest.
"I'm sorry," Uraraka's expression softened, "I guess that didn't come out right."
He cast a quick look toward the door and shuffled in place, "It's late."
The brunette felt guilty when she saw how sour his expression was, "I know but-"
"I should head out." He angled himself away from her so that she was looking at his side profile, "I still have a long way to go."
She huffed defeatedly, "Listen, Bakugo, I was only kidding. I know you're not a crazy person."
"Yeah," His reply was short and devoid of emotion.
She drummed her finger tips on her counter top for a moment and she skewed her mouth as she considered how to smooth this over, "Listen, when I come back to work, I'd like it if we partnered up more often." She tried to catch his gaze with a small smile, "I think you're a great hero and we work well together."
He didn't move but his eyes caught hers, "Kirishima is my partner."
"And I have one too," She replied quickly, "But I guess I'm just trying to say that I enjoy our time together."
The blonde mulled over that for a long moment. Her previous comment still lingered on his mind but he asked himself it was due to the alcohol in his system. She sounded genuine and that warmed him a little, "So you're finally admitting that you have to ride off the backs of my coat tails?"
"I admit no such thing," Uraraka's tone was forceful with a note of teasing, "But I am saying that it may be mutually beneficial."
Bakugo finally turned toward her again, "Beneficial to you. What do I get out of it?"
She gestured to herself, "I can help your media image."
"Tch," Bakugo almost laughed, "Like I need help with that. The media loves me."
She wagged a finger at him, "Don't get haughty on me, Mr. Explosion kill murder. Even the anti-heroes like you need a woman's touch from time to time."
Something about that comment made Bakugo's throat clam up. While he was slowly sobering up, he wasn't fully there. A string of questionably appropriate thoughts ran through his mind and he had to turn away from her again.
"Aw," Uraraka teased again, "Are you finally admitting that I'm right?"
"Fuck no," Bakugo bit back and tossed a scowl in her direction, "A 'woman's touch' doesn't exactly fit my image, roundface."
"Doesn't it?" She remarked with a grin. "A spunky gravity hero alongside the explosively impulsive type? Come on," She shrugged, "It's perfect."
"I'm already perfect," He began to work his way around toward the entrance to the kitchen, "And Kirishima does a damn good job."
She shrugged as she watched him circle his way into her kitchen, "I'm not saying permanently. I'm just saying we should team up every now and then."
"I still don't see how that benefits me," He replied smoothly as he rested his hip on the edge of the cheap granite.
Uraraka huffed and crossed her arms, "I just think it could be fun, alright?" She pouted at him for a moment, "I just liked working with you is all."
The blonde smirked at her confession and he felt a swell of arrogance, "Just admit you want to ride my coat tails, roundface."
She narrowed her eyes, "Just for that, I'm keeping this," She pulled on the ends of the jacket. "Besides, we both agreed it looked better on me."
Bakugo suddenly saw all of her as he remembered why he came inside in the first place. She looked smug as she held the coat over her torso. Their banter suddenly felt like more than banter and the feet between them felt like a dare. A game of a new kind and a competition he had yet to win.
"It's a cool jacket," She shrugged pompously with an air of provocation, "Don't you think?"
He let his eyes fall on her fingers as she pulled it tight across her stomach but he quickly met her gaze again after he caught himself, "I'm afraid I like that jacket."
She held his intense stare for a long moment before murmuring, "Well I'm keeping it."
He watched as her eyes flickered down a touch before meeting his again and he succumbed to the desires that his hazy mind had been whispering to him all night. He lunged forward, catching her hip in his right hand and the side of her head in his other. He relished the quiet gasp that escaped her lips before he kissed her.
The moment their lips met was incredible. She tasted like spring. Bittersweet but fresh, like new sprouts after a chilly rain. She matched his fervor perfectly, relaxing in his hold at first before kissing him back with an urgency that neither could hope to fulfill.
He groaned on her lips as her hands felt their way up his chest to grip the side of his face, pulling him hard so that their teeth brushed. She breathed hard out of her nose when his right hand left her waist in favor of her lower back, bringing her flush against him and his other hand dug into her curled hair.
She felt a part of herself release it's restrictions as he unintentionally grazed his teeth over her bottom lip. All guilt and doubt faded away in her mind and she could practically taste his desire. It felt like kissing a hellion. His lips had a bite to them and he pressed them headily against hers, tasting like salty bourbon.
Her right hand drifted to his lightly stubbled jaw and her other tangled into the hair above the back of his neck. She tried to angle herself for easier access and it abruptly broke their kiss, her hand forcing his head back accidentally. He lamented audibly before he tilted his head forward again and recaptured her lips. This time it felt more desperate as both of them gripped the other harder.
Unable to find the leverage both of them wanted, he pushed her two steps back without ending the lip lock. Her butt hit the edge of her kitchen counter before he pressed himself to her and her hands began to slowly wander down his neck to his chest, tracing over his collarbones.
The delicate touch of her fingers elicited a low growl and his head spun into a tailspin. He wanted more of her. More of her lips, more of her touch, more of her soft sighs on his lips. All control was lost on him as he leaned her away so he could move his hand from her back. He pulled his lips away for a brief moment, breathing hard as he hooked one hand under her left thigh and lifted her on top of her counter top.
She barely had a moment to giggle excitedly before he was on her again, He kissed her headily as both of his hands rested on the outer side of her thighs. He moved his head along with hers in rhythm with their fervent kissing as she fingered the edge of his t-shirt and his hands felt their way down her legs with an achingly slow pace. She gasped in surprise when his hands slid under her knees and pulled her hard into his chest, forcing her thighs apart around his torso.
All logic had left his brain as he could feel her hard exhales from her nose on his cheek and his hands found minds of their own. Her chest heaved against his and he could smell her flowery perfume mixed with the taste of cranberry vodka on her lips. It did nothing but make him feel more drunk as his hands began to slide back up her legs to her waist.
Her heart was pounding by the time his fingers found the top of her jeans and began working up the sides of her torso hidden inside the jacket. His palms were hot and she got traces of their callousness when he brushed the little break of bare skin below her crop top.
More.
She twisted the fingers of her right hand back into his hair, forcing his head to roll back a bit so she could fight for control of the kiss. Her other hand traveled to his right bicep and ran under the fabric of his t-shirt sleeve so she could grip his arm tightly.
He smirked against her lips as he quickly figured out what she was doing. He pulled against the grip on his hair, forcing himself back on top, before his hands gripped the edges of the jacket and began pulling it down her arms. A grunt of satisfaction fell into her mouth as she complied and began helping him take it off. It spilled around her as his hands found her hips again and he pulled her as close as he could, relishing the feeling.
"Ah," She huffed softly when his lips began to kiss down her jaw line, heading fast for her neck. She let her head roll back and her fingers gently rested on his arms. Her eyes fluttered as he left a wet line down her neck before his teeth gently grazed their way back up to her lips.
The kiss that followed was easily the most erotic one she'd ever had. It was lustful, messy, and all teeth. Her arms wound around his neck as she pulled him down into her but he caught himself on the edge of the counter with his hands before he could fall into her.
There was nothing she wanted more than him in that moment. She almost hated herself for not seeing it sooner. Their flirtation had become more than that and it had been that way for a while. A push and pull that only brought them closer together at an aching pace. But his kiss cracked open an untouched part of her that wanted so much…
More.
He felt her hands fall away from his neck and slide down his chest, coming teasingly close to something that made him groan into her and break the kiss to take a breath. Her fingers tickled the skin above his belt, finding their way underneath his shirt.
"Let's go in the other room," She murmured so quietly that he almost didn't catch it.
He blinked his eyes open and found her gaze. She stared at him with wide, lustful eyes and suddenly reality hit him. He barely recognized her. This wasn't the Uraraka he knew. Everything about this felt wrong despite how bad he wanted it. He just… couldn't go through with it.
He ripped himself away with every ounce of willpower he had and turned his back before running a hand over his red face. He took a shaky breath as he tried to calm his rattled nerves. He rested a hand on the counter top and leaned heavily on it, keeping a distance from her.
She blinked at him, dumbfounded at the sudden end. She licked her now sticky lips and watched his back as he seemed to privately battle with himself, "Did I do something wrong?"
He didn't respond for a long time, opting to stand in place to process what had just happened. He dragged a hand through his spikes as he fought for his composure. What the fuck could he possibly say now to explain this?
"I'm so sorry," Uraraka fumbled and dropped her face into her hands to try and hide her utter humiliation. "I didn't mean to-"
"Roundface," Bakugo's voice was deep, still heavy with lust.
She silenced herself and peeked out from her fingers to see that he was still standing with his back turned. She held her breath and waited for him to speak again, praying that he even would.
"We ca-" He started before stopping himself and letting his head drop a bit, "I can't. I can't do this with you right now."
The shame seemed to amplify ten-fold now as she processed his words. She swallowed thickly, trying to find something to say. She desperately wanted to run away right now but where could she go?
"I can't do this with you," Bakugo reiterated with a slightly more even tone, "I can't. I don't want to fuck this up."
She still didn't say a word as she tried to clear her fuzzy mind. His tone wasn't shameful nor was it angry. He sounded disappointed and she felt the same way. Something was off and maybe he was the first to realize it.
"Uraraka," He still kept his back to her as he leaned harder against the counter, "I don't want to be your rebound or your bed warmer. I want more than that."
She stared at his back for another moment as she realized the implication of his words.
More.
The ongoing theme of the night and the word seemed to replay in her head on an unending loop. Embarrassment crept up her face and she shook her head hard, "Bakugo I-"
"Goodnight," He muttered quickly before he rounded the counter and moved hastily toward her door. His eyes only glanced at her once but they were stoic and guarded. She didn't watch him leave but she heard the door shut loudly and his footsteps trailed away.
Then there was silence.
The first sob wasn't the most painful. It was the fourth and fifth that stole all the air from her lungs. She wiped globs of mascara out from under her eyes as she cried loudly on her kitchen counter.
When had she become so weak? Was she truly so lonely that even Bakugo would reject her? Was she desperate?
It was no secret to her that Bakugo had feelings for her. When he'd gifted her a copy of Pride and Prejudice during her hospital stay, she knew. He'd been nothing short of gentlemanly to her and he was his own way of kind to her. She'd grown to like that and she couldn't lie to herself that the feelings he had weren't recognized earlier on than that but denied.
Somehow, she'd always known about his feelings despite the fact that she couldn't explain how. But that only made the rejection that much more painful. She wasn't using him, was she?
Wait… was she?
The sobs wracked her again as she thought about the night as a whole. She'd clung to Mirio for the last few weeks as a form of curing her boredom. That much was obvious to her so if anyone was a rebound, it was him, right?
But Bakugo had pushed back on Mirio so fervently tonight like the other man was a genuine threat and Uraraka had let him. Was that a symptom?
Was she even over Deku?
She cried for what felt like hours and the loneliness seemed to snap her in two. Pain had been the only feeling she'd known for months now and something about Bakugo being here had taken that away. She'd been able to relax and have fun. She'd laughed with him without feeling she was having to fake it and the way he looked at her was heartbreaking.
"I want more than that."
More. More. More.
His lips were everything she thought they'd be. Forceful, hungry, and fun. Kissing him had been like a dance with a dragon and she wanted more of that.
More. More. More.
She wanted more than that. More than his lips. More than his scowls. More than his feisty remarks. She wanted all of him.
She hugged herself as the tears finally dried up into crusty streaks and she felt herself stumble into her bedroom. She flopped down on the mattress without a bed frame and touched her lips with a trembling finger.
More.
She'd get more and this time she'd mean it.
:)
Holy guac. That was insanely hard to write lmao. Now you know why this chapter is significantly shorter but I HAVE FED YOU, RIGHT?
Ahhh there was so much more I wanted to add to this chapter but I had a super crazy week at work so I didn't have as much time this week to work on this. Next week I'm hoping to be back to my normal schedule :)
As always, please check my profile page for responses to reviews on Chapter 24! I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week! Happy Fanfiction Friday!
XOXO
