Exams began bright and early on Monday and Ochako was feeling pretty confident that she was prepared for them.
She caught a glimpse of Deku waiting for her at the breakfast table as she entered the common area and he waved her over.
Seeing him looking so casual and happy, oblivious to the maelstrom of guilt and heartbreak she suffered from, made her insides churn on many levels. She didn't know if she could handle this like she had thought she could. Just seeing him made her feel like running away, back up to her room and staying in bed all day.
If only that were an option...
Last night she had found that continuing to be affectionate with Deku hadn't been so easy, knowing that she wished it were someone else and it was her own fault that it wasn't. She had found reasons not to kiss him goodnight or hold his hand under the table.
The closer she came to the table now, the more her stomach and heart clenched.
She chickened out.
Grabbing a couple slices of toast, Ochako gave Deku the excuse of wanting to get to class early to go over that one thing in her studies she wasn't sure she had a grasp on yet and high-tailed it out the door before he had said much more than, "okay."
Having to sit next to a brooding Katsuki all day while trying to take her exams was something in the realm of torturous. It was confusing and discomforting because he didn't bother to ignore her. In fact, he did nothing to hide the glares he sent her way and the hostility between them. She almost felt like they were back at square one from the beginning of first term, minus his penchant for going out of his way to make her life more difficult.
But any time she glanced his way, he seemed to know it and he glared back with a look of annoyance. It was discomfiting and each time it happened felt like a new jab of guilt and hurt.
In the afternoon, when exams were over for the day, Deku wanted to walk her back to the dorms and she had no real way to avoid him then. So she agreed but also invited buffers like Mina and Toru.
The girls happily joined and chattered about nothing and everything for the walk back and up until dinner. It couldn't have worked out better if she had paid them to be distractions.
The next two days of academic exams went much the same. Ochako trying to dodge affection from Deku while having to endure venomous looks from Katsuki. He seemed to have noticed at some point that she'd been avoiding Deku in her own way but it still didn't change his attitude toward her.
She wished she could've talked to him again and explained or begged forgiveness or something, but exams were grueling and difficult enough to deal with on their own. There was no easy way to catch him before or after class and she was too much of a coward to visit his room at night again. She didn't know just how she'd be able to handle it if she tapped on the glass of his balcony door and he refused to answer.
So she held back and endured those next couple days until academic exams were over.
Then, the biggest, most important exam of their life was finally upon them.
Both classes 3-A and 3-B took a bus to what seemed like the middle of nowhere, the ride over being uncharacteristically subdued for the people who were riding. Ochako found for one of the first times in a long while that her nerves were roiling in her stomach because she was uneasy over how this exam would turn out. They had no clue what was in store for them, but if looking out over the seemingly endless amount of forest they were driving into was any indication, this could end up being on a massive scale.
"Alright," Aizawa-sensei spoke up as their bus pulled into a parking space, "You already know this is considered your final practical exam. I expect you all to behave and to pass this exam with no problems. You'll be coming out the other side of this as fully licensed heroes and graduating tomorrow."
The classes stared back at him with varying looks of determination and, in some cases, illness. He didn't use any flowerful language or get sentimental. Just facts. Just expectations. And that was all they needed.
"The exam starts in an hour," he informed them, "In the meantime, try to get your bearings, socialize, preferably without getting into fights." He threw a look in Katsuki's direction and the blonde boy just shrugged.
Aizawa-sensei handed each of them a simple looking cuff before they disembarked.
"Put them on. Don't take them off," he ordered.
Ochako and each of her classmates did as they were told.
As Deku stepped out behind her, she saw All Might beckon him over. Deku nodded obligingly and walked over to him, the former hero throwing an arm around his shoulders to guide him away. She didn't know what it was about but All Might seemed to have always had a bias toward Deku. He was tapped to be his successor. It was likely he was giving him last minute notes and advice.
Around them, other busloads of students were unloading and milling about, unsure of exactly what was going on but either. The tension in the air was thick enough, it was almost palpable.
Ochako noticed some pro-heroes wandering around as well. Some would stop and speak with students. Others only stood in one place looking out over the mass of students as though they were lording over the entire area.
She caught a glimpse of Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods standing together with Fat Gum, deep in conversation.
Most of her own classmates broke off from the group to greet students from other schools they'd come to know through internships or work studies.
Even Katsuki was greeted, along with Todoroki, by an extremely tall, bulky student from Shiketsu who was vaguely familiar. Yoarashi, Todoroki called him. He seemed friendly enough, if not a little over-eager, and would get in occasional shouting matches with Bakugo that he just as easily laughed off.
Soon enough, though, a voice of one of the proctors for the exam came over some loudspeakers that were set up in the unloading area, causing Yoarashi to plod back to his classmates.
"Pay attention, examinees, I will only explain this once," the proctor announced. Every student quieted and stilled, listening for further instructions.
"When the first bell rings, a simulation of a massive disaster will begin. We did not prepare it ahead of time in case anyone got any ideas about getting a look at the exams before anyone else."
Ochako had to admit that would've been something at least one person had considered or tried already.
"When the second bell rings, you will all be released to go out and begin saving victims and generally setting things to rights. The victims will be the HUC actors you've had practice saving in the past. Every action you take will net you points. The greater the feat or the more difficult the rescue, the more points you gain. We will not divulge point values at this time as we want you all to move amongst these victims as though you are a real hero trying to save real people, rather than cherry pick who you save or what you do."
This exam seemed somewhat similar to the provisional license but on a much grander scale. They'd driven into the trees a long way. Being given all this space had to mean there were more people, more chances for things to go wrong, possibly more villains. Ochako wondered what a passing score would look like….
"When the third bell rings, the exam will be over and, even if you are in the middle of a rescue, nothing else you do will be counted toward your score."
"A couple more important notes: you will have 24 hours to take this exam. You are allowed to do whatever you want with that time. If you think you've done enough to get a passing score, feel free to rest. But be aware that a lack of action for an extended period of time will detract from your points. So you may have the points needed to pass at one time but if you sit and rest for the last 5 hours, you may have lost enough points that you will no longer pass."
So they were incentivizing them to be up and moving the entire time. It made sense that they would be if they were supposed to treat this like a real disaster. Ochako knew, though, that she and everyone else taking this exam would be exhausted come this time tomorrow.
"Lastly, you do not need to or are recommended to but you may work in teams-"
Ochako jolted. They were allowed to work together? Her eyes discreetly slid to the blonde boy standing only a few yards from her and the yearning she felt in her heart to reach out and take his hand, to say something, to ask him for just one more chance to be at his side, was excruciating.
The proctor went on, "but be aware that you are increasing the necessary workload to pass. There are only a set amount of points for any one task and they will be divided by how many people it takes to complete it. So if two of you complete it, the points are split evenly between you. If it takes four or even ten, the same number of points will be given for the task and they will be split evenly."
Ochako still fought her overwhelming urge to reach out. She knew they could do it. She knew they could get four times as much done together as each of them did separately. Did he know that too? Was he feeling the same pull that she was?
"You should've received a wrist cuff from your teacher by now," the proctor explained, "these are to help track you and keep track of your vitals in case you run into anything you can't handle and wind up needing help. Don't lose them."
Pretty much the same thing Aizawa had said.
"And that's it, examinees! The first bell will ring in about a half hour so ready yourselves!"
And with that, the mic cut off and they were free to roam again.
That was when Katsuki's gaze finally drifted to her and caught her eyes on him. He narrowed his own slightly and made to approach her, not taking them from her as he came closer.
Ochako tensed and her heart jumped into action, beating a vigorous rhythm against her ribcage.
She moved to take a step forward herself but when he was a few feet from her, Mina and Toru barreled into her, causing him to stop short. Ochako hadn't even noticed them coming up on her and nearly fell over with the sudden impact.
"I'm so nervous, Ochako-chan!" Toru squealed, grabbing hold of her arm and squeezing, "I wish I could have a partner like you do!"
Ochako chanced another glimpse at Katsuki, knowing he was in earshot of their conversation. His face was stoic, not revealing a reaction to what was being said.
"I… don't know if I'm going to work with uh…" she struggled to grasp a name as his eyes bored into hers, "with a teammate," she finally got out.
"I don't know why you wouldn't," Mina laughed, "From what I saw last time, you guys would probably get way more done together than separately."
Ochako tore her eyes away from him then to look again at the girls before her. Even her classmates knew (and expected) that she would team with Katsuki, even while knowing that she was dating Deku. She wondered what Mina would say if she knew Deku had been asking her to work with him now, if she would still think Katsuki would be the right choice of partner.
"I don't really know if he wants to work with me anymore," she said sheepishly, not giving any details as to the whys and hows of the situation.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's why Bakugo is standing like 5 feet away from you," Mina said with a head tilt and an eyeroll, like it should be obvious.
Ochako threw him a questioning look again but Katsuki was also jumped on by Kirishima, Sero and Kaminari, all looking to joke around, probably to take their minds off of their nerves over the exam.
Mina giggled and decided to join in their raucous conversation, pulling Ochako and Toru closer, thus creating a little circle for the group.
Ochako did her best to ignore the way her heart was pounding in her chest as she talked and laughed with her friends all the while knowing Katsuki was only feet away, possibly watching her, possibly hating her...
"Bakugo-kun," a deep, familiar voice sounded as Kamui Woods sauntered up to the group, his focus on the ash blonde boy.
Katsuki's eyes went to the arbor hero and narrowed in suspicion making Ochako wonder what this might be about.
"I hope my spare suit you asked for in October was useful for your studies. You brought it back in pristine condition so thank you for taking care of it. You can borrow anything you need any time, buddy."
Ochako froze, a bitter chill running down her spine as she watched Bakugo trying not to react but losing the battle to a dusting of pink across his cheeks.
He nodded his thanks and Kamui Woods clapped him on the shoulder then walked off.
When Ochako dared to look around at her friends, they were all staring wide-eyed, their mouths agape, at Katsuki who was looking down at the ground for once, not meeting anyone's eyes.
Their shocked faces slowly began turning to her and her cheeks blazed hot like a beacon.
Finally, after almost a minute of this awkward staring, Mina was the first to speak up.
"Bakugo? That Kamui Woods at the party…. That was Bakugo?" she squeaked out, hardly getting past her utter disbelief.
"Uh, well…ah…" Ochako didn't know what to say in response, the heat from her face spreading down her neck.
Mina had been one of multiple people in her class in that game. Others had been Kaminari, Kirishima, Kyoka, Toru, Ojiro, and a couple others. They'd all seen her interact with Bakugo in the costume. They'd all seen how steamy things had gotten.
Mina stepped toward her, her face growing more concerned than shocked then.
"You knew it was Bakugo back then? You saw his face, didn't you?"
Ochako nodded, hanging her head.
"That's why you didn't want me to go find him! I was right when I asked if we knew him! Why didn't you tell me the truth?"
Ochako covered her cheeks with her hands, wishing she could cover up her embarrassment and shame.
"Then why are you- Have you been- There's a lot you haven't been telling me," Mina said with a look of genuine hurt.
"I'm sorry," Ochako replied finally, "I didn't know how to tell you everything that was going on. I thought you'd judge me and not look at me the same."
"Dude," Kirishima addressed Katsuki, who hadn't spoken a word this entire time, "Midoriya-"
"It was before Deku and I got together," she said, coming to his defense, "Besides, Deku already knows."
"What?!" the others all gasped.
"I mean, not specifically about the party. But he knows we've done stuff-"
"Floaty, stop talking," Katsuki growled, looking up at her, his eyes blazing with fury, his cheeks still pink.
Realizing what she'd just said, she clapped both hands over her mouth.
"There's more?" Toru asked.
"When did this all start?" Kirishima asked, "Over the summer? I thought you two seemed a little cozy but…"
"No," Ochako answered, taking her hands from her mouth and meeting Katsuki's heated gaze with her own. There was no point hiding things now, "Before that. The sports festival."
"Holy shit, dude," Kirishima exclaimed, running his fingers through his gelled hair, "That was forever ago! You didn't tell me anything! I knew something was up with you two really only after winter break cuz you got all irritable and kept getting into fights with her and Deku after they came back a couple. I just figured you caught feelings for her, though, from being partners, man. But you guys were like, a thing?"
"No! We never actually dated," she corrected, "Things just happened between us and we kissed a couple times and-"
Katsuki stepped forward and grabbed her face with one hand, smooshing her cheeks in to give her mouth a fish-like pucker, his ferocious expression sending heat throughout her body as her eyes met his once more, "Stop. Talking."
She nodded and the rest of the group just looked back and forth between them until Bakugo finally let her go and she quickly turned away, covering her face once more.
Mina broke from the group then with a frown at Ochako, "We're gonna talk about this later and you're gonna tell me what's been going on."
"Tell us!" Toru amended, trailing after the pink girl as they walked away into the crowd.
Ochako swallowed thickly, feeling dread pull at her stomach. What was she going to tell Mina when they got back? What would she think of her if she told her the whole truth? She was terrified to even consider it. Everything that she had built this year seemed to be coming down around her right now and she didn't know what to do anymore.
She looked back at Katsuki, knowing she wouldn't find sympathy or support from him, but hoping that just seeing his face, knowing there was something she was sure of, would help her feel less shaken.
The other boys drew back, seeing her troubled expression, unsure what they should say or do. Katsuki didn't move, hardly batted an eyelash. She figured he was probably used to such a stupid look on her face by now.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
"For what, floaty," he grumbled, sounding uninterested.
The three other boys, realizing their presence was no longer needed or wanted, slinked off, Kirishima shooting them a meaningful glance back, looking like he might be unsure if he should be walking away from them before seeming to decide to trust his friend.
"For us getting in this mess I guess," she answered, her gaze shifting to her hands for a moment as she folded and unfolded them. When he said nothing, she looked back up at him.
He didn't acknowledge that response and kept his eyes trained on her, still looking expectant.
Ochako realized that she might not get a better chance than she had at that moment to explain herself to him.
"And…" she continued, trying to find the right words as well as the voice that seemed to be diminishing by the second, "I'm sorry I ended up not telling Deku about us."
At this, Katsuki shifted uncomfortably.
"You're still picking him over me. You could've told me," he said with a cool tone of resentment.
"No!" she hastily corrected him, "That's not- It's complicated!"
She paused, trying to gather her thoughts on how to best express what she felt.
"You were right on New Years," she began, "when you said that I don't… love him. But I do still care about him, Katsuki. The day that I chose to tell him I didn't want to be with him anymore, he told me that he loved me and he didn't know how he'd live without me or something like that. I felt bad. I didn't have the strength to end it after he confessed all that."
Katsuki snorted with a shake of his head, "You were able to do it to me."
"That was different," she defended herself, "I had already agreed to be with Deku when that happened. And I didn't think I cared about you like that."
He remained quiet once more. Every time he did that it made her feel like she needed to fill the silence with more conversation, even if it was something dumb.
"I'm sorry. I was scared and I didn't know what to do," she admitted, her heart feeling heavy with guilt and sadness, "I know I can't ask you to wait for me anymore. You said you couldn't wait much longer and I messed it all up again. I understand if you're done with me. I don't blame you."
"I swear, you're so fucking dumb sometimes, floaty," Katsuki growled with annoyance.
Ochako felt like his words were a slap in the face and she scowled at him. She opened her mouth to hiss back a retort, but he pinched her lips shut.
"You think I'm gonna give up like a puss right after I finally get you to realize you want me as much as I want you? That would be the dumbest shit ever."
Heat flared in Ochako's cheeks once more, her heart jumping with newfound hope as she stared up in wonder at the irritable face of the boy she loved. He let her go, guessing that she was unlikely to talk back now.
"When I said I couldn't wait for you, I didn't mean for you," he rolled his eyes like he was beyond inconvenienced that he had to explain this to her, "I meant I wasn't gonna keep waiting for you to finally break the news to Deku and everyone else. And I'm not. I'm done waiting around for this shit. I let you have your chance and you chickened out. You have a little bleeding heart, I'm not surprised. I'll take care of it now."
Ochako grabbed at her chest feeling blindsided by what he was telling her. He was still going to love her. He wasn't going to just move on from her like she had thought!
"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and twining his fingers with hers like it was the most natural thing in the world. It felt like it. Her body heated, all her nerves tense as if they all concentrated on the one point of contact her body had with his.
They weaved through the thick crowd of would-be heroes, all there to take the pro-hero exam. A once in a lifetime opportunity.
He came to a sudden stop and she ran face first into his wall-like back.
"Kacchan," she heard an aggressive-sounding Deku in front of Katsuki say.
What? What was he going to do? And why did Deku sound so angry? He sounded so unlike himself.
"Deku," Katsuki growled back, his voice low and deadly, "I'm getting real tired of this shit. Ochako's being too soft with you. I want her. She wants me. I think you get that. You're not dumb. So let's cut to the chase and make it official. She's done with you."
Ochako gasped in horror, all of the blood draining from her face. That hadn't been how she'd wanted to tell him!
But he gave you your chance to be nice about it, she reminded herself.
His fingers gripped her tighter, a reassurance for her trembling hand.
"What are you talking about, Kacchan?" Deku asked, his voice taking on a more confused tone.
"I'm telling you, without any room for misunderstanding, that Ochako is mine now. I'm not fucking around anymore."
She heard an incredulous snort of irritation come from Deku, "You don't get to decide that. She does. I told you to stay away from her and now you're just making these choices for her?"
He did what now? Hadn't Deku told her that he supported her working with Katsuki? He'd told her that he would come around to being her friend again. When had he told him to stay away from her?
Ochako's breaths started picking up. She didn't like where this conversation was headed. She grabbed a fistful of the back of Katsuki's suit, trying to steady herself.
"Yeah. We all know I wasn't gonna listen to you," Katsuki shot back, humor lacing his words, "I'm not gonna keep away from her when she doesn't want me to. And she definitely doesn't want me to keep away from her, Deku."
She didn't hear a response from Deku but she felt hairs on the back of her neck begin to stand on end in response to what felt like a power surge rippling through the area.
The people around them began to chatter a little nervously, also picking up on the power in the air.
Just then, a loud bell tolled, signalling the start of the disaster.
The ground shook as though there were an earthquake. Other students around her wondered if it might actually be one that somehow coincided with the exam. No one knew for sure and Ochako bit her lip with worry.
Still holding onto Katsuki's hand, she gripped it tighter, the only other sign she was willing to give of her lack of confidence. They needed to remain as calm as possible. The quake was too perfectly timed for it to be anything other than for the exam.
A massive explosion sounded far off in the distance and a gigantic plume of smoke swiftly rose into the sky to the west.
She started hearing distant cries for help on the air already. Then, what looked like a tsunami rose high to the far north, near the shore that had to be maybe 2 miles away from them. It crashed down onto land and she heard more screams and crying.
This is in depth, she thought to herself. There was already so much going on, she felt like her senses were being overloaded.
Ochako tried to breathe. In and out. Nervousness and a sense of unease were causing her limbs to shake slightly. Would there be more?
Katsuki pulled her closer, sliding a glance her way, calming her with his unwavering look of surety.
Then, the hairs all over her body stood on end as a deafening roar pierced the air.
She turned as a shadow rose above them to the east.
Some kind of golem or abomination made up of mud and various plant detritus began swinging its arms around wildly, uprooting trees and throwing them to and fro.
It was monstrous in size, bigger than any living thing she'd ever seen. It even stood taller than Mt. Lady.
She heard some of her own peers scream at the sight of the ugly thing as it let out another ear-piercing roar.
This monster was big and not so easy to take down, she figured. But it was also the least intimidating challenge presented so far, in her mind.
She turned to Bakugo, intending to say something about the fact that she thought this monster was meant to be a time suck and distract from things they were really meant to be doing but realized that she was now in Deku's range of vision after Katsuki had turned to look up at the monster.
Her eyes met his and he frowned, more in confusion than anything else.
The second bell rang then and all the bodies surrounding them surged forward, this way and that, jostling them.
She lost sight of Deku almost immediately as he was swept away.
Katsuki still had hold of her hand and pulled her closer, taking her other hand to swing her onto his back.
"Let's go, floaty," he yelled over the din of the crowd and the shrieks of the monster.
Ochako's heart soared as she pressed herself close to him, gripping his shoulders and activating her quirk.
He pushed up from the ground and they rose above the crowd, still pushing each other to head in one direction or another and begin their exam.
Ochako rested her forehead against his neck and breathed in the scent of burning matches, wondering if being here like this with him had always made her feel this happy and she'd just been that blind to it.
"Calm down, pink-cheeks," Katsuki chuckled, "or I'll get the wrong idea."
Ochako felt her face glow with embarrassment and she pulled it back from his neck.
"You're a pervert," she retorted.
"Yeah, I'm the pervert," he shot back with amusement.
But he relented his teasing and got down to business.
"We're supposed to be enticed into going for the monster," he said, all joking aside, "It's a waste of time. We don't know what it's worth but it'll take a bunch of us to take it down, meaning we'd have to split points with anyone else who helped."
Ochako nodded into his back. She'd half expected him to want to go careening into the thing and blow it up. She'd even prepared a lecture in her head to stop him from doing just that. It sounded like he was letting logic lead him, rather than ambition, today. She figured he had matured quite a bit more as a hero than she'd ever given him credit for.
"I also didn't hear any screaming come from that way. I don't think there are even victims over there. Just that thing. There's no need to fight it if no one's in danger right now."
"Where do you think we should go then?" she asked him, assuming he was in a good mind to make such a call.
"Oh, you suddenly have no opinion on it?" he asked sardonically.
"I could if I wanted to," she responded with sass, "but I trust you to make a good choice right now."
His hand reached for her thigh and he squeezed it for just a second, causing her pulse to jump, then he threw his hands back and they shot forward, toward the giant plume of smoke that was beginning to coat the sky, turning it grey.
As they flew, Ochako noticed there were large white tents with red crosses set up every so often. First aid tents. This had to be where they delivered the people they rescued to be cared for.
She also noticed that there were shattered bits of wood that looked like they had some kind of finishing on them littering the ground as they drew closer to the immediate blast area.
When they finally reached it, she saw why.
Partially decimated and burning cabins, like those from a summer camp, dotted a huge clearing, the charred remains of one likely being the detonation spot.
She could hear screams coming from inside some of them and a tiny man, meant to be a child ran toward them as they landed, the first to arrive at the scene.
"My friends! My counselors! They're hurt! Save them! Please!" he cried, grabbing onto Katsuki's pants.
Katsuki took a step back but Ochako was already off of him and kneeling down to the "boy".
"Are you hurt?" she asked him, giving him an initial once-over.
"I'm not hurt! Please just save them!" he squawked, pointing behind him.
"We have to make sure you're safe first," she told him calmly, "and then we will help your friends. More heroes are coming so don't worry, they will be okay."
The "boy" sniffled and nodded, taking her hand when she offered it and she lifted him up.
"I'll take him to the first aid tent," she told Katsuki, "look for more of them."
She wanted to also tell him they needed to be quick because there might be more bombs in the area but she knew saying that would cause the "boy" to panic thus losing her some points. So she hoped he would come to this conclusion as well and search quickly.
Ochako reduced her weight and sprinted into the forest toward the closest first aid tent they had seen.
When she returned minutes later, Katsuki was arguing with an older, grey-haired woman he had flung over his shoulder and was carrying toward three counsellors and "children" standing on the edge of the clearing.
"Put me down right now, young man!" she wailed, beating on his back with little effect.
He kept walking, face bored, "You're leg's broken, this is easier."
Ochako couldn't help but smile at the scene. Once again, he had surprised her. She was used to a coarse, ready-to-snap-at-anyone Katsuki who she often had to run interference with. But he was remaining calm. Still not friendly by any stretch of the imagination, but also not ranting at anyone giving him an attitude. When had he softened?
He looked over at her then, "Floaty, you could help, you know."
"Coming!" she called and jogged toward them.
They worked quickly and efficiently together, calling out to find more people, then sifting through some more ruined buildings for people who may have been passed out or hurt too seriously to respond.
While gathering their tenth victim and still having quite a few more cabins to go, more examinees burst into the clearing and offered their help as well. Ochako could see the greed in their eyes. They were desperate to gain points as often and quickly as possible.
She made the decision to leave the rest of the rescues up to the newcomers so as not to start feeling the need to compete or fight over who would rescue who. That wouldn't do anyone any good.
She quickly informed them what cabins were cleared and which ones they had yet to search and, since there were no victims nearby to hear, explained where the blast had originated from and that there may be more bombs somewhere so they should hurry. Then she joined Katsuki and gathered their small group to trek to the first aid tent.
It hadn't even been an hour yet and Ochako was starting to flag. She didn't know how they were meant to keep doing this for another 23 hours.
When they reached the first aid tent, Ochako was able to obtain a couple bottles of water for herself and Katsuki. Apparently, this was where they would get drinks and food if and when they needed it as well.
Ochako rested a moment inside and watched as the HUC actors got food and had their makeup redone, then headed out for more rescues.
"We should fan out and look for more survivors outside of that camp," she suggested to Katsuki as he came to stand in front of her.
"It can't all be as easy as that was," he speculated, "There have to be more people somewhere. There has to be something else going on."
"Well, there's the flooding of the tsunami," Ochako suggested, "Or we could go fight that monster with a bunch of other people."
As if on cue, a loud shriek filled the air, followed by a distant rumble, then cries of victory. Clearly, the monster had just fallen.
"So much for that," he muttered.
At a loss for what else to do, Ochako went back to her original plan.
"Until we can figure out something better, let's just search around outside of the camp for more survivors and bring them in."
Katsuki shrugged, obviously not satisfied but unsure what else could be done either.
Just as they were exiting the tent, another explosion shook the ground, filling the air with a massive BOOM louder than any Ochako had heard come from the likes of Katsuki.
She frowned in bewilderment at him now and he sent a similar look her way. It hadn't come from the direction of the camp. The smoke from the explosion was rising further north now.
"I guess our plan of action is decided now," she commented as she shifted around to his back and placed her hands on his shoulders.
Touching down at the new location, they found a different setup of a hunting lodge looking blown to bits, but rescuing the victims went much the same.
They called out for anyone, then searched in the rubble, rescuing seven people before more help arrived.
But this didn't feel right for some reason. This couldn't be the whole exam. They weren't really doing anything. How did this prove that they were heroes or deserving of a license?
"Maybe because we have to keep doing the same boring, stupid thing over and over and not get tired of it because that's the job 90% of the time," Katsuki pondered, as he removed his gauntlets to check them over when they'd brought their 7 survivors to the closest first aid tent.
He had a point but Ochako doubted that was the case. Their last exam had had a certain element of surprise. Sure, another explosion was somewhat surprising but was it something that could throw any trained hero off? Not really.
They weren't able to converse on it more as another screeching roar rang out.
Looking up, another abomination monster had shown up, this time far to the south.
Katsuki looked over to her, raising his brows, clearly far more interested in fighting the creature this time.
She rolled her eyes and waited for him to put his gauntlets back on so they could leave.
Things progressed this way for a while, getting more and more severe.
Approximately once every hour, something else would happen. Another earthquake, a tornado, two monsters, three explosions, four monsters. Until things were starting to get out of hand and Ochako was beginning to wonder if even all of these examinees were enough to handle the work being laid out before them.
After having spent the day lifting heavy objects and occasionally floating injured people around, her stomach was finally starting to get queasy from overuse of her quirk. It had been a long while since that had happened.
It had been full dark for hours and she'd hardly eaten anything while running around trying to keep up with all of the emergencies.
She could see Katsuki was starting to look like he was having a hard time exerting himself as well.
"Maybe we should eat and rest for a little while," she suggested, "They have some food back at the tents and we can just sit on a bench inside and try to sleep just a little bit."
Picking up a small man dressed as a little boy that they'd saved something like three times by now, Katsuki turned to her with a judgemental stare.
"If you need to rest, I guess we can rest."
Ochako fought the urge to sigh and roll her eyes. As if he didn't need it too…
"Thanks," she was able to force out, trying not to sound sarcastic.
When they arrived at the nearest tent, she went and got them whatever food was available (Sandwiches... great…) while Katsuki pulled off his gauntlets.
She handed him his food and they sat to eat in relative silence, watching workers, HUC actors, and the occasional hero student come in and out of the tent.
It was their first real break all day and the moment she had some food in her stomach and had been sitting for a few minutes, Ochako felt her exhaustion catching up to her. They'd been working hard like this since early this morning.
Her eyelids began to drift closed and she had to blink a few times to try and keep herself awake.
She cut a look at Bakugo to see how he was faring and found him watching her appraisingly.
"You're tired," he said matter-of-factly.
"I'll try to make it," she replied, sitting up straighter.
"No," he countered, using a gentle tone that she'd only ever heard him use for her, "I'm sure we'll be fine if you sleep a little while."
"You don't have to wait for me if you're not tired," she told him halfheartedly. She kind of did want him to stay with her, but she wasn't willing to ask him to sacrifice his score for her.
"Shut up," he scolded, putting an arm around her and pulling her in close, pushing her head to rest between his neck and shoulder.
Ochako let him, her heart jumping into action as she felt his warmth beneath her cheek.
His hand remained at her head, playing with the tiny hairs that fell around her face and despite the heat coming to her cheeks and the excitement her heart had felt initially, she began to feel tired again.
His scent, stronger now since he'd been working and sweating all day, and the slow sounds of his breathing comforted her.
"Kastuki?"she breathed into his neck, her lips barely brushing the skin there.
She felt him shudder slightly.
"Hm," he growled in response.
She shifted her head away so as to not do it again. She didn't want to be distracting like that right now.
"You said you weren't giving up on me even though I hadn't told Deku about us yet," she spoke softly, "But you were mad at me. You never stopped glaring at me every day."
This had been eating at her ever since he'd told her that he'd meant to take matters into his own hands when he'd said he couldn't wait any longer. His hateful stares hadn't made sense to her after that.
Katsuki was silent at this.
Ochako realized she hadn't really asked a question so she went on, "If you didn't hate me because you were moving on, why did you keep looking at me like you hated me?"
She waited a few seconds for him to respond but he was still silent and she wondered if maybe he had fallen asleep.
"Katsuki?"
He blew out a long breath, "I'm not blind or stupid, Ochako. I already told you a long time ago that I knew you wanted to be with me. It sucked seeing you with Deku when you didn't get how you felt. It pissed me the fuck off seeing you force yourself to still be with him when you knew exactly what you wanted. That's bullshit. How am I not supposed to be pissed?"
She felt his body tense as he recalled it.
"Good thing you kept Deku from being all over you, though. As far as I'm concerned, you're mine. If you want me, then you're mine. And if he would've tried anything with you when I knew that you didn't want that…" he took another deep breath, trying to relax himself, "Let's just say I wouldn't have waited until today to tell him to fuck off, and not as nicely."
Ochako sighed, nodding against his shoulder and pressing herself closer to him, his burnt matches scent surrounding her.
He let his fingers still toy with her hair as her eyelids slowly closed and sleep took her.
She didn't know how long she slept but the next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake by a firm hand.
"Uraraka! Bakugo!" a familiar male voice whispered forcefully.
"Ochako-chan, wake up!" A higher pitched feminine voice said a second later.
"Wha-" she asked hardly able to comprehend what was happening. She was still so exhausted.
The body she was leaning against shifted and she heard the beginnings of a rumble in Katsuki's chest as he sounded like he was being awoken as well.
Ochako jolted awake, sitting straight up. Katsuki had fallen asleep too?!
"What time is it?!" she asked desperately, finally seeing that it was Kirishima and Mina who had woken them.
"Don't worry," Mina told her. There's still six hours left to get more points and there are a LOT of chances. That's why we're here."
"You're here because you want to get more points?" Katsuki asked, still half asleep.
"No, we're here because there's a huge monster coming this way and you're in it's path. We were trying to evacuate people," Kirishima explained.
"What?!" Ochako squeaked. How had something like that not woken her?!
"Let's go," Mina instructed, "We'll talk as we walk."
Ochako nodded and stood, grabbing Katsuki's gauntlets and beginning to fasten them to his arms.
"Let's go, sleepy-head," she teased as he blinked dumbly, still bleary-eyed and out of it.
After his gear was back on and Katsuki was more awake, they left the tent and she finally saw the massive slug-like beast still off a ways but definitely coming for them. What was up with these things? Was it okay that it was about to run over a first aid tent?
"Things have gotten worse and worse," Kirishima pointed out a little obviously as they made their way from the path of the monster, "They keep hitting us with more shit every hour. It's overwhelming all of us."
"This is crazy!" Mina complained, "Do they really expect us to be able to handle all of this?"
She gestured upward and Ochako saw at least 5 mud monsters roaming the area, multiple plumes of smoke were blotting out the moon and the stars. She could see glowing areas where it looked like fires had possibly gotten out of control. There was screaming and shouts all around her.
It truly was overwhelming. It had started out so slowly and now, before the 24 hours were up, all of them were going to be exhausted and unable to handle this. Was that meant to be part of the exam? Going from being bored to being completely hopeless? Knowing when you couldn't win? That couldn't be it. Heroes weren't allowed to just give up. Sure, it was smart to know when you should run, but there was no running from this. They had to expect them to do something about this situation. It wasn't running like any usual disaster she'd ever seen anyway. It was running on clockwork meant to wear them down like she'd read about happening in wars in the past…
Then she got it.
"This was… This was planned," Ochako said slowly.
"Yeah, I know. It's an exam. It's all planned, pink cheeks," Katsuki snarked.
She gave him a small shove, "I mean, part of this scenario. A villain or villains are making these things happen. This whole thing isn't just a simulation of different scenarios, it's one big scenario. It's a villain terrorist attack. We need to stop them!"
Katsuki, Kirishima, and Mina all stopped and looked at her quizzically, trying to puzzle it out as well.
"We would never come across all of these different situations naturally together like this in reality when it comes to actual disasters!" she explained quickly, "Why would the proctors give us a scenario that we'd never actually see? They wouldn't! The bombs and the timing of the attacks were hints that something more was going on."
She turned to Katsuki, "Didn't you say that it couldn't all be as simple as rescuing victims? You said something else had to be going on! This is what it is!"
They'd gone into this exam thinking it was like a rescue simulation but Ochako was coming to believe more and more that maybe that wasn't the case at all. Sure, rescuing victims and defeating monsters was probably enough to net enough points to pass this exam, but the intent of it was for them to realize it wasn't just a simulation. It was more like an escape room.
They'd been given 24 hours to solve the case as things spiraled more and more out of control. She wondered what would happen if they didn't figure it out in time...
"And how are we supposed to stop them?" Katsuki asked genuinely, "We don't know where they are. We don't know what they look like. We don't know how they're doing this. How are we gonna stop a villain we didn't know existed until right now with 6 hours left?"
"We have to get help," she announced, as though it should be obvious.
"And share the points with someone else? Pass," Katsuki quipped.
"We won't be able to do it otherwise!" Ochako exclaimed, shaking his arm vigorously.
"Then I guess we just keep doing what we've been doing and that'll have to be enough," he grumbled.
"Bakugo Katsuki is just going to accept 'good enough'?" Ochako taunted, "You're just okay with letting a villain get away? Are you sure about that?"
Katsuki gave her an annoyed look that said "I know what you're doing". He was exhausted. They both were, even after getting a small amount of sleep each. She understood his unwillingness to push on this matter but it ate at her. She didn't like not knowing if they would be docked points for no one actually completing this scenario.
She pulled out her saddest, most pitiful puppy dog eyes ("Cow eyes" her father had lovingly teased. "Doe-eyes" Katsuki had called them once.) Her cheeks heated at the thought. Her mother had told her before that if she couldn't see a guy being as wonderful as her father, she should pass him by. Now she was recalling something both he and her father had in common. It helped her reaffirm her feelings for the grouchy boy standing in front of her.
"I don't know what you're thinking about but I feel like it's pretty lewd," Katsuki grinned devilishly.
Ochako's cheeks burned hotter.
"It was not," she mumbled, looking away.
"AHEM!" Mina snapped, glaring furiously at both of them.
Kirishima also looked a bit uncomfortable as he glanced between them
Katsuki stepped back, diffusing the tension a bit and Ochako felt herself wilt a little. Now these two knew that things had been happening between them this whole time, they probably saw every little look and comment between her and Katsuki as signs of some kind of illicit affair.
Were they wrong?
"Fine, floaty," he groused, cutting into her thoughts, "Let's do your plan. Where do we start?"
Ochako smiled sweetly at him and laid out what she wanted to do.
Mina and Kirishima knew where most of their other classmates generally were.
As Katsuki had assumed, a lot of people went for the huge monster and now there were a few teams made up to handle monsters as they came along. Although, as the night had gone on, just a few teams weren't really cutting it anymore.
Todoroki, Kaminari, Deku, Iida, Tokoyami, Sero, and Kyoka were on teams to fight the monsters.
Tsuyu, Ojiro, Toru, Aoyama, and Koda had made their way toward the flooded area to see what could be done.
The rest of the class had prioritized rescuing survivors near a giant crack that had opened up in the ground up north or had gone in the direction of the explosions if one had been nearby. Word had already gotten around that Ochako and Katsuki had the run of most of them though and many students stopped trying to bother going. Ochako wondered if their efficiency had somehow inadvertently hurt their score when it discouraged other heroes to come help. Now was not the time to ponder that, though.
"We need the people who are fighting monsters," Ochako instructed, "If you two can go get them, tell them that we won't have to worry about fighting the monsters anymore if we can solve this problem. I'll also need Koda and Toru. Katsuki and I will find them and meet you at the first aid tent to the north of the parking lot."
Mina frowned at her, her mouth drawing into a thin line.
"Katsuki?" she asked, her voice laced with judgemental anger.
Ochako didn't know what to say in response. She'd slipped up.
"I-"
"We don't have time for this," Kirishima warned, "Deal with it after."
Mina sighed and turned to go with him, sending one last concerned look her way as Katsuki pulled her the opposite direction.
Ochako wanted to stop her and explain everything now. The judgement she'd seen in her friend's eyes pierced her heart like a lance. But they needed to pass this test first.
She jumped on his back, floating them both as she did so and he took off into the sky.
Ochako hadn't known how exactly they were going to be able to find an invisible girl but somehow, blessedly, Toru had formed a squad with Koda and Tsuyu and they were systematically rescuing survivors by Koda locating them, Tsuyu rescuing them, and Toru guiding them to the nearest first aid tent. It had turned out to be rather efficient.
When they'd found the trio working, Ochako did her best to quickly explain the situation and have them come.
"Ooooo! Can we ride on Bakugo's back too?!" Toru squealed excitedly.
"Do I look like a fucking magic carpet to you?!" he shouted irritably.
"Well we need to get a far distance really fast, Bakugo-chan. What should we do?" Tsuyu asked with interest.
In the end Koda became the "magic carpet" and they all clung to him as she floated them and Katsuki set off blasts to push them forward.
It was...awkward and quite a bit slower than how she and he maneuvered usually, but they were practiced and only two people. At the very least, they made it to the first aid tent in less time than it would have for them to walk, or even run.
Mina and Kirishima were already waiting there with a slew of heroes, not all just their classmates.
"They heard we knew how to stop all this stuff from happening and they wanna help too," Kirishima explained.
"Yeah, and they want some of the points for themselves too," Bakugo spat with a sneer.
"Ochako-chan!" Ochako heard Deku's voice call as he pushed through the crowd of people.
He looked pretty beaten up, part of his costume torn and dirt caked much of his face, hair and body overall.
"Sorry," he said rubbing the back of his head, "I would hug you but… yeah."
"It's okay, Deku," she assured him, patting him on the shoulder instead. She saw Mina narrow her eyes at her from over his shoulder.
"So you have a plan, Uraraka-kun?" Iida asked, stepping toward her.
"Kinda," she replied, biting her lip, "I could use some input, though."
"Let's hear what you have now," Deku told her.
Ochako nodded and laid out for the large group around her what she had deduced and what she thought they needed to do to pass this exam.
"It would've been great if we'd figured that out at all any time before now," Kaminari commented, looking downtrodden.
"It's fine," Deku spoke up, "We have some time, we can find the villains and end this."
The group nodded their agreement.
"So what I wanted to do," Ochako explained, "was have Koda search the exam area with all the small creatures and try to find anything that looks suspicious."
"Kyoka-chan," she turned to the purple-haired girl then, "Can you put a jack to the ground and see if there's anything at all you might be able to find? I don't know exactly what we're looking for but just… something off."
Kyoka nodded with determination and stuck her ear jack in the ground, beginning to search as Koda called to some birds and had them send out a message to search the area and call to him if they found something.
A few other students from different schools also utilized their quirks to search out anything that might help them locate the villains.
The group waited with bated breath as a minute, then two, then five, then ten passed.
Ochako wondered if she'd been wrong and had brought everyone here to waste their time after fifteen minutes had gone by with no results.
"There's something…" Kyoka said, holding out her hand like she wanted everyone to be quiet, despite the fact that no one had spoken almost the whole time, "something is underground. It's big. Like an underground bunker or a system of tunnels. It's pretty deep and it spans far, out of my range even."
"That has to be it!" Ochako said with excitement, "Can you figure out how to get down there, Kyoka-chan?"
Kyoka frowned, "It looks like there's something like a tunnel or stairs or something that leads down there over in that direction." She pointed west.
Ochako looked to the other parties who were searching and they diverted their attention to just the western side of the forest.
Not five minutes, later someone spoke up.
"I sent out my spies," she said, holding up little origami bats, "They said there's a basement-looking area with a false floor that looks like it leads underground. It's at a campground? The cabin it's in is blasted to bits. Hardly looks like anything but a charred pile of rubble."
Her heart froze and Ochako glanced over at Katsuki in a panic. He had a look of surprise on his face too.
That had been the place they had gone to first! They hadn't searched the cabin that had exploded, though! If they had, they might've found the basement and the underground facility much sooner!
"We weren't the only ones there," he said to her, reading the panicked look on her face, "Any of us could've looked. None of us did. No one would think they should when a building looks like that."
She knew he was right but the guilt bit at her. They could've figured it out so much sooner!
"Stop, floaty," Katsuki warned, pulling on her ponytail.
"The campground is only about a mile away," the origami girl said.
"Let's go and see what's down there," Deku said, taking charge and running ahead. The rest of them followed after, including Ochako, on foot.
They rushed to the campground and dug under the rubble to find a rather roomy basement. It fit all of the people in their group and their numbers had to be somewhere around 30.
Immediately after the last person set foot into the basement, the entire floor shifted and started moving downward.
"Holy- they weren't joking when they said a false floor!" Kirishima gasped.
The elevator type floor moved them down slowly, making old creaky sounds the whole way. It was rather unnerving.
When they reached the bottom everyone's eyes went wide.
A room the size of an airplane hangar stood before them, huge hallways as tall as 3 story buildings jutting off on either side. Near the middle of the room, stood a man in a lab coat, surrounded by heroes. Although, it looked like in this case, they were meant to be villains.
Kamui Woods, Mt. Lady, Fat Gum, Hawks, Mirko, and a handful more were all standing near the man.
"So you finally figured it out?" the unfamiliar man asked, although his voice was familiar.
"Wait…Aren't you the guy who gave us the rules for the exam over the speakers?" Kyoka asked, her ears easily picking up where the voice had come from.
"Yeah… the rules," he said, smiling wickedly.
"For fuck's sake, there weren't any fucking rules," Katsuki snarled in irritation, "His 'rules' were all part of it. He set them all up to keep us at a disadvantage. Probably no points either…"
"Is that true?!" another student yelled, "We did all that for nothing?"
The man shrugged, "Who knows?"
"Well we got you now, so we win, right?" Kaminari asked, "We passed?"
"Um.. no. You found me. You haven't stopped me. And these fine ladies and gents here will keep you from doing so."
Ochako gave a wary sweep of the heroes there. They were all pros. High ranked pros. There was no way, even with thirty of them, that they could fight them all.
"Yeah, we'll see about that," Katsuki smirked, blasting his way forward. Deku was right behind him. Then the rest of them, spurred on by their confidence, ran forward too.
The two groups clashed and sounds of punches, explosions, and a plethora of other deafening sounds filled the hangar as Todoroki quickly tried to disable Kamui Woods with his ice.
Hawks was easily neutralizing many of Ochako's peers and she grabbed at Katsuki and ran for him, knowing what he was capable of and knowing they could take him.
"Floaty what-" he asked before she floated him and pushed them up toward Hawks.
She pointed.
"Go," she ordered with a growl.
Katsuki's grip tightened on her legs for a split second before he threw his hands back and blasted them toward Hawks.
"Cute," Hawks taunted with a smile, "You came back, Bakugo."
He sent feathers toward them that they dodged as they tried to reach him.
He was slightly faster than them and when they got near, he would pull away from them again, throwing more feathers that Katsuki did his best to burn as they passed so he'd be unable to use them again.
"Did you guys kiss and make up?" Hawks asked, his eyes dancing with mischief.
They were never able to reach him. All they were doing was dodging and chasing.
"I hope you two are coming to work for me after graduation," he smirked, "You two still have a lot to learn about flying."
They were close again and he was about to pull back again and shoot feathers at them.
Ochako let Katsuki's shoulders go and wiped her hands all over his neck and arms, gathering as much sweat as she could.
"Ugh, why-" he asked before getting it and shutting up.
Ochako threw out her soaked hands and pushed her quirk out, along with vaporous droplets of Katsuki's sweat that hung in the air in her zero gravity bubble as it surrounded Hawks.
Hawks squinted at her like he thought she might be dumber than he had originally assumed.
His wings and feathers were telekinetic. Zero G would do almost nothing to affect him. So they had to be smarter about how they attacked.
Katsuki reached his own hand out in front of him and Hawk's eyes widened then. He got it too late as the vaporous air around him exploded, burning the rest of his feathers to cinders.
He hung in midair, his suit and, well, everything really, singed.
"Alright, you got me. Color me impressed," he admitted as Ochako let him down to the ground.
The battle was still raging around them and Ochako was about to jump into the fray again when Toru screamed, "ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Everyone stopped. Ochako looked around the room, not immediately spotting her, then noticed her blue gloves holding onto the man in the lab coat.
"I gotcha now, sucka!" Toru laughed, "So stop whatever's going on up there."
The man put his hands in the air, defeated.
"Yes! Toru-chan! What a boss!" Mina cheered and a cry of victory went up from every person in the room, including the pros they'd just been fighting oddly enough.
Ochako sank to the floor and let out a sigh of relief, letting her palm rest lightly on Katsuki's leg.
After taking the elevator back up and seeing the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon to a calm forest, the students celebrated again and rushed toward the bus loading area where they'd get to rest finally.
A loud, blaring voice rose up over the forest and Ochako heard Present Mic say, "Exams are oveeerrrrr! Return to your buses, students! Yes, we know it's not been 24 hours yet! Your instructors will explain when you are all boarded! Thank you for taking the pro-hero exams this year!"
His mic cut off and Ochako felt relief and elation as she raced through the forest toward the buses. She'd felt so exhausted just moments ago but now, for some reason, she was excited and more confident than ever. She wanted to get on that bus. She wanted to go talk to her friend and straighten everything out.
As she burst through the tree line and headed toward the UA bus, a strong warm hand caught hers and Ochako spun with a grin on her face that she had to immediately work to keep as she came face to face with Deku.
"Ochako," he breathed, hugging her despite the mud all over him.
"Deku, you're still dirty," she laughed nervously, gently stepping back but still holding her kind smile.
"Ochako, you were great back there. Realizing what we had to do to pass, coming up with a plan, beating Hawks…" his loving smile faltered a bit at the last bit.
"You're so amazing," he said with awe, "I wish I'd recognized it sooner."
"Thank you, Deku," Ochako said with a blush, feeling good about being validated by someone she admired for their hero work.
"I saw you were working with Kacchan again," he hedged, "Did you guys make up? He's talking to you again?"
Ochako swallowed and felt her heart beat faster with nerves. Katsuki had confronted him before the exam had begun. He had seen her next to him. Their eyes had met. Was he going to act like none of that happened?
"Yeah," she answered, unsure how she should broach the subject further, "We did."
You haven't told him yourself that it's over, her mother's voice said in her mind, He's going to keep believing what he wants to believe no matter what Katsuki tells him. He said it himself. It's up to you.
"I'm glad, Ochako-chan. You got to work with him again before we graduate and go our separate ways," Deku said, sounding genuinely happy. Something in those words caught at her and made her feel sick. "Will you sit with me on the bus? Maybe we can talk a little on the way back about what you want to do after graduation?"
She was freezing up again, not sure what to say or do. Wanting so badly to say "No! I don't want any of that!" but fearing the pain in his eyes if she did. She didn't want to lose her friend or break his heart.
"I guess," she said, unable to gather her courage. Again.
Deku grabbed her hand with a sweet smile and began leading her away, toward the bus. She did her best not to snatch it back, knowing that she no longer enjoyed the feel of her hand in his, wishing it were someone else's, resigning herself to the fact that she was too much of a goddamn coward to actually say what she wanted.
She let him guide her closer toward the UA bus, where most of her class had already gotten on, excitedly chattering about their experiences and what they'd done during the exam. Katsuki was still outside of the bus, arguing animatedly with Yoarashi again and starting to get loud.
As Deku pulled her along, Katsuki's argument paused and he looked her way, completely ignoring the other student as he continued his outburst.
Katsuki's eyebrows knit together in a frown as he beheld her following along behind Deku. He seemed puzzled, then an expression of understanding crossed his features and all warmth went out of him.
His ruby eyes looked coldly upon her, something close to hate marring his face as he looked between her and their hands.
This situation was so familiar. Hadn't something like it happened just a few days ago? He'd turned away from her then and she'd just passed him by, letting her heart shatter once more.
Now he didn't. Just kept shooting her that look that told her he was at some kind of breaking point, though she couldn't tell what point that might be.
She felt a pulling in her chest, a coldness up her spine, as her heart quaked once more, threatening to destroy her. It knew what it wanted. Trying to deny it, even for the sake of not hurting a dear friend was killing her.
I don't want this! her mind screamed at her, I don't want to have to do this anymore!
Her mouth turned down in a grimace she couldn't keep off of her face any longer as her heart squeezed tighter and Katsuki still wouldn't look away from her, even when her vision blurred with tears.
They were passing him now, Deku beginning to board the bus, his foot mounted on the first step, still gently pulling her along and Katsuki's hateful burning eyes just followed them, not hiding his resentment even minutely.
She couldn't stand it one more second.
"Katsuki," Ochako sobbed as a tear escaped from her lower lashes, cutting a line down her heated cheek.
She reached her free hand out and took his, immediately feeling her body jolt to life as his rough, warm fingers surrounded her smaller, softer ones in response.
Everything went quiet then.
Katsuki's eyes instantly went from hateful to shocked and a little amazed.
The hand that had been pulling her along had stopped, she realized, and she swung her eyes to see Deku, foot still on the first step of the bus, face also holding an expression of shock.
Nobody on the bus chattered any longer either, all faces peering out the windows, looks of interest and surprise on each one.
Even Yoarashi, who'd been shouting back at Katsuki, had stilled and gone quiet.
And still, Ochako gripped Katsuki's hand like it was a lifeline, unwilling to let go, the warmth in it the only thing that kept her entire existence from freezing over and shattering.
"'Katsuki'?" Deku repeated from in front of her, his expression looking tense like it already knew the truth but was hoping to be mistaken.
Katsuki's hand tightened around hers. Supporting her, she realized.
"Deku…" she began, looking up into his brightly shining emerald eyes, "I wanted to tell you before. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before-"
"He wasn't lying," Deku said, more a statement than a question, "You want to be with him."
Ochako steeled herself, letting her determination show through. She nodded once in confirmation.
"I- I love him," she murmured, barely above a whisper.
Katsuki's fingers twitched around hers and he pulled at her gently, beckoning her.
"Why?" Deku asked through gritted teeth, his hand also tightening on hers, "After everything he said and did. After he beat the crap out of you in that training exercise! He called you names and made you cry! He kissed you when you didn't want him to! He bit you!"
She flinched, knowing everything he said was true.
"He made mistakes," she countered, "And so did you."
"I apologized and did everything I could to make up for it, Ochako! I worked hard to prove myself to you! I waited patiently for you! All that time you were falling for him?" his voice was breaking, eyes looking misty.
It stabbed at Ochako's heart. He had done all the right things. Even if some of them had been misguided and ended up hurting her, he had always tried to protect and care for her. But he just wasn't right for her. She didn't want to be protected and covered for. She wanted to stand next to the one she loved. She wanted him to see she could handle herself and make choices for herself, even if they weren't always the smartest. She wanted him to challenge her and not be afraid of the way she snapped back at him when she was angry.
Deku was a good guy and deserving of love. But he was not her guy.
"I'm sorry, Deku. I didn't understand it either at first. I didn't see it myself until days ago. I'm sorry I let things get this far between us," she lightly squeezed his fingers, still holding onto hers, then gently pulled her hand out of his grip, "I care about you so much. But it's only as a friend and someone I admire greatly. I can't be with you anymore."
"Ochako-chan…" Deku ground out, his voice wobbly, and tears threatening at the corner of his eyes.
"Ochako…" Katsuki breathed, pulling at her again and she stumbled closer to him, her attention shifting to his enraptured face gazing down at her.
His expression still held amazement, as though he could hardly believe she was actually doing what she was.
She heard Deku let out a long, shaky breath then say, "Kacchan," with a growl so furious that she stepped back from him a pace.
Katsuki stepped up then, pulling her further back still, his face receding into calm.
"Deku, I told you what I wanted. I also told you she wanted me too. You're the one who decided I was lying and trying to fuck with you. I don't think you were oblivious this whole time. Don't act like this is a shock to you."
Ochako sighed shortly, not sure what she had been expecting. Something to deescalate the situation would've been nice. A platitude at least. But this was Katsuki. He wasn't the sugar-coater, she was.
"She was my girlfriend and you still couldn't keep your hands off of her," Deku spat.
"I didn't do anything to her when she was your girlfriend. I hardly even touched her," Katsuki shot back.
"I told you not to touch her. I told you not to even look at her. It was pretty obvious to me what you'd already been doing to her all summer. You think I wouldn't notice that she somehow already knew how-"
He cut himself off, his face flushing.
Ochako's heated as well, she thought her whole body was being superheated. So it really had bothered him when she'd told him about her and Katsuki's sexual encounters. She wondered if it had been part of the reason he'd pushed her advances away initially.
Looking at Katsuki, she saw his cheeks also redden.
"Shut up, Deku," Katsuki snapped.
"I don't know why you think I'm supposed to believe you didn't try anything with her the whole time she was with me," Deku barked, his fist shaking.
"He didn't, Deku!" Ochako cut in, "Don't you at least believe me?"
Deku snorted derisively looking at the ground.
"Why... " he ground out, "Why else would you have run out when I was trying to… to make you happy?" He left his words vague. He didn't need to say more. She understood.
She looked at Katsuki, his crimson eyes meeting hers, remembering the night he pulled her into his bedroom. No, nothing had happened between them, but the way his heated eyes had been burned into her memory and he'd reminded her of how it had felt to be touched by him.
"It wasn't like that," she replied desperately, "Nothing happened between us. I just got spooked."
"You weren't thinking of him?" he asked genuinely.
Ochako looked down, unable to deny that, ashamed.
Deku shook his head with unwilling acceptance.
"If I'd known all I had to do was-"
"Don't fucking finish that fucking sentence, Deku," Katsuki warned, venom seeping from his voice, his palms crackling.
"You ruined her for me!" Deku shouted at him, a glow coming to his own skin, "You ruined everything!"
Hurt stabbed at her. Was this what he really thought? Was this what he'd always thought since she'd told him about her and Katsuki?
Katsuki pushed her away then, a warning to keep her distance, as he brought his right fist up to connect with Deku's face.
"I told you to shut the fuck up!" he roared.
Deku stumbled back a step, then quickly recovered, shooting forward and tackling him to the ground.
He tried to throw a power-packed punch at Katsuki's face but Katsuki blasted him away, sending heated air whooshing into her. He quickly pushed himself back up and ran after Deku.
Yoarashi had moved off to a safer distance already and Ochako saw the rest of her class just staring in disbelief at the tableau playing out before them. She found Mina's face at the back, watching her with a sad expression.
Another blast from Katsuki had her whirling back to see him and Deku pummeling each other.
Katsuki blasted himself up and away from a low kick Deku made, then blasted him from behind, knocking him into the bus across from theirs, filled with students watching excitedly.
Deku easily recovered and shot forward again, dodging a blast Katsuki shot at him and grabbing him by the shirt, throwing him into another bus, shattering the windows on it to the screams of the students on it.
"You knew she liked me and you just wanted to take her from me!" Deku roared, going for Katsuki again before he'd even recovered.
"I don't give a flying fuck about you, Deku," Kastuki bellowed back, aiming a kick that threw Deku back and jumping forward with a blast that barely missed his face.
"I told you I loved her and you still didn't back off!" Deku kicked him to the side, sending him sliding down the pavement.
"She didn't want me to back off! She wanted me, not you and you kept trying to confuse her, you fucking idiot!" Katsuki pushed himself up and went running for Deku again, palm pulled back, already crackling again.
"STOP!" Ochako cried, moving forward to try and get between them
A hand caught her arm, though.
"Stay here. We'll handle them," Aizawa-sensei told her, as he, Kamui Woods, and Edgeshot stepped toward the fight that was sending sparks and explosions up into the air.
The boys were both instantly wrapped by roots and bandages, then pierced and disabled from moving by Edgeshot.
Aizawa looked livid, staring them both in the eye before turning to Ochako, "Get on the bus, Uraraka. These two are unlikely to even get their licenses at this rate."
Both boys' eyes widened and strained, looking like they wanted to say something, or rather scream it.
Ochako sucked in a horrified breath, "Do you really mean that?"
"They endangered the lives of other students and damaged multiple schools' property. Yes, I mean it. Get on the bus ."
"Sensei! Please! That's too much! It's my fault! Blame me! Please! You can't just keep them from being heroes!" she pleaded with him.
"On the bus or it'll be all three of you," Aizawa warned.
Fat tears rolled down Ochako's cheeks as she sank to her knees.
"No! Please! Please! Both of them need to be heroes! It's the only thing they want in life. I'll do anything!"
"Iida," Aizawa-sensei directed, "take her. I will see the rest of you at school."
For a moment, Ochako considered floating Iida and fighting her way toward Aizawa-sensei to make him see reason. But she knew there was no use. She could do nothing.
She'd just ruined their lives. Both Deku and Katsuki.
Ochako stared out the window as she allowed Iida to guide her onto the bus.
When neither were in view any longer as they pulled away, she kept staring out the window, seeing nothing.
A/N: REDEMPTION! FINALLY!
Shit just blew wide open in this chapter, didn't it? And yet, we aren't out of the woods yet. You can't possibly think Katsuki is going to take this turn of events well can you?
Also, sorry about the length. A new personal record has been broken! Huzzah!