Katsuki took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he prepared himself to knock on Uraraka's door but before he could lift his hand the door opened and he was face to face with Kirishima.

"Oh, hey Bakugou!" Kirishima said, seemingly as surprised by Katsuki's presence as Katsuki was by his. Katsuki looked past him and locked eyes with Uraraka, who stood up from her seat on her bed. There it was — that fire in her eyes — and it was trained on him. Sometimes it felt like it was a look just for him. Kirishima looked over his shoulder at her and then patted Katsuki on the arm. He lowered his voice to say, "Good luck, bro," as he walked past.

When was alone with Uraraka in her room he found himself shoving his hands in his pockets and staring at his feet as silence descended on them. He knew she wouldn't speak first: it was up to him to explain himself. "You want to tell me what's up?" he said, letting his eyes meet hers again.

She frowned. "What?"

"You know what I mean," he said. "Deku said you were crying."

She turned her face away, fists clenched. "Don't worry about it."

"Oi, come on," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't fucking get this. I said dinner the other night wasn't a date because I know you'd rather die than go out with me so I wanted to clear it up — and then I hear from fucking Deku of all people that you're crying about it." Uraraka said nothing but her fist trembled. "You quit training and you won't even look at me just because I said dinner the other night wasn't a date? I just don't get it. It's not like you wanted it to be so what gives?"

"I just —" Uraraka began. "It was just... insulting. The way you said it. Like the idea was disgusting." Katsuki felt as if she had slapped him. Disgusting? But she was right: he had gone out of his way to make her think that. "It made me feel stupid," she continued, "because..."

The silence drew itself out between them but Katsuki found himself unable to say or do anything. After what felt like eons she said, "Because I did... want it to be."

Katsuki felt as if the world was slowing around him, colours suddenly shimmering and iridescent and intangible. She had wanted —? He swallowed.

"But I know that was stupid," Uraraka said, meeting his gaze at last. She was clenching her jaw as if fighting back unshed tears. He could sense her anger at her body's betrayal in front of him. "I mean I know I'm basically the last person you'd ever —" She blinked and Katsuki could see that the tears were about to start and he couldn't cope with that on top of everything else.

"Stop it," he said. "Fucking stop. I can't believe this. You're so fucking stupid." She stared up at him, too bewildered to start crying. He could feel the tension in every part of his body and found that he was unable to stop himself from talking. "You actually think that?" he demanded. "You're about the only person in this school that's worth —"

He clenched his fists and looked to the ceiling, searching for the words to express how he felt. "I didn't want people going around saying we were on a date because it fucking hurt, okay?" He looked at her again, taking a few steps forward. They were so close. He was so close to her. "I can't believe you think I wouldn't want to go out with the most badass girl in school," he continued. "You're the only thing I can fucking think about and I can't stand it — and now I'm supposed to just stand there and listen to this."

Uraraka's eyes were so wide as she stared up at him that he thought he might fall into them. "What are you saying?" she whispered.

Katsuki felt like the world was turning sideways: this wasn't at all how this conversation was supposed to go but he hadn't been able to stop himself from confessing. It felt like there was nothing left to lose. He stared down at her face, pink, and round, and staring up at him in bewilderment and something like hope and in one movement he swept forward and captured her mouth in a soft kiss.

It was a bit of a mess — he had never done it before — and only lasted a moment but in that moment he felt her hand at his collar, pulling him in, and he felt as if a shimmering, glistening bubble had burst inside him, filling him with a strange, gentle warmth.

"There," he breathed as they broke apart, heart racing. "Do you get it now?"

She looked up at him, cheeks even pinker than usual. "Uh," she said, twisting her hands, "not quite." He stared at her in astonishment and humiliation, ready to leave her room and blow himself up, but before he could say anything she looked away and said, "Do you think you could ... explain it again?"

Oh.

He moved forward, totally unsure of what to do all of a sudden without the rush of adrenaline and decisiveness guiding him. He felt the pain of knowing he was about to do something he might not immediately be the best at but she was asking him and he wanted to. He leant down to her as she pitched up on her tiptoes and gently pressed his mouth to hers again. She reached up and put her arms around his neck as he pulled her in tight.

After a few moments they pulled apart again and she looked up at him with those big, round eyes. There was a different type of fire in them now and he found he liked it just as much: another look just for him. He felt like his heart was bursting in a thousand little explosions as a smile spread across her face. Then her gaze slide from his and she said, "Ah!" as he felt her press her hands together behind his neck and the two of them dropped a few centimetres back to the ground.

"Sorry!" she said, stepping back and rubbing the back of her neck. "That was an accident."

"That good?" he grinned, burying his own sense of awkwardness under his cockiness.

"Stop it," she said, pressing her hands to her blushing cheeks. "I'm so embarrassed." She took a deep breath and looked away, "Actually, that was my first kiss."

"Mine too," Katsuki admitted. He looked away, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Look, what I said before … it was shitty."

She tilted her head, studying him. "That an apology?" she said with a mischievous smile on her face. "You feeling okay?"

"Oi," he snapped, palms crackling in empty warning, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" she laughed. "I guess we really did get into a misunderstanding, huh?"

He had to fight to stop the smile from spreading across his face. "You're... pretty fucking amazing, Cheeks," he found himself saying before he could stop himself.

She raised a hand to her face. "Ch-cheeks?" He shrugged. "Well, I mean," she said, frowning and still touching one of her cheeks. "Hey, is my face really that round, Bakugou?"

"Yes." He grabbed her hand to stop her prodding at her face. "It's fucking cute, I like it." She just stared up at him and flushed again before letting her gaze fall on their joined hands.

He heart stuttered as he followed her gaze. He found himself running his thumb over her skin. It was as if something had broken inside him and now he was unable to stop himself expressing every feeling he had for her. It was so dangerous: he felt so threatened by this effect she had on him — and so comforted and protected at the same time. He wondered if she felt it too.

What now? he wondered, eyes meeting hers again.

"We'll figure it out," she said.