Chapter 10: Green with Envy

The past month had been a breeze for Bakugo and Uraraka. Their attraction to each other was mutual, they were always sneaking off to see each other, and the occasional weekends they had off from patrol duty was spent on little dates and outings.

They were not however, in a relationship.

They talked about it, of course, and it was decided that until Bakugo formally asked her, they would just be dating. It was simple, and something they could both align with their changing lives. It was now the middle of December, exam season, and holiday season. They had the last few months of their high school career to focus on, as well as make sure their internships were secure and ready to be promoted to a position at their respective agencies. There was a lot at stake, they didn't have time for distractions. Holding off on a relationship proved to be good for them, until it wasn't.

Bakugo sat in class, idly twirling his pencil around as Present Mic loudly droned on about English. He could care less about the class, he was passing with the highest grade, and extremely well-versed in the language. It was like this for most of his classes, he spent them half listening or doing the work quietly, wishing he was in training or in the gym or with Uraraka.

That last option was definitely on his mind. This entire month had been pure bliss for him. He woke up, went to school, fit in his internship or training afterschool, and relaxed with possibly the cutest girl at UA at the end of the day. He had a thing for routines, and this one went smoothly every. Single. Day. The best part about it? He never felt bored. He never got tired of walking into his dorm room with her already at his desk or on his bed doing homework, never got bored with their quiet conversations and their plain dates. He was genuinely happy, and nothing could take that away from him.

Almost nothing.

Bakugo noticed about 2 weeks ago that his biggest pain in the ass was an even bigger pain in the ass than normal. He would catch Deku jog up to Uraraka after classes to make some lame joke, or ask her to study with him. If she didn't immediately decline, she would always make study sessions in the common area, and Bakugo liked her so much more for that subtle example of consideration. So he knew the issue couldn't be Uraraka ending up indecisive in the near future, it was the green piece of shit that was trying his hardest to mess up something he wasn't ready to let go of.

"Bakugo?"

The blonde, ripped from his thoughts, turned at the sweet voice that had called him. There she was, in all her UA uniform glory, the reason he was distracted in the first place. Uraraka stood at his desk, rocking from foot to foot absentmindedly. "Are you ready to go eat lunch?" She asked, her wide brown eyes sparkling. He could just kiss her to death on the spot.

"Yeah, yeah, gimme a minute." He was shoveling his notes into his notebook when another voice, a shitty, annoying, still-cracking-even-though-it-was-still-18 voice.

"Hey...Uraraka? Do you wanna m-maybe eat lunch t-together?" Midoriya smiled at her sheepishly. An abrupt screeching noise occurred, and Bakugo was now standing between Deku and his precious Uraraka, glaring hard.

"Shouldn't you be in one of the support classrooms, kissing ass?" Bakugo snapped. Midoriya winced at the mention of the support class, the break he was supposed to be taking with Mei Hatsume had resulted in a break-up, one that he had been trying to move on from for the past month. Bakugo did not take kindly to Deku barging in on lunch plans like this, today was Thursday, and Thursday was the day he ate lunch with the Bakusquad and Uraraka, under the guise that she would join Mina.

"Oh c'mon Bakugo, lighten up. Sure Deku, I'd love to. We can catch up, it's been a while." Uraraka gave one of those fake smiles Bakugo had grown accustomed to, yet Midoriya took it with sincerity.

"Great! Let's go."

Uraraka gave a little wave, then gathered her things and turned to Midoriya. Bakugo watched them walk out of the classroom, then trailed behind closely. If he didn't already know the duality of Uraraka, he would've gladly blasted that nerd's head off. But he didn't, and he saved Uraraka the public embarrassment for yet another day.

Uraraka felt the glares. She could hardly eat her lunch with Bakugo's piercing gaze making her nervous. She returned to class, feeling the same intense gaze when a note was passed to her detailing a small inside joke that made her giggle, sent from Midoriya. The same gaze that made her ask to switch partners in training when she was paired with...Midoriya. The same gaze that didn't leave her side on that Thursday afternoon's patrol with Bakugo.

"Okay," She said briskly. "What's going on?" She finally turned to face the gaze, which was looking more like a pout.

"What are you going on about?" Bakugo pretended to be busy, snatching up some random kid running down the street.

"You're acting weird." Uraraka grabbed the kid and released him, after giving him a small pat on the head.

"Tch. You're acting weird." He recited.

Uraraka huffed, placing a hand on her hip in annoyance. "Seriously, Katsuki," She blushed, still not used to using his given name. But he had insisted, and she obliged if it made him stop yelling for 5 seconds. "You've been staring at me all day. Did I do something wrong?"

Bakugo sighed, realizing maybe he was putting a bit too much pressure on Uraraka. "No, it's just that shitty nerd."

"Deku? What about him?" They began walking down the street.

"Yes, Deku. I don't fucking like him around." Bakugo looked around, trying to observe any suspicious activity.

"You never do." Uraraka replied, looking around as well. An old man caught her eye, having a conversation with the kid they just encountered. She slowed her pace.

"Yeah, well I don't like him around you." Bakugo matched her pace, averting his gaze from the old man when he looked up from the kid. Something is weird about that guy.

"We're friends, how many times do I have to say this?" Uraraka turned to look at Bakugo, annoyed with his implication. The kid was now fully engaged in conversation with the old man, excitedly agreeing to something Bakugo couldn't hear.

"You, by some miracle," He started, slowly walking towards the old man. "Are his friend. He is sure as fuck not yours." He watched the old man pull what looked like a piece of candy from his pocket and offer it to the kid, who took it eagerly.

"What is that supposed to mean? You can't seriously be jealous, Katsuki-" She was cut off.

"Shut the hell up for a second."

"Excuse me?" She screeched. Bakugo shushed her, and nodded to the old man and the kid, who was now looking awfully tired after accepting the 'candy' from the old man. Uraraka watched as the kid stumbled a bit, the old man grabbing him and leading him the opposite direction. Her instincts kicked in, and she immediately initiated pursuit. Bakugo followed close behind her.

"Oi! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Bakugo shouted, the old man picking up the kid and taking off. For a fucking geezer, this guy sure is fast.

Bakugo sparked off a few explosions, propelling himself forward, but Uraraka saw the man's line of action before he did. An opening was coming up on the left, probably a small alley. Whatever it was, she was sure the old man was going to take it, and from that point the chase would become difficult. She ran past a public trash bin, touching it, rendering it weightless. She grabbed it and kept running, building up speed before hitting a swift cartwheel-like move and kicking the bin as she flipped. With no sense of gravity, the bin rocketed forward and as Uraraka returned upright, she pressed her hands together, releasing her quirk right before the trash bin made contact, the returned weight crashing into the man, knocking him over. Bakugo, who was already ahead of her, caught up to the man and seized him in one hand and snatched the disoriented child in the other. Uraraka was at his side moments later and sighed with a slight smile, patting Bakugo on the back.

"You know you have nothing to worry about right? We work so well together." She hefted the child on one hip, and whipped out her communication device to signal the proper authorities.

"I have everything to worry about with a dumbass like you," Bakugo grinned back at her. A flash of light caught their eyes, and they turned to see a camera before them.

"Can I get a few photos of you young heroes?" A slim blonde reporter asked. "You two did amazing back there." Bakugo and Uraraka looked at each other, briefly flashing each other a smile before accepting the reporter's offer.

Midoriya scrolled through the news app on his phone mindlessly while he, Todoroki, and Iida lounged in his room. Thursday was his day off from patrol, and while he usually would've been training, today he decide to stay in, feeling down. He had noticed Uraraka had been in the presence of Bakugo a lot more in the past month, and while he wasn't normally the one to judge, it made him uncomfortable seeing them together. After the fated truth or dare during their last game night, Midoriya couldn't get the image of Uraraka kissing Bakugo out of his head. He wanted to be the one that was kissing her, the one she ate lunch with on Thursdays. He wanted her.

And while he hated to admit it, he was jealous. His feelings for her never faded after their first year, just replaced by what, saving the world, or something a few times. Sure, he had dated someone else in that timeframe, and while Mei was a great girlfriend, and provided a lot of firsts for him, she was ultimately just as preoccupied with her career as he was, and requested they take a break from dating until they were sure to have time for each other. That break, initiated a month ago right before the slumber party, turned into a break-up a week later, and Midoriya was lost. He spent the subsequent weekend figuring out what really mattered to him, when he stumbled across a picture of his self-proclaimed Dekusquad from their first year. The first thing he noticed was himself and Uraraka, her holding up a cute peace sign next to Tsu as he held her waist. He hovered over the picture for minute, noticing how happy they all looked, how happy she looked. Things were so much easier then, even when he couldn't form a coherent sentence in her presence. She was so happy, so bright, and most importantly interested in him. He missed the days the gang would hang around the dorm on the weekends, drinking milkshakes and telling funny stories. The sleepovers they had in Tsu's room, the naps they all shared after training exercises. Uraraka was beside him through it all, blindly following him wherever he went.

Part of him regretted never making an official move, and his face scrunched up in disgust as a picture of the Uraraka and Bakugo appeared on his newsfeed. There she was, beautiful and strong as ever, holding a drowsy-looking child, next to Bakugo, hold a disheveled and gross-looking old man. She was smiling at the camera, happy and goofy as ever, and he was smiling softly at her, a warmness Midoriya had never seen from his blonde rival. His heart sank and he sighed loudly, causing Todoroki to ask him if were alright. Midoriya replied with a brief "Mhmm," and stared at his phone. Though the child was clearly a victim, the sight of him on Uraraka's hip alongside Bakugo gave the picture a weirdly domestic feel, and he hated the way his feelings of jealousy stirred within him. That was supposed to be him in that picture, supposed to be fighting crime with her by his side, just like they did when they were first-years. Now she spent her days sneaking around with Bakugo, as if he couldn't see them, or hear them, he stayed next to Bakugo. He could hear her muffled giggles grow silent for a few minutes to return again, and he found himself listening to music or going for a run whenever she came over. It was agonizing for him to witness them fall for each other like this, when he had feelings for her the entire time. The picture stared back at him, reminding him he would never be as good as the blonde he so desperately looked up to. No matter what Midoriya did, he always felt like he came up short whenever it came to Bakugo.

Rolling off his bed, he told Todoroki and Iida he was going to head down to get some water, and he would be back shortly. The two boys hummed in agreeance. Walking down to the elevator, Midoriya looked out the window at the end of the hall, gentle rain drops beginning to fall in the cold December air. He sighed once again, and headed into the elevator.

When he arrived downstairs, the common area was empty, quiet, save for the growing raindrops falling outside. Midoriya walked through to the open kitchen, remembering the nights he would tease Uraraka for her mediocre cooking, laughing when she would throw a spare ingredient in retaliation. He opened the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and an orange, closed the door, and was headed out of the kitchen when a pair of voices caught his attention.

He heard Bakugo's gruff voice first, and scoffed in annoyance, stopping when he heard Uraraka's laugh. It twinkled and danced through the quiet room, filling Midoriya's heart with warmth. He stepped further back in the kitchen, hoping they hadn't already noticed him. They stepped fully into the dorms, wet with the fresh rain.

"How was I supposed to know it was going to rain?" Uraraka laughed again, taking a step into the common area. Midoriya crouched behind the kitchen counter.

"Serves your dumbass right for wanting to walk home." Bakugo replied, following her. They took off their coats and sat down on one of the couches, Bakugo putting his arm around Uraraka.

"What can I say," She scooted close to him. "I like the view."

"I'm sure you do," Bakugo whispered, Midoriya could barely hear him respond. He figured he should leave before anything happened, but he would have to walk past the two to do so, and he didn't feel like explaining exactly why he was hiding behind the kitchen counter when Bakugo had already rubbed it in his face he had Uraraka's attention. So he sat there, and continued listening, even though his mind wished he didn't have to sit through their flirting.

He couldn't hear voices after a few minutes, and peeked his head around the corner of the counter to make sure the coast was clear.

It was not.

There Bakugo and Uraraka sat, deep in a makeout session. Midoriya almost clamped his hand over his mouth when he remembered the bottle of water and orange in his hands, and he returned to his position fully behind the counter. His face was bright red, and even though he had his fair share of makeouts, he never witnessed one outside of his own, much less with the girl he was just thinking about. It was both extremely awkward and hurtful, and Midoriya wondered what would get him out of this situation. He heard the shifting of weight on the couch, assuming someone had topped the other, and figured he was going to be stuck for a while. He sat through the muffled giggles of Uraraka, the occasional smooching sounds, and the continuous shift of weight on the couch. It wasn't until he heard Uraraka let out a soft moan that he realized he needed to leave, when a cough ended any and all sounds. Midoriya shifted to peek again, but Uraraka spoke up first.

"Kirishima! Again?" She questioned quietly.

Again? Midoriya asked himself. Just how long had this been going on, and more importantly, Kirishima knew?

"Can I catch a fucking break for once?" Bakugo growled, and Kirishima laughed in response.

"Could you guys try to be discreet for once? I mean, I know you guys aren't official, but damn." Kirishima joked around.

Not official? Midoriya thought. Maybe he did have a chance, after all.

"Yeah yeah," Bakugo said. "You need something, or you just like being a dick?"

"The gang's holed up outside your room, asking where you are. It's Thursday night study sesh, remember?" Kirishima said, Midoriya listening to his footsteps grow louder as he neared the kitchen. He began to panic, if Kirishima caught him, there was no way he was getting out of this mess.

"Shit, I forgot." Bakugo sighed, sitting up. Midoriya wondered how caught up was Bakugo if he could forget something like that. He saw a bright red shoe out of the corner of his eye, assuming it was Kirishima's. He held his breath.

"Sheesh Uraraka, what are you doing to this guy, huh?" Kirishima asked lightheartedly, earning a laugh from said anti-gravity girl. "Anyways, I'm gonna head back up after I get some snacks."The red shoes were less than a foot away now, Midoriya daring to take a breath behind the counter. If Kirishima took one or two more steps...

"There ain't shit down here but some oranges or whatever disgusting fruit that fuckin nerdy ass Deku enjoys," Bakugo started. An insulted Midoriya heard what he assumed to be Bakugo standing up. "i've got some shit in my room, but you dickheads better not eat it all like last time!" He roared as Kirishima took off to the elevators.

"Sweet! You always have the best snacks, bro." Kirishima's voice trailed off. Midoriya peered around the corner one last time, seeing Uraraka and Bakugo face each other.

"You wanna come by or somethin'?" Bakugo asked, rubbing the back of his head, looking down.

Is he nervous? Midoriya couldn't believe his eyes.

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly. That's your time with your friends." Uraraka declined politely.

"You know they don't mind you being there, right? And if anyone did have a fuckin problem I'd-"

"I know, you'd blast their damn head off or something." Uraraka laughed.

Since when did she curse?

Midoriya watched Bakugo lean down and kiss Uraraka on the forehead.

"That's my girl." He whispered, causing Uraraka to blush.

Even though he was still going to try his hardest to win Uraraka over one last time, Midoriya couldn't help but to feel as if he already lost. He watched them turn and leave, and let out the breath of relief he'd been holding in for so long. Uraraka whipped her head around, and Midoriya hid quickly. He heard Bakugo ask her something, and her muffled reply, then the distinct 'ping' of the elevator. Standing up, he sighed and ran a hand through his curly green hair. Green as the envy growing in his being.

It should've been me, Midoriya thought to himself.