Conflict Resolution

Bakugo had figured things were good, things were finally clicking back into place. It had been weeks since he was last alone with Uraraka, and he missed feeling her warmth in the vicinity of his. Who cares if it's a hospital, he thought, Nurses probably see worse shit all the time.

However, his medical fantasy was short-lived by the one person who caused him eternal suffering.

Midoriya stood in the doorway, an embarrassed nurse beside him taking in the scene. Fierce emerald eyes traveled the pair, resting on Bakugo's very explosive hands near Uraraka's very sensitive places. Instead of being as embarrassed as the small nurse beside him, who immediately left the room after walking in, Midoriya marched in, throwing down the items in his hands in a nearby chair. Uraraka barely had time to register that he even brought gifts in, and she scrambled to make herself look somewhat presentable.

"Deku! W-what are you doing here?!" She asked nervously. Dummy, you know why he's here, her mind taunted back at her.

"I came to see you, just you." Midoriya muttered. Why is HE here? his thoughts were slowly being consumed by an undeserving jealousy.

"Surprise, nerd," Bakugo laughed loudly. Uraraka looked at him bewildered. Either he had no sense of shame, or he truly didn't care, but Bakugo was feeling on top of the world right now. It wasn't because he was two seconds from getting off in a hospital bed, but it was because he knew Midoriya held no reign over his relationship with Uraraka anymore. There was no confusion, there were no doubts, he had finally won a battle against Midoriya. "I'm here because I actually care about her." As cocky as he was, Uraraka could not deny that it suited him well, and her face flushed a little.

"I care about her too, y'know." Midoriya's brows furrowed a little, a look Uraraka rarely saw. She sighed, feeling an oncoming squabble from the two boys near her, and waved her weak arms around.

"Listen, guys-"

"I'm gonna do you one better, Cheeks," Bakugo stood, taking a few steps to place himself in direct violation of Midoriya's personal space. "I don't know what the hell you're doing here after an entire week, but whatever shit you came to barf up to her ain't gonna fucking work. This amazing, badass, did I mention AMAZING woman, no hero, risked her life out there and you, actually no, we fucked that up for her."

Uraraka's mouth dropped open. Did he really just admit that? She thought to herself, completely shocked. Yeah, it's true, Bakugo admitted to himself. And he was right, they did mess up and put Uraraka in a very dangerous situation. Bakugo, who beat himself up for two weeks about the fight, figured she wouldn't even be in the hospital if he would've put aside his huge ego for ten seconds. He did as much self-reflection as an 18-year-old could do in two weeks, and came to the conclusion that for an instance, he was wrong and it nearly cost a person their life.

This wasn't exactly a shocking revelation for all three teens, as they knew at this point in their lives, Bakugo could admit his wrongdoings, but it was the fact that his wrongdoing was in defense of someone other than himself that was surprising. Even Bakugo was sure that had this situation happened in their first year, he would've blamed Midoriya and Uraraka for their shitty choices, and he would have told them off for not letting him do all the work and succeed. He would've seen Midoriya's half-assed apology and cheap gifts as an insult to him, not to Uraraka, and he would've started a fight the first day Midoriya showed up in the hospital. But he didn't. He sat there, and he thought. He thought for days, not saying a single word to any of his peers, or even his parents. He thought about the kind of person he was, and decided that as brash, cocky, and stubborn as he was, he shouldn't let his personal traits weigh in on his external affairs with others. It wasn't even at the expense of Uraraka, her near-death experience was merely a catalyst, this was a thought he had for a few years, and during his two weeks of reflection, he thought about the time he failed the provisional license exam. He remembered the shitty kids he was forced to babysit alongside Todoroki, Inasa, and Camie, and the feeling of being humbled by a bunch of 5-year-olds haunted him ever since. He couldn't keep looking down on everyone around him, at some point he was going to have to grow the hell up and take accountability once or twice.

As much as Midoriya wanted this wave of change and reality check for Bakugo, he couldn't help but to feel like he was beginning to slide down a slippery slope once the blonde had admitted their mistake. He was supposed to be the one to apologize first, he had grown used to apologizing for Bakugo his entire life. It didn't feel right that right now, he wasn't the peacemaker, or the day-saver, he wasn't even an aid to the current conflict resolution that was being introduced into their problems. He was a contributor, an enabler, a villain of sorts. These thoughts made Midoriya sick to his stomach, and he sighed. Even if Uraraka still hadn't made up her mind, he knew any efforts after this point were futile. He would be reduced to a friend, if she even still wanted him in her life, and he messed up his chances with a person who really cared for him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bakugo leaned closer, baring his teeth in an act of dominance.

"I wasn't done, dumbass," Bakugo said harshly. "As much as I fucked up, which wasn't a lot compared to you, I was still here for her. I sat here every day, I talked to her parents, I waited for her. What the fuck did you do? You sat around doing God knows what, jerking around until you felt like she was okay, and when she wasn't you left and didn't return like a fucking deadbeat. I could've beat your ass worse than those villains did, but this isn't about you. It's about Ochako, and how bad you wanna piss your pants becoming a hero will never matter if you can't even care about your fucking 'friends' first." Tired with his rare rant, Bakugo sat back on the bed, arms crossed, posture tight, waiting for a response.

"I know, I just thought that maybe things could've been different." Midoriya flopped into the chair beside Uraraka's bed, throwing his head back.

"Different?" Uraraka peeked her head out from behind Bakugo.

"Could you like, give us some space, Kacchan?" Midoriya tilted his head up, any desire to be optimistic completely drained.

"Actually...I think all three of us need to have this conversation." Uraraka said. "I think the last thing we all need is another misunderstanding."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Midoriya chuckled quietly.

Bakugo sat on the hospital bed, positioned awkwardly as Midoriya and Uraraka talked through him. His position didn't waver, his expression didn't falter. He just sat there, and listened.

"I just kind of realized that I never stopped liking you," Midoriya started. His eyes trailed the ceiling as he spoke half-heartedly. "You were always there for me, we always had so much fun, we just clicked. But then..." He trailed off.

"You got into a relationship." Uraraka finished.

"...O, I only got into a relationship because you changed." Midoriya sat up in the chair, looking straight ahead. Bakugo and Uraraka tensed, and the blonde felt her grip the sheets tensely.

"What?" She asked quietly. No, no, no, this is not my fault. And since when did he call me 'O'? That was a one-time thing that failed like, two years ago, her mind was on a rampage. "No, this isn't my fault, and don't bring up that stupid nickname like it means something."

Bakugo, who thought it did mean something, relaxed slightly.

"Things changed our second year, you got distant. Mei was.."

"What? Always there, so much fun, you guys just clicked?" Uraraka repeated pettily.

"No, I-i'm just saying-"

"Saying what, exactly Midoriya? That when I finally realized I held the importance of a sidekick to you I shouldn't have romantic feelings for you?" Uraraka crossed her arms. Midoriya finally looked at her, extremely confused. She was acting different to him, normally she would've brushed it off, said a simple 'No, I get it," and heard him out. He didn't know where such a defensive attitude came from, but he was sure Bakugo had something to do with it.

"Uraraka, please, you're not hearing me out-"

"No, Deku, I think I'm hearing enough. Do you know how much it hurt me when you got into that relationship? You stopped being my friend, and I had no choice to but to suck it all up out of respect for Mei. It killed me then, and it sorta kills me now how you just walk back in when you see I'm dating Bakugo." Uraraka huffed.

Dating? Both boys questioned.

"It wasn't because of Kacchan, I just missed how we were, y-you can't tell me you don't miss those days." Midoriya looked at her, eyes already growing glassy. Uraraka softened a bit, and Bakugo grew annoyed.

The brunette was silent for a second, and Bakugo almost turned his head to look at her when he heard a slight sniffle.

"I...I do miss those days," She said quietly. She sniffed once again, and sighed. "But that's because those were the only times I felt like your actual best friend. Not your sidekick, or your destined soulmate or groupie or whatever, but like, your actual friend. And you just...threw it all away for her." Uraraka wiped her eyes quickly.

"I didn't throw it away,"

"You sure as hell didn't pick it back up. You didn't even try to see me while I was unconscious." Uraraka said harshly.

"I-I came twice, Ochako, i-it was hard for me to be around after what happened." Midoriya began sputtering, a tell-tale sign he had no further rebuttals.

"Hard for you? I nearly died, Midoriya." Uraraka stared at him intensely. She kept her intense stare, but her face softened after a while. "Look, I get it, okay," She said. Midoriya's heart lifted with hope. "But you weren't Bakugo. And you aren't him. At least he admitted where he went wrong, you've been making excuses this entire time. I don't wanna have to be second to my best friend." She said lowly.

"Uraraka...I don't think you're second to me..y-you're one of the strongest people I know," He said with a slight blush. "A-and I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way, honest."

"It's okay, I guess. I'll always be your friend, but you know that I can't be into you romantically anymore. It's just not the same." She said, gazing at Bakugo. And she was right, it wasn't the same. Watching Bakugo square up against Midoriya and take responsibility in her defense was by far one of the sweetest and most attractive things she had ever witnessed, and she knew she would never get that from Midoriya. That was the missing puzzle piece she had been searching for in her foundation, and it was in the form of a blonde in desperate need of anger management courses. Everything about him was right to her though, he was the right mix of protective combined with respective, even if he went a little too overboard in her defense. She honestly didn't blame either of them for her accident, she blamed herself for not being an adequate enough hero, but she knew both boys tried their hardest for her, and she loved them for that. Midoriya had his fair share of mistakes and flaws, and so did Bakugo, but there was something about his flaws she knew she could work in with her personality, and after seeing him try so hard for her, she couldn't give that up. She grabbed said blonde's arm, giving it a soft squeeze and warm smile when he turned to look at her.

Midoriya watched this small interaction and nodded, he knew things had been resolved. He was grateful Uraraka wanted to stay friends, even if she seem a bit too forgiving too quickly, but he wasn't going to complain. He watched Bakugo grab her hand from his shoulder and rub his thumb over it slowly, looking at her as if no one else existed. Midoriya had come to an understanding that this was good for Bakugo as well, and decided it wasn't his place to dump his feelings all over Uraraka as he had been for the past few weeks.

"Well, uh," Midoriya spoke up a bit too loudly. Bakugo and Uraraka snapped their heads up towards him. "I'm gonna get going, it seems like you two have a lot to um, get back to, I guess." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Midoriya got up, leaving the few gifts he brought in the chair and gave a small wave. "By the way, those are for you, if you want them." Then he excused himself.

Uraraka looked over at the red roses and pink teddybear gingerly. She sighed once again, shaking her head. My favorite roses are pink, but I guess some things never change. She thought to herself. Bakugo cleared his throat beside her.

"I mean, finally, he shut the fuck up. But he's right, we could get back to.." Bakugo smiled as he pushed her over in the bed. Uraraka laughed loudly.

"Oh gross, besides, I think your phone is ringing." She said, pushing him off. Bakugo pulled the buzzing phone out his pocket, a slew of texts from his mom came coming through. He went to put his phone back in his pocket when it rang again, this time signaling his mother was calling him, and he answered it hesitantly, getting up and crossing the room.

Uraraka watched him yell on the phone with his mother, who was concerned with his whereabouts when she smiled to herself. Just before his mother called, Uraraka had gotten a quick glimpse at Bakugo's phone, the lockscreen the picture of them together from the sleepover. Her smile grew wider thinking of that night, the way he held her close in his sleep, the way he looked at her when they woke up the next morning. A warm feeling in her chest surged, and as she looked over at Bakugo, she caught the last piece of his conversation.

"Yes, mom, I'm with her. She's doing fine, why the hell wouldn't she be?! Yeah, well, I don't choose fucking weaklings to be around. She's the greatest woman I've ever seen."