Hey! So, it's been a minute since I've last written fanfiction, I was once a closeted weeb at 13 and now at 20 I've decided to officially come out after binging BNHA fanfics for the past 3 months. Anyways, I recently fell in LOVE with Kacchako, I didn't think I would love and understand the ship so much. Here's a small little love story, I may add on if it becomes deep enough.

Cheers!

Chapter 1: Acknowledgement.

Ochako Uraraka was a relatively plain girl. She had her traits, but at the core of her very being, she was just another 17-year-old girl trying to become a hero. Her classmates liked her, she was liked among a few pro heroes, and she was pretty decent in her studies. As her high school career passed, Uraraka narrowed down her goals to simply heroics, abandoning the long-dead crush she had on her best friend Izuku Midoriya. To go pro was the main idea for Uraraka, and while her initial intentions were for financial stability, deep down Ochako knew that she liked to help people. She liked seeing the smile on people's faces when heroes came about, knowing that their mere presence put the general public at ease. So while maintaining her dedication to keeping her family afloat, Uraraka promised herself to be there for anyone in need.

Even if that meant her best friend's sole rival.

Katsuki Bakugo was, at the very least, a manageable person. Since first enrolling at UA High School, Bakugo's infamous temper and larger-than-life ego shrunk considerably to the point where his classmates could have, at the most, 2-minute conversations without having their entire existence threatened into oblivion. And honestly for Bakugo, that was a huge amount of personal growth. He despised his classmates upon entering high school, and used every fiber of his being to make sure they knew they were all equally (except Kirishima) hated. They were all useless and easy competition, just extras in his journey to becoming the next (and best) Number 1 Hero.

So it was a bit of a shock when Bakugo found himself literally knee-deep in some shit, and the only person who could possibly help him was Uraraka.

Not that he needed help. Of course he never needed help. It was just in that moment, help was the only option he had.

Part of becoming a proficient hero in a society full of the sort was enrolling in a proper hero high school, earning a provisional license, and then the real thing. Bakugo and Uraraka could count the first 2 off their lists, respectively knowing that Bakugo took every aspect of his training very seriously after failing the exam for the provisional license the first time. Uraraka passed with ease, and many of her classmates found that as a hero, Uraraka was generally a comforting and safe entity, meaning that while her technical combat skills and quirk weren't all that flashy, she was a well-liked and needed type in the hero world.

And honestly, Bakugo hated that about her. It wasn't her appearance, or even her quirk, it was her average-ness that he hated. He thought that for the most part, Uraraka was an attractive (as far as women go) and talented young woman, and he valued her potential as a pro hero. Of course he would never tell her that, as he would never tell several of his other classmates such as Tokoyami, Asui, Kirishima, Denki, and even Mina that their quirks held many possible opportunities for them to be the second best to him.

But there was something else about Uraraka that Bakugo found himself discovering in their third year. He didn't really know what it was at the time, but he knew that for the first time in their high school career, that she finally caught his attention.

He acknowledged her directly. And he pointed out that in this very rare instance of acknowledgement, that he was wrong.

"I'm sorry. Please just help me Uraraka."

The brunette turned at that statement. The Katsuki Bakugo had addressed her by anything other than a physical characteristic/quirk. She had no choice but to help him, it was a personal promise to help anyone in need after all. But she was not one to miss an opportunity when it fell open to her.

"If you're the greatest, you should be able to help yourself. After all, you never need anyone but yourself." She turned away. The sight behind her was one to certainly document, because if it came from the mouth, no one would ever believe it. There, one of the strongest of the current Big Three of UA sat helpless and utterly at the misery of a petty thief in the middle of Japan. By sheer luck, if one could call it that, Bakugo found himself in a predicament where he desperately needed Uraraka's quirk to free himself, and if he didn't, he faced grave danger.

It was really only a grave danger to Bakugo. That was important to note. The only real danger he was in was impromptu sexual harassment, only at the level of a slight peck on the lips by his kidnapper. While the kiss itself wasn't truly a threat to Bakugo, his pride was ultimately in danger of being shattered in front of one of the most genuine classmates he ever had. And for some reason, he couldn't let that happen, not in front of Uraraka. He didn't really understand why, but he knew that the few people he did have some respect for were never allowed to see him fail. So in this situation, in which Bakugo and Uraraka were confronted by a known thief/Bakugo fan-girl during a simple patrol assignment, Bakugo had reason to believe that at no expense would his reputation be spared.

Even if it meant beating up a deranged fan.

Unfortunately for the pair, the girl had a liquefying quirk, and she successfully timed her quirk release on the second Bakugo made impact on the after an airborne attack. He sank into the asphalt, and was stuck from the elbow down into the ground. One arm strapped to his side, the other bent with his hand stuck palming the ground, and 75% of his body solidified into the ground, he was certainly trapped, with little room or sweat to activate his explosive quirk. He did figure though, if he could get just one powerful enough explosive out of his "free" hand, Uraraka could cancel his gravity and he could float out a big enough hole in the ground before it was liquified and hardened again. The problem was, the anti-gravity heroine had no interest in freeing her partner immediately, stuck somewhere between teaching him a lesson and wanting to satisfy her own ego by taking down a criminal on her own.

Quite frankly, Uraraka didn't want the fan to get her weird request and steal a kiss from Bakugo while he sat screaming from the asphalt because one, consent was very important, and two, something about the fan's determination to get to Bakugo disturbed her. How could a girl accused of petty theft a number of times be an ultimate fan girl of a hero, and more importantly why that hero out of all of the ones currently active. There was nothing too special about Bakugo that Uraraka felt deserved a die-hard fan. She found him attractive (as far as men go), and yes he was very intelligent and skilled in combat, rescue, and problem-solving, but his attitude and temper were huge turn-offs. He made himself a disagreeable person, and often times, Ochako found herself asking if that was intentional or just another product of his superiority complex.

So in this particular case, she took it upon herself to handle things while the blonde screamed obscenities at her.

"You stupid extra! You dumbass round-faced brat! You know I don't need you right? I never needed you, that damn Deku, or anyone else from UA! You all will look up to me one day and wonder where the hell your shitty lives went wrong!" Bakugo screamed at the top of his lungs, and Uraraka wondered why the hell he never lost his voice during these times where he was so….unhinged.

"Fine. Maybe I should just go back to UA, and send Deku to assist you." Uraraka's comment sent Bakugo over an edge she thought he crossed long ago.

"You send that damn nerd over anytime you can't fix your own shit, no wonder he gave up on you after our first year." The words practically jumped out of his mouth with pure malicious intent.

Uraraka knew that deep down as a hero, she actually did love helping people, but she wasn't going to let her love for compassion override her demand for basic respect.

"Find someone else to deal with your shit, almighty Ground Zero."

Bakugo gaped at his partner, feeling her new wave of disgust with his attitude hit him full force. Her use of his hero name unnerved him, usually she was pretty cordial with him because they weren't total enemies. In that moment, Bakugo actually took the time to study Uraraka. He felt her change in demeanor, a determined, angry, and somewhat hurt expression on her face despite her rather sarcastic retort as she faced away from him. Her posture was stiff, yet quick to react, signaling her state of pure defense and strength. Bakugo felt a strange feeling in his gut, one that made him question why he admired the way her body stood tall in such a short frame, or why even admired her body at all. She posted herself in a way that made her physically intimidating, her shoulder-length brown hair barely moving in the slight breeze. Her deep brown eyes shone brightly, and Bakugo could almost taste the tension from the shifted power dynamic. He was thrown off yet interested by her coldness, as she was usually a bubbly and cheerful spirit. Uraraka looked back at Bakugo one last time before attempting to take care of the problem at hand, and she looked at him with pity instead of anger. She was saddened by his stubbornness, and hoped that this predicament would've at least triggered another moment of personal growth for Bakugo, but she ultimately figured she was wrong about him, and told herself that some things never change.

She was wrong however. Wrong about her personal opinions, but not wrong about the moment of growth Bakugo was about to exhibit. With one last huff, and a quick hair flip, Uraraka took a step away from Bakugo, leaving him stuck in the ground to fend for himself. For some reason, the blonde couldn't accept his defeat that easily, and he made a rash decision to swallow his pride and apologize. He figured maybe if he apologized, Uraraka would free him, and he could take back his reputation and earn a quick win fighting the criminal. A quick win/win type of deal for all parties, some quick conflict resolution. What he did not piece together however, was how quickly his life would change once he uttered his humble apology. So without further hesitation, Bakugo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"I'm sorry. Please, just help me Uraraka."

And in that small moment where both teens caught each other's eye, they briefly realized their relationship was never going to be the same.

All it took was a simple, yet honest, acknowledgement.