Free Fall
by the Black Rose
AN: Written for the Camp Kacchako birthday fic exchange. For Bunty Bunny.
Monday 9:21am
...
"We're here, embarking on a journey with celebrity Ochako Uraraka, everyone's favorite 'girl next door'. This," the vlogger pointed to the sign above the door. It read: Dynamite Gym. "Is a fight studio. Why is our good girl here? Stay tuned to The Lunar Club - for just a little extra TLC in your entertainment news!"
The video camera pitched at an awkward angle; Hilde Scheibecker caught the door to the studio before it collided with her cameraman. Triton Bloom wedged his slouchy hightop in the doorway and used his knee to move the panel aside.
Already inside the facility, the star of their vlogger expose and 'day in the life', Ochako Uraraka stood with her arms crossed. The presumed-to-be good natured actress frowned up at the rugged, and very fine male specimen currently glaring at her.
"I told you nine o'clock." He growled; a deep, masculine sound rumbled in his chest. Hilde pressed a hand to her neck. His blond hair stuck in every direction; his black tanktop exposed chiseled arms and couldn't hide the well-formed musculature of his chest and shoulders.
"I got here as soon as-"
"Go home." He pointed to the door. "If you can be here on time tomorrow, maybe I won't change my mind."
"Excuse me?"
"You're wasting my time, round cheeks."
"Ex-cuse me?" She stomped her small foot and leaned into his personal space.
Hilde hissed under her breath at her cameraman. "Please tell me you're-"
He gave her a thumbs up sign. The vlogger let out a breath and said a quiet 'thank you' to the Lord above. 'This is going to be SO GOOD!'
She grinned to herself. 'Little miss perfect herself. Show the fans what you're really made of.'
Ochako's chin jutted out. Her normal brunette bob had grown long enough for her to pull it up into a ponytail. "We agreed you would train me."
"We also agreed that you would take it seriously. It's not play time."
"I am taking it seriously."
"You're twenty minutes late. I have better things to do."
"Then I'm not paying you for today." She straightened. Her normally petite form had been commented on by the media so often, there were rumors the actress had sought out a support group for eating disorders.
Unlike the last time Hilde had run into the late twenties media darling, Ochako's features held a healthy pallor. Her hips a bit curvier; she wore a pair of running shorts over her workout tights.
"Good. Get out." The martial arts trainer growled. The actress had hired him to help her get ready for her breakout role: My Assassin Girlfriend, a story about a guy who finds out his perfect girlfriend leads a secret life as an assassin.
'Katsuki Bakugou. A legend in the martial arts competitive circuit, he often gets called in to quality productions to add realism - and viciousness - to fight scenes. I've not heard of him training a newbie before.'
"What's your problem?" Ochako's feminine voice held a firm timbre. "You said you would-"
"Look, pink cheeks." He straightened his posture and ran a hand over his chin. "This little routine of yours may work with Hollywood types, but I don't care. Not for your money, your excuses, or your-"
"I think you're afraid of actually working."
"What the-"
"How hard is it to just adjust some already talented fighter's form?" She waved a dismissive hand at him. "Or pretend fight with them?"
Bakugou's features darkened. But, Ochako Uraraka had made a name for herself by taming the 'bad boy' with her affable vulnerability and doe-eyed innocence.
'This is totally off-brand for her. I love it!'
"The best teachers can take on any student - not the ones that are already advanced - and make that person good. I thought you were supposed to be the best. But, maybe Deku meant that-"
"You show up late and then!" The martial arts instructor's face turned red and purple. "Twenty pushups. Now. And if you're still able to move your arms, do twenty more."
"I'll do fifty." She knelt down on the vinyl mat.
He leaned over her, but kept his arms crossed against his chest. "Stop running your mouth and get to work!"
Hilde glanced over at her cameraman. One side of his mouth curved up as he met her gaze; wheat colored eyebrows disappeared beneath his unique mop of hair. Hilde nodded and leaned back against the wall.
'Ochako Uraraka, professional sweetheart - not only has she managed to finally break typecast, she has a temper.'
She let her gaze travel over the martial arts instructor that Ochako had hired - against the movie studio's directions. His tall, broad physique and shock of blond hair, he was everything that his student's image wasn't: brash, physically imposing, loud.
'But, he's not hard on the eyes.' She let her eyes take in the man's imposing physique. Something about the attitude sold the entire package as devastatingly handsome. Hilde swallowed against a warm lump in the back of her throat.
Thick quad muscles bulged beneath the hem of his shorts; she leaned to her right to get a look at his glutes. 'Not bad,' the vlogger caught herself nodding in approval. She glanced over at Triton. He rolled his eyes.
'Ass.' Hilde glared at him.
Ochako finished her first set of twenty pushups. Beads of sweat already dotted her forehead and her upper arms.
He stood over her. "Thirty more - for running your mouth."
She set her jaw and returned to the strenuous effort.
Hilde hugged her arms across her chest. She fought the laughter from bubbling through her lips.
'This is going to launch me into the big time. Ochako Uraraka finally found herself a leading man. And I'm going to capture it all on my vlog. Every. Beautiful. Contentious. Moment.'
Monday 11:47am
...
"Oh my God, my arms just want to fall off and never work again." The actress flung herself, a little too dramatically, onto her overstuffed couch. Her arms remained stiff at her sides; she laid very still.
Hilde rolled her eyes. 'Of course. Now, we have to play the part of the sweet and guileless girl next door.'
"I was warned he was a hardass, but Deku didn't say he was a horse's ass, too." She lifted her head up and glanced at Hilde from across the room. "You're not filming this, right?"
The vlogger tilted her head and shot her a look. "Uh, yeah. The whole time, actually."
She groaned. "You'll at least edit it?"
"Editing is part of the process, but that was your first fight lesson. Your fans want to see it! In fact, they'll pretty much demand it."
"And I was horrible. And that man is horrible."
Triton's deep monotone broke in. "You could quit."
"No way!" She shot to her feet. "Not even if I have to spend the next six months duct taped to his side. I need him to teach me to fight like a pro."
"There are worse guys you could be duct taped to." Hilde grinned at the actress.
"I can't think of any."
"He's good-looking at least."
"Like that matters!"
"If you're duct taped to someone, it might."
"It was a figure of speech." Her complexion turned a lively pink. Hilde swallowed a grin.
"He's fierce. I need to learn to be that fierce. All anyone ever sees in me is that I'm cute. I don't want to complain, because I love my fans. But, I want to be taken seriously!"
"I don't think that guy knows any other mode besides 'serious'. How'd you get him to take you on? I heard he doesn't usually work with amateurs. Amateur fighters, I mean."
"We have a friend in common. He grew up with my friend Deku. They went to elementary school together."
"The serial entrepreneur and financial backbone of Shield Enterprises?" Triton asked.
"His wife's company, yeah, but that's the one!"
"And how do you know 'Deku'? Anything to tell your viewers?"
"Of course not!" She scowled. No lively blush this time.
"Deku and I were never like that. He just said he's been a big fan," Ochako shrugged, "since my first movie. We're around the same age, and as you probably remember, I landed my breakout role in 'Dream Girl', when I was fifteen." She moved across the open living room concept of her small Hollywood home - towards the kitchen. "I need some iced tea. Anyone else?"
"Sweet, overlooked, Beth Anne Catterton wants to win the heart of the most popular boy in school," Triton's deep voice held a hint of humor to it. "But, maybe the class delinquent hasn't overlooked her at all."
"Yeah, you know, it kinda got billing as just another teen movie," the actress called over her shoulder as she opened the fridge. "But, I thought the angle with the class delinquent learning how to be vulnerable - had more depth than it got credit for."
Hilde shrugged. "It was a hit, either way."
"True, but, you misunderstand. That was Deku's analysis. How he approached me." She pulled open a cabinet. "We've been good friends ever since."
The vlogger nodded slowly. "I see. He saw something in the performance most people didn't." She considered the weathered copper top of the coffee table while their host continued to rustle around her kitchen.
"Or at least, the movie wasn't given enough credit for."
"He said it really spoke to him. I don't know. Usually, those types of things happen when people can see themselves in the characters." The sound of an ice maker churning out ice into glass tumblers.
"But, I don't know, to this day, why he connected with that movie."
Hilde signaled to her cameraman to wrap it up. "Yeah, well, neat story. We'll be back on Thursday, right?"
Ochako brought three glasses of iced tea and settled them on the coffee table. "Yeah, of course. We did say two times a week."
Triton nodded. "Thanks for the tea." He drained the glass in three sips. The tall man with striking good looks packed the video camera into a large, black bag. Hilde grabbed her glass and watched her partner put away their gear.
Her cameraman shouldered the duffle, and rose to his full height.
"You ready?" Hilde asked her partner, unable to keep her eyes from tracing the chiseled jaw, and broad shoulders. She didn't have to imagine what it felt like to run her lips over the roughened skin of his cheek and neck.
A slight tilt of his mouth.
Hilde caught her breath. She knew that look…. The vlogger stared at Triton.
"Ms. Uraraka." He extended his hand.
"Oh, you can call me Ochako. Uh, Triton, right?"
He nodded. "You mentioned you and your friend Deku are the same age."
"Yeah. Obviously not required for people to-"
"And you also mentioned that Katsuki Bakugou went to school and was in the same class as your friend."
"Uhhhh, yeah, that's right. They were in the same grade from first grade through high school, I be-"
Her cameraman shrugged the bag higher on his shoulder. "I wonder if he considered that guy a delinquent back then. He was, by some accounts - often getting detention for fighting."
"I mean," she sipped at her tea; the actress stared into the glass. "I suppose it's possible. I'm not really sure why that would be important?"
"You don't, Beth Anne Catterton?"
Thursday 8:07am
...
Hilde knocked on Ochako's front door a good half hour earlier than she arrived on Monday. "Come in!" The actress shouted.
The vlogger pushed open the door in time to catch a whirlwind mid-flight. Ochako, dressed in black tank top and workout tights, whooshed across her living room, came back with shoes. She placed them on the coffee table, and jogged back towards her room.
"Someone's lit a fire under her this morning," she mumbled to Triton. The actress's footsteps clopped against the wood floor.
"You ready?" She grabbed her shoes and spun towards Hilde; her brown hair sat atop her head - pulled up in a messy ponytail. The vlogger caught her breath. The actress sported an ugly green and purple bruise beneath her left eye.
"What happened to you?" Hilde's heart hammered in her ears. 'Oh God, do I need to call-'
"No time, I'll explain on the way." She tugged the vlogger's arm and pulled her towards the door.
"You have bruises all over your arm. Is he? Is he hurting you?"
She laughed. "I'm learning how to fight. Did you think I'd do that with knitting needles?" The actress whisked past her through the front door.
"Actually, he could probably weaponize knitting needles." Triton offered, in a quiet voice teeming with snark.
Hilde shot him what she hoped was a scathing look.
"They could be lethal," Triton said with a shrug.
"You're not helping." She hurried after the actress; Ochako tread the length her driveway to meet her driver at the iron gate.
"Seriously. Are you ok?"
"I'm fine. But, we're going to be late if you two don't get your asses in gear." She knocked on the window as a signal to unlock the door to the silver car. "Come on!"
'Asses?' she mouthed to her cameraman.
That little smirk appeared on his features. He tilted his head and grabbed the car door - holding it for his two female companions.
Thursday 8:33am
...
Triton sat across from the two women as the older style limousine drove the group across town. Hilde used the chance to catch up on the actress's life.
"So, you've been enjoying your training sessions, I take it?" She glanced at the martial arts student. "What have you learned so far?"
"I think 'enjoying' might be overshooting it a bit." She curled a piece of hair around her index finger as she stared out the window. "But, I think it's really good for me."
"Oh? Cause no offense, you look a bit," Hilde darted a glance at Triton, "rough."
"What she means is you look like hell."
"Triton!" Hilde's foot connected with his shin. He didn't give her the satisfaction of wincing.
"I'm just saying. When we first met her, she had to have perfect hair, perfect makeup. Manicured nails. And now she's sporting a black eye, her hair is mussed; she has bruises and chipped nails."
"I can't worry about my nails!" She scowled at her reflection in the window glass. "I need to figure out how to take his ass down a peg. He's so!" She growled.
"SMUG! I want to wipe that smirk-y I'm-better-than-everyone smirk off his face." She punched the leather seat beside her.
"He's a champion fighter, no offense. I mean, in a way, you're lucky. Not only does he not take on amateurs, but the studio expressly told you to stay away from him. He is, in their minds, a liability."
"Yeah, something about a set catching fire." She turned and met Hilde's gaze. "I dunno. How do they pick the fist-fighting stunt coordinator? Sounds more like special effects gone wrong…."
"I've heard that there were numerous complaints of abuse and belligerent language."
"Not hard to imagine. I think those people," Ochako turned back to the window, "didn't understand him, though."
"Oh?"
"He pushes so hard because he wants me to be the best. He knows what I'm up against: a long history of nice girl roles. People," she sighed, "make a lot of assumptions based on the roles a person plays."
"Well, of course. So," Hilde felt a sly smile pull at her lips and quickly quashed it. "Wanna tell us what assumption people make about you that is just, flat wrong?"
"Hmmmm." She glanced down at her hands. "There's actually quite a few, to be honest. But. I think complaining about it too much is disrespectful to my fans." She stifled a yawn. "Thing is. If I don't figure out how to change. Then I could ruin the movie. People won't find it believable that I could fight. That's why your piece is so important."
Hilde tapped her chin. "You've always known exactly how to manage your career. Smart. Show the good girl's transformation as a kind of 'side story' to the whole project. Catalonia Productions is known for having the salacious Hollywood gossip, meaning it's guaranteed to get the right level of hype and attention."
"And we benefit because whether the movie's a hit or not, it's bound to have tons of advertising. Does well, people want to know how she did it. Doesn't do well, people look for the videos to laugh at her," Triton, ever the pragmatist, said with a shrug. "We win either way."
"There is one thing I wonder about, though."
"Hm? What's that?" Ochako blinked and shook her head. She glanced at Hilde, then Triton.
"If Beth Anne Catterton falls for the delinquent, again, does it undo all your effort to change your image?"
Two Weeks Later...
Thursday, 9:27am
"Punch like a badass, Cheeks! Not some weakling!" Bakugou held up a rectangle foam pad with both hands.
"I'm gonna punch you. Weakling, my ass!" Ochako stepped forward and threw her fist into the center of the block.
"You'll have your chance."
"Oh, you're gonna stop being a pansy and fight me?" She threw another punch. Bakugou's arm muscles rippled as they absorbed the shock of the impact.
"She's got the smacktalk down." Triton mumbled to Hilde. They'd already been instructed not to distract Ochako during her class - or the Dynamite Gym owner would physically remove them from his property.
An acrid smell of sweat hung in the air. There were times that Hilde wanted to escape the stagnant heat and overpowering scent.
"He's not going to go easy on her."
"No. You're right. But, this. She's throwing everything she's got into those strikes. I love the focus. And it's sheer tenacity on her face."
"And still borderline amusement on his."
Hilde gestured at the two combatants. "And yet, I'd bet good money that if we did a little digging, we'd find out he's a fan."
"No other reason he takes her on as a client. He's probably subbed to her official fanclub and writes RPF." His lips pressed together, but they curved up for a moment - before he managed to stifle the mirthful expression.
"RPF?"
"You've never heard of Real Person Fanfic?"
Hilde clamped a hand over her mouth as she swallowed a laugh. Her body heaved with the strong desire to cackle. It took everything she had not to make a sound. She focused on the mat; stared at it and willed the giggles away.
The blue vinyl flooring stretched for several meters in a large rectangle. Clearly a permanent fixture, and likely affixed to the subfloor - it ran from wall to wall. Directly in her line of vision lay a few gym towels around a quaking puddle of water.
"You'd think for a badass fighter who'd won so many tournaments, his facility would be better cared for. I can't believe they're working on one side of the mat because his water fountain was leaking." She sighed. "She really could do better than this guy."
"I often wonder why women pick men who seem beneath them. But, in their case," he shrugged. "The tension on both sides is palpable."
"Isn't it fantastic?" She grinned up at Triton and wriggled her eyebrows. "It's even better than it was the first day. Oh, I wonder how long before they just stop pretending and start sucking face?"
"If it's up to him?"
"Yeah?"
"Not until her training is over. That guy has one mode, one speed, and a focus so singular it's practically a religion."
"Huh?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "Haven't you watched his tournaments?"
"No. Why do I care what kind of idiotic head smashing he does? Boring."
"One of us needed to research the guy."
"Did you learn anything of actual use?"
"Depends on what you find," he arched an eyebrow, "useful."
"Strike! Strike! Kick! Again. Like you mean it this time!"
"Come on, let's take a break." Hilde pulled Triton out of the self-styled 'dojo'. They exited the building, and camped just outside the large window. A breeze swept against the entertainment vlogger's skin.
"So. Spill."
Triton shrugged. "He's an interesting guy."
"Can't you ever deliver news in a normal fashion? Seriously. Or is this your way of trying to get 'payment'?"
A slow grin spread across his features. He leaned down, into Hilde's personal space. "What kind of payment?"
"Ha ha ha. If it's good. You know I make it worth your while." Cold beads of sweat pricked her skin. Their friends-with-benefits situation, while occasionally entertaining, was starting to feel...wrong.
"How about now?" His arm slid around her waist. "I'm getting worked up watching that display."
"Are you?"
"Women exerting themselves give off a certain," he whispered against her lips, "glow."
She pushed him away. "You just like her tights."
"I maintain it's an atmospheric thing. There's a lot of primal dominance happening in there."
"So, tell me already."
"Hah, so, some of it, you already know," he leaned back against the glass. "Seventeen global martial arts' titles, a part time career as a Hollywood fight coordinator. But, here's where it gets good."
Hilde crossed her arms. Over Triton's shoulder, she caught sight of Ochako slumping over the water fountain in the corner. 'She always brings her own water bottle. And Vital-Aid.'
"Hey. You still with me?"
"Getting bored." Hilde watched the actress pick up a gym towel from the floor. She slung it aside. It moved like it was heavy.
"Founder of a halfway house for kids on the run."
"Say what?"
"Anonymous donor. Funnelled through Shield Enterprises."
"I mean, that's nice of him, but plenty of-"
Triton held up his phone. "That's him. Building the facility. Guy's got a few million bucks and he not only helps out at his own charity - working with the kids. He put the backbreaking effort in to lay concrete, erect walls. Paint."
Hilde opened her mouth, but no sound came out. 'That guy?'
"He apparently teaches the kids how to fight, as an outlet." He shoved his phone closer.
"What are you-" She took the device from him; sure enough, several pictures of Katsuki displayed in varying stages of the building construction - he was never looking at the camera.
"The pictures and the article were contributed by a Eijiro Kirishima. Shortly after this article gets published, the entire enterprise was transferred to his childhood friend's supposed control. I think the guy just doesn't want attention for it."
"Doesn't sound like he gets the tax break, either."
Triton glanced over his shoulder. He chuckled. The laugh grew louder and he threw his head back. "Ah ha ha ha ha." He turned back to Hilde, green eyes glittering. "We should probably get back in there and film. This is gonna be good."
Hilde huffed. "Mr. Ego is just going to demonstrate, again, that for all her heart and-"
"Oh, don't count her out just yet. Come on." He nodded in the direction of the door.
Thursday 11:22am
...
Hilde leaned back against the wall and watched as Ochako and her trainer squared off near the centre of the mat. Katsuki kept his guard up and moving. The actress took up a similar stance; she mimicked his movement - remaining in constant motion.
'She has his form down. Looks like?' She glanced at Triton; he held the camera on his shoulder, a smug grin perched on his lips.
Ochako struck quickly. She moved on the balls of her feet; swift, choppy steps straight at her opponent. She drove her right fist towards his chest. Bakugou blocked the attack easily; his lip curled up. A scowl pinched his features.
Hilde winced. 'I hope he doesn't-'
The actress twisted; one foot planted - she snapped a kick towards Bakugou's side. He deflected with the point of his left elbow. The report of bone against bone. Hilde ground her teeth together. The sound tortured her eardrums. Ochako didn't seem to acknowledge any pain. Bakugou shifted back a step.
Katsuki opened his mouth. "You're too-"
The actress pressed into his space, again. She punched higher - aiming at his chin. Her attack met with the same results. He dodged; the upper half of his body leaning to one side. Ochaku kept moving her fists in quick, sharp movements. He bobbed and pivoted; then finally threw up another block.
"Too slow!"
Ochaku appeared determined to keep the pressure on. She twisted to the left, guarding her exposed side. Hilde heard the slap of flesh as Ochako's elbow connected with Bakugou's guard.
"Did she just make contact?"
Something sparked in Katsuki's eyes. He brought his right knee up, which Ochako deflected with the outside of her forearm - with a bone-jarring sound that caused Hilde to shudder.
'No wonder she's coated in bruises.'
Her trainer's right foot thudded onto the mat behind him. Ochaku continued to press for advantage. She ducked a punch meant for the side of her head, and swept her right leg into Bakugou's left. The martial arts expert appeared to have no trouble avoiding her attack, leaping backwards a step.
"You have to improvise. Do better."
The actress's face compressed into a scowl. She wiped sweat from her brow with her forearm. She changed posture, altering her stance; she brought her left leg forward. Ochako snapped off an unusual-looking kick. Her left foot swept from close to her right out towards the left.
This kick didn't come with the same warning Hilde had seen moments before. She thought Bakugou's eyes widened in surprise as he leaped back from Ochaku's shin. And that's when it happened:
The ball of Bakugou's left foot slid through the pooled water on the mat. "Uhn!" His toes slipped; the trainer pitched forward, trying to regain his balance. His student didn't stop.
"Ah ha!" She leapt at him; colliding with his chest, her leg around his prevented her combatant's recovery. The world-renown martial artist landed flat on his back.
Hilde gasped and stood up. Ochaku sat on top of Bakugou, her right knee pressed dangerously close to her trainer's groin.
'Oh my God!'
The small 'girl next door' heaved for air as she leaned her weight down onto Bakugou's left wrist and right shoulder. His right hand had been trapped beneath his body in the fall.
Snapping her mouth shut, Hilde quickly glanced towards her camera man, relieved to see Triton still filming. Her partner-in-crime's mouth stretched in a wide grin.
"Concede!" Ochaku demanded as she stared down at her trainer.
"You!" Bakugou spat. Hilde could see him bucking a little under Ochaku's weight. His head craned back on his neck, attention obviously going towards the water fountain.
The vlogger stared at the not-so-small pool of water that spread across the floor. "She pushed him there on purpose," she laughed.
"Told you this would be good," Triton deadpanned.
Ochaku shifted her right knee; Bakugou grunted, his body stiffening beneath his student. "Who's the weakling now?" The actress taunted, smiling down at her trainer.
Bakugou's head came off the wet mat, his face a thunderhead. Hilde steeled herself, and hoped his student was-
Katsuki's face broke out into a grin, an instant before he seized Ochako's lips into a kiss!
'I'm going to be able to charge subscription fees for this.' Tears pricked her eyes. 'Yes!'
The 'girl next door' jerked at the contact; her arms flailed by her side, releasing her opponent's pin. A second passed, two; the actress moved her mouth against her opponent's. Her hands came up to cup his face.
Bakugou pushed her from his chest. In a tangle of limbs and with a wet smack, Bakugou pinned his student to the mat.
"Uhn! You're ah!"
"I concede nothing," he growled, holding his student to the floor. Hilde thought she saw more of a flush to his features then had been there from the fight.
"What kind of move was that?" She thrashed against his grip. "Y-you!"
A devilish grin overtook his features. "You have to be ready for any tactic. Concede."
"No!"
"Maybe I'll just kiss you until you give up."
"Wh-what? You wouldn't dare." She hissed.
Hilde chuckled, grabbed her cameraman's elbow and tugged him out the door.
Epilogue
...
"And in entertainment news tonight, the premier of 'My Assassin Girlfriend' proved to be a star-studded event. The former girl-next-door actress donned a sexy, black evening gown, and brought along the new leading man in her life. Katsuki Bakugou, the stunt coordinator credited with helping the actress prepare for her breakout performance - rumors suggest he's carved out a starring, more personal role in Ochako Uraraka's life. We go, now, to our on-the-street reporter, Max."
"So, what did you think of the movie?"
Bakugou ducked his head and sent the reporter a dark glare. "She kicked ass." He grabbed the mic, and held it up. "Look, if you want to see the same old shit this weekend, go buy a ticket to another movie. Watch one of those ridiculous car chase flicks with the glut of special effects where the directors treat you all like a bunch of sheep who don't know the laws of physics."
The poor reporter reached for his mic, but Katsuki yanked it away. "Or. If you want to watch a real movie, go see 'My Assassin Girlfriend', where Ochako does her own stunts like the badass she is." He held the mic towards the reporter.
Max reached for the boomstick. Bakugou released the microphone; it dropped to the ground.
The camera panned quickly to capture the tuxedo-clad martial arts instructor as he caught up with his girlfriend. He leaned down, settling his mouth over hers in a heated kiss. Katsuki wrapped his arm around her waist. The actress melted into him.
...
Deku smiled and shot a look at his wife. "They look happy," Melissa's eyes sparkled in the flickering light from the screen.
He nodded and flipped the television off.
"Yeah. They do."