A/N: I'm sorry for the wait. I've had a lot of personal issues lately, so thanks for those of you who are still sticking by me.

In Your Arms

"Who is that?" Bakugou asked under his breath without turning around to see. He would not want his Uraraka to wake from her sleep. She had already adjusted and snuggled her head against his chest. Her small hand clutched his shirt as she uttered a low, soft moan.

He could have died - this sensation of having and holding her sent him straight to another plane of ecstasy which may have been what subdued his urge to kill. Did his thumping heart sound too loudly against her ear? His entire body stilled and stiffened to balance her serenity and keep them in that moment.

After much ado, he let out a short, controlled exhalation. Dammit. Why did he have to care who came into the commons? Why couldn't he just unashamedly be with her? Yet, Bakugou was reticent with revealing his deep, buried delight along with the untainted small smile on his face.

The person audibly gulped.

Uraraka squirmed more. Her arm slid down to Bakugou's lap. "Who's that?" she mumbled - still not cognizant enough to detect her incriminating position. She could only understand her undeniable comfort.

Bakugou leaped in his seat at the sudden intimate contact. His eyes shot wide open as he turned around to see the bright red hair of his friend, Kirishima.

Sitting up, Uraraka covered her face when she realized their position. How did she end up sleeping on Bakugou? And if somebody saw - she saw their visitor too. "It's not what it looks like!" Of course, her permanent blush grew to cover her entire face. She shut her eyes and covered her face.

"What?" exclaimed Kirishima. He didn't mean to interrupt. "I just walked in." As he approached, he was not sure what to make of their position. With the milk on the table and the cookies on the floor, they looked to be having some kind of sleepover.

Moreover, was Uraraka okay? By the cozy, hugged in shoulders, he could conclude that she was at least comfortable.

Quickly, Bakugou retracted his arm from around Uraraka. He had forgotten that he placed it there! Calmly, he assured her, "You hear that? He just got here. You've got nothing to hide anyway." Of course he did not forget to feign irritation.

She stumbled when she stood and yawned. Uraraka waved, "We were just studying. Do you want some cookies, Kirishima?"

Bakugou pressed his palm to his forehead. What an idiot. They had no books! "Uraraka," muttered Bakugou. "Just fuck off and go to your room. It's late."

Too tired to fight back, she could hardly hold her heavy head up to look at them. She stuck her tongue out at Bakugou before politely waving to Kirishima with a smile. "Goodnight."

Her suitor watched her prance away with pleasure in his core. What a beautiful night with the best woman in his life. Bakugou smirked briefly before dropping to a frown once she left the floor. "What did you see?" asked Bakugou with a noticeably agitated growl. His eyes stayed fixated on the last place he saw Uraraka.

Kirishima shifted in place as he hugged his arms to his body. He had just wanted to use the restroom. However, perhaps seeing this helpless, adolescent side of Bakugou's personality absolved his friend of the guilt he'd placed on him earlier that day. Maybe he was just a desperate kid wanting attention from the object of his affection rather than the malicious monster that everyone painted him to be. He inquired, "Out of everything or just today?"

Bakugou darted at the red haired boy to grip him by the shirt. He snarled with his red wide eyes strobing, "Everything? What do you mean everything? "

"I saw you kiss her," solemnly admitted Kirishima as he dropped his stare to the ground. He furrowed his eyebrows as he recalled the mid air kiss.

"Just now?" Bakugou asked to confirm as he tried to recount all that he did since and before that point. So much time drained to the heat and passion of the moment.

"You did it again? I was talking about when you guys were sparring!" exclaimed Kirishima in disbelief. How did he miss that? He figured he wouldn't want to interrupt a potentially romantic moment.

Both boys blushed and pulled away from each other.

Bakugou cursed, "Fuck!" He foolishly outted himself without understanding all that Kirishima knew. "Forget what you saw! Forget what I said! Forget everything, dammit." For someone who displayed his affection in the commons, public awareness of that said affection flustered him.

How could Kirishima forget that kiss? He had only seen people kiss on TV! Kirishima ruffled his bright red hair and scowled, "Dude, I don't know. Did you do it on purpose? Don't you think you're going too far?"

Another stupid opinion that he didn't need to hear. "It was an accident," he said with no inflection in his voice.

Kirishima wanted to ask about that night. Did he kiss her when she slept or something? That wouldn't be right. But, he somehow became too shy to continue his interrogation. All he could do was trust his friend and believe in the anguish in his flustered disposition.

Bakugou ground his teeth and gripped his arm as he stared at the ground. He had no experience with such conflicting feelings in the realm of romance. He just wanted her.

For her sake, people were better off not knowing, so the best thing he could do for her was deflect any curiosity about their interest even if that cost him. "I have millions of reason to marry her, but none of that matters if I make her miserable. So keep your mouth shut and tell everyone else to shut up, too. It's no one's fucking business. I'm not going to hurt her."

Kirishima held up his hands. "Okay, okay," he chuckled. "I believe you. But, you still don't love her, do you?"

Bullseye - he loved her more than anything, but she wouldn't want to know that. She wouldn't want anyone to know of the sensation in their kiss.

"Of course not."

Kirishima valued his friendship with Midoriya as well. He had been so eager to see this novel side of Bakugou's interest in a girl that he had neglected to take his other friend's sentiments on the matter.

Unfortunately, his faith in Bakugou's purity and innocence had wavered once he disclosed that at the center of all his motives and actions - the explosive hero was still a big, black hole.

For the brief time that Kirishima caught Uraraka together on the couch with him, he witnessed a strange level of intimacy that surpassed anything he had ever seen. Cuddling on the couch is something he had never even seen his parents do, and it wasn't something he could do with his old friend Ashido.

A crimson flush flamed his face as he staggered back.

Why did he think of cuddling Ashido?

That's how he knew something was strange between those two. Someone felt something for someone!

That Sunday morning when he woke up, he felt the burden of guilt for neglecting to stop the landslide of one sided romance. He at least needed to talk to Midoriya, so he went to his door first thing.

Yawning, Midoriya delayed answering the door to calm himself down. He, too had had a long night and broke curfew with his friend for the first time. "Sorry!" exclaimed the hero upon opening the door. He expected an authority figure to be there to reprimand him, so to see Kirishima standing before him was a pleasant surprise.

Kirishima tilted his head. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah, what's the matter?" asked Midoriya.

"Uh," Kirishima stammered as he glanced around the hallway. "How about we talk inside?" He needed to be cautious about spreading rumors, for he knew he had already allowed this wildfire to erupt. When Midoriya invited him inside, he stayed standing and still near the closed door. Scratching the back of his head, he wanted to cut to the chase.

Midoriya had no idea why Kirishima would want to visit him so early. "Is everything okay?" he again yawned after noticing the sweat on his brow.

Sure, everyone was safe, but he apologized, "Sorry, I wanted to ask you - do you like Uraraka?"

The green haired boy froze. This again? Maybe he could easily piece together the implications of affirming that question after Tsu's confession from last night, so he decided to choose his words carefully. However, Asui's face flooded his thoughts and left him speechless.

Kirishima feared that Midoriya's frown and shrunken shoulders meant that he had feelings for Uraraka. There was his answer, so he changed the subject - slightly. "She and Bakugou have been getting real close, you know. I'm sorry I didn't stop it," he apologized again as he bit his lip. However, he could not possibly bring himself to reveal what he saw the night before and the kiss.

Did they like each other? Midoriya sighed, "Oh. Well, Bakugou is probably a better fit for her." He figured that they liked each other, and he wouldn't want to take something like that from him again like building a connection with All Might. The pain in Bakugou's face still caused him to grimace and stir to that day.

Kirishima squirmed where he stood. He cut to the chase and blurted, "I don't think he likes her. I thought he did, but maybe he doesn't. He said he didn't, and she might-" He stopped himself. If Midoriya got any confirmation that Uraraka may have liked Bakugou, then he wouldn't listen to what he wanted being the nice hero that Midoriya was. Kirishima rubbed his head. This love triangle stuff was way too advanced for him. Shoujo manga never appealed to him.

Besides, he must have just been seeing things that night because she definitely always liked Midoriya. Ashido said that much was obvious.

While Midoriya braced himself for the confirmation that Bakugou and Uraraka shared mutual affection, he interrupted, "I know!" By the widened red eyes of Kirishima, he adjusted his volume. "I know." He knew they liked each other and something about hearing it caused his heart to finally rest. This was good news, and he could redirect his infatuation towards Asui. His heart melted at the idea and caused him to blush.

Kirishima saw the blush and figured Midoriya knew that Uraraka liked him. He let out a chuckle of relief, "Haha, yeah, okay! You should probably talk to her about it, right?" That way Midoriya and Uraraka could get together and Bakugou could leave her alone.

Talk to her? He supposed he could give them his encouragement. "Yeah, I could do that," Midoriya agreed.

"Alright, cool I'll see you later I guess."

What a misunderstanding, but both boys walked away from the conversation with a deep sensation of relief.

Before Midoriya could text her to meetup. She texted him! There it was. Before he could even eat breakfast and get fully dressed he had already started the next step of a relationship. At least, he thought everything would become more lucid and simpler for his future. She mentioned that she was outside his door at that very moment.

She stood outside his room in her pink pajamas with dark circles under her eyes. She could hardly look him in the eyes studying her glanced at the carpet below them. Midoriya lost his sense of relief suddenly. Something about her holding her arm tightly reminded him of a tense situation in battle. Her weary eyes concerned him as well. Truth be told, after realizing Asui's feelings, he had similar turmoil in his heart, but that's had dissipated against the intense euphoria and promise of a fruitful relationship by her side. The thoughts kept him awake throughout the night.

He understood that it could go was a lot more complex. The enigmatic and capricious nature of his childhood friend could make anyone weary after a day. But, surely her euphoria outweighed whatever turmoil she had felt that morning.

Naturally, since Midoriya did not understand the full scope of the situation, he was unable to read the absolute shame that left her feeling empty. She thought that the cusp of her relationship with Midoriya had promise before last night.

Uraraka lifted her heavy head and wiped the corner of her eyes to implore, "Can I come inside?"

Another visitor, Midoriya silently noted before opening his door. His inchoate consciousness had only a few moments to develop after his last guest. "Is something wrong?" he asked before clasping his hands together. However, true concern remained absent from his question, for he could assume why she visited him - for disclosing her crush on Bakugou. He trailed back to his coffee table.

Before they had the opportunity to take a seat, Uraraka exclaimed, "I love you."

"What?!" yelled Midoriya before covering his mouth. Eyes wide open, he couldn't turn back to even look at her. He didn't expect that!

She stared down at her feet and gripped the end of her shirt. Her lip quivered as hot tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Nothing in her body remained still. The heart that had been lithe and free hours before relentlessly pounded against her chest and weakened her with every strike. Her heart ached as memories of Bakugou flooded her mind and finally drew hot tears from her eyes.

Suddenly, the guilt of betrayal with Bakugou shifted to remorse over her current confession to Midoriya. No, she didn't regret it, but she wished that she didn't think of Bakugou in that moment.

Midoriya could not push a single word from his dry throat before he fell back to sit on his bed and rub his head.

If anything would come from this, she needed to grant transparency to the entire situation. So then, she revealed with a labored breath and clear voice, "And I kissed Bakugou. On accident."

"Oh," he replied with a slight perk and energy of relief. A smile curved onto his face. Midoriya did not have the audacity to ask if she enjoyed the kiss, but the additional confession certainly lifted a weight from his shoulders.

Uraraka had more to say, and so she added, "Then I kissed him again. I mean - he kissed. No, we kissed. Again." She could not lay complete blame on him, nor could she deny her explicit consent to the heated moment. However, she could and would gloss over the raw passion and desire she held for him in every moment.

The tears that continued to cascade down her face carried the guilt of her confession to Midoriya rather than the kiss. As much as she wanted to disclaim her penchant for last night, she would not drag Bakugou's name through the ground and build her future with Midoriya on deceit.

Midoriya could finally smile at Uraraka with unabashed glee. His eyes nearly closed as he grinned, "That's awesome."

Uraraka pulled her head up to witness the sincerity in his support. An ominous force striked her through her chest as her tightened lips dropped into an abject frown. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "Awesome?" Was she too late in her confession, or did her honesty depreciate her appeal as a girlfriend?

Everyone assured her that a romantic relationship lingered on the horizon of their future, but now this. Upon her reflex, she stiffened to assure him that the kiss was behind them. She wanted to plea, but the smile on Midoriya's face silenced her. She retracted.

Then, Midoriya made a mistake.

"I think you and Bakugou work really well together, so I'm happy for you two," he said which was what he planned to say if she disclosed her feelings for Bakugou to him. However, the timing could not have been worse. Without realizing it, he had completely neglected to respond to her love confession.

Uraraka finally lifted her head up and held up a peace sign. Her eyes stayed dry when she smiled, "I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout, but I love all my friends at UA. I love my school. I love my city. I love the world. That's why I wanted to be a hero."

Oh, right. Love! For Midoriya, that word struck a cord, rang a bell, and finally jogged his memory to recall what Uraraka said when she came there. He had not even completely processed it. Instinctually, he apologized, "Uraraka, I'm sorry." He didn't know what to say after that.

"Don't be. I'm fine. You're one of my best friends, Midoriya," she said before turning around. "I wouldn't trade you for the world." Uraraka knew the high pitched desperation in her voice betrayed the composure she had hoped to maintain, but as pathetic as she felt gravity buckle her shaking knees, she paced to the door and fled before she pleaded for him to reciprocate.

Opting to take the quiet stairway lit by dull, white fluorescent lights, Uraraka figured that she'd get a brief reprieve from the perilous, open hallways or the clustered, intimate elevator that would threaten to expose her weakness. Perhaps, she confessed too soon, or maybe, her added confession of her night with Bakugou damaged her chances.

Stopping at the foot of the 2nd flight of stairs, she softly sobbed into her hands. Why did a promise of a fruitful, enriching friendship with an amazing man hurt her? Step by step, she climbed up the stairs. Only two more flights until her floor. With every movement she put forth more effort.

Somehow, at the steady and slow speed that she traveled, she slammed into a rock hard wall mere steps before her floor. Coated by thin, black fabric, her fingers traced up the moist and musty surface before she opened her tearful eyes to that familiar, ruby glare. "Ah," she gasped chilled air into her open mouth.

There he was - the man that marked her and set her heart ablaze. Terror filled her widened eyes, for she had finally discovered that in that grim hour, she wanted to see him. Her beating heart calmed and melted as she exhaled.

Tears halted and dried.

Bakugou froze. He hated to see her cry. "Break me one more time, why don't you?" He thought to himself before he even understood the back story. His fists tightened along with his grimace as he scoffed and scowled heated breath. "What the fuck happened?"

Suddenly, Uraraka darted back down the stairs to the base of the 4th flight. Bakugou chased after her without a second thought.

Of course he could catch up. His feet didn't touch a single step as he nearly leaped to the platform at the base in pursuit of his beloved classmate. Slamming his feet to the ground where he landed he hit the wall to block her from escaping. His wild, deadly stare followed her movement.

She ducked under his arm and ran down another flight to another platform and Bakugou stayed in hot pursuit.

His palm slapped against the cold wall behind her and he took her wrist and held it above her head. "Uraraka, stop fucking with me," he threatened in a low, gravelly voice. Narrowing his eyes, he searched her brown eyes for the tears he knew loomed.

Bakugou released her arm and watched it limply drop to her side. He panted. While he wanted to avoid cornering her and restraining her and capturing her like a villain, he didn't know what else to do. If he didn't know why she cried, he couldn't figure out who to kill.

To fall forward into Bakugou would be like falling into fresh, clean sheets after a long day. Uraraka could have escaped and ran. His grip had left no discomfort. When she finally peered up at his furrowed brow and tight frown, she caught the clear, desperation in his dilated eyes. Such a desperation drew murmured pleas from her lips when she said, "Bakugou." She pressed her forehead against his collarbone and gripped his thin, muscle shirt.

Bakugou hovered his hands above Uraraka's shoulders. What could he do? While he had a desire for her with the passion in his core, he craved to embrace her petite frame. The latter urge happened to be novel, and thus, he hesitated as he lowered his face to hers. "Just say it," he whispered. "Spit it out." With a slight tilt of his head, he could have silenced her with a kiss.

But a kiss wouldn't fix her anguish.

"I," she murmured through a broken tune, "told Midoriya everything. How I love him and how I kissed you again and again." Her voice weakened into a high, soft whimper with every word. She trembled along with her voice as her crystal tears bubbled at the corners of her brown eyes and she met eyes with him.

A single tear dropped to the floor.

Without another thought, Bakugou's hands came crashing down onto her shoulders and slid down the curvature of her back for a tight and secure embrace. How dare he allow himself to treat her like she was fragile? She was hurt but not broken. He held her closely to the point that they could feel each other's hearts. They could feel the shared shattering and the heavy thumping against their chest. They connected.

For some reason, through her sobs, Uraraka called his name once more, "Bakugou, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She apologized again and again. She felt like she wandered too far from him. Why did she feel such a leash of binding loyalty to him? Why did her heart break beneath the defiant betrayal that she didn't truly commit? Her breathing became shallow as her tears burst from her eyes.

Bakugou's hands trembled and clutched the fabric of her shirt. He pulled her closer.

She raised her head to touch the tip of her nose to his before tilting her head to the side like it was her second nature to do so. Parting her lips, she exhaled before nearing his lips. The fountain of comfort lied within him. Though she wept, she dared to test the depths of assuaging contact between their lips like they had last night.

Would just he quench her thirst? She wanted Midoriya, and Bakugou was only Bakugou. He grit his teeth and lowered his hands to her waist before sweeping her over his shoulder before he could yield to the temptation of a kiss. Immediately, he ran up the stairs without taking a break.

Snapping out or her despondent disposition, she exclaimed in a clear voice free of pain yet full of confusion, "Bakugou! Where are ya taking me?"

"You think I'm going to let other people see you cry? I'm taking you to your room!" he shouted as he dashed up to the girl's side of the dormitory on the fourth floor.

Uraraka fell speechless. At that point, her tears had stopped once again. In fact, small chuckle built in her throat before a smile erupted to her face. Bakugou was funny. Why did he care if people saw her cry? "It's okay, Bakugou. I'm fine now. I just need rest."

Was she? His hand grazed his chest as he sighed, "I can still hear something weird in you voice, and it's pissing me off, so just unlock your door." Her voice was a pitch higher than normal. Bakugou grimaced as he thought of the green-haired dork two floors below.

Maybe killing him wouldn't solve anything, but Bakugou could not wrap his brain around why him or anyone would reject Uraraka.

Uraraka dug in her shorts' pocket for her keys as she dangled over Bakugou and hastily fiddled with the knob. If anything, she would be embarrassed if anyone saw them in such a position. "Okay, it's unlocked now," she noted before Bakugou barged through the archway and made his way to her bed. "Can you put me dow- AH!"

Bakugou not-so-gently flung Uraraka down to the bed. He bent over her like weeping willow to examine the tears he swore were there - but they weren't. Instead, he round eyes peered up at him with her heaving chest and parted lips. He covered his heating face and frowned, "You don't have to tell me what happened. Just go back to sleep or something."

She combed through her messy hair with her fingers. "But, Bakugou, I'm fine. Really, you don't got nothing to worry about," she protested as she adjusted her leg by sliding her foot back and raising her knee. Then, she smiled.

Bakugou cornered her against the bed by crawling atop the springy mattress and bracing himself above her. He cast a shadow over her as gravity pulled his body towards hers. "Fuck, Uraraka. Stay here," he commanded as he bit down on his lip to stifle the tears of distress that pooled over his red eyes.

She looked up at him like he was the moon during a complete eclipse of the sun - enthralled and protected by the harsh rays of light that hid behind him. Timidly, she drew her hand out and reached up to touch his flushed cheeks. "Bakugou?" she asked.

A comfort washed over her as she exhaled tension from her body. Something about looking up at him soothed her. She knew that someone heard her and listened and saw and so, she touched him.

Bakugou saw the vulnerability of her beautifully sprawled body. The arch of her back and the angle of her smooth, creamy legs enticed him like none other. And, he knew that if he dipped towards her face, their lips would meet without resistance.

In fact, she raised her head to near his lips.

Furrowing his brow, he felt his tears of frustration nearly spill. He didn't want to pluck her at her weakest like an unripened fruit. And moreover, he wanted her to shine that big, bright glare up at him rather than a soft, faint smile. Inhaling through his nose, he resisted her pull and stood to turn away from her. "I'm leaving," he announced.

Uraraka knew she would have kissed him. "Did you not want to kiss me? You've already stolen so much from me. I don't know why I gave you any of it! You jerk!" she scolded. "Why did it have to be you? You said you don't even care about me." Why was she saying any of that? Why did she have to take out her frustration on him?

It wasn't his fault. She had been just as responsible.

With a smirk, Bakugou slightly turned back to her to let her know. He would rather her yell than beg for his attention. "You're mine. And, you're right about one thing, round face. I'm one helluva jerk." He tinkered with the brink of combustion in his fists.

Midoriya just wanted a normal day. Before his clock struck noon, he had already had two visitors and no breakfast or extra sleep like he needed and he needed something. As he paced around his room, he knew he lacked skill with interpersonal relationships. Analyzing heroes was a lot different than analyzing relationships. He held his face.

Relationships.

Just yesterday he had two female friends, and by that morning, he found himself at the center of a love triangle - or whatever it was. He had a choice to make. Uraraka and Asui both confessed something important to him. And he had an unconscious inclination for one over the other that he hated to admit.

In fact, he hated to admit his interest in Asui if that meant hurting Uraraka.

A firm, persistent knock came to his door. Who could it be this time? It didn't stop. "Coming," Midoriya answered as he stumbled over himself to reach the knob.

As soon as the lock clicked, the door flung open and Midoriya fell back to land on his bottom. Peering up at the blazing red eyes, he felt dread cascade down his face and neck.

Shutting the door behind him, Bakugou stood near the entrance of Midoriya's dorm with tight fists and flared nostrils. "Did she confess to you?" he asked in a rough, low growl.

Midoriya knew exactly who "she" was. "Yeah," he replied. He did not fear Bakugou when he got to his feet. However, he added with a smile, for he thought Bakugou would be pleased to know, "But I rejected her." The person his old friend harbored feelings for was Uraraka, right?

"You piece of shit," cursed Bakugou in an uproar. "You rejected her? Why? Because I kissed her?" He said kissed so bitterly. A few seconds of silence passed and even that was too long. "Answer me!"

Midoriya could not find the words, but he blurted, "No, no, you said you wanted to marry her, so I was just stepping aside." He smiled and waved his hands in defense.

"Oh, so you were pitying me like you usually do. You're going to let the best girl at our school slip by to take pity on me. You're lucky she even talks to you. I don't need your fucking pity because unlike you, I want to get her fair and square because I'm willing to fight for her," he declared and on queue, hot tears surfaced from his turmoil. Bakugou wiped his face. He was sick of sitting around doing nothing.

Midoriya lost his sheepish smile and plaintively frowned as he hugged his arm to his side. "Fight?" he repeated. Was that the nuance of love? Did that shade of belligerent drive separate their sentiment for the anti-gravity girl? As Midoriya kneeled to get to his feet, he understood the chasm that distinguished their motivation. "I don't think I love her the way you do."

He meant to mumble this to himself, but Bakugou understood every syllable.

Reaching for the fabric of Midoriya's pajama shirt, his hands halted after he realized once more that he couldn't force him to feel something for someone. His fingers balled into a fist as he scoffed, "Fuck." Ruffling his hair, he let out a heavy sigh.

His time. His hands. He. Would be more productive with her. So then, without another word, he left after slamming the door behind him. He ran up the stairs and to the door where his beloved princess rested.

Or. At least. Where she should have.

Despite his desperate knocks and demands of access, he received only silence.

That girl. Where did she run off to?

A/N: Sorry! Again! Other chapter coming soon. I'm really grateful that y'all have been patient with me. Truly!

Oh, and join us on discord where we talk about kacchako and just hang out non stop.

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