Warning: This chapter contains underage drinking.

Chapter 16

"Okay ladies…" Mina said in an ominous tone. The girls all shifted uncomfortably on the floor, anxious at what their pink friend had in store for them.

Half the girls had transformed Uraraka's living room into a giant mess of blankets and pillows until none of the floor was visible. The other half plated some of the leftover food and poured chips and other snacks into bowls.

Once they had all settled down into their spots, comfortable in their pajamas, Mina had begun eyeing them all mischievously. With one last wicked smile, Mina dove into her overnight bag in search of something.

Uraraka had a bit of an advantage over the rest of the girls. She had a general idea of what Mina was up too. Or at least what was going to be introduced to the party. Mina had texted her earlier in the day to wish her a happy birthday and ask if Uraraka was comfortable with the idea of her sneaking some "special" drinks into her home for the sleepover part of the birthday festivities.

Uraraka had had to think about it. She had enjoyed the wine they had before the dance. She had even tried the "special punch" that had been circulating the dance, although she definitely hadn't liked that one. It had tasted like pure alcohol and it had made her gag. She was not opposed to the drinking per se, she just felt a bit on edge over the idea of doing it right under her parent's nose. She had ruminated on the idea while she helped her mother and father clean the house.

After much deliberation, Uraraka finally made up her mind. Ultimately, Uraraka felt that in the grand scheme of things the safest place for her to explore alcohol and learn her limits for her relatively first time would be in her home with her parents down the hall. If anything went wrong, at least they'd be there. She'd be in an immense amount of trouble, probably grounded until she was 77 and not to mention the heartbreaking look of disappointment her parents would have. What if the school found out?! They're trying to be heroes. Heroes don't break the law…

Shit, maybe this was a bad idea. She thought briefly as she turned to give Mina a worried look.

"It'll be fine Chako-chan. We'll be quiet and careful." She smiled warmly at the birthday girl. Her assuredness helping calm some of Uraraka's nerves. But only some.

"What exactly will we be quiet and careful doing?" Momo chimed in, her voice taking on her Class Representative tone. Mina chuckled.

"We are going to play Truth, Dare, or…" She trailed her last word, her eyes twinkling with suppressed excitement.

"Or?" Jiro parroted Mina as she crossed her legs in front of her. She looked calm but her eyes gave her away. She was just as intrigued and apprehensive as the rest of the girls.

"Or drink!" Mina whispered shouted as she pulled out a bottle of a clear liquid from her overnight bag.

Hagakure squeaked. Momo and Jiro groaned. Tsu remained quiet at Uraraka's side.

"Now, I want to make it clear that you don't have to partake if you don't want too and you can drink as little or as much as you want. Absolutely no pressure okay!" Mina said looking at all the girls with concerned eyes. "This is meant to add to the fun but only if you girls are comfortable with it. If not, we can definitely have equal amounts of fun without it." She added.

"I'm in!" Hagakura said as she made to get up, "We can use the soda as a mixer." She began walking towards Uraraka's kitchen.

"What is it?" Jiro said extending one arm towards Mina, motioning the pink girl to pass her the bottle.

"Tequila," Mina said as she transferred the bottle to Jiro.

"It looks like it's been opened," Momo said as she too extended her arm in Jiro's direction. Jiro placed the bottle in Momo's hand. Momo sloshed the liquid in the bottle.

"Yea, it's my older cousins. I asked her if she could give me a ride to my friend's birthday sleepover and if she had any adult beverages she could gift us." Mina explained, "She brought me that. Said she wasn't a fan of it and we could have it."

Tsu motioned to Momo to pass her the bottle. "Ochako, you okay with this," she said as she opened the top and took a sniff, "Ugh!" She began coughing at the intense smell of alcohol that assaulted her nostrils. The rest of the girls chuckled.

"I brought back a soda, a couple of cups, and I filled one up with ice." Hagakure said as she re-entered the living room. "I hope that's okay Chako-chip." She said turning to Uraraka.

"That's fine," Uraraka said offhandedly as Tsu handed her the bottle.

"Ochako, are you sure you're okay with this? Your parents…" Momo started to say, a look of concern plastered on her face.

Uraraka looked at her friends, taking in all their expressions.

She cleared her throat before smiling up at them. She knew she could say no and Mina would put the bottle away. It wouldn't even cause an awkward pause at the party. But a very small part inside her was saying "Do it!" Despite the very illegal thing they were contemplating doing, she felt safe. She was in her home, surrounded by her closest friends, all formidable heroes to be, and her parents were down the hall. Even the worst-case scenario seemed unlikely in this protective circle.

"Uhm…yes. Yes." She smiled at the girls, "Mina had asked me earlier and I said it was okay. Just please let's try to keep it down and let's not make a mess. I don't want the sheets smelling like liquor." She giggled nervously.

Uraraka was a little bit scared if she was being honest with herself. But something about the whole situation made her feel giddy. Adrenaline? Uraraka prided herself on being a good girl. She paid attention to her parents, hardly ever talked back and the rare instances she had she had felt immediate remorse and apologized profusely. She hardly broke any rules. Ever. The ones she did had been minor…breaking curfew because she stayed training too late or arriving late to homeroom because she overslept.

Despite all the recent changes she'd been experiencing, sexually and otherwise, she still felt like herself. Only a bit older. Wiser? Maybe. Definitely less naïve. And she'd continue to be her usual self. With the exception of this one particular instance. Uraraka thought that she must have earned a bit of good karma by this point. Breaking one rule shouldn't be too bad.

Uraraka motioned for Hagakure to pass her the cups and the soda. Once in her hand, she set three cups in front of her and began distributing the ice. She then looked at the other three girls. Jiro gave her a wary look before taking a deep breath.

"Fine. But not too much." The purple-haired hero-in-training said as she interlaced her fingers together and stretched her arms above her head. Uraraka set another cup in front of her and turned to the girls to her left.

Momo worried at her lip as she glanced around the room. Her eyes landed on Tsu. Tsu rested her head on one shoulder and looked at the cups filled with ice.

"You don't have too if you don't want too," Uraraka said to both girls, giving them her friendliest most understanding smile she could conjure. She wanted to make them feel as safe as they made her feel. Regardless of their choice.

Tsu straightened out and cracked her knuckles. "Maybe we can share one?" She turned to Momo, who still looked a bit concerned. Momo looked at all the girls before landing on Uraraka. Uraraka held her gaze with a smile. She could see Momo's face soften. "Fine. But only one."

Mina and Hagakure squeaked in unison.

Uraraka finished pouring the drinks and Mina began handing them out. Uraraka took the time to check her social media again. She replied to a couple more comments as the girls shuffled around her.

She opened up her direct messages to get rid of the notification bubble and nearly dropped her phone. He responded! Her heart began beating faster with every breath. She pressed his message.

Bakugo420: I should've known your party would be cheesy as fuck. Moonface.

Despite the actual words in his message, Uraraka couldn't help but smile. This bubbly feeling at the pit of her stomach whenever Bakugo spoke to her was starting to become a little too familiar. It was more than nervousness. Excitement. When had that happened? She wasn't too sure. Somehow in the last three weeks, Bakugo had transformed from her explosive classmate, an acquaintance at most, to…whatever this was.

It was that stupid book. It dropped into her life and started changing things. It started changing everything. She was sure she had never touched herself this much in her life. And she sure as hell hadn't had such a vivid wet dream about the blonde before!

Still, Uraraka smiled.

"Oooohhh. Does Ura-cutie have an Ura-hottie she's DMing?" Hagakure cooed as she took a sip of her drink.

Uraraka felt all the blood in her body rush to her face.

"Ooh look she's blushing!" Mina squeaked.

Uraraka groaned and looked up at her friends. "I don't know what you girls are talking about." She managed to stutter.

"Sure babe. And my skin isn't pink." Mina drawled as she leaned back on one hand.

"Mina, let's drop it." Momo started to say in a kind but stern tone, "Maybe she isn't ready to talk about it." Uraraka turned to Momo with grateful eyes but the small tinge of pink on the creation-quirk user made her think that Momo was speaking more about herself than Uraraka.

"Yea, besides," Tsu said before stopping to take a sip of her drink. Her face contorted in disgust for a second before returning to normal. "Again, Ugh."

"Besides what?" Hagakure prompted the frog-quirk user.

"Besides." Tsu looked at Uraraka with an innocent smile, "That's what Truth and Dare is for." She said laughing.

"Traitor!" Uraraka screeched throwing a pillow at her best friend. Tsu laughed making Uraraka laugh which in turn made all the girls enter into a fit of giggles.

"Okay, okay," Mina said, settling the girls. "Let's start."

"Wait! I need to use the bathroom." Hagakure squeaked, jumping up from her place on the floor and rushing out the living room.

"Hagakure!" Mina wined but everyone could hear the laughter in her voice.

Uraraka used the opportunity to go back to social media. Her phone told her it was a little past 11 p.m. Would he even be up still?

MochiLover9: stop

MochiLover9: calling

MochiLover9: me

MochiLover9: MOONFACE!

She was smiling down at her screen like an idiot when she heard Hagakure return. She could feel the stares of the girls but chose to ignore them.

"Okay, now I'm ready." Hagakure proclaimed as she plunked on the floor.

"Alright, now we can start," Mina said looking pointedly at the invisible girl. "The rules are simple. It's truth or dare but if the person being asked does not want to reveal the answer or complete the dare then they have to take a drink. Understood." Mina looked around the group of girls who all nodded in acquiescence. "Birthday girl, why don't you start us off."

"Mmm, okay…" She looked around the room, "Jiro," she saw her purple-haired friend jump a little at the sound of her name. "You've been quiet," the rest of the girls chuckled, "Truth or Dare."

Jiro gave Uraraka a fierce look, reminding her once more that Jiro was, in fact, a total badass.

"Dare," Jiro said evenly as she made to take a sip of her drink.

"Okay, dare…mmm," Uraraka thought hard about what to dare such a fearless girl, "Ah! I got it. Can you sing for us?"

Jiro's cheeks tinged pink but she chuckled, "That's it!" She said sounding relieved.

"Yup!" Uraraka smiled at her friend. "Mina is next so I figured we could start small." She giggled.

"Hey!" Mina protested, making the other girls laugh.

"Okay, I'll sing," Jiro said as she cleared her throat. She sang the chorus of an American song Uraraka was pretty sure she had heard on the radio before but she couldn't put her finger on it. When Jiro finished singing the girls all clapped.

"Beautiful!" Mina complimented her friend, "But now," she turned to Momo, "It's my turn."

Uraraka could see Momo's face blanched.

"Momo," Mina started to say using her sweeter-than-thou voice. At the same moment, Uraraka felt her phone vibrate on her lap, signaling that she had received a new message. "Can you please explain to us why Todoroki was hanging all over you the entire evening?"

The girls all gasped. Well, all except Uraraka who was busy having a little heart attack. Bakugo had sent her a text message. She opened up her phone to see what he had said.

Bakugo Katsuki: I can call you whatever I want.

The nerve! Uraraka wanted to wipe that cocky smile off his face. She couldn't see him but she knew he had one on. Its Bakugo after all. But how? She turned back into the game.

"What do you mean?" Momo stuttered slightly.

"She means, Todoroki did not leave your side from the moment he got here to the moment he left, with the exception of getting up to tell the other boys it was time to go." Hagakure said simply.

Oh! Wow! What did I miss?! Uraraka tried to catch up. It seemed the night was getting interesting both in real life and virtually.

Momo looked at the girls, an obvious blush on her face.

"Momo?!" Uraraka exclaimed, "Todoroki?" She asked smiling a genuinely bright smile. Uraraka just realized that she liked the idea of them.

Momo's cheeks got even redder, but she turned her nose at the girls' defiantly.

"I choose to drink." She said motioning for Tsu to pass her their glass. The girls laughed.

"There's plenty of rounds left." Hagakure said in a sing-song voice.

"And more than one way to ask the question," Mina added, making Momo groan into her cup.

Uraraka returned to her messages as Hagakure made a show of picking what she had dubbed the next victim.

What had been the one thing that made Bakugo stutter in his confidence?

A wicked grin spread across her face. She was sure she was playing with fire but the tequila in her veins and the high of having such an amazing birthday was making her fearless. Or foolish? It was too early to tell really.

"Mina." Hagakure finally picked. "You are really good at dishing it but let's see if you can take it."

"Bring it on!" Mina said laughing.

"Truth or dare?" Hagakure said without missing a beat.

Mina took a second to mull over her options. Uraraka used it as the perfect opportunity to text back.

Uraraka Ochako: you know if you weren't so stubborn you could get a lot farther :)

Uraraka saw the three little dots inside a text bubble pop up immediately. A sense of satisfaction coursed through her.

Bakugo Katsuki: wtf is that supposed to mean?

Got him. Uraraka was almost light-headed with glee. Or tequila. Not sure.

"Dare." Mina finally said. Hagakure's immediately bounced up and down with joy.

"Oh wow." Tsu commented, "That doesn't look good." Momo, Jiro, and Uraraka giggled.

Uraraka Ochako: it means…just imagine how far you could get if you called me Angel like I told you I liked. we could be having a much nicer conversation…

Uraraka Ochako: but nooooo Loudy McExplody wants to be a stubborn butt face all the time.

Uraraka Ochako: how sad

Uraraka could practically hear her heart pounding in her chest. It was too late to take it back now. This was it. She was actually flirting with Bakugo. Was this real life? She was sure she was still in some bizarre dream.

"Okay." Hagakure started, imitating Mina's angelic tone of voice, "I dare you to send a risky text that we come up with to the last non-family person you texted."

Surprising everyone, Mina lost some of her confidence. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Fuck Hagakure. Your good." She conceded as she looked at the invisible girl with quiet admiration.

"You did say bring it on." Jiro chimed in, laughing slightly.

"I did, didn't I" Mina shook her head. "Okay, fine. But be nice girls. I beg you."

Adding to the surprises Momo began laughing, "Oh, of course, we will be nice, sweetie." She said in her best Mina impression, making the girls laugh.

"Okay, now I'm scared," Mina said through nervous laughter.

"Who are we texting?" Tsu said as she shifted her weight to her other hand.

Uraraka felt the vibrations of her phone and it sent a jolt of electricity through her body. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach flutter like crazy. This was it.

Shit.

What if he didn't respond well to her attempt at flirting? Conveying anything through texts could be incredibly difficult. What if it sounded like she was antagonizing him.

Uraraka turned to Mina who despite her already pink skin, a pronounced blush could still be seen on her cheeks.

"Oh this is going to be good," Jiro said as she flipped over to lay on her stomach.

"Okay, ya'll I'm saying this here in the circle of trust because well I trust all of you but it can't leave this space," Mina said after taking a couple of seconds to gather herself.

Despite all the former teasing, all the girls looked at her with genuine warmth as they nodded their heads in agreeance.

"And you girls can't make fun of me," Mina said, sounding shyer than any of them had ever heard her before.

"Oh of course not Mina babe." Hagakure said reaching to squeeze Mina's hand. All the girls nodded.

"Okay, well, we're texting…uhm…Kirishima." Mina managed to mumble.

All the girls held their breaths, no one dared to move for fear of their acid-quirk using friend taking it the wrong way.

"Ya'll can react or something," Mina said chuckling slightly, breaking the tension in the room. All the girls erupted with a million questions.

"Hey!" Uraraka squeaked loudly, "We can ask her all our questions when it's our turn but right now we got to think of a text for her to send." Mina thanked Uraraka with her eyes.

"A risky text. Don't forget that important detail." Tsu said matter-of-factly as she took another sip of her drink. She no longer made any faces.

"Girl, who are you right now?!" Mina said tossing a pillow at her, making Tsu laugh.

As the girls all began to formulate the perfect text, Uraraka decided to rip the band-aid and look at the message.

Bakugo Katsuki: how far do you think I could get angel?

WHAT THE! WHAT JUST HAPPENED! Uraraka felt her cheeks flare up again. Her heart had begun beating so hard she was sure it was going to leave a dent on her chest.

"Ochako, are you alright?" Tsu asked suddenly, dragging her back to reality.

"Mmm huh." She managed to say, sounding out of breath even to her ears. The girls looked at her suspiciously. "Where were we with Mina's text to Kirishima?" She tried to change the subject.

"Mmmm quite suspicious behavior," Tsu said drumming one finger on her chin.

"Okay, no more for Tsu!" Momo said grabbing the drink they were supposed to be sharing. Uraraka giggled nervously.

"It's okay, let's get back to sexting Kirishima and we'll deal with Uraraka later," Jiro said, eyes twinkling with mischief. Uraraka groaned.

Hagakure recited the list of risky texts they had come up with, but the girls couldn't get fully behind any of them. Meanwhile, Mina was groaning into a pillow awaiting her fate.

"I have an idea," Momo said suddenly, her face beet red. "But, well, don't….ugh."

"What is it, girl? At the end of the day, it's my name that will be on it." Mina said simultaneously egging Momo on and dreading it. Momo chugged the rest of the drink and extended the empty cup to Uraraka.

Uraraka raised her eyebrows with a questioning look at Momo, but she simply wiggled the glass slightly. Uraraka took it and beckoned Mina to hand her the bottle of tequila she had hid once more. Momo nodded.

Uraraka began pouring Momo more tequila and soda. She looked at her cup and downed the remnants as well to make room for another cup. The rest of the girls followed suit.

Round two.

"Okay, how about this, Hey Kiri," she turned to Mina to see if the nickname was appropriate. Mina rested her head in her hands but nodded her agreement. The girls laughed again.

"Mmm, okay, so Hey Kiri, quick question, do you like kitties? Because I have one you can play with. And then add like a winky face or a smirking face"

Mina groaned loudly, while Hagakure and Jiro exclaimed in shock.

"Woah!" Uraraka looked at her friend with wide eyes.

"That is risky." Tsu nodded seriously.

"Yes! Yes! I love it." Hagakure started bouncing up and down. "All those in favor?" All the girls raised their hands.

"Traitors the lot of you," Mina said as she pulled out her phone. "Okay, what am I saying?" She took a deep breath, "Actually ya'll type it out I can't." She stuck her phone out.

Hagakure being the closest grabbed it and started typing furiously. "And….send." The girls all shrieked, none louder than Mina.

"Okay, can we move on please!" Mina begged the girls, turning to take the bottle from her bag and opting to take a swig from it.

"Dang girl like that?" Hagakure giggled.

"Yes. Like that." Mina said slightly exasperated.

"Okay, my turn," Jiro said moving to sit upright once more. "Birthday girl, you have about 10 minutes left so let's pick you. Truth or dare."

Fuck. Fuck. Okay Ochako, think! What would be less painful? I guess regardless I can always drink.

"Uhm, truth." She finally decided.

"Who are you texting that has got you smiling down at your phone for the last hour?" Jiro asked, all the girls leaned in in anticipation.

Should I tell them? Uraraka worried at her lip. But tell them what? There's nothing to tell. Not really.

She looked at all the girls' faces. They were holding their breaths waiting for her response. Maybe if she said it out loud they would talk some sense into her. Because whatever was happening was insane. Right?

They were her closest and dearest friends, if she couldn't tell them then who could she tell. And again there's nothing to tell. All Jiro asked was who was she texting right now. That's it. Okay, just tell them then.

"Fine, but the same rules with Mina apply. No judgment and no making fun of me." She said it all on one breath. The girls all nodded.

Not wanting to be privy to the girls' reactions, Uraraka closed her eyes before whispering, "Bakugo."

Silence.

"Excuse me what?" Jiro said sounding shocked.

"Yes, I'm sorry I couldn't hear you," Momo said, echoing Jiro's tone.

Uraraka opened her eyes to stare at 5 mirror expressions of shock. She took a deep breath and let it out quickly through her mouth. Rip the band-aid.

"I'm currently texting with Bakugo." She said sounding a bit more even, even though she felt like dying on the inside.

"Yup, that's what I heard the first time." Tsu chimed in.

"Baku-bro?" Mina said flabbergasted. "THE Baku-bro."

"Lord Explosion Murder?" Hagakure asked.

"Shouts Die Germs when he brushes his teeth Bakugo?" Jiro added.

"Only knows how to speak in shouts and curse words Bakugo?" Momo said.

"I'm glad Mina's rules apply here as well," Uraraka muttered, starting to feel a bit upset.

"Oh no sweetie, We're not judging you," Mina said immediately, moving closer to Uraraka to grab her hand.

"We are just a little shocked Ochako," Tsu said patting Urarakas knee.

"Yes, it's not often that we see Mr. Boom Boom make someone smile like that." Hagakure said.

"Is this like new? Or how long have you guys been texting?" Mina asked.

Uraraka looked overwhelmed.

"Wait sorry! I retract. You don't have to answer the questions." Mina said apologetically.

"Not right now she doesn't, but like Jiro said their plenty of rounds," Hagakure added sounding chipper. Uraraka groaned.

"Hey come on now. It was just a bit shocking but also, I get it. Baku-bro is hot AF. It's just that damn temper of his." Mina mused.

To Uraraka's surprise, all the girls nodded in understanding.

"I begrudgingly state that Bakugo is just a tiny teeny bit attractive," Jiro admitted.

"Yes, when he's quiet," Momo said taking a sip of her drink.

The girls' words helped settle her unease a bit. Looking at the bigger picture, they could have reacted so much worse. In fact, she came to learn that all 1-A girls found him at the very least attractive.

As Momo began looking around the girls to see who she'd pick next, Uraraka's brain interjected, speaking of the said devil, she still hadn't responded to him.

And what was she even supposed to respond to that! She had definitely bitten off more than she could chew.

"Okay, Hagakure, Truth or Dare?" Momo's voice interjected Uraraka's thoughts.

She had already nudged the door open, might as well open it all the way no?

She took a rather large sip of her drink. The burning sensation of the tequila rushing down her throat making her feel tingly. Almost like her whole body was numb.

"Mmm, dare!" Hagakure's cheerful voice ran in Uraraka's ears but she was too far in her thoughts for it to register.

Got it! Uraraka thought suddenly. She opened up her messages app and began typing her response.

Uraraka Ochako: how far do you want to get? *angel emoji*

Send.

AN: Hello again! Thank you all for your reviews and well wishes! I truly appreciate them and all of you! As a treat for all your amazing support (and to me because guess who's feeling a million times better today!), I have turned the heat up slightly to our little Kacchako pairing. I have also begun to introduce some background pairings. Hope you like them. They were already tagged in AO3 but that's not an option here so I apologize if it seems they came out of nowhere.

I send you and yours all the positive vibes and health I can send. Take care!