Hi! Thank you so much for giving my story a shot!
I'm not new to the fandom but I've never posted anything for it before. I finally worked up the nerve to put something I wrote on here. Yay!...? I think. Fingers crossed!
I know the premise for this one-shot may seem a little out there and silly but I hope that everyone who reads my story enjoys it! I tried really hard to do these amazing characters justice as I wrote them.
Please let me know if you enjoy it and also give any constructive criticism to help me improve if you so see fit. I gladly welcome any advice. I proofread this many times (like at least four times!) but I don't currently have a beta reader so I humbly apologize if there are any surviving mistakes. If you let me know of their existence I will hunt the little gremlins down and eradicate them!
Peace and fresh pizza toppings to you all!
All my love,
Wishes
Ochako Uraraka was not a fool by any means.
No, certainly not. She was a smart, hard working individual.
It just so happened that she was also spectacularly clumsy... or outrageously unlucky... she wasn't sure which it was in the scenario she'd ended up in.
Letting out a long sigh, she glared up at the current villain she was facing: the second floor hero course hall snack food vending machine. The metal bastard.
She swallowed hard and glanced down at the floor below her, many, many feet below her.
If it hadn't been for the ceiling she'd probably already be up in the sky traffic trying to avoid any passing planes.
She huffed, and pulled on her arm with all of her strength.
Grunting with the effort she pulled on her trapped arm. Several minutes were lost struggling against the machine.
Ochako cursed quietly when it was made abundantly clear that her arm was not budging.
"Whoa, didn't know you knew that word."
Ochako gasped and looked down at the person who had unfortunately stumbled upon her in quite possibly the most embarrassing situation she'd ever been involved with.
"B-Bakugou?! What are you doing here?" She squeaked, drawing her legs up to do her best to hide her panties that were very definitely on display as she hovered several feet above him.
The blonde scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets, "Don't waste your energy hiding'em. I've already seen the damn things."
"Why are you looking?!" She shrieked, her face beet red while still trying to hide them despite what he said.
"Because I fucking looked up at the floating vending machine! I wasn't looking for your stupid damn panties, ya fucktard! Who would want to?!" He bellowed, his hands leaving his pockets to wave about as he spoke.
"You don't have to be rude about it!" She snapped back at him, fire raging in her molten chocolate gaze.
"You were fucking rude first!"
Ochako gasped. She was, huh? She'd accused him of being indecent first, which was wrong of her. Bakugou had many flaws, to be sure, but he had never once demonstrated anything to even hint at being the indecent type.
To be fair, the spectacle of a floating snack machine would make anyone look up.
Her dad had always taught her to own her mistakes.
A sigh built up in her still cherry red cheeks and Ochako released it as she accepted her unfortunate fate. Well, it sucked but here goes.
Swallowing her pride she sighed, "You're right... I did. Sorry, Bakugou. I know you're not the type do that, really. I'm just stressed out because," She smiled sheepishly and gestured with her free hand up at the massive machine floating just above her head. "Will you forgive me?"
Her quick turnaround must have caught him off guard because the raging scowl on his face melted away and he looked absolutely stunned for a brief moment before he shrugged and his scowl returned, though, with less fire she noticed.
"Yeah, fine." He grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets again.
He looked away and Ochako honestly wondered if he would walk away now because his body was turned back towards the hallway like he wanted to leave this little nook that housed the vending machines and a crazy person and make a mad dash away from the dangerous floating object.
She heard him sigh and he turned back towards her, "Okay, I'm probably going to regret asking this, but how did you even fucking get like that? Are you a damn moron or something?" He asked, staring up at her with angry eyes and furrowed brows.
Her temper spiked at being insulted, but Ochako quickly bit back the snarky retort on her tongue and once she did her thought process caught up with the rest of her.
He spoke harshly, and used rude words but his tone didn't sound quite as angry; like he genuinely was confused by her predicament, and come on, who wouldn't be?
"No, Bakugou, I'm not a moron." She huffed, closing her eyes, "But I suppose this time, I very well could be."
Bakugou snorted, "Most people don't admit it."
She smirked at him, "Yeah well, I'm pretty sure most people don't find themselves hanging in the air with a giant vending machine hovering over their heads."
He coughed, but it sounded suspiciously like a laugh he was trying to cover.
"Yeah, s'pose most people don't." He nodded, "So, seriously, how the hell did this stupid shit happen?"
Ochako sighed, "Stupid shit is definitely what this is."
Bakugou smirked and nodded, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back, locking his gaze on hers. He quietly waited for her explanation.
Ochako sighed. There was no escaping this humiliation. If she wanted his help she had to humor him and he wanted to know the story first. It wasn't like she really had much choice in the matter because where else was she going to go?
"Okay," She said, accepting her fate with as much grace as one could while hanging out in the air stuck to a vending machine with their goodies on display. "So I was supposed to go meet Tsu and study group battle tactics with her for the coming test on Thursday. I had to stop by the support area and talk to Mr. Powerloader about something and then I was going to meet her at the library."
Bakugou nodded, showing he followed her basic story so far. His brows drew down, knitted together and his scowl cut a little deeper into his face as he listened.
Ochako rubbed her neck, "Well, after leaving the support lab, I got a text from her saying that the other girls were joining too and asked if I could bring a snack for Yaomomo because she was coming from the gym and she was feeling sluggish after making a bunch of stuff during her training. I said I would get something for her and join them in the library. Of course, I couldn't bring food for one person and not the others so naturally I was going to get a snack for everybody. That's how it works, you know, because if one person sees another eating something usually they get peckish too."
Bakugou quirked an eyebrow at her, "So you willingly became their damn gopher? The fuck is wrong with you?"
She shrugged as best she could with her trapped arm, "Well, yeah. They'd do the same for me if I asked. It's just how friends should be. And, nothing. I'm just trying to be nice. Or at least I was trying. I clearly failed..."
He snorted, "Clearly."
"Hey!" She glared down at him, "You don't have to rub it in! Isn't it bad enough I'm like this?"
He shook his head but didn't say anything, using his hand to motion for her to continue.
Ochako lost her fire and slouched into herself again, sighing heavily before she returned to her story, "I knew this machine specifically had Momo's favorite snack-and that it also had melon bread which is mine- so I backtracked to this one." She told him, "I'd already got something for everyone else and was just getting mine when this," She gestured at the vending machine, "Happened."
"That shit didn't tell me anything! Stop fucking wasting my time!" He shouted, pointing up at her, "You're stalling, Cheeks! I don't need a dumb life story! Just tell me how you got trapped already! Damn!"
Ochako sighed and nodded, "Okay, okay. So, I bought the melon bread, and it was apparently the last one. It fell down after I bought it showing that it was the last one but as it dropped it got snagged on another row. No biggie, right? I just gave it a little shake and the bread fell, no problem. Then I reached in to take it and when I was pulling it out my bracelet nicked the top of the flap and somehow fell back inside the machine. I tossed the bread with the rest and went to retrieve my bracelet. So, I felt around on the bottom for it. My fingers could just barely reach it because of where it had slid to. I stretched as much as I could but, no dice, I couldn't get a grip on it. It was too thin to pick up, especially at that angle. So then I thought I'd use my quirk on the bracelet, make it float up a bit so it wouldn't just be a flat object on a flat surface, you know? I thought it'd make it easier to grab."
Bakugou slapped a hand on his forehead, "You didn't!"
She nodded, "I did... I activated my quirk on the bracelet, but I guess because it was so small I hit the floor of the machine and up it went! I was afraid to let it go because I didn't want it to fall on me. I'm tough enough when it comes to most things but this thing is huge and really heavy! I'd be a pancake if it fell on me!"
Bakugou sighed, shaking his head, "Idiot."
Her face flamed with a brilliant red and she turned away from him, pouting, "I already know it was dumb. You don't have to tell me. I just wasn't thinking straight because I was scared I'd lost the bracelet for good and it's special to me!"
He shrugged, "Couldn't you have just gone to one of these shitty teachers and fucking asked them to open the damn thing up? It's not like they're doing anything else important."
Ochako stared at him, mouth hanging open.
He cut her a flat look, "You didn't even think of that did you?"
Slowly, she shook her head, "No... Wow, Bakugou, you're really wise!"
The boy scoffed, "I know that! Damn, I can't believe you didn't think!"
Ochako giggled, "Yeah, now that you mention that other option that would have been a way better course of action to take."
He quirked a brow at her, scowling up at her, though his tone sound slightly amused, "No shit."
"So there you have it. The tale of my stupidity. Do you think you can help me?" She asked, hoping and praying that he hadn't just made her tell the whole tale without planning to help her out of this sticky situation.
Bakugou shrugged, "I guess I can help you out."
Ochako cheered, "Yay! Thank you, Bakugou!"
The blonde dropped his bag in the far corner and turned back to face his new challenge.
He studied the scene for another moment before looking back at her, "And you're arm is stuck too? You're not just fucking floating up there with it?"
She nodded, ignoring his harsh tone again. It must have been his default tone of voice.
"I can't get it out because of the weird bendy flappy part pressing up, it locked into place somehow, probably thanks to me taking away it's gravity." She told him.
Bakugou snorted, "Bendy flappy part. Fucking hell, Cheeks, that's real helpful shit."
Shaking his head he walked over to examine her bag and small pile of snacks.
She watched him pick out the cream buns she'd chosen for Tsu and Toru.
He glanced around, quickly surveying the other vending machines and their contents before he ultimately cursed and looked back up at her.
"Guess this will have to fucking do." he muttered.
Ochako lifted her brows in question, eyes wide with curiosity.
He had such an intense look in his eyes as he scrutinized and examined the situation. Truthfully, it was fascinating to see him with such a calm but pensive expression.
"Okay." He said, looking up at her.
The intensity of his gaze as it locked on hers made her tummy tickle.
"Uraraka, listen up. I need you to make me float too." He told her, all business as he went about solving her issue.
He didn't ask her if she could, he just stated that this was needed of her to fix this mess she'd made. He just casually expected her to meet his standards. Despite it feeling more like an order than a request it brought forth a surge of happiness in her.
She had been working on increasing how much she could hold up at one time and two people plus a very big vending machine was probably (definitely) pushing it but if he was confident she could, then she would. Plain and simple.
Once upon a time, Bakugou of all people, had been the only one to not discount her because she looked soft. She would never ever let that be something he regretted doing. So she would continue to push herself and rise above expectations to keep reaching for what he'd seen in her; a fighter.
It's why she had gone to Gunhead for her internship and why she trained her quirk and her body as much as she possibly could every chance she got. She very much wanted to deserve the unexpected respect the hothead had decided to bestow upon her.
Her eyes locked with his and the intensity resonating through him was infectious because she felt a fire light in her belly.
Ochako steeled her resolve and nodded, stretching her arm as far down as she could, she called, "You just need to touch my fingertips. All of them."
Bakugou made a noise in his throat that could have maybe been a sign to show that he'd heard and understood her but for all she knew he could have also just had a tickle in his throat. He did shout a lot, so it was a very likely possibility. Instead, after giving no actual answer he eyed her and the looming machine above, blazing red eyes filled with confident determination.
From his standing position, he bent his knees a little, dropping halfway towards a crouch and jumped up, hand reaching up as high as it could as he rocketed away from the ground even without the aid of his explosive quirk.
Her brows lifted high, disappearing under her bangs in shock.
The guy could just jump that high from a standing position?!
Sometimes she wondered if Bakugou was even human with everything he seemed capable of doing. Seriously, apart from his blatant lack of standard social skills, he seemed completely capable of pulling off practically anything and tended to do so perfectly.
His fingers slapped hers and it startled her but she managed to activate her quirk upon the sudden contact.
He was instantly weightless.
"Fucking shit sticks." He mumbled, taking a second to get his bearings as he drifted up.
Shaking his head Bakugou turned around and faced her, placing a hand on the vending machine to stabilize himself and stop his ascent.
"Alright, first thing." He said, his raspy voice soft and low as he furrowed his brow.
Before he began describing his plan of action Bakugou shook his head, "Shitballs, this is fucking weird."
Moving his gaze to meet hers, he muttered, "So this is no gravity, huh?"
To Ochako's surprise his voice held almost no aggression at all, just the rasp that seemed permanently etched into his tone.
The quiet humor in his crimson eyes and the small smirk at the corner of his mouth made her feel warmer. With an amused look on his face rather than a scowl or a snarl he seemed almost like a whole different guy!
She bit back a gasp and covered her mouth with her free hand.
Was she blushing at Bakugou right now?
Seriously, girl? Get it together! Daydream later. Right now, focus!
"Pretty fucking trippy, Cheeks." He said, sounding about as happy as she had ever heard come from him.
She smiled, getting swept up in the swirling vortexes of molten red as she stared into his eyes, "You should try it outside, floating up while you look at the stars is even more mind blowing. I have a perfect tree for it and a tether set up so I don't just keep going and join the stars."
Her voice sounded thin and breathless to her own ears. All this eye contact with him and his quiet rasp right here by her was...exhilarating somehow.
There was something about him... it was magnetic.
Like looking into the eyes of a tiger at the zoo. Being that close to sheer killing power and yet not being afraid.
"Hn, maybe I'll try it sometime." He said, glancing at her from behind surprisingly thick lashes.
She stared into his eyes, once again, absolutely mesmerized for another second. With such pale blonde lashes it was impossible to see them unless they were really close.
That thought made her brain skip and her thought process skidded to a halt.
Wait.
They were really close.
No, wait, she was stuck to a vending machine and couldn't move.
He was really close.
Like really, really close. Like, Bakugou apparently didn't give two shits about personal space, really close.
Ochako looked from his eyes down to the small gap between their bodies and she swallowed the startled gasp when she noticed he was hardly a foot from her.
This was basically already her personal space bubble.
She was sharing bubbles with Bakugou.
Which, sounded hilarious without context, but here and now in the situation up close and personal with the mesmeric being that was Bakugou all she could feel was a mind-numbing warmth spreading through her entire body, from her face to her toes.
On any given average day, he would be shouting and cursing while being his megalomaniac berserker self. He'd throw sudden rage tantrums, threaten death and dismemberment via explosion, and project an overall aggressively holier than though kind of attitude.
However, in the here and now, less than a foot away from this strangely subdued version of Bakugou she was acutely aware of his entire presence. The cut of his jaw, the contemplative tug on his lip, the aura of heat radiating from his body.
Rushing blood roared in her ears like a sea shell echoing the ocean. Her face was so hot she bet someone could fry an egg on her forehead.
Was it because he was so close?
Was he really this warm? Was Mr. Lord Explosion Murder Bakugou truly this captivating up close? Or was she just a blushing cherry bomb of hormones right now?
" 'Kay," His breath was warm and oddly spicy like cinnamon gum as it fanned against her skin, "I'm gonna smear this shit on your arm and hopefully the grease in this fucking trash you people were gonna eat will lubricate it enough to slide it the hell out of there."
Not exactly the romantic whispers a girl wanted in her ear but somehow it did the trick for her because her stupid heart sped up triple time and started doing loop-dee-loops.
Ochako clenched her eyes shut for a second, trying to regain some sense. She could not, would not lose her shit over Bakugou. Bakugou, of all people!
No matter how stunningly sexy his damn voice was in her ear.
She nodded, showing she understood while struggling not to loose focus.
The fact of the matter was, whether she was willing to accept this borderline insane reaction brought on by close proximity with Bakugou or not did not matter right now.
The most imperative item of business was the sheer amount of weight she was holding up! She was already pushing her limits as it were, a task that was growing steadily more difficult on it's own without his damn sexy distractions. Thank you very much.
In fact, given the amount of time she had already been holding everything up even before he'd stumbled upon her and added his weight to the mix she had been beginning to struggle. She did not have focus to spare, especially not for something as ridiculous as the attractiveness of one of her classmates.
He inched even closer and she felt his body heat soak deeper into her, sinking through to her bones it seemed. Ochako cursed her intractable teenage soul. There was seriously something questionable about her mental health when the one ton metal box of imminent death didn't take leading precedence!
Movement drew Ochako's attention and she glanced at Bakugou. One of his arms was still up braced against the machine, while the other was reaching down into his blazer pocket.
He paused mid motion and cursed, looking back up to her.
"Your damn coat is in the way." He grumbled.
"Heh?" She managed to squeak out.
His handsome face twisted with a sharp scowl, "Fucking whatever, I'm gonna tear it." He growled.
Ochako quickly shook her head, "No please don't!"
His crimson gaze snapped back up from inspecting her trapped arm.
"You're fucking joking." His growl developed more gravel.
She shook her head again, "I'm not. I can't afford to replace it right now and the school only replaces it if it gets damaged because of a school event or an attack or something."
"I know the stupid rules! You're choosing a fucking coat over getting your arm out right now! I could blast your damn arm off! Would that be better?!" He yelled in her face; literally, right in her face.
And suddenly his raw magnetism was forgotten and she just glared into his angry eyes, defiantly lifting her chin.
"I can't damage it, Bakugou. It doesn't exactly change things that much. Besides, what's a tiny bit of challenge for the all mighty Bakugou?" She said back, trying to make sure she kept her tone firm. One could not allow the show of weakness in the face of this guy.
"Tch. That psychological bullshit doesn't work on me! But fine, fucking hell. Want me to do this damn circus act blind-fucking-folded too?!" He continued cursing as he moved along the vending machine and swung himself around her.
His legs brushed hers and his chest pressed against her back, his arms surrounding her from either side.
Ochako squeaked in shock and froze but otherwise kept quiet. She didn't want to push her luck with the angry boy. She knew he had a limit to his patience and she did not want to discover what it was in this situation.
Bakugou had a hold on the edge of the vending machine opening as he maneuvered himself around but once he was stable he moved one of his hands to her shoulder.
The contact startled her and she jerked in surprise.
Her head nearly bonked him in the face; and definitely would have had he not had superior reflexes.
"Watch it! Shit! What is your damn problem?!" He shouted, this time right beside her other ear.
Ochako huffed, "I'm sorry! You touching me startled me!"
"Why?!" His eyes flashed with a barrage of emotions all at once. She couldn't catch any of them before they were all wiped and left with pure unadulterated rage. "We're the only two people up here, stupid space monkey! Who else would it fucking be touching you?!" He shouted, pressing his face and body closer as he raged.
Turning so she could glare into his face and not direct her anger at the vending machine she was stuck facing, Ochako huffed.
"I know! I'm not stupid! Despite how many times you call me it! I just got surprised! I didn't expect you to touch me!" She yelled back, refusing to back down to his attitude.
"Fucking what?!" His angry face twisted with surprise; a wide eyed expression coupled with his signature sharp scowl.
"You think I can get your dumbass self out of this fucking shit show you got yourself in without even fucking touching you? Are you really that stupid?" He snarled.
"I don't know! I said I was sorry, okay?! Can we just move on please?" She snapped, her face red with both anger and embarrassment.
Bakugou made a noise, sucking his teeth. "Tch." He growled, "Why am I even fucking here wasting my damn time?"
Reaching around her, he pulled on her already rolled blazer sleeve, cursing with each tiny thing he had to adjust.
His hands were rough and hot against her arm as he practically tore her jacket sleeve buttons off and jerked her sleeve higher up and out of the way. Though, strangely, even though his movements were quick and rough her arm that was at this point tender and agonized by pins and needles under her skin did not hurt anymore than it already did. Regardless of what he said, his actions said something else entirely. He was being mindful not to hurt her, even as he seethed because of her.
This fact softened Ochako's anger, and her fury withered away.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I am just really tired, Bakugou. I have been holding this machine up alot longer than I even knew I could. Plus myself."
And now plus you, she didn't say it but it hung in the air between them.
He grunted, finishing rolling her sleeve up. After a silent moment he sighed, the damp warmth of his breath tickling the nape of her neck.
"Hardass way to train." He mumbled. His quiet answer lacked any fire.
Her apology must have appeased his anger again.
Ochako snickered, "You're right. I like to live dangerously."
She felt more than heard him snort, the short exhale shot from his chest to her back like a pulse.
Bakugou moved, bracing his arms on the machine as he shifted behind her.
Working to ignore the heat of his body basically pressed into hers Ochako tried to focus on anything else.
He'd laughed, sort of; and joked, again, sort of.
Was that a truce? Were they cool now?
He withdrew one of his hands from around her and slipped it behind her, shifting so he was a little more to her side than right behind her.
Once again taking out one of the breads he'd brought up with him, Bakugou took a corner of the cream bun package in between his teeth and tore it open, sliding it out.
He was quiet again, and with the silence his smoldering intensity returned.
Ochako quietly watched him, each movement more fascinating than the last. He was just removing a plastic wrapper from a cream bun...even doing it with only one hand was only marginally impressive and yet here she was hypnotized like an idiot. Maybe it wasn't the action that intrigued her but the subject that caused the action.
Curious brown eyes, slightly clouded from the strain of overusing her quirk, studied the boy's hands as they moved.
Bakugou's hands were wide but his fingers were really long. Faint scars and fresh callouses painted a picture of hard work and endurance.
For a minute, they reminded her of her grandfather's hands. He had been a carpenter and he'd built many a thing with just his hands, some raw materials, and a few tools. They'd had small nicks and scars on them, especially along the knuckles. His fingers had developed thick callouses from years of taking the same abuse day in and day out.
Yet, they had always moved with a quiet grace, every movement had a purpose, no effort or energy wasted.
They'd always been so warm and comforting when he would pat her head or take her hand in his.
Although, her favorite thing she remembered of his hands was when he'd play the piano for everyone after dinner. She would sit on the bench beside him, her legs kicking in the air. He'd smile down at her, warm brown eyes like creamy coffee twinkling. His long fingers were weathered and battered, occasionally wrapped in bandages from an accident or two while building, but when they spread out over those aged ivory keys they transformed and became elegant somehow.
He'd told her once how her dad hadn't been very good at playing the piano because though he had large wide hands his fingers weren't very long. They were shorter and thicker, better for hard work but not suited for spreading and reaching a wide spectrum of notes from one position.
Ochako remembered crying when she realized her fingers weren't long either. Nor could she use all five fingers on the keys at once.
Her grandfather had said she could still play, and as long as she enjoyed it the people who heard her play would as well.
She'd loved him dearly but even back then she'd known he was wrong about that. She'd seen the faces of her parents as they forced encouraging smiles, trying their hardest to be supportive as she continuously plonked the wrong key.
Even with their similarities, Bakugou's touch differed from her grandfather's. Now, rather than being a source of comfort, the rough calloused tips against her skin sent a shiver through her. Wide brown eyes watched, entranced, as Bakugou's long scarred fingers spread a nasty greasy clumpy cream on her arm. Ochako couldn't help but wonder if maybe Bakugou would be a good piano player.
Heck, the dude seemed to just know how to do practically everything, maybe he already was one.
Turning her focus from his hands to his face, she studied his profile as he focused on his task at hand.
His cheek bones were higher than she expected. His lips weren't completely full, but they weren't thin strips like many guys had. His brow carved down and hung over his burning eyes, their color a deep rich red as they stayed trained on his task. She hadn't met many people with red eyes. It was a pretty color.
When it was quiet like this and they were so close, she felt like she was seeing him in a completely different light. Like when he wasn't running around cussing out people or threatening death by explosion to every living thing he was actually remarkably graceful.
She'd never thought she'd view anything Bakugou did as beautiful but...
She watched him slide his hand over her forearm, moving around the vending machine opening, delving through the cream to cover as much area as he could with what little resource he could manage.
His fingers, all scarred up from years upon years of daily torture training his quirk to pique condition, moved with subtle grace, and he somehow made it look beautiful... but how? Truthfully, it was messy, sticky, gooey, and much more. There was nothing beautiful about it. She knew this to be true. And yet...
His hand rough against the soft skin of her forearm, the slick cream spreading over her skin...
Ochako watched his movements with starry eyed wonder until she realized that his hand wasn't moving anymore.
It hovered, just over her arm, still gunky and gooey with cream.
"Oi, Cheeks, you aren't going to fucking barf on me are you? I will actually fucking kill you if you do, you got me?" He snapped, raising his voice a little.
Ochako shook her head and her gaze jerked up to lock with his.
He actually looked a little concerned.
Bakugou studied her face, a deep frown pulling on his mouth. She stared into his eyes, watching as he examined her. She saw his eyes dip down and she thought with momentary elation that he was looking at her lips. His focused stare came back up to meet hers again and she swallowed slowly, trying to mentally prepare for what came next.
Her eyes drifted closed and she leaned forward the tiniest bit.
Suddenly, Ochako's senses caught up with her hazy mind and she was immediately horrified to realize what she'd been doing!
No. She would not let herself get sucked into that delusion. Definitely not.
After what felt like far too long a silence, she opened her eyes and found him still quietly watching her.
Was he waiting patiently for an answer?
"I'm okay. Just been holding this thing up for a long time now." She said, hoping that was an acceptable excuse.
He gave her a weird look, lifting a brow and taking on an even more worried expression.
"Yeah... We fucking already covered that. Had a whole damn conversation about it." He said slowly, red eyes flicking back and forth as he watched her gaze and her face closely.
Ochako squinted at him, trying and failing to recall that conversation.
"We did?"
Bakugou huffed, "Yeah. You don't remember what we were just fucking talkin about?"
She shook her head, "I was thinking about your hands. You play piano beautifully, don't you?" She pouted, "You do everything beautifully. It's upsetting."
Both blonde brows rose up at that, "My hands? Piano? What the actual fuck are you going on about?"
She giggled and the sound must have unnerved him more. He glared at her, "Fucking shitballs, Uraraka, you need to keep your shit together. Do not fucking drop us and this damn machine right now. I will seriously kill you."
Truth was, she was beginning to feel really sick and lightheaded, which probably largely attributed to the very strange and spacey line of thought she'd been trapped in seconds before. How long exactly did she think about hands? Probably not a good sign.
She smiled at him, closing her eyes as she smiled so his face would stop circling around like colors in a kaleidoscope. "I'm trying. I just haven't held two people and a heavy thing before. Either just a heavy thing or two people. Not both. Not for so long."
Bakugou nodded, grunting his acknowledgment. "Yeah, figured that was it. Don't pussy out on me now, Cheeks."
Ochako blinked slowly, staring at him. When did he start calling her Cheeks? Was it an insult or term of endearment? Most people in class had a Bakugou given title, was that hers?
"As I was saying, before you took some fucking mental vacation, you have to keep me steady. You can't keep me rising up or this cream could go other places, and we don't have enough of this shit to waste like that. I already used most of one. It greased your arm a little but not enough to make a fuckin difference."
Ochako shook her head, feeling her face droop with an unstoppable pout, "But Bakugou, my quirk works in extremes. I either lift or I drop. I don't know how to move it up and down like that. I don't know if I even can."
He studied her for a second and his eyes softened some, "You're really fucking out of it...your voice is real damn spacey." His harder more determined look came back with a vengeance and he raised his voice a little like he had before, "Stay focused, Uraraka. I will not die by fucking flying vending machine, you hear me? I won't do that shit."
If he was doing it to catch her attention, it was working. Every time he fussed at her, she woke just enough to regain her slipping focus.
"And also, that is some weak-ass shit you're shoveling right now." He growled, "You can't be satisfied with just that fucking little bit. You've gotta push it, train it. Dumbass. No quirk is just great, day one. You think All Might came out just Texas Smashing every damn thing? No." Bakugou said as he looked between them figuring out how to fix things at a faster rate given her now stated limitations.
"That is very true. Wow. You are really, really wise. That's the second time today you've said something brilliant. I had no idea how extraordinary you were..." She giggled, "I knew you were strong but strong and wise puts you in this near perfect tier. That's very unfair, Bakugou...how can I keep up with you if you start out already next to perfect? Huh?"
She giggled again and vaguely recognized she was laughing too much too often. She was really losing it... she had been up here holding this stupid vending machine for over an hour - or was it longer?- now she was holding Bakugou too. She really didn't want to kill him... it would be a severe waste.
"You realize you're speaking out loud, right, Cheeks?" He asked, looking at her, puzzled.
"Speaking what?" She asked, giggling again.
Were his cheeks red? Was he feeling sick too? He wouldn't be as used to floating as she was.
Bakugou rolled his eyes, "Fucking hell... Focus!"
Her eyes widened and she zeroed her gaze in on his angry face, "Focus." She repeated.
"You're not some fucking weak shit loser. So stop acting like a damn idiot and get your shit together." He told her.
Ochako nodded, "Right, okay, focus... I can do that."
"Damn right you can." He smirked at her.
She noticed a gooey feeling on her arm and stared at her arm.
"Hey, you already put the goo stuff on me." She mumbled.
Bakugou cursed, "Yeah, shit, Uraraka, fucking focus. I've been doing that, for a while now. Just keep us up, 'kay? I'll handle the rest."
His voice sounded strained.
Ochako looked up at him and she stopped and looked at her arm and back up at him.
It sunk in that Bakugou was nearly bent in half pressed up against the vending machine trying to keep himself in place with one hand and spread the cream on her arm while fighting the continuous rising caused by her quirk.
"I can help." She told him.
She reached out and placed her free hand on his shoulder, pulling him back down and holding him to her side where he could get to her arm easier.
"Dammit, a fucking heads up would be nice." He snapped, slathering the last bits of the cream from the first cream bun on her arm.
She watched his warm hand slide up and down her arm, spreading the gooey gunk with his fingers. That felt nice.
"That feels nice. Your hands are really warm." She whispered. Leaning her head forward she let it drop onto his shoulder.
He tensed under the contact briefly but said nothing as she leaned into him.
Bakugou snorted, not bothering to look at her as he worked, "No fucking shit. I make explosions with them, remember?"
"Mhm, I remember. You shot one in my face." She said with a little chuckle.
Bakugou actually chuckled too, "Fucking, that's right I did and you took it like a real badass. Still got back up and damn if you didn't still try and take my ass out."
She smiled and moved herself around his solid body of nearly all muscle. Slowly, lethargic as her energy continued to seep away, she wrapped her legs around his waist from behind-pushing him forward and pulling him back like a piece of furniture to get them in the proper positioning.
"The hell?! You complain about me fucking touching your damn arm and then you climb on me like a mother fucking tree! Cheeks, are you fucking insane?" He growled.
She laid her chin on his shoulder and sighed, nodding gently, "Probably...at this point..."
He sighed, the breath so heavy she felt his exhale in her own body.
"Fine, I'll let it go this time." He said, taking out the second cream bun.
Bakugou tore it open just as he had the other one, but instead of squishing it to extract the cream this time he twisted in between her legs and stuffed the bun in her mouth.
It barely fit, so he kept a hold of it as he glared at her.
"Bite, chew, swallow. That's how fucking eating works." He said, though his voice held almost no bite to it.
Ochako nodded and took a bite of the bun, humming happily as she chewed the soft bread and then swallowed it.
The food was nice but the solid muscle of his abs between her thighs was very distracting. Was it normal to be this distracted by someone?
Was it normal to be this distracted by Bakugou?
He fed her a few more bites and then turned back around to spread the remaining cream on her arm.
"There, maybe with something in your system you'll stop being so fucking stupid." He mumbled.
She giggled and she heard-and felt-him sigh again.
Once he had spread most of the cream he twisted a little and shoved the rest of the bread in her mouth.
"Finish this, idiot."
Ochako happily followed his order.
"Now, get ready. I'm going to pull your arm out of this damn thing." He warned her, taking her arm in both hands.
He wiggled her arm a little and she hissed in pain, making him pause but she shook her head.
"It's okay. It's just been digging in for so long now, anything will feel bad. Don't worry about me." She assured him, beaming at him with a warm, albeit spacey, smile.
"Whatever." He mumbled, continuing to wriggle her free.
The greasy cream did somehow do the trick and in the back of her mind she wondered if maybe she should stop eating those.
Once Bakugou had her arm free he glanced over his shoulder at her, "Not quite free, just yet Cheeks. We still have to get down without destroying this thing. It'll be our asses if we break it."
She frowned, shaking her head, "Bakugou, I don't know how to do that. I can't ease it down...I can only drop it."
The boy scowled at her, "Fuck, Uraraka. Don't give up so damn fast. I have an idea."
She smiled. Of course he had an idea. He was honestly so intelligent and had solved her problems today so swiftly and smoothly that she was appreciative and yet also more than a little jealous. Still, jealous of his smarts or not, he'd helped her out big time and so she owed him big.
She smiled at him. He was giving her a weird look, and his ears were pink. And his cheeks too.
How weird... a blushing Bakugou...what a novel thought...
"Fucking fuck!" Bakugou glared at her, "I am not blushing! You do realize you're fucking speaking, right? How high are you?!"
She laughed, "What? Pretty high. So're you!"
The vending machine shook, and it made a weird creaking noise. Bakugou grit his teeth and slammed his gooey hands up against the machine, looking like he was prepared to hold it up if need be.
"Do not lose focus! Think all this weird shit once we're back on the fucking ground!" He yelled at her, jarring her for a short moment.
"Sorry... so... what's your plan, Bakugou?" She asked, smiling at him.
"I'm going to climb on top of it with you and you release my gravity. Only mine." He told her.
She nodded, "I can try."
"You can fucking do it. Stop whining already." He grumbled, already moving along the edge of the machine, with her still wrapped around his torso.
Laughing softly, she nodded, "Okay! I can do it! Bakugou believes in me!"
"Don't put fucking stupid shit in my mouth! I didn't say all that!" He snapped, glaring over his shoulder at her.
Ochako pouted and buried her face in his shoulder, nuzzling into the collar of his blazer.
"Mean! You do too believe in me! If I let go this thing would crush you and me! But here you are." She whined into the fabric of his jacket.
Bakugou huffed, "Yeah, yeah. Here I am. Just don't let go until I say to, okay, Cheeks?"
"Okay! You got it!" She pumped her fist in the air.
Mean while, Bakugou had scaled the vending machine and climbed on top of it.
Now he was slowly maneuvering it to be upright rather than the horizontal position it had been floating in.
Taking a firm hold on the top edges, he glanced back at Ochako.
"Alright. Now, when I count to three, let me go on three." He instructed.
"Just you? Not me too?" She asked, tilting her head.
"Fucking balls, Cheeks, just do as I say! On three release only my gravity! Damn!" He yelled.
She nodded, "Okay, sorry."
Bakugou ignored her apology and started his countdown.
Ochako zeroed in on her grip on him, and when she heard him say the number three she released him.
With his weight on top of it, the machine slowly sunk down some. It wasn't going all the way though. Bakugou frowned and cursed to himself.
He looked to her, "Cover your ears."
Without questioning this time, Ochako obeyed immediately, slapping her hands over her ears and squeezing her legs around his waist a little more to keep her grip on him.
He let out a small grunt, putting his palm straight up and making a small explosion over their heads, the force pushing the machine the rest of the way down.
"Now! Let it go!" He told her.
Reacting on instinct, Ochako released the machine's gravity and she instantly felt a massive weight off her chest. The vending machine dropped the few inches it had lifted back up with a large heavy thud, the snacks inside rattling around. Most of them had been shaken from their slots and the inside of the machine was a huge mess. Also, there was a crack in the glass... she had no idea when that happened.
She relaxed onto Bakugou's back and heaved a long heavy sigh.
"You can release your gravity too." He told her.
She looked down from the top of the vending machine where they were still knelt together, her entire self still wrapped around his body like a koala bear.
"But I-"
"Just do it." He snapped, "Hell, Cheeks. Just fucking listen." He was trying to be nice, she realized, it was just in his own Bakugou styled way.
He sounded tired. That worried her but he seemed alright. Maybe being nice was a big effort for him? Yeah, that was probably it.
Nodding against the back of his shoulder she quietly thanked him before releasing her gravity as well.
A soft grunt was the only sign that he felt her added weight at all, as he slid down from the top of the machine.
Once they were on the floor, Ochako slipped away from his warm, very solid body, and let herself collapse onto the floor.
"Wow." she said, sighing again, "I think I'm swearing off snack foods."
Bakugou chuckled, holding her bag in his hand with his already.
She looked to where it had been on the floor and then back to his hand where her stuff now was.
"Come on. You need to go see Recovery Girl. You've probably got some fucking brain damage now. Damn space cadet." He told her, his voice sounding brusque.
She nodded, giggling, "You could be right. Try as I might, I can't not laugh at stuff. Even when I don't wanna, I still do."
He rolled his eyes, offering her his free hand, "Fucking perfect. Come on, get off your ass. Let's go."
Her hand slid easily into his and Ochako smiled at him after he pulled her to her feet, "I like how warm your hands are."
His face took on a pink tint and he turned away, releasing her hand like it was too hot for him. Which was funny because if anyone's hands would be too hot, it'd be his.
"Fucking stupid shit... just move your ass already, fucktard. I have wasted enough time already." He snapped, turning and stomping away.
Ochako noticed he still had her bag and so she smiled, covering her mouth with her hands as she followed after him.
"Hey, Bakugou? Can we stop and wash this cream off first?" She asked, catching up to him easy enough.
The angry stomping must have just been for show because he had to have slowed down enough for her to be able to catch up.
"There's a sink in the nurse's room." He muttered, refusing to look her way.
"That's true! Good point!" She said, smiling at him. "Sage Bakugou strikes again!"
Her head still felt a little fuzzy and she was pretty sure she was still smiling and giggling too much for normal but her thinking was beginning to finally become more normal.
She really hoped that going loopy from straining herself didn't make her forget important details. She wanted to definitely remember this strange but nice event for a long time to come.
"For the fucking record, Air for Brains, you don't speak a single damn word of this shit to anyone. Or I'll murder you in your sleep." He growled, moving his free hand towards his pocket and then letting it drop to his side with a huff. It still had cream bun all over it.
Ochako nodded, biting the inside of her cheeks to keep from laughing. She almost couldn't help it but that was no excuse to be rude. Especially after everything he'd done for her.
She smiled down at her bare arm covered in the sticky greasy mess too.
As soon as they reached Recovery Girl's office, Bakugou dumped her stuff just inside the door and turned to leave with a soft grunt.
She guessed that was his idea of a goodbye.
"Thanks again, Bakugou! I owe you big time!" She called after him.
Not even looking back at her, he simply waved his gunk covered hand at her in the shortest wave of all history and kept going.
Smiling, Ochako shook her head and then she went into the nurse's room to find the sink.
After a bit of a lecture from Recovery Girl she was given some kind of lollipop to lick that would slowly rebuild her energy.
Instructed to sit in bed until it was gone, Ochako stared out the window at the dark cloudy sky.
It was a pity there weren't any stars visible tonight.
Tonight!
She gasped.
It was already night time!
She leaned over and pulled her phone from her bag.
Her little flip phone screen displayed that she had forty-three missed calls from several numbers and one hundred and twelve unread text messages.
Oh boy.
She was going to get yelled at so many times by so many people...
Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair. Well, in a way that was a nice thing. She had a lot of people that worried about her and cared about her.
A soft smile pulled her mouth up as she thought about the newest addition to that list of people. The grump could deny it until his breath ran out and his face turned blue, she would know the truth.
Nobody who didn't care would have spent hours trying to rescue her from a flying vending machine.
Thinking back on it, she had a hard time imagining that it took hours, but he had worked her arm out of the machine gently so she wouldn't be harmed. That couldn't have been a fast task.
Ochako smiled to herself.
She definitely had seen the angry loudmouth in a new light today.
A memory of his hands like warm coals and cinnamon gum breath on her skin sent a chill up her spine.
A very different new light.
Trying to find herself a distraction, she opened a group message and responded to everyone at once. She apologized and said she'd explain everything when she saw them. Then she promised that she was alright and that it was a funny story and that they were all going to laugh.
She remembered Bakugou threatening her about telling people. She decided then and there to leave her rescuer as anonymous, not because she believed his threat but because it was the nice thing to do.
People began texting her back almost instantly, demanding answers right then and she played the recovery card so that they'd wait.
Ultimately, that had been unwise because it just told everyone where she was. Not even ten minutes after her last message was sent, Deku came running through the door to Recovery Girl's office, his wild mop of green hair spazzing out as he panted against the doorframe.
"Are you really alright?" He asked, "Was it a villain attack?"
Behind him, Iida and the girls and surprisingly some of the other guys in class crowded into the room and Ochako turned beet red.
She hadn't honestly expected this kind of reaction.
Smiling at everyone she waited for them to quiet down and then she settled in, still working on her lollipop, to tell them all the story of how she fought the flying vending machine and won with the help of a handsome, nameless prince.
Hours later, Recovery Girl had checked her out again and given her the seal of approval. She'd shooed everyone away long before that, claiming that Ochako needed to rest and that it was impossible to do with so many people bothering her.
So Ochako was left to walk back to the dorms alone. Which was fine. The time to herself to try and think was appreciated. She was still struggling to piece all of the details of the event together. Some of it she could remember a little, like it was a very distant memory. Other bits she remembered with staggering detail. A hot flush of red covered her face as the memory of Bakugou's warm breath against her neck and his solid muscles between her thighs swarmed her mind again.
Such detail... wowza. Apparently, her memory was very selective in what it chose to retain. Very selective.
The air was chilly even wearing her blazer, though it was unbuttoned so that probably didn't help, but she wasn't completely unhappy in the cold tonight. It made her very hot face feel less like a fresh baked pie, all hot and steamy.
One thing about today she could remember pretty well that had still turned out sad was not being able to get her bracelet. She was grateful to Bakugou for saving her, and getting her out of it without earning herself a lifetime of detention and fines, but she was still sad about her bracelet. It was an important gift from her now late grandmother.
Hopefully, Bakugou's idea about asking a teacher to help her out worked tomorrow.
When she finally reached the dorm building it was late enough that most everyone was already in their rooms for the night.
Kirishima was still up, doing pull-ups in the kitchen doorway.
When he spotted her he smiled and greeted her, "Hey, Uraraka! Glad you're okay! I heard about the crazy vending machine from Kaminari! That is wild, man!"
She smiled and nodded, "Thanks! Yeah, it was beyond crazy. I think I'm done with snack foods for a long while."
The red head laughed with her, never missing a beat in his steady rhythm of pull-ups. "I hear ya!"
She wondered if Kirishima knew whether Bakugou was already asleep or not. The blonde went to bed shockingly early but given what time he probably got up it made sense. He always seemed to be one of the first people out and about in the morning.
She could just ask but would it seem strange for her to just randomly suddenly want to know Bakugou's schedule and whereabouts? He'd been very clear that today was to remain a secret.
"Did you need in the kitchen?" Kirishima asked.
Yeah, it was probably weird for her to keep lingering instead of going to her room...
Shaking her head, she waved as she walked on by, "Nope, just spacing out. Good night!"
"Night!"
Trudging up the stairs Ochako fought a big yawn. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she lost to the yawn and she wiped them away. She reached her floor and headed for her dorm door.
Dropping her hand, she noticed something glimmering when it caught the hall light just right. It was on her doorknob.
A big smile slowly spread over her face.
Stopping just in front of her door, she slipped the bracelet off the doorknob.
Clutching it to her chest, she smiled and glanced in the direction of Bakugou's door.
Should she go thank him?
Ochako shook her head, a smile still plastered on her face.
Knowing him, it would embarrass him and thus anger him. Plus, it would draw attention to his good deed if someone overheard or walked by and witnessed it. Which, she was pretty sure was the absolute last thing he wanted. Plus, he was really probably honestly asleep.
She would just have to find some other way to repay him.
Changing into comfortable sleeping clothes, her mind drifted, for the millionth time, back to the solid strength she had felt when her legs had been wrapped around him. Shaking her head, Ochako forced her mind to another topic. Instead she chose to focus on everything he'd told her today. Bakugou had actually given her a lot to think about.
Maybe he was right. She shouldn't be satisfied with just being able to raise things and drop things.
It was nice to have someone save her, but at the same time she was supposed to be training to save people herself.
She should have had the skills to save herself.
His words rang in her mind.
"No quirk is just great, day one. You think All Might came out just Texas Smashing every damn thing? No."
Like he had done before, with her training with Mr. Gunhead, Bakugou had given her the push she needed to improve. It had been her fight against him in the sports festival that had pushed her to make such a decision.
Now, he had challenged her to gain better control of her quirk. Not just making herself able to use it without getting sick but to make it stronger, better.
She looked at her reflection, a hand drifting up to touch her soft rosy cheeks.
He called her Cheeks.
Whether or not that was an insult didn't matter, though she doubted it was.
Her cutesy baby cheeks and short stature weren't things she could change. However, by this time next year she would be able to lift that vending machine and then slowly ease it down by controlling the gravity of it. She swore this to herself, staring into her own eyes as she made the oath to herself.
Next time, she would be strong enough to save herself.