Notes: I got too many ideas while chatting about this fic to let it go.
Because Kaminari took his gaming console back to his room the next day, Bakugou didn't get his chance at Mario Kart redemption until the next week. For the most part, he didn't think about it, seeing as how U.A. liked to kick their asses, but every now and then when he had downtime, it would cross his mind and he couldn't wait. He'd catch eyes with Uraraka in class and glare at her, letting her know that he was going to crush her, and she'd look away quickly, biting her lip like she was trying to keep herself from laughing.
Yeah, yeah, she could laugh it up now. She wasn't going to be laughing when he utterly destroyed her in the game.
Come that Thursday night, the class did its usual thing. Sero and Kirishima had made up by then, baking a shit ton of treats so that everyone could snack while fighting via a video game. Everyone crammed around the television as Kaminari hooked up his system and then immediately began to bicker over who got to play first. As always, Bakugou hung back and Uraraka stayed out of it even when Deku asked her if she wanted to give it a go. She must have felt Bakugou eyeing her after that little exchange because she glanced at him and blush flooded her cheeks. It was almost too easy to embarrass her.
The night went by in a blur and ended with Iida finally winning for once. He was so thrilled that he looked like he was about to cry as Deku and Uraraka congratulated him. With his title taken away for the week, Kirishima was left to pout and swear vengeance.
"I can't believe you let Four Eyes beat you," Bakugou said as he and Kirishima made their way back to their dorms.
"I'll get back at him next week," Kirishima insisted. "I'm gonna take him down!"
Now that was the kind of fighting spirit that Bakugou could understand.
They split upon reaching their dorms. Bakugou changed into a tank top and some basketball shorts and set about doing some reading for class. He really didn't want to, but he didn't take any breaks when it came to school. Within thirty minutes though, he realized that he'd barely put a dent in it and he wasn't even paying attention. His mind kept roving to the game and Uraraka's dumb face.
What if he went out to the common room area and she wasn't there? What if he didn't go out there and she was there? Had he looked into those looks between them too much? When she'd said that she looked forward to them playing again next week, had she been only saying that or had she actually meant it? After all, it wasn't like they'd actually committed to playing again this week. He didn't want to go out there and look like a complete idiot.
If he did and she wasn't there, he'd be pissed as hell at himself for expecting her. And if he did and she was there, well, he'd probably still be mad because then it was like she was expecting him.
Whatever. It didn't matter. He didn't care what people thought of him, least of all Uraraka.
Slamming his book shut, Bakugou stood up and stretched. He slipped out of his dorm and started for the common room area. He heard the sounds of the game before he saw the light and a smirk slowly etched itself onto his face. There was Uraraka, playing Mario Kart, an intense expression on her face. He saw her jump when her character was hit by a red shell and could hear her muttering under her breath. Without warning her of his arrival, he plopped down on the couch next to her.
Uraraka jumped again, this time because of him, and her character crashed into a wall. "Bakugou! I didn't think you would actually come."
He shot her a scowl. "Why the hell not? I told you I was gonna kick your ass."
"Oh, I, um…" Uraraka smiled at him. "Let's do this then!"
Just as he had warned her, Bakugou kicked her ass in the game. He didn't let her win once, absolutely relentless in his desire to win, no matter how much she complained or felt ill. One time, when she started feeling sick, he wouldn't even pause the game`while she ran off to gag in the sink. It wasn't his fault that she got motion sickness from a video game. If she was going to let her weakness get the best of her, losing was what she deserved.
They spent an hour going at it until finally Uraraka was done getting demolished. Not even a blue shell had helped her win this time. By the time they were at the end of their night, Uraraka was pale and moody and Bakugou felt flush with success. She tossed her controller on the ground and frowned in his direction. He threw her a smirk.
"You didn't have to be so mean," Uraraka told him.
"You want to get better, right?" Bakugou countered.
"Well, yeah, but-"
"You're not gonna get close to number one by me going easy on you," Bakugou interrupted.
Uraraka folded her arms over her chest and grumbled under her breath, "Who said anything about becoming number one? I just wanted to get over my motion sickness…"
He pointedly ignored her. There was no sense in trying to do something if it didn't mean becoming the best. "Do you want to just keep sitting on the sidelines watching everybody pass you up?" He'd been talking about the game, but the way Uraraka's eyes widened briefly and then narrowed into a glare, she had taken it another more serious way. A hint of pride flared inside of him. Good. That was good.
"Same time next week?" Uraraka asked him, tilting her head up to him as he stood up and stretched.
"Count on it, Angel Face," Bakugou snarked before leaving the room.
A strange feeling of content settled in his gut as he made his way back to his dorm room. Her asking him that meant that there would be no confusion come next week and no confusion meant that he wouldn't get irritated. He hated uncertainties. They always made him feel like he was in limbo and he couldn't stand it.
Still, it did feel kind of weird knowing that he had plans with Uraraka that no one else knew about. He was positive that she hadn't told anyone. If she had, they would've bothered him, especially Deku or Asui. He wasn't going to tell anyone because it wasn't their business and Uraraka clearly wanted to keep her issues a secret for whatever reason. Maybe she was afraid of getting teased, but then Bakugou knew that he was probably the worst person to have found out if that was the issue.
Kindness and comfort were not his known specialties.
Uraraka could handle it though and she didn't seem to mind the way he pushed her. She wanted to get over her problem and, well, Bakugou liked winning and she turned so red in the cheeks when she lost. It was entertaining.
Next week, Bakugou thought as he laid in bed and rested his hands behind his head. We'll have to do something to push her or she'll get stagnant and I'll get bored.
How Uraraka always managed to beat him back to the common area was a mystery. Did she not leave? It would have been easier to do that, but Bakugou didn't want to give any of their classmates any dumb ideas. If any of them caught wind of this, they'd come up with some wild assumptions and he didn't feel like getting in trouble for exploding one of them to next Tuesday.
This was just...something. A bit of fun. A stress reliever. He liked playing video games, but it was best done either by himself or one-on-one. The whole group party thing grated on him after a while. It was more amusing when it was just with one other person and Uraraka had becoming that unwitting partner.
Uraraka handed him the controller before he even sat down on the couch. When Bakugou glanced over in her direction, he noticed a small trash can sitting on the ground next to her and a glass of water within reach. He smirked to himself. Now she was getting serious.
It didn't occur to him until after they finished the first round (he had won, of course) that they hadn't actually said anything to each other yet. She had been in the zone the second he arrived, having already played a game or two no doubt, and he had let himself be swept up in the mood, already familiar with it.
As they set up the next race, Bakugou decided to double the intensity. "How about we up the ante?"
"Huh?" Uraraka paused, turning her head to give him a confused look with a furrowed brow and twisted lips.
"It's not fun just beating you all the time," Bakugou continued. She reached out to smack him in the arm, but he pulled to the side quick enough for her to miss. He was sure that she would've activated her quirk on him and sent him flying to the ceiling for that remark. "You've gotta make it worth my while."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Uraraka demanded, her cheeks looking pinker than normal. It might've been from the glow of the television though.
Bakugou shrugged his shoulders. "Let's bet on the race."
"You sound like a gambling addict," Uraraka told him. That wasn't a no though, so he knew that he had her in the bag. She was just trying to stall for time as she worked up the courage. "What kind of bets?"
"I don't know," Bakugou replied. "Whatever you want. I'm not coming up with ideas for you."
Uraraka did the act of thinking it over when he knew that she'd already made up her mind. Maybe she didn't know that, but he saw the way she held onto the controller tightly. She wasn't the type to back down from a challenge, not anymore. If she said no, it would make her look scared or weak. If she said yes, she would have to suffer any consequences should she lose - and she would lose. Maybe not every time now that there was something more on the line than just pride, but still, it was inevitable at least once or twice.
"Okay," Uraraka told him, her voice quieter as she cringed in preparation for what she'd be forced to do.
A terrible grin worked its way onto Bakugou's face and he could just tell that she was regretting her decision from the sour way that she looked back at him. "If I win, you have to stand up in class tomorrow and tell everyone that I'm going to be the number one hero."
"That's ridiculous!" Uraraka exclaimed. "It'll be weird and random and it might upset-" When Bakugou began to cackle, she snapped her mouth shut and glared at him. "Why must you pick on Deku still?"
"It'll piss off Half and Half too," Bakugou pointed out. He could already see it now and he loved it. The confused looks on everyone's face, a faintly upset one on Deku's, Todoroki's irritated expression, and probably Aizawa looking tired by everything. The fact that it was Uraraka saying it would throw everyone off. It was funny. And it was the truth, but mostly it would be hilarious.
After coming to terms with his bet, Uraraka fixed him with a serious look and said, "If I win, you have to buy Todoroki's lunch tomorrow."
Bakugou almost choked on his tongue. "What the fuck, Uraraka!" He had thought that his grin was awful, but the one on her face right now was downright maniacal. He'd never seen her look like this before and it actually took him aback. This was a side of Uraraka that he hadn't known. Was she not the sweet, innocent girl that he'd thought of her as for two years? "Can't I just buy you lunch?"
Uraraka shook her head. "Not embarrassing enough."
"That's not embarrassing," Bakugou informed her. "It's cruel."
"Oh, are you scared?" Uraraka teased. "I thought you wanted to play hard ball."
A growl rumbled in the back of Bakugou's throat and he smashed the keys on the controller to choose his vehicle with a sort of viciousness that was usually followed with explosions. "I'll show you hard ball."
And so they played, best games out of five. She won the first, which knocked him off guard and nearly caused him to lose the second race. The third game ended with neither one of them winning after they managed to take each other out and so a computer character won. However, he won the last two, cinching his victory and saving him from humiliation.
Even though she was clearly bummed about losing and not looking forward to tomorrow, Uraraka didn't look upset as she sunk back into the couch. She looked relaxed, one hand rubbing her stomach as the other rested on the couch in between them next to his thigh, still holding onto the controller. The different colors on the tv shimmered across her face, giving her an unearthly glow in the dark room.
"You were right," she finally said. "The bet made me push myself more."
Well of course he'd been right. She hadn't gotten sick once while they were playing. It occurred to him that once she got over her motion sickness, she wouldn't need these nights of playing Mario Kart after everyone went to bed. That feeling of uncertainty crept into his mind again and he shoved it back as far as he could. No sense in thinking about that right now.