If there was one rule that applied to literally every single situation that even remotely involved U.A.'s infamous class 1-A, it was to always expect the unexpected. By this point in his life, Midoriya had learned to take that statement to heart.
These days, living in Heights Alliance, even if his classmates' antics sometimes made him anxious, for the most part, they didn't really surprise him anymore. Their openness, their fearlessness, their kindness, all of them were things that he'd slowly become accustomed to over the past several months of knowing them.
And yet, he still wasn't ready for what he found that morning when he stumbled into the kitchen half asleep.
Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he hadn't thought much of the strange rustling sound until the light from the open refrigerator hit him straight in the eyes, squeezing shut after already being adjusted to the dark. It was ridiculously early, the winter sun late to appear and just barely about to start rising in the distant east. Confused, Midoriya rubbed his eyes even harder and flicked on the kitchen lights.
Uraraka, clad in nothing but a giant t-shirt and shorts, froze like a deer in the headlights, her head turning to face him so quickly that he wondered if her neck had actually snapped from the speed. Her eyes were wide, chocolate brown shimmering in the light, and her rosy pink cheeks were puffed out and riddled with crumbs. There was a steaming spring roll held in her mouth, her arms filled with plastic tubs and bags of store-bought cookies that the girls would often stock up on. All in all, Uraraka looked as if she'd been caught hiding a dead body.
The tension left her shoulders once she'd recognized him, but her eyes were still impossibly wide. "...Mmm." she greeted, going back to raiding the fridge.
It took Midoriya a moment to recover, a faint heat spreading over his cheeks. "Uh... Good morning?" he tried, still extremely confused. Glancing at the counter, he noticed a plate full of steaming hot spring rolls, glazed in a thin red sauce and topped with chopped green onions as if they'd been professionally made in a fancy restaurant of some kind.
His eyes widened in recognition, his heart subconsciously leaping into his throat. He knew that some of his classmates could make some silly mistakes when sleep-deprived, but he didn't think that even Kaminari would pull something like this. His face turned pale as he stuttered. "Um... Uraraka?"
Uraraka looked back at him, freezing with her hand outstretched towards a water container as she stared back at him. Midoriya fidgeted uncomfortably as she blinked at him owlishly, roll still in her mouth. "Mm-hmm?"
Midoriya wrung his hands, eyes darting around the room nervously. "You know... Those, uh... Those are Kacchan's leftovers, right?"
He'd literally just made them last night, threatening anyone who came near him at knife-point due to his awful mood swing at the time. He'd actually chased Kaminari and Ashido out of the kitchen with it, clipping off hair in the process. The two of them had looked genuinely traumatized afterward.
And it wasn't like Kacchan never shared his cooking. He would cook for his friends quite often, actually, and even the whole class every once in a while, if he was in a good enough mood or was given a good enough reason. However, that didn't mean he was always willing to share, and last night had definitely been one of those nights.
Midoriya doubted that he would appreciate someone eating his leftovers, especially without asking.
Uraraka, however, simply blinked at him again. "Mm-hmm."
And she went right back to her rummaging, grabbing her water and one last package of cookies before kicking the door shut and dumping everything on the counter. Though he was terrified to say anything, he honestly found Uraraka's fearlessness in the face of death awe-inspiring. Motivational, even. Balancing everything in a pile on one arm and using the other to pull the spring roll out of her hand and bite into it, she smiled brightly at him, waving her raised pinky at him and slipping out of the kitchen.
Midoriya blinked stupidly, staring dumbly at the door before he slowly, mechanically made his way through the kitchen. Even as he made himself a sandwich, he fought to pull himself together, left in shock at the blatant lack of fear displayed. Even after all this time, his classmates still managed to amaze him.
With a long sigh, Midoriya tiredly bit into his sandwich. Mind wandering, his eyes slid over to the open doorway looking out into the dim common room, where he could see the worn couches where so many wonderful memories had taken place and sunlight slowly beginning to seep through the clean glass windows.
And Uraraka and Kacchan having a staring contest.
Midoriya choked, slamming his sandwich onto his plate as he stared at the scene with wide, disbelieving eyes. Staggering over to the doorway, Midoriya watched the scene play out in awe.
From the looks of it, Kacchan probably hadn't slept well, if the shadows under his eyes were any indication, and by the look in his bright red glare and the way his fists were clenched tight enough to break his fingers, it seemed as if he was desperately trying to make her burst into flames with his mind. From this angle, Midoriya couldn't see Uraraka's face at all, but he could easily make out the half-eaten spring roll in her hand, slowly moving towards her face.
There was an obvious warning in the way Kacchan raised an eyebrow, a silent threat clear as day that would have any lesser man cowering in fear and running with their tail between their legs. Of course, one probably shouldn't doubt the grit of one Uraraka Ochako, something that Midoriya was slowly learning. For a moment, everything was still and quiet, not even a single bird or gust of wind to be heard, as if time itself was frozen in that moment.
And then, without an ounce of hesitation, or even a twitch, Uraraka deliberately bit into the half-eaten spring roll with a loud crunch.
"YOU FUCKING BITCH!"
Holding the last piece of the spring roll between her teeth, Uraraka ran her hand through the pile balanced in her arm and threw it into the air just as Kacchan lunged, ducking under him and sprinting deeper into the common room. Midoriya barely took note of the floating packages and tupperware as he observed the spectacle, watching as Uraraka ate the last of the spring roll and positioned herself behind the coffee table, prepared to dart off in whichever direction she needed to.
Of course, that didn't matter, as Kacchan violently flung the table to the side like a tornado throwing a car, and Uraraka's eyes widened in the first hint of fear that she'd shown during this whole fiasco. With a scream, she bolted, barely dodging Kacchan's crackling, reaching hand and running around the couch as she made a beeline for the hallway. With a fountain of curses spilling from his lips, Kacchan vaulted over it in a single bound and raced after her, screaming obscenities as he went.
Midoriya cringed at the loud crashing that followed, Uraraka shrieking her own threats as explosions rocked the dormitory, likely waking up the entire class in the process, or at least, whoever hadn't already been woken up by the noise. Wading through Uraraka's floating loot, Midoriya was proven right as a very cranky-looking Jirou trudged down the stairs with the promise of death in her eyes.
"Excuse me, but what the fuck." she snapped at no one in particular, Midoriya wincing in sympathy as another explosion went off, Kacchan's irate screeching tearing through the air as something heavy slammed into the ground with a furious rumble. From the sounds of it, their...disagreement had moved outside, effectively waking up the entire campus.
Aizawa-sensei was gonna be ticked.
Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh... Uraraka stole Kacchan's leftovers from last night... He's not very happy."
Jirou's annoyed glare didn't waver, but her frown wasn't as deep as it had been. "Ah." she said simply.
Soon enough, more grouchy classmates began to trickle downstairs, grumbling and whining as they went. Some, like Yaoyorozu and Asui, were mostly unaffected, having already been up and just simply startled by the sudden noise. Others, like Kaminari and Sero, looked ready to shoot someone. Iida had also been up, but was wildly ranting to no one about professional conduct and politeness as he chopped at the air vigorously. His attention was then brought to the rest of Uraraka's food still floating around in the air, to which he immediately went on a tirade about cleanliness.
Midoriya observed all of this from his place on the couch, eating his sandwich quietly as he wordlessly apologized to his disgruntled classmates in their friends' stead.
It would be a couple minutes later that the entire class was left slack-jawed. Midoriya watched, his own jaw also practically on the floor, as a grumbling Kacchan stomped through the common room, a limp, bruised, and giggling Uraraka being dragged along behind him by her ankle. On closer inspection, Kacchan's face was also bruised, with scrapes on his face and arms as if there'd been a scuffle.
Sliding along the floor as she was dragged, Uraraka looked up at all of their classmates, realization crossing her face as a gasp escaped her lips. She quickly slapped her hands together in an apologetic gesture, mouthing 'sorry' with a wince as they went.
Of course, she must have forgotten that she'd used her quirk, because a moment later, all of the dishes and bags immediately fell to the floor, tupperware bowls exploding open upon impact. The last of the spring rolls splattered on the ground, the plate uselessly falling to the side. Uraraka's eyes had gone comically wide as she realized her mistake, followed by a loud 'ack!' as her body crossed the threshold into the kitchen and her head was thwacked against the door frame.
From there, the class was left in silence, unsure of how to respond to this odd new morning routine.
"Scatter!" Mineta suddenly yelled, Midoriya's eyes shooting towards the window as his shorter classmate scrambled from his perch and scurried towards the stairs. Looking outside, Midoriya's breath hitched when he spotted Aizawa-sensei storming up towards the Heights Alliance entrance, a look of murder in his bright red eyes, and suddenly, everyone in the common room was running for their lives. Leaping off the couch, Midoriya found himself being pulled along and shoved into the elevator along with about half of his class as they fought to escape Aizawa's incoming wrath.
Stuffed in a cramped space as the elevator doors slid shut, Midoriya's eyes wandered around the car, eventually locking with those of an exasperated Ojiro. "...We have weird friends." was all he could say.
Midoriya nodded along numbly.
With a relieved sigh, Kaminari allowed himself to plop onto the common room couch, a low moan escaping his lips as he sank into the cushions.
"Me too, man." Sero sighed, rubbing numbly at his elbows with a heavy grimace. Even now, after night had fallen, Kaminari could barely move without some part of his body flaring up in excruciating agony. Training that day had absolutely kicked their asses and Kaminari could still barely see straight, especially after a spar with Kirishima that nearly broke him in half.
The electric blonde would sometimes voice his amazement when it came to how often Kirishima would spar with Bakugou and come out of it still smiling and laughing as if he didn't take several point-blank explosions to the face, but after today, he now realized that that amazement went both ways, considering how Bakugou would take Kirishima's punches and come right back at him as if they barely even tickled.
His friends are actual monsters.
"Hey, guys." a tired voice greeted cheerfully, Kaminari barely looking up in time to see Uraraka wave at them, a sleepy look in her eyes as she disappeared into the kitchen. Kaminari happily sent a half-assed wave back her way, a small smile spreading across his face.
Frankly, the brunette's antics that day had been the only enjoyable thing to happen during training, shuffling over to where Kaminari and Sero had been with a sly smile on her face. A little ways from them, where a few of their other classmates were milling around, Bakugou was on a tirade of some kind while Kirishima just adjusted his costume and silently nodded along. Even now, he couldn't figure out if the redhead had actually been listening or not.
"What'cha got there?" Sero asked curiously, Kaminari raising an eyebrow at the metal bucket in Uraraka's hands, filled to the brim with water.
"I wanted to try something." she responded happily, setting the pail down and stretching her arms, fingers wriggling impatiently as she grinned down at her reflection in the water.
Confused, both boys watched as she thrust her hands into the water, swishing and splashing around as droplets began to float and wobble in the air. Kaminari watched in fascination as Uraraka slowly lifted the massive glob of water out of the bucket, carefully balancing it between her hands with a look of deep concentration.
Sero whistled. "That's impressive-"
"Shhh!" Uraraka shushed him, both boys glancing at each other as Uraraka raised the water, gingerly pushing it up and forward with a manic giggle as she watched it fly away, hands poised and ready to deactivate her quirk.
Sero seemed to have caught on to her plan first, a loud snerk sounding out as he slapped a hand over his mouth and tried desperately to silence his laughter. Kaminari simply quirked an eyebrow, looking between him and the floating sphere of water slowly drifting further and further away.
It wasn't until the split second she released it that he realized what she was doing.
Bakugou jolted harshly as water suddenly came crashing down on his head, Kirishima jumping back in surprise. Several of their classmates froze in awe at the unexpected spectacle, Uraraka raising her fists victoriously as Kaminari and Sero broke down laughing. The pause that followed didn't last long, Bakugou slowly turning his head and glaring into their souls with the eyes of death itself. He instantly locked onto Uraraka, her smile wide and playful as she kicked the empty bucket over and waved her hands at him.
"What. The fuck!" he roared, taking a menacing step forward, hands crackling with glowing hot energy.
Of course, it was at that moment that Aizawa started class back up again, getting everyone back on track with their lesson. He gave a soaking wet and deadpan Bakugou a second glance, but chose not to say anything about it.
"Watch your fucking back." he'd spat the next time he and Uraraka had been in earshot. Uraraka, in turn, gave him a thumbs up.
Sometimes, Kaminari envied her blatant lack of fear towards their explosive classmate.
Either way, from the looks of it, Uraraka was still alive, so he supposed that this particular threat could have been empty. You never knew with him, though.
"I see he hasn't killed you yet." Sero laughed as Uraraka reappeared, a small box in her hands. "He was pretty livid. I thought he was about to charge at you."
"Nah, it's fine." Uraraka waved them off. "He'll probably kick my butt to high heaven in our next spar and call it a day."
"Well, if you're sure." Sero shrugged, immediately regretting the movement if his wince was anything to go by.
Other classmates slowly trickled through the common room, Asui making herself comfortable by burrowing herself into the couch, pressed up near Uraraka and digging into a jello cup with a happy kero~. Uraraka, meanwhile, opened up her box, six large chocolate mochi sitting inside. Apparently, Uraraka had finally gotten a chance to drop by her favorite mochi shop after they'd recovered from collateral damages from a villain attack a while back, and she'd been looking forward to buying some ever since. With an excited giggle, she grabbed a mochi ball and with a cheer, bit right into it.
At first, Kaminari had no way of fully understanding the reason her pupils dilated, frozen in shock as a bright red liquid dripped out from inside the mochi. There was a beat of dead silence as the three of them sat there, Kaminari and Sero waiting for answers and Uraraka trying to register whatever was happening.
And then she screamed.
Asui jumped, nearly dropping her jello cup and barely saving Uraraka's mochi from spilling onto the floor as the zero gravity quirk user hauled ass into the kitchen as if she was on fire. Kaminari watched the scene play out in astonishment as crashing sounded out from the kitchen, Yaoyorozu peering in nervously.
"Um, please don't drink straight from the carton, Ura-! Oh dear..." Yaoyorozu fretted.
"She's skying it." Asui shrugged, having also gone over to get a peek at the chaos unfolding. "It should be fine."
The common room waited in bated breath as something slammed into the counter, Yaoyorozu and Asui stepping back as a fuming Uraraka stomped out of the kitchen, breathing heavily as if she'd just run a marathon and the promise of great suffering in her eyes.
"WHO. Put HOT SAUCE. In my MOCHI?" she yelled, eyes darting around the room in search of the culprit. Suddenly, she zeroed in on something, and as soon as Sero caught sight of it, he was cackling like a maniac. Kaminari caught on a moment later.
He'd never been more proud, nor had he been more terrified.
He had no idea how long Bakugou had been there, but the vicious grin on his face as he met Uraraka's glare head-on said it all. "...Told you to watch your back."
"YOU'RE DEAD!"
The class itself seemed to part like the red sea as Uraraka tore after him, Bakugou quickly disappearing out of the front entrance. Some of their classmates went outside to watch as they raced around the front of Heights Alliance, Bakugou practically running circles around Uraraka as she continued to lunge at him.
"...You know she must be mad if even Bakugou is hightailing it." Sero commented.
"Yeah." Kaminari nodded along.
It was at that moment that Kirishima poked his head into the common room, an exasperated yet fond look on his face. "I heard Uraraka screaming, so I'm guessing that she found the hot sauce mochi."
Sero laughed. "You knew about it?"
"Of course, I did. I'm the one who talked him down from putting hot sauce in all of them."
Kaminari blinked. "Wait, so how many..."
"Only one." Kirishima said, rubbing the back of his head. "Though I take it from what's in the mochi box that she found that one first."
"Huh." Sero blinked in astonishment. "Well, someone might wanna tell her that."
The three boys watched as Uraraka finally caught up to Bakugou, knocking him off balance and sending them both crashing to the ground. She was quick to get a better hold of him, grappling him with one of her many chokeholds.
"Say you're sorry!" she screeched, an almost amused glint in her eye as she tightened her grip.
"Never!" was his choked response, forcefully lifting them both up and slamming them both into the ground, earning a wheeze from his attacker.
It was at that point that some of the braver, more goody-two-shoes classmates ran over to break them apart, worried about their little scuffle escalating too far and giving Recovery Girl more work than necessary. Kaminari, meanwhile, just raised his hands in surrender and walked away, because if there was one scuffle that wasn't worth getting in the middle of, it was that one.
Thankfully, nobody died that day.
If anyone asked, no. As much as Bakugou had come to hate trips to the mall or grocery store with any of his weirdo classmates, that wasn't the reason why he wanted to throttle Uraraka's neck so badly.
"Please, just a little bit longer!" Round Face pleaded, sad puppy eyes rivaling those of even Kirishima. "I withdrew all of my savings and everything! Please, let me do this!"
Mall shoppers around them were quick to move as far away from the conflict as possible, forced away by the sheer power of his natural rage aura, and somewhere in the back of his mind, Bakugou was counting the seconds before some paranoid fucker panicked and called security on them. Round Face simply puffed out her pink cheeks threateningly and stomped her foot, a burning determination in her eyes. "Please, let me treat you! Just this one time! I know a really cheap cafe down the street that's really, really good, and it's nowhere sketchy, so there's less of a chance of something going wrong, so please-!"
"Fucking hell, Uraraka! Just drop it!" he spat, glaring at her two small shopping bags. The whole reason he'd been dragged along in the first place was that she'd been nagging him all day about helping her find hero merch that he knew Deku didn't have that she could give to him as an apology gift. He should have known that she would try to do something for him as well, the dramatic bitch.
He eyed his left arm in annoyance, hidden under his jacket and tightly bound in a cast.
Quite frankly, Bakugou didn't blame Uraraka for what happened whatsoever, and he doubted that the shitnerd did, either. If anything, Deku was probably beating himself up over it, considering that he's the one that put her in that position in the first place.
Heroics training the other day had been absolutely grueling, to the point where even he was on the verge of collapse. Their classes had been canceled that day for an all-day rescue training session simulating a major disaster and the rescue and cleaning efforts that come with it. Ground Gamma had been in shambles for the simulation, and they'd even brought in civilian actors to make it all the more real, even if they all had supplies in case of a long wait. Though they'd all seen the carnage of a real disaster in the past, Aizawa still found training scenarios necessary, in order to continue their growth in a more controlled environment.
As the class soon discovered, taking part in disaster clean-up is exhausting, rescuing and comforting civilians, cleaning up debris, crowd control, and all the works leaving everyone teetering on the edges of consciousness by the end of it. Surprisingly, the exercise itself went smoothly, with no freak accidents or stupid mistakes getting anyone hurt or anyone's grade dropped.
Right up until the end.
Normally, Bakugou wouldn't be coming to Deku's defense, but in this case, neither of them had considered Uraraka's health when Deku had asked her to float a massive slab of concrete that was sealing a hole where a civilian was trapped. It had been the safest option, as destroying it could have debris raining down on the victim inside, and lifting it on one side could have led to the other side falling in and crushing them. That, and in a real life scenario, they would likely be running out of oxygen, so they didn't have time to wait for backup. So, Uraraka, clumsily staggering forward and smelling like vomit, had done so without complaint.
The second Deku slid under the rising slab to reach the civilian, hyper-awareness slammed into Bakugou like a freight train. Every tiny pebble that fell from the piles of rubble around them sent chills and goosebumps running through his body, and suddenly, his hands were twitching, as if begging for action. Subconsciously, Bakugou found himself inching closer to the hole, where Deku was carefully helping a middle-aged woman out of her little corner to be escorted to safety.
Deku couldn't have been under there for more than fifteen seconds before Uraraka promptly passed the fuck out.
It had been like slow motion, watching her knees buckle as she crumpled, and almost instinctively, Bakugou darted under the falling slab, raising his gauntlet and blindly firing upward as Deku, wide-eyed and pale, dove on top of the civilian and curled over her protectively.
He didn't remember much of what happened after that. There were blurry flashes of movement and the phantom memory of his left arm feeling as if it was being torn off of his body, but other than that, the only thing he remembered clearly was Uraraka's screaming. As he found out later, she was only out for a few seconds, waking up to two of her classmates being buried alive because she couldn't hold on to consciousness and her quirk deactivated. She and a couple other classmates, who heard the massive explosion and came running, managed to dig them out fairly quickly.
Apparently, Bakugou got off lucky, with the worst of his injuries being a concussion and his crushed arm, which hurt like hell, but at least he could still feel it. The civilian, meanwhile, got away with nothing but a couple cuts and bruises.
Deku, however, was all kinds of fucked. Not only was he also concussed, but he'd also managed to get hairline fractures in his vertebrae and right femur, with his lower leg completely shattered and three of his left fingers beyond broken. Aizawa had apparently been a bit nervous about mobility in the dumbass's hand, but Recovery Girl still somehow managed to save it, even if she'd expended so much energy that she couldn't finish healing both of them.
Thank fuck, because what good was it to crush Deku if he couldn't give his all anymore?
With a sigh, Bakugou glanced down at the brunette, a heavy grimace on her face as she fiddled around with her shopping bags. She'd been a mess after what happened, barging into the infirmary as soon as she'd heard they'd woken up and groveling at their bedsides for forgiveness. While Deku had been a bit embarrassed and somewhat touched by the gesture, Bakugou was just offended.
As far as he was concerned, she was just wasting all of their time. She had nothing to apologize for.
Round Face let out a loud huff, irritation and disappointment clearly written on her face. "Fine. If you're gonna be that way, then I'm gonna go buy more stuff for Deku."
With that, she stormed off, Bakugou rolling his eyes as he strode after her. Even if she was being an annoying child about this, huffing and puffing as if he'd seriously wronged her, Aizawa would lose his shit if he knew they let themselves get separated for any reason other than using the bathroom. To be fair, Bakugou understood why he was so paranoid, but that didn't make the situation any more annoying.
Carding his good hand through his hair, Bakugou had barely acknowledged the fact that Uraraka was still ranting at him about whatever when he noticed a commotion off to the side, an ear-grating laugh piercing through the air as people cheered excitedly and someone started shouting incoherently. Craning his neck to see over the throngs of people passing through the mall, Bakugou caught sight of a small crowd gathering off to the side, near a sporting goods store where employees were watching on in exasperation. Admittedly curious, Bakugou inched a little closer, finding two men in the middle, one in a Gunhead-inspired costume flexing and the other flat on the floor, writhing. Off to the side, a shorter fucker stood casually next to what looked like a rickety old pirate chest, filled with what looked like tens of thousands of yen.
"Another win for the champ!" Shorty cheered, the crowd clapping as the other extra crawled off to lick his wounds. The apparent 'champ' continued to laugh, pounding his chest like an ape with a wild grin on his face.
"But of course!" Muscle guy roared. "How could anyone ever hope to defeat me, Maximum Overdrive, master of Gunhead martial arts, in a fair fight!"
Shorty's nasally voice cut above the man's obnoxious laughter. "Unless, of course, you think you can take him on in a quirkless match! Come on, one and all! Place your bets and win fame and fortune! Only 1100 yen for a chance to win everything in this chest!" he announced, smacking his cane against the pirate chest.
Bakugou huffed out a laugh, shoving his good hand into his pocket. Thinking back, he's pretty sure that he'd heard of Maximum Overdrive before, some cocky, theatrical loser with a weak ass quirk who thought he could make it in professional fighting rings just because he was a little buff. 'Master of Gunhead martial arts' was also a bit of a hefty title to place on yourself, especially if you've only won one formal martial arts match out of the twenty-something you were in before you gave up, cried about it, and then fucked off.
It sounded like a pathetic existence, really.
Some new schmuck stepped up to the plate, throwing in his yen and squaring up without even bothering to raise his fists high enough. The guy was clearly not a professional fighter of any kind, with that sloppy of a stance. Then again, Maximum Loser, though he had proper posture, didn't look much better, being way too rigid. A strong enough hit in the right place and he'd snap like a twig. Pretty embarrassing for a 'Master of Gunhead martial arts'.
What a fucking joke.
"Bakugou!" Bakugou did not flinch when Uraraka suddenly materialized out of thin air, shrieking in his ear. Her lips wobbled as she stomped her foot, a look of murder in her eyes. "What are you doing?! You can't wander off on your own like that! Especially when you're hurt! Do you know how scary it was to look behind me and realize you weren't there?! I thought-!"
"Alright, I get it! Shut up!" he snarled back. "Just calm the fuck down! I can take care of myself, you paranoid bitch!"
In all honesty, yeah, he knew why going off by himself was a bad idea, and he didn't want to deal with Aizawa's ire on top of that, but he also didn't appreciate the insinuation that he couldn't protect himself. He could take down any jackass second-rate villain that wanted to mess with him with one arm just fine, thank you very much.
Round Face was still ranting, but Bakugou's attention was pulled back to the crowd off to the side, where the Maximum Loser had utterly destroyed the random extra that had challenged him. The crowd applauded, as if they were actually seeing a real show, and Bakugou couldn't help but sneer at the sheer idiocy of what he was watching.
"What are you even looking at?" Uraraka asked, her tone exhausted as she peered over at the small crowd as a sporting goods store employee helped to patch up the one dumbfuck that got beaten up by the other, laughing dumbfuck.
"Ugh, some dumbass street show these buffoons are putting on." he sighed, as yet another defenseless extra stepped up to pay for getting clocked for everyone's shitty entertainment. "Muscle man over here claims to be a 'master of Gunhead martial arts', or some shit."
"Eh?" was her deadpan response.
Inching closer to the commotion, the two heroes-in-training watched in mute amazement as Maximum Loser pretty much beat the extra to a pulp, the poor idiot getting up over and over again and giving them all a great view of Muscle Man's blatant lack of technique. Bakugou glanced down at Uraraka, her face a strange amalgamation of confusion and disgust. "Gunhead martial arts?" she asked in disbelief.
"That's what he said." Bakugou shrugged, his mouth twitching upward.
"But...But he's so rigid!" Uraraka whined. "What even is that stance!? No wonder he's so slow! And he's distributing his weight all wrong! Master? Really?!"
"You should go kick his ass."
Uraraka blinked up at him, her eyes wide and mouth agape as she searched for a response. The fire in her eyes was there, though, hidden under a blanket of feigned nervousness. "W- What? Me?"
"No, fucking Santa Claus. Yes, you, dumbass! It'll be a breeze!"
"I-! But-!" Uraraka frowned, glaring down at her feet. She glanced over at the setup, eying the chest and the signs around it. "I- It's a whole 1100 yen, though! I don't wanna use all of my money if I can help it!"
"I'll pay the entry fee."
"Wha-!"
"Look, I would do it myself, but Aizawa would kick my ass all the way across Japan and back again." Bakugou huffed, gesturing at his cast. "Besides, Gunhead martial arts are your thing. Poetic justice, don't you think?"
"I don't know..."
"You can have the winnings." said Bakugou, pointing at the chest of yen. "Pay me back the entry fee, buy whatever junk you want for Deku, we can go to a proper restaurant instead of some dingy cafe, you walk away rich. It's a win, either way."
Uraraka watched him for a long moment, unsure as she wrung her hands, eyes darting between him and the crowd, where Maximum Loser was cackling like a drunkard. "And we'll go out to eat?"
"...'S what I said."
"You'll let me treat you?"
Bakugou glared at her. "Stop. Pushing it."
Uraraka watched him silently, almost as if she was analyzing him. Glancing over at the crowd, she finally seemed to come to a decision, nodding to herself resolutely. "Let's do it."
Of course, the resulting chaos was just as glorious to watch as he'd hoped. Handing the entry fee over to Shorty with a quick "for her," Uraraka squeezed through the crowd and stepped up in front of the bulky fighter wannabe. For a moment, he stared down at her in disbelief, slowly processing what he was looking at as Round Face stared back up at him defiantly, her hands firmly on her hips. Shorty, still standing next to Bakugou, was snickering like an idiot, Bakugou fighting not to snort as Muscle Man began to laugh in amusement.
"What's this?" Maximum Loser laughed. "You know this is a quirkless fight, right, little girl?"
"Yep." she said simply, radiating confidence as she crossed her arms. "I heard you practice Gunhead martial arts."
Loser puffed out his chest at the mention, a toothy grin on his face. "But of course! I'm a master, after all!" he announced pompously.
Uraraka hummed, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. "Really? How cool! I was trained in Gunhead martial arts, too!"
"Really?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Well, I'd be happy to teach you some of what I know once this is all said in done, yeah?"
Round Face's grin was manic. "Maybe."
The match lasted less than a minute.
In a single move, Maximum Loser was flipped onto the ground, Uraraka easily using the fucker's weight against him and locking him in a complicated chokehold that Bakugou could confirm that even he couldn't get out of without literally blowing up her damn legs. Shorty looked physically ill as the 'champ' screeched in pain when Uraraka tightened her grip, the crowd going ballistic and the employees of the sports goods store laughing hysterically at the display. Muscle Man screamed uncle a moment later, Round Face bathing in the cheers and cries from the amazed crowd. Begrudgingly, Shorty forked up the cash and the two teens were on their merry way.
"The hell is your problem?" Bakugou growled as Round Face stumbled alongside him, her face pale.
"There's so much money..." she shook, on the verge of passing out.
"Yeah?"
"I'm set..." her voice wobbled. "I'm gonna get so many presents...and so much food."
Her face slowly lit up at the thought, hopping up and down like a child high on sugar as she fought the urge to bolt for the merch store. Bakugou swallowed down his annoyance, pretending not to even know her as she twirled around and skipped along, singing random strings of words as if nothing could ever be wrong with the world. At this point, he'd accepted his fate, so he just groaned, rubbed roughly at his scalp, and followed after her, a deep frown on his face as she scampered back into the hero merch store they'd been at not too long ago.
This was the price he had to pay for attending the number one heroics school in the country, huh? Living with a bunch of fucking imbeciles.
"Hey, Dynamite!"
Non-heroics students fled for their lives as Ashido slammed right into Bakugou's back at full speed, earning a loud wheeze and nearly knocking him right off his feet. Returning to the dorms after a weekend visit at her parents' house, Ashido was actually surprised by how much she'd missed her boys, even as the ash blonde she'd slammed into immediately wrestled against the pair of arms wrapped around his neck as if she was trying to choke him out. Ashido laughed as Bakugou pried her off and flipped her over his body, not caring as she slammed back-first onto the ground, knocking the wind right out of her.
"I'm actually gonna fucking kill you one of these days!" he yelled, stomping his foot and nearly kicking her face in the process. "You're lucky I knew that was you, or I'd have burnt you to a crisp!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Ashido laughed nervously, hands up in defense. "I'm just happy to see you, Blasty!"
His deadpan glare was colder than Todoroki's right side as Ashido leaped to her feet, a blinding smile on her face as she dusted herself off and stretched her aching and likely bruising back. At this point, she was gonna be black and blue all over, especially after she and Kaminari thought that simultaneously chest-bumping Kirishima was a good idea when the guy has a hardening quirk and abs for days.
Yeah, she was just full of brilliant ideas today.
"So," Ashido started. "What are you doing loitering around the hall, Dynamite? You've usually got things to do, places to go, you know?"
Bakugou was still glaring dangerously at her, almost as if he could make her spontaneously combust at any moment, but eventually, he silently pointed at a nearby vending machine, the pinkette's eyes lighting up as she pressed her face against the glass in search of whatever product had gotten her friend's attention.
Eyes darting around, it didn't take her long to find it, Ashido gasping loudly. "Is that the Moon Mirko Madness sports drink!?" she shrieked, excitedly slapping her palm against the glass repeatedly. "I thought they discontinued it! I was addicted to this stuff in elementary school!"
Bakugou snorted. "You were into it too, huh? Citrus sting was the shit."
"Oho! A man of culture, after all? I knew I liked you for some reason, though I'm more of a berry blast girl myself."
The two fell into unnatural silence after that, staring through the vending machine glass at Mirko's smirking face plastered on the cans, as if the rabbit hero herself was daring them to buy it. Ashido snickered to herself, even as she found herself salivating and her fingers drumming excitedly on the glass. It had been literal years since she'd had any of this stuff and she hadn't heard a single word about them starting up sales again.
Bakugou suddenly let out a loud tch, fumbling around with his backpack. "Fuck it. I'm getting some."
Ashido shot up straight, wincing at her still-aching back. "Bitch, if you're splurging, then so am I!"
Ashido frantically searched for her wallet, digging around in her bag and feeling around her jacket pockets until she finally pulled it out, waving it around wildly as she checked it for even a single coin. "Are you kidding me?" she whined, glaring at the big pile of nothing she'd found. "Of all the times I end up being a broke ass bitch! Aw man, I thought I'd been saving up. Maybe I left my money in my room or something..."
She pouted deeply at the loud clang of a dispensed can, stuffing her wallet back where she'd found it and promising herself to come back later when she had more yen to spare. Is this what it felt like to be Uraraka?
"Ahem." Ashido jumped, turning to find Bakugou offering her a can of berry blast with a raised eyebrow. For a moment, it didn't quite register what was happening until Ashido rubbed at her eyes to make sure she was seeing things right. Even now, after they'd been friends for so long, it still sometimes surprised her when he offered a random act of kindness out of left field.
She took the offered can in reverence. "Blasty, I promise that the next time I greet you, I will step out in front and wave at you like a normal person."
Bakugou only rolled his eyes at her, mumbling something about being hopeless as he went to get another can for himself. It was just as Ashido had opened hers that she looked over her shoulder and spotted a familiar bob of brunette hair jogging by.
"Uraraka!" Ashido greeted happily. Uraraka slowed down her run, smiling and waving back as she approached them. Ashido did not miss the small box of chocolates tightly held in her arms.
"Hey, guys!" Uraraka beamed, clutching her box closer to her chest. Ashido decided to bug her about it later.
"Hey, you want a Moon Mirko Madness sports drink? I'm sure Blasty will buy you one!"
Bakugou sputtered indignantly. "Fuck you!"
Uraraka rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Thanks for the offer-"
"I didn't offer anything!"
"But I'm in a little bit of a hurry."
Ashido smiled slyly, eying the box in her arms. Perhaps now was the time to bug her, after all. She's not the one who brought it up, so... "What for? Does it involve those chocolates~?"
Uraraka blushed slightly. "Uh, um, oh, these things? I bought them for myself. People have been telling me to treat myself more, so I'm finally taking their advice."
Ashido raised her eyebrow questioningly, but didn't have much she could say to that. In fact, she was one of the people who'd given her said advice, so who was she to bother her about it?
Ashido had just gone to take a sip when Bakugou entered the conversation completely out of nowhere. "You sure those aren't for Deku?"
Ashido spat berry blast everywhere, coughing so harshly that she almost completely missed Uraraka tripping over herself, the little box of candy floating harmlessly in the air. She stumbled to her feet clumsily, plucking the box out of the air and pointing at Bakugou accusingly. "Where did that come from!?"
Bakugou, apparently in a more mellow mood that day, just shrugged, taking a swig from his own can as if he was ignoring her. Ashido, meanwhile, pounced like a predator. "What's wrong, Uraraka?" she cooed. "You're blushing!"
"Am not!"
"Are too! How cute!"
"Shut up!" Uraraka shrieked, whirling around on Bakugou. "What would you know, anyway?!"
Bakugou just snorted at her. "I'm indifferent, not blind."
"Wha-!?"
"If Bakugou can pick up on it, then it's obvious as hell, Uraraka!" Ashido argued, eyes sparkling in amusement as Uraraka's face turned a deep, bright red. "Tell us about your crush~!"
"'Us', she says." Bakugou grumbled. "Don't lump me in with you. I don't give a shit."
Uraraka looked ready to strangle him. "Then why did you bring it up!?"
"So you are in love!" Ashido cheered.
"No, I'm not!"
"Midoriya and Uraraka sitting in a tree-!"
"I said these are for me!" Uraraka screeched, ripping the box open and stuffing pieces of chocolate in her mouth. "Mmmmmmmm, these are so gooooooood!"
As it turned out, it was at that moment that the first warning bell rang. Uraraka clung to the excuse for escape like a lifeline. "Oh, wow, would you look at the time!" she cried, eating another piece of chocolate. "Don't wanna be late! See you guys in class! Bye!"
And with that, she took off, racing down the hall and turning the corner so fast that she skidded around the floor and almost ran a couple of other students over. Ashido could hear Iida's yelling from here, chastising her as she sprinted all the way to their classroom.
Ashido just watched on silently. "...We're assholes." she said.
"What's new?" Bakugou responded deadpan, chugging the rest of his drink, tossing it into a recycling bin, and walking to class. Ashido quickly did the same, savoring her treat as much as she could before she too disposed of the can and ran to catch up with her classmate. The two of them didn't say anything else as they made their way to class, Bakugou completely ignoring Iida as he raised his voice to keep order amongst his classmates, as if that was actually possible.
Ashido hid her smirk when she noticed Uraraka huddled by Midoriya's desk, sharing her box of chocolates with him as if that didn't raise every single red flag in Ashido's matchmaking mind. Bakugou, unsurprisingly, didn't seem to care, unabashedly making his way to his desk and plopping into his chair as if Uraraka wasn't trying to burn holes into his head with her eyes. Bakugou met her glare without fear, almost daring her to say anything. It felt like the two were in a staring contest for ages, one that Midoriya looked extremely nervous about, before Uraraka made the first move, grabbing a piece of candy and holding it out towards the ash blonde, almost like a peace offering.
"I'll give you this piece of chocolate if you promise not to talk about it." she said curtly.
Bakugou cocked an eyebrow at that, but his expression remained neutral, almost completely unreadable as his gaze flickered between Uraraka, Midoriya, and the offered candy. Ashido was probably too far away to really tell, but if she didn't know any better, she'd say there was a spark of amusement hidden in Bakugou's eyes.
Eventually, his gaze fell back to the candy, and it felt like ages passed between them before Bakugou wordlessly held his hand out. Uraraka smiled in relief as she dropped the chocolate into his waiting palm, nodding resolutely to herself as he turned away, popped it into his mouth, and leaned back into his chair, loudly kicking his legs onto his desk and grinning to himself as Iida started ranting somewhere in the background.
Midoriya, meanwhile, looked absolutely baffled by the exchange, his head swiveling between them as Aizawa trudged into the classroom. Before he could ask the brunette what in the world just happened, Uraraka awkwardly shoved the rest of the chocolates into his hands, her face slightly tinted red as she scurried back to her own desk and left him at a complete loss on how to react. Apparently, Mineta must have said something particularly suggestive, because both Midoriya and Yaoyorozu were turning interesting shades of magenta a moment later.
Ashido shook her head and sighed happily. Never a dull moment with her classmates.
As far as Uraraka was concerned, she was dying. She hoped that someone would at least tell her parents that she loved them.
She coughed hoarsely, curling up in her sweat-soaked bed with a low, agonized groan. Her room was left dark, a small relief for her pounding head, and the cool rag that had been set on her forehead had warmed up and was tossed aside a long time ago. In all honesty, considering how used to it she was, she would actually prefer nausea to this feverishness any day. At least she knew how to power through an upset stomach.
She'd woken up that morning feeling less than stellar, but she hadn't thought much of it at the time. She'd been working herself to the bone lately, after all. After everything that her class has been through, after everything that Iida's led them through, that Kirishima's shielded them from, that Deku and Bakugou and Todoroki have fought through, after everything that they, as a class, as a family, have survived, Uraraka felt determined to do her part. She wanted, needed to catch up, to be able to keep up with them. She wanted to feel worthy of fighting alongside them.
So she practiced. A lot.
Any free time she had, she spent in the gym. Every day, from after heroics class to dinnertime, she trained, stretching her quirk as far as it could go and training her body to endure the physical stress that hero life required. Every day, she practiced new moves, both her quirk and her Gunhead martial arts, until she could barely stand. It was exhausting, leaving her dizzy and nauseous, but thinking about the lives she would save and the luxuries that she would be able to give her parents, she'd never felt so motivated in her life.
Thinking back, she couldn't remember when she'd really started to neglect her health. Perhaps a mission hadn't gone as well as it could have. Maybe someone had gotten hurt because of her, though she wasn't sure if she'd made a mistake or if she wasn't strong enough. In the long run, she supposed it didn't matter, because either way, the result was the same.
She felt bad about scaring her classmates so badly this afternoon. Despite being slightly under the weather, she'd still gone to class that day, not realizing just how exhausted she was until she'd collapsed during training and scared the living daylights out of everybody. Deku and Asui, who had been with her, were the ones who saved her from falling to her death when she passed out, Deku lunging off the rooftop to break her fall and Asui catching them with her tongue to avoid injuries. The other team they'd been fighting, consisting of Iida, Ashido, and Kirishima, were quick to come to their aid and call for help.
Uraraka hadn't been aware of any of this until she'd woken up in the infirmary to a fussy Recovery Girl, not even remembering the moment she'd blacked out. She remembered standing on the roof, and then she was in bed. It almost felt like she'd woken up from a dream.
Due to all of this, she'd been confined to bed rest for the next few days, much to her chagrin. At this rate, she wouldn't be catching up with anybody. Groaning, she shoved her face into her pillow and let out a muffled whine.
Resting in her dorm room, she'd been visited by several of her classmates by this point. As soon as she was back in Heights Alliance, Deku, Iida, Todoroki, and Asui were camping out in her room studying and teaching Todoroki how to play different board and card games. At some point, Yaomomo and Jirou had dropped by with some super expensive exotic teas that made Uraraka feel guilty for drinking it and freshly baked cookies from Satou. Ashido also dropped by at some point with a pile of handmade get-well-soon cards all made by 'her boys'.
Well, most of them, anyway.
She also regaled her with stories about whatever madness was going on downstairs that evening, from Sero taping Mineta to the ceiling to Aoyama accidentally glitter-bombing Hagakure to Bakugou's latest outburst, which ended with Kaminari setting the toaster on fire and nearly killing Aoyama and Hagakure in the process. Uraraka had never been so disappointed in missing something in her entire life. Nobody even filmed it.
It at least had been quite the sight when Hagakure poked her head in to announce that dinner was ready, still covered in glitter and with crisp, singed clothing.
"We'll get you something light, okay?" Deku had said with a smile, filing out with everyone else and leaving Uraraka in both blissful and depressing silence.
With a shuddering breath, Uraraka stared blankly at her wall, curling up tightly in her blanket as chills ran through her body. Even from the fourth floor, she could hear everyone laughing and screaming downstairs, running and jumping and stomping around the common room without a care in the world, as if the world itself wasn't weighing down on their shoulders. Uraraka bit her lip, her eyes watering as she sniffled loudly, her mind a whirlwind of spiraling thoughts and whispering doubts that only grew louder as the darkness of her room persisted.
If only you were stronger.
If you weren't so weak.
Fragile.
Maybe her friends would have never been hurt.
Maybe she would have been able to help Aizawa-sensei at USJ.
Maybe she would have kept her promise and stood alongside Deku in the Sports Festival quarter-finals.
Maybe she would have captured Toga in the Beast's forest.
Maybe she would have been by her friends' side at Kamino.
Maybe Sir Nighteye would still be alive.
Maybe...
Maybe...
A sharp knock on her door startled her out of her downward spiral, the door creaking open a moment later and light pouring into the dark room. Uraraka winced as the light from the hallway filtered in, but welcomed it regardless.
"Deku?" Uraraka slurred, peeking out from her ball of sheets. She was a sticky damp mess, her disheveled hair sticking to her forehead, and she barely had the strength to pull herself up as a fuzzy silhouette appeared in her vision.
"Try again." he retorted.
Uraraka blinked blearily, slowly registering the voice's gravelly tenor and the sharpness of his hair, and she couldn't help but allow a small smile to grace her lips, even as the lights were flicked on and a shot a stab of pain through her skull. "Hi, Bakugou." she mumbled, her head falling back onto her pillow.
The door clicked shut as she let her eyes droop, fatigue slamming into her like a bird into a window, and she sighed as she wormed her way deeper into her sheets. She vaguely noticed the scent of something delicious, but ignored it in favor of letting her eyes rest.
"Oi," Bakugou growled, Uraraka nearly screeching as he tore her blanket off. The cold that slapped her in the face sent shivers running through her body, as if Todoroki had frozen her over. "You have a fever, stupid. Stop warming yourself up."
"But I'm cold." she grumbled, pawing for her blankets and finding nothing. With a defeated whine, she laid flat on her stomach, pressing her pillow into her face and groaning loudly as goosebumps ran across her damp arms. She purposely ignored the annoyed sigh above her, avoiding looking at him even as her curiosity spiked from the bed dipping.
"Get up." he said curtly, Uraraka peering up at him with her best attempt at a glare. He only snorted at her. "I brought food."
Her brain finally put together that that's what the smell was, her eyes fixating on the bowl in his hands. With sluggish movements, Uraraka slowly began the arduous task of sitting up. It took some time, her head spinning and arms shaking uncomfortably, but eventually, she managed to wriggle herself up next to him and take the bowl from his hands. "Chicken noodle?"
"Your nerd squad talked the whole class into agreeing on it for everyone's supper." Bakugou huffed, irritation crystal clear on his face. "And guess who everyone ganged up on to make it."
Uraraka giggled, slurping up a spoonful and practically melting at the taste. "It's so good, though..." she moaned.
"Tch. I liked it better when you fuckers were scared of me."
Uraraka snerked, earning a silent glare as she continued eating. A part of her wanted to poke at him for how mild and distinctly not spicy the flavor was, but she decided to give him a break, mostly because she didn't really have the energy to go back and forth with him right now. The mortified look on his face when she tried to lean into him for warmth was a good enough substitute for their usual banter.
"How did you even end up like this?" Bakugou spat, pressed up to the far side of the bed and about two seconds away from kicking her teeth in. "I know it ain't a virus, otherwise half the class would be fucking dead."
Uraraka didn't have the strength to hide the droop in her shoulders, her earlier spiraling thoughts whispering from the corners of her room. She shrugged dismissively. "Tired myself out, I guess."
Bakugou didn't respond, so Uraraka pressed on. "Everybody is improving so fast, you know? Everyone's getting stronger and I don't wanna fall behind. I guess my body just couldn't handle it."
And that's what hurt the most, wasn't it? The physical reminder that her body couldn't handle the stress. The realization was like a slap to the face, a bright neon sign screaming at her that no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to keep up. She would never shake that fear that she would never be good enough.
She'd gone into heroics for the money, after all. Yeah, it was for her parents' sake, but money as motivation left such a bitter taste in people's mouths.
She glared down at her hands, her eyes hot and vision blurry, and took in her calloused fingers, the little pads that glowed a soft, comforting pink and offered the power to turn off a force of the universe whenever she very well pleased. She had a force of nature at the tips of her fingers.
And yet, she was powerless.
"Fragile..." she muttered, barely registering that the word had even left her lips at all.
Silence fell over the room, Uraraka falling deeper into her mind and forgetting altogether if she was alone or not. She might as well be, with the cold chills that ran through her body and left her shivering. Her stomach churned painfully, a suffocating fatigue that left her teetering on the edge of consciousness, and she reveled in the discomfort, a reminder that despite everything, she was still here, and this was real.
As real as the fist that slammed into the back of her head.
Uraraka yelped, clutching the back of her head as it throbbed, and glared daggers at her nearly forgotten companion. Bakugou glared back just as fiercely, an inferno in his eyes threatening to set her ablaze.
"Don't hit the sick person!" Uraraka fearlessly chastised with a pout. "I could fall into a coma and die!"
Bakugou rolled his eyes so hard that Uraraka was amazed they didn't pop out of his head. "As if. Damn weirdo."
Uraraka puffed her cheeks out, eyes burning with a fire for a fight that her body currently couldn't follow through with. Setting her empty bowl aside, she crossed her arms and sulked, glaring ahead with hardened eyes and a heavy heart. For a moment, Bakugou was disconcertingly quiet, watching her with calculating eyes just as searing as her own. "It's 'cause you're feverish." he reasoned to no one in particular. "That's why your head's all screwy. More screwy than usual."
"Hey-"
"You and Weird Hair are both like this. In fact, I'm pretty sure we've had this fucking conversation before! Are you really that stupid?"
"Hey..."
"You two need to stop fucking insulting me like this or I will actually kill you! I'll dance on your ashes and toss them to the wind, you hear me!?"
Uraraka paused at that, confusion clearly painting her face. "Insulting you?"
Bakugou continued to glare at her, a roiling mixture of annoyance, irritation, and an almost blank stare, as if she'd just told him that two plus two equals three and meant it, stabbing into her soul. The ash blonde looked away a moment later, releasing a loud sigh as he held the bridge of his nose and counted to ten. Uraraka frowned, but kept her mouth shut for the time being.
"If you were actually fragile," Bakugou said slowly, as if he was explaining something to a toddler. "Then what would that say about me?"
Uraraka blinked back up at him, far too feverish to even attempt to wrap her head around his logic. The seconds ticked by as Bakugou waited for a response, eventually accepting that he wouldn't get one when he turned away and glared at the wall opposite to Uraraka's bed. "Between the sports festival and our sparring sessions, I've seen you fight. I've seen the look in your eyes while in action. You ain't a quitter, you've got guts, and fuck if I didn't enjoy that sports festival fight. It's the only good memory I have from that fiasco."
Uraraka cringed, but Bakugou barreled on before she could say anything. "You can take the brunt of my explosions and come back swinging, even though I've one-shotted grown men, hardened criminals, with this power. You've forced me to use so much power from my quirk that my arms were spasming for hours. You've pushed me to my limits and dammit, Round Face, I respect that."
Uraraka tried to ignore the burning in her eyes, her lips wobbling dangerously. Bakugou didn't seem to notice. "Hell, you've caught me off guard with your Gunhead martial arts before. Remember that one time you got so pissed you just jumped me in the middle of the common room with a chokehold? I might have considered admitting how badass it was if you hadn't been crushing my throat with your fucking thighs."
Uraraka barked out a laugh at that, the memory somewhat fuzzy in her frazzled mind. She didn't even remember what he did that ticked her off so much. Just that one moment she was in a heated conversation of some kind and the next, they were on the floor, her pants were on fire, and Iida was prying her off of him. Bakugou's friend group had had a field day with that incident.
He'd practically demanded that she teach him some of her moves not long after.
"Uraraka," Bakugou growled, his tone grave. He wasn't looking at her, still glaring ahead, and Uraraka suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine. "If you're weak, then what does that say about me?"
Uraraka, her smile shaky, bit back a sob. Bakugou paid her no mind. "I don't do things in halves. I don't give anything less than my absolute best. I'm gonna be number one someday, a hero to surpass even All Might, but you've still challenged me, so how fucking dare you insinuate that my best isn't enough by calling yourself 'fragile'."
And it was because it was him saying it, wasn't it? In the back of her mind, Uraraka couldn't help but think about all the kind words and reassurance that she'd ever been given. From Deku, from Iida, Todoroki and Asui and the other girls, her classmates, her parents, her teachers.
And yet, there was something particularly powerful about those words coming out of his mouth.
Because he didn't coddle. He didn't sugarcoat things. He never watched his tongue and didn't care if he crushed someone's confidence or hurt someone's feelings. He doesn't say things he doesn't mean, no matter how scathing and hurtful the truth might be.
And so, she internalized every word, because this was real.
Uraraka couldn't hold back her sobs anymore. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that Bakugou looked startled, suddenly turning to her with wide eyes. "The hell are you crying about!?"
Uraraka laughed through her tears, her smile impossibly wide as she rubbed at her face. "Sorry, sorry. It's just... You can be a really good friend, sometimes, you know that?"
Looking up at him, whether it was from her feverish state or the delirious joy humming through her system, the look of utter indignation on Bakugou's face nearly made her choke. She wheezed through her tearful laughter, greedily soaking in every insult that he shot at her as her face slowly turned blue. Not once in her life had she ever seen him so offended and she would cherish this moment forever, as far as she was concerned.
He didn't stay for much longer after that, taking her empty bowl with him as he cussed her out the whole way out the door. Uraraka could only giggle as his irate ranting carried down the hall, loud enough that she could still clearly hear him cursing her name.
Yawning, Uraraka glanced at the time, a sudden wave of exhaustion crashing into her as she settled down in her bed, her blankets strewn about and forgotten in favor of lighter sheets. She was feverish, after all, and the sooner that she got better, the sooner she could get back on her feet, and the sooner she could return to her place at her classmates' side, fighting alongside them to become the hero that she'd always dreamed of being.
A goal that now seemed more attainable than ever before.