Ochako had braced herself for the aftermath from her peers ever since the dating auction, but this was just ridiculous.
"I'm so sorry, girl. What an asshole move."
"Yeah, Ochako. You deserve better than that, kero."
"Ooh! We should do a girls day! No boys allowed!"
"Unless you would prefer to be alone?"
"I made you a couple of playlists. You can choose from 'sad bitch' or 'mad bitch'... or both. I'll just send you both."
The girls of Class A talked over one another, not realizing they were suffocating the subject of their efforts to comfort. Ochako held up her hand weakly, head spinning from trying to find a moment of silence long enough to interject without success.
She appreciated their support, really, she did. But it took everything in her not to throw the desk in the air and yell that she's fine. That she didn't care about being rejectec by Bakugo because she didn't have any feelings for him in the first place!
"Like I said yesterday and the day before, I'm really ok." She insisted before slummping in her seat and groaning at their sad, sympathetic looks. It was clear they didn't believe her.
This was so unfair. All she did was try to help out a friend. Bakugo jsut looked so sad on that stage and she wanted to relieve him of that. That didn't mean she liked him! If anything, she liked the opposite of him! She liked Deku... right?
... Didn't she?
"Ochako? Are you alright? You look like someone just punched you." Tsuyu frowned and put a gentle hand on the unusually stiff brunette's shoulder.
The original 40 dollars she brought to the festival was meant for Deku, but the green-haired boy never even came to mind during the entirety of the auction. Even when she was on the date with Bakugo at the zoo, she never once thought about her supposed long-time crush. Did this mean she was over him?
"Oh no. Bakugo broke her."
Ugh. This was all so much more complicated than it should've been. She needed to go and confront Bakugo in order to clear things up before it got worse.
Ochako stood up from her seat, interrupting her friends with an assurance that she'd be right back. Then she weaved between the rows of desks and past the curious onlookers to approach the perpetually frowning blonde classmate sitting up at the front.
"Umm, Bakugo?"
He hardly spared her a look before turning his bored stare back to the chalkboard up front. "I thought I told you to stop following me."
"Since when did I ever-" Ochako's voice began to rise in pitch and volume before she stopped herself with a huff. If she got too fired up, it would just look defensive. "Can I talk to you outside, please?"
"Give it up, round-face. I already gave you more than your money's worth."
What? This wasn't some kind of transaction! Like he was some kind of romantic prostitute?
"Ok, I was trying to spare you from saying this in front of everyone else, but I'm trying to tell you that I don't like you!" Ochako clenched her fists in annoyance. As if she would ever actually deck someone like Bakugo, no matter how angry she got.
"I get that you got your feelings hurt and shit, but you gotta accept things and move on."
"That's rich coming from you! You're the uncontested champion of never giving up!" She felt so exasperated by the situation, she actually stomped her foot and almost missed the look on Bakugo's face.
His cheeks prickled red and he turned to the side to mutter, "So you're not giving up on me?"
Wait. Did he want her to look him?
Copletely speechless at that point, her own face turning well past the point of a delicate pink and taking on a hue more similar in tone to a tomato, Ochako jumped as Kirishima patted her on the back with a laugh.
"Good for you, Uraraka! Come on, bro! Give her a c=hance!" Kirishima shook Bakugo's arm, giving Uraraka a wide smile with an encouraging waggle of the eyebrows.
On top of the unexpected development of Bakugo maybe actually wanting her affection, which was an earthquake-sized shock in itself, Ochako now had to deal with most of the class thinking that she was just waiting around for hi to come around and return her non-existent feelings.
"Get your hands off me, Shitty Hair! Fuck!" Bakugo shoved Kirishia away and just about made it out the door to sweet, sweet freedom when Aizawa grabbed him by the back of his shirt and spun him back around to his seat.
That was too bad. Ochako was tempted to run out of class and avoid everyone herself.
"Class is starting. Everyone get to your seats." The monotone teacher directed his chaos-incarnate group of students into neat little rows with his pointed gaze, including Ochako. Although, she didn't learn anything all morning due to the myriad of thoughts clashing in her head.
The most pressing was the fact that she was beyond frustrated by how nobody was listening to her about how she didn't like Bakugo in that way, despite how it looked at the dating auction.
And there came the confusion of why she even bid on Bakugo in the first place. Ochako knew how much he hated help, and yet, she wanted so desperately to save him. Why? And was that really strong enough to push out whatever remnants of feelings she held for Deku?
Sure, the grumpy blonde did a great job with the zoo date, but it wasn't like he was exactly a shining candidate as a potential boyfriend. All the hand holding, bento-making, and picture taking was just a front to push her away. As nice as it was, it wasn't... real. She'd be delusional to think that Bakugo liked her like that.
By the end of class, Ochako not only suffered from a throbbing headache, her heart hurt.
When Bakugo paused at the doorway and looked back at her briefly before exiting the room, Ochako wondered if he developed a new quirk overnight, one that allowed him to directly plunge his hand into her chest to explode it from the inside out.
It made every emotion a thousand times worse.
Ochako dragged her feet over to the gym, trailing behind the class and dreading whatever exercise Aizawa had set up for them next. She was too distracted to do anything half-decently.
"You will be partnering up to spar without quirks today." Ochako perked up as the teacher read down his list of students from a clipboard. "Mat #1 we had Iida and Sato. Mat #2 is Hagakure and Jiro. Mat #3 will be Bakugo an-"
"Me." Ochako raised her hand with a defiant glare.
"Uraraka, I have you with-"
"No, I'm fighting Bakugo today." She spoke with such conviction, a couple of her classmates shivered at her tone.
"You really don't know when to quit, do you?" Bakugo provoked her with a slight smirk, clearly ready to take her on.
"Look who's talking." Ochako saw Aizawa granting his permission at this change in partnership with a nod and quick scribble in her peripheral view, but she had already moved onto the designated space across from Bakugo. Her feet were in a wide, sturdy stance and her elbows were tucked in close to her sides.
"Ooooooh. Lover's quarrel! Let's gooooooo!" Kaminari yelled from somewhere to her left.
"Kick his ass, Ochako!" Mina called out before aking her way over to a mat in the far corner where Tokoyami was waiting.
"Bro... You're really gonna hit the only chick out there willing to put up with you?"
"That's the only way he knows how to show affection."
"Woudl you extras all SHUT UP ALREADY?" Momentarily forgetting the no quirk rule, Bakugo bared his teeth and set off a crackle of explosions, ready to blast the next person who dared to utter another word.
"... Does that mean Uraraka isn't an extra?"
"DIE!"
After covering up the newest teenage-sized char mark on the ground with their mat, Ochako returned to her position on the oppostie end of the visibly fuming, spiky-haired blonde. Eyes wide and nostrils flared, he wasn't going to show her any mercy.
Good. Because she was fed up with him too.
"Come on! She yelled, making his lips part in surprise for a split second before widening into a gleeful grin. Ochako had to stop herself from getting distracted by the unfettered joy on his face because he charged at her with inhuan speed.
She blocked a punch and then jumped over his sweeping leg, immediately rolling over her shoulder and moving diagonally once she landed to avoid getting stuck in his striking zone. It turned out shew wasn't quite out of his reach because his fist whipped past her face close enough for her to feel the air rippled across her cheek.
Ochako grabbed his outreached hand and twisted at the wrist, hoping Bakugo would move his body in the same direction to keep it from snapping. Not having much of a choice, he growled in irritation and leaned to the right while aiming a hook kick to make her let go.
But she expected it and ducked, striking at his exposed core. He stepped back with a grunt, jerking her close to use his weight and force her to the floor.
Using the momentum of their fall, Ochako swung her legs around to pin his head with her thighs. She would've loved to knock him out completely, but Bakugo managed to slip his arm between her knee and his neck to keep her from squeezing effectively.
"Surrender!" She demanded, breathing hard fro mthe physical exertion. Her heart felt like it was about to pop, but Ochako never felt more alive.
It would've been a commendable accomplishment, making Bakugo concede by his own words, but it wasn't to be. He easily pressed his knee into her ribs and escaped her hold to pin both of her arms onto the mat above her head, reversing their roles.
"Never." Bakugo leaned in so close, Ochako could see the snarl on her face unfurling in his glistening pupils as she bucked her hips and kicked him off.
Knowing she didn't have much of a window of opportunity, she clambered to a knee and hoisted Bakugo onto her back, hands roaming desperately for a good grip.
"Can't keep your hands off of me, cheeks?" He snarked and attempted to overpower her with a choke hold of his own. "Get your crush under control." But before he could get his elbow around, Ochako held tight and stood up to heave him over her should.
"Bakugo..." Ochako growled throug grit teeth.
"I dont-" She jerked him forward with all of her fury, initiating the flip.
"Have a-" He made a perfect arc over her."
"Crush ON YOU!" Her yell reverberated through the gym along with the satisfying smack of Bakugo landing flat on his back. He came down so hard, there was hardly enough air left in his lungs to make out a sound.
Though, he did manage to let out a wide-eyed, almost silent, "Oh, fuck."
Not wasting this chance, Ochako used her whole body to make sure Bakugo stayed down. Chest to chest, she leaned in close, just as he did, and barred his throat with her forearm.
He tried to roll his head to the side to take in an unobstructed breath, but she didn't let him, pressing harder. "Give in!"
Bakugo didn't admit defeat, but he did give her a look of unmistakable adiration that sent Ochako's heartbeat into overdrive and knocked her back just in time to clear the way for him to cough.
"Alright, that's enough. Uraraka, you take the point for Mat #3." Aizawa noted and moved on to grade the other matches, though everyone had paused to watch the two of them. Once Bakugo's coughing subsided, a low whistle rang out.
"Well, shit. Good job, Uraraka!"
"That was incredible!"
"Indeed! Quite impressive!"
But Ochako wasn't paying attention to the praise coming from her peers. She was too preoccupied by Bakugo, wondering why he was having such a hard time looking her in the eyes when it was her insides twisting into impossible knots.
"Umm, Ochako? Girl, you gonna spend all day in Bakugo's lap?"
"Huh?" The brunette looked down to see that she really was straddling Bakugo and making no apparant moves to get off. "Oh my gosh!" She scrambled to her feet and awkwardly extended a hand out to help him up, which he swiped aside indifferently.
"I-I'm so sorry." She squeaked out.
"Whatever." Bakugo rubbed his throat as he got to his feet, voice raw from the compressed vocal cords. "You did... decently."
Understanding enough Bakugo-speak to take it as a high form of commendation, Ochako beamed with pride.
"And you made your point." He admitted quietly, that same look of rejection that she was on stage at the auction flashing on his face before he turned and left the gym.
"Wait! Bakugo!"
He didn't stop, thrusting the doors open with a bang loud enough to make everyone wince. Ochako bit her lip in remorse, though she didn't know what for. She had only told the truth, that she didn't like him in that way. And now the whole class knew it, just like she had been hoping all weekend.
She got exactly what she wanted.
So why did she feel so awful?