I'm glad it's time for bed though. I'm ready to recharge from all the fun," Ochako laughed.
"The bed is still yours. You don't have to sleep on the cot," he said, his voice going low.
"I don't mind."
"Just take the bed. I'm done."
He put her shirt down and stood up, rubbing the leftover aloe into his hands and forearms.
"Thank you," Ochako whispered as she got up from the cot. She waited by the side of the bed as Bakugou put the pizza away. Ochako didn't know how her friend felt but she was feeling very self-conscious about the whole situation. He turned off the lights then dropped onto the cot, not even bothering to put the blankets on. "Sleep well."
Bakugou grunted in response and turned on his side to face the window.
Ochako slept for a few hours before she woke up needing a drink of water. Her skin was too warm so she grabbed the wash cloth that had fallen on the floor and re-wet it.
"Ah," she breathed into the silence.
"Uraraka," Bakugou mumbled.
Ochako looked over to him expecting to see his red eyes glaring at her for waking him up but he was sleeping.
"Dreaming about me?" Ochako said with a smile and tiptoed to the bed with her water and cloth.
He grimaced in his sleep and his breath started to speed up.
"Another nightmare? Bakugou," she whispered, trying to gently wake him up. Bakugou squirmed but didn't open his eyes. "Bakugou!" She whispered more intensely.
He sat up abruptly, his eyes now wide with panic as he looked around the room. His eyes lingered on her for a moment before they darkened and darted to the corner of the room. Ochako remembered something that she hadn't the night before.
"You're still dreaming about the test, aren't you?"
Chapter End Notes
I apologize for the week with no update. With the heatwave and other things, it was difficult to write. Please note that for the remainder of the summer, I'm going to update this story every other week as I have a lot going on these next couple months. Thank you all so much for reading and for your comments! It appreciate it greatly!
I'm also on Twitter and Tumblr if you want writing updates or just want to say hi!
Nightmares and Dreams
Chapter Summary
Bakugou and Ochako enjoy their last couple days at I-Island together but return home farther apart since Ochako can't stop thinking about a dream.
Chapter Notes
Please enjoy this slightly early posting as my way of making up for the change in schedule! Thank you for reading :)
See the end of the chapter for more notes
"Uraraka, I told you to leave it alone."
"You're dreaming of me dying and you want me to leave you alone?"
"I didn't say that. I said 'leave it alone'."
"What's the difference?"
Bakugou finally looked at her then put his head in his hands.
"I'm tired. I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay."
The room was tense as Bakugou stayed in his position and Ochako tried to translate Bakugou's words in her head.
"Do you--want to be desensitized?" Ochako asked softly. "And don't say you shouldn't need it or that I'm pitying you. Because both of those statements are ridiculous."
Bakugou side-peeked through his fingers at her. When he saw that she was serious, he slowly moved his hands down to his sides. Bakugou looked at the empty space next to her for a long time. Silently, he got up and climbed on top of the comforter again. He turned to face away from her and she heard him sigh angrily.
"You know you can go underneath if you want. We don't need a barrier," Ochako said, turning to her side so that their backs were touching.
"I'm not cold."
"Okay."
She felt Bakugou reposition next to her so Ochako turned to lay on her back. Bakugou turned his head sideways to look at her then looked back at the ceiling. Ochako moved her left arm out from the covers, turning on her side to face him. She took a deep breath before wrapping her hand around his forearm that was closest to her.
"Being a hero doesn't come without its nightmares," Ochako said quietly. Bakugou closed his eyes. "I dream about the people I couldn't save. Or the person Toga killed with my quirk."
"That wasn't your fault," Bakugou said quickly.
"Doesn't matter. I don't know what that person looks like but I know I had a part in their death."
Bakugou inhaled and exhaled slowly. Ochako moved closer to him, leaning her head on his arm.
"You're not my best friend because you met my parents," Bakugou said. His voice was rough and barely audible. "It's because you're the only person who trusts me."
"Your friends trust you."
Bakugou shook his head.
"If anyone else had been my partner, they would have been terrified during that test. Even if I had acted the same. You weren't."
"I wasn't because you were already on your way to get me. There isn't a situation in which you fail."
Bakugou shifted down so his head was next to hers.
"That's not true," Bakugou muttered.
"Situations that matter. Losing a race against Deku doesn't count."
Bakugou's red eyes stared into her.
"It's all or nothing for you, isn't it?" Ochako asked. Bakugou's eyes didn't waver from her.
"No. It took a while but I know what's important."
Ochako yawned.
"Don't worry about leaving when I fall asleep. I'd rather you sleep well with me then have nightmares alone. What are friends for, right?"
She felt Bakugou get comfortable next to her and then listened to his breathing become rhythmic and soft. Ochako moved carefully to look at his face. She was beginning to covet the moments when he was asleep. She had been lucky to see a side to him that most hadn't but it was still rare to see Bakugou without anger, frustration, or annoyance etched on his face. In Ochako's opinion, he was a little too hard on himself even if the results of that led to extraordinary actions. He deserved a break from trying to be the best all the time.
"You don't have to try so hard, you know," Ochako whispered. "You're already the best. At least to me."
Bakugou took a deeper breath and moved closer to Ochako. Her breath caught as his cheek brushed her hair. She let out her breath slowly and closed her eyes. With him this close to her, there was no escaping the smell but, with Bakugou asleep, Ochako didn't stop herself from reacting to it like she normally did. She had something she had to desensitize herself to just like he did.
She breathed deeply through her nose and smiled; she didn't have to be embarrassed if he wasn't seeing her reaction.
"Night," Ochako whispered as she breathed him in. She snuggled closer to him and drifted off to sleep, savoring every breath and the feeling of his arm in her hand.
Ochako awoke the next morning next to Bakugou. He was still asleep and the arm that was not being held by Ochako was laying on her right shoulder, tight to his own chest as he laid on his side, like he had pulled her to him sometime during the night. She didn't dare move too much or he might wake up; she didn't want that.
In fact, it was odd that he wasn't already awake.
"You're not dead from too much physical touch, are you?" Ochako whispered.
"No."
"So you are awake."
"I wasn't until you opened your big mouth."
"Says the person who yells more than he talks."
Bakugou chuckled and opened his eyes.
"No more bad dreams?" Ochako asked sweetly.
He shook his head as he looked at her.
"I promise this stays between you and me," she added.
"I know. Even with a big mouth, you're good at keeping secrets, unlike most people in our class."
"Ha, right? You can't tell Mina anything or it'll end up in the group chat."
"What?" Bakugou sat up in bed, his voice tight.
"You know...the group chat. Are you not in it?"
"They always try to add me but it's stupid."
"Well, you're not missing much. There's a rumor that Aoyama is transferring to a different course but that's the most exciting thing to happen since we started training together and everyone thought you'd kill me."
"Everyone always underestimates you," Bakugou growled and jumped out of bed. "I'm gonna go work out."
"Alright. I'm gonna chill here today. Heal, relax, maybe get some room service."
"Don't bother. I'll bring back food when I'm done."
Without another word, Bakugou grabbed a bag by the door and left. Ochako stretched and groaned in pain. It still hurt to move.
After a long, cold shower, Ochako changed into new pajamas, put on more aloe, and spent the morning watching T.V. and texting her dad. Her mom was doing better now so they'd avoided having to go to the doctor again, which made Ochako's day that much better.
Ochako avoided the news as the hero retirements and missing people just made her tense and anxious. She could think about that when she returned to Japan.
After over three hours, Bakugou returned with breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, orange juice, and hash browns with peppers and onions.
"You took so long! I'm starving!" Ochako whined.
"Eat up then. You said you wanted to try a bunch of food. There was an American food place nearby. Not the fast food shit we have. The real deal. I've got to shower. Don't eat all the shredded potatoes."
"Yum! Okay!"
Bakugou set up the food on the desk so Ochako could dish up before heading toward the bathroom. She sat in the chair at the desk, diving into the pancakes first and taking big gulps from one of the cups of orange juice. Ochako was so engrossed in the food that she was startled when Bakugou opened the bathroom door. He had dressed in shorts and a tank top and was shaking out his hair with his fingers.
"Is this what we're doing today?" He asked, picking up his own cup of orange juice. Ochako was mid-bite through her breakfast sandwich but she nodded fervently. She swallowed and wiped her mouth.
"I hurt all over. I just want to hang out. Feel free to go to the expo with the others. I don't mind."
"Psh, and be around them again all day? No. Even a boring day with you is better than a day with them."
"It doesn't have to be boring," Ochako said. She didn't want to let on how much that meant to her so she took another bite of food. Bakugou gave her a judgmental look. She rolled her eyes and swallowed. "No, really. I brought cards and we can plan out more moves. We can even dance."
"You wince every time you move."
Ochako stuck her tongue out at him before ripping off another bite of her sandwich.
"Fine. Nix the cards. I'll get the notebook."
Ochako raised her eyebrows at him.
"Why?"
Bakugou grabbed the T.V. remote and change the channel since it had turned into a romance movie. He landed on an American comedy.
"I've never played cards so it must be shitty."
Ochako laughed.
"That's no way to judge things. Just because you've never done something doesn't mean it's bad!"
"I've never once been intrigued by a card game."
"That changes today!"
Ochako took the food to the bed and forced Bakugou to play cards with her. It was weird for her to be the teacher. Bakugou took to the games she taught him quickly, reveling in the competition that each game brought. They ate and played for most of the morning until Bakugou became restless so they took a quick walk around the hotel and called it quits on cards.
The afternoon was dedicated to strategizing new moves and figuring out how they could pull them off in different situations. Ochako laid next to Bakugou on the bed while he leaned against the headboard, drawing out the movements and writing notes in the margin. When Ochako needed it, he put aloe on her. They got some dumplings for a late lunch and watched bad movies together until they were hungry for dinner. Bakugou wanted to find something extra spicy so they changed into regular clothes and walked to an Ethopian restaurant about twenty minutes away.
It was busy and loud but it was full of happy faces, chatter, and laughter. Bakugou tried to act like it wasn't contagious but he couldn't hide his good mood when the food was served. The platter they got ended up being amazing. Ochako had never had anything like it, especially since you had to rip pieces of the bread off to scoop up the toppings. There were a few times where their hands brushed each other and each time Bakugou told her to stay away from the Doro Wat which had become his favorite.
They laughed and joked all throughout dinner and back into the hotel room. When Ochako was sleepy, she didn't bother pretending like Bakugou wasn't going to be joining her. After they both got ready, Bakugou crawled underneath the covers and Ochako wrapped her hand around his arm again.
"Do you think it's weird?" Ochako whispered. Bakugou's eyes were already closed.
"What?"
"This."
"You said you sleep with Tsu sometimes."
"I know."
"I've slept with Kirishima."
"Uh-huh."
"Do you think it's weird?" Bakugou asked roughly.
"No, not really. Not for the reason you think."
Bakugou opened one eye to look at her and Ochako giggled.
"Just a couple weeks ago you couldn't stand to be touched. Now we're practically cuddling."
"No. We're--resting next to each other."
"So if you stopped having bad dreams…."
Bakugou opened both eyes, which scanned Ochako's face.
"I'd be in the cot. If you're uncomfortable, I'll push through them," he said and tried to pull out of Ochako's grasp.
"No!" Ochako laughed and pulled him back to her. "No nightmares while I'm around. Not if I can help."
Bakugou didn't try to leave again.
Ochako fell asleep before he did that night and when she woke up Bakugou had his arms completely wrapped around her. Sometime in the night she had turned so that her back was to his stomach. She managed to catch a glance at the clock to see that it was already past noon.
"Bakugou, we should get up."
Bakugou groaned tiredly.
"It's our last day on the island," Ochako added.
She heard him exhale and the weight of his arms on her lifted as he sat up. Ochako twisted herself around to see him rubbing his eyes with the base of his thumbs.
"You slept in so late," she said with a yawn.
"I don't like waking up early. I have to work out before class and my sleep schedule was fucked from our morning sessions."
"You don't have-"
"Yeah I do."
Ochako sat up and stretched. Her skin still felt bad but it was definitely better than yesterday.
"Why don't you skip working out today and we'll just do all the games and obstacle courses? That'll count right?"
Bakugou rolled his eyes at her but didn't disagree.
"Get ready then. I'm not holding back because you can't move well."
"Haha, okay."
After they were both ready, they headed over to the game area. Ochako opted to not do the obstacle courses as she was still in pain. She got herself a lemonade and pastry from a food cart and watched Bakugou crush the competition many times over.
Once he'd beaten them all, he got a chicken sandwich from a different cart and they talked about what games they wanted to play as they walked through the area.
Everything was going well until they got to Villain Attack and Bakugou saw that his high score had been replaced.
"Fucking Rocky got 3 seconds?!" Bakugou raged.
Ochako huffed.
"He could just stand there and crush them with his quirk," Ochako commented. "Your score is far more impressive."
Bakugou ripped off a bite of his sandwich. She put a hand to his arm and led him away from the game before he became obsessed with beating him.
They spent the day playing different games. Bakugou beat most of his own scores he had set on preview day. Ochako held her own but wasn't concerned with how she placed. It was more about having fun. Ochako and Bakugou were discussing dinner plans when they got to the end of the game area and saw their friends in the distance playing ring toss.
Ochako ran over and hugged Tsu from behind.
"Hi, Ochako! Coming to play games with us?" Tsu asked with a wide grin.
"No, just passing through. What did you guys do yesterday?"
"Oh, just explored the island," Deku said. "Melissa took us on a tour of her new lab and showed us behind the scenes of some of the exhibits."
"She also gave us the prototypes back," Todoroki said, gearing up to toss a ring with immense focus.
"Yeah, she was so mad about the whole thing. Her face was scrunched up and-," Deku stopped himself and laughed anxiously. "At least we've got them back. Oh, there you are Kacchan!"
Ochako looked to the side to see Bakugou slowly walking towards them. She figured he'd quietly pass them and head to the next area.
"If I didn't know any better I'd say it was you two that are sneaking around smooching!" Hagakure teased, playfully hitting Ochako's arm. It was hard to tell with her sunburn but Ochako's face blushed.
"Let's not joke about that, haha," Ochako said awkwardly, not wanting to make Bakugou uncomfortable.
"Anyone hungry?" Iida said too loudly. Deku looked at him with an awkward expression. Ochako wondered why. "Maybe we can all get dinner tonight together?"
"Oh, that'd be great, Iida, but we're actually leaving in a couple hours," Yaomomo said. "My parents wanted us back before the work week started."
"I'm actually having dinner with Melissa tonight to talk about future investor showcases."
"I'm leaving tonight as well. Same flight as Yaoyorozu," Todoroki said before throwing the ring and winning. He nodded once and accepted the prize before handing it over to Yaoyorozu who was grinning widely as she reached for the stuffed animal.
"Darn, I promised Bakugou we'd go over some move sets tonight. Didn't want to work on them this morning, haha. Raincheck?"
"Of course," Iida said with a grin but it didn't reach his eyes as he looked at Bakugou.
"Have a safe flight back! We'll see you all at camp this Saturday!" Ochako waved as she began to walk away. Bakugou ran after her.
"You lied."
"Not if we go over move sets."
"You don't want to be with your friends?"
"I am with my friend. I'm here with you. Plus, a dinner with you and Iida does not sound like a fun time to me."
"He is incredibly annoying," Bakugou reflected and Ochako playfully flipped him off.
They went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and, to make sure Ochako couldn't be called a liar, they spent a good amount of time going over move sets.
After eating, they walked and talked in the moonlight and watched all of the carnival lights play in the game section. Airplanes flew overhead as people started to leave. They grabbed some churros for a late night snack, which Bakugou surprisingly loved, found a bench, and then watched the waves. The pair talked about their theories for camp, what they liked best from the expo, and a few minutes were spent ragging on Domen.
Ochako sighed and looked out over the water.
"Not the vacation I thought I'd be getting but it was nice."
"At least it wasn't boring," Bakugou shrugged, finishing the last bite of his churro.
"Mhm. I wish there were more moments like these where it was just...calm."
Ochako put her hand to her face. It was still warm from the burn.
"We should probably be getting back. Our flight leaves pretty early," Bakugou said as he stood up and began walking away. Ochako followed. They had ended up pretty far away from their hotel.
"One last flight?" Ochako asked. "The wind will feel nice."
"I don't have to be convinced." Bakugou grabbed her hand as she touched her pads to her thigh and moved her to his back. She touched his arm and they began floating.
"Blast off!" Ochako shouted and Bakugou let off two explosions that catapulted them into the air. Ochako laughed with glee as they shot up into the sky.
Bakugou found their hotel and blasted towards it.
"Hell yeah!" Bakugou yelled and Ochako grinned widely.
"There's nothing like this," Ochako said in his ear.
Bakugou grinned sideways at her.
"Hold on!"
Bakugou began to soar higher into the sky before he let off an explosion to stop them in mid-air. The wind was still blowing through their hair as they looked down at the island that was sparkling below them. Bakugou held up his hand to let off another explosion to send them back down.
"Wait! I want to remember this."
Ochako stared at the island and then tilted her head to look at Bakugou's face. He was smiling slightly at her and she felt her heart skip a beat. That couldn't be good. Was she getting light-headed from being so high up?
"Ready," Ochako said in his ear, closing her eyes and leaning on his shoulder. An explosion burst out of his palms and they rocketed diagonally toward their hotel. The wind rushed past them and Ochako knew it was time to release her quirk when she heard a couple explosions and the wind quieted.
"Release," Ochako breathed out and dropped off Bakugou's back. "That was fun."
Bakugou nodded.
They spent the rest of the night packing before they got ready for bed. When Ochako climbed into bed, Bakugou hesitated. He stood next to the bed and looked at the empty space next to Ochako.
"What's wrong?" Ochako asked, sitting up.
"I should sleep on the cot."
"Why?"
"I haven't had nightmares for two nights. They're probably gone."
"Oh, okay. Well, if you have them again, you know where to find me."
Bakugou turned off the lights and climbed into the cot.
Ochako drifted off to sleep, wondering if Bakugou really thought that or if it was something else.
She dreamed that Bakugou and her were at a buffet trying every dish known to man. They laughed and joked. He floated over to her, held her hand, and began feeding her bites of food.
"Tell me what it tastes like," he said, feeding her a bite of crème brûlée.
"Um, sugar? That's all I taste."
Ochako breathed in and it was all she smelled. Burnt sugar from the dessert.
"What about this?" Bakugou leaned in and--
Ochako's eyes snapped open and she woke up breathing heavily. Her face was buried in the blankets from the side that Bakugou had used the last two nights. That would explain the dream. Bakugou was still in the cot, facing away from her. Her eyes darted to the clock. It was 2:00am.
"Stupid Hagakure," Ochako grumbed before kicking off the comforter. She really didn't need to be dreaming about her friend that way.
"What she do this time?" Bakugou said tiredly. Ochako looked at the cot to see him eyeing her with half-closed eyes. She wondered if he'd had nightmares again.
"Nothing. Go back to sleep. I'm getting ready to leave."
Bakugou looked at her with one eye and rubbed the other.
"Our flight doesn't leave till five," he reminded her.
"I know."
Ochako grabbed her clothes and toiletries and didn't come out of the bathroom until 3:30am.
Bakugou was dressed and awake now.
"We better leave soon," he said quietly.
"Right. Travel, check in, security."
"Do you need aloe?"
Ochako nodded and sat on the bed so he could apply it to her back. She remembered the dream and suddenly felt very self-conscious as Bakugou gently touched her back. As soon as he was done, she practically jumped from the bed and continued the last stages of packing.
"What's up with you?" Bakugou asked roughly.
"I'm fine. Weird dream. It's got me in a funk, okay?"
Bakugou analyzed her face and then turned away to complete the last bit of packing.
They checked out of the hotel and hurried to the airport, making it to the terminal just as they were being allowed to board.
Ochako had the window seat this time and Bakugou sat next to her with a scowl.
"He's on this flight," he told her quietly. Ochako didn't need to ask who he was talking about.
"He'd be an idiot to bother us here," Ochako noted. Bakugou scoffed.
"That's exactly what he is," Bakugou muttered as Domen glared at them before heading to his own seat.
The plane took off and Ochako yawned.
"You can--lean on me if you want to sleep," Bakugou suggested before shoving his hands into his pockets. Ochako's heart tightened. He was obviously stepping out of his comfort zone to try and make Ochako feel better. She didn't know if she could right now; she knew what was about to happen in that dream. Ochako was trying her hardest to not have it affect her but she couldn't get the image of Bakugou leaning in to kiss her out of her mind.
"I'm okay. I'll use the window," Ochako decided. Bakugou looked at her stoically as she curled up to the side of the plane and went to sleep.
Bakugou and her were laying in bed, his arms wrapped around her and his chin on her shoulder.
"Thank you for helping with the nightmares."
"Mhm," Ochako hummed.
"What's your payment?" He asked softly into her ear.
"I don't need payment," Ochako whispered but she could already feel Bakugou's lips on her shoulder. She savored the feeling and turned to look at him. Bakugou leaned in to closer to her face and--
Ochako's eyes snapped open again. She sat up and looked around the plane. Bakugou was asleep next to her as were most of the other passengers.
She leaned her head on the back into her chair and sighed.
"I just have to think of something else," Ochako whispered to herself. "It's only because Hagakure suggested it."
Ochako put her earbuds in and opted to watch a suspenseful thriller. That was the furthest thing from kissing right?
At a particularly tense part, Bakugou tapped her shoulder and Ochako jumped in her seat. She frantically took her earbuds out.
"What?" Ochako whispered intensely and saw a flight attendant offering them breakfast. "Oh, um, apple juice, fruit bowl, and a bagel please."
The man nodded and gave her what she requested.
Bakugou was already halfway through a muffin.
"Did you get some sleep?" He asked her.
"Sure."
He took another bite and watched her eat her fruit. His face went serious.
"Are you seriously not going to tell me what's up with you?"
"No. Because nothing's up."
Bakugou laughed sarcastically.
"Right. Nothing's up," he mocked and rolled his eyes.
Ochako groaned and popped a piece of pineapple into her mouth.
"It's just a weird dream. I'll get over it," she told him.
"So you get to know about my dreams but I don't get to know about yours? Sounds like a good balance."
"You don't want to know about this. Trust me."
"Whatever. Don't tell me. I don't care."
The rest of the plane ride was tense and awkward. They listened to separate movies and barely talked. When the plane landed, Bakugou looked at her with a hardened gaze.
"Meet me by luggage pick up. I have to do something," Bakugou said quickly before leaving Ochako on the plane.
"Great," Ochako muttered angrily to herself.
"That's rude. I'd never do that," a voice said next to her. Ochako's eyes found Domen a couple people back in the line to get off the plane.
"Smooth. Leave me alone," Ochako said curtly and got her carry-on bag from the overhead compartment. She left the plane and could hear fast footsteps coming from behind her.
"At least talk to me," Domen pleaded. His friend was behind him, begging Ochako to give him the time of day with his expression.
Ochako kept moving through the airport. Suddenly the cement floor underneath her spun around and she was facing Domen.
"Hey!" Ochako shouted.
"Sorry! Please--I really do want to apologize."
Ochako rolled her eyes.
"For real, he does!" Koyanagi said.
"Pogo, let me talk to Uraraka alone, please," Domen said tightly. Koyanagi nodded and hurried past them. Ochako turned to leave as well but Domen grabbed her arm.
"You're seriously going to treat me like this?" Domen asked.
"I could say the same thing," Ochako said softly, livid at being grabbed. Domen stepped back and let Ochako go.
"Just--two minutes of your time. After that you don't have to talk or see me ever again if you don't want to."
Ochako looked ahead at the path towards luggage pick-up.
"Fine. Two minutes," Ochako held up two fingers and they walked to an empty terminal nearby that was under construction. No one paid them any attention.
Ochako gestured for him to talk and Domen smiled.
"I'm sorry. Truly. I didn't think about your feelings and I was pushy and not a great person to be around. I insulted your friends and that was uncalled for."
Ochako raised her eyebrows. She had a feeling those weren't his words.
"I appreciate that. Thank you."
"Do--you have anything to say to me?" Domen asked.
"Like what?"
"You acted like you wanted nothing to do with me as soon as we met. You barely talked to me. I know you're not dating during high school-"
"How do you know that?" Ochako asked immediately. She thought Koyanagi didn't want Domen knowing about their conversation.
Domen scowled.
"Koyanagi can't keep a secret to save his life."
Ochako was starting to feel uneasy, like Domen had forced it out of him somehow.
"Your two minutes are almost up."
Domen laughed once and shook his head.
"You really are completely different than how I thought you'd be."
"That's not my fault."
Domen exhaled and shrugged.
"You're right. At least let me try to convince you that your rule is stupid and I deserve a real chance."
"No, why--," Ochako started but Domen grabbed her lower back and pulled him to her. He started leaning in just like Bakugou had in her dreams. Without thinking, Ochako swung at him and she felt her knuckles make contact with something.
Domen let her go and stumbled back. Blood was pouring out from his fingers as he covered his nose.
"You broke it!" Domen yelled. People started turning around at the commotion and Koyanagi appeared out of nowhere.
"I knew it! You were being a jerk! Go, Uraraka. I'll handle him," Koyanagi told her. "She obviously doesn't want to see you again!"
Ochako started running and heard Koyanagi and Domen start fighting behind her.
Security personnel and a medic were running past Ochako when she found Bakugou in the luggage area. He'd already grabbed their bags.
"We need to go," Ochako said, pulling on his arm.
"Why? What happened?" Bakugou asked quickly.
Another security person ran past them and Bakugou's eyes followed them.
"What did you do?" Bakugou looked at her with shock.
"I might have--broken Domen's nose. Like I said. We need to go . The redhead's got my back."
"Remind me not to kill that dude when I go after Rocky," Bakugou said angrily and the two of them ran out of the airport to the train station.
On the train, Bakugou cleaned the blood off Ochako's knuckles and wrapped them in bandages that Bakugou apparently always carried with him. They were bruised and throbbing.
"There. Put some ice on it when you get home," Bakugou instructed.
Ochako nodded and rubbed the bandages carefully.
Bakugou put his earbuds in and closed his eyes.
"You're not curious?" Ochako asked.
Bakugou took an earbud out.
"If you don't want to tell me shit, that's fine. I'm not gonna ask anymore. Figure you'll tell me if you want."
Ochako nodded.
"Let's just say he broke some personal boundaries," Ochako mumbled and leaned into the train seat. She didn't want to risk telling him about either kissing scenarios. Ochako didn't know if she could even get through it without making it the most awkward conversation ever.
"Works for me. It's pretty hilarious that you're the one who injured Rocky and got away with it."
"Hilarious?" Ochako crossed her arms.
"Yeah. Our idiot friends got caught and managed to fuck up kicking his ass. It's hilarious because everyone thinks of you as this girl that needs protecting. I've never understood it. Maybe people will finally get the right picture."
"I don't think I want to be known as the girl that broke Domen's nose," Ochako said with a small laugh.
"Better than someone who lets people walk all over them," Bakugou shrugged.
"Let's see how well Koyanagi keeps his word," Ochako said with hesitation. "Hopefully I won't get suspended."
"I doubt it. If he did something to make you punch him, he's the one who'll get suspended."
Bakugou insisted that he walk Ochako home when the train arrived at her station, even after all her very good arguments.
"We got people going missing, Uraraka. I know you're tough," Bakugou smirked and waved a clenched fist in front of her face. "-but two heroes are better than one."
Ochako couldn't argue with that logic.
Once they were in front of her house, carrying all their luggage, Ochako stood outside her parent's apartment door and turned toward Bakugou.
"Thank you for taking me. I had a great time."
"Sure."
They stood silently in the walkway for a few moments. Ochako shuffled her feet and took a breath.
"Well, I guess I will see you on Saturday, buddy."
"Ha, right. See you."
Bakugou hesitated, looking like he wanted to say or do something. Ochako felt her breath catch. He pursed his lips, waved quickly, then left Ochako at her door. She watched him leave the complex and sighed in relief. He hadn't leaned in.
She just had to keep reminding herself that the dreams weren't reality. There wasn't anything going on between her and Bakugou. It was just a silly dream. One that had caused Bakugou to stop asking her questions, which she would have to try and fix during camp. At least she didn't have to worry about her first kiss being with Domen but that had been a close call. There had been too many almost kisses today.
Chapter End Notes
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Leaving
Chapter Summary
Time to check-in on Bakugou! Katsuki deals with intrusive thoughts, reputation issues, and his feelings (or lack thereof) as Class 2-A travel to camp.
Chapter Notes
We're finally at camp! Get ready for songs, activities, and fun! For reference, songs are listed below but I don't picture/write them in the same way. I know some people don't like songs in fics but I do.
Campfire Song Song - SpongeBoB SquarePants
Wayfaring Stranger - Johnny Cash Version.
Hero Too - My Hero Academia (Music by Yuki Hayashi)
Linger, Longer is a song I used to sing at my summer camp so I have no idea where it originates. I tried to research it but came up with nothing
I may have unintentionally tweaked the lyrics due to bad memory but I'm not gonna pretend I'm clever enough to make up a song. If any of y'all know where it comes from let me know!
For the first time since he and Uraraka had started training, Katsuki was nervous about seeing her. The I-Island trip had only made things worse in his opinion. After all that time together, Katsuki's feelings had escalated. Not only that, he was somehow less than optimistic that she felt anything toward him other than friendship. Even with all the...resting and spending all their time together, she had pulled away from him when they left. He couldn't figure out if it was because of the asshole that had plagued their entire trip or if Katsuki had done something to elicit that reaction. Uraraka hadn't said goodbye when he left her house and she wouldn't tell him what was going on.
If he had fucked up their relationship, he'd never forgive himself. Sure, he wanted more than that but he hated to admit that he needed her friendship. That was made clear at I-Island with how she had stopped the nightmares. He hadn't been happier in recent memory than the times when it was just him and her. It was apparent that he needed her a lot more than she needed him and that was enough to put him in a bad mood. It didn't feel good to need anyone but it was worse that he didn't think she needed him at all. She had plenty of other friends.
Katsuki's stream of internal thoughts were interrupted when other members of his class arrived at the camp pickup station. He, of course, had been the first one there.
Satou, Shouji, Ojiro, and Hagakure came in a pack and, thankfully, avoided Katsuki. They were sharing stories from each of their trips they'd taken since they had last seen each other. Katsuki put his earbuds in and turned on some music to drown out their voices. He sat on the pavement, drumming absentmindedly on his thighs with his fingers and tried to think of anything other than I-Island and Uraraka.
In the corner of his eyes, he saw Tokoyami and Kaminari walk up together, each carrying their acoustic guitar cases along with all their camp gear. Katsuki rolled his eyes. They were going to regret that. Jirou ran up to Kaminari and pecked him on the cheek. Katsuki saw her ukulele strapped to her bag. At least she was smart about what instrument she brought and how she was going to haul it around.
Katsuki looked around and saw other hero course classes gathering in their designated pick up spots. Members of 2-B was eyed their class and Monoma kept pointing at them. Kendou quickly karate chopped him and dragged him away. Katsuki saw the first years chatting and wondered if he had looked that young and stupid too. The third years just looked tired.
Yaoyorozu and Todoroki walked hand in hand toward the pick up site, chatting with Koda and Sero. Iida and Tsu came soon after. Iida was laden with so much gear it was almost impressive he was still standing. Tsu wore her signature grin with her tongue sticking out. All of his class was so happy all the time. Maybe Katsuki should be spending more time with Tokoyami. Even if he was on the calm end of the spectrum, at least he wasn't a grinning idiot like the rest of them.