Movements and Motivations
Chapter Summary
Is dancing the key to unlocking the non-verbal communication Bakugou and Uraraka need to be a great team? Ochako is determined to find out and finds out a little more about Bakugou in the process.
"Please dance with me!" Ochako pleaded during their next training session in the sparring dojo.
"This time is for combat training," he said firmly, strapping himself into his grappling gloves.
"We're good at combat! We need to learn how to read the other's body language in a fight when we're on the same side."
Bakugou shook his head.
"We're okay at combat. Get ready," Bakugou said as he started stretching.
"Ugh, fine." Ochako quickly put her gloves on too and stretched next to him. "We'll only have two more dance classes till the test, you really think that'll be enough?"
Bakugou didn't answer. Ochako scrunched up her face and pulled out the big guns.
"It was your idea! Why do you want to give up on it?"
Bakugou's eyes lit up in flames.
"Fucking pink ass, raccoon eyed bi-," Bakugou cursed under his breath as he continued to stretch.
"Hey! It's not her fault," Ochako defended. "You're the one that didn't tell me. She had no idea you kept that from me."
The two of them stretched in silence until Bakugou exhaled sharply and stood up straight.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to be the one to blame if it didn't work," he admitted.
"Bakugou," Ochako muttered. She hesitated, stopped stretching, and moved over to him. "Even if it doesn't work it's still a great idea! We've only been training a month. There's bound to be some hiccups in working together and not every idea is going to work. In retrospect, we probably should have incorporated quirks earlier but we can't change that now."
Bakugou nodded but wouldn't look at her.
"If you don't want to dance, let's focus on quirk or aerial training since-," Ochako offered before Bakugou walked away from her. "Or you can ignore me, that's fine too."
Bakugou grabbed his phone and turned on some music. Ochako's face lit up.
"Yay!" Ochako cheered.
"Then we use the dojo time for low to the ground aerial training," Bakugou said, giving her a look that made it clear it wasn't up for debate. He flipped through a couple songs before landing on a swing jazz tune.
"You just have this on your phone?" Ochako asked with a smile. Add that to her knowledge bank of Bakugou.
Bakugou ignored her and grabbed her hand.
"Don't think; feel my movements and follow through with them," he instructed. Ochako nodded. She was determined to prove that this was a good plan. Bakugou seemed embarrassed and annoyed that they weren't the perfect team yet. Ochako needed to try as hard as he was to make this work for both their sakes.
Bakugou slowly pulled Ochako toward him and spun her into him then back out. Grabbing her other hand, he rocked side to side moving in a circle. Ochako felt him gently push her hands and she backed away. He grinned, which meant that Ochako had done what he wanted, and pulled her back into another spin.
This went on for another couple songs. Bakugou knew Ochako didn't have the basics of this type of dance in her repertoire so he kept it extremely simple and easy to follow. It was more about the non-verbal communication. At the end of a particularly fast song, Bakugou let go of her and turned off the music.
"That's enough for now," he said. "We need to get airborne."
Ochako knew he was right. It had been fun while it lasted. Bakugou braced himself and waved her to him.
"Come at me."
Ochako went to the wall, applied her quirk to herself then pushed off straight for him. This move had proven to be a problem for them as Ochako had trouble predicting when he was going to catch and throw her. This led to her often getting off course because she couldn't properly prepare herself.
Bakugou grabbed her hand, spun her for increased momentum, and let her go in a straight line to the opposite wall. Only this time, Ochako knew when he was going to throw her as she recognized his hand movements from when they were dancing.
Ochako pushed off the opposite wall and soared backwards toward Bakugou. Ochako used to be nervous when they tried this move but she wasn't this time. He caught her waist and turned her so that she was standing straight again. She released her quirk then spun around to face him.
"Pretty sure the dancing is helping," Ochako said with a smirk.
For the rest of the week, they spent at least twenty minutes of their dojo time dancing. It was a welcome training exercise for the both of them. To Ochako's surprise, he seemed genuinely happy when he was dancing.
Ochako got better every day. She learned new steps and movements as quickly as Bakugou could teach her. It was also evident that they were beginning to trust each other more as their quirk and aerial training improved. Their low ground aerial move sets became tighter and more accurate. Bakugou's trajectory aim was astounding and Ochako was practically a pro at bouncing around the dojo. They were finally getting the hang of high altitude combat as Bakugou's weightlessness skills had improved to just short of extraordinary. It helped that Ochako had no hesitations anymore about Bakugou throwing or catching her. Bakugou even developed some special moves that relied on Ochako's quirk or her physical involvement.
He excitedly talked about them as they walked side by side back to their dorms Saturday evening after their post training dinner. Mid-sentence, Bakugou stopped talking due to Ochako's expression.
"What are you smiling about?" He asked, annoyed that her smiling interrupted his thought process.
"Oh, uh, you, I guess," Ochako said then smiled wider. "You seem--not angry. It's different."
Bakugou stared at her.
"I'm just glad we're not sucking anymore," he muttered.
Since Bakugou was in such a good mood, Ochako decided that it was the perfect time to ask a question she'd been wondering since Sunday.
"How did you get started with dancing? It didn't strike me as something that would be in your wheelhouse when you said you were good at it."
Bakugou blushed slightly like he did on Sunday.
"One, I never said I was good. I am but you said that. Two, it's, uh,-" Bakugou stuttered. Ochako had never seen him like this; he was almost flustered. "It's the only thing my mother and I do that doesn't end in a fight or screaming match."
"You dance with your mom?" Ochako's eyes widened in adoration. "That's so sweet!"
Bakugou groaned.
"I admit one fucking thing and you turn it against me. It's not sweet. I used to go to work with her a lot when I was a kid and dancing during the parties kept me out of trouble with her. Then, because I was a natural, she stuck me in classes to make sure I couldn't embarrass her as I got older."
"When you put it like that, I guess sweet isn't the word."
"Yeah," Bakugou mumbled and adjusted his bag awkwardly.
"But you enjoy it?" Ochako wondered quietly. Bakugou hesitated, looking like the question pained him.
"Yeah. Jazz and swing are really the only styles I enjoy. Ballroom dancing sucks. It's too slow. Don't even get me started on the shit Ashido does."
"What else can you do? I feel like you're chalked full of things I would have never guessed about you."
Bakugou looked down at her. His eyes were softer than normal but the words that came out of his mouth next were pure to his personality.
"I'm amazing at everything. Get that through your head and you'll stop being surprised."
"I'll get right on that," Ochako said with a wide grin. Bakugou grinned back at her for a moment then got a mischievous look on his face.
"After answering that question, I think it's a fair exchange that you tell me something about you."
Ochako's face went blank.
"What do you want to know?" She asked. Bakugou shrugged.
"Tell me something about your mom since I told you something about mine," he said after a moment of silence. Ochako gulped and took a deep breath.
"My mom has a lot of health issues. It's tough on the family even with our business, which is one of the reasons why I'm becoming a hero. To make lots of money so they can take a break and to help them have a better life. So they don't have to stress anymore."
Bakugou stared at her.
"That's why you're becoming a hero? For your mom?" Bakugou asked his voice low and rough.
"Uh, I mean, one of the reasons. I also like saving people. If I can help, I will!" Ochako clenched her fist and gave an award winning smile.
Bakugou gave a half-hearted smile back but they were practically at the dorms now. That meant the conversation was over. Bakugou didn't like to talk with others around. Even so, his demeanor had changed more drastically than normal. He appeared lost in thought. As soon as they walked into the common area, Ochako was rushed by Ashido and Hagakure.
"Girls' night!" They squealed, fully tackling her.
"Oh, right! That's tonight," Ochako choked out. The wind had been knocked out of her.
"You always forget!" Hagakure accused.
"Yeah, what's so important that you can't remember the sacred monthly tradition of girls' night?" Ashido asked. She got off of Ochako and helped her up.
"I forget a lot too," Yaomomo interjected from the couch next to Kirishima, Satou, and Aoyama. They were working on some math problems together. "The school work is harder this year and training with Satou is taking a lot of time and energy."
Satou nodded in agreement.
"We're all tired," Kirishima agreed, still looking intensely at his unfinished math homework like it was in a different language.
"Tell me about it," Ochako mumbled. "If we didn't have dance class tomorrow, I'd sleep the whole day."
"That reminds me, I need to find a new dance partner. Shouji doesn't want to go," Hagakure pouted.
"Sero probably wouldn't mind being your dance partner, Hagakure," Ashido said loud enough for Sero to hear across the common area.
"Yeah, I'll dance with you!" Sero yelled back.
"Wow, thank you! It'll be so much fun!" Hagakure jumped up and down. Sero gave a thumbs up and went back to playing cards with Tokoyami.
"See ya later, Uraraka," Bakugou muttered as he broke away from the group to head up to his room.
"Uh, what's up with him?" Ashido whispered to Ochako. "He's been in a good mood all this week. What changed?"
Ochako shrugged. His mood had flipped so quickly in the span of a minute she didn't know what to pin it on except the answer to his question. That couldn't be it. Could it?
"Eh, you know him. His social battery runs out quick," Kirishima said. "He just needs some sleep."
Ochako hoped he was right. Unfortunately for her, even though she desperately wanted to sleep as well, she wouldn't be able to for at least a couple more hours. As if on cue, Tsu and Jirou entered the common area carrying snacks and goodies.
"Girls' night!" They said in unison.
"First one to Tsu's room gets to pick the activity!" Hagakure declared. All the girls except Yaomomo and Ochako ran to the elevator. Yaomomo sighed and packed up her homework.
"I love girls' night but sometimes I wish I could back out," she said. "But I feel bad even thinking about it."
"Maybe we should plan, like, a monthly class night," Satou suggested. "That way if you miss a girls' night, you can kind of make up for it then."
"Hey, that's an idea!" Kirishima said, flashing a sharky grin in Satou's direction. "We can watch movies, play games, even do that truth or dare thing Mina was talking about!"
"That might be a good idea," Yaomomo said. She yawned then stood up from the couch. "Want to head up, Uraraka?"
Ochako nodded wearily. She knew she'd have fun once girls' night started but getting in that mindset was tough at the moment. Ochako wondered if she'd upset Bakugou and didn't want to leave things on a bad note. They'd been doing so well as a team lately.
"I'll be there in a second. Gotta get my stuff and change," Ochako said as she and Yaomomo got onto the elevator.
Ochako got off on the second floor but instead of going to her room she knocked on Bakugou's door. She could feel her hands shaking. Why was she so nervous?
Bakugou opened the door swiftly, his body hiding any direct view into his room.
"What?" He asked roughly.
"I just wanted to make sure you're okay. Your mood seemed to change really quick and if it was something I said, I'm sorry."
Bakugou didn't say anything instead opting to stare at her.
"I'm fine. Go have fun," he finally said.
"Did I do something wrong?" Ochako asked as he was closing the door. Bakugou eyed her through the remaining crack.
"No. Forget about it and focus on your friends," he said as he closed the door with a click.
"I thought we were friends," Ochako whispered to herself. Part of her wanted to knock again but she decided against it. Ochako only had so much energy. She walked away, hoping that girls' night would give her a little peace from her thoughts surrounding Bakugou.
Guys' Night
Chapter Summary
With a shift in perspective, we finally get to see what Katsuki Bakugou is thinking.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Katsuki heard Uraraka walk away from the door and growled in frustration at himself.
Why was it so hard for him to accept that she was a better person than him? It wasn't new information. He'd known it for a while, even before they were training together. Now it was always in his face with them spending so much time together. She was too good to him again and had checked up on him to make sure he was okay! She'd even thought she was the cause. She kind of was but it's wasn't her fault she's so selfless...and funny, strong, smart, badass, beautiful-
"Stop," Katsuki said to himself. He'd been shutting down these thoughts for over a week. All he'd wanted wanted was to be a badass team, possibly friends! Not this. These feelings, he shuddered at the thought, weren't going to help them as a duo and it certainly wasn't going to help him be the best hero the world had ever seen.
Katsuki was at U.A. for one reason and he wasn't going to let some girl get in the way of that.
But what a girl.
The pesky thought made him grit his teeth.
Katsuki's eyes darted to the pullup bar over his door. He jumped up and started to workout. Anything to stop thinking about how Uraraka's hair looked in the sunlight or the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled.
"Err," Katsuki growled as he worked out faster to push the thoughts out.
His phone buzzed and he groaned out loud. It was probably Uraraka texting him that she'd had enough of his attitude and the partnership would be over after camp. They hadn't talked about it but he was hoping they'd still be training partners even after they weren't forced through the buddy system. He had sure screwed himself over regarding that.
His phone started to ring and Katsuki cursed as he dropped to the floor. The caller ID read "Dunce-Face". Katsuki rolled his eyes and answered.
"The fuck do you want?"
"We're getting together in my room for an impromptu guys' night," Kaminari said excitedly. "Sero thought it was a good idea to start our own thing. I mean, why do the girls get to have all the fun?"
"No."
"C'mon! Kirishima bet us money you wouldn't come and I want to win."
Katsuki hesitated. It would be pretty funny if Kirishima lost the bet.
"Fine."
"Wow, really? That was easy."
"Don't make me change my mind. If there aren't any spicy snacks I'm not fucking staying and I'm sure as shit not sleeping there."
"Deal! See ya in a bit!"
Kaminari hung up. Katsuki groaned again. He really didn't want to go but if he stayed here alone he'd just think about her. He shook his head aggressively as if the thoughts would fly out his ears if he put enough force behind it.
His phone buzzed again.
Kirishima: You're coming?
Katsuki Bakugou: Yes
Kirishima: You okay?
Katsuki frowned. Of course Kirishima would think it's fishy that he's coming. He was right but it still rubbed him the wrong way.
Katsuki Bakugou: I'm fucking swell. If anyone asks that again tonight I'll murder them.
Kirishima: Alright I'll let them know lol
Katsuki changed out of his workout clothes into shorts and a hoodie. He grabbed his phone and headed out of his room straight into Kirishima who had been about to knock on his door.
"What are you doing?" Katsuki asked, annoyed.
"I came to collect you. Kaminari didn't trust that you'd make it up on your own." Kirishima gave him a smile but stopped when he saw Katsuki's face. "You sure you're alright, man?"
"What did I just fucking text you?! You're dead!" Katsuki raged and Kirishima ran to the elevator. Katsuki ran after him and gave him a swift punch in the shoulder. Kirishima hardened his skin and the punch left Katsuki's knuckles red and painful. Katsuki refused to acknowledge it and pushed the elevator button.
"I'm sorry. I mean, you going to a last minute social event?" The elevator door opened and Kirishima looked slightly nervous to be in a confined space with Bakugou but he got in after him anyway. "You gotta admit that's out of the ordinary."
"Whatever. Shut up."
Kirishima shrugged in response
"You'd let me know, right?" Kirishima asked as they got to the third floor. Katsuki reluctantly nodded. "Good!"
They walked to Kaminari's room together and when Katsuki opened the door to find only Sero and Kaminari. Katsuki let out a small sigh of relief and Kirishima clapped his back.
"Just our best guys! Why did you think it'd be all of them? And you still came?" Kirishima asked in wonder.
"Let's get this over with," Katsuki grumbled.
"It's supposed to be fun!" Kaminari shouted at Katsuki's indifference. A tense silence hung over the room until Sero exhaled.
"So I took that game from Yaomomo and pulled out the cards about us," Sero started as he got the game in question from his bag.
"No," Katsuki interrupted.
"No?" Sero asked, confused.
"I'm not doing that," Katsuki said firmly.
"C'mon Bakubro. It's manly to spend time with your friends! Build bonds!" Kirishima said. He sat next to Sero and motioned for Katsuki to sit next to him.
Katsuki stood where he was.
"What's the worst that can happen?" Kirishima asked and gave a big smile. Katsuki had zero desire to play but decided it was better than being alone with his thoughts so he kept his mouth shut as he sat next to Kirishima.
"Hell yeah! Let's do this!" Kaminari said excitedly. Sero explained the rules and Katsuki groaned internally at them. It was such a stupid fucking game. What's the point if you can't win? Why did people like this shit?
"I'll go first," Sero said, pulling out a card.
"What is Kaminari's favorite food? Duh, hamburgers."
"You know me so well," Kaminari said playfully.
"Truth: Who in the class would you take on a date and why? Oh, uh-" Sero grimaced awkwardly. "Maybe that's not such a good question."
"This was your idea!" Katsuki shouted.
"Fine! Uh, I'd take Ashido. She's fun and we'd have a good time no matter what we did."
"Same, man! She's such a blast!" Kirishima agreed with gusto. Sero sighed in relief. Katsuki knew that Sero had a thing for Ashido but was too nervous to say anything. Sero knew that Kirishima also had a thing for her but the latter was more focused on staying friends with her for some reason.
"My turn!" Kaminari reached for a card and read it quickly, ready to move on from the situation in case it got awkward. "If Sero could go to one place in the world, where would he go? Damn, I don't know. Maybe America?"
"Nah, I want to go to China! I want to visit some of the places that Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee filmed. Those old movies are the best!"
"My thought process was close! I thought America so you could go to Hollywood," Kaminari explained.
"Oh, that would be cool too!"
Kaminari flipped over the card and read his challenge.
"Dare: Let someone in this room go through your phone for a full minute. Ah, man!" Kaminari grabbed his phone and waved it in the air. "Who wants it?"
"ME!" Kirishima shouted and grabbed at the phone excitedly. Kaminari unlocked it and handed it over.
"Time him, Sero," Kaminari muttered. Sero took out his phone and started the timer. Kirishima immediately opened the photos and started scrolling.
"Aw, this is a cute one!" Kirishima turned the phone around to show everyone a picture of Jirou kissing Kaminari on the cheek as he grinned widely at the camera. "Alright, now it's kind of boring. It's all stuff like this."
Sero gave Kaminari a look and Kaminari shrugged.
"What can I say? I like my girlfriend. She's a cutie."
Kirishima went to his texts next and opened up a few conversations.
"You think I'm a good guy. That's awfully sweet of you to say. Scared of Bakugou sometimes. That's a given. Sero's got a nice face?"
Sero grinned and winked at Kirishima.
"Yeah and he knows it!" Kaminari gave a matching grin to Sero. Kirishima laughed and kept scrolling.
"Ooh, some lovey-dovey texts between you and Jirou."
"And time's up," Sero tapped on the timer on his phone.
"No! I should have started there!" Kirishima groaned in disappointment as Kaminari took his phone back.
"We all make mistakes," Kaminari teased. "Bakugou, it's your turn."
"What a waste of time," Katsuki said as he picked up a card. With a big exhale, he read the card, his tone seeped in disdain for the activity.
"What does Sero like on his pizza? How the fuck am I supposed to know that? I've never seen him eat pizza!" Katsuki threw the card down in frustration. The other boys tensed up and Katsuki frowned. "I don't know what you like but you look like a weird pizza guy."
"What's that even mean?" Kirishima chuckled.
"I said what I said. He looks like he'd like weird pizza."
"Well, what do you like?" Kirishima asked Sero
"Pineapple, onions, and anchovies together."
The boys looked at him with revulsion.
"I'm going to be real with you, Sero," Kirishima said, placing a hand on Sero's shoulder. "That's disgusting."
"What are you talking about? It's salty, sweet, and savory mixed all together," Sero argued. Kaminari's face continued to look at Sero with disgust.
"Anyway, Bakugou, you did technically get it wrong even if your gut instinct was right," Kirishima said, shaking his head at Sero's topping choices.
"Whatever," Katsuki muttered. He turned over the card and froze when he read the dare.
"Uh-Earth to Bakugou," Kirishima said. He waved his hand in front of Katsuki's face then looked down at the card. "OH MY GOD! Yes, we're doing that."
"No-no we're not," Katsuki said.
"What the hell does it say if that's Bakugou's reaction?" Kaminari asked and leaned over to read it. "Dare: Send a romantic text message to a person of the group's choosing. OOH!"
"Oh, that's priceless," Sero laughed.
"So, here's the thing. Bakugou's reaction means there is obviously someone he doesn't want us to pick so we need to figure out who that person is," Kaminari deduced. Katsuki glared at him but Kaminari was too focused on narrowing down the list of potential text recipients.
"I've got a couple ideas of who it could be," Kirishima said, acting like a classic detective. Katsuki groaned and fell backward onto the floor so he could stare at the ceiling. He'd only agreed to do this so he could stop thinking about Uraraka. He hoped they picked literally anyone but Uraraka. If he had to explain the text, he'd fuck something up for sure. He'd let something slip or make a fool out of himself like he did earlier when she came to his room. Katsuki had tried to be nice but Uraraka didn't seem to take it that way. Maybe he just sucked at being nice.
"I say we go with Midoriya or Todoroki," Kirishima continued. Katsuki tensed up and tilted his head to look at Kirishima who discreetly winked at him.
"That would be so funny," Kaminari agreed with a laugh.
"What? We don't want to pick a girl?" Sero asked.
"Nah, if you borrowed the cards for Yaomomo, the girls know what we're doing and they'll know it's not real. However, the other guys don't have a clue," Kirishima explained.
"Genius," Sero said with awe.
"My vote is Midoriya," Kaminari held up a hand to vote.
"Todoroki," Sero voted.
"Tie-breaker, huh?" Kirishima stroked his chin, thinking. "Todoroki has been through enough. Let's do Midoriya. Get your phone out, Bakubro."
Katsuki reached in his pocket, unlocked his phone and handed it to Kirishima.
"You do it. I'm not romantic," Katsuki grumbled. Kirishima laughed heartily.
"Tell me about it. You're anti-relationship in every possible way."
Katsuki went back to staring at the ceiling. He didn't know if Kirishima had figured out who Katsuki was worried about sending a text to but, even if he hadn't, he was a good friend. Katsuki didn't give a fuck what Deku thought about the text. Plus, with the fiasco with Uraraka's selfie, he'd probably think it was another dare anyway.
"And sent!" Kirishima said as he tossed the phone on Katsuki's chest.
"Was that who you were worried about us texting, Bakugou?" Kaminari asked hesitantly.
Katsuki didn't respond. It was a dumb fucking question.
"I think Bakugou didn't want to play because it involved romance. You know he hates that stuff," Kirishima said.
Kaminari didn't seem to buy that explanation but didn't persist.
Kirishima picked up a card and read the question. Katsuki, still lying down, reached above him to grab the spicy rice crackers he'd eyed before sitting down. Snacking and ignoring the game as it continued, Katsuki focused on analyzing movesets from his aerial training.
"Bakugou!" Sero shouted after about a minute of Katsuki daydreaming about different types of explosions.
"What?" Katsuki shouted back.
"What's your favorite type of music?"
"Swing and Jazz," he answered then popped more crackers into his mouth.
"Ha! I told you!" Kirishima laughed at Sero.
"Damn, I thought rock or metal was a sure thing," Sero sighed and read the card for his dare.
"Rock is good sometimes, metal sucks," Katsuki clarified before going back to visualizing trajectories. Before he could really get into it, his phone buzzed on his chest.
"Ooh, a response from Midoriya?" Kaminari raised an eyebrow.
"Ugh," Katsuki groaned and looked at the notification. Katsuki's eyes widened in surprise momentarily and his entire body tensed up.
"What did he say?" Sero asked, confused at Katsuki's reaction.
"It's not Deku," Katsuki managed to get out though he felt like his throat was closing.
Uraraka: I can't focus on having fun. I tried. We need to talk it out.
"Who is it then?" Kirishima asked.
"I gotta go." Katsuki sat up and set the crackers to the side of him.
"What? We just started!" Sero said with disappointment.
"I'm tired," Katsuki said as stood up and he walked out of Kaminari's room, texting Uraraka back.
Katsuki Bakugou: Meet me outside.
He didn't want anybody overhearing them.
The night air was cool and the stars shone brightly in the sky above. The moon was a crescent so that lack of light made the stars pop against the black sky.
Uraraka came out several minutes after him in a light jacket and pajama pants, looking uneasy.
"I'm sorry, Bakugou, I really tried to just let it go. But you're the one who said we should talk it out if we need to. No wasting time."
Katsuki nodded and walked to a nearby tree. Uraraka caught up to him and they walked side by side together.
"Something is wrong, isn't it?" She asked quietly, a touch of sadness creeping into her words.
"Not in the way you think," Katsuki mumbled.
"What does that even mean?" Uraraka scrunched up her face in frustration.
Look at that face.
Bakugou clenched his fists, shoving the thoughts down. He sat down underneath the tree and Uraraka sat very close next to him.
"What did I do?" Uraraka asked defeatedly.
"You didn't do anything," Bakugou said. "It's me. Sometimes it's just painfully obvious-" Bakugou grimaced. Fucking feelings are the worst but he and his therapist had been doing good work. Which is why he felt alright finishing his sentence; especially since it was with Uraraka. "-how much better you are than me."
"I'm sorry, what? Bakugou, you're the most amazing fighter and you're super smart. You excel at every training we do in school. What are you even talking about?"
"What you said about your mom. You're dedicating your whole life to helping your family and others. I've always wanted to be a hero for selfish reasons. Awesome reasons but compared to you, not that noble."
"Why is that important to you?" Ochako asked sincerely. "Everyone wants to be a hero for different reasons. So what if yours is fighting villains and winning battles? It's honorable to me. You're risking your life to fight the battles that other people are too scared to do or are incapable of doing. This world needs both fighters and helpers to keep us safe. I'm not better than you because my motivations are different."
Katsuki stared into her eyes with awe. She had a way with words that he'd never be able to achieve.
"You're right. I was being stupid."
"No, it's not stupid. I'm just a little shocked you even had that thought. What were you worried about?"
Katsuki didn't answer. He didn't want to say it. However, because it was Uraraka and she picked up on things no one else seemed to, she figured it out anyway.
"I'm not going to stop being friends with you because of something silly like hero motivations. However, if you keep pushing me away like you did, I'm gonna start thinking you don't like me," Uraraka said. She scrunched up her face again but this time stuck her tongue out teasingly.
Katsuki scowled at her and stuck his tongue out as well. Uraraka laughed and Katsuki relaxed.
"What a fast talk! I think you're getting better at this, Bakugou," Uraraka praised. She stood up and Katsuki followed though he secretly wished the talk had lasted a little longer. It was a nice night and Uraraka had been so close. It was a different closeness than when they trained or danced. A closeness he didn't want to crave. A closeness that made him vulnerable, which he didn't like.
"I better be. We do it so often that if I wasn't getting better I'd have to start extra training sessions."
Uraraka laughed again.
"So often," Uraraka emphasized with air quotes. "It's been like three times now."
"That's a lot," Katsuki said seriously.
"For you I bet it is," Uraraka smiled back up at him. "Now I don't know about you but I'm exhausted. I'd sleep right here under the stars if I could but I'm pretty sure Ashido would chew me out for missing the rest of girls' night."
Katsuki silently agreed and they walked back inside. As they entered the elevator together, Uraraka spoke up.
"Thank you, Bakugou. I know you hate talking it out but it really helps me. I hope it helps you too."
"It does."
"Good! I'm glad. I'm heading back up to Tsu's but I hope you sleep well!" Uraraka said as the elevators opened on the 2nd floor. Katsuki left the elevator and looked back at her.
"You too."
"Thanks." Uraraka waved as the elevator doors closed.
Katsuki sighed and went to his room. He was exactly where he'd been avoiding all night: alone with his thoughts. Last year, Katsuki would have probably tried to fight Uraraka over his own insecurities. After all his time with her and, truthfully, his therapist, he felt like he was becoming, although incredibly slowly by his standards, the person he wanted to be. At that moment Katsuki made a resolution to himself. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his friendship with Ochako Uraraka. No matter what he was feeling toward her.
Katsuki grabbed his phone and opened up the photo she'd sent him a month ago. He stared at it for a few seconds, studying her face, then frowned.
"This fucking sucks," Bakugou muttered to himself, throwing his phone onto his bed and forcing himself to go to sleep.
Chapter End Notes
Let's be real, we all knew Bakugou was going to start crushing on Uraraka first. Any guesses on how long it will take before Uraraka starts crushing on Bakugou?
Hint: A while. Buckle up for a long ride.
A Busy Morning
Chapter Summary
Ochako wakes up early and has a full morning complete with friends, food, and weird events.
Ochako woke up early feeling refreshed after her talk with Bakugou and a fun girls' night. She'd fallen asleep before any of the other girls since her sleep schedule was in shambles from all the training. Ochako didn't know how late the others had stayed up so she decided to quietly pack her things and spend the morning in the common area to watch T.V. It was only a little surprising to see another person already doing that.
"Deku? Up already?" Ochako asked as she sat next to him on the couch. He responded with a nod toward the morning news playing on the screen and Ochako turned her attention toward it.
"In a shocking turn of events, the relatively new hero, Mt. Lady, has announced her early retirement from hero work citing unresolved personal issues and overwhelming workload as her main reasons for departing the hero scene," a reporter said. "Sources say she has been acting strangely the past few weeks and the news of her retirement may stem from her recent behavior change."
"This news, while upsetting for our team, is not surprising," Kamui Woods said in an interview. "She's been missing work consistently for the past few weeks but wouldn't talk to us about why. I hope she finds peace with retirement."
"What a good man, I'd be more upset at this news but he seems to really care about Mt. Lady's well-being," the news anchor commented.
"Yes, she was becoming such a star. Maybe the spotlight was too much for her," the other anchor added.
"It's possible. This is the second pro-hero retirement since April involving a young hero. Is the work of a hero becoming too much to handle for these new pros? In a few minutes, we'll talk with psychologist Kenji Fukushima to hear his professional thoughts. Now our next story covers -," the first anchor continued but Deku turned off the T.V.
"I couldn't sleep much," Deku answered Ochako's initial question. "Read an article last night about Mt. Lady's retirement so I stressed about that, then I got this really weird text from Kacchan. Pretty sure someone stole his phone as a prank so I was looking for it for him but I couldn't find it. Gave up, did homework, napped on this couch and woke up about 30 minutes ago."
Ochako didn't want to spill the beans that Bakugou had been at a guys' night last night and that was likely the reason for the weird text. If Deku had really spent all that time searching for Bakugou's phone, she didn't want to burst his bubble. It had been such a sweet gesture.
"Why are you stressed about Mt. Lady's retirement?" Ochako asked. She wanted him to go to sleep but knew he wouldn't if he had things on his mind. Unfortunately, he almost always did.
"It's strange. Young heroes almost never retire this early. First it was The Fly now Mt. Lady?" Deku asked, shaking his head. "The Fly wasn't a star so I didn't think much of it but Mt. Lady was on her way to the top."
"Maybe she changed her mind about being a hero. They said she had some personal issues."
"Would you stop being a hero for personal issues? After all the training you went through? Or would you just take a break?" Deku asked seriously. Ochako knew he was right.
"I would take a break. I wouldn't retire," Ochako confirmed his thought process. "But not everyone is like us, Deku."
Deku sighed.
"Maybe Iida's right and I'm blowing this out of proportion," he muttered. "After events with the Paranormal Liberation Front, I guess it's not unsurprising that some heroes would quit."
Ochako nodded but didn't like something that he said.
"I don't think you're blowing anything out of proportion. You're being observant and keeping yourself cautious. It's a good thing."
Deku gave her tired smile.
"Want to get breakfast?" Deku asked her.
"Is Lunch Rush open right now?" Ochako asked, trying to remember their Sunday hours.
"No, I don't think so. I was thinking of going off campus. There's a café that opens really early only a short walk from here."
"Alright, let's do it," Ochako said, jumping up from the couch with excitement. "I haven't had a change in scenery for a while with all the training."
Deku chuckled and stood up, patting his pocket to confirm he had his wallet.
"Yeah, same. Todoroki and I are making great progress though! What about you and Kacchan?" He asked as they walked out of the dorms into the cool morning air. The sunrise painted the sky in bright oranges and pinks and birds chirped all around them.
"Getting better every day. In fact, he seems to be opening up a little too. I think we're becoming friends."
"Really? That's great! No small feat either!" Deku said with a big smile.
Ochako nodded but disagreed with Deku. Whenever they had problems, they were usually resolved within a day mostly because Bakugou was determined to make the team-up work. He seemed to actually want to be friends too or Ochako was sure he wouldn't have said some of the things he had to her.
"This café has milk tea too! I'm gonna get a matcha one with my breakfast," Deku said. His stomach rumbled and he chuckled. "Hopefully they aren't busy. Definitely forgot to eat dinner last night."
"You have to take better care of yourself," Ochako scolded softly.
Deku wasn't kidding when he said it was a short walk from campus. They arrived within five minutes and because it was early the café was empty.
"Yes!" Deku pumped his fist in the air and they sat at a small table near the window. They ordered their food and milk teas (rose and strawberry for Ochako) then people-watched for a bit.
"I haven't done a normal teenager thing in ages," Deku mumbled as he watched a little kid eyeing the shop windows. "I'm not complaining. I love being a hero but sometimes I think it'd be nice to have a day where I don't think about the next big threat or train until I can't anymore."
"You don't think going out to breakfast with a friend is a normal teenager thing?" Ochako eyed him while she took a big sip of her milk tea. Deku laughed.
"You got me there. First teenager thing in a while! I'm glad it's with you." Deku smiled and it got wider as he saw his food coming.
"Thank you!" Ochako said as the waitress put her food down in front of her. The pair ate in silence for a bit, both of them savoring every bite of the delicious meal.
"This is really good!" Deku exclaimed. "We should come here more often."
"Definitely. A nice early morning get away."
"Maybe next time Iida can come or Tsu!" Deku thought out loud with glee.
Ochako took a bite, not wanting to listen to the selfish voice in her head. Part of her wanted it to be only her and Deku. Obviously she loved Tsu and Iida but it was nice to have a one-on-one conversation with him. It was relaxing.
"Though, maybe this should just be our thing," Deku tacked on, possibly deducing from Ochako's expression that she'd prefer it that way. "There isn't a table here to hold all of us without moving them together."
Ochako looked around. He was right. All the tables were only big enough for two people.
"That would be great. School this year has really limited our hang out time. Plus, you know I love food," Ochako said, taking another bite.
"Who doesn't love food?" Deku asked then continued eating. Once they were done, he paid for both their meals and they browsed the shop windows, enjoying the slow morning together.
"Thank you for paying!" Ochako said as they looked at some hero merch. It was sweet of him to buy her breakfast.
"Of course, Uraraka. I haven't treated you in a while," Deku said while eyeing some All-Might gear.
"Oh, look! They've got the limited edition plushie for Hawks when he got the number one spot! Wow, it's pretty expensive," Ochako commented. "Hawks is cool but I don't have that kind of cash."
"Yeah," Deku said sadly and Ochako looked at him, concerned about his mood change. Deku quickly averted his gaze from Endeavor merch back to the Hawks plushie.
"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-," Ochako started but Deku shook his head.
"No, don't be. It's not you. It'll take some time." Ochako put a hand on his arm and Deku inhaled softly. "It's just--if we'd have captured Dabi during the battle he wouldn't be gone."
"You were a little busy dealing with All For One," she reminded him.
"I know. Nothing we can do about that now except stop something like that from happening again," Deku muttered with a serious expression.
"Yeah and with Dabi gone too, I'm sure Todoroki doesn't worry about a similar fate for himself."
Deku tensed up. No one wanted to talk about how Endeavor died or what his final act was. Ochako couldn't forget it, though. She'd never really liked Endeavor and killing his own son certainly didn't help his image in her eyes. Ochako kept her mouth shut for Deku and Todoroki's sake. Even though Bakugou had done a work study at Endeavor's agency, she'd never seen him have a reaction to his death. It didn't seem to phase him. Though, admittedly, Bakugou wasn't known for outwardly showing difficult emotions.
Deku wiped away a tear from his eye and mumbled sadly.
"Todoroki blames himself for everything. I don't know if he'd prefer the worry or the self-blame."
Ochako's heart hurt for her friends. Deku took a deep, calming breath and regained his smile.
"Like I said, it'll just take some time. Lots of friendship and love will help him heal. Let's head back." Deku took another deep breath and started back toward the dorm. Ochako nodded and followed. She thought about what she might be able to do to help Todoroki when Deku stopped in his tracks. His body tensed as if he was getting ready to fight.
"What's going on?" Ochako readied herself as well in response.
"Danger," Deku said, visibly on edge, as he looked around the block trying to find it. Ochako looked around too but saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was still early so there weren't a lot of people around. She couldn't hear any sounds of an impending villain attack or any cries for help.
Deku turned around and ran back to the café. He didn't go back inside but stared across the street. Ochako didn't see anything as she jogged to catch up with him.
"Deku-" Ochako began but Deku ignored her and crossed the street. Ochako followed him and he looked inside a shop that sold hand-made pottery and art. It was closed and Ochako couldn't see anyone inside.
"Deku, you're starting to worry me," Ochako whispered.
"Enjoying the art, dearies?" An old woman asked behind them and both Ochako and Deku jumped. "I'm sorry to say we don't open until nine but you're free to come back then." The old woman, likely in her seventies, gave a smile and took a key out of her pocket to open the shop.
"Ma'am, we're heroes. I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Deku said with his best professional hero voice.
"And why is that?" She asked, concerned.
"We believe something in there is dangerous," Ochako said. It was easier than explaining his quirk.
"Oh, dear. Well, if you'd like to take a look inside to make sure everything is okay, please be my guest. Can't be too safe nowadays."
The old woman opened the shop and Deku ran inside already using his full cowling. Ochako stayed near the exit and the woman in case the danger tried to escape. Deku looked around and came back a few minutes later.
"There's nothing here," Deku said, making eye contact with Ochako.
"That's certainly a relief. I don't know what you saw but I'm glad you two were here to help just in case. You'll make fine heroes when you're older."
"Thank you, ma'am. Have a great day!" Deku gave her a big smile and a wave as he and Ochako left. As soon as they were out of earshot, Ochako whispered to Deku.
"What was all that?"
"The danger sense went away. I was sure it was coming from that shop but it stopped as I got past the register."
"It just went away? How odd." Ochako didn't know too much about that aspect of his power but she knew danger didn't just disappear.
"Yeah, hopefully that lady will be okay. With the danger gone, I didn't feel bad about leaving." Deku pondered for a moment and shrugged. "Anyway, it's not like I can snoop around to figure out what might have caused it if there's nothing to follow. There could be a ton of reasons it went off and then resolved quickly."
Deku and Ochako looked back at the shop. She didn't have a reason for it but that old woman gave her an odd vibe. Not necessarily bad but not good either. If the danger sense was gone by the time Deku got to the register that meant it went away as soon as the lady entered the shop. Ochako pursed her lips.
"How does danger sense work?" Ochako asked. "Is it only things that have the potential to hurt you or hurt others as well?"
"Uh, usually they're one in the same. Things that can hurt me can hurt others too."
"I mean can you tell if it's targeting you or if it was someone else in danger?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure," Deku said with a tilt of his head. "Maybe it's a side effect of One for All. Now it detects less powerful events of danger."
Ochako looked back at the shop again as Deku muttered to himself. It was hard for Ochako to walk away but Deku was right. The danger went away. There wasn't anything they could do and the situation had seemingly resolved itself. She shrugged off the encounter and shifted her focus to the rest of the day. Suddenly Ochako remembered that Sensei Ohno had yoga lessons Sunday mornings. That might give her the reset she needed.
Ochako managed to arrive at Gym Gamma right on time at 8am. To her surprise, Todoroki was already there waiting for class to begin. Ochako grabbed a mat and set it down next to his.
"Good morning, Uraraka," Todoroki greeted softly, sitting cross-legged on his own personal mat. Ochako stifled a giggle at the half white-half red design. He didn't show it often but Todoroki had a great sense of humor. Ochako sat next to him and mirrored his position.
"Morning, Todoroki. It's nice to see you out and about."
"Yoga brings me peace of mind. Is that why you're here too?" Todoroki asked.
"Actually, yes," Ochako answered and gave him a relaxed smile. His presence always calmed her down.
Sensei Ohno announced it was time to begin and turned on some relaxing music.
"Follow my positions and remember to breathe in and out," she instructed. "Empty your mind and focus on the muscles your body are using and stretching."
Ochako wouldn't call herself a great yoga practitioner but she could hold her own. The poses and serene environment helped her worries melt away after the weird danger sense event this morning. If Deku wasn't worried about it, Ochako wouldn't be either.
After an hour-long class, Todoroki and Ochako walked back together, enjoying each other's presence in silence until the dorms came into view.
"Thank you, Uraraka," Todoroki said quietly. "That was nice. Would you mind if I asked you to come with me again?"
"Sure! That sounds great," Ochako answered quickly. She was a little surprised he'd asked her. One-on-ones with Todoroki were hard to come by. Thinking about it, Ochako realized she had never had spent time alone with him.
"Good. Having you there really helped me. Your presence was warm and reassuring."
"Wow, thank you. That means a lot, Todoroki." This guy really knew how to compliment someone.
Todoroki nodded with a slight smile and walked toward the elevators.
"Sundays at 8am," he confirmed as he pushed the button.
"It's a date!" Ochako said, waving at him as the doors closed.
"Date?" Ashido squeaked, hanging back off the handle of a kitchen cabinet to stare wide-eyed at Ochako.
"No-not like that-," Ochako backtracked and waved her hands back and forth as everyone currently in the common room swarmed around her.
"A date with Todoroki?" Jirou questioned mid-yawn. "I didn't really think he was your type."
"It's not a date date! We're going to a yoga class together!" Ochako blushed a deep red at the influx of attention. She pushed past the small crowd and marched toward one of the couches.
"Early morning yoga?" Kaminari asked from across the room. "No, thank you. I like to sleep in on my one day off."
"Same," Jirou agreed.
"Oh, come on, Uraraka! You can't say there's absolutely nothing going on between you two," Hagakure pestered.
"There's absolutely nothing going on between the two of us," Uraraka stated firmly. "Please leave it alone!"
The people in the common room muttered to themselves but left Ochako alone. Ochako turned on the T.V. to drown out the side conversations. The news was still covering Mt. Lady's retirement.
"What? Mt. Lady is retiring?" Ashido asked. She jumped over the back of the couch and sat next to Ochako.
"Yeah, poor lady is having some trouble. I hope things get better for her," Hagakure said, leaning on the cushion behind them.
Ochako turned the channel to random game shows after the news repeated too many stories.
"Oh, I love these!" Hagakure squealed and moved to sit next to Ashido.
The girls watched for a bit as the rest of their class meandered about the dorms either eating, doing homework, or hanging out with friends.
"I've got to get started on homework if I'm going to dance class today," Hagakure grumbled.
"Yeah, me too," Ochako yawned with a big stretch.
"Did someone say homework?" Iida popped his head out from beneath the countertops of the kitchen. "Want to have a study group?"
"Uh, sure, Iida," Ochako chuckled. "What are you doing?"
"I was about to practice my cooking skills in preparation for camp! Last year I barely knew how to peel a potato so I've been trying to cook as much as possible to be a better asset!"
"I've got to get my bag," Hagakure said.
"Me too. Why don't you eat, Iida, and Hagakure and I will start over there in a few minutes?" Ochako suggested. Iida gave a quick thumbs up and went back to work.
"He's gonna blow the dorm up," Hagakure whispered to Ochako and the girls giggled together.
"I'm more worried about him cutting himself. He was right when he said he could barely peel a potato. He shaved part of his fingernail off at the last camp," Ochako remembered.
"Oh, that's right! Goodness, maybe he should ask Bakugou for help. He was a whiz with a knife."
"Psh, like Bakugou would do that," Ochako said sarcastically as the elevator doors opened on her dorm floor.
"What wouldn't I do?" Bakugou asked aggressively.
"Oh, teach Iida knife skills. Iida has this idea in his head that he needs to get better at cooking for camp. Are you going down?" Ochako gestured to the elevator which Hagakure kindly held for him.
"Yeah," Bakugou grumbled. He moved past her, shoving his hands in his pockets, and scowled at the floor as the doors closed.
When Ochako re-entered the common area with bag, her classmates that were in the common area before were all staring at the same direction, shocked into statues of themselves.
"Watch your fingers, idiot!" Bakugou shouted at Iida who slowed down his chopping of green onions, carefully minding his fingertips.
As she had also become a statue, Ochako didn't realize the elevator doors opening up behind her and Todoroki was too engrossed in thought to notice Statue Ochako in front of him. He bumped into her causing her to drop her bag, spilling her homework across the floor.
"I'm sorry, Uraraka. I didn't see you there," Todoroki said. He started picking up her stuff and Ochako awakened from her stunned state to help.
"It's completely my fault, Todoroki. I didn't move out of the path of the elevators," she said quietly as she continued staring at Bakugou.
"Move the blade like this, not like that," Bakugou said roughly. He grabbed the knife from Iida and demonstrated how to do it correctly.
Todoroki handed Ochako her homework and followed the direction of her gaze.
"That's odd," Todoroki summed up.
Ochako nodded and headed over to an empty table. Todoroki stood next to her seat, still watching Bakugou and Iida in the kitchen. Bakugou finally noticed everyone staring at him.
"Take a picture why don't ya!" Bakugou screamed at them with his fists clenched.
The class dispersed quickly and Iida hung his head from the awkwardness.
"Did I tell you to stop chopping!?" Bakugou yelled at Iida who apologized and started chopping again, more quickly this time. Ochako sighed.
"I was really hoping for Iida's perspective on this essay assignment from Cementoss-," Ochako said. "-but I know firsthand Bakugou won't stop until Iida is perfect with a knife."
"Yaomomo is having a study session at eleven in the library if you'd like to join us. We're thinking of getting lunch afterward then heading to dance," Todoroki said, still looking at Bakugou and Iida. "I was on my way there when I ran into you."
"Uh, sure. Let me tell Iida."
"I'll grab your stuff for you and wait for you outside. The day is so nice that I'd like to get some fresh air before studying and dancing." Todoroki grabbed Ochako's bag and left the dorm building. Ochako ran over to Iida, trying to get the words out quickly to avoid making Bakugou angry.
"Hey, Iida, I'm going to study with Todoroki at the library since you've got your own lesson right now. Let's meet up after class! Have fun chopping!"
"Oh, okay!" Iida replied.
"Focus on the knife!" Bakugou shouted. Iida nodded and went back to work as Ochako ran to meet Todoroki outside.
"Oh, I forgot to tell Hagakure," she said as they began walking to the library. "I'll just text her."
Ochako: Study group with Iida changed to study group with Yaomomo at 11am in the library.
Ochako sent the text and smiled up at Todoroki. She was about to start a conversation when her phone buzzed.
Hagakure: Uh, Uraraka, is Todoroki with you?
Ochako looked at her phone, puzzled.
Ochako: Yeah? How did you know?
Hagakure: Uraraka! That's the study date Yaomomo was talking about last night! The one where she was going to tell him how she felt.
Ochako's heart filled with shame. Ashido had allowed some boy talk at Yaomomo's request but Ochako had fallen asleep while they were talking about crushes last night. She couldn't remember Yaomomo saying anything about a study date.
How could she get out of this? If she asked Hagakure to call her Todoroki might suggest that she come along to the study group. Who would Todoroki not invite? She quickly texted the first person that popped into her head.
Ochako: Pls call me asap
Seonds later, Ochako's phone rang and Todoroki looked down at her phone screen.
"Bakugou?" Todoroki asked. Ochako gave her best confused expression and answered it with internal relief.
"What do you want?" Bakugou yelled. He was obviously still in teaching mode.
"Oh, that's still happening? With you showing Iida how to use a knife I just thought-," Ochako said, hoping he would catch on.
"Keep chopping! I'm watching you. I've got to take this," he told Iida and there was a slight pause as Bakugou moved to a different area. "Now, what's going on?"
"Okay, yeah we can still do that. I'll work on homework after class."
"You better explain this when you get back here," Bakugou growled and hung up. Ochako gave a convincing sigh to Todoroki.
"Sorry, Todoroki, I really wanted to study with you but Bakugou and I are doing some strategizing. I thought he'd forgotten since he was showing Iida how to use a knife but looks like he still wants to do that."
"Oh, okay. I'm sorry he forgot about you. I wonder what was so important about teaching Iida how to use a knife. I will see you at class then."
"Yep! Have fun studying!"
Todoroki nodded, continuing to walk to the library as Ochako turned around to go back to the dorms. She exhaled slowly. That was close. Hopefully it went well for the two of them.
Unfortunately for Ochako, Bakugou was waiting for her outside the dorm building. When he saw her, he stood up and charged over to her.
"I don't like being used," Bakugou snarled when he got to her.
"You consider a friend asking for a friend to call them being used?" Ochako asked, slightly angry at his tone.
"I-," Bakugou stumbled. "You-Use the phone for emergencies only!"
"It was! Not in your terms but yeah. I needed someone Todoroki wouldn't invite on a study date."
"What?" Bakugou asked, irritation morphing into confusion.
"Todoroki invited me to study with him and Yaomomo but Hagakure told me as we were walking that Yaomomo wanted it just be them so in order to not seem suspicious to Todoroki I needed an out he wouldn't argue with and from someone he wouldn't try to invite to join," Ochako rambled quickly.
"Like I'd join the boring brigade," Bakugou scoffed, rolling his eyes. "So what are we going to do now?"
"Hmm?"
"Well, I know you don't like lying. What are we doing so your alibi is solid?"
Ochako blinked in surprise and grinned with firm decisiveness.
"Strategizing."
Strategizing
Chapter Summary
Ochako and Bakugou work on their combos and we learn a little more about what camp will look like for these two. As the rest of the class works on their partnerships, Ochako realizes something unnerving about hers.
Bakugou and Ochako sat huddled at a table in the common room with a notebook open between them. Hagakure decided to do homework with Tokoyami and Shouji at a different table since Iida and Ochako were otherwise occupied. Iida was almost done making himself food and Bakugou glared at him once in a while to make sure he was doing things right.
"I'm not gonna have people say I'm a shitty teacher," he grumbled when Ochako asked him about one of the glances.
"I'm a little shocked you did it. Why?"
"You set the challenge! You said I wouldn't do it, so I did."
Ochako laughed.
"I think you just like showing off," Ochako told him.
"Tch, shows what you know," Bakugou muttered as he put his attention back on the notebook. Based on his tone, Ochako couldn't be sure if she was right or not.
"Alright," Bakugou continued in his normal voice. "As for moves, we've got the Roulette Bullet, Vertical Take-Off, Orbital Explosion, and Zero-G Howitzer Impact." Bakugou drew basic characters, movement arrows, and explosions in the notebook to show how the moves worked as he listed them off.
"I have an idea for a move that I think you'll like," Ochako said. She pulled the notebook toward her and drew. She covered her drawing with her hand and Bakugou huffed in annoyance at not being able to see it. "Along with my partial gravity, I've been practicing applying full weightlessness to only part of an object." Ochako spun the notebook to face him and grinned. "I call it Ground Zero!"
Bakugou's eyes widened. According to her drawing, Ochako would make the ground weightless prior to impact. When Bakugou broke the ground with either a separate special move or an extra large explosion, the ground would shoot up and out with such force and velocity that it would cause damage to anyone around it. Then, Ochako would release and the smoldering rubble would come shooting back down to finish anyone off.
"This would be devastating in a fight. Unless we got hit by the debris too. We need to work on the timing with this one."
"Right." Ochako had thought about it briefly but had been more excited about her showing Bakugou her idea. She contemplated solutions as she looked at her drawing. "I have my grappling hooks for a quick get away if I'm near a building or on the ground. Unfortunately, since I'm usually in the sky when we're partnered, they don't do me much good. We might need to wait until I get my air blasts installed. Or we could throw one of your grenades in the zone."
"We'll work through it." Bakugou turned the page and began sketching out other moves he had brainstormed. "I've been trying to think of ways to utilize you more. It's obvious that I'm the hard hitter in the team so I'm thinking we need to subvert their expectations."
Ochako didn't say anything, urging him to continue with her expression. Bakugou grinned slightly as he wrote down his potential strategies.
"We could reverse the Roulette Bullet so you're throwing me. My attack could be quirkless and you can come in with a grenade or your weightless combat. Then I can get them with a few blasts once they're preoccupied with you."
Ochako listened intently. She didn't want to interrupt his thought process with questions. They'd figure it out later.
"Then there's this idea I have based on your match with Kaminari. If you could get close to the villain and send them skyward, I could engage in an aerial battle with them. You'd release when I was enough above him that he'd fall first and then I could use my landing as a damaging blow."
"Smart," Ochako acknowledged. Bakugou continued.
"Next we need to figure out more complex movements that both get us to where we need to be and do damage to enemies. We're good at simple throws but I'm thinking about spins, combos, flips."
"Like acrobatics in the air kind of throws?" Ochako gulped. Too much spinning and she'd hurl during battle.
"That's the goal. The more we're moving the less chance we have of getting hit and it confuses the enemy."
Ochako nodded. She trusted Bakugou to have a good plan and hopefully he took into account her nausea when he thought of these moves. Bakugou drew some more in their notebook and Ochako thought he was a little overly ambitious with some of them. The test was in under two weeks.
"I think we should focus on getting the moves we have down perfectly then move onto the new moves," Ochako interjected after seeing how many Bakugou had thought of.
"The moves we have are almost at that point. We've got to keep growing."
"There's like months and months of work in these drawings."
"Yeah," Bakugou stated matter-of-factly. Ochako raised her eyebrows at him. Bakugou looked up at her quickly then back down to the notebook and said what was on his mind. "I think we've got something good here. We should train after camp too."
Ochako couldn't believe her ears. He still wanted to be around her even after summer camp. Bakugou eyed her warily as if the response to his statement was a bomb about to go off.
"Sure!" Ochako said enthusiastically. "Good thinking, Bakugou! Better to train together and get super good so if the buddy system comes up again we're set."
Bakugou nodded once and kept drawing moves in the notebook.
"Anybody hungry!" Iida called out to the common area.
"I could eat!" Ochako said, waving her hand in the air to call him over. Iida grinned and dished up some of his homemade curry for her. He hurried over to her, acting like a fine-dining waiter, and served it to her with some chopsticks.
"Your meal," Iida said proudly before catering to the other students who'd also asked for some.
Ochako took a bite and couldn't tell if she liked it or not. Somehow he'd made curry bland.
"How is it?" Iida shouted from the T.V. area as he served some to Sero.
"Good," Ochako answered. She took another bite for show. Iida beamed at her.
"I thought you didn't like lying," Bakugou whispered to her.
"I'm not lying!" Ochako whispered back. "It's good. It's just not...great."
Bakugou let out a hollow laugh and went back to drawing down his ideas.
"I didn't think you settled either." Bakugou was pushing her buttons for some reason and Ochako took another bite to spite him.
"Free food is free food. I don't like things to go to waste. I think you think it's worse than it is."
"Fine. Prove it. Give me a bite." Bakugou motioned to her chopsticks. Ochako eyed him suspiciously.
"As long as you don't make fun of Iida," Ochako bargained.
"Whatever." Bakugou grabbed the chopsticks from her and took a bite. He grimaced slightly. "It tastes like nothing. At least everything is cut alright." He handed the chopsticks back to her and got up to go to the kitchen. He grabbed a couple onigiri from the fridge and munched on one as he leaned against the counters.
Ochako finished her meal, packed up their strategizing supplies, and walked over to Bakugou. He nonchalantly offered her one of his onigiri.
"No, thank you, I'm full," Ochako said.
"Thought you'd want something to replace the taste of that curry," Bakugou said quietly before taking another bite. Ochako held out the notebook for him to take it. He shook his head in refusal.
"Study up. I know them already."
"Are they all in here?" Ochako asked as she looked at Sero struggle through his curry.
"What I have so far."
"Then I'm going to do homework until dance class starts. Maybe I'll even go outside and enjoy the sun." Bakugou nodded in acknowledgement.
"I've got some too."
"You can join me if you'd like," Ochako offered. "Homework goes faster with others."
"It's only faster with others if you don't know what you're doing," Bakugou countered. "It's always fast for me."
"Suit yourself," she said as she headed outside. It was a sunny day and plenty of other students were taking advantage of it. Jirou, Kaminari, Ashido, and Kirishima sat in a circle studying near the back of the building. Ochako sat underneath the shade of the tree she and Bakugou had sat under the previous night. She opened up the draft of her half-finished literature essay and got to work. The fresh air made it easier to think and she completed her draft within an hour. As a reward, Ochako decided to type it up later and enjoy the little bit of time before dance class to relax.
Ochako must have fallen asleep as the next thing she saw was Ashido leaning over her, shaking her shoulders.
"It's time to dance! Get up, Sleepy Head!" Ashido said loudly. Her voice was like an alarm clock. Ochako wanted to turn it off.
"I'm up, I'm up!" Ochako sat up slowly. Ashido held out her hand to help her and Ochako grabbed it, using it to jump to her feet. She wiped off the grass from her clothes as they began to walk to Gym Gamma together.
"Where's Bakugou?" Kirishima asked. "Thought he'd be with you."
"Uh-uh. I needed to do homework and he didn't want to join."
"Typical," Kaminari said with a shake of his head. "He hates doing homework with others."
"He hates teaching people how to do the homework which is what you all make him do," Jirou clarified. "He's done homework with me before."
"What?" Kaminari asked, his expression one of shock and disbelief. Jirou shrugged.
"I didn't pester him for tutoring. He doesn't mind someone asking for his opinion if you do it right."
"Teach me your ways," Kaminari pleaded to his girlfriend. Jirou smiled at him.
"If only you'd listen."
"I listen!" Kaminari said defensively.
"Alright, alright, you two," Ashido interrupted and then gave a sly look. "I'm sure Bakugou is already there warming up for the warm up."
She was right. Bakugou was stretching while the class gathered. Sensei Ohno was on her laptop and there was someone else joining the dance class today. A young woman who looked to be in her early twenties with medium length, straight brown hair pulled into a low ponytail was staring at the students as they walked in. She was wearing a white fabric mask that covered her nose and mouth and her eyes seemed to be analyzing everybody that walked into the gym.
"I wonder who that is," Ashido asked. "I've never seen her with Sensei Ohno before."
Ochako put her water down at the edge of the gym and walked over to Bakugou, leaving the group behind.
"That lady has been staring at me since I got here. It's bugging the shit out of me," Bakugou said quietly to Ochako as to not let Sensei Ohno hear him.
"Well, now she's staring at everyone. Want to duo?" Ochako extended her arm out to him. He nodded and they stretched together as the rest of their classmates chatted.
"Everyone in position," Sensei Ohno announced at exactly 1:30pm. The classmates lined up and Ochako let go of Bakugou to face the teacher.
"I'm sure you noticed my assistant, Sasaki. She's been a student of mine since she was young and has offered to help with my classes at U.A. since they've been a bit more popular than I anticipated. I also see a few new faces here today so we'll go over the positions and exercises we learned last time then start learning a new dance."
Ochako looked around and saw several first years she recognized from the Sports Festival spread throughout the crowd and noticed TetsuTetsu, Kendo, Awase, and Shinsou standing together at the back of the group.
Bakugou stood next to Ochako, radiating annoyed energy. He was obviously already bored as Sensei Ohno announced the three rules to the newbies and started the warm up music.
Sasaki walked around and corrected a few people on posture and position. When she got to Ochako, they were on the balance exercises. The assistant looked her up and down with light gray eyes. Ochako waited for constructive criticism but Sasaki moved on to Bakugou.
"Your attitude is lacking enthusiasm. Do you not want to be here?" Sasaki asked him. Her voice was warm and relaxing like a fleece blanket.
Bakugou glared at her but watched his tongue.
"I want to dance with my partner."
"That did not answer my question."
"No, I don't. I've been dancing a while. My partner isn't ready for the advanced classes."
"Mm. I see. Good technique," Sasaki said as she moved onto the next student.
"I could try to do the advanced classes," Ochako said softly, a little embarrassed. Bakugou looked down at her.
"It's fine. You'll get there," he said just as quietly then looked at Sasaki's back quizzically.
Ochako couldn't help but feel like she was holding him back again. For Bakugou's sake, she was going to get herself ready for those advanced classes. She could tell that this class didn't bring him the same joy that he had when they danced together during training.
After the exercises and walks, Sensei Ohno showed the class how to do the waltz again, then introduced the foxtrot.
"We'll keep moving forward, so if you're interested in perfecting the waltz, you'll need to do it in your own time," she said as some of the first years panicked at the speed of the class. She put on some music and then instructed them to practice the foxtrot with their partners.
Bakugou led first as he did the last time and then they switched.
"I hate the foxtrot," Bakugou grumbled.
"It's not my favorite either," Ochako agreed.
"I can't wait to actually get moving. This is so boring."
"You don't have to be here, Mr. Bakugou," Sensei Ohno said. She touched his shoulder and he jolted away from it, causing Ochako to stumble. Bakugou's eyes were full of rage but he didn't say anything. "It's not a rule of mine to like the sets but I would appreciate it if you would keep your words to yourself to avoid spreading the negativity to the rest of the class. Consider this a warning."
Bakugou tensed up, clenching his jaw in frustration, but agreed with a firm nod.
"Thank you. Maybe leave your partner behind to learn and move onto the advanced classes yourself if you really can't stand it." Sensei Ohno left them to give some constructive criticism to Deku and Todoroki.
"Who does she think she is?" Bakugou whispered intensely.
"She's the teacher," Ochako said.
"Suggesting I abandon my partner." Bakugou shook his head, obviously having an internal conversation with himself. "Whatever. We both know dancing as training isn't actually about the technique for us."
Ochako nodded but still felt bad about her partner having to suffer through it.
Eventually, after the agonizing time spent on the foxtrot, it was time for free dance.
"Bakugou! Dance with me!" Ashido yelled from across the gym. Her and Kirishima had ended up far away from them.
"Make Kirishima do it! I'm dancing with Uraraka!" Bakugou yelled back.
"We are?" Ochako asked nervously.
"Yep." Bakugou dragged Ochako to the middle of the gym. "If I'm gonna waste my time in basics, we're gonna make the most of free dance. Follow my lead."
Bakugou started off with the basics they'd been practicing in the dojo. His good mood slowly made a comeback and Ochako giggled after a pretty fabulous turn.
Ochako didn't care that she wasn't as good as Ashido while dancing with Bakugou. It was refreshing to just let loose. She wasn't worrying about training, tests, homework, or anything that happened during her busy morning. It was like the world melted away and it was just him, her, and the music.
After the free dance, Bakugou and Ochako left the gym before anyone else, joking and palling around. They passed a tired Deku who was waiting for Todoroki to finish his conversation with Sasaki. Deku looked at them like it was crazy they were getting along so well but didn't say anything.
"Wonder why that lady wears a mask. Her voice was strange. Did it make you all warm and fuzzy too?" Ochako asked, branching off her conversation with Bakugou about class.
"I don't do warm and fuzzy. It made me a little tired, if that's what you mean."
"Huh, it must have something to do with her quirk. Her voice and her mask," Ochako concluded. Bakugou shrugged as he didn't actually care and Ochako continued with her thought. "That would suck. Having to wear a mask all the time. Though I guess she only has to worry about eye makeup if she wears any!" She laughed and then remembered Sasaki's eyes.
"Her eyes were more concerning than her voice," Bakugou said quietly and seriously. "It was obvious she was analyzing us."
"Uh, yeah. She's the teacher's assistant. She was watching our movements."
Bakugou shook his head.
"She said good technique to me during the balance exercises."
"What? Should she have said 'great' technique?" Ochako asked with a teasing smile.
"My technique was shitty. I was bored and wasn't really focusing on it which is why I thought she called me out. Then to say good technique; it's strange."
"You're starting to sound like Deku," Ochako muttered. Bakugou flared up.
"You take that back!" he raged. "I'm no nerd!"
"Mr. I-go-to-bed-at-8pm and I-do-homework-so-good-I-don't-need-help," Ochako mocked him.
"Well."
"What?" Ochako asked, confused.
"So well!" Bakugou corrected loudly.
"Who's the nerd now!" Ochako teased and then ran after seeing the look on Bakugou's face. He chased her back to the dorms, shouting threats to her along the way. Ochako made it through the doors and Bakugou ran up behind her about to follow up on his threats until they were both stopped dead in their tracks by what they saw in the common room.
"Mr. Iida? You're...standing," Ochako said in wonder. Mr. Iida was in the kitchen looking like nothing had ever happened to him. Shouji stood nearby, watching him for any potential falling.
"Yes, little Eri offered to heal my injuries. She's even healed Aizawa back to his pre-USJ incident self in just a couple months. No more scar, no more missing leg and a little younger to boot."
"He's younger?" Ochako clarified.
"Eri said she can heal new injuries without messing with age but the only way she's been able to figure out how to heal old injuries is by rewinding the entire body to its pre-injury state. It takes a lot out of her so multiple sessions are required. Luckily, I just had my last one." Mr. Iida grinned and turned into a pose. "Don't even need physical therapy since it's like I never even got attacked."
"That's so great!" Ochako exclaimed. "Eri's really learning fast!"
"Her apprenticeship with Recovery Girl is doing wonders. Though, Aizawa still supervises all her training and healing sessions since she's so young."
It was then that the rest of class 2-A walked into the common room. Iida pushed his way to the front of the pack having seen his brother over the heads of his classmates.
"Tensei?" Iida said, tears welling in his eyes. He ran to his brother and hugged him so tight that Mr. Iida couldn't breathe.
"Easy, Tenya," Mr. Iida said with a laugh.
"How? When? Why didn't you tell me!?" Iida cried.
"I wanted it to be a surprise." Mr. Iida patted his brother's back.
"Eri did it," Ochako answered Iida's question.
"Eri?" Deku asked as the rest of the group still stared at Mr. Iida like they were seeing a ghost. "She's progressed so fast!"
Some of the class broke from the pack and gathered around Mr. Iida to give their well-wishes.
"Does this mean you're going back to being Ingenium?" Kaminari asked. Mr. Iida shook his head with a smile.
"Being a pro was always what my family wanted. Don't get me wrong. I loved being a hero but I've found that I love teaching more. I'm not going anywhere. Though I might need a new hero name," Mr. Iida said bashfully.
"Ooh, ooh! Let us help!" Hagakure pleaded.
"Sure, sure, give me your ideas." Mr. Iida laughed. "Anyway, Tenya, I've called our parents and we're going out to dinner. They don't know either, so don't spoil it."
"My lips are sealed. I'm going to get ready," Iida said as he ran to the elevators with incredible speed.
"Anyway, class, I'm also here for another reason. Principal Nedzu has instructed me to tell you as soon as possible so you can prepare otherwise I would have waited until tomorrow morning. By each of your dorm doors, there is a hiking backpack provided to you by the school. Here are your lists for what to pack for the two weeks we are at camp so you can converse with your buddy about possible strategies ahead of time. Granted you'll still have to pass the test but Principal Nedzu wanted to prevent as much severe trauma or death on this camping trip as he could."
"Severe trauma?" Ochako squeaked.
"Death!" Mineta yelled from the couch.
Mr. Iida shrugged.
"I think it's a scare tactic to get you to pack correctly and prepare well but take it a little seriously," Mr. Iida said, then left the common area to go to his teacher's quarters.
Yaomomo broke from the crowd and grabbed a list to read out loud for everyone.
"Hiking supplies, communal food, and specialty gear for camp will be provided. Please bring ten days summer clothes, four days winter clothes, including gloves, hats, thick socks, insulated coats, and thermal underclothes, summer and winter hero outfits, personal rations for two weeks, current year study materials, sleeping bag, hiking boots/clothes, refillable water bottle, toiletries, and first aid kit. Any items such as non-school books and games that are used for fun can be brought but by doing so you acknowledge that you will be adding unnecessary items to your overall luggage."
"What? Are we carrying everything everywhere?" Sero asked, scratching his head.
"I guess only bring what you absolutely need," Jirou said then sighed. "I was going to bring my guitar and play around the campfire."
A few people groaned in disappointment.
"Whatever. We're there to train anyways. We won't have time for fun," Bakugou said. He went over to the couch and turned on the T.V. The group began to disperse.
"No fun. Not ever," Kaminari pouted.
"I'll create a new game while we're there," Yaomomo whispered to Ashido who had moved over closer to her to see the list. "I've got an idea anyway to make it better."
"You're the best!" Ashido said, pumping her fist in the air with glee. "And so smart!"
Yaomomo blushed.
"Alright, we've got some planning to do. Obviously we're going somewhere that has some colder climate," Shouji said to Hagakure.
"My downfall," Hagakure said.
"Why don't you just ask support for a suit? One like Mirio's that's made from your hair or a material that's already invisible," Tsu wondered.
"Yeah, I've always thought that would be a good idea," Ochako agreed.
"Huh, I don't know if it'll work but it could solve that issue if it did. I'll talk to them tomorrow," Hagakure decided. "See if I can't get a rush on a new hero suit before camp. C'mon Shouji, let's discuss." She and Shouji went to a table together and started talking quietly.
"Guess we've all got some things to talk about," Deku said, nodding his head toward a table where he and Todoroki sat down to strategize. Everyone ended up splitting up with their partners to try and plan, that is except Iida and Jirou. Iida left to go to dinner with his family so Jirou worked on homework next to Kaminari and Tokoyami as they discussed their own plans.
Ochako sat next to Bakugou who was not talking to her. She had waited for him to be done with T.V. but he never acknowledged her presence.
"Are we going to talk about camp?" Ochako asked after a bit.
"If you want," Bakugou said with a shrug. "Nothing really to talk about."
"What do you mean there isn't anything to talk about?" Ochako's tone of voice made it clear that she was a little frustrated.
"We're going to be dealing with cold, hiking, and probably won't have specific areas to sleep in meaning that we can't pack too much. The way we fight together isn't changed by those things."
"Huh." Ochako sat there and then turned her attention back on the T.V. "I guess you have a point. I thought you were just ignoring me."
"I thought you were watching T.V. with me. Speak up faster next time."
The rest of the night was quiet. Ochako watched T.V. with Bakugou until she was hungry then she went tout with Tsu, Deku, Aoyama, and Todoroki. Bakugou had refused their offer to join them.
"Are you worried about the cold, Tsu?" Todoroki asked her after finishing his meal.
"Yes. I might have to pack some heat warmers or something to keep awake. Aoyama and I are still working through how we're going to deal with that."
"Todoroki can keep us both warm if need be but I am worried about you overusing your quirk," Deku said to his partner.
"I'll be fine," Todoroki said with a small smile. "I've been pushing my limitations with fire in personal training so this couldn't have come at a better time to test my progress." Deku smiled back at him.
"I guess that's a good way to look at it."
"What about you, Ochako?" Tsu asked. "I wouldn't think you or Bakugou have too much to worry about."
"That's what Bakugou thinks too," Ochako said.
"Is that what you think?" Todoroki asked.
"Yeah, sure." Ochako did agree but there was something underneath that she was worried about after hearing her friends talk. Bakugou had only really been concerned with their fighting, not about surviving. Ochako knew that Bakugou could deal with the cold in his winter suit and by using his quirk but she wasn't too sure about herself. They should have strategized how she was going to get through camp without succumbing to the freezing temperatures that they were apparently going to be dealing with for a few days.
Todoroki wasn't convinced by her answer but didn't pester her.
Later in the night as they were both on their way to their dorm floor, Ochako voiced her newfound concern to Bakugou.
"Just wear layers, idiot," was all the Bakugou said after her speech. Ochako scoffed in surprise, then frowned.
"You never call me an idiot."
"Well, you're being one right now," Bakugou said awkwardly. "You're acting like we need to hardcore plan for you possibly being cold. You seriously don't know how to pack?"
"You're being a little harsh," Ochako threw back at him. "I just wanted to make sure we covered all our bases."
"You're being a little high maintenance," Bakugou said loudly as the elevator doors opened. "We don't need to talk over every little thing that comes into your head. Figure it out."
"Fine. I will. I don't need you," Ochako said just loud enough for him to hear as she slammed her door with all her strength. She wasn't necessarily mad at Bakugou's opinion. He was being rude but she knew that he was right; that it was an easy fix. She'd just gotten so used to talking everything over with him that she hadn't even thought about figuring it out herself. Ochako was becoming too dependent on his opinions and inputs and she didn't like that one bit. She'd been using Bakugou's confidence and skills as a replacement for her own. The whole reason she assumed he picked her (strategies, toughness, and eagerness to win) had been overtaken by him. She hadn't even noticed it until now. Ochako had thought being with Bakugou would make her a better fighter and it had. The side effect of gaining those skills was losing her own independence and wits in the process. Ochako hands shook in anger thinking about it. She wouldn't allow it to continue; she couldn't. Things needed to change now.
"Recipro Burst!"
