It's finally here! Yall, chapter 8 is one of my absolute favorite chapters of this whole fic just for the fact that it includes my original idea, my original major plot point, and my entire reason for writing this story in the first place! It's also the longest chapter of the entire fic at over 15.5k, and it means so much to me. I worked insanely hard on this and I hope that you guys like it even a fraction as much as I do 3 Edit: I've added some art to this chapter! (My first ever FAN ART!)
I'll rave more about it in the end notes 3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextA few hours after Bakugou had invited Ochako to his 'definitely not a fudgin' birthday party' as he had called it (but with more explicit language), Kirishima texted her that they would all meet up outside the dorms after lunch. The thought of getting to hang out with everyone at a game center was so exciting that it was hard for her to wait through the whole morning.
Ochako loved hanging out with all of her friends but she mostly spent time with either Deku and the gang or the other girls, so it would be a fun change to see Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero outside of school. And she was, of course, especially looking forward to hanging out with Bakugou. She knew from talk around the dorms that he was insanely competitive at video games, just like with everything else he did, but playing with him would hopefully still be super fun. And, if nothing else, it was a good sign for their friendship that he had invited her to come along. Regardless of whether or not Kirishima had actually pushed him, Ochako knew that Bakugou wouldn't have invited her if he didn't genuinely want her to be there.
The morning seemed to stretch on endlessly but, just when she was convinced that time had decided to stop completely, it was finally lunchtime. Ochako decided to forgo her around-the-dorms lounge clothes in favor of her nicer-than-usual shorts and her slightly-old-but-still-cute hoodie and gathered together the spare money she'd been saving for a special occasion. At exactly noon she made her way to Lunch Rush and it wasn't long before she'd bought her food and found her friends already sitting at their regular table.
"Hey guys," she said, smiling from ear to ear. They all returned the greeting as she sat down in the empty seat next to Todoroki.
Deku looked up from his meal as Ochako began eating her own, just as bright and cheerful as ever. "So, I was thinking that we could all hang out and watch a movie today! We've been working hard so I figure we've earned a break, and my mom just got Netflix, so we can all pick something together," he said, his katsudon already half-finished in front of him. "What do you guys think?"
"Yes, that is an excellent idea, Midoriya. I will certainly join," said Iida. "We all could use a short break from our studies in order to refresh our minds."
"I'll go," said Todoroki. "I haven't seen many movies, though, so I don't have any suggestions."
"I can get us some snacks," said Tsu. "I need to stop by the grocery store anyways."
"Um, actually, I already have some plans today," Ochako said, rubbing the back of her head. Everyone's attention turned towards her, curiosity clear on all of their faces.
"Really? That's okay, then, we can do it next weekend," said Deku, sounding a little dejected.
"No, please don't wait for me! You guys watch something and I'll just join next time."
"What are your plans, Ochako?" Tsu asked. "You didn't mention anything to me yesterday."
"Oh, that's because I just made them today. Actually, I was about to tell you guys anyway because I'm meeting up with them after this, but Kirishima decided to go out and do something for Bakugou's birthday and I'll be going along as well."
Deku's mood improved drastically as she spoke, his excitement super visible as his emotions were never hard to read. "Uraraka, that's great! I almost forgot that today is his birthday - the last time I tried to acknowledge it he was… not the friendliest. So I guess that means your plan to become better friends with Kacchan is going well if Kirishima noticed and invited you along."
Ochako nodded. "It's better than you think, Deku. Kirishima didn't invite me - Bakugou did!" Everyone's gaze fell back on her, Iida's mouth comically open in surprise. "Though, he did say it was Kirishima's idea, so I'm not sure if he would've thought to invite me on his own, but I'll take it as a good sign."
"I don't think Bakugou would have asked you to go if he didn't want you there, ribbit. I'm glad though, it seems like you're excited," said Tsu, smiling at her.
"I am! It'll be fun to hang out with everyone, and I'm really looking forward to spending more time with Bakugou." Deku sent her a knowing grin from across the table and she couldn't fight back a small laugh. He seemed the happiest out of her friends that she was becoming closer with Bakugou, which was comforting; the two boys knew each other better than anyone, after all.
Iida, on the other hand, looked slightly worried. "Uraraka, please be careful. Bakugou can be… aggressive, and I don't want him to hurt you or treat you badly," he said, his fists clenched on top of the table.
Her heart warmed at her friend's concern, even though she couldn't imagine what could have him so worried - she and Bakugou were just hanging out together, like she did with all of her friends. It's not like there was anything deeper going on. It's not like they were… together or anything! Well, they were secretly training together, and despite his weird implications, Iida was worried on her behalf. She once again felt bad about lying to him and the others about what she was really doing with Bakugou, and was about to assure him that there was no reason to be nervous, but Todoroki spoke up before she even had the chance to open her mouth. "I don't think he would hurt her, Iida. Just like Tsu said, he wouldn't have invited her if he didn't want her to go. Bakugou is our friend."
"I think he would deny that last part, Todoroki, but I agree," said Tsu, her finger resting on her chin. "He's changed a lot since we first started school, and he seems to be warming up to Ochako a lot. He's all bark and no bite, just like that little puppy Mina is obsessed with - at least with us, anyway."
Ochako nodded again. "We've been talking a lot more and he hasn't been overly rude to me or anything like that, Iida. He's actually been kinda nice recently. But thank you for worrying for me, I really do appreciate it. You guys are all such good friends."
Iida smiled. "Okay, I trust you. But if you need anything please come to us."
"Of course," she agreed. "I hope one day he can become better friends with everyone in class."
"Maybe next weekend you can invite Bakugou to join us for the movie," Todoroki said, casually slurping his soba as if he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. Tsu and Iida glanced at each other skeptically before looking over at Deku who just laughed awkwardly.
"I don't know if he would be up for that just yet," Deku said. "Baby steps I think."
"Well, I'll ask him, you never know. He's been surprising me recently," Ochako said.
"When did he invite you, anyway?" asked Tsu. "I didn't see you two together at all today."
Panic bells went off in Ochako's head; how could she explain this? Lying that Bakugou had texted her would be way too unbelievable, and what if they asked to see an elusive, real-life, genuine Bakugou-Brand Text Message(™)? That wouldn't work. Plus, she wanted to avoid lying more than she absolutely had to. Maybe she could say they simply ran into each other at the elevators and he asked her? But that was still a lie…
Before her spiral could grow out of control, a Speedy Knight in Mecha Armor unknowingly came to her rescue. "He probably asked you at the gym, right Uraraka? You've both been working out in the early mornings," said Iida, not even a hint of suspicion in his voice. "I had assumed that was where you had spent so much time talking with him since the two of you only seem to have small conversations around the dorms and after class."
For a brief second Ochako's worry doubled; had Iida figured things out? Was that why he was worried earlier?
No. That couldn't be it.
She tried to calm her nerves. Iida wasn't one to be subtle about things and would have definitely said something if he realized that they were sparring together; based on his reaction just a minute ago, Bakugou had been right to be wary of telling him that they were fighting every day. Anyone would think that if she and Bakugou were both going to the gym at the same time they'd have a high chance of running into one another. Iida had unknowingly given her the perfect excuse; minimal lies and no new information.
"Yeah, we often end up walking back to the dorms together," Ochako said, thankful that she was only lying by omission and not outright lying this time. "He asked me this morning on our way back." She would apologize to her friends eventually, but she really didn't want anything to jeopardize her training with Bakugou. Especially not now; not with how far they'd come.
Fortunately, despite the just barely inquisitive look Tsu gave her, everyone seemed to accept her response because the conversation slowly faded into what movie they would be watching later. They decided on My Neighbor Totoro, a movie Ochako had seen a thousand times, so that she wouldn't be missing out. Her heart filled with love and appreciation for her friends even more than before.
Once Ochako had finished up her lunch she checked the time, knowing she still had a few minutes to spare but not wanting to risk being late. "Alright guys, I promised Kirishima I would meet them at 1:30, so I should probably head out. Make sure to let me know if you like the movie Todoroki and Iida, it's my favorite!"
They both nodded. "I'm sure we will find it enjoyable," said Iida.
"I am interested to learn more about the bus that is shaped like a cat," said Todoroki, thoughtfully.
"I hope you both love it! Bye guys!" She gathered up her dishes, getting ready to return them to the kitchen, when Deku stood up across from her.
"I actually have to do some laundry so I'll walk back with you. See you guys later," he said as the others waved their goodbyes.
The two threw out their trash, placed their dishes and trays into the kitchen drop-off, and made their way back to Heights Alliance, a noticeable bounce in both of their strides.
"You're meeting them at the dorms, right?" asked Deku once they were outside.
"Yup, out front is what Kirishima said. We're going to a game center, I'm so excited."
He smiled, a hint of what looked like nostalgia flashing past his eyes. "I'm glad that you and Kacchan are getting along so well. I know that he apologized to me and we settled our differences, but we're still rivals, of course. I don't know if we'll ever be best friends. But I can tell that he really likes you, Uraraka."
She felt her cheeks flush as the strange creature who'd moved into her gut at some point in the last few weeks stirred. "Well I don't know if I would say that he likes me, maybe just that he tolerates me," she said awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.
Why did her friends keep phrasing things in ways that implied Bakugou maybe saw her as more than just a friend? Sure, she admired him and wanted to push herself just because he was around. But she felt that way about Deku, too, and look where that had gotten her. A distracted mess who could have had her heart totally broken if she hadn't realized her feelings weren't as strong as she'd thought, and if Deku wasn't so genuinely kind. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice, especially not because her friends were saying things to sway her emotions.
Because if she let herself think that way again, she feared that this time she wouldn't be able to push those feelings down.
"No, I think he does," said Deku, oblivious to her internal struggle. "He treats you like he treats Kirishima; like you're one of the group. Maybe even nicer than Kirishima! But that might just be because you're more easily combustible, so he has to be careful." Deku grinned and she couldn't help the giggle that escaped her chest. He continued, his expression calm and natural, as if he was just stating a fact of life. "We've all noticed it in class and around the dorms. I'm actually a little jealous," he laughed. "He definitely considers you a close friend."
Right. Just friends. That's all they were and that's all she or Bakugou wanted them to be. She wouldn't let herself think anything differently. Deku hadn't meant anything deeper than what he'd said - she was just overthinking things.
"Well, I hope you're right," she said. "I do think that we're becoming closer, which is what I wanted, so that's good. I'll just have to keep reminding him that we're friends until he admits to it!" She smiled at Deku who returned the expression twice as forcefully.
"You're really good for him," he said, throwing her off guard again.
So much for calming down; talking to Deku had never made her more anxious or confused, even when she did have a crush on him. "You've said that before, and I'm not really sure what you mean."
"He's calmer when he's with you," was the only explanation Deku gave. Before she could question him further, he changed the subject, leaving her to ponder his words on her own later on. "I can't wait for movie night. And if you come next weekend it'll be even better. Maybe we can make it a new weekend tradition this year."
"Yeah, I would love that, Deku! I hope everyone enjoys the movie," she said, not allowing herself to focus on those other thoughts any further. She wouldn't ruin today by getting in her own head; the creature would just have to find a new girl to take up residence in, because it was being evicted ASAP.
"I haven't seen it since I was a kid but I'm sure it will be just as good as I remember," he laughed. "And Tsu said it's one of her favorites too. I think Iida will just be happy that it's 'school appropriate'. I'm not sure what Todoroki will think, but he didn't seem against the idea."
Ochako laughed along as the two continued to talk and joke with each other, their journey finally coming to an end when they heard someone call out, "Hey, Uraraka, over here!"
They both turned to see Kirishima waving excitedly at them from near the entrance to Heights Alliance. Bakugou was next to him, an impressive scowl on his face and his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he hunched over, looking just as grumpy as always. Maybe even grumpier, if Ochako was being honest. She couldn't help but think that the two boys had been talking about something important just before they'd arrived, and Bakugou was definitely not the one who had wanted to have the conversation. She wouldn't pry though; it wasn't her place, and she didn't want to breach anyone's trust.
As she and Deku walked over to meet them Bakugou gave her a nearly imperceptible once over - and she could have sworn his cheeks darkened at least three shades - but he quickly looked away again as if it'd never happened. Honestly, her thoughts were still so tangled from her talk with Deku that she'd probably just imagined it.
"What's up, you two?" asked Kirishima, reaching out his fist for her to bump.
"Hey, Kirishima," she said, trying to remain calm and casual as she returned his greeting. "We're doing good. Where're the others?"
"Sero said he was going to go make sure Kaminari's actually awake," Kirishima laughed, "and Ashido just texted me that she and Jiro will be down in a few minutes. Something about hair spray or perfume or something? I don't really know. What about you, Midoriya?" he asked as Deku returned his own fist bump. "Do you wanna come chill with us today? We're celebrating Bakugou becoming another year manlier."
"Piss off," Bakugou said to Kirishima. Ochako noticed his scowl deepen as he turned towards Deku, but he didn't say anything to him. Considering his reactions to Deku in the past, she figured this was a great step. His eyes met hers for just a second but he looked away again immediately. Another thing she could have easily just imagined.
"No, that's okay, I actually have some things to get done today. But thanks for the invite!" Deku said, seemingly unaffected by his childhood friend's attitude. He turned to leave but stopped to add, "Happy birthday, Kacchan!"
"Tch. Whatever, Izuku," Bakugou said, very half-heartedly glaring at his rival, his demeanor almost completely reversed from what it had been literally one second earlier. In fact, Ochako was having a hard time even calling his expression a glare. It was more like the look you gave a homework assignment that you were struggling with but were determined to get a good grade on no matter how late you had to stay up working on it. The look you gave to someone you had wronged and were trying very hard to be friends with, even if you didn't really know how.
Deku smiled wide, literal sunshine erupting from his every pore, and Ochako was sure that he was absolutely thrilled with Bakugou's lackluster response.
"I'll see you later, Deku," she said. "Have fun with the others at movie night!"
"You guys have fun too!" he called, running off towards the door. He waved to Sero and a very sleepy-looking Kaminari as he passed them on his way.
The two walked up to join the group and Kaminari immediately slung his arm around Bakugou who bristled with irritation. "Happy birthday, Kaaacchan," he drawled out, followed by a giant yawn.
"GET THE FUCK OFFA ME! DON'T CALL ME THAT SHIT!" A few small explosions went off and it was clear it was taking all of Bakugou's willpower to not explode Kaminari on the spot.
"Aww, why does Midoriya get a special nickname but not me?"
"GO TO HELL!"
Ochako giggled at her friends' antics, laughing along with Kirishima and Sero. Bakugou's eyes met hers again and this time she was positive she didn't imagine his ears flushing bright red in embarrassment. She had never realized before just recently how shy Bakugou was sometimes. She knew he would get annoyed and maybe even flustered, but knowing that someone who was so brash and gruff was also easily embarrassed was actually… kinda cute. It definitely explained why he would always fly off the handle for seemingly no reason.
She spent the next few minutes chatting with Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero while Bakugou grouched several feet away. It seemed like he was ignoring them, but Ochako got the feeling he was actually listening intently to every word. After a little while, Mina and Kyoka finally appeared with apologies for being late and the group of seven made their way toward the game center in town.
As they walked, Mina grabbed Ochako's and Kyoka's hands in her own. "I'm so glad you both came today! There's usually too much testosterone in this group, so I'm glad to have my girls with me."
"Oh, you love us," teased Kaminari from a few paces ahead.
"You better watch what you say around me, Kaminari," replied Mina, entirely more serious than Ochako would have expected. "Wouldn't want to ruin someone's life, now, would you?" Kaminari gulped and turned back around, looking nervous. Ochako leaned back to meet eyes with Kyoka who just shrugged. Something must have happened, but she didn't really feel like it was her place to ask about it. Mina simply giggled and smirked at Kaminari's back, only adding to Ochako's confusion.
"It is weird that you're with us today, Ochako," said Kyoka, twirling one of her earphone jacks absentmindedly with her free hand. "You don't normally hang around with this band of losers."
"Oh, you love us," Sero said, mimicking Kaminari with a grin.
"Did you invite her along, Mina?" Kyoka asked, ignoring the boys in front of her who had started goofing around.
"Nope, I didn't. But I think I know who di-iiid," Mina sang, winking at Ochako. Bakugou, who was walking at the front of the group with Kirishima, stiffened just slightly.
"Actually, Bakugou invited me," Ochako said, happily. Bakugou's ears turned pink again as he buried his fists even further into his pockets.
Kyoka's voice was a little louder than necessary as she also winked at Ochako and asked, "Wow, Ochako, you got Bakugou to invite you along all on his own? You must be special. How'd you tame the beast like that?"
"MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS, EARPHONES! WHO ASKED FOR YOUR SHITTY INPUT ANYWAY?!" Bakugou whirled around to glare at Kyoka and Ochako had to cover her mouth with her free hand to hold back a giggle.
Sero and Kaminari exchanged mischievous glances before Sero asked, "Bakugou, are you just gunna go a-round insulting all of us today?"
"Yeah, who would have guessed you were so cheeky?" Kaminari added, snickering. Their tone was weird and Ochako couldn't help but feel like she was out of the loop on some inside joke.
Bakugou's face erupted in crimson as he yelled, "THAT'S IT, I'M FUCKIN' LEAVING!" He turned around and immediately started stomping his way back in the direction of the dorms, passing by the rest of the group on his way. It was clear he wasn't joking; for some reason, whatever Sero and Kaminari had implied through their comments had seriously pissed him off.
"Wait, come back, Bakugou," yelled Sero.
"Bro, we were just messing around," added Kaminari.
Bakugou completely ignored them and continued to stomp off in the direction they had just come with no signs of stopping.
Knowing she had to do something, even if she wasn't sure exactly what, Ochako broke away from Mina and ran after him; there was no point in going if he wasn't there, too. She grabbed his wrist and he immediately turned to glare at her, his cheeks still flushed and his eyes fierce.
"Please don't go," she said, not breaking eye contact and squeezing his wrist in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.
His glare didn't waver, but the storm behind his eyes seemed to calm as his arms visibly relaxed.
His reaction assured her that he wasn't going anywhere, so she grinned and quietly added "If you don't come willingly, I'll just have to float you there myself."
His glare softened just enough that she thought she could see the ghost of a grin on his face before it disappeared. "You float me, you die, Pink Cheeks." She smiled at him, keeping to herself the irony of him calling her by that nickname when his own face looked like that.
Not wanting to be the source of any more teasing, she let go of his arm as they walked back to meet up with the group, but she didn't think it would have even made a difference. As soon as they were within earshot, Kaminari and Sero both rushed to apologize.
"Sorry, Bakugou!"
"We didn't mean it!"
"Shaddup," Bakugou said, much more calmly than he would have a minute ago. "Just keep walkin' before I blast you extras into next week."
For the rest of the walk to the game center he stayed in the back of the group with Ochako and Kyoka, leaving Mina to run forward to talk with Kirishima. Ochako was so happy she didn't even notice Sero and Kaminari giving each other a secret high-five as soon as they knew he wasn't looking.
It wasn't long after the group reached the game center that the boys started arguing over whose turn it was to face who in what game while Kyoka, Mina, and Ochako played together with much less competitive spirit.
Even though she hadn't played arcade games in a long time, Ochako found that she was actually pretty decent at them. She was nowhere near high score level but she was able to hold her own on some of the racing games, and she wasn't half bad at rhythm games, either.
After a while, Mina disappeared leaving Kyoka and Ochako alone. They didn't mind, however, and were facing off in a game where the objective was to hit the keys on a small, simulated piano in time to match the beat. Kyoka had won each round, of course, but Ochako was having fun nonetheless.
As their fourth round was coming to an end, someone from behind her barked out, "I'm goin' against Uraraka next."
She jumped, startled from her concentration, and missed the last 7 notes which broke her streak and lowered her score considerably.
"BAKUGOU!" she shouted, rounding on him and clutching her heart in surprise. "You scared me! I was doing so good, too!"
"So? Ears was kickin' your ass anyway," he shrugged. "Shoulda been payin' attention to your surroundings; plus ultra and all that shit."
Annoying, Ochako thought to herself. It was a good thing she'd decided to ignore that gut-creature because it didn't know what it was thinking; there was absolutely no way she, Uraraka Ochako, the sweetest girl around, could like someone so cocky! She wanted more than anything to punch - or float - the smug grin right off of Bakugou's face, but that would probably be a bad idea in public. Unfortunately, she'd have to wait until tomorrow morning; for now she'd just beat him at as many arcade games as she could.
Kyoka smirked as Ochako continued to pout to herself, completely unaware of her actual reason for being so frustrated with Bakugou. "I bet you just wanna take on Ochako because you're scared I'll beat you."
"Hah?! Is that a damn challenge?!"
"Obviously."
Realizing her match against Bakugou was going to have to wait, Ochako grabbed her game card from the machine with a huff and moved out of the way to let Bakugou take her spot. He immediately inserted his card and started a match between himself and Kyoka, frowning in concentration as the timer ticked down.
Ochako had never seen someone's hands move so fast.
Kyoka had definitely not been using her full rhythm game powers earlier, because the way she and Bakugou competed was ferocious. Leave it to two musicians to out-match everyone else in the entire arcade. Ochako hadn't even known the game was capable of reaching scores so high; all thoughts of beating Bakugou left her head just as quickly as they'd come.
The song ended and Kyoka's smug expression spoke more than words; she had beaten Bakugou by exactly one point, and he was definitely not amused.
"AGAIN!" he barked, inserting his game card before either girl could even respond. Their second match ended in exactly the same way, only it was Bakugou who had the opportunity to gloat.
"Lucky break. Best two outta three," said Kyoka, a fire behind her eyes as she started another new game.
Their back and forth went on for several more rounds when, finally, they'd each reached their highest scores yet - perfectly tied - and they'd completely dominated the high score chart on the machine.
"Alright, I'm gunna call this a draw," Kyoka said, cracking her knuckles and stretching her wrists.
"What, afraid I'll beat you again?" Bakugou asked, his voice dripping with the overconfidence and self-satisfaction you'd expect from someone who had just obliterated his competition, not matched them shot for shot.
"Ha! I would like to play some other games too, you know," she said, rolling her eyes. "Do you know where Kaminari is? I promised I would play something with him."
"Dunno," Bakugou shrugged. "Left him and Tape Arms over at Street Fighter cus they were suckin' so badly."
"No Kirishima?" she asked.
"Nah, he probably snuck off with Racoon Eyes."
"Alright, I'll head over there to look for whoever I can find, then. See you guys later." Kyoka grabbed her game card and left in the direction of the fighting games, leaving Bakugou and Ochako alone.
"Alright, Cheeks, you're up," Bakugou said, gesturing to the spot Kyoka had just vacated.
It took a second for his words to register as Ochako's awe died down. "Are you sure you wanna play again?" Ochako asked, moving to stand next to him. "We both know you're gunna win. I'm nowhere near as good as Kyoka."
"I told you I would kick your ass at every game here and I meant it," he said, nonchalantly, as if he was just passing the time. But, she was getting to know Bakugou a little better every day, and she could hear the unspoken words in his tone.
"You know, you can just admit that you wanna play games with me, Bakugou," she smirked.
"Like hell," he grumbled, inserting his card back into the machine. She wasn't sure if it was the artificial flashing lights surrounding them from every angle or her imagination playing tricks on her, but she thought that Bakugou's face looked a little flushed as the game counted down.
She didn't really know what made her do it. Maybe her annoyance from earlier, maybe the slightly obnoxious flashing and beeping coming from all directions, or maybe the creature in her gut trying to enact revenge for being ignored. All she knew was that when the urge hit there was nothing that could have stopped her.
Just as the game started, Ochako reached over and pushed Bakugou out of the way, causing him to stumble to the side. Completely unable to control her giggles, she immediately started playing on his machine to try and make up for the missing time and, hopefully, at least reach half of the score Bakugou would get.
"YOU FUCKIN' CHEAT!" he roared, rushing over to her abandoned machine to smack away at the piano like his life depended on it.
They raced to get as many points as possible before the end of the song and, to no one's surprise, Bakugou won by a landslide despite her early advantage. He ripped his game card out of the machine and stomped over to glare down at her, intimidating rage radiating from his entire body. "You fuckin' cheated, Round Face."
Ochako hadn't realized just how much taller than her Bakugou really was until he was practically breathing her air, and she had to resist the urge to take a step back as her heartbeat kicked into high gear. Instead, she stood her ground and forced a frown, trying and failing to hide her grin. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Cheaters are weak."
"It was payback for messing me up earlier," she said, shrugging.
"Bullshit." She could tell he was still trying to keep up his glare and overall Explosion Murder demeanor but was having trouble forcing back a grin, too, and she absolutely loved it. Messing with Bakugou was becoming one of her new favorite activities because it was somehow both really easy and really funny all at the same time. No wonder the others hung around him so much. Getting Bakugou riled up was extremely entertaining - especially when she got to see this side of him full of secret grins and held back laughter that she wasn't sure even the other boys got to see.
It felt like it was special, just for her, and she sort of wanted to keep it that way.
She decided then and there that by the end of the day, no matter what, she was going to get Bakugou to laugh out loud at least once.
Neither she nor Bakugou was sure where the others had run off to, but she was glad to have some more alone time with him. Plan 'Make Bakugou Katsuki Laugh His Butt Off' was in full swing, completely overtaking her previous plan to win as many games as possible, and she couldn't afford anyone else distracting him. She grabbed his arm and started dragging him in the direction of the racing games, her new-found specialty. "Come on, I'm better at these ones. I was beating Mina and Kyoka earlier, so I can definitely beat you, too!"
"You suck at racing, Cheeks," he grunted as he followed her lead, not pulling his arm away until they reached their destination and she let go. "And if you cheat again you're fuckin' dead."
A few races later and Ochako had to make sure they weren't still at the P.E. grounds; despite trying her hardest she hadn't beaten Bakugou even once. She didn't mind, though, since she was having a lot of fun, and her main goal for the day had changed. Obviously they were competing, but she didn't feel like there was any pressure to win. It wasn't like training where she needed to give her all and fight with everything she had; here she could just relax and have fun playing the games and enjoy spending time with her friends. And, it seemed like Bakugou was feeling the exact same way.
She knew from his rhythm match against Kyoka that he could probably be doing better at the racing games, too, if he tried harder, but it almost seemed like he was trying to match her pace. It felt like he was genuinely just trying to have fun. He wasn't letting her win, of course - he was still Bakugou after all - but despite what he'd said it didn't seem like winning was his primary goal, either. At least, not against her.
"C'mon," he said, abruptly leaving the racing games and walking over towards a section with various single-player games.
"We can't compete on these," she said, following him to the game he chose. The front had a big picture of a rocket ship and a creepy alien on it, so she was already interested, but it wasn't the type of game they could play together. Maybe he just wanted to show off, she reasoned - competitive Bakugou had to show up again, eventually.
"We'll take turns. Highest score wins."
"Oh," she said, stunned at the unfamiliar phrase coming from a person she would never have expected to voluntarily 'take turns'. "Okay."
As if realizing his momentary lapse in attitude, he started the game first without offering her a chance; she didn't mind though, since she had absolutely no idea how to play. She watched the screen, mesmerized by the bright colors and pixelated graphics. She'd never seen this game before, but it looked like the purpose was to shoot at little alien creatures that were slowly covering the screen. If nothing else, the theme was definitely up her alley.
Within seconds of starting up the game Bakugou's fingers were moving extremely quickly, rapidly pressing buttons and controlling an old-school joycon. It looked to Ochako like he was doing really well, but she also wasn't sure how the points worked and what would even be considered a good score on such a retro game. After a while, it finally appeared like he had lost, a large 'Game Over' flashing across the center of the screen. "Over 24,000. Beat that, Cheeks," he said turning around, his expression overly smug.
"I'll do my best, but you're gunna have to teach me how to play," she said, taking up the spot he'd just vacated in front of the machine. "Do I just have to kill these little guys?"
"Hah?! You don't know Space Invaders?" he asked incredulously.
"No, I've never seen it. It looks really old-school. It seemed like you were having fun, though, so I'm excited to try it out."
"The hell, Uraraka, I thought you'd know this game. It's about, like, space or whatever." He avoided her gaze and she got the distinct impression he was embarrassed again.
She grinned, unable to control herself. "I'm surprised you remembered I like space so much."
"You've only talked about space shit, like, three times this week," he said, rolling his eyes. "I ain't a fuckin' idiot. I pay attention. Plus your whole fuckin' hero thing is space themed, Uravity."
"Oh," she choked out, yet again at a loss for real words. It took all of her conscious effort to refocus her attention and turn back to the game screen. She wasn't sure why, but for some reason hearing Bakugou call her by her hero name made her insides coil in a way that she wasn't prepared for. Not only had he actually listened to and remembered her telling him about her love of the stars and planets during their question game earlier in the week, but he'd used that information to pick out a game just because he thought she'd like it. A warmth that had nothing to do with the slightly higher temperature of the crowded room crept up her neck and across her cheeks. She fought it down, trying everything in her power to remain calm. This was just normal friend stuff; she wouldn't have expected anything different from Deku or Tsu or Toru or Kyoka, so why was it so… special just because it was coming from Bakugou? "W-what do I do?" she asked awkwardly, turning back to the game, hopeful that he hadn't noticed her tripping over her words. Get it together, Ochako.
He moved next to her, pointing at the little images on the default screen, seemingly unaware of her internal struggle. "You're this spaceship and you're tryna blast these alien bastards back to wherever the fuck they came from. You gotta shoot as many as you can before you lose all your lives, which are up in this corner. They shoot at you, too, and if you get hit you lose a life. Also, if you're too weak and they manage to cover the whole screen you lose. You shoot with this button and you obviously move with this," he explained, reaching across her to touch the joycon.
She and Bakugou had been physically close to one another a lot in the past few weeks; sparring left little room for personal space. They had touched constantly, gotten their sweat all over each other, and probably even accidentally spit on each other when their faces were close enough. So why, here and now, was she suddenly feeling like his arm brushing against hers was way too close? The spot where they'd briefly touched burned, even through her hoodie, and she thought she might want to scream, or cry, or maybe both at the same time - but all in a very good way, which only served to freak her out even more.
She needed to relax. This was just Bakugou. Her friend and classmate. Why was she getting so worked up? Just because he'd paid attention to her interests? Just because he'd picked a game he'd thought she liked? Just because they'd had the briefest moment of physical contact? They'd touched plenty of other times! Heck, they'd touched other times that day! These were just friendly gestures, and she wanted them to be friends - close friends, if possible - so this was all going according to her original plan. She needed to stop constantly overthinking these things or she was going to lose her mind.
It's not like she liked him or anything, they were just friends! This was Bakugou she was thinking about - there was no way he had any feelings like that towards her. She was just creating a fake scenario in her head, letting herself be influenced by her friends' out-of-context comments and the strange creature in her gut which had been squirming like crazy (even though she'd been sure she'd kicked it to the curb). She needed to stop thinking down this path before it was too late and she realized that she-
"Oi!" Bakugou's outburst jolted her from her over-stimulated almost-spiral and it took her a second to remember where she was. "Are you even fuckin' listenin' to me?"
"Y-yeah," she answered, though she wasn't entirely sure what the last thing he'd said was. "Sorry." She needed to focus. She refused to keep letting herself get flustered like this; that had already happened before with Deku, and she wasn't going to let it happen again. She needed to stop repeating the same pattern over and over before her spiraling backfired on her. If she kept this up she was sure to make a big mistake somehow; it wasn't fair to her and it wasn't fair to Bakugou. "Okay, let me try," she said, hoping that the rush of playing video games would help to empty her mind so that she could start thinking clearly again.
She started the game and, just like she'd hoped, it wasn't long before her mind was distracted again. Space Invaders was actually really fun despite being so simple. It started off easy enough but gradually got harder, and by the time she'd gotten the flashing 'Game Over' screen she had only accumulated around 1,700 points.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd be this bad," Bakugou snorted.
"That's not fair! This was just practice, I have to go again," she pouted.
He rolled his eyes but made no attempt to stop her as she started another round. This time she was doing better and already had just under 7,000 points when she lost her second life. Nervous adrenaline kicked in as her last life stared her down, menacingly, from the corner of the screen. "Hey, Bakugou, is there any way to get more lives?" She turned towards him reflexively for what was supposed to be just a second, just one small glance, when chestnut eyes met crimson.
He wasn't watching the game.
He was watching her.
The screen flashed in her periphery and she was distantly aware of the 'Game Over' sound effect playing in the background, but something was preventing her from breaking eye contact.
"You really suck at this game," he smirked.
It was as if she'd suddenly caught fire. She was hoping that all of the flashing lights around them would hide the fact that she was most definitely blushing like crazy. What was wrong with her? This was Bakugou she was talking to. Why was she getting so flustered?
And what was wrong with him? Why was he staring at her with that look?
Like she was more mesmerizing than the game.
"It's because I've never played before," she said, quietly, her throat threatening to close over her words.
Why was she doing this to herself? Constantly overthinking and messing with her own thoughts. This meant nothing; she was reading too much into things and had to stop and clear her head again before she seriously lost her cool.
She needed a second to herself, a second to breathe, a second to get her mind back under the normal effects of earth's gravity.
"Um," she mumbled, finally looking away, even though his eyes stayed locked on her, "I have to use the bathroom."
"Okay, they're over here," Bakugou said casually as he shoved his fists in his pockets and turned to walk in the direction she assumed the restrooms were. He, thankfully, either hadn't noticed her internal turmoil, assumed she was just embarrassed about losing, or he'd simply chosen to ignore it; whichever was the case, she was grateful.
They reached the restrooms in what felt like one of the most awkward silences of Ochako's life only to find Sero standing outside, leaning against the wall, his phone in hand.
"Hey, where have you guys been?" he asked, a small grin on his face.
"Not watching you extras suck ass at every game you play," said Bakugou.
"Okay, ouch, we're not that bad. You guys using the bathroom? I'm waiting for Jiro and Kaminari right now."
"Uraraka's gotta piss."
A different kind of heat overtook Ochako's face as actual embarrassment surged through her body. "Jeez, Bakugou, you could say it a little nicer than that," she scolded, pouting again.
"What? Is that not what you're gunna do?"
"Well, yeah, but… never mind. Can you just hold my bag for me?" She took off her bright pink backpack and handed it to Bakugou who looked at it like he'd never seen a bag before in his entire life.
"The fuck am I supposed to do with this?"
"Just watch it please, I'll be right back."
She escaped into the restroom, leaving Bakugou and Sero to talk to each other while they waited. Once alone she splashed cool water on her face to try and calm her nerves.
There was nothing weird going on with Bakugou; she was the one being weird and she needed to focus on something else. She couldn't risk this friendship she was working so hard for just because she was psyching herself out.
As she was drying off, Kyoka stepped out of one of the stalls. "Oh, hey Ochako. Are you feeling okay? You look a bit red."
"Yeah," Ochako lied, "I was just getting a little bit hot so I wanted to come take a second to breathe. Bakugou and Sero are waiting outside if you're done, I just have to use the bathroom quickly." She hadn't actually had to pee that bad but figured she should while she was already there. Plus it would give her more time to think - or rather, less time to overthink.
"It's fine, I need a break from the boys anyway, so I'll wait for you," Kyoka said as she moved to the sink to wash her hands.
Ochako nodded and went into an empty stall. The muffled sounds of the game center bouncing off the tiled walls were oddly comforting, and she couldn't help but take a deep breath and relax her shoulder muscles which she hadn't even realized she'd been tensing. As she sat down to do her business, she heard the bathroom door open, followed by two sets of footsteps.
"Did you see that cute guy outside?" asked a feminine voice Ochako didn't recognize as the door shut quietly.
"Obviously," answered a second unknown voice. "The grumpy-looking blonde one talking to the elbow guy?"
Could they be talking about… Bakugou?
"Yeah, him," the first voice responded. "He was really hot, right? And super muscular! I wonder if he goes to UA, it's nearby."
It sounded like they were probably talking about Bakugou.
"Imagine dating a future hero," the first voice continued with a sigh. "Talk about a good guy, he'd probably go out of his way to protect you and treat you right. But he was making such an ugly face though. Like, who does that with their eyebrows and mouth?"
Yup - they were definitely talking about Bakugou.