"Yeah, it was kinda weird, but he's still really good-looking and totally your type," the second voice replied again. "Too bad he has a girlfriend."
Huh?
"What? How do you know?" asked the first voice.
"Didn't you see him around earlier? He's been with that plain brown-haired girl all day."
"Oh, yeah I guess I did see them racing before. I just figured they were friends or something. She doesn't match him at all."
"Well he certainly was looking at her like she personally hung the stars in the sky; way too romantic for 'just friends' if you ask me. Plus he's wearing her backpack, I think. I doubt that girly bag is his."
"Jeez, why were you watching him so much?" the first voice asked, laughing.
"Hey, just because he's got a girlfriend doesn't mean he's not a hottie," the second voice responded, laughing along.
"Are you ready to go? I told Yuki we wouldn't take too long."
"Yeah, I'm done, I just needed to fix my hair."
Two sets of footsteps faded toward the direction of the bathroom entrance and Ochako heard the door close behind them.
She sat there, completely still, for a solid 30 seconds, just staring at the floor and registering what she'd just heard. Those two girls thought she and Bakugou were dating? Like, boyfriend and girlfriend? Like a couple? Like dating?!
Is that really what they looked like? Was she really not just imagining these things on her own? Had Bakugou really been staring at her so much that even others had noticed? What did that mean? What was she supposed to do?
Should she pretend like she hadn't heard anything? Or just assume the girls were simply being jealous and move on? Should she take what they had said seriously and ask Bakugou about it? No, that was probably an awful idea - confronting Bakugou about his feelings was honestly scarier than challenging him to a one-on-one death match.
She was lost. So much for trying to clear her head; now it was jumbled up worse than ever! Before she could decide anything, she needed to know if what she had just heard was real.
"Kyoka," she called out quietly.
Kyoka cleared her throat awkwardly before responding. "Yeah?"
"Did you just hear all that?"
"Well, I usually hear most things, so… yeah."
Ochako was quiet. She finished up in the stall and went to the sink to wash her hands, avoiding Kyoka's gaze.
"You shouldn't listen to them, Ochako. You aren't plain."
"What?" Ochako turned towards Kyoka who had a worried look on her face.
She knew Bakugou was good looking of course - it wasn't hard to tell. Well, usually it wasn't hard to tell when he wasn't making some annoying expression or screaming about something at the top of his lungs. He was definitely handsome and way more muscular than most boys their age, and she herself had said he looked very pretty when he was calm. She would be lying if she said that she didn't find him at least a little physically attractive, even before they had started talking. But she also didn't think that she was unattractive by any means. She knew she was cute and liked how she looked, even if others might call her 'plain'. Her parents had always taught her to love herself no matter what and she could never disappoint them by letting what other people said get to her. "Oh, that didn't bother me," she said honestly, waving off the comment as if it was nothing.
"So it was the other stuff then," Kyoka said with her usual calm sense of understanding.
Ochako nodded slowly. "Do you think… Could Bakugou actually see me that way?"
"I'm not sure," said Kyoka, coming to stand next to her so they could look at each other through the mirror. "It's hard to tell with him. I don't think he's ever even thought about things like dating and romance before, at least not with the way he acts. If he does like you - or anyone else for that matter - I'd bet all my guitars that he doesn't even realize it, and probably won't without a little pushing from Kirishima. Knowing him, he probably considers it a waste of time. The only thing he's got going on in that explodey brain is becoming a pro. And maybe beating Midoriya and Todoroki." Kyoka smiled as Ochako giggled. "But I do know that he likes you as a friend, at least. I think we can all see that by now."
"I thought our friendship was going really well," Ochako said. "We've been getting along."
"Do you want him to see you as more than a friend?" Kyoka asked.
Ochako didn't answer.
"I won't tell Mina or the others," Kyoka said, reassuringly. "I just want you to think about it."
Did she want Bakugou to see her that way? If you'd asked her a few months ago she would have definitely said no. But now?
"I don't know," Ochako answered honestly.
"Is it because of Midoriya?" Kyoka asked.
"No," Ochako said. "I realized a while ago that I don't really feel that way about Deku, and he doesn't feel that way about me either. We're just best friends. Honestly, he's really excited about the fact that I'm spending more time with Bakugou. And I think Deku has a crush on someone else, anyway."
Kyoka nodded. "So, if Bakugou did feel that way about you would you do something about it?"
"I'm not… I haven't thought about him like that. Or at least I've tried not to. Sometimes I get a weird feeling, like earlier today, where maybe something is… different between us. But I thought I was just overthinking things or recreating my crush on Deku because they both share a lot of the same qualities that I admire. Maybe that's what those other girls noticed. Something I've been trying not to see."
"I can't help you there," Kyoka said, regretfully. "But I do think you should think more about this and be honest with yourself, even if you choose not to act on it. I would hate for you or Bakugou to get hurt because you weren't sure of your feelings."
"Yeah," Ochako sighed, "you're right. Thanks for talking with me, Kyoka."
"You don't have to thank me," Kyoka said, smiling calmly. "We're friends, right?"
Ochako nodded and hugged her, a gesture which Kyoka reciprocated happily. "Hey, you smell good. Did you put on perfume or something?" she asked, remembering Kirishima's comment from earlier.
"Uh, maybe? Yeah," Kyoka said, her earphone jacks clicking together in front of her.
Ochako grinned. "Is that the one Kaminari said smelled nice a while ago?"
Kyoka's cheeks darkened as she looked away. "Why am I suddenly the one being interrogated? I thought we were talking about you and Bakugou."
The two girls laughed and Ochako finally felt a little bit better; she was still unsure of her feelings but at least her head wasn't spinning anymore. Kyoka was exactly the kind of calm, rational person she needed to talk to; Ochako was really grateful to have such wonderful friends. She would just have to sort out this whole mess of thoughts and feelings later because she was determined to keep having fun and making the most of their time together.
And, she still had to achieve her ultimate goal: make Bakugou laugh.
"Man, took you long enough," Kaminari said with an over-exaggerated sigh as the two girls left the bathroom to rejoin him, Sero, and Bakugou. "I nearly came to check if you fell in!"
"We needed some time away from you idiots," Kyoka said, winking at Ochako with a grin.
Ochako laughed and walked over to Bakugou, holding out her hand. "I can take that back now, thank you for holding it."
He turned to her, confused. "Hah?"
"My bag," she said, pointing to her very girly, very pink backpack which Bakugou was, in fact, wearing. Ochako laughed to herself as she thought back to what the girls in the bathroom had said about the bag definitely not being his; in her opinion it actually weirdly suited him. Who knew Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight looked so good in pink?
He looked over his shoulder as if he'd forgotten he was even wearing it and grunted before sliding the straps off his back and handing it back to her.
"What a gentleman," said Sero, grinning.
"You never hold our stuff," grumbled Kaminari.
"Piss off," Bakugou grunted as Ochako put her bag back on.
"I guess I'm just special," she said without really thinking about it, but the disgruntled look on Bakugou's face was so good she didn't even consider regretting it. Sero reached out to offer her a fist bump which she returned excitedly.
"Fine. You can all hold your own damn shit from now on. Even you, Round Face." Bakugou crossed his arms and turned away, but Ochako could tell by now that he wasn't really mad, just embarrassed. She grinned to herself, already feeling much better than she had earlier.
"Have you guys seen Mina or Kirishima? I feel like I haven't seen them since we split up over an hour ago," said Kyoka, looking around as if she'd be able to spot them through the crowd.
"Me either," said Ochako. "Mina left us at some point when we were playing that piano game."
"I bet your boy Kaminari knows where they are," smarmed Sero, nudging Kaminari with his elbow.
"Ow, dude, watch your dispensers," he said, rubbing the spot where Sero's clunky appendage had hit him.
Kyoka eyed them suspiciously. "There's something going on between them, isn't there?"
Kaminari looked away, embarrassed. "Okay, listen, in my defense… um… uh… Bakugou, help me out here?"
"You're an idiot," Bakugou said, his usual apathetic expression remaining completely neutral while somehow speaking volumes.
"I'm an idiot," repeated Kaminari, slumping over in defeat.
"I knew it," Kyoka said. "She wouldn't shut up about him all morning."
"Who wouldn't shut up about who?"
Kyoka jumped in surprise as Kirishima appeared behind her, seemingly out of nowhere, grinning toothily. "No one! Nothing! Man, it's hard to hear clearly in this place, huh? There's so much noise," she mumbled, nearly tripping over her words as she clutched her earphone jacks in her fists. "Uh, where's Mina?" she asked, trying and failing to be subtle.
Kirishima either didn't notice her awkwardness or chose not to acknowledge it. "She just went to the bathroom and then we were literally about to come look for you guys, so I guess we got lucky," he said.
"What were you two so busy doing all day?" asked Sero, using the same teasing tone he'd used on Kaminari earlier.
Even through the neon lighting, Ochako could see a rosy blush had appeared on Kirishima's cheeks. "Oh, just playing different games, you know. I figured we would all group back up eventually."
"Next time you wanna go on a date, don't drag us along," Bakugou said, as if it was the most casual thing in the world.
"Bakugou!" Kirishima looked thoroughly embarrassed, his face turning significantly redder with each verbal fumble. "It's not- we wouldn't- it's your birthday, bro!"
"Tch."
Before anyone else could speak up, Mina ran up to the group and wrapped her arms around Kirishima and Kaminari's shoulders, unknowingly rescuing her… date? Boyfriend? Well Ochako wasn't sure what they were, but she would bet that they were at least a little bit past 'just friends' based on Kirishima's reaction. "Yay! We all finally found each other! Let's go have a DDR tournament, I've been waiting practically all day."
Everyone agreed, happy that the mood had been lightened, and they made their way over to the dance machines.
Of course, Mina had beaten each of them - even Bakugou - within less than 20 minutes.
To no one's surprise, Bakugou had insisted on a rematch.
"Hey, Uraraka, I'm gunna go grab some drinks for everyone," Kirishima said, strolling up to her as they watched the dance battle unfold. "Do you wanna come help me out? I don't know what you usually get."
"Sure," she said, remembering how carried away Bakugou and Kyoka had gotten earlier and realizing that the competition could take a while.
Kirishima let Sero know where they were going and the two made their way over to pick out drinks.
"Do you know what everyone wants?" she asked as they arrived at the small snack area in the front of the game center, realizing that she had forgotten to ask for any requests from the others.
"Yup," he replied. "Bakugou always wants water, Sero wants green tea, Kyoka and Kaminari both are gunna want soda, and they always share anyway so I usually get two different flavors, I want coffee, and Mi- uh Ashido said she wants peach juice." Ochako noticed the way his cheeks tinged pink again but chose to keep it to herself for now. "And that just leaves you."
"I can get it," she said, reaching for her wallet.
"No, let me! I invited everyone here today, what kind of man would I be if I didn't at least get you all something to drink?"
"Okay, sounds fair to me," she said with a laugh, never one to turn down a thoughtful gesture. "Then I'll have strawberry milk tea, please and thank you!"
"Good choice, very manly," he said with complete sincerity. Kirishima paid for their drinks and they began the walk back to the dance machines.
"You know," Ochako said as she sipped on her milk tea, enjoying just how sweet it was, "You and Mina are really cute together. We've all thought so for a while."
Kirishima scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, a lopsided grin stretching between his flushed cheeks. "Gee, thanks Uraraka. I'm just glad she even wants to hang out with me."
"You're a good guy, Kirishima." She smiled at him. "I know she really respects you a lot, both as a person and as a hero. She's told us girls the story of how you saved her during the Paranormal Liberation War about 10 times, and each time she mentions how cool you were at least two or three times more than the time before."
Kirishima blushed harder than ever, his expression turning giddy. "I mean, I was just doing what my body told me to do. But thanks for telling me, Uraraka. Actually, I wanted to tell you something, too. Thank you for coming with us today."
"Of course! You don't have to thank me," she said. "Today has been super fun so far. I haven't been to a game center in so long. Thank you for asking Bakugou to invite me."
"I know that he can be a lot to handle sometimes," he said, grinning, "but I can tell that recently Bakugou's been a lot happier. Especially today. This is the least I've seen him yell since we met, I think."
"You think so?"
"Yeah, for sure! He's calmer when you're around."
She laughed. "Deku said that too. I guess you guys must be right."
"Trust me, if anyone knows King Explosion Murder it's me and definitely Midoriya," Kirishima nodded, "and you're good for him." He gave her a knowing look, but she wasn't sure what that meant.
They finished their walk back to the dance machines talking about who they thought would win the DDR showdown, but Ochako couldn't get Kirishima and Deku's words out of her head.
She found that she really hoped they were right.
A little while after Ochako and Kirishima returned with everyone's drinks, Bakugou somehow managed to finally beat Mina at DDR. Ochako suspected that it was because Mina had just gotten tired and given up - not everyone was as determined to win as Bakugou was, after all, especially when it came to something as unimportant as video games - but she'd keep that to herself. Several people who had stopped nearby to watch the competition realized the show was over when Bakugou started to gloat obnoxiously and they dispersed.
Having already passed out the other drinks, Kirishima brought Mina her juice and Ochako walked up to Bakugou, holding out his water. "It's from Kirishima," she said.
He sneered at the bottle in her outstretched hand but grabbed it anyway and drank the entire thing in one go. "I'm done with this shitty game. What else do ya wanna do?"
It was funny to her that it looked like he hadn't even worked up that much of a sweat. Not that she really would have minded - his sweat didn't smell bad, probably a side effect of the nitroglycerin. Was that weird of her to think? She wasn't sure.
She also wasn't going to remind him that he hadn't technically beaten her at DDR yet.
"It's your birthday, you should pick," she said.
"I don't care, Cheeks, let's just do whatever you wanna do."
"Are you sure?"
"Hn," he nodded. "I wanna get away from these losers for a while, anyway."
"Um, would it be okay if we checked out the UFO catchers? I was saving some money for those specifically but I wanted to make sure I actually played some games before wasting everything."
"Yeah, whatever," he said, shoving his fists back in his pockets.
She told the group where they were headed and they agreed to meet up once Kaminari and Sero had finished their DDR matches. Ochako was a little worried about being alone with Bakugou again, but she decided she wasn't going to think about that right now; she'd just focus on having fun and try to make sure Bakugou was having a good birthday. And, she still had to make him laugh.
There were so many different UFO catchers that Ochako wasn't sure what to choose, so she asked Bakugou what she should try first.
"What do I care?" he responded.
"Thank you, that was really helpful," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"These things are stupid as fuck. Just buy a dumb plushie or whatever."
"That's not the point though. It's so much more satisfying to win one!"
When he didn't reply she added, "I bet you're really good at them."
"Damn fuckin' right I am," he said, scowling.
"So will you help me try to get this bear?" She pointed to a cute little brown bear in the machine directly in front of them.
"Fuck no, get it your damn self."
She pouted, inserting her card into the machine. "You're no fun, you know that?" Three tries later and she still hadn't managed to nudge the bear free. Deciding he wasn't that cute anyway, she moved on to another machine.
Her next quest was a little frog that reminded her of Tsu, but it proved even harder to get than the bear, so she gave up after only one try.
"What about this one?" Bakugou asked, pointing to another machine filled with pink, blue, and purple bunnies. "It fuckin' looks like you."
She stepped closer and noticed that he was looking at a pink bunny with extra chubby cheeks holding a strawberry mochi. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or upset, because her cheeks weren't that chubby, but he wasn't entirely wrong either. And it was really cute. Her adorable-meter won out, so she decided on flattered and started up the machine.
Her first try was unsuccessful.
So was her second.
On the third, Bakugou stopped her before she started the machine. "If you move it a little more to the left and slightly higher you can probably snag the head and it'll come loose."
She tried again, letting him guide her, and, miraculously, it worked! The bunny was caught in the UFO claw and she shrieked, jumping for joy as it made its way across the machine to the drop-off. "AHH, BAKUGOU, YOU WERE RIGHT!"
"Course I was, these things are fuckin' easy as shit."
She grabbed the bunny from the machine and hugged it tightly. "I love her so much, she's so soft!" Bakugou glanced at her as they started walking through the machines again and she noticed the corners of his mouth tilt up in a small smile. "What should I name her?"
"Mini Cheeks," he said without missing a beat.
"I'm not naming her after that annoying nickname."
"Suit yourself, Cheeks," he shrugged. "It's the perfect name though."
After a whole minute of staring at the bunny she still couldn't think of anything better and sighed, begrudgingly realizing that Mini Cheeks was, unfortunately, going to stick.
As they walked, they passed by a machine filled with various keychains and a flash of pink caught her eye. She stopped to look and noticed one of the keychain designs was a little pink planet with a black ring. It matched the colors of her hero costume almost exactly and she knew she needed to have it.
"Hey, Bakugou, look at this!"
He looked at the machine and didn't say anything, his expression completely neutral.
She scoured the various keychains, looking for one on the top of the pile that might be possible to win, and finally found one towards the back of the machine. As she got ready to insert her card her vision refocused on the keychain right next to the one she was aiming for - a small, green grenade.
"Oh my god," she breathed, turning to Bakugou in awe. "It's us!"
"Tch, no."
"Yes it is! Look at them! Uravity and Dynamight!" Ochako knew that she was probably way too excited about two tiny, overpriced pieces of plastic, but she didn't care. They were important; she didn't know why but she could just feel it. Something about them was calling to her, as if she'd gotten caught by their gravitational pull and even her quirk couldn't stop it. "I'm gunna try and get them both at once. As a symbol of our friendship!"
"Well you're delusional," Bakugou said, a smirk slowly appearing on his face, "cus there's no way you can get two at once, and we ain't friends."
He was clearly not serious - she could tell by the way he was barely holding back a grin - but it was still frustrating that he wouldn't just admit to their friendship. He had even gone out of his way to spend his entire birthday with her, and if that didn't at least scream 'friends' she didn't know what did. Her frustration turned into determination as something behind his eyes shone with hidden amusement. They were friends, and she'd make him admit it out loud if it was the last thing she did. "If that's what you think then I'll just have to try even harder."
She inserted her game card into the machine, fired up and ready to make him eat his words. As the machine started up she noticed that her card's balance had just enough money for one last play, so she had to make it count. Bakugou's advice from Mini Cheeks rang through her mind and she was vaguely aware that he was watching her intently. The claw started moving very slowly towards the keychains, her breath trapped within her chest as the sounds of the game center and flashing lights of nearby machines faded into near oblivion. She needed 100% of her focus - nothing could jeopardize this moment.
Her entire body went rigid as the claw fell, stalling for what felt like an eternity before clamping around the two charms.
For the briefest second, both keychains seemed to be hers as the claw rose back to the top with them in its hold. She almost let out another joyous shriek, her heart pounding through her chest, but as soon as the claw started moving the grenade fell back down, landing sad and alone at the top of the pile.
She was still really excited to have gotten the Saturn keychain she originally wanted, but it was disappointing that the grenade was so close and had slipped out of her grasp.
"You gunna try again?" asked Bakugou, bringing her back to reality. He'd probably noticed her disappointment which wasn't fair of her. She was lucky to have won anything at all, so being sad over a tiny keychain was just silly.
"No, that was my last play. It's okay, I can always try to save up again and get it next time," she said, a genuine smile on her face. The keychain had a little strap that she was able to attach to her phone, and she was really pleased with it, so she couldn't be upset. There was no way she would let something so small get her down after such an amazing day.
Bakugou only nodded, choosing not to comment, but as they walked away from the machine Ochako noticed him give it one last, intimidating glare, as if he was threatening it to never disappoint her again.
"Now what," Bakugou asked, stretching his arms behind his head with a yawn as if he'd just woken up from a long nap. "Figure we've got another 15 minutes before everyone's ready to leave."
Ochako nodded, checking her phone for the time. "It's up to you, birthday boy. I'm tapped out. I really should have paid more attention to how much money was on my game card, though," she said with a laugh. "I sorta wanted to try space invaders one more time. Another thing to save up for, I guess."
"Why? Let's go play now," he said, turning to walk back in the direction of the old-school arcade games.
"But I just said I don't have any more money, otherwise I can't pay for food later," she said, following him.
"So I'll pay for your play," he said, casually.
"What? I can't let you do that."
"Who the fuck says you're gunna 'let' me do anything. It's not up to you what I do." He reached the game and inserted his card without even giving her the chance to stop him. "Go."
There was no time to argue as the game started, and he made no move to start the round himself. She couldn't in good conscience waste the money it cost to play, so she quickly handed him Mini Cheeks and began shooting away at the aliens on screen. The overwhelming focus she'd experienced while playing the claw machine was back, ready to redeem her, and there was nothing that could stand in her way. She was doing much better this time, consciously making sure not to look anywhere other than the screen as she demolished aliens left and right. By the time she'd finally lost she'd gotten just over 43,000 points.
She'd actually beaten Bakugou. She'd won.
"Bakugou, look," she gloated, a cocky smirk overtaking her entire face. "I almost doubled your last score! I win!"
She turned to him, expecting anger or annoyance or denial. Maybe some yelling and huffing. Potentially even rage.
What she hadn't expected was for her heart to stop dead in its tracks. He was doing it again - watching her with that same expression she'd been trying to pull out of him since she'd managed to finally block one of his punches in their very first sparring session.
He was proud of her.
It didn't last long, though, as he immediately shoved Mini Cheeks back into her arms with an "In your fuckin' dreams," and a glare so fierce it could melt her right where she stood. She was torn between awe at his skill and worry that he would break the machine when he managed to beat her again, ultimately scoring over 65,000 points. He wasn't on the high scores list for this machine (some people had gotten over 100,000 points which made her head spin just to think about) but she was still impressed. He'd definitely been holding back earlier.
Despite his unnecessary smugness, Ochako couldn't help but grin. "Congratulations, Bakugou. Enjoy your win, cause I'm totally gunna beat you next time," she said with a shrug as they walked back towards where they'd agreed to meet their friends at the front of the game center.
His expression turned wolfish, stuck somewhere between overconfidence, mild disbelief, and the faintest glimmer of what Ochako could only describe as hope. "Like hell you are, Cheeks. I don't lose." He was challenging her, just like always, and she wouldn't back down.
She rolled her eyes at his over-the-top competitiveness but smiled anyway. "Thanks for paying."
A sideways glance accompanied by a, "Hn," was his only response.
They found their friends and Mina immediately ran over when she noticed Mini Cheeks, cooing with delight. "Oh, she's so cute! She looks just like you, Ochako. What's her name?"
"Uh, I haven't thought of one yet," Ochako lied as Bakugou smirked annoyingly at her from behind Mina's back.
"You'll think of something adorable, I bet," Mina said, grabbing her and Kyoka's hands and tugging them towards a purikura machine. "Come on, we need pics to commemorate our day!"
"Are we invited?" asked Sero.
"No boys allowed," teased Mina, sticking her tongue out as they entered the photo booth and closed the curtain.
The three girls posed for a few pictures, making various silly faces in each. Mina went a little crazy decorating them with stickers and frames, but was finally satisfied after around 10 minutes of messing around. Ochako was excited to hang her copy up above her desk with the other photos she and her friends had taken during their time at UA. She would have liked to take one with Bakugou, too, but she doubted he would agree to it even if she had the money. Maybe one day she'd be able to convince him to take a picture with her - that is, if he ever stopped being such a grump.
They returned to the boys only to discover that said grump was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Explosion Murder?" asked Kyoka, putting her set of purikura photos into her bag.
"Dunno," said Kirishima, shrugging. "He said he had to do something and just walked away. He probably went to the bathroom."
As if on cue, Bakugou reappeared, giving no excuse for his absence. Even when Sero asked where he had been, he simply grunted and gestured vaguely in response, leaving them all to assume Kirishima had been right about him needing to use the restroom. However, Ochako didn't know why, but she had a strange feeling that he was hiding something.
"Are we all set to go get food, then?" asked Kirishima, seemingly unaware of the weird vibe Bakugou was giving off; honestly, based on everyone's attitudes, it seemed like Ochako herself was the only one who thought something felt out of place. Maybe Bakugou disappeared to the restroom a lot and she'd just never noticed before? Or maybe the others just didn't care enough to question it. Either way, she decided to let it go when Kirishima turned his attention on her. "Our usual place is this family restaurant around the block," he said. "Is that good with you?"
"Yup, I'm good with anything," she said, "as long as there's dessert!"
"Alright, party people, let's head out," yelled Kaminari, leading their group out of the game center and towards the restaurant.
Ochako tried to catch Bakugou's attention as they walked. She wanted to silently ask if he was okay, since he definitely seemed a little different than normal, but - despite the fact that they were walking side by side - he either didn't realize she was looking at him or was purposely ignoring her gaze.
By the time they had finished dinner and dessert, Ochako had forgotten all about the weird vibe she'd sensed from Bakugou. He was back to his normal self and had spent most of dinner yelling at Kaminari for eating like a slob, ruining Mina's group pictures with his various Bakugou-brand facial expressions, and threatening to explode anyone who attempted to sing happy birthday to him.
Even though today was probably the best day she'd had since the school year had started, Ochako was definitely exhausted and more than ready to get back to her nice, fluffy bed.
"So now what?" asked Kaminari as they all stood in front of the restaurant, having just left. "Do we wanna do anything else in town?"
"It's late. I'm leaving," said Bakugou, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.
"Okay, grandpa, not all of us go to bed at 7:30pm," Kaminari said, rolling his eyes. "I'm down to stay out if anyone else wants to."
"I have nothing to do," said Sero.
"I was thinking I could check out the music shop a few blocks over since we're already here," Kyoka said.
Kaminari nodded. "Sounds good to me. What about you three?"
Mina locked arms with Kirishima and started dragging him down the street in the opposite direction. "Kirishima and I are gunna go do something, we'll meet up with you guys back at the dorms later, okay? Happy birthday, Bakugouuu!"
"Happy birthday, man! Bye," Kirishima yelled, a huge grin on his face as he let Mina drag him down the block. They slowly faded into the distance and eventually turned the corner towards the entrance to a nearby park, disappearing from view completely.
"I knew it," said Kyoka.
"It's about time," said Sero, sighing in relief.
"Damn, I'm a great wingman," said Kaminari.
"Like fuck you are, Pikachu," snorted Bakugou as Sero and Kyoka laughed. Kaminari looked significantly embarrassed and slightly remorseful, and despite not knowing the full story Ochako thought it seemed well deserved. "Pink Cheeks, you goin' with these extras or comin' back with me?"
"I…" she trailed off. He hadn't asked in a way that gave any indication he thought of her as more than a friend, but Ochako's heart still stalled for a moment. Would walking back alone with Bakugou be awkward? Probably only if she made it awkward. They had been alone together so much this past week, and basically the entire time they were at the game center, so why was right now any different? Walking 20 minutes back to school with him wouldn't be weird; it would just be normal.
Right?
She made eye contact with Kyoka who shot her a knowing look. "You don't have to come with us if you're tired, Ochako. I'll survive on my own with these two idiots just fine. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"
Ochako nodded, feeling more confident thanks to her friend's silent support. "Yeah, I think I'm gunna go back. Waking up at 4:00am to work out every day means I've been getting tired a lot earlier. I'm sorry. It was really nice to hang out with you all, though! I would love to come again next time."
"For sure, you're always invited, Uraraka," said Sero, smiling as Kaminari nodded next to him.
"Good night everyone!" She waved as they all said good night and wished Bakugou a happy birthday. For a moment she watched the three walk down the block towards the rest of town, but turned back towards Bakugou when she heard him start the walk back toward UA.
She has to jog slightly to catch up with him, and when she did they walked in comfortable silence for a few seconds before she said "I had a lot of fun today. Thank you for inviting me."
"You don't have to thank me for every damn thing, Cheeks," he grumbled.
"But I'm grateful," she said. "I hope you had a good birthday."
He was quiet for a while, and based on his slightly strained facial expression she could tell there was something he wanted to say but maybe wasn't sure how. She stayed quiet too, letting him process his thoughts until he was ready.
"I said before that I just wanted to be left alone on my birthday," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I never really did anything special besides whatever dumb shit my parents wanted to do. It always just felt like a waste of time. I still don't understand why it's so important, it's just another fuckin' day." He grew quiet again, clearly feeling awkward about opening up, so she calmly waited for him to find the words he needed to convey his feelings. "Today wasn't totally shit, though. So thanks, I guess."
"I'm glad you had fun, Bakugou, even if it is 'just another day'." He scowled, not looking at her, and she couldn't help but smile. "But don't worry," she grinned, feeling a little mischievous, "I promise I'll beat you at Space Invaders next time."
"Tch," he scoffed with an overexaggerated eye roll as he pulled something out of his pocket and held his fist out to her. "Here."
She opened her hand to him, confused, as he dropped a little, green, grenade-shaped keychain into her palm.
A surprised and excited gasp escaped her before she could stop it. "Our friendship charm! When did you get this?"
"When you were all fuckin' around with the stupid photo booth."
So that explained why she was getting a weird vibe from him - he was hiding something, just not in the way that she'd expected. "Why?"
He shrugged.
"Can I really have it?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Hah?" he asked, incredulously. "I got it for you, so yeah."
She stared at the little green charm resting in her hand as her heart filled with warmth for this secretly kind boy. He could pretend to be a jerk and act like he didn't care all he wanted - she knew the truth, and she was never going to forget it. A now-familiar stirring restarted deep within her, sending nervous yet giddy heat throughout her entire body, and for the first time she didn't ignore it or push it down; she embraced the sensation, as if she'd been meant to feel it all along. "Thank you, Bakugou. You know, you're supposed to get gifts on your birthday, not give them."
"You gave me a gift," he said, rolling his eyes again. "I don't want gifts."
She pulled out her phone and replaced the Saturn charm with the grenade. "You take this one," she said, holding out the tiny, pink planet for him as he stared at her, suspiciously.
"I don't want that crap," he said, frowning.
"Too bad, you have to take it. It's a birthday gift. And it's a sign of our friendship!" She grabbed his hand with her own, dropped the keychain into it, and closed his fingers around it tightly, making sure to keep her pinkies free from contact.
"The hell am I supposed to do with it?" he asked, his frown deepening as he stared at the little piece of plastic like it had just called him a rude name.
"Put it on your phone."
"I ain't putting this shit on my phone."
"Then put it on your keys or something. You're not allowed to get rid of it."
He grumbled, shoving it in his pocket where the grenade had previously been. "Why? This is dumb."
"Because it's a physical representation of the fact that we are friends, Bakugou. And if you get rid of it then I'll be sad," she said, because it should have been obvious.
"How would you even know?" he asked with a small grin.
A smirk forced its way onto her face as she remembered something her mother had once told her father when she was just a child. It was silly, and definitely not true, but for some reason she knew it was the only appropriate thing to say to win their argument. "I'm a girl, I know everything."
He snorted incredulously at her comment, his eyes wide with disbelief, before the rumbling in his chest slowly turned into a laugh. Like a full-blown, genuine, natural laugh. There was no malice or insincerity in his tone and he wasn't trying to hold it back. It wasn't the kind of laugh she'd heard from him during a fight, but the kind of laugh she'd heard from Deku or Mina or any of her other friends when they were just joking around together. A completely normal, real, friendly Bakugou laugh.
It was one of the nicest sounds she'd ever heard, and Ochako immediately knew she wanted to hear it a million more times.
She laughed along with him, excitement coursing through her veins. "Yeah right, Cheeks, keep dreamin'," he said, schooling his expression back to its natural scowl, though she couldn't help but notice he seemed significantly more relaxed than before.
As they walked, she stared at her keychain again, running her fingers over the ridged surface. It wasn't anything super fancy, just a little plastic toy, but it made her feel excessively happy regardless. Her heart hadn't stopped racing since he'd dropped it into her hand and she was pretty sure she had answers to a lot of the questions she wasn't sure about earlier, but she would sort all that out once she got back to her room. "I can't wait till there's real merch of us one day," she said.
"Hah?"
"Like, hero merch. Shirts or dolls or toys based on all of us as heroes! Won't that be so crazy? I would buy every single thing based on Uravity, I'd go totally broke," she laughed. "Well I sort of am already, but I'm hoping by then to be able to have enough money that my parents and I can have a comfortable life. They'll definitely want to buy all of the Uravity merch, too. And I'll want to buy merch of all of my friends! Imagine a bunch of kids hanging up Dynamight posters on their walls or walking around in clothes inspired by you. Wouldn't you be so excited?"
"Whatever, I don't really care," he said, his usual apathetic tone returning. "As long as I'm number one it doesn't matter what people think of me. I just have to win. And I'll be even better than All Might, so soon I won't have to imagine; I'll know what it's like."
"I think it'll be so awesome," she said, ignoring his cocky remark. "There's gunna be such cool merch of all of us. I bet you one day there's gunna be a kid at U.A. whose dorm room has just as much Deku stuff as he has of All Mi-"
"Will you shut up about that shitty nerd?!"
She stopped as he cut her off, his tone suddenly very harsh. Even in the dark, she could tell his ears were red and his brow was set in a deep scowl. "It's always about Deku! Why do you care so much about him anyway?!"
She was taken aback, completely shaken from the calm conversation they were just having. What had happened? What had she done wrong? "Because he's my friend," she said, defensively. "And he's your friend, too."
"Like fuckin' hell!"
"I know you two have a complicated history but I thought that you had both gotten past that; that you had made up!"
"What the hell would you know? And who cares, doesn't change the fact that you're always fawnin' all over him!"
She stepped back, offended. "Wha-? Fawning all over him? What are you even talking about?!" They were both yelling now, completely making a scene just outside the U.A. entrance gate - thankfully no one else was around to hear, because Ochako was mortified.
"I'm not fuckin' stupid, Round Face, I know you fuckin' like him!" His expression was furious and pained, his entire face flushed, but she knew hers was just as bad.
How dare he! What did her feelings for Deku (that she didn't even have anymore) have to do with anything? "I don't like him, for your information! He's my best friend! What does that even matter?!"
"I'm better than he is! Anyone with a fuckin' brain can see that!"
"So?!" she screamed. "No one's better than anyone, Bakugou, you're two different people! What is wrong with you right now? I'm allowed to be friends with both-"
"Well you should pick me! You should fall for me instead of him!"
She froze, her eyes wide, barely processing what she'd just heard. She should… What?
He was fuming, smoke swirling out of his clenched fists, his chest heaving with the chilly night air. His words finally seemed to catch up with him, too, and he froze just like she had, his face reddening completely.
They just stood there, staring at each other in silence for what felt like an eternity.
Why would he want her to fall for him? Unless…
When she spoke it was so quietly that she wouldn't have been surprised if he hadn't heard her. "Bakugou, do you… like me?"
He glared at her, anger vibrating through his entire body, his hands shiny with sweat that he hadn't yet wiped away. "Fuck no. Don't fuckin' flatter yourself, Uraraka," he sneered. "I'll prove to you that I'm better than fuckin' Deku."
He shoved his fists back in his pockets and stormed off, leaving her alone in the dim glow illuminating the school's main gate.
Ochako stood there for a long time, thinking and clutching Mini Cheeks tightly to her chest, trying to ignore the pain she felt deep within her heart in an attempt to make sense of things. What had just happened? It had been a while since she'd seen Bakugou so genuinely angry, probably not since she'd first yelled at him in their supplemental lessons. What was she supposed to do now?
She hadn't even begun to process anything when her phone vibrated in her hand unexpectedly, startling her from her thoughts. She screamed and nearly threw it at the school gates before she took a deep breath and relaxed enough to check the message.
Bakugou :( 20:49
You better not be fucking late tomorrow
It only took one second - just enough time to read the message once - for the creature in her gut to wholly and completely explode.
She snapped her phone shut, took one last deep breath, and ran the rest of the way back to her room.
Notes: Original idea - Kacchako arcade
Original major plot point - Bakugou getting jealous without knowing why
Reason for writing this whole entire nonsense - Kacchako matchy keychains ;) I like to think that, before Deku and Uraraka show up, Kirishima is trying to talk to Bakugou about Uraraka. He's - in true Bakugou fashion - completely unreceptive, essentially leading to Kirishima talking to himself. Once they see Deku and Uraraka walking together, Bakugou gets irrationally angry and the only thing Kirishima can think to do is call out to Uraraka before Bakugou blows something up.
I also like to think that Bakugou decides to get Uraraka the keychain the second they step away from the machine, but he spends the entirety of their second Space Invaders face-off arguing with himself about it. Thank you again for all the love you have given in response to this silly little fic 3 you guys have made my days so much more exciting, and I have actually cried reading your comments. I love each and every one of you 3 Edit: The fan art I received for this chapter is an actual real-life painting done by one of my best friends ever, Cat. I will rave about this girl endlessly at the end of this fic, because she has been my biggest supporter, but for now I need you all to know how much I love her. She's technically a horror writer, not an artist, but go give her love anyway! SHE PAINTED ME FAN ART! A REAL, ACTUAL PAINTING YALL! I legit never stop looking at it tbh.
Thank you, Cat 3 I love you