A/N so it's a little obvious that I started this prior to the ending of the manga. I know that it has some things that no longer line up with what's happened in canon (i.e. Hawks in general) but I had made changes throughout the time I was writing and I honestly got to the point that I just threw my hands up and said "OKAY AU IT IS" because this was way too long to be scrapped for no longer being canon compliant. I hope you all enjoy my first of many kacchako fics!

"So here's the situation..."

Ochako nodded and followed along in her mission brief as Hawks spoke. It's supposed to be a simple rescue/protection mission: a village in the mountains was hit with a particularly bad snowstorm and avalanche, and the people were trapped with no way in or out. Although it wasn't technically in the sector their agency covered, it was an area that didn't have any heroes that could take care of this situation, hence why Hawks was the first to be chosen to aid in this disaster.

The heroes assigned to the mission had two jobs: get the citizens out and prevent any more from dying or getting trapped by any additional avalanches. Uravity was specifically requested to work on the evacuation, while the others were tasked with perimeter watch and halting of approaching avalanches, should any start. Several rookies and sidekicks in the agency were going to assist in the mission, while Hawks himself would be lookout from above. If teamwork served them well, they would be in and out of the village in just a day. The people had been trapped for almost a whole day already, with one of the villagers having been able to contact a family member on the outside before their communications were cut off entirely with their electric the night before.

Luckily for Uravity, Dynamight was tasked to aid in this mission, as well, so she knew it was going to be an interesting event.

"Wear your winter uniforms, pack a bag with plenty of backup first aid supplies, and be ready in an hour," Hawks finished as he stood. His wings flexed and he nodded to the heroes in dismissal.

Ochako turned to Bakugou and grinned as they left the bullpen and made their way to the exit of the agency. "Last one back is a rotten egg?"

Red eyes turned to her, one in a permanent squint and the other narrowing smugly, and Ochako was blessed with one of his five grins per day. "Tch. Last one back buys lunch on Saturday."

Ochako never turned down a challenge and they walked side-by-side, braced against the winter chill with their coats and scarves. Both were called in on their day off - one she intended to spend cuddled under her thickest of blankets and watching movies all day - so their hero costumes had been left at their homes. Ochako didn't mind the pre-sunrise phone call from Hawks, but she was already starting to lament the lost day of cozy laziness.

They were both silent through the whole walk - which was the norm for them - until they reached her apartment building down the street. His was another block away, giving her plenty of time to beat him.

They separated and made their own ways back to their homes, and she couldn't help but snicker as she unlocked her door. Ever since graduating from UA, she and Bakugou had a very amicable "friendship." Or rather, as friendly as one could be with the explosive prodigy. It wasn't like what she had with Deku or what he had with Kirishima, but he was very respectful and trusting of her, which in Kirishima's eyes meant they were basically best friends. According to Bakugou, that just meant he wouldn't blow her up without a warning, which was articulated with a precise explosion on Kirishima's hardened nose.

Respect and friendship went hand in hand with Bakugou, and as soon as he respected someone as a hero, they were essentially a friend - so long as they weren't in competition for the number one spot, which he was encroaching more and more as their time out of UA continued. As fresh-faced rookies, they likely wouldn't reach top 50 before the end of the year, but Bakugou's notoriety was as much as Deku's, if not more. After all, it was them together that took down All for One and the League of Villains, and Bakugou was co-Salutatorian of their class, just behind Momo and tied with Todoroki, much to his ire.

Ochako was supposedly one of few people he wouldn't blast to the ocean after pissing him off, so she counted that as a win. And as they continued their externship work at Hawks's agency post-graduation, the respect he had for her seemed to grow and grow. They both had passed their Hero Licensure exam and were hired on full-time with Hawks, slowly being given more responsibilities until their ability, confidence, and notoriety grew.

Hero work wasn't the same than what they had initially trained for, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Ochako was requested to join Hawks's agency during their last year as students, specifically as a "blended hero," which was a newly coined term for heroes that had a wide range of capabilities and could be used in many different circumstances. Hawks had migrated more towards rescue and protection assignments now, as a way to garner trust back from the public, and it was making him a very lucrative hero to work with. Especially now that his quirk was essentially nonexistent and he relied on prosthetic wings to fly as he had once done before. Such was the reality of the war, and the need for veteran leadership until the new generation of heroes could get proper footing in the world.

Bakugou, on the other hand, could have picked any agency he wanted for their post-graduation externship. Endeavor wanted him, but that meant working with Todoroki and Bakugou just didn't want to do that, no matter how friendly they were to each other now. Or rather, how friendly Bakugou could manage, even in his maturity. Todoroki's humored smirk on the day Bakugou declined the invitation was proof that there were no hard feelings, and he definitely agreed with Bakugou for seemingly the first time. Deku was working all over, not necessarily working with one particular agency permanently. She saw him from time to time, but the last time they saw each other was about six months ago when he was leaving to go on a trip over to the States. Both she and Bakugou had seen him off - the latter more begrudgingly, but Ochako convinced him with a swift kick to the shin and a bribe to take him to his favorite restaurant for lunch afterwards.

Bakugo only briefly complained when Deku hugged them both, and once again when Deku had gone through the gate at the airport. He grumbled only slightly when she nudged him with her shoulder, then paid the whole lunch bill regardless.

As Ochako finished her packing and hustled back outside into the winter cold, she was greeted by Bakugou already waiting at the sidewalk, bag in one hand and checking his phone with the other.

"Crap!" she cried as she reached his side. "Don't you dare pick somewhere that has too much spice."

Bakugou snorted, tucked his phone in his pocket, and started walking back towards the agency. "Too late."

"How did you get here so fast?"

He shrugged and patted the bag at his waist. "I always have a go-bag at the door. Didn't need to pack at all. If the locker rooms weren't being renovated, I would have had it at the agency."

Ochako pouted and lamented the fact that she lost yet another bet with him. First one pinned in the spar has to do the paperwork from their latest villain catch, last one finished with their patrol has to do the debrief with Hawks, first one to cry uncle in eating sour candy has to cover lunch... It was fun, and it was a mainstay in their meager friendship. Bakugou had a very severe competitive streak, one that was softened with run-of-the-mill bets he had with Ochako. She knew it helped cut the edge off the stress they had with work, plus it was awful fun when she won and he sulked for the rest of the day.

He was at least a fair sport and always paid up when he lost. And only gloated a little bit when he won.

By the time they arrived back at the agency, Hawks was waiting for them up front. He acknowledged them with a nod, instructed them to change, then directed them to the helipad where they would be taking a chopper towards the mountain village. It was unfortunately inaccessible with the helicopter directly, so they had to be dropped at a point about a kilometer away and finish the trip either on foot or via quirk. Dynamight was directly ordered to not use his quirk to fly, in order to avoid triggering another avalanche with the noise, but Uravity was allowed to float them over.

A total of six heroes - two rookies, three sidekicks, and Hawks - were going, four in the helicopter and Hawks flying alongside them, and soon they were suited up and getting ready to embark.

"Just another day," Uravity sighed as she put on her headset.

Dynamight snorted and tucked his scarred chin into his collar, already getting cold. "Just another day."

The mid-morning sun hit the snow in such a blinding way that Uravity wished she had brought some sunglasses or skiing goggles, at the very least. Dynamight's mask had built-in eye protection, its uses varying from night vision to glare reduction, he was prepared. Her helmet didn't have those functions and she made a mental note to have their costume designer to add those features when they got back.

Regardless, they landed in a clearing south of the village, Hawks landing next to them, and after everyone exited the helicopter it lifted off once more, leaving them entirely.

"Don't worry, it'll be back," Hawks reassured them with one of his easy smiles. "We didn't have the proper lift for the supplies, so they'll be back with those in a bit. For now, Uravity - let's lift off, yeah?"

In her years of training, Uravity learned to control multiple objects with her quirk, and with a touch of her hand on everyone's shoulders, they were all steadily climbing in the air. She grabbed onto Dynamight, using boosters attached to her boots to push them towards the village. If it was up to him, they would be using his explosions to propel them forward at a much faster speed, but he was specifically instructed not to use them so close to the mountain. Much to his reluctant acceptance and chagrin.

Hawks guided the other heroes, benefitting from his wings and her anti-gravity, and soon the group was reaching the edge of the village in no time.

The first thing Uravity noticed was how silent the village was. No one shouting for help, and no one out and about, trying to escape. As she and the others landed, she released her quirk and then pulled out her phone. No service, which they expected with the powerlines going down.

They all checked their comms - still working, which was good.

"Keep each other posted," Hawks instructed, his voice echoing in front of her and in her comm. "Keep your eyes peeled for civilians, and your ears peeled for another avalanche. We're not sure how many people are still alive, but be prepared for not finding any."

The grim reminder of the situation hit her hard, and soon they were breaking apart to do their parts. Dynamight went to the edge of the town, where the snow was the most accumulated, and Uravity started looking in the homes. Hawks was flying around, keeping everyone in the loop, and the others split up to the opposite side of the village.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since the avalanche supposedly hit, yet no one was making a noise. As if they were asleep, or not even there. Even if the snow buried the homes, it would insulate the interior, right? Even then, the snow only buried half the village, the northeast side closest to the large mountain, and even still the whole place was silent.

Deathly silent.

Uravity used her quirk on herself and floated up to the second story of a nearby home that was partially buried under the snow. The windows were still intact, and there was no sign of life inside. Gingerly, she tried prying open the window and it gave after just a gentle nudge, and soon she was stepping into the house, deactivating her quirk, and quietly making her way inside.

"Hello? Is anyone home?"

She reached the stairs and saw that some snow had made it to the floor. Probably one of the windows got busted on the other side of the building. When she reached the bottom, she found herself looking at an unnerving scene: the kitchen table was set, the food out in the middle of the table, and the people sitting at the table were frozen solid. But not in the way that would happen after getting buried in an avalanche.

She approached, horror starting to fill her, when she saw that the people were all very much dead, their faces sunken in like mummies, and their skin seemingly rock-hard. It was all so... staged.

Uravity pressed her fingers to her comm. "Uh, Hawks. I think we have a problem?"

Static answered her and she frowned. Not five minutes before it worked, so what was the problem? Was it because she was inside? She turned on her heel, used her quick on herself and floated up the stairs, then out the window she had come through.

"Hawks, come in!"

Static again.

She looked around for any of the others, but could not see any of them. Hawks was likely not airborne yet, so she had to rely on finding someone to report to.

As she lowered herself to the ground, Uravity made her way to the other side of the house. Why would this house be barely damaged but have people inside that looked as if they had died mid-meal, frozen on the spot as if the temperature dropped to subzero in an instant? Why would the interior of the house be relatively untouched but the people so clearly dead?

Uravity reached the back half of the house, buried half-deep in the snow, and she frowned. There was no visible door or windows, but even then, they wouldn't be buried at this level. She looked around again, heading towards another of the half-submerged buildings.

Where were the people? Even if there was an avalanche, a village like this would know how to survive in the snow. It wasn't like they weren't used to winters like this.

Her foot grazed something hard, and Uravity looked down just as a crackling noise filled the air - almost like ice breaking over a lake. It took her a half-second to activate her quirk on herself and jump, and had she taken a half a second longer she would have been toast.

Something exploded out of the snow, like a trip mine or grenade, and she flipped back just in time to watch someone burst out of the snow behind it.

A villain?! Here?! Is this a trap?!

She righted herself and stared down the newcomer, trying to figure out what to do next. Suddenly from behind her, a series of explosions rang across the little village. But nothing like Dynamight's...

"Ah, just in time," the man said as the snow debris settled. She faced down this haggard villain, dressed in a white trench coat and black boots and pants. His face was scarred like it had been melted off, and his hands were protected with gloves that had metallic fingertips.

"Who are you?" she demanded with as much authority she could muster. Behind her, the distant sounds of battle started to ring out. So he's not alone...

"It does not matter who I am," he demurred as he strutted out of the snow, moving towards the wall of the house he just left. "What matters is that you're here. And Hawks and Dynamight, too! It is certainly a lucky day for us!"

"What do you mean?" She countered his movements, circling him as he moved in his slow manner in the snow. Luckily her ability to maneuver in zero-gravity was getting better and she could essentially hover like she had the float ability like Deku.

He smirked, showing off rows of pearly white teeth at complete odds with his otherwise vagabond look. "That is not any of your business, dear. I'm surprised you got here so quickly, it's certainly a treat. We almost weren't ready when the helicopter showed up."

She scowled and pushed off the building behind her to launch herself at him. If she could just get her fingertips on him -

"Not so fast, Uravity," he cooed while effortlessly flipping out of the way, as if talking to a small child. "You're spoiling all the fun!"

She wheeled around and growled under her breath. As she opened her mouth to speak again, the pile of snow where he had once been standing before her attack blew up, launching her sideways and covering her in snow. Her helmet was knocked off as she smacked her head against the ground, and the world spun for a hot minute.

"I'm not supposed to kill you yet, little kitten," he said, his voice echoing in her ears weirdly, "but I can't have you interfering. Big boss man wants Dynamight and Hawks incapacitated first, then we have permission to kill the rest of you."

"What... do you want?" she tore out as her vision righted itself again. She felt a throbbing sting on her cheek, one she chose to ignore. "What happened to the family in there?"

"Oh them?" he jutted his thumb towards the house. "My friend Fierro has a nice little quirk that sucks the heat out of everything, basically like a fridge! He did that to everyone in this village about a week ago to prepare for the ambush. So those were little popsicles posed up for you."

Uravity fought the urge to vomit and she stumbled as she stood. "Why?"

He shrugged and dragged his hand along the edge of the closest snow bank. "We have our reasons. I suppose a hero like you wouldn't understand, but many of us have been inspired lately. The world has been too tame. Heroes like Hawks and Dynamight are shining beacons of hope and heroism, so we decided it was time to switch things up a bit."

As he stepped away, Uravity did her best to spring into action again. The snow bank he touched exploded as she passed, and she was launched into the side of the building.

"Fierro killed all the villagers, Blackout sent out the distress signals then sucked up all the electricity, and Nile caused the avalanche," he practically giggled as she struggled to stand again. Her vision doubled and the throb on her cheek was now followed by a foreign warmth. His hands dragged across the dumpster deeper in the alleyway, lingering just long enough for her to see the way it vibrated under his touch.

"See, I'm not so different that your friend Dynamight," he remarked coolly as he dragged his other hand along the edge of the building. "While I can't just make explosions like him, I can make things I touch explode. Kind of like how you can only make things you touch lose their gravity. It's almost like I'm a mix between you two!"

"Funny."

Uravity spun around to see Dynamight in the flesh standing at the entrance of the alley, eyes lit like fire under his mask and his hands already starting to spark.

"Dynamight!"

His eyes darted to her, assessing her state, and then he turned back to the assailant.

"We did nothing to you, buddy, so you might as well turn yourself in before I kill you."

The man clicked his tongue and shook his head. "That doesn't sound heroic, dear Dynamight."

Without countering with a clever comeback, Dynamight launched himself towards the villain and let loose a string of explosions after he passed her. After he got close enough he started throwing punches and kicks at the man, able to get a couple hits in before having to back away.

The man touched his face, finding blood coming out of his lips, and he grinned as Dynamight came to her side and helped her stand. His eyes were trained on the villain, waiting for him to make his next move, when Uravity saw the building start to vibrate.

Her stomach dropped, remembering the concussive blow that the snow explosions had on her when she passed them, so her heart stopped at the thought of what something more solid would do.

"Good-bye, dear Dynamight and Uravity!"

Uravity looked up at the building at the man's words, watching as the bricks suddenly exploded. Dynamight wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her to his side, then used his right to set off an explosion to knock back the falling building, but Uravity watched as the dumpster started vibrating, too. Much too close to Dynamight's side for him to defend himself.

"Baku -"

In that instant, the dumpster exploded into a metal tornado, launching itself into a million pieces all over the alleyway. Dynamight's reaction time was uncanny, but there wasn't more he could do except try to counter the explosion with one of his own. Uravity's fingers splayed on his chest as they were sent airborne, lessening his gravity so they wouldn't have a rough landing. It was the first thing she could think of.

Unfortunately, the force of both blasts knocked them back hard enough that the wind was whipping against her face and she could see hundreds of trees passing them in an instant. Just like that, Uravity released her quirk and she felt them plummet to the ground, and she didn't realize Dynamight's arm loosening around her until she was already separate from him and landing unceremoniously in a huge snow drift.

She landed deep, enough to completely submerge herself. Her ears were ringing and her vision was swaying, but any aching and discomfort she felt were banished immediately when she heard the sound of his agonizing shout.

"Bakugou!"

"FUCK!"

She scrambled out of the snow, ignoring the pieces that fall into her eyesight, and spotted him half-buried in a drift nearby. There was blood, everywhere. And Bakugou was currently cussing up a storm as he clutched at his leg. As soon as Ochako reached his side, she could see the extent of the damage:

Shrapnel. A lot of it. Looks like it shredded a big chunk out of his right thigh - the outside, thank fuck. Not the femoral artery, but potentially an artery nonetheless based on the brightness of the blood. It ripped through his reinforced pants, and raggedly through the skin and muscle and down almost to the bone. Many pieces were imbedded in the wound, barely glinting past the excessive blood. It was staining the pure white snow to the point of melting it into a ruby color that ironically matched Bakugou's eyes.

"Bakugou, calm down -"

"Fucking shit, Cheeks, I am calm, dammit -"

"If you don't, you'll lose more blood because your heart is beating too fast!" she snapped, causing him to still.

Bakugou stared at her for a long second, scowling as his breathing visibly slowed and his face got progressively paler. Ochako knew how serious he was when it came to his heart, and at this moment it wasn't necessarily a dirty trick to get him to calm himself. He took a deep yet unsteady breath, then he undid his belt and began wrapping it around his leg with swiftness that she was accustomed to with him. "You're going to have to pull. I can't get a good angle."

She nodded, grabbing the end of his makeshift tourniquet and pulled tight. His hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder, squeezing hard. His accompanying guttural groan and subsequent panting made her listless, seeing him in such a state, and soon he was grabbing some of the snow and packing it onto the wound.

"We need shelter," he said as he went to work, grimacing and panting. His voice cracked as it came out, causing her to fight a stone lodging in her stomach. "More snow is coming in."

"I'm surprised that explosion didn't cause another avalanche," Ochako mused as she looked around. The woods were eerily silent, as was their wont after a heavy snow, and her focus was on finding a cave or a thick patch of trees they could use for shelter. But her focus waivered when a finger dragged down her jaw.

"Your ear is bleeding," Bakugou muttered, and when she looked to him his eyes were on her cheek. It stung. "Was that from the villain? Or me?"

She tried to ignore the dark look that crossed his face and she stood, brushing off the snow as she assessed herself. "Let's worry about that later. I still have my pack so I might have some supplies that can help us. Are you okay if I use my quirk on you so you don't have to walk?"

Bakugou's eyes bulged for a second - his pride clearly wanting to rear its ugly head - but he stopped himself before literally pouting and nodding his head. He grimaced at the action, and she noticed he looked like he was dizzy - an expression she knew all too well. With a touch of her hand, he started lifting out of the drift, blood and melting snow dripping off of him as he raised to her eye level. He wasn't pouting anymore, instead his face was screwed up in pain as he supported his leg.

"Shelter?" he managed to ask through gritted teeth, breath coming out in sharp pants that created clouds in his face.

Ochako looked around again, wishing she had Hatsume's quirk, and grabbed his shoulder. "No, but the mountain starts not far from here. I'm sure we can find something."

She pulled him along like a balloon - she refused to say that thought out loud, mostly because he would explode her into next week, but also because the blood that was still dripping from his wound was still thicker than she would have liked - and soon they found a shallow cave in the hillside. She pulled Bakugou in, then released her quirk so he could land softly on the uneven ground.

"Fuck, this sucks."

"Better than out in the open," she countered as she pulled off her pack and started rummaging through it. She found a spare shirt and tossed it to him. "Put that on your wound. I don't really have anything else that will work."

"Do you have anything for your cheek?" Bakugou asked as he did what she said. That was one thing she liked about him: when it came down to life or death, he was decently good at following orders.

"I should have at least one butterfly bandage in here," she mused out loud, "but nothing for stitches. Besides... we need to take care of your injury first. I need remove some of the debris, or you're going to have more damage."

"Fuck no! Leave it in there or it's going to bleed more! Didn't you pay attention in field med at all?!"

"That's for stab wounds, idiot," Ochako shouted back. He glared at her and she continued, "Shrapnel is different. It's not deep enough or in any vital organs, so it's worth risking. Especially since we have no way of stabilizing the pieces and stop them from causing more damage to the tissue. Might as well take them out and hope that with the restricted blood flow, you won't bleed out."

Bakugou was quick to scoff. "Already halfway there, round-face. I'd rather not take the risk and cause me to lose whatever I have left."

Without replying, Ochako pulled out one of her water bottles and a piece of gauze. She soaked it, handed it to him, and then pulled two butterfly bandages out of her pack. He wordlessly took the supplies and cleaned up her cheek and the blood that had come out of her ears, then slapped the bandages on her smaller gash so it could stay relatively closed. Their teamwork remained, even in this high-stress situation.

"How did you even manage to get blown up like that?" she couldn't stop herself from asking. It was strange, seeing Bakugou get hurt from something so closely related to his quirk.

"It wasn't the explosion that did this." His voice was sharp. "I don't get hurt from my own explosions, or any explosion for that matter. That villain put something on that dumpster and caused that to explode. The metal is from the dumpster. Nothing about this is from the explosion itself."

Ochako met his eyes as he started removing the shirt from his wound. "Regardless... We're not prepared."

Bakugou scoffed again and started plucking some of the bigger pieces of shrapnel out of the wound, cussing under his breath as he did. Getting a better look now that the blood flow had slowed down somewhat, Ochako could see it was almost deep enough to see his musculature underneath the skin. From what she could tell from the main wound, it was at least six centimeters across at the widest point, and more than ten long. The other wounds all ranged from being just two centimeters long and a centimeter wide to almost as long and wide as the main wound. None were as deep, but still bled the same. At least the wounds were low enough that he could get the belt tied around his thigh and obstruct the blood flow, but with it being midthigh it would be hard for him to bear any weight on it at all until it was mostly healed.

Ochako dug into her bag and found her pair of tweezers. "Let me take care of this. It's my fault you're hurt."

"It's not." He pointedly didn't meet her gaze.

"Bakugou, please. At least let me be useful so you don't waste your energy."

"I'm fine," he grit out, still not looking at her.

"You've got to accept help now and then, idiot."

His lips curled into a snarl - probably from both her remark and the pain - but he stayed silent.

Ochako put her hand on his, stilling his movements, and he finally met her gaze. His eyes were hard, but his face was half-screwed up in pain. "Please. Let me help you."

Bakugou's fingers were visibly shaking as he held one of the bigger pieces of metal in his hand, and he frowned. "You sure?"

"You won't be able to get some of the smaller pieces," she offered. He nodded and tossed the piece of metal into the small pile he had already started. "And it might start to hurt."

"Tch. Please."

That was her cue to get to work. She disinfected the tweezers with an alcohol swab and poured a little water on the wound, then begrudgingly started. She started at the edges with the singed bits of cloth and shredded skin, then moved inward. The wound got deeper closer to the center, and she could see bits of metal glinting at her from within the swollen tissue.

It made her pause. This stuff could cause a major infection if it stayed in there for too long. Her meager lessons in field first aid told her enough about wounds like this that soon he would start to lose too much blood and pathogens could very easily get into the tissues and cause infection. It was better to remove the foreign objects, pack the wound, and hope for the best until they could find help.

"Bakugou... I'm going to have to dig in there and get the debris out, okay?"

He stared at the wound for a moment, then visibly grit his teeth as he took off his glove and placed it between his teeth. With a nod, she knew he understood what was going to happen. She gingerly poured some more water on the wound and began plucking some of the shrapnel out of the deeper, more inflamed parts of gash. Several pieces were lodged firmly into the muscle, while others were seemingly sucked into the tissue by its swelling. Bakugou grunted and she looked up to see him biting hard into the leather of his glove, watery eyes wide and pupils pinpointed in pain. His fist was banging on the floor as she pulled one of the larger, more angled pieces away. More blood came out of the newly exposed tissues, even with the tourniquet, and Ochako dabbed the area with her wadded shirt before pouring more water on the afflicted area.

"There," she said as she pressed the shirt onto the wound. "That should do until we get more help. I wish I could boil some water and get some packing in there, at least that would keep it protected and keep infection out. But it's cold, so I doubt you should worry about that much."

She looked back up to his face to see he was still breathing heavily, with sweat breaking on his brow. It was then that she let herself acknowledge he was looking a little worse for wear - his face was already paler than usual, sweat was dripping down his temple, and his eyes were shadowed with exhaustion and pain. Ochako sighed and wiped her bloodied hands on her pants. At this point, it didn't matter.

"What do you need?"

Bakugou removed the glove from between his teeth with an unsteady hand, and instead of putting it back on he dropped it onto the ground next to his hip. In his roughened voice, he grunted, "A drink."

She couldn't help but snort and replied, "I'll buy you a whole fifth if we make it back."

"When."

Their eyes met and his gaze was hard as he repeated, "When. We will get out of this just fine, Cheeks. And when we do, I'm getting you in an advanced field first aid course."

Ochako snorted again. "Only if you take it with me! You've been just as useless as me here!"

His ruby eyes darted to her cheek, where it throbbed under his gaze. The gash wasn't nearly as bad as his leg, but there was no way she wasn't going to scar. It was clean, sure, but it was deep enough that she would likely need stitches or glue. It was being held together haphazardly, so she knew unless they got medical attention quickly, it would start healing wrong.

But nothing like Bakugou's leg.

Her gaze drifted down to the wound and she tried not to wince. It was still angry and inflamed, nasty-looking to the point of being borderline disgusting. It was ripped jaggedly - shredded, really, considering the surrounding areas and their appearance - so there was likely no way any skilled surgeon could stitch it up without major scarring, especially since there was such deep damage. Bakugou would be lucky to be able to use his leg properly ever again.

"Stop sulking," he snapped, causing her to meet his eyes again. He was scowling, but not in the angry way she had known as a teen. "I'll be fine. Worry about figuring out a way to get out of here, then we will worry about my leg."

"Bakugou, if you don't get medical attention soon - "

"I'm fine," he hissed. Ochako jerked back from him and scowled as he continued, "We're stranded in a snowstorm, where a group of villains just attacked a town in need of our aid. What we need to do is find Hawks, and get some warmth and food. Preferably in that order. But I doubt we are going to last long trying to trudge out too far out in the storm without warming up and coming up with a concrete plan. I can start a fire if you get the wood. Otherwise, you have to carry the major load by finding food, too."

She flickered her eyes back to his wound and swallowed. Ochako knew how much Bakugou hated asking for help, so the fact that he was even giving her more of the responsibilities showed her that he knew how useless he was in the moment.

Bakugou must have seen her face and scoffed. "Stop pitying me. If I could stand, I would. Don't go thinking I'm weak, Cheeks."

"On the contrary," Ochako countered, causing him to look up at her with a pout. "I know if I had gotten hurt like this, I wouldn't even be conscious, let alone giving out orders. You're very strong, Bakugou."

His lip curled into something unreadable and he huffed out, "Yeah, well... you're welcome."

She smiled and stood, brushing off her legs before moving towards the mouth of the cave. "Hang tight. I'm going to search around for some signs of life before the heavy snow comes in, grab some wood while I'm out, too, so we can build a fire with your explosive sweat."

Bakugou didn't reply, so she took that as approval and moon jumped out into the woods.

By the time Ochako returned with an armful of wood slivers and kindling, plus another mediocre bundle tied together with her belt following behind in zero-gravity, Bakugou was kneeling on his left knee, injured leg out to the side, and seemingly carving a rock.

"Uh, what are you doing, Bakugou?"

He looked up from his little project, sweat breaking on his brow, but otherwise looking as worse-for-wear as he had when she left no more than twenty minutes prior. "We have to boil some water. Don't have a bowl or pot, so I'm making one."

She dropped the wood and marched over to him, scowling in a way she was sure would make him proud, and she snatched the makeshift bowl out of his hand. "You shouldn't be exerting yourself, dummy! You need to move less so you don't aggravate your wound!"

Bakugou swiped for the "bowl", putting some weight on his right leg in the process and flinching as he gasped out in pain. Ochako shot him a smug look, causing him to flip her the bird. With a laugh, she started setting up the wood to make a fire. "I couldn't find food, but I think I have some rations in my bag."

"I'm not hungry, so I'm not too worried about that," he huffed, his voice strained in a way to hide the pain from his exertion. Ochako looked at him from the corner of her eye and frowned as he continued, "I just need to warm up or my quirk won't work as well."

"Bakugou, you shouldn't even be thinking of using your quirk -"

"If those villains find us out here, there's not much you can do against them, Uraraka."

His gaze was hard and wild, the way he looked when he was in the midst of a fight - she remembered all too well the way his eyes glowed during their fight in the Sports Festival. There was no way to curtail his ferocity when it came to a fight, even when it was hopeless.

She sighed and continued building the fire. "I can float some rocks to the entrance to block off the wind from the cold. That can hide us, especially if more snow is coming, like you claim."

"That would make it harder for Hawks to find us," he countered. As she finished the wood stack, he wiped his sweaty palms against as much of the wood he could reach and then lit a small spark with a snap of his fingers. The wood caught, and soon a small crackling fire was lighting and warming the interior of their little cave.

"Better to be sheltered and hard to find than exposed with injuries and no food."

He stared at her, his hard eyes flickering in a menacing way in the low firelight. Ochako stared back, willing him to just admit he was out of commission. Just from their field first aid course, Ochako knew anemia is a cause of decreased appetite, and the body can go into shock from a lack of fluids in his body. Just based on how much of Bakugou's blood had been on her he was pretty close to not having enough to keep his body alive, and if he didn't eat or get water in him soon, he wouldn't be able to get enough nutrients to make more blood to prevent him from going into hypovolemic shock.

Bakugou was the first to look away, sucking his teeth before looking to the fire. "Fine. Do what you want. But we need a way to signal Hawks or at least some of those other extras without tipping off the villains."

Ochako sighed and stood, then made her way over to the entrance to the cave. There were several loose rocks - which is probably where Bakugou had found the rock he was using to make his "bowl." He had hobbled over to get it - she was about to scream at him for straining himself when he was already so injured - and make a bowl for boiling water.

As she touched some of the rocks and started raising them to be pushed to the entrance, she thought of how smart it actually was. They would run out of bottled water within the hour, especially with the need to probably clean his wound again, and the snow would need to be melted and disinfected if they were to drink it.

A snowflake landed on her nose, breaking her from her thoughts. She looked up to the sky to see the flurries starting to fall, confirming Bakugou's prediction. She hurried with getting enough rocks blocking the already-meager entrance to trap the heat in and keep the wind out, and soon they were closed in almost entirely aside from a bit from the top and on the side so she could squeeze out if need be and for smoke to escape. She had already used the restroom while out in the woods, and she knew Bakugou took some sort of medication that stopped his body from needing to urinate while on missions - ew - so it was unlikely he would need to hobble out and go.

Besides, there was an empty water bottle. He could always use that.

Again, ew.

Or his body will want to retain as much fluid as possible with his blood loss, so the likeliness of him needing to go is so slim that she wasn't too worried. His kidney function took a backseat to his blood loss at the current time. What really worried her was getting his leg taken care of.

What if it got so bad that he would have to get it amputated? Or so infected that his body no longer works the way it should and he has to quit being a hero? She and Bakugou were still technically sidekicks in the agency, but they had so much autonomy and notoriety that they weren't ever considered sidekicks, Bakugou more than her. Hawks had already drafted an amendment to Bakugou's contract that essentially gave him the freedom and flexibility of a seasoned Pro Hero, something that none of their other classmates were able to achieve yet so soon after graduation.

Having his career cut so short because he was saving her made a bitter taste crawl up her throat.

She turned back to him, not letting him see her distress, and he was busy finishing his stupid little bowl.

"It's starting to snow."

He snorted. "Right again."

"Do you have ESP or something?" she found herself asking as she sat next to him, letting the warmth of the fire seeping into her bones.

With absolute seriousness, Bakugou stared at her and replied, "I watched the weather forecast this morning before we got called in."

Silence cut through their sanctuary, the only sounds popping out of the fire, and Ochako couldn't stop herself from snorting out an unladylike laugh. Her chortles were punctuated with a chuckle from him, and soon she was wiping tears from her warm cheeks.

"This sucks," she said as her laughter finally died down.

"Hopefully the snow prevents the villains from venturing out to find us," he hummed as he rubbed his thumb along the edge of his bowl. "Since we're at the base of the mountain, I can assume we were launched about a kilometer from the village, and since we can't hear anything from this distance there's a high chance that they were either subdued or hiding."

"Do you think Hawks is looking for us?" she asked, looking away from the fire and towards the entrance of the cave. "I couldn't see him when I left the home next to where I was attacked."

"When I found you, he was facing off with one of the bigger guys near the town square. So he had moved to the opposite side from where we went."

"Fuck."

His eyebrow flicked up and he smirked. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Ochako stuck her tongue out at him and replied, "Hypocrite."

Bakugou huffed and wiped his forehead with his palm as he shook his head. Ochako stopped her giggling and stared him down. "Bakugou?"

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Get some rest. We need you at your best when the snow stops."

"You're the one that's injured," she countered as she shifted closer to him. "I can handle being active for a while. You need rest to replenish your blood."

He stared at her, blinking a few times, then he shook his head again. "It's fine. Better I keep watch now while I'm still capable - "

"Bakugou, you're already going into shock - "

"Oi! Am not!"

She huffed and grabbed his ungloved hand, pressing her fingers to the pulse point under his thumb. His pulse was thready and quick, almost faint. He was already pale and sweating, plus he was starting to look like he was about to pass out. A fast pulse was another sign that he was going into shock.

"You need to lie down," she insisted quietly, realizing getting into an argument would only cause his body to want to raise its blood pressure, but ultimately fail because of the lack of blood, thus probably worsening his condition. "And keep your leg elevated. I can keep watch but you have to settle down and get some food and water in you so your body can try to heal a little bit."

Bakugou glared at her and shook his head. Again. "I'm -"

"If you say you're fine, so help me, I will launch you into the stratosphere."

They didn't look away from each other for the longest moment, Bakugou's eyes burning and unrelenting, while Ochako tried her best to convey her worry and own stubbornness into her gaze.

"You need to reserve your strength," he insisted as he grabbed a sliver of wood and tossed it onto the fire. "Get some rest and I can manage to stay conscious enough until the snow stops."

"We don't know how long it's going to last. Plus, it's not even noon. I don't need to sleep."

"But you've exerted yourself - "

"And you haven't?"

" - and you are going to have to venture out again to get more wood because the stuff you got isn't going to last long."

Ochako looked at the meager pile of wood, knowing he was right. She grabbed what she could, and overly dried out pieces of wood burn nicely with minimal smoke, but it also meant it burnt out quickly and at this rate, the pile she gathered would last maybe an hour. Her phone was smashed and their communicators were jammed, and the rations in her pack were good for one meal for one person, so splitting it between them was a necessity.

She would just give him the whole thing. Missing a meal was something she had done more often than she cared to admit as a teen, plus Bakugou was injured and needed as much nutrients as he could get. Eventually, he'd go unconscious from his body fighting to keep running on low blood, so she needed to make sure he was taken care of.

"Fine." Ochako huffed as she settled against the cave wall, frowning at the meager fire. "I'll rest if you eat."

Bakugou barked out a laugh and shook his head. "How about I get some makeshift packing in my leg? That way I don't have to keep looking at it. Get some snow in my bowl."

She was happy to help so he didn't have to move, so she went to the entrance of their little cave and gathered some of the snow from the outside inside his little bowl. As she brought it over, Bakugou was readjusting his belt on his leg and grimacing all the while.

"You have to keep it tight," she advised him.

"Well, I'm starting to lose feeling in my toes," he countered. "I don't want to lose my leg so I need to get some blood flow back."

She set the bowl down at the edge of the fire, watching as the heat melted the snow. "Well... shit."

"Well said."

She cast him a grin and tossed a pebble at him. "I learned from the best."

He flashed her his canine with his lopsided grin, then went back to readjusting his leg. She kept an eye on the weeping exposed flesh, waiting for the blood to come back out full force. Fortunately, it was only trickling, barely bleeding compared to how it had been before.

But blood was still coming out, which was a bad sign.

"There's not a lot of water in there," Bakugou mused as he looked at the bowl, the small divot that he carved holding just enough water to soak some fabric to use as packing. "We might need to do more that one round."

"Get your packings taken care of first, then I'll go get more snow to melt."

His eye flickered to her and his lips pulled down even more. "How much more water to do have in your bottles?"

Ochako pulled her canteen off her hip, not bothering with the one she opened to clean his wound before, and she shook it. "Maybe enough for me for the rest of the day. Not both of us. Where's yours?"

"With my pack at the entrance of that alleyway where you got ambushed," he muttered. Without a word, he started ripping her spare shirt into thin strips, ignoring her little gasp of protest, and started laying them out in front of him. "If you boil the snow, it can get cooled and then drank, so we can always resort to that if need-be."

"You think we will be stuck here long enough to have to?"

He met her eyes again, frowning. "Just covering all of our bases."

At that moment, the water started to boil. Ochako saw the sweat starting to drip down Bakugou's brow and how his breathing was becoming a little more labored, so she stood and moved closer to the fire.

"Oi -"

"Lay back," she ordered as she started laying the strips in the boiling water, save one. "Use my pack as a pillow. You're getting worse."

"Am not!"

She cut him a glare that shut him up. "And you're acting like a child. Lay down or I will float you."

He glowered and leaned towards her. "Stop treating me like an invalid, Uraraka!"

She sighed and laid her hands on her thighs. "Bakugou, you've lost a lot of blood. You need to stop moving so you don't lose any more, and so your body doesn't demand more than what you still have."

"I know, but - "

"But what?"

He stared at her for a long moment before he sighed, "I don't want you to feel like you have to take care of me. I'm good enough right now that I can handle myself so you don't have to waste your strength."

"And you taking care of yourself when I can help is more acceptable?"

"Well - "

"Because I don't mind helping you," she argued as she used a stick to pull the bowl away from the heat. As she waited for the water and cloth to cool enough that she could ring them out, she turned back to him and continued, "I want to make sure you're well enough to get us back to safety when the storm clears. Without our communicators or phones, we have to rely on the minimal first aid we were taught for school."

"I know, but - "

"Do you think you're too good for me to help?"

"No!"

"Do you think you're not hurt enough for real concern?"

Bakugou huffed and leaned back. "No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The villains are still out there, Uraraka," he reiterated as he shifted. When he did, her eyes darted to his wound and how the weeping tissue let out more blood. In the process, she almost missed how his face twisted up and his arms almost gave out under him. "I need to get well enough to be able to defend you in case they find us."

Her chest got tight with insult and she scowled at him. "Do you think I can't handle myself in a fight?"

"What - no -"

"Do you think I'm helpless or something?"

"Uraraka, stop - "

"We graduated from the same hero high school, Bakugou, so I am just as capable of being a hero as you are!" she raged, not letting him speak. "Just because I didn't graduate at the top of the class like you and I didn't get my Quirk from Japan's greatest hero or anything, but I still am worth my salt when it comes to being a hero - "

"I know - "

"And since I'm the one who isn't too damaged and you're the one about to die, you better bet your sweet ass that I will take care of you to the best of my ability because I know if you don't get out of this mission alive, your ghost will haunt me for the rest of my life!"

As she huffed and puffed, Bakugou's lips pulled into the rare, real grin - is that three or four for the day now? - and he said, "You think my ass is sweet?"

She threw another pebble at him and yelled, "For fucks sake, that's what you focused on?!"

He was chuckling as she reached into the bowl and rung the water out of the cloth strips. Gingerly, she pressed them into the open wound, ignoring how he grit his teeth and panted in pain. When she finished, she grabbed the leftover strip and tied it around his leg to keep the packings in place.

Bakugou collapsed down onto her pack, panting and pale, sweat popping out of skin more rapidly than before and filling their small space with the smell of burnt caramel. "That was worse than pulling that shit out."

Ochako looked at the pile of shrapnel in question. "Well, that will be the last time we poke and prod at that. Are you going to eat now?"

"I'd rather fucking vomit," he muttered as he covered his eyes with one of his arms and took a deep, stuttering breath. "Distract me."

What?

She tilted her head in confusion and frowned. "Hm?"

"You were right and I feel like shit," he muttered as he huffed again. "I need to stay awake so talk to me. Distract me. Whatever the fuck you think will work."

She couldn't stop the grin that spread on her lips. "So you're saying... that I was right?"

"Fuck off."

Her giggles filled the cave and she patted his uninjured leg. "Fine, fine. Okay... have you heard from Deku lately?"

Bakugou shot her a humorous snort. "Fuck no. Nerd is super busy and it's not like I text him first. Why are you asking me? I thought he texted you every fucking day 'cause you both loved each other so fucking much."

Something twinged in her chest at his remark and the bitter tone in his voice, and she looked away from him, back towards the fire. "Well... nothing happened after graduation... And last we spoke about a month ago he was extending his stay in the States."

"Fuck, I didn't know."

"It's fine," she replied quickly. "Besides, I asked."

He moved his arm away from his eyes. "But why then?"

"Hm?"

"Why ask me about Deku?"

Ochako toed the ground and she shrugged. "I thought maybe he told you anything. He hasn't talked to me in a while and it's my fault."

"How so?"

She sighed and shrugged. "He mentioned something about Melissa... He saw her the day he and I last talked on the phone. I said something about them dating and he seemed to think I was upset. Which I wasn't. I'm not. It's just... I feel like he thought I had feelings for him or something and now he's not talking to me."

"Oi, the nerd is stupid but not that stupid." Bakugou sat up enough to prop his weight on his elbows behind him. "He's just fucking busy. Thing is, do you?"

"Do I what?"

His head tilted the same way hers had earlier. "Have feelings for him?"

Uraraka felt her cheeks get hot and she tore her gaze from him. Unfortunately for her, she didn't. Any "feelings" she had for Deku had left her when they graduated, having realized that it was a fascination and respect that had caused her to feel the way she felt. No amount of convincing herself that it was actually love stuck, so it had mellowed out in the time they were separate, and now it was more of a simmering love for a friend, nothing that could truly manifest into a romantic sort. Especially since he had been gone for over a half a year and wasn't going to be coming back any time soon.

"I suppose not."

He snorted again. "You suppose? It's a yes or no answer, dumbass."

"If you have to know," she sniffed indignantly, "no. I do not have feelings for Deku. I just miss my friend."

The way Bakugou looked at her when she looked back over made a shiver rush over her. It was soft, disbelieving, but also what she could only pinpoint as hurt, but her mind decided it was because of his leg.

"What about you then?" she found herself asking, causing him to narrow his eyes and tilt his head again in silent confusion. "Do you have anyone driving you to survive this?"

Had she not paid attention, Ochako would have missed the way the tips of his ears got red, and if he hadn't tucked his face into his collar, she would have seen the way his cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink.

"You do!"

"Do not!"

"Then why are you getting all embarrassed?"

He huffed and he laid back down, blocking his face with his arm again. "I'm not embarrassed. Just don't understand why you're asking!"

"You asked me first!"

He huffed a humorless laugh. "You asked about Deku!"

"So?!"

"It's implied!"

She crawled over to him and grabbed his arm, removing it from his face so she could glare straight into his eyes. "How is it implied?!"

"Please," he sneered, cheeks definitely red now that she was closer to his face. "You two were like little nervous bunny rabbits all through high school. Almost as if someone spooked either of you, you'd launch yourself into space and he would smash all his bones from running at the speed of sound across the ocean. Dumbasses, both of you. We all thought you two were going to get together eventually. So, implied."

She didn't miss the way his voice sounded a little bitter, or the way he looked away when he finished. "Doesn't mean you don't have someone, too."

Bakugou's face softened, just a little, and he sighed before closing his eyes and relaxing against the pack. "Don't have time for that shit when you're aiming for the top."

"Do you think you're going to spend your life alone, then?"

He opened one eye, still frowning. "Probably. All Might was alone, Endeavor was an abusive piece of shit to the family he managed to have, and Hawks is perpetually single, despite what the tabloids claim. It's just the price of being the best."

Without thinking, Ochako laid her hand on his arm, keeping her pinky up as she squeezed him softly. She watched as his closed eye popped open and they both widened a bit. "Don't close yourself off because you assume that's what you need to do, okay?"

Silence stretched on for a long moment before he nodded and shut his eyes, but otherwise didn't respond. She supposed he couldn't take any more talking and was finally taking her advice about resting, so she stood and added more wood to the fire. As the flames grew just a bit, she sat back down at Bakugou's side.

And now they wait.

The amount of wood they had was dwindling faster than she would care to admit. And since Bakugou decided to rest after their conversation tapered off, she couldn't help but start to worry. She kept tabs on his wound, putting the small amount of gauze she had in her pack on it over the makeshift packing they made in an attempt to stave the bleeding, but it was still coming out in a steady trickle.

Unfortunately, it wasn't clotting. And they had just run out of firewood.

Ochako shook Bakugou's shoulder in an attempt to wake him, and after a long moment his eyes lazily opened and met hers. Had the situation not been so dire, she would have remarked on how cute he looked - sleepy and disheveled - but the paleness of his skin other than his slightly rosy cheeks and the general weakness that this typically-strong hero made her hold her tongue.

"I'm going to go get more firewood now that the snow stopped, okay?"

Slowly, he nodded and then closed his eyes again. "Don't take too long. Gotta stay warm."

She pressed the back of her hand on his forehead, feeling his overly hot skin once more. "Not too warm, Bakugou. You have a fever."

"I run hot," he mumbled. "You gotta stay warm. You're looking cold."

"Still," she said softly with a smile as she stood, trying not to look to much into his tired concern. "Stay awake. And eat the rations. I'll be back in no time."

He slowly sat up, waved her away dismissively, and pulled the meal bar out of her bag. With one last parting look, she rushed out of the cave, squeezing through her little entrance, and made her way into the woods. Looking up at the sky, she was comforted to see no more storm clouds and a sea of blue. Luckily the snow had let up not long after Bakugou fell asleep, but she didn't want to leave him alone and defenseless. Now, she was using her quirk and jumping up to the branches overhead, pulling off the thicker branches that were barely hanging on. They snapped with ease, letting her break them into smaller pieces that she could carry.

It was strange, taking care of Bakugou in this capacity. When they first met, she knew he wouldn't have allowed anyone to be near enough to him to help him, let alone watch his rest. Bakugou had matured in their years, especially since the battle with All for One. She admired him, respected him, and if she was honest with herself, really thought the world of him. It was different than how she viewed Deku, but she couldn't put a finger on it. The fact that he trusted her enough to take care of him - and his only objection was because he wanted to protect her wasn't lost on her - was enough to drive her to keep going and keep him safe. Make sure he stayed warm and got home safely in order to get his leg fixed up.

Soon, her arms were full of enough wood to last them through the night and she was making her way back to their little cave. As she got closer and closer, something uncomfortable settled in her stomach. She couldn't explain it, but she felt as if something bad was about to happen, and she hurried her steps.

She reached the cave and squeezed back through her little entrance and saw Bakugou had not moved since she left, the rations half opened at his side.

"Bakugou?" She set the wood down and made her way to his side. She knelt down, saw his mouth slacked and the pool of blood building under his leg. Her heart stuttered in fear - it wasn't that big when she left not ten minutes ago. "Hey, wake up. You need to eat."

No answer.

She grabbed his shoulder, feeling how hot he was through the fabric, and she shook him. "Hey, Bakugou. You need to eat. Please wake up."

Nothing.

"Bakugou," she shouted, shaking him harder this time, panic starting to grip her blood and freeze it entirely. "Bakugou! Wake up!"

He groaned, but otherwise didn't respond.

Ochako shook him again and followed up with light slaps to his cheek. His pulse under her fingertips was barely there, so weak that she thought for a second it was gone. Her mind went to the fact that he was completely unconscious, on the verge of death, and it made her feel sick and frantic. She patted his cheeks in an attempt to wake him and rose her voice, "Bakugou Katsuki, wake up right now! Please don't leave me here alone."

His eyes fluttered open for a quick second, the red clouded with delirium, and he shuddered again.

"Dammit!" she lowered him slightly and tried to get the fire hot again. The wood she had just brought in was probably too wet and fresh, so it wasn't catching. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

"Dammit," he muttered, and she spun around to shake him again.

"Katsuki, please wake up!" she plead again. "You can't go dying on me now! You're not number one, yet! Remember your dream, you idiot."

His eyes opened again and he gave her a lazy, unseeing smirk. "Katsuki? I didn't know we were on that level yet, Ochako."

She wasn't sure when her mind started calling him Katsuki, but it didn't matter. This was the most cognizant he had been since before she left to get the wood, and it wasn't enough.

"Would you rather me call you 'Kacchan?'"

She figured teasing would get a rise out of him, and possibly bring him closer to real consciousness so he could help her.

He snorted and his head rolled back. "Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan... I like it better when you call me Katsuki, Cheeks. Or talk about my ass."

Ochako felt his forehead again now that her hands had warmed up a bit and found he was still blazing hot - even hotter than before. "Katsuki, we're going to have to do something about your fever. I'm not going to freeze you out entirely, but we have to get you out of some of your winter clothes."

As she started unbuckling the bandolier that kept his grenades attached to his chest, Katsuki let out a wheezing sound that was akin to a giggle and she looked up at him, pausing at the buckles under his armpit.

"I usually take a girl to dinner before I let her take off my clothes," he murmured in a singsong tone. "Though I don't mind when it's you. Let's get mochi when we get back home. I'll pay."

Her eyes got wet - what? - and she nodded. "Sure. Let's get mochi and whatever else you want. I'll get you your drink, too, Katsuki."

"Three drinks," he mumbled as his eyes drifted closed and he fell limp into her arms. She gaped at him for a long moment, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes, and she lowered him down before running towards the entrance of the cave. She knocked down the rocks that had blocked the majority of the entrance, giving her plenty of ammunition for her plan. At this point she didn't care if the villains found them. They needed Hawks fast, and signaling everyone of their location was a surefire way to get someone here to help. Hopefully.

Quickly, she grabbed an armful of snow and ran back into the cave. After depositing the clumps of snow on the ground, she started stripping Katsuki of more of his outer layers of clothes, leaving him in just his undershirt, pants, and boots. She took two of his sweat-filled grenades and his sweaty shirt with her, as well. Soon she was spreading a bunch of his gathered sweat - ew - onto the rocks and then tied his shirt around her waist before touching the rocks and sending them skyward. A spark would ignite the sweat, hopefully. So as soon as they were higher than the tree line, she would use her quirk on the grenades and then throw them towards the rocks in the sky.

Then she would have to wait for whoever decided to follow the signal.

She was getting tired and hungry, and clearly Katsuki was too incapacitated to even wake up, so she could only hope it was someone who was on their side.

With a quick pass of her palm, the rocks started to float into the sky. She watched, concentrating on their trajectory, and the moment they started to clear the tops of the trees she took a step back, activated her quirk on the grenades, and with a careful aim, she thought of the ball in the physical tests on her first day of school. It was the one event she did better than Katsuki. Infinitely better. And she would prove her worth once more.

She yelled as she threw the grenades one by one towards the rocks and right as they hit the lowest rock, she ducked back into the cave as the explosions started. With how many rocks she had coated in Katsuki's sweat and lifted into the air, these explosions would only last for a minute or so. But long enough to signal someone of their location. It was a risk she was willing to take.

As the explosions echoed through the once-silent woods, Ochako collapsed at Katsuki's side and pressed her cold hands against his cheeks.

"Wake up, asshole! I can't have you dying on me!"

His eyes opened slightly, still glazed with delirium, and he grinned lazily.

Number five.

"Not givin' up ye', Chaks."

Her tears fell, unbidden, and crashed on his face. "You better not! Deku would never forgive me!"

"Fuck Deku," he muttered and his hand reached up and grabbed her cheek. His thumb rubbed up and down, rubbing away her tears, and his eyes closed again. "He... doesn't matter... You... matter... I won't die... 'cause you asked..."

Her fingers were clumsily feeling for the pulse in his neck, but it was so faint and fast and irregular that her own heart was starting to beat faster, as if it could compensate and help his continue to beat. She looked down at his leg, swollen and bleeding through the packing, and she sniffed as she took his sweaty shirt and wrapped it around his leg - to keep it warm, she told herself. To stop the bleeding that didn't want to slow. To help keep what little blood he had left in his body, even if it was in vain.

Time seemed to slow as she focused on cooling him down with snow and shedding his boots. She snuffed the fire with a kick of dirt and a clump of snow - her own warmth, be damned - and she worked on forcing the last of her water into his mouth. It spilled out the sides of his lips, trickling down to the ground underneath him.

The wind from outside whipped into the cave, chilling her back and hopefully chilling Katsuki, too.

As she waited, she pulled him into her arms and held him close. It was the most she could do to comfort him in the moment, even if he wasn't conscious enough to notice it.

"Oi!"

It was distant, but she heard it. Gently, she set down her unconscious friend and darted out of the cave, looking up at the orange sky to see Hawks flying in a circle, looking around the woods for them.

"HAWKS!" she shouted, waving her arms as big as she could. "DOWN HERE!"

Hawks spotted her and his wings flexed, then he swooped down and landed in a gust of wind.

"Hey," he greeted her with his lazy grin. "This is where you guys went!"

Ochako grabbed his arm and tugged him into the cave. "No time! Bakugou's hurt and he needs help now."

As soon as Hawks spotted Katsuki on the cave floor, his eyes widened. "Oh, shit."

He rushed to Katsuki's side and together they put Hawks's jacket around Katsuki's shoulders. After Hawks scooped Katsuki into his arms, he told her where the others were and that the helicopter was back. She was ordered to go meet up with the others and Hawks would fly Katsuki to the closest hospital to get him healed. With one last lingering look, Ochako watched as Hawks launched himself back into the sky, with the fading Katsuki in his arms.

She was so numb - from the cold or from the events of the day - so her actions were robotic and she barely thought as she went through them. Ochako grabbed their things, bundled the bits of his costume that weren't hastily put back on, and she moon jumped out of the cave towards the clearing where they had landed just that morning.

The others were there, bruised and battered but otherwise unharmed. The villain she fought was nowhere to be seen, but upon further conversation she learned that they all had ran away during the snow storm that had come through. Hawks had been searching for Ochako and Katsuki for a only few minutes when the explosions happened, and they had been waiting at the helicopter in hopes that someone would show up - villain or ally.

The fact that it had only been two hours since the attack threw Ochako for a loop and she almost fainted then. Two hours?! Katsuki had declined so quickly, even with her intervention, and it had felt like a whole day had passed. Not two fucking hours.

Regardless, the whole town was dead and had been. The mission was a set-up to attack Hawks and Dynamight, but ended up unsuccessful. Hawks was supposedly planning on hunting down the person that had requested them to do this mission and get some answers, but Ochako supposed that Katsuki getting severely injured would put that on hold briefly.

They loaded up into the helicopter, and soon they were lifted off and followed the speck in the sky that was Hawks and Katsuki. Ochako let her exhaustion finally sweep over her, and she fell asleep against the cold window pane.

Ochako spent a good day in the hospital for moderate hypothermia, dehydration, and her meager injuries - mostly for observation for her concussion and needing to repair the cut on her cheek, leaving a faint scar from the healing process. The doctor gave her a clean bill of health and discharged her before the end of the day, but she did not leave. Hawks let up on any paperwork they needed to do, instead having her explain the situation and taking her word for it.

Primarily, he wanted her to get better and take it easy.

That, and Katsuki still hadn't woken up.

He was hooked up to two separate IV's, one in each arm, and had a tube down his throat to help him breathe. His arms were propped up and away from his body, and his bad leg elevated in a sling and braced with the bandages out, while the rest of his body was covered with blankets. She knew he had other tubes and drains going in and out of his body, but her mind couldn't even register what all was going on.

He was alive, sure, but he looked worse than she had ever seen and the workers with healing quirks couldn't do enough to get him to not look so small and helpless.

Ochako stayed in his room overnight after her own discharge, leaving only to get food from the cafeteria or to clean up in the visitor showers down the hall. He had gone through surgery while she was receiving her treatment, and so by the time she was allowed to leave her room, he was already in recovery with fluids and intubated. The doctor told her that he almost didn't make it, and the thought made her vomit once he left the room.

His parents arrived on the second day of his stay, Mitsuki rushing to give her a hug and thank her for saving Katsuki. Ochako fought the urge to cry - she needed to stay strong for the Bakugou's and reassured them of Katsuki's strength. They left after sharing dinner with her in the cafeteria, telling her to come over for tea once everything settled down. Ochako went home when visitors hours ended - much to her dismay - and didn't sleep at all.

On the third day, Ochako was around to watch the nurses change the dressings for his wound. It was jagged - as she suspected - but not as red and angry as it had been that day. He was still getting fluids and supplemental oxygen, but at least they moved him to a mask instead of the tube.

The amount of blood he had gotten transfused to him was another thing she tried not to get hung up on.

On the fourth day, he woke up for a grand total of two minutes before falling back to sleep when his IV drugs kicked in. She doubted he would even realize where he was or who was in the room with him. Ochako tried not to take it personally.

That night, she went home and fitfully slept in her bed, dreaming only of his screams and the color of his blood in the snow.

The morning of the fifth day was when she went to the agency to fill out the paperwork Hawks insisted could wait. She finished it before lunch, picked up Katsuki's favorite dish from the udon place near the agency, and made her way back to the hospital. She walked through the front doors, greeted the receptionists, and made her way to the elevators and sighed.

She bought his dish in hopes he would be awake, but knew she was hoping for nothing. He would still be unconscious, and she would be suffering through spicy noodles and broth all alone.

Not that she was really that hungry.

The elevator dinged and she stepped out. The walk to his room was habitual now, having stayed with him for almost a week now. The doctors said that the wound needed to heal more naturally rather than with the influence of a quirk, so he would likely be conked out for at least another few days - from drugs and exhaustion.

She reached his door and it was slightly ajar, which meant either a nurse or doctor was in checking on him. She sighed, knocked and then came in. No change, likely, but she wanted to be near him. She stepped into the room and closed the door, looking up to see the nurse standing at the computer and typing away, but her eyes were drawn to the man in the bed.

And the fact that his eyes were open and locked on her.

A weak grin spread on his lips and all she could see was him. The first one in almost a week.

"Hey, Cheeks."

Despite the fact that he was awake, he was still laying tiredly against his propped up pillows. The oxygen mask was gone, but he still had some tubing hooked up to his nose and was down to only one bag of fluids hooked up to his arm instead of the two. His eyes were framed with dark bags, but at least the clarity in the garnet depths had returned, causing her breath to catch and her heart to stutter.

The nurse must have finished, because she was adjusting one last thing on his IV and then excused herself quietly out of the room. Ochako, however, never looked away. Her hand tightened on the bag, and her chest felt incredibly tight as the emotions she didn't allow herself to feel in almost a week started to burst to the surface.

His head tilted slightly to the side and his gaze moved to the bag. "Is that udon?"

The first tear sprung forth and she had to force herself to set the udon down on his bedside table before literally jumping on him. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, holding him tight as she sobbed. Everything came rushing out, leaking out of her in sobs as she squeezed him as hard as she could. His arms wrapped around her waist, not quite as tight as she held him but still tight nonetheless. His face was buried in her neck, while hers pressed to his shoulder and soaked the fabric of his hospital gown.

"Jeez, Cheeks..."

She sniffed and rubbed her face against him, and he breathed in deeply as he tightened his hold on her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered against him.

"Wait - why are you sorry?"

Ochako paused, the emotions that she just let flow finally slowing and allowing her a clear thought for the first time since they were attacked. Why was she sorry? She knew in the back of her mind that if she apologized for the events leading to his injury, he'd chastise her and say she had no blame in him getting hurt. And it wasn't like she couldn't have done anything else - on the contrary, the doctor said they had done a wonderful job of keeping him alive, but had they been out in the elements any longer he would have surely died from blood loss.

In fact, they had only been alone in the cave for two hours - despite it feeling like more - and Katsuki's condition had been bad enough that he needed to be resuscitated when he was quite literally flown into the emergency department by Hawks.

"I... I didn't buy enough udon for both of us..."

He laughed, light and full of mirth, and he pulled her away from his chest. His eyes were bright, grin wide, and he replied, "We can share, Cheeks."

She couldn't help but pout. "Who said it was for you in the first place? I thought you were still on fluids and shouldn't eat."

Katsuki pulled her back to his chest and replied in a soft murmur, "It's okay. You're right. The nurse just redosed my medication and I can't eat solids until maybe tonight."

"You can have my broth then," Ochako offered, sniffing again. She forcibly peeled herself away from him and climbed out of the bed, feeling her face flush in slight embarrassment at essentially tackling him.

He kept his eyes on her, his lips curled up softly at the corners, and she pulled the table over with another chair. As she got situated, he yawned and stretched his arms. "The nurse told me I was out for almost a week?"

Ochako's fingers stumbled as they pulled the udon out of the bag. "Uh... yeah. You were in surgery before the rest of us got back here in the helicopter."

"Did they catch the villains?"

Ochako set down the takeout bowl and met his gaze, knowing immediately that it showed on her face.

"No one blames us," she started as she broke apart the chopsticks. "Hawks said they were retreating almost right after we were blasted out of the village. He thinks that they realized we were stronger than initially thought."

Katsuki scowled and looked out the window. "The current number two hero and a rookie that's likely to be ranked by the next poll being stronger than they thought? Please. That means they didn't do any fucking research. The League of Villains did better than that."

"Ka- Bakugou, no one said we had to catch them." She frowned and looked to her lap. She almost missed the curiosity in stare when she almost said his given name. "We were caught by surprise. The commission is just glad that you and Hawks aren't dead, since you were their targets."

He scoffed and Ochako looked up as he fiddled with the edge of his blanket. "Doesn't mean I can't be mad. I was sidelined, and we could have caught them had I not been knocked into the trees."

Ochako's stomach dropped and her appetite once again left. He's just frustrated, she reasoned with herself. He's injured and was in a coma for almost a week. And he's going to be sidelined for an unknown amount of time.

"Are you..." She sighed and looked away from him. "Do you regret finding me and that villain, then? You wouldn't have gotten hurt if it wasn't for that."

"Huh - hold on, Cheeks, you don't think that I feel that way, do you?"

"You're not giving me any reason to believe otherwise based on what you just said," she muttered. Her nausea was returning and the urge to leave made her legs twitch. "Sorry I ruined the mission."

"Oh, for fuck's sake - " His hand wrapped around her wrist and she snapped her gaze back to him. He was scowling, clearly angry, and he continued, "I don't blame you for shit. We got ambushed. It's not your fault, it's not my fault. Those people in the village were already long dead when we got there, so none of our actions could have changed the situation. I'm just mad that we got tricked and it led to me getting injured, not that it was you that I had to help. I would never regret that, dumbass."

Ochako felt tears wet her cheeks and she sniffed as she wiped them away. "You couldn't have said that a little more clearly the first time?"

"Have you known me for being fucking eloquent with my words?" His smirk was broad enough that she could see his upper gum line.

She couldn't help but laugh a little. "No, not at all."

"Then stop moping." Katsuki took the udon, popped the lid off and drank some of the broth before placing it back on the table. "And eat your noodles."

With a soft smile, Ochako took the udon and started eating. As she ate, occasionally Katsuki would take it from her, take a drink of the broth or sneak a couple noodles when he thought she wasn't looking. Apparently, the doctor had been in earlier that morning and tapered off the medication that was keeping him unconscious and had informed him that he had lost a lot of blood and his muscular function in his leg would be depleted for a few weeks. The staff with healing quirks did as much as they could, but the fact that he was borderline hypothermic, hypovolemic, and apparently also had a concussion, made it a bit difficult for him to have an effective recovery.

He was also instructed to be on a liquid diet until they changed his medications, hence the sneaking of the noodles instead of taking the whole thing for himself.

Katsuki was told when he woke up that he would likely be under observation for another few days, until he was capable of bearing weight on his leg and was no longer exhibiting signs of a concussion.

Ochako had been so focused on his leg that she hadn't even noticed the signs, herself.

"Don't beat yourself up," he muttered as he sipped the less flavorful broth that had been delivered midway through her eating her udon. "I didn't notice either. I've had so many concussions that they don't phase me anymore."

She frowned at him. "You shouldn't be so dismissive of them. That's probably why you declined so quickly."

He shrugged and his eyes darted to the healed scar on her cheek. "Perks of the job, I suppose."

It was then that the nurse returned with his medications for the hour. The pain meds would kick in pretty quickly so it would likely mean Katsuki would fall asleep for the afternoon. Despite his denials, Ochako could see his exhaustion and pain in the way he grimaced when he shifted too quickly or moved his leg.

She was just grateful it was only this instead of an amputation or him being gone entirely.

When the nurse handed him the little cup of pills, after explaining the reason for him taking all of them, Katsuki stared at the cup for a long moment before glancing up at her, almost meekly.

"Are you..." He swallowed then looked down to where his hands were clenching and unclenching in his lap. "... are you going to stick around?"

Ochako felt her breath catch, mostly at the sight of the great and proud Dynamight look shy and uncertain, still peeking at her through his long lashes. The nurse was behind her, so she couldn't get a good look at what kind of face she was making, but when Ochako nodded, Katsuki looked like he visibly relaxed and then tipped the cup to his mouth. After drinking some water, he handed the nurse the empty cup and laid his head against the pillow.

The nurse typed something in the computer, patted Ochako on the shoulder, then left the room. A few minutes later, she was back with a pillow and some extra blankets, handed them to Ochako, and told her that the couch could be pulled out as a bed, if she wanted to stay again. The other time she had just sat on the chair, laying her head on his bed and waking up when the nurses came in every hour to check on him. Now that he was more stable, they would have more privacy.

Ochako clutched the pillow and blanket to her chest, simply just watching him as he watched her. The silence was comfortable, but still palpable as another set of questions filled the air.

"I'm probably going to fall asleep rpetty fast," he murmured, his voice raspy and low. "If you want to lay down on the couch, you can. I'm not going to force you to stay awake while you're here."

She held the pillow a little tighter. "I... Okay. I haven't slept much since we got back... So I could use a nap."

He nodded in affirmation and his eyes started to slide closed. "Oh.. and Cheeks?"

"Mhm?"

His lips pulled up at one corner. "You can keep calling me 'Katsuki.' I don't mind. Not when it's you."

Ochako's cheeks burned and the pillow was up under her chin now. "O-oh. Well... I guess it's only fair you can call me 'Ochako,' too."

He yawned and settled into his pillow, silent for a moment before he slurred, "Already do in my head..."

Katsuki's eyes slid closed before she could respond.

Rehab for Katsuki was difficult, but not impossible. Now that he was awake and stable enough, the healing quirks could be used a bit more effectively on his leg and he was going to be able to make a full recovery, mostly at home. Excitement thrummed through Ochako on the day of his discharge, and she wasn't shy about it, much to his ire and annoyance. It wasn't until she was helping him get dressed that he finally snapped.

"I'm not an invalid, Cheeks!"

Ochako remembered him saying something similar in the cave, and she merely smiled as she motioned for him to put his arm through the sleeve of his coat. "I know, but I just want to help!"

His growled but otherwise kept silent, and his arm went through the sleeve without hesitation.

"Remember, no strenuous exercise until after your follow-up appointment in two weeks," the nurse, Yuki, had continued, as if the two heroes in front of her hadn't just interrupted her discharge speech. "Light duty only, and keep up with the prescribed exercises by the physical therapist."

Katsuki adjusted his collar and nodded. "Yup. Got it."

"Your prescriptions have been sent to your desired pharmacy and should be ready to pick up shortly. Any questions?"

"Yea, am I free to go?"

Yuki chuckled and motioned for him to sign a form, then bid them both a fond farewell. With the amount of time Katsuki had been in the hospital, he had become a favorite of the nursing staff. Though not for his charming personality, that's for sure.

More or less, it was because of his determination and uncanny comedic timing.

He turned to her, eyes bright and wild and ready for the outside. "Ready?"

Ochako pulled his small bag a little tighter on her shoulder and nodded. "Let's go!"

A driver from the agency was waiting for them at the front of the hospital, and was kind enough to be patient as Katsuki limped out of the front doors. He paused, eyes sliding shut and a full breath filling his lungs as the sunlight hit him square in the face. Ochako couldn't help but smile at him.

A whole month in the hospital in the dead of winter. Even after waking up, the weather had made it impossible for him to get fresh air and sunlight the whole time. Now, as winter was starting to thaw, he could finally breathe in something other than the sanitary and stale air of the hospital.

"Fuck, I could just do this all day."

"At least don't block the door if you do."

He grinned and started towards the car, not waiting for Ochako. Not that he really needed to. With his still-healing leg, it would be difficult for him to walk too fast for her to keep up.

They reached the car at the same time, and Katsuki was kind enough to hold the door open for Ochako and sliding in after her. A grunt of affirmation to the driver, and soon they were off towards his apartment.

Ochako had to pinch herself a few times to remind herself that Katsuki was okay, and that everything was fine now. He was here, breathing and alive and well enough that his career wasn't over. That was all she could ask for.

News outlets had reported on the situation, and Hawks had done a good job twisting the story to make it seem like nothing had gone awry aside from the attempted rescue. He did not hide the villain's involvement, but did not include any information about confrontations with the team that had arrived in the village, lest the people lose more trust in the heroes that couldn't apprehend the villains that killed almost one hundred innocent people.

Katsuki's injuries were played off as him attempting to save his comrades from avalanche debris, which was heralding him as an excellent partner and selfless hero. She was certain the next informal poll was going to reflect this positively.

They arrived in front of his apartment and Ochako thanked the driver, and soon it was just the two of them again. The silence in the car had been buffered by the driver, but now it was thick with things unsaid and this new dynamic that had formed in their hours of uncertainty.

Ochako let Katsuki lead the way, as was her MO these days, and he started moving towards the building with nothing more than a grunt and a nod. He was starting to lag behind again, and Ochako slowed her pace, but soon they were steps apart and he stopped.

"Cheeks..."

Ochako turned around. He was looking at the ground, hands stuffed in his pockets, and she could see his mouth pouting over the rim of his collar.

"Yes?

He raised his head, met her gaze, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Ochako." Red eyes burned with sincere intensity, and she waited. Bakugou took a hesitant step towards her, still a little unsteady on his newly-healed leg, and he sighed before rubbing the back of his neck. "Thank you. For basically saving my life."

Ochako couldn't stop herself from snorting. "'Basically?'"

He harrumphed and shoved his hand back in his pocket. "You saved my life. I owe you."

She grinned and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, leading him up the sidewalk to his apartment building and inside. "How about you cover lunch this time? Even though you won our bet fair and square?"

He chuckled and agreed as he flexed his arm as a way to tighten his "grip" on her. Ochako was too blissed out by the fact that he was alive after brushing so closely with death during the mission, and despite the fact that he was stuck on desk duty for three weeks, Katsuki seemed pretty content at the moment, as well.

And though they had taken their time with Katsuki's sore leg, they reached his door in little time and he paused, staring at the doorknob as his hand holding the keys hovered mid-air.

"Katsuki?"

He turned to her then, frowning thoughtfully, then without warning wrapped his thick arms around her in a tight hug. They had hugged before - loose side-hugs or reassuring and quick embraces after particularly daunting fights - but not like this.

She felt like it wasn't exactly what he wanted to do, but she hugged him just as tightly back. He hummed, the fingers of one hand tangling in her hair and the other hand squeezing her waist. He buried his face into her neck, breathing her in, and she fought the shiver that traveled down her spine. Instead, she pressed herself against him, nose pressed into his chest and the overwhelming warmth of him surrounding her.

Too soon, he pulled away from her. But not too much. He pressed his forehead to hers and she watched as he kept his eyes shut and a small smile on his face.

"I'll order something," he murmured as he finally unlocked the door and peeled himself off of her. Ochako's cheeks were hot, and he poked her cheek before leading her inside.

fin.