Uraraka and Bakugo had floated them back down to where the trail had started. They were pretty tired from the hike, so they decided to head back to U.A. Uraraka couldn't help but take off a couple of layers once it got a little warmer out. Bakugo had gotten dressed for her, so she noticed that he dressed up more than she usually would. She kept staring at her hands, specifically her fingers. Something about seeing her finger pads made her so happy.
It felt like she had finally reached her destination just like Bakugo.
Bakugo noticed her looking at her finger pads, and he couldn't help but look at his hands. He felt really good finally having his quirk back. Luckily Uraraka didn't have him wear a lot of layers so he felt pretty good about it right now. He didn't feel as sweaty as usual from his quirk, which felt pretty refreshing. As they walked back, no one said much to each other. They just enjoyed the nice weather as they headed back. Bakugo felt a nice cool breeze, which made him feel so much better.
Uraraka felt it too, and she relaxed as it passed her. It felt so good to step out of U.A. and just have a nice day like this all to themselves. She could see why Bakugo went hiking. Something about it felt very calming to just get away from it all. Someone like him just made so much sense to her now that he would do this. She didn't know if she would do this all that often, but it did feel pretty good. If Bakugo ever wanted to do this again, she would probably consider going with him.
Then Uraraka spotted a restaurant nearby that she hadn't been to in a long time. She remembered coming here when she was little, and then she felt her stomach growl. They didn't have much to eat, and she forgot that she wanted to go eat somewhere after the trail.
"Bakugo, there's a restaurant over there. We should eat something before going back to U.A.," Uraraka said to him.
Bakugo looked a little hesitant, but then looked at Uraraka's eyes. They looked pretty sparkly, but nothing about it bothered him. He couldn't help but let out a smirk and let out a sigh.
"Fine. We didn't have much to eat anyway," Bakugo said to her, "Next time you go hiking, you should really grab more snacks."
Uraraka noticed what he said and got excited for a moment.
"Wait, does that mean that you'd consider going hiking with me again?" Uraraka asked in a teasing way, "Me?"
"Sure. Why not? You don't annoy me like Deku does," Bakugo said to her, "Besides... I wouldn't mind having someone to hike with."
Uraraka's eyes widened in shock to hear him say this. He always seemed like someone that would do this sort of thing alone, so she was surprised that he would even consider this.
"Are you coming or not?" Bakugo called out as he opened the restaurant door.
Uraraka's eyes sparkled and smiled as she walked over to the restaurant, and they both had something to eat.
Once they entered, Uraraka remembered coming here when she was a kid. Her parents took her here more than the hiking trail, and she remembered being so happy with what she ordered. They sat at a table, and she noticed Bakugo looking around like he might've recognized it too.
"Please don't tell me that you've been here before too?" Uraraka asked him.
"I think I have. Why, did you?" Bakugo asked back.
"Yeah! All the time," Uraraka said to him, "My parents took me here a lot. I'd said we came here more than the hiking trail believe it or not. We might've even bumped into each other here without realizing it. I wouldn't be surprised at this point."
"Yeah. I still can't believe that was you," Bakugo said to her, "Then again, I do recall seeing those pink cheeks of yours."
Uraraka felt a slight blemish form around her face and remembered him being less annoying when she bumped into him.
"Well, I remember you very well actually," Uraraka said to him, "Izuku helped me up while you were picking on him. I still can't believe that I've met you two before all of this. I always thought I first met him during the entrance exam."
Bakugo bit his lip and remembered how things used to be between him and Midoriya. Knowing that she's met them before all of this felt a little weird, but it made him wonder about them being together.
Soon enough, they ordered their meals pretty quickly. Uraraka and Bakugo were quiet for a while as she checked her messages on her phone. It looked like she might be catching up on some texts that she might've missed. Bakugo couldn't help but wonder about them since she brought up the entrance exam. Something about it made him wonder about it since he hadn't met her until afterwards.
"So... you met Deku during the entrance exam?" Bakugo pointed out.
"Yeah. I noticed him walking over to U.A. He looked kind of nervous about it, and then he ended up tripping on his own feet," Uraraka said letting out a slight laugh, "So I helped him from falling over. I guess I just felt the need to help him out for some reason. I guess it worked out since he ended up saving me from that zero pointer in the entrance exam."
"I heard about that. He really took down that giant thing? Back then, I wouldn't have believed you," Bakugo said as he let out a slight chuckle.
"Yeah. He did. He punched it and took it down so easily," Uraraka said to him, "You weren't there. I forgot that they separated us into different sections. He didn't even have any points of his own, so I felt bad for him. I even went to the teachers to give him some of my points. I don't know why I did that since I really wanted to help my parents so badly. I wasn't even thinking about what I wanted and felt like he deserved it way more than me..."
Bakugo could tell that she still thought about that from time to time. Something about her eyes made him wonder if Midoriya knew any of this.
"I guess things still ended up working out in the end. Then I found out recently that he kind of liked me from the moment I met him. That surprised me, but it was kind of sweet of him to admit that. I didn't even think of him as anyone other than a friend at that point. I guess... somewhere down the line, I just started to notice him a lot more. He kept inspiring me and all I wanted to do was be just as strong as him."
Bakugo didn't say anything for a moment as they sat there in silence. He looked at her and could tell that she still felt this way about him.
"No wonder you two ended up together," Bakugo said to her, "You shouldn't have to give up what you're working towards though. What you're doing for your parents is just as important. You shouldn't have to do that all the time, even if you and Deku are together."
Uraraka was surprised to hear him say something like that to her. Something about hearing this from him of all people felt really reassuring. She smiled and actually felt like she could improve on being a hero.
"I get what you're saying Bakugo. I guess I kind of think about helping others more than helping myself," Uraraka said to him, "It seems like you don't have that problem though. You know what you want, and you're going for it. You could ease up on everyone just a little though."
That seemed to bother him a little, but he tried to let her speak her mind. They did just go through all of that, he should at least hear her out.
"I feel like you know what you want more than me. You clearly have steps to get where you want to go, but..." Bakugo said to her, "Wanting to be the number one hero... You don't really get that. Sometimes I don't know what I'm doing. I feel like I'm just going in blindly, hoping for something to come out of this. If anything, you seem to have a better grasp on what you want than I do."
Uraraka was shocked to hear this and knew that he had never said this to anyone. She even wondered if he ever talked to Kirishima about this. She could tell that Kirishima was pretty close with him, so she figured that he would talk to him about this. Something about this however felt very different and more open than he's ever been.
"Don't you talk about this to Kirishima? You and him are friends after all," Uraraka said to him.
Something about this seemed to make Bakugo pull back a little. She didn't know why, but she knew that they were friends since they hung out all the time. She felt like he was holding back and wondered if it had anything to do with that sleepover. She didn't want to bring it up since it clearly bothered him for some reason. Something about the way he looked at anything else but her made it seem like he was trying to avoid him.
Then she remembered something come up between them when she was in Gym Gamma the other day.
"Maybe. I don't usually talk to him about these sort of things," Bakugo said to her, "He usually does most of the talking."
"Aren't you two friends? I always thought that since you two hang out all the time," Uraraka said to him.
"He just kind of tags along a lot. Sometimes I don't even know why he even follows me all the time," Bakugo said to her, "I'll say though he's not as annoying as Deku."
Uraraka felt like he was holding back a little and wondered if it anything to do with whatever she was feeling in Gym Gamma. She looked at him and realized that there was one thing that she didn't quite understand until just now. She didn't get why he found Midoriya annoying. He helps out so many people and classmates without anything in return. Plus, he's very nice to Bakugo considering how he treats him. She was even still surprised at how Midoriya was okay with Bakugo's lashing out.
"You know, Kirishima could just be admiring you. He might even think you're pretty strong. It might help to talk to him instead of letting him do it all the time. It wouldn't feel as weird. If anything, you might actually enjoy just hanging out with him. There's nothing wrong with that," Uraraka said to him.
Bakugo could tell that she really meant it. He hesitated when she mentioned him talking to Kirishima and actually getting to know him better. Something about it made him uncomfortable, and Bakugo didn't know if it had anything to do with the recent sleepover. He's been feeling a little weird about it ever since then.
"I'm not really one to go up to someone and start a conversation. Usually other people do that, and I just go with it," Bakugo said to her, "That's kind of how it's always been, even in elementary school and middle school."
Uraraka was surprised to hear this and didn't what to say at that point. This seemed like something that he didn't usually talk about. She pulled back a bit, but she still thought that he should talk to Kirishima.
"Just... Maybe try talking to him. I bet you'd be surprised how easy it is," Uraraka said to him with a smile.
Bakugo thought about for a moment and realized that she did that a lot. She always went up to people to talk to them like it was the easiest thing ever. Something like that with Bakugo felt a little weird to even think about. After what happened at the sleepover, he tried to avoid that sort of thing even more. But now that things have things calmed down, he considered it.
Soon enough their food came, and they felt their stomachs growling once they smelled it. They both got different kinds of sushi to try out, but Bakugo specifically wanted one of them to be spicy and with extra wasabi on the side. Uraraka's eyes lit up once she saw all of the sushi laid out in front of them. It all looked so good that she didn't know where to start. She grabbed some chopsticks and got ready to eat.
"Itadakimasu," Uraraka said to him, "This all looks amazing!"
Uraraka went for the one with smoked salmon and tried it. Her mouth watered once she took a bite and felt so good finally eating something like this. Then she dipped the rest into her soy sauce and ate the rest of it.
"Hmm... It's so good!" Uraraka said with her mouth full of sushi, "It's just as good as I remember! Bakugo, aren't you going to eat?"
She noticed that he wasn't eating and just watched her try it. He grabbed some chopsticks and tried one of the spicy ones and even put some wasabi on it. Uraraka almost spit out her food when she witnessed him eat the whole thing. She knew that he really liked spicy food, but she didn't expect him to eat it all in one bite.
Bakugo noticed her staring at him and finished it before talking.
"What?" Bakugo asked her.
Uraraka was even more surprised when he didn't even grab the water next to him. He didn't even seem bothered by the wasabi.
"Y-You just ate all of that wasabi in one bite! That roll was spicy even without it!" Uraraka said a little too loudly, "Isn't it spicy?"
"Not really. I eat it all the time though," Bakugo said back as he grabbed another spicy roll, "You probably wouldn't like it considering what I heard from the sleepover. You threw up after eating a spoonful of it, right?"
Uraraka felt a blemish across her face, remembering that sleepover very well. She looked at the wasabi and added a tiny bit to it to one of the rolls. She noticed Bakugo laughing quietly at how small of a portion she added and felt herself blemish a little more.
"I'm not used to it," Uraraka said as she gave him a dirty glare, "I'll build up my spice intolerance for next time."
Uraraka grabbed it with her chopsticks and took a bite out of it. She could never fit a whole roll in her mouth and ate the wasabi. Her tongue tasted the wasabi and the more she ate it, the more she felt it go up her nose. Other than that, it wasn't that bad.
"Hey! It's kind of good with a little of it," Uraraka said to him.
"You barely had any on it," Bakugo said back with a slight chuckle, "But I won't make you have a spoonful like Kirishima did."
Uraraka smiled at him laughing and felt like she was really enjoying herself. She sat back and relaxed as they ate their sushi. Bakugo kept going for the spicy ones, which she didn't mind. She still found it amazing that he would just shove an entire roll in his mouth in one bite. Something about it was funny to her.
Then she remembered what she thought about earlier. She wanted to know something about him and Midoriya. Bakugo seemed to notice that she got a little quiet.
"Bakugo... Since me and Izuku are dating now... I've gotta know..." Uraraka said as she trailed off.
Bakugo worried for a moment that she might ask something about One for All. He was just glad that she didn't find out about it during this whole thing.
"Why do you treat Izuku so horribly? All he does is help everyone and inspire others. I just... I don't get it..." Uraraka asked him as she played with her chopsticks.
Bakugo felt a little bit uncomfortable talking to her about this, considering she didn't know about One for All. He couldn't say anything to her about him being quirkless or else that might bring up some more questions. Then again, she might find out sooner than later. Still, that wasn't his secret to tell. He hesitated to pick up a roll and put down the chopsticks.
"I guess... I just didn't understand why he would chase me around all the time back then. He was always following me, and I never liked it. I don't know why, but I could never get rid of him. He was always just there. Even when I didn't need his help, I might've been a little harsh with him. And now... It feels... different..." Bakugo said to her as he trailed off.
Uraraka didn't know what it was he was getting at. Whatever was different, she wouldn't understand since she didn't know them when they were little. She may have met them on that trail, but she still didn't know them. They were just two kids that she ran into back then. Whatever it was, she could tell that it had something to do with entering U.A.
"Once we entered U.A., things just changed," Bakugo said to her, "Sometimes I feel like it's the other way around now... I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this. Then again, you are dating him."
Uraraka kind of understood where he was coming from, but still. Something about it felt like there was something missing. Like he wasn't telling her everything. Maybe it wasn't something that she should know at that moment. For some reason, she knew it wasn't something she should force him to say. If she needed to know, she could always talk to Midoriya about it.
"Get it. From what I can understand, it seems like he really looked up to you a lot, but I still don't understand why you hated that if you wanted to become the number one hero in the first place. Then again, you two were little kids at that point. But now, it sounds like you're chasing after him. Now you can understand where he's coming from," Uraraka said to him, "I'm not going to tell you what to do, but since I am his girlfriend, I would appreciate if you weren't so harsh with him."
Bakugo for some reason didn't get mad at her this time around. He understood why she would feel this way, and he couldn't blame her. He thought about it for a moment and watched her eat another piece of sushi. She seemed to not be suspicious of One for All, but he had a feeling that she was going to find out at some point. If she was dating him, then it was bound to happen one way or another.
They continued eating and hanging out together as if they had been friends for a long time. Something about it just felt so natural as they went from eating sushi to talking about hero training. With their quirks back to normal, they could finally go back to hero training with them. Uraraka felt so much more relaxed seeing Bakugo just enjoying his time here in this restaurant.
As they continued talking, Uraraka noticed that those feelings that she had while she was Bakugo went away. She couldn't feel his feelings anymore. She could even tell that Bakugo couldn't feel hers anymore either as they talked. Something about it felt so relieving, but she wondered if things would go back to normal between them because of this. She worried that this was just a one time thing and that once they went back to the dormitory that he would just go back to yelling at her.
She really hoped that it wasn't the case, but it still bothered her.