Ochaco found herself weirdly grateful once the school term had begun, sure she had to see her classmates again, but she was so ready to finish the last of her middle schooling so that she could start applying for hero schools.
If it also gave her an excuse to avoid Bakugou then she kept it to herself.
Despite the months of knowing about Bakugou and Izu-kun's past, she felt conflicted on the matter.
She was still angry, probably would hold that anger forever if she was being honest.
But as time went on, she no longer felt the need to physically punish him for it and talking with the others had helped her sort out more of her feelings on the matter.
It was a bitter pill to swallow in some cases, the talk she had with Inko-San being a real kick to her stomach as she was once again reminded about how mistreated people could be just for something they were born as.
Another pill she had trouble with was how her guard around Bakugou continued to be lowered even as they hung out 'together'.
Even while she was continuously ignoring him, she had been keeping a careful eye on Bakugou.
Partially to make sure he wasn't going to do something behind her back, and privately because she was looking for another reason to re-break his nose.
And what did she see from him?
Someone actively trying not to be an ass.
Yes, Bakugou was crude and wouldn't hesitate to call Izu-Kun an idiot or tease him, but any maliciousness she expected just... wasn't there, and the few times things seemed to start upsetting Bakugou or when the boy was becoming heated?
Bakugou would just walk away or stop talking and scrolling on his phone, both likely to cool his head before he returned to the conversation, or flatly told them if he didn't want to talk about that anymore.
Without the negative signs though her defenses were lowered and then, she started to miss him.
How she could miss someone that she was angry with was beyond her, but she did.
Bakugou was hardly the most charming person she'd ever met but there was still something nice about having his opinion when they talked about something.
The blonde had a critical eye and freely shared his thoughts, more often than not, in a way that would give her perspective of an issue from a different angle.
It wasn't even just about hero stuff either.
Returning to school she heard the other girls talking about the usual things and feeling disconnected from them more than ever.
She had been through different things, she knew that and that she might not be able to fully connect with them, what with her different family background and desire to become a hero.
Now though, she wasn't sure she could even have a casual conversation about anything with how different their worlds were.
One of her classmates had shown off a new top she bought and Ochaco had remembered what she thought about the top.
Maybe it was pretty, and the strappy-ness of the collar and sleeves might be in right now but Ochaco could never wear something that would reveal so much skin.
All too conscious of how badly a touch activated quirk could screw her over if she didn't keep her arms covered, what if she stumbled across a villain fight by accident that showered her in glass?
There were ways of looking good without leaving yourself open to attacks or accidents.
Bakugou and she had talked about it once and found she really liked the 'killer casual' style that Bakugou had described to her.
They didn't always agree but she at least felt like she could talk with him without having to hold back about her clinical views, or feel like she had to pretend that she was more of an airhead just to keep up a conversation outside of her friend group.
But knowing that he hurt Izu-Kun in such horrible ways, repented or not, she couldn't just go back to how they were before.
Which led her to staying up later than she planned to and lying awake in bed after finishing her first week back to school.
Conflicted over what she wanted to do or how she wanted to interact with Bakugou.
Cutting him out of her life wasn't what she wanted but she couldn't be friends with him again either though.
Neither extreme felt right, and she didn't even know if there was any middle ground to pick either.
Acquaintances that ranted to each other about random things?
Ochaco groaned in frustration, grabbing her pillow from behind her head and covered her face with it.
Why couldn't she just hate him? That would be so much easier.
She spent most of her first week back to school having her wrapped up thinking about just what kind of relationship she wanted with Bakugou.
Her frustration mounting but not that disruptive in her day-to-day life.
Well, Jiji held her hand more but she wasn't going to complain about that.
Shaking her head she readjusted her bedding again then tried to go back to bed, stubbornly trying to turn her brain off for the night.
It worked eventually and the next day Ochaco woke up and was going about her regular morning routine, turning on the radio for her parents to listen to once they came out and join her.
Listening as the news station talked about the normal things, what the weather was going to be like that day and any traffic jams that were to be expected from hero fights that had happened so far.
Only to freeze when they mentioned the squabble between two heroes last week.
Gang Orca and Shishido were very famous rivals, everyone knew that.
Izu-Kun admitted it was one of Gang Orca's few bad traits even if the fights never interfered with their professional work.
But the key point was that the two were rivals.
Ochaco would have domed herself with a frying pan if it wasn't heated for not thinking about that before.
In a far better mood and already making plans she finished off breakfast and started texting with Izu-Kun about changing her mind, that she did want to go to the little meetup that Izu-Kun was going to be having over at his house.
She was in such a great place now that she was able to eat some of the roasted crickets she bought with only a minimal twinge in her about the 'wrongness' of eating an insect.
Ochaco took a deep breath as she stood in front of Izu-Kun's door.
As confident as she was in what she wanted, now the thought of actually asking was a bit more intimidating.
Asking for someone to be a rival wasn't an everyday thing and she couldn't think of many people that did have proper rivals in their lives.
She didn't think anyone would take it too badly.
Some confusion maybe, though she wasn't sure Bakugou would agree to it either.
On one hand Bakugou was competitive and she could see him willing to go along with having someone to compete with in a good natured way.
But on the other hand there was Bakugou's E.D. that might have him refuse, mainly because Bakugou might not want to risk the tension or frustration that could build between them sparking a fit.
Which would be understandable.
Though she wouldn't know what to do with herself if Bakugou didn't want to be rivals with her, since going back to stone-walling Bakugou really wasn't something that she thought she could go back to.
Shaking her head she lightly slapped her cheeks and squared her shoulders.
She wouldn't get anywhere if she just stood around and before she could overthink herself out of it, knocked on the door.
Not having to wait for long for Izu-Kun to open the door, grinning at first when he saw her but she could see his initial excitement dim.
"Uki?" he greeted uncertainly. Ochaco felt bad for making him uneasy but she needed to keep up her brave face.
She nodded her head and then walked past Izu-Kun, her friend allowing her to go inside but she knew his eyes were on her like a hawk, no doubt ready to act if she tried anything.
The others were already there as she expected.
Awa-Kun and Jiji were sitting on the couch along with Bakugou and the Tokoyamis, Awa-Kun showing Sadi something on his phone, while Fumikage and Jiki seemed to be talking with Bakugou lazily watching on.
Jiji being the first of them to notice her and the others were quick to follow.
"Hey Uki! I didn't know you were... coming... " Awa-Kun's greeting trailed off as the tension in the room rose to a dramatic degree.
Ochaco unlike usual since the reveal did not avoid eye contact and completely ignore Bakugou's existence.
Instead she was staring him down and very firmly focused on him.
And Bakugou had met her gaze unwaveringly.
With measured steps she walked forward and stood right in front of Bakugou, not breaking eye contact with Bakugou.
Though she did notice how Bakugou's hand was lightly clenching the arm rest it was resting on.
Mentally she took one more breath to steel herself, mentally going over what she planned to say to him.
"I've done a lot of thinking since you told us how you abused Izuku." she told Bakugou, ignoring how the Tokoyamis and Izu-Kun winced at her brashness of saying it out right.
"And?" Bakugou questioned with a single raised brow.
"And I cannot in good conscience ever be friends with someone who has hurt my friend in such egregious ways." Ochaco replied.
Bakugou merely nodded, not surprised in the slightest by her response.
Her constant cold shoulder no doubt more than enough of a hint that she wanted nothing to do with him in everyone's mind.
"I am however, willing to be your rival." Ochaco stated crossing her arms.
Aside from a small squawk from Sadi the rest of the room seemed stunned into silence by her out of nowhere offer.
Bakugou himself blinked as he stared at her with a 'WTH' face.
"I can see that you're trying to change, and that you're holding yourself accountable but that will only go so far. So, I want to be the person that challenges you, and meets you stroke for stroke and drives you into being a better version of yourself." Ochaco explained, trying her best to describe the idea in her head.
She wasn't going to try and change how Bakugou cursed like a sailor, or that he was a touch more violent with his affection than most people were.
Those things weren't bad traits on their own.
But she'd be there to knock him on his ass if he ever backslid, or knock him on the back of the head if he crossed a line.
To hold his feet to the fire until she felt like he truly atoned for all that he did.
"You told us you want to be held accountable for all of the things you did to Izuku the day you told us, well this is me calling you on it." she commented then offered him her hand.
"So, Bakugou Katsuki will you accept me as your rival?" Ochaco asked.
A small well of anxiety pooling in her guts as Bakugou silently thought over what she told him, his face remaining rather stone-like as he hopefully considered her offer in earnest.
Then he took her hand and shook it.
"Rivals." he replied with a nod before crossing his arms.
Ochaco was a touch surprised that Bakugou hadn't scoffed or tsked, that he had answered so seriously and frankly maturely to her sudden declaration.
But his seriousness made her chest feel warm and she couldn't stop herself from grinning.
That he respected and believed in her enough that he didn't even playfully or mockingly questioned whether she could keep him in line.
"Rivals." Ochaco promised with a nod of her own.
Outtake
Ochaco: So you're really okay being rivals?
Bakugou: Do you mean like gen 6 pokemon rivals?
Ochaco: No.
Bakugou: Or the 'friendly' fuckheads from the next three generations?
Ochaco: Of course not.
Bakugou: Then I don't see a problem Newton Fucker