Archive of Our Own

Bakugo hated that he had to have any level of surgery for something so mundane as wisdom teeth. It's one thing to need to be sedated to get patched up from a villain encounter gone wrong, but wisdom teeth? What the hell was evolution even doing? They could point at the moment in their history books when quirks entered the gene pool, and most people stopped having a second joint on their pinky toe. Why the hell were wisdom teeth still a thing? And of course, instead of coming in vertically in a way that makes sense, his were pointed horizontally toward his other teeth, like they were trying to pick a fight. Figures. So they had to be surgically removed instead of just pulled.

Most of the time when something was wrong that needed medical attention, UA students would just go to Recovery Girl and she'd fix them up. Limp in the room, endure an old lady smooch, and walk out. But Recovery Girl can't heal away wisdom teeth. You had to have actual surgery, and then she could speed up the recovery process after it was done.

So here Bakugo lay, reclined in a dental chair that hadn't previously been in Recovery Girl's office, waiting to be sedated. He was attached to various wires and a blood pressure cuff all tethered to several monitors. The level of prone he was about to be really set him on edge in a way few things did. At least the oral surgeon agreed to do the operation on the UA campus. Aizawa insisted that if one of his students needed to be sedated for non-emergency surgery the teacher had three conditions. One: he would vet the oral surgeon and their staff himself, two: the procedure needed to happen within the UA security perimeter, and three: Aizawa would be the one to greet them at the gate to ID them so he could use Erasure to be sure there were no quirk assisted imposters. Bakugo didn't like thinking too hard about how relieved that made him. Even still, he found himself repeatedly going over those fulfilled conditions in his head, to try to calm himself down, just the same.

There was a knock at the door and the anesthetist stepped in. "Alright, are you ready?" she asked cheerfully as she walked over and smiled down at him. "It's time to get your IV started." She grabbed his hand and pulled his arm straight. He bit his tongue instead of telling her to keep her fucking hands to herself, because this was the whole point of him being here, and he's mature enough to only tell people off when they were actually fucking up. He reminded himself of that fact while staring a hole into the side of her head while she prodded the inside of his elbow. "Look away if you need to. There will just be a bit of a burning sensation."

"Tch." No, he was not pointedly watching her insert the needle just because she suggested he might not be able to handle it. He just wanted to make sure she did her fucking job correctly.

"And there we go. You really are a brave one." She smiled encouragingly. It was obnoxious. "Now to get this drip started." She hesitated when Bakugo inhaled sharply. When he realized he had tensed up, he decided that he didn't have to relax his jaw if he didn't want to.

"Can we just get this fucking over with?" Her eyebrows drew together like she wanted to scold him for his language, but she just smiled, indulgently enough to make him want to gag, and started the IV drip.

Logically he knew he was perfectly safe. Even still, something primal in him was not okay with being alone with Nurse Sunshine and Rainbows while she forcibly put him under. He regretted not having Aizawa be present for this part, but he couldn't bring himself to ask when he had the chance. His head started feeling fuzzy, along with everything else. He tried to clench his jaw harder, fighting the drugs, but it loosened almost immediately. There was a brief stab of fear as he realized he was forgetting to pay attention, even though he knew this was how it was supposed to go, and then everything went black.

*****

Kirishima showed up at Recovery Girl's office at the appointed time to be there with Bakugo when he came to after his surgery and wait with him while the meds wear off. He knocked on the door and a nurse answered.

She smiled and said, "You must be Kirishima."

"Yes ma'am, I am," he said cheerfully. "How did it go, is he doing okay?"

She stepped aside and let him into the room, "Everything went great! It's going to be a while before the sedative fully leaves his system, even after he wakes up." Kirishima walked in to find Bakugo in one of the infirmary beds in the upright position, sound asleep and drooling. The nurse continued, "Recovery Girl is on her way now to heal up those gums before the pain meds start to really wear off, so just sit tight in here with him and let us know if he needs anything."

Kirishima smiled and gave a sharp nod. "He's in good hands, ma'am. I'll keep a close eye on him."

"I'm sure he is." She gave a friendly wave and went out the door, and with a click it closed behind her.

Kirishima looked over Bakugo's face. His cheeks were already swelling a little. Or was that just the gauze? Just when he started wondering how long Bakugo was going to sleep, he saw his red irises peek between his lids as they opened listlessly.

"Hey, Bakugo! You made it! How are you feeling?"

Bakugo just scowled at him for a moment, while he slowly opened and closed his fists. Then he looked at his elbow and his eyes widened when he saw the bandage there. "Shit!" His eyes snapped back to Kirishima's. "Did anythin' happen?" His eyes darted around the familiar room. "Mm still here. Does my quirk work?"

Kirishima put his hands out in a placating motion. "Nothing bad happened. Everything went fine. You can test your quirk a little yourself, just keep it small, okay?"

Bakugo frowned, likely annoyed that he didn't think of that himself and set off his palm like a little firecracker. He sighed and relaxed into his pillow, then wiped his chin with the back of hand and wrinkled his nose at the drool.

Kirishima continued, "The nurse said Recovery Girl should be here soon to help out with your gums." Without thinking, he found himself prodding his own face where Bakugo's was definitely looking puffier. "Man, I think you might be swelling already. You're starting to look like a chipmunk." He couldn't help but laugh a little. "I'm gonna have to take a picture of this so I can send it to you. You kinda look ridiculous."

While Kirishima pulled out his phone, he watched Bakugo lift his hands to his face again and push his fingers into his own cheeks while his eyes rolled upwards, thoughtfully. Kirishima got a few good shots of the progression before Bakugo said, "This must be what Round Face feels like."

"Pfft!" Kirishima switched the camera on his phone to video and started recording. This couldn't be more perfect and needed to be documented. "Uraraka? Why do you say that, Bakugo?"

Bakugo looked at him, only slightly disgruntled, and continued prodding his face. "Because they're squishy, hair for brains!"

"Do you think about poking her cheeks often?"

Bakugo scoffed. "No. I never think about her squishy cheeks."

The door clicked open and everyone's favorite elderly heroine walked in. "There's my patient! Sometimes I feel like I'm spoiling you kids for things like this, but then with this class, it can be a nice change of pace healing something that didn't come from a villain. Or each other." When Recovery Girl's lips extended in Bakugo's direction he squeezed his eyes shut as she put a smooch on his cheek. After a moment his face started shrinking back towards its normal shape. "Besides, I saw the x-rays. After getting wisdom teeth like those out, you really don't want to wait that healing process out on your own. Remember now, my quirk doesn't do anything to any of the medications you've been given, so my visit's just going to leave you more exhausted than you already were, I'm afraid." She looked at Kirishima. "You two can leave when his head is clear of the sedatives, probably another 20 minutes or so. He'll still need to sleep it off when he gets back to the dorms. Or if he needs to, he can just stay here for that, just let me know." She turned back to Bakugo. "Also, no eating until you can feel your whole mouth, but the holes are closed now, so you can have something to drink if you'd like."

Bakugo just scowled at her as he blinked slowly.

She patted his forearm lightly. "That's about what I figured." She made her way to the door and said, "Be sure he rests up!" then left the room.

Bakugo's scowl lingered on the door a moment before he sluggishly looked back at Kirishima. Then he poked his face a couple times where the swelling had been, and his eyebrows unfurrowed, but his frown seemed to shift from irritated to disappointed. "She's going to make a damn fine hero, you know."

Kirishima was lost. "Who, Recovery Girl?"

Bakugo looked at him like he was spouting nonsense. "No! Ochako!" He pulled his lips back from his teeth and experimentally opened and closed his jaw. Seeming to find things to his satisfaction he continued. "Like how she's good at talking to scared people, n' they really listen. You know? Even when she's not…" he waved his hand, "negating physics." He chuckled to himself as his expression softened. "Probably because she's so damned cute. With those pink cheeks and little," he grinned as he wiggled his own fingers, "kitten fingers." He shook his head, having momentarily distracted himself then turned a glare at Kirishima like he had just insulted Uraraka's finger pads. "That've been enough and she'd be all set, but nope! She had to keep going all Gunhead on top of that, so she can kick ass too. And again, that's without her quirk!" He looked away as his cheeks darkened. "It's, well I mean, I almost always beat her, but damn, she makes me work for it." He looked back at Kirishima having regained his steam. "But then with her quirk? That shit is fucking terrifying!" His words were at odds with the almost wistful grin on his face.

Kirishima just nodded along, while he tried his best not to laugh. He schooled his features to look curious and interested, rather than completely elated. "You make a lot of really good points, Bakugo."

"Of course I do! She's smart and tough as nails, and, and round, and just really fucking nice. How do you even get that nice? I guess you got that figured out, but-"

"Wait, wait, back up bro, did you just call her round?" Kirishima shook his head, eyes wide and incredulous. "Generally speaking that's not something you should go around calling a girl."

"Hah?" Bakugo scowled at him. "I don't mean like a damned globe! I mean, like, parts of her… Are round. Like her cheeks!" His eyes slid away as he tilted his head. "And her um," his throat bobbed, "cheeks. And uh," His face pinked as his eyes snapped angrily back to Kirishima. "Damn it, you know what I mean!"

Kirishima chuckled at his friend's flustered state. "So Bakugo, do you like Uraraka? Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?"

"What? No! I don't like Uraraka! I don't like anybody! He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the floor. "That would be stupid. Liking her, or um, maybe just wanting to," He sighed at the floor and his eyebrows retreated from each other. "Hold her. That would be so stupid. 'Cause she doesn't want that. Besides. I'm too busy for thinking about all the ways I would fuck that up if I ever bothered her with those" he kicked a foot out in a lame gesture, "useless ideas. I can't waste time on something I'd just fuck up if I'm going to be number one."

Kirishima had known for quite some time, about a couple years now, how much his friend's attention lingered on their classmate. It hadn't crossed his mind that Bakugo would be this insecure about it, though. It was more than a little disconcerting, so he asked, "How do you know she doesn't like you?"

Bakugo lifted his head part way and glared at the empty space between them and barked out, "Because I'm an asshole!" He closed his eyes tightly while he paused for a moment. "I'm trying to cut that shit out. I know a good hero isn't an asshole. It's just that no matter what I do, it seems like every other thing is always trying to piss me off!" He seems to deflate, having used up what little energy he had. "So there's no point and it doesn't matter." He turned his head away, quickly rubbed his eye and sniffed sharply, like he'd just come down with allergies all of a sudden, prompted by nothing. He crossed his arms across his chest and kept his head down, making it harder to see how pink his nose and eyes had become.

Just as Kirishima was marveling at how bad his friend really did have it for their classmate, there was a knock at the door as it creaked open. In stepped the girl of the hour, cheeks pinker than usual. Kirishima smiled in terrified delight, not having a clue how much she had heard, but by the strained smile on her face, it was more than a little bit. "Hey, Uraraka! What brings you here?" He greeted her.

"Oh! Uh, hey Kirishima! Bakugo, are you doing okay?" She asked as she crossed the room toward him. "The class all signed a get well card for you, so I brought it by!" She waved the card at him, as though she was using it to dispel the tension in the air as she crossed the room.

Bakugo had schooled his expression to something almost comically bored and peeked in her direction from the corner of his eye. "I'm fine. What the hell would I do with that?"

She chuckled and said, "That's what I told them you would say, but they insisted, so we all signed it."

His eyebrows lifted slightly as she held the card out to him. "You signed it too? Where?" His mouth set in a careful frown.

She opened the card for him and pointed at her signature in pink. "Right there, see?"

He looked at her, then at the card where she pointed and read aloud. "'Sorry you had to be sedated. Glad it won't hurt for long, at least.' Is that a little heart at the bottom of your exclamation point? What the hell is that for?" The question was asked in a tone that lacked any agitation, and was dangerously close to actual curiosity. His frown had slipped to something neutral.

She cleared her throat and fidgeted with her fingers. "Well, um. Because that's what I do when I'm writing to someone I care about who might need cheering up."

Bakugo kept his eyes on her while he did his best to nonchalantly stuff the card into his pocket. This wasn't easy, as he was sitting down and not looking. After completely missing three times, Kirishima had to clamp down on the laugh that tried to escape while he watched Bakugo maintain his neutral expression pinned on Uraraka's face and awkwardly lift his hip and straighten that leg so he could get the card in. Once it was there he scooted his hip back into its original position and laced his fingers together in his lap, as though he could pretend he had been sitting that way the whole time.

Uraraka looked like she was doing her best to keep a straight face throughout the process as well, though in her struggle her expression shifted through surprise, perplexed, and also just trying not to laugh, then landing mostly on amusement. Once the card was successfully stowed away and Bakugo settled himself, she smiled fondly and shook her head. "Well, I hope the sedatives wear off soon. I need to get going, but you feel better, okay?" Then before Kirishima could process what he was seeing, she placed her hand on one side of Bakugo's head to tilt it toward her for a quick kiss on his temple.

Bakugo's carefully bored expression evaporated as his eyes widened in shock. As she began to move away he swiveled lightning fast to catch her face between his hands. She stood there frozen in the half stooped position while Bakugo's eyebrows furrowed. He momentarily distracted himself by gently applying pressure to her cheeks, thoughtfully nodding to himself. Then he shook his head slightly and pushed himself up to smoosh his lips against hers.

After about three full seconds like that, where nothing and no one moved, even to breathe, he released her with a broad grin on his face and complete shock on hers.

She lifted a shaky finger to point at him. "You… You kissed me!"

The grin on his face collapsed and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You kissed me first!" he shouted indignantly.

Uraraka started waving her hands around frantically as she sputtered, "I mean, I know, but that wasn't- I wasn't even thinking when I did that! It just-! I didn't-!" As she uttered each frantic denial Bakugo looked more and more crestfallen, which only served to increase the panic in Uraraka's voice. When the defeat on his face pushed her hysteria to some sort of critical mass, she abruptly shifted gears and shouted, "I mean, yes!"

It seemed to work, because he no longer looked so dejected, just thoroughly baffled.

She took a moment to catch her breath, then sighed and smiled dotingly as she accepted defeat, "Yes, I guess I did."

He beamed up at her. "Yeah. You did."

With a look of amused affection, she reached out tentatively, and lightly ran her fingers through his hair on the side of his head, letting him lean into her palm. She giggled and looked over at Kirishima and his phone. "Oh dear." She looked back at Bakugo and huffed a laugh. "You are not going to like this video one bit. Hey, I should probably go, but why don't you and I have a chat when you're more alert again, yeah?"

Bakugo looked disappointed that she wasn't going to stick around, but also just exhausted. "Yeah, okay." He blinked slowly as the sudden movements and energy expended from earlier seemed to catch up with him, and his eyes fell shut.

Kirishima turned off his camera now that Bakugo was back to soundly sleeping and drooling on his shirt. Since he no longer felt like an intruder, he grinned and asked, "What just happened?"

Uraraka whipped her head around to face him, eyes wide. "Did you see those puppy eyes?! Who the hell knew he had puppy eyes in his arsenal?!"

*****

As she crossed the campus Uraraka's mind was reeling. Kirishima had a very good question, what did just happen?

Bakugo thinks she's cute and he likes her finger pads.

He gushed to his best friend that she's terrifying.

He called her 'Ochako.'

That kiss!

She pulled out her phone to call Deku. She needed to talk to somebody about this, now. "Wait…" No, not Deku. He was great for talking things over with, but this was Bakugo she was talking about. Deku has never been impartial when it comes to Bakugo. She dialed another number and the line picked up on the second ring. "Tsu?"

"Hey, Ochako, what is it?"

"I'm having a crisis and I need to talk to you! Can we meet in your room? Do you have a moment?"

"Come on over. Ribbit. Hot chocolate?"

"You really are a hero, Tsu! I'll be right there!"

Once she was sitting on Tsu's bed with a pillow in her lap, a hot chocolate in her hands, Tsu sat on the bed across from her, picked up her own hot chocolate and said, "Okay, spill."

She wasn't sure where to begin. Had she imagined the whole thing? No. She heard what she heard. And she certainly didn't imagine that kiss. She blew out a breath. "Okay, I think I need to start at the beginning." Tsu nodded and Uraraka continued. "As you know, it was my job to bring Bakugo the get well card from the class. When I showed up to deliver the card, I got there just in time to see Recovery Girl leave the room so I knew he'd just been healed up, which was kind of a relief, because the hard part was over with and I knew he wouldn't be sore or anything, even if it kinda made the card pointless. But whatever." She blew on her drink and took a sip. "Anyway, Recovery Girl saw me coming so we nodded to each other and she left the door a little bit open for me and left. When I got to the door I could hear them talking and I didn't want to just barge in mid sentence, so I paused a moment for a break in conversation but then I heard the conversation and um. Wow."

She hugged the pillow and took another sip. Tsu's eyebrows lifted, but she just sipped her own hot chocolate and waited for her friend to continue.

"Bakugo," she let out a long breath, "likes me. Like, really likes me." She looked at Tsu for a reaction.

"Huh. So what happened? Did you still bring him the card?"

Realizing she shouldn't be surprised by Tsu's lack of shock, she put her hot chocolate down so she could squeeze the pillow with both arms. "Well, after I just stood there like an idiot listening to him regale Kirishima about how amazing I am, I was about to knock and step in, and then the conversation shifted and, Tsu…" Her eyes widened, trying to relay the gravity of the situation, "He doesn't think he's good enough. For me!"

Tsu sat up straighter, her own eyes widening. "That is serious. Ribbit."

Uraraka gestured at Tsu with both hands. "Right? So there I was absolutely filled to the brim with unexpected warm and fuzzy feelings bestowed on me by the class hard ass, and I went in, and oh my gosh he tried so hard to act like he didn't care that I was there, but the sedatives really did a number on the patented 'Bakugo aloofness.'" She giggled. "It was so ridiculous and honestly adorable I just kind of…" she felt a blush coming on, so reached over and grabbed her hot chocolate to partially hide her face, "leaned over and kissed his head."

"Oh dear. How did he react to that?" She sipped her drink while keeping her eyes on her friend.

Uraraka drank the rest of hers in one swig. "He grabbed me by the face and kissed me!" She put the mug down and held the pillow tightly to herself. "And then I panicked because I was so surprised, and he got all sad because that was not the reaction he was expecting, he pouted that I kissed him first, which is very technically true, and just! Ugh!" She covered her face with her hands and groaned. "Have you ever seen Bakugo with sad puppy eyes? It is the most bizarre and yet irresistible thing I have ever encountered!" She picked up her mug, frowned at the visible bottom, and put it back down. "So I told him that yes, he was right, I kissed him first, and that made him so happy, and then he fell asleep."

Tsu blinked. "That is some sedative. Okay, so what I'm hearing is that Bakugo really likes you and you found out and kissed his head, and he kissed you on the mouth, you panicked, he got sad, and you told him that it was really okay."

Uraraka nodded. "Yep, that about sums it up."

"Well then, was it really okay?"

Uraraka's lips turned up in a small smile as she blushed and she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, actually, it was. I mean, having been kissed was a huge shock, but actually being kissed was, well it was clumsy," she laughed, "but he put his whole addled brain into squashing our lips together and that was honestly really sweet."

Tsu chuckled and shook her head. "Ochako, you are ridiculous."

Uraraka whined, "I knoooow!"

"So, do you like Bakugo?"

Uraraka ran her hand through her hair and blew out a puff of air. "It seems crazy, doesn't it? I mean, earlier this morning, I'd have just said 'no' and wondered why you were asking. But he just," she rearranged the pillow in her lap so she could rest her chin on top of it, "ugh. I mean, it's not like I've been looking for a relationship, I've been busy and focused, like him and everyone else! And how was I supposed to know he liked me when I thought the only thing he was really interested in was going beyond, Plus Ultra!" She buried her face in the pillow and groaned, then looked back at Tsu. "But now that I'm thinking about him in those terms? He's loud and cranky, sure, but he's also honest and loyal and tenacious, and I'm trying not to be shallow and list pretty, but it's right there, and dang it! Being wanted is really compelling!" She closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them and said, "I think I really do like him. I want to be with Bakugo and find out what that's like."

Tsu raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Uraraka grinned and shrugged. "Really."

Tsu's expression softened as she smiled. "Well, I don't know if your crisis is over, ribbit, but I'm glad you know what you want."

***

The following morning, Uraraka stood in the kitchen and waited for her strawberry pop tarts to heat up in the toaster. They were okay cold, but were so much better when the filling was warm and the icing was a little caramelized. Bakugo walked in and grabbed his protein shake from the fridge that he had pre-prepared. As he lifted it to his mouth to take a gulp, She cleared her throat, feeling herself flush, and said, "Hey, Bakugo. Feeling better?"

Still drinking, he briefly cut the one eye she could see toward her, but continued to finish the shake. When the glass was empty he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm fine," he said, like he was announcing that sunrise was a normal occurrence.

He gestured with his glass toward the sink, and she realized she was standing in his way, so she stepped to the side. "Oh, uh, sorry. I'm just waiting on my pop tarts." He turned on the faucet and started washing the glass and seemed to be doing his best to ignore her. Apparently he wasn't going to be the one to bring up what happened the day before, but she was getting anxious about it, so with the sound of the running water as a small buffer for her nerves, she cleared her throat and said, "That's good to hear. I mean, I knew you would be. It was just… unusual to see you in that state yesterday. Glad to see you feeling like yourself again."

Bakugo turned off the water and quietly busied himself with drying the glass, and said, "I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about." His tone sounded like he was aiming for bored or annoyed, but he missed his mark and landed on cautious instead.

Uraraka's heart dropped into her stomach as she watched him, mortified. "I thought you might not remember. You didn't see the video, did you?"

"How the hell do you even know there was a video? Did Shitty hair show it to you?! I blew up his damned phone when he was trying to shove it in my face! Like I want to see myself drooling like an idiot."

"No! Bakugo, you blew up his phone?"

He rolled his eyes. "I already said I'd replace it. The damn thing was all cracked anyway."

She took a deep breath and ran her hand through her hair as she tried to compose herself, then glared at him. "I know about the video because I'm in it, dummy. If there's still a copy of that video, you better watch it or else get Kirishima to explain it to you, because you may not remember what happened, but he does, and I sure as hell do too."

That got his attention. His eyes widened with what looked like fear, but it only lasted a moment. He looked away from her and schooled his features to look mildly irritated, despite the growing blush staining his cheeks. "Fine, whatever." He shelved the glass in his hand and stormed quickly out of the kitchen, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else.

Uraraka jumped when her pop tarts sprung up from the toaster. Rolling her eyes at herself, she dropped the pop tarts onto a small plate and turned to leave the room when Midoriya walked in, frowning a little. She stopped short. "Oh, hey Deku."

"Hey Uraraka. I just saw Kacchan and he kinda looked upset." He searched her face with concern. "Did something just happen?"

She blew at a stray lock of hair. "Maybe? I don't know. Maybe not. I'm alright. It's just weird and complicated, but I'll tell you about it later. I think I'm just going to hang out in my room for a bit."

He gave her a worried little smile. "Okay then. But if you need anything just let me know, okay?"

She smiled in genuine appreciation. "I absolutely will. Thanks, Deku," then headed up to her room.

Once she got inside and closed the door it all came crashing down on her. She didn't like admitting it, but between what happened the day before and just now, Bakugo had her pretty rattled. So in her room she stayed. She was not going to chance running into Bakugo again. What if he never watched the video, or if it was totally destroyed? What if Kirishima didn't want to tell him about it to avoid Bakugo's wrath. No, Kirishima isn't afraid of Bakugo, he'll at least tell him. Though she couldn't blame him if he didn't want to explain what happened right away. She sure didn't want to have to do it. So, now was a good time to get a jump on some homework, so she settled in to do just that.

Three completed homework assignments and most of a book later, there was a knock at the door. She froze for a moment, kind of hoping she was hearing things, and the knock came again along with Bakugo's voice. "Open up, Round Face. You wanted to talk, so I'm here to talk."

Her heart jumped into her throat. She scolded herself for not preparing for this as she crossed the room and tentatively opened the door. His hands were buried in his pockets and he was scowling at her feet. The scowl wasn't his deepest. The way he was looking down it cast a shadow over his features that somewhat obscured what looked like a blush, but he was tall enough that looking down didn't do a thing to hide his face from her. She couldn't really blame him, she was also blushing pretty hard. She opened the door wider and stepped back in invitation. "So I take it you've seen the video?"

He stepped in the room after her. She let him pass while she closed the door behind him as he answered. "It had already been saved on his virtual storage." He released a sigh, "Damn it." Then turned around and locked eyes with her. "I fucked up," he said, voice subdued. His eyes darted away and then back again, "I had no business kissing you like that." He huffed. "Or at all."

That caught her off guard. When she said she wanted to talk the last thing she was thinking of was getting an apology. She shook her head and tried to explain, "Really, it's fine. I mean- I did kiss you first."

Bakugo rolled his eyes and gestured, incredulously. "But you didn't really mean it like that! It was just a shitty thing for me to do!"

Her brows drew together. "Hey! Maybe I really did mean-"

He cut her off as he aggressively shoved his fists in his pockets and shouted "Don't change the fucking narrative to make me feel better! I saw the video, you were panicking!"

"Yes I was! But I didn't really know how I meant it when I did that! I wasn't thinking at all! Look, I was out in that hallway for longer than I'm proud of, but I heard you say a lot of really nice things. And geez, it was really flattering, and I never really thought about us… together before-"

"Yeah, I know! Because I'm an asshole!"

She fisted her hands at her sides and shouted, "Will you fucking let me talk?!"

His mouth snapped shut, and he glared at her.

"Anyway, I had never really thought of us being together before… like that, because you always came off as supremely unavailable! You almost never let anyone get very close to you, even as just friends, so I never bothered to consider if I was interested or not because I assumed it was moot. Then standing in the hallway listening to you made me think, what if it isn't moot? What if you were someone I could maybe be with? And honestly," her brows drew together, "It sounded really nice."

Uraraka fidgeted with her fingers while she tried to herd her thoughts into words so he would understand. "So when I walked in I was surprised and embarrassed for having just stood there for all of that like some creep, but also feeling really appreciated and all," she waved a hand, "warm and fuzzy. Then I watched you pretend you hadn't said any of it," she giggled, "kind of terribly." Her shoulder lifted in a half shrug, "I was just so caught up in how ridiculous and adorable you were and how you made me feel that I kissed you without even thinking about it. It just felt like the natural thing to do. So no, I didn't mean it like, 'Hey let's start kissing each other.' And yes, when you kissed me I did panic." She sighed and shook her head while a small smile crept on her face. "I didn't panic because I didn't want that kiss, though. I panicked because everything I knew about us and what I wanted that to be changed completely in less than two minutes. A moment before it had all just started as a tempting, nebulous idea in my head, and then you kissed me and made all of it very real very fast and I just wasn't expecting it!"

While she watched him as she spoke Bakugo's expression slowly lost its anger, though it was replaced by something arguably worse. By the time she finished he looked resigned. "Uraraka," he said quietly, "this can't work. Those things I said, yeah," his cheeks flushed as he cleared his throat, "it's pretty obvious I meant them." His brows furrowed again. "But you know damn well I wasn't acting like myself. I was half asleep and on drugs for crying out loud!" He rubbed a hand down his face and looked tired. "The real me is a complete jerk. You're not an idiot who wastes her time on complete jerks."

Uraraka knew she had to choose her words carefully. Bakugo was right, he hadn't been acting like himself, but right now, a full night's rest and full day later, he was still showing her a side that he usually kept tucked away. She strengthened her resolve and schooled her features so he would know she was being absolutely serious. "You're right, I'm not an idiot. But you're also wrong, you're not a jerk."

His eyebrow raised skeptically, "Well now you're just making shit up."

She ignored him and plowed ahead. "Yeah, kindness doesn't come naturally to you, and in our first year you were a real piece of work. But so much has happened since then and I think out of all of us, you've really grown the most. Like just now," she gestured at his hands, "you were angry and your temper started running hot, what did you do? You shoved your hands in your pockets as a safety precaution, like you always do. I remember when you started doing that, early second year. I'm pretty sure it's a reflex now. Criticism still makes you so uncomfortable. You always clench your jaw," she tilted her head, "a bit like you're doing now. But you keep your mouth shut the whole time, you keep your cool, and you adjust if you think it might help you improve." She let herself smile a little and shook her head. "You still yell a lot, but you almost never really yell at people anymore, unless they do something so stupid that even I want to yell. Most of the time you're shouting at, I dunno," her hands waved around the room, "incoming flood water, a raging apartment fire, or the concrete slab pinning someone down. Or villains, but they don't count."

Her eyes darted to the floor and back up. Admitting this next part out loud felt risky. "More than that, though, we all stopped being 'extras' a long time ago. You used to move around life like everyone around you was furniture. Now?" Her nervous hand moved some hair behind her ear. "It's a lot of little things. I feel like you're uncomfortable getting caught being nice, but I've seen you do kind things for pretty much everyone at one time or another. As long as you're pretty sure no one's looking." She smirked. "You get a little more grumbly right after most of the time, like someone made you do it. It's kind of like when you're asked to help out, you usually act all put upon, but then you pitch in anyway."

Her face flushed when she realized she had probably been grinning like an idiot and schooled her features back to something serious. She took the sight of him in and he looked a bit like a caged animal. He stared at a spot on her wall like he was hoping not to be seen. Like he'd been seen too much. This uncharted territory was making her nervous. She had no idea how he'd react, but she reached out her hand to cup his cheek, letting her pinky hang just below his jaw. He let her turn his head toward her, but he looked at the floor, still avoiding her eyes. Even still, he didn't act like he wanted her to let go, so she continued. "So no, Bakugo, you're not a jerk. That's not who you want to be anymore, so you're putting in the work, especially when it's hard. That is how you deserve to be judged."

He couldn't look at her, so he frowned at the floor. His jaw was still clenched and he took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly. His throat bobbed as he tried to relax. His voice was a little raspy as he said, "Okay." He carefully grabbed the hand on his cheek and pulled it down from his face, squeezing it gently before he let go. "I still say you were panicking too much to think you were really okay with that kiss."

She absently rubbed her arm and thought in silence for a moment while he waited for her to respond. "How about this?" she finally said, "We'll try another kiss. This time, I know it's coming. If I feel at all like I don't want it or where it may lead, I'm free to pull away." His eyes came up to meet hers. She grinned and raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you even remember the first kiss?"

His cheeks flushed and his throat bobbed. "Sorta. Before I saw the video, I, uh," he cleared his throat, "I honestly thought I had dreamed that part."

"Oh." She felt her cheeks flush to match his. "Well, do you want to try again?"

HIs eyebrows lifted as he asked, "Do you?"

"Yeah, I think I do," she grinned.

She watched his face turn serious with furrowed brows and eyes intent. He seemed to have found a foothold to climb out of his uncertainty. He mirrored her action from earlier as he palmed her jaw, but his hand was so large his fingertips curled slightly behind her neck while his thumb grazed her cheekbone. He leaned down to meet her, slow enough to make her think he believed she might actually back away. When she felt his mouth reach hers it was firm and warm, but gentle. That only lasted a moment as she felt his other hand wrap around her waist and pull her in as he deepened the kiss. She realized she was humming the same time she noticed the fabric of his collar in her fist. He broke the kiss with a low chuckle and kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into his chest. He sighed and used both his arms to tuck her into himself and rested his chin on her head. His heart pounded in her ear, even as he took long easy breaths.

They stayed like that for several moments before he broke the silence. "So, where does this leave us?" she felt him rumble.

She peeked up at him from her slightly burrowed position. "I dunno, dating?"

"Tch." He pulled back enough so they could look at each other. "Dates sound annoying. Making appointments to go somewhere else to hang out together? We could just hang out where we are already."

"So like," she felt her cheeks flush while she hesitated, "boyfriend/girlfriend?"

He recoiled slightly and wrinkled his nose. "That is a stupid fucking name for it."

She shoved the prickly disappointment aside to think of other alternatives, "Okay, so you don't want to be my boyfriend, then-"

"Damn it, I never said I don't want to be your boyfriend!" He cleared his throat and his eyes bounced to the floor and back up to her, a hint of the uncertainty returning. "Do you want that?"

Uraraka felt her cheeks strain with a smile she couldn't stop if she tried. "Yes!" she shouted as she dove back into his chest for a hug that made him stumble a step.

*****

Midoriya sat on one of the couches, chatting with Todoroki and Ojiro while most of the class got ready for the movie marathon. Iida and Yaoyorozu just came in with the pizza when Kirishima climbed over the back of the couch to sit next to him.

"Hey, Midoriya, Uraraka usually makes it to these, do you think she's going to come tonight?"

Midoriya was trying not to seem anxious but he frowned and said, "I don't really know. She said she was alright earlier, but she hasn't left her room since this morning. How's Kacchan today?"

Kirishima tilted his head to the side, "Weeell, it's not his best day. His feathers were still pretty ruffled about the procedure yesterday, as to be expected. Then I showed him the video I took while he was still out of it, and he honestly looked like he was going to be sick. After that he also holed up in his room for the rest of the day. But you know," he shrugged, "that's not so unusual for him, but this time? I don't like it."

Midoriya nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that doesn't really bode well."

Todoroki gave a small nod toward the elevators. "Hey, here they both come."

Midoriya looked over his shoulder just in time to see Bakugo and Uraraka unclasp hands and for him to lift her by the waist and set her on the back of one of the other couches. Midoriya was cautiously intrigued. The pair both looked around the room before Bakugo shouted, "Oi!" grabbing everyone's attention. "I want to make something clear to all of you right now. Ochako and I are-" his nose wrinkled as he paused, just long enough for her to whisper something in his ear. He nodded sharply and continued, "-in a relationship. Now that you've been made aware, later I don't want to listen to your squealing or yammering if you see us doing something like this," he held their joined hands high while Uraraka grinned. Midoriya was stunned and elated for his friends while around the room there were several gasps and a squeak or two. Then Bakugo shot Uraraka a devilish grin and said, "or like this," then grabbed her behind the head and stepped in closer to give her an absolutely searing kiss. Uraraka startled at first, but then Midoriya felt himself flush when she grabbed Bakugo by the shirt and seemed to be giving as good as she got. The room erupted in cheering, applause, and a stray wolf whistle that was probably Kaminari. Midoriya couldn't help his laughter when Kirishima shouted, "Oh my God, that is so manly!" over the din.

The class was still in an uproar when they broke the kiss and Uraraka laughed into Bakugo's shoulder as he grinned at her. While they had a quiet conversation just for them, Midoriya was just so happy for two of the most important people in his life. Meanwhile, the cacophony they sent the room into continued with animated conversations, a couple of arguments, Sero paying Shoji, and before he knew it, Midoriya was being hugged by an emotional Kirishima, who gushed, "Now we're like, best bro in-laws!" Midoriya just laughed and hugged him back. Heck, maybe he was a little emotional too as he wiped his damp eyes.

He looked up at Bakugo and Uraraka just in time to see them walk to the exit like they were making a quick getaway while most of the class was distracted. On the way to the glass doors they ended up passing close enough to Midoriya that he heard Bakugo say, "I'll make an exception tonight, we're going out," as they left the dorm and didn't look back.

Todoroki just shook his head with a little smirk and said, "I can't believe the get well card actually worked."

Kaminari crashed into him and grabbed Todoroki's shoulder dramatically. "Thank GOD it did!" He gripped his own chest and said, "I got a little ahead of myself and signed the card, 'Congrats on the new hottie!'"

Kirishima barked out a laugh. "Bro, you are so lucky he's never actually going to read those things!"

Midoriya shook his head and laughed. "You know, I was originally kidding when I suggested we throw her in the room with him before the sedatives wear off just in case he starts talking. But that worked out really well!"

Kirishima patted his back jovially. "Midoriya, man, I am never doubting you again."