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Uraraka had told herself she wouldn't call him tonight.
The night outside was cold and unforgiving, winter was approaching the city and with that, not only did the sun grow distant from the Earth, but so did the hearts left in the cold. The streets were damp and empty, the light of flickering lamp posts gave off an artificial warmth. The faint sound of snow falling soothed Uraraka's ears as she snuggled on the corner of her pale couch, blanket tucked over her nose.
The distant phantom of the city lights were the only thing illuminating the room. The stars weren't out tonight, but even if they were, she couldn't care right now. Her body was curled under a fuzzy tangerine blanket, that, if she focused hard enough, still had a faint of his scent. The scent of him being curled up on the sofa with her just like she was now.
Her eyes were closed. Uraraka tried to picture and feel the shape of his body close to hers, the warmth he always radiated and the sense of comfort and tranquility he brought with him when he was in silence. He would have an arm lingering over her back, eyes closed and mouth agape in light slumber.
Whenever she woke up first, her eyes would linger on the rarity of that calm, almost childish expression. It was hard to picture him making those awful expressions he did during the day, those that never made justice to his sharp, elegant features. But that blissful slumber of his was only a show for her to witness.
Sadly enough, he wasn't there with her. Not that he should be, of course, but he was away from her.
Him being cuddled up with her wasn't that much of a tradition anyway. Bakugou would sometimes show up at her doorstep with a bag saddled over his shoulder, looking at her as if her opinion didn't really matter.
At first, she had tried to sass him out of her home, but he'd mumble something about her place being near his agency and being too tired to drop anywhere else. His ways weren't the best, but Uraraka wasn't one to turn anybody down either.
So, she let him stay.
Over and over again.
While Uraraka had told herself it would be a one time thing every time he came by, she found herself less and less impacted by his same old demeanor. He would throw his bag to a corner and then himself on her sofa, rarely bothering to remove his boots. Only did he take them off when she insisted on the rainy mess he left at his wake.
It would always be the same. He'd fall asleep on her couch, and when she woke up, there would be one lukewarm cup of coffee left on the table, and it'd have exactly two pinches of cinnamon on top of it. Seldom would she ever find him in her kitchen before she went to work, but he'd leave first.
He always left first.
Uraraka figured he didn't want to hang around her unless it was for temporary shelter. He had always been a lonely wolf, unlike her who was surrounded by friends most of the time.
Once, Midoriya had come over for dinner with Asui and Iida. Bakugou had been there the night before, on the very same sofa where they were sitting. Midoriya had yelped when he felt something hard and solid under the cushion, and Uraraka had taken notice of it while drinking some tea, but thought nothing of it.
It wasn't until her friend showed her a familiar small grenadier that she almost choked on her warm drink. "Uraraka, what is this? Have you been hooking up with-"
The brunette had snatched the object from her friend and kept it in a pocket of her pale pink sweater. She took the spoon of her cup and started stirring, trying to think of a quick excuse she could make. The situation implied Bakugou had been there and had stayed over for a long time, of course it sounded suspicious.
Her heart started beating at a steady cadence just at the thought of something like that happening, and a healthy blush decorated her supple cheeks. "Of course not! He stayed over once during a storm and he must have dropped these from his belt. No biggie."
But she was still blushing, face warm at the accusation. Asui wasted no time to point that out. "You sound flustered, Ochako. What's wrong?"
Iida looked from Midoriya and Asui to Uraraka and put his hand on the shoulder of the latter, who blinked up at him in confusion. "Don't let these two rascals fluster you, Uraraka. Bakugou is more than suitable partner and you should be proud of being with him!"
That alone made her blush grow redder.
Endless thoughts of her with Bakugou swirled in her mind as she recalled all the moments they had shared together, albeit small, but still cozy and relaxing. It had taken Uraraka a few mornings of her life to discover that, when not in the battlefield, Bakugou was a pretty interesting fellow to talk to.
He was still brazen as a mafia criminal and just as sharp with his tongue as a knife, but so was she. Maybe that was why she had found herself expecting him more than once, now used to their dynamic and almost, dare she say, accustomed to his presence over the passing weeks.
She had failed to realize he was coming over more often, as well. Or, more accurately, she had realized it, yet shrugged it off as him just overworking himself at work. They were both national heroes, and had to give their all when in the battlefield.
Every day was a battle when the streets were taken by the wrong hands.
One night, one of those hands reached him and gave him a beating that ended up with him crashing at her doorstep. When she calmly opened the door, ready for his usual spiel about how tired he was, Uraraka's eyes met the dark blood dripping down his shoulder and ribs. The girl had let out a loud gasp of horror and unkindly yanked him into her home.
Bakugou had cursed at her, but she had ignored him out of muscle instinct. She had always had a first-aid kit in her living room in case she came home with a bad bruise, and it was one of those times she thanked herself for being so cautious. As she treated his wounds, Bakugou growled and flinched, but never complained.
"You're such an idiot." she had dared to say.
His eyes met hers for a brief moment, blistering red meeting soft chocolate she knew would melt under his embers, so she refused to look at him and continued the labor. "What happened? I thought Best Jeanist taught you better than this."
"Shut the hell up." he had spat, knuckles shoved in his mouth to bite into the skin and muffle his groans of pain. The alcohol cleansed his skin with stingy strokes that left his shoulder almost numb, but he wouldn't give a hard time to somebody who was trying to help him. "Didn't you fucking break your leg the other month at a bank robbery?"
Yes, she did.
She was still wearing her bandage in that precise moment, but he either ignored the detail to not sound redundant or just didn't see it in his dazed state. "You had to be taken to the hospital the other week for giving yourself a concussion on the head. That's what happens when you don't run carefully near a warzone."
Uraraka applied a bit more pressure with the soft, wet cotton and he hissed in response. "Give me a break. There was a kid under the debris. I don't give a damn if I end up knocked down at a hospital as long as I win the battle."
Her ministrations stopped for two solid seconds as her mind processed his words. Her eyes were glazed with something akin to concern and when he looked back at her, his eyes widened an inch as she sighed and continued applying the cleanser.
Bakugou winced.
"Maybe you don't care." she whispered, almost as if she didn't want to be heard, but her lips were moving of their own accord, words rolling off her tongue effortlessly. "But I do."
He didn't say a word after that. She would have expected him to mock her blabbery with an arrogant smirk, to tell her to get lost- instead, he just remained silent, words soaking him and her into a state of comfortable silence, and it didn't dawn on her until after he left that she probably screwed up by taking it a step too far.
Uraraka had guessed she wouldn't hear from him again.
He came back two days later. And their usual schedule resumed without a change, except that the spaces between visit and visit grew shorter and shorter. His visits became more of a routine than a small event between lapses of time, and more often than not, they'd end up on the sofa together, each at opposite sides of the cushions.
Her friends had been getting increasingly busy, so it was an occasional blessing when he would swing by. Each and every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, he would come by. Bakugou was a busy pro-hero, and while they still had contact with their friends from U.A, their current jobs kept them fairly busy.
During daytime, they had their separate lives that rarely entwined with the other. During the quiet, lonely nights, they sought each other like sparkling magnets, crashing down on the sofa.
Sometimes, when on the sofa, they'd be as far from the other as possible - as she insisted, she didn't want to burden him, but she wanted to keep him company - whereas other times, they'd end up curled against each other when the ghosts of empty nights and dangerous brushes with death caught up with them.
However, thanks to Bakugou's and Midoriya's aid, the city had been fairly quiet for a while, no villains to plague the minds of the young heroes. Even now, as Uraraka drowsily curled up on her empty couch, phone in hand, she was surprised to hear little more than the wind and the distant echo of the city lights.
She stared at the screen of her phone. His contact blared into her eyes, taunting her heart as she longed for his presence. Uraraka didn't want to cling to him. She was an independent woman, she didn't need him even when she missed him this stupidly bad.
Fearful to admit it, the hero found herself longing for his presence lately, when he didn't come by. He hadn't come by in a few days, which was odd for him.
Uraraka blamed herself for getting used to his fickle presence, but it happened anyway. It was so easy to just go to him, his warmth, his ashen and musky scent of war and his gravelly voice, always hushed to a whisper when he came to her.
Last time Bakugou had come by, last Monday, he had been unusually silent, like the old times. As time had passed, they had made a habit to chat a little before falling asleep. That night had been a exception that made her feel colder than a November winter.
They fell asleep separated, but when she opened her eyes to the streaming sunlight, she found his head on her lap, hair tousled and cheek pushed against her thigh. Her cheeks had blistered in embarrassment at the vulnerability of the fierce hero right then and there, how cute he had looked on top of her, the peaceful look across his features.
It had dawned on her then that the stacatto pace of her heart wasn't just a product of her common nervousness at his proximity, but also, because of the feelings he had made flourish within her.
Embarrassed about the realization she had stumbled with upon when seeing him, she had floated away from her position, tucked a pillow in her thighs' stead and rushed to work.
Bakugou wasn't there when she got home, but the pillows had been neatly tidied and the cushion showed no traces of him having been there. The only proof of him being there were the sensation of his head on her legs, that palpable memory, and the still lasting blush that stung her cheeks.
Uraraka had expected a similar comeback to her, one like he had done when she expressed he was important to her. She had expected him to shrug off the fact that she had seen him so vulnerable and come back again. But there she was. Alone.
Alone in this dark, cold night without him. How could she deny her longing when she looked at the door every time she heard steps in the hallway? Was he alright? Maybe he had been hurt, but until a few minutes ago, Uraraka had been watching the news in search of a trace of him, just anything.
She wanted to see his face again, make sure he was alright.
Today had been a hard day. It was unbelievable she had made it to night time, honestly.
A gang of powerful villains had raided Uraraka's agency, had destroyed half of the building in search of a mysterious gadget she had stolen from them during an undercover mission. It had taken both her and her peers, plus some seniors from neighboring agencies to take them down.
Blood had been shed, some people had ended up at the hospital with severe wounds. Panic had soared within her heart when chaos broke free, but at the end of the day, the criminals had been immobilized thanks to Uraraka, who had been praised for her reflexes and strategic thinking when everyone was panicking.
Her eyes had searched for any sight of Bakugou among some of her friends who had come to her aid. Uraraka had been sorely disappointed.
Her wounds were still throbbing across her body. She had several band-aids draped around her body, but it had all been worth it as everyone was safe now. Everyone was now spending their nights with their loved ones to recover from the shock, except Uraraka.
Where was he?
Without realizing, Uraraka pressed the green 'Call' button of her flip phone and only when she heard the dialing tone did she realize her mistake. However, she had little time to be sorry, because a gruff voice came from the other end of the line.
"Uraraka…" came a low, gruff voice. "What's up? It's late as hell, you should be sleeping."
She could see from his tone he was just as tired. Perhaps she shouldn't have called him this late in the night. "I was just… checking on you. I haven't seen you in a while."
The call had been unintentional, but her concern was real as day.
It was weird to address this unspoken bond between them and he stayed in silence for a bit. Uraraka feared having messed up again, her heart a mess now that his voice was whispering into her ear. She could feel it threaten to leap out of her throat, biting on her lip and her toes curled in anticipation.
Her fingers fiddled with the hem of her blanket, needing something to touch as she anxiously waited for an answer. Soon enough, his voice came again. "I… watched the news today."
That was not what she had been expecting, and she couldn't help but ask about it. "You mean… that accident with the villains?"
"Yeah…" there was a gap of silence right afterwards and Uraraka was kept at the edge of her seat all the time.
What did he have to say? What would one of the top heroes tell her about that dangerous assault? And… why was he even bringing it up? He was never a fan of big talks, so why bother?
Before he could give her an earful for whatever mistakes she had made to the public eye, as she knew he would, Uraraka had to ask this first. "Where are you? I… haven't seen you all week."
Bakugou sighed and she heard steps around him. He was probably pacing around, searching for the right words and that by itself started to build a fright within her. "I… had an accident at work the other day. I wasn't really on my game and one of those fuckers pounced on me." then, she heard him throw his body to the sofa again, and he groaned in protest at the careless movement. "I'm off of work for a week or two. I had to take a little time off, anyway."
The girl let a sigh of relief of her own blow through her lips. He was alright. Well, alright was a bit far-fetched, but he wasn't hospitalized or anything like that. "I'm glad you're safe. I haven't seen you on the news lately, I was kinda worried."
"I wanted to stay home for awhile and rest. It's been a damn chaotic week." she could imagine him now, brows knitted and fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, as he always did when he briefed her on his work day whenever he came by. Uraraka missed that gesture. "I didn't wanna… disturb you and all."
Considering he had been doing that without really regarding her wishes, his last statement sounded like a fat lie. However, she didn't dwell on it. "It's fine, you never really disturb me." admitted she, and a small noise came from the other line, as if embarrassed or somehow frustrated. "It's just… been a hectic day and I was hoping to see you. Or talk to you- I don't know."
There she went, being too sincere and blunt, realizing she had yet again messed up a second too late.
A small bright blush splashed on her plump cheeks, she tried to cover it with her blanket as if he could see her. Bakugou didn't say anything for a bit, like she expected of him, but then he surprised her with a bold statement of his.
"I saw you on the news today." confessed Bakugou. "I'm bored as shit here and I was just scanning the news to see how you dumbasses were doing. The news cast was recording from a helicopter, from that huge gap on the ceiling. It still fucking blows my mind that eagle dude crashed against the building like that."
Uraraka didn't know if he was blaming the agency, the villain for being reckless, or both. "It was a villain, of course-"
"That's not the fucking point. The thing is I saw you fighting those bastards." Bakugou sounded almost ashamed of admitting it, so to him, this could be the same as flattering somebody. It matched his incredibly narcissistic hero attitude, in a way. "And… I wasn't expecting you to kick ass so hard, considering how hurt you were."
Her head was cocked to a side slightly and as she processed his words, a small teasing smile formed on her lips. "Are you praising me? That doesn't sound like you, did you hit your head on that mission?"
"Of course not!" Bakugou bellowed, and she giggled in response. He wasn't even blushing, probably, but his responses to her teasings were always amusing. "I was just letting you know you did a damn good job. Don't let it get to your head."
"Says you, Lord of Explodokills."
"Shut the fuck up, Uraraka."
Uraraka bursted out laughing as he said that, sensing he was flustered by her sharp statements. A few chuckles of his own escaped his lips, but it never evolved into more than that. When she calmed down, Uraraka bit her lip and curled a strand of hair around her finger as her confidence dropped a smidge down to mild embarrassment, pronouncing her next words carefully.
"I just… miss you around tonight." stammered the female hero, looking out the window. The night was getting colder, or perhaps she was missing his warmth even more. "I mean… you don't have to come by, I just… it's weird sleeping alone for so long."
His response came out almost immediately, as if he had been thinking about this hard and long. "I shouldn't go, Uraraka."
This made her blink, all traces of embarrassment replaced with concern.
Had she screwed up so badly? Had she been too sincere? Fuck, she shouldn't have called him, or better, she should hang up. The less she talked, she less she would screw up. Her feelings were too jumbled and she was clinging too hard.
Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest, writhed, and fell through her stomach, making her curl even further on the couch. She felt small, all the grandiosity of the mission evaporating from her body and her fighting spirit gone with the wind.
"Again you… don't have to come. I probably screwed up or something, didn't I?" said she, distant, her tiny voice filling the space between them. "Sorry for calling, I just…" Uraraka thought twice before continuing and then gave up with a small sigh. "Nevermind. Sorry for bothering you. Drop by whenever you wanna and… I'll see you somewhere at work."
A beat of silence passed where she wondered if she should just hang up now and deem this brief story to be over. Her phone trembled in her hands, one pinky up, thumb on the red 'end' call button. Her teeth were pressed together in a grimace of dread, the silence too heavy for her to bear.
Whatever they had, if they had had something… it was over. Her feelings were all over the place, she wanted to talk, but she knew she would just mess up if she asked him to come and make things worse, to come and be with her.
Uraraka heard him take a quick, sharp breath before she screwed her eyes shut and interrupted him, ending the call. Whatever he had to say was bound to end nowhere, or would possibly upset her. She needed to get rid of these cumbersome feelings, she needed to shake it all out. Bakugou probably didn't see her in the same light as she saw him, after all he was too busy with hero work for anything else.
It made her feel so, so small. It was as if all stars had turned against her, as if the sun had sunk for her and everything was dark, pitch dark where she couldn't see any sort of exit from this nightmare. It hurt to feel heartbroken before her heart had had an opportunity to be full to begin with. Now, she was alone again and she would probably remain that way.
It didn't matter anyway. It was her mistake for catching feelings for an independent hero when she was already a successful hero herself. She didn't need him, she knew it wasn't a big deal, but she couldn't help but feel immensely sad.
Uraraka sighed. With that, her rocking thoughts slowed down and all that enveloped her was complete, utter and absolute silence, as if she was submerged in water.
Except it felt like instead of floating, her heart was sinking and drowning in the sea and it was a feeling hard to get rid of. Regardless, Uraraka pushed the feelings down, curled a bit deeper, and went into standby.
She didn't know how many minutes or hours passed before she heard a soft knock on the door to her home. If the second knock hadn't been more frantic, perhaps Uraraka would have never heard it. After a quick glance to the clock and a yawn, the girl trudged to the door, eyes opening a crack.
Uraraka didn't even bother asking who it was, she just opened the door. "Who are you and what are you selling? I got no money to spare."
There was a small gap of silence in which she just rubbed her eyes to get rid of that stinging drowsiness. A small tch was all she heard in response to her greeting and then a groaned out sentence.
"You could at least put some more clothes on. Didn't you say it was cold as shit today?"
Uraraka's eyes snapped open to see a very wanted visitor sulking at her doorstep. When he saw she had realized it was him, the boy looked to his side, hands shoved deep in his pockets and the fabric clutched in the gaps between his fingers.
"Bakugou!" the boy made that noise again, prompting her to pout. Whatever mean comment she had was gone the second her eyes fell on the tightly wrapped bandage around his arm, sneakily hidden under his white denim jacket. "I… I thought you were going to stay home and rest."
"Bullshit." said he, not even bothering to ask for permission as he breezed past her and into her home. The girl shed a knowing smile at the familiarity in his gestures and closed the door. "You fucking hung up on me. You all got the nerve to call me a jerk but then you act rude as shit."
Bakugou scampered to the sofa and threw himself on it, careful to not land on his arm.
"You didn't even bother asking for permission to get in."
An arm was bent under his head as he watched her saunter to his side. "Whatever. When have I needed to ask permission?"
It sucked because he was right on that one. Sighing, she limped on the other side of the couch. She noticed his boots had been kicked off before taking the sofa and that he had hung the jacket on a chair to not soak the sofa with the street rain. His steps had been considerate unlike before.
It was also out of the ordinary he wasn't trying to either immediately fall asleep or make a quick meaningless chat with her. Bakugou never wasted time. He was always doing something to accelerate his stride to whatever goal he had in mind. He never went sightseeing or stopped and stared, he was always moving.
However, his current muted status contradicted his very usual preachings of 'no distractions, I'll always be first at everything I do' and that jazz. Something was off and for once, no matter how brazen she was with her words, Uraraka couldn't dare articulate a single word.
Sometimes, it was better to not say anything, even if she was dying to ask why he was so silent and just so unlike him. She even wished he'd be the scolding nitpicking bastard he was during daytime, but not like this.
Uraraka glanced back at him and found his very wine, piercing narrowed eyes staring back at her. She, daring as she was, didn't say a thing nor did she pry her eyes off from him either. Instead, his eyes squinted harder in suspicion and it occurred to her that she was perhaps behaving different to usual because of him too, and it made him this uptight around her.
It was outstanding how they could mirror each other so well even when their minds were probably very, very far away from each other.
She took a deep breath to speak, but was rudely interrupted by him this time around.
"I didn't fucking wanna come, got it?" he breathed, his voice gravelly but somewhat softer than usual. "Don't let it get to your head."
At that, Uraraka whipped her head around to witness his eyes flashing away from hers in what seemed to be mild frustration at his use of words. Somebody would've mistaken that for embarrassment, yet the girl knew better than to think he was a blushing schoolboy.
She arched a coy eyebrow at him and it only made him look further away in frustration. "You could have stayed at home then, dummy. I don't need you complaining about how I dragged you here."
Bakugou let out a few choice curses against the back cushion of her sofa as she sat on the edge, her lower back brushing against his pants. The girl let out a giggle that faded in seconds and all that was left was a small smile and a lingering question.
Uraraka didn't want the silence to last, so she burnt it with fire. Looking back, his frame was slovenly laid on the sofa, arm under his head and another on his even, smooth stomach over his tanktop. She could recognize the small tears on the fabric and stains from a few fights they had back in the day.
As if she would ever forget them.
As soon as she started to remember fond memories, her lips spoke on her own. "Can I… sleep by your side tonight?"
His head jerked in her direction and the suddenness of it all made her feel suddenly shy and tiny, so her eyes were the ones to flash away from his glare this time. The same feeling of having made a mistake, just as she had done in the past revealing her deep feelings for him, they were coming back.
It made her sick to her stomach.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" of course, he had to jump all over the place when something was said that he didn't understand. In a way, he had a sort of caveman reaction to intimacy that was endearing, but also frightening at the same time.
Uraraka's sense kicked into action and she rushed to explain. "I mean- I called you over for a reason! Today was a pretty scary day and I just kinda wanted to be a bit closer to you." words were rolling off her lips without thinking, her mind was trying to chase after her tongue to make her stop, but nothing could ever pin her nervous rambling now. "I just feel tired and still a bit overwhelmed by it all, I was just expecting to be with somebody tonight and…"
"Shut the fuck up already, Uraraka."
Those words on their own made her mouth clamp shut and her body grew still in anticipation. A sigh blew out his mouth in what seemed to be exasperation, not necessarily annoyance at her. Not like it calmed her down, either.
"We always sleep next to each other. What the hell are you suggesting we do, then?"
Her eyes connected with his, her cheeks somewhat puffed out in frustration, telling him to please not make her say it, but his dumbfounded expression was so genuine she parted her lips to speak.
However, a second later, he blurted out the word so awkwardly and loudly he could as well believe it was a sin."You wanna fucking cuddle!?"
Uraraka gulped and almost scooted away, but something in his eyes told her he wasn't as angry as he was actually baffled. His utterly confused expression, as if he didn't know what that meant, made genuine care blossom within her belly.
"I thought it was obvious! And you don't need to say it so loudly!" Uraraka gritted her teeth, feeling called out for her maybe too forward suggestion. Her cheeks splashed with a fresh blush. "Geez, you're so damn blunt!"
"Says the one who proposed to cuddle like two cats in heat!"
She turned her upper half around to face him. "What sort of cuddling have you heard of!?"
"Tch." his eyes screwed close and she could hear a vein pop in his head at this small banter, that felt irritating now, but she'd probably treasure it forever in her little jar of memories. "Was your day so damn bad you need somebody to act as your lil' plushie? How bad can it fucking be?"
Her cheeks inflated, this time out of mild anger at how he was dismissing her needs. It felt like a small laugh in his part when she was being honest about today, when she was feeling weak and craving comfort. Perhaps she shouldn't have called him. In fact, the more she heard him spew probably harmless shit out, the more irritated she felt.
Today was not the day for him to act like a coy jerk and today was not the day for her to be alright about it.
Sighing, Uraraka stood up. The sofa groaned slightly in protest and he actually shut up as she, for once, got up and left him there. "Yo, where the hell are you going?"
Her lithe fingers grabbed the doorframe to the hallway in direction of her bedroom. Her eyes were shadowed by a tricky lamplight's shade and her tone was surprisingly calm and, for once, tired. It succeeded in not letting the disappointment she felt cross the barrier of her lips. "I'm going to go to bed. If you won't help out, I will at least sleep comfortable."
"Oi-"
"If you wanna leave, fine." said she, almost kind, as if just telling him to do whatever he wanted, but please stop making her feel worse. It was the only time Uraraka wouldn't mind if he walked out the door, but maybe she was just exhausted from this very long and hard day. Her legs wobbled, her cuts throbbing and all she wanted was to be surrounded with the cozy warmth of another human being.
Except that he probably was the furthest from that kind nature she pursued.
"I'll be in my bedroom. You can do whatever you want. Good night, Bakugou." that was the last thing she said before she disappeared into the corridor with a yawn, as if making light of the situation when she was sorely disappointed. Not like she'd let him see that. Uraraka was stronger than to let him see her feelings.
Like they had in the past, her feelings were only distracting her and making her heart grow nimble. Perhaps it truly was a signal she had to let go of his intoxicating presence. And this time, forever.
The brunette slid into the blankets of her big bed with a sigh, curling the thick duvet against her chin as her head sunk into the cozy pillow. It smelled like roses and felt soft like the petals of one. Light drizzle was falling down on the city, making her head start swimming out of reality and into deep slumber.
She failed to realize the heavy steps of a man sneaking into her room and sliding into her bed silently, curling his arms around her as his hard chest pressed against the thin back of her shirt. The silence of the rain falling outside only made the position more intimate, as if the only people in the world were them, laying under a warm blanket of stars.
Uraraka gasped upon feeling the powdery smell drift up her nose, and the warmth of muscles flexing around her half made her curl her closer. His nose was buried in her tousled tresses, messy after a hard and long day. She didn't dare move, either, lest he felt disturbed and wanted to leave.
"You're so fucking stupid, Uraraka." mumbled he into her hair, arms under her breasts to curl her against him. His knees were in contact with the underside of hers, his forehead nuzzling the soft pillow under his head. The limber material made his head swim in a sea of pastels and twinkling stars, just like those he got lost in so easily when he looked into her eyes.
His ways, however, were too roundabout for her to accept right away. In fact, she would have flinched away from his touch had he not anchored her. Instead, all that met his body was a twitch of hers. "You were mocking me two minutes ago. What changed?"
At this, he only hugged her harder to his chest. Oh, what he would give to have her face him, to get lost in her gaze once more. But she seemed to be angry at his act earlier, and in hindsight, he could understand why. Bakugou was a jerk, but at times like these, he was more than aware it shouldn't be that way. "Nothing changed. I still think it's stupid."
Contradicting what he had just said, his calloused digits seeked hers, and when he found her balled fists curled to her chest, he tangled his fingers with hers messily, making her heart throb without his realization. Inevitably, her fingers gave his a small squeeze, and she took advantage of his stance to lean her head back against his chest, curling on the mattress.
Uraraka ached for his touch. And she absolutely hated it. She hated the addicting sparks that would bloom within her when he got close, or the blistering gaze she could feel on her that made her skin become alive. Just as he tugged at the rope, she tugged back, but her feet would skid once in a while.
This was the first time she had tugged at him and actually made him move closer to her. So much so, they had ended like this, him intertwining his hands with hers as if this meant something- as if she meant something, causing her heart to double clap inside her chest and a stinging blush to spread across her plump cheeks.
She didn't want to believe Bakugou Katsuki, out of all people, would go out of his way to comfort her. He had always been a lone wolf, why change now? "I told you to leave."
"I know."
"You treated me as if today was a minimal problem and I was a weakling."
"I never said that."
"You did." retorted she back, her eyes screwed shut. "I thought your ego would deflate over the years. I guess I was wrong."
Her knees curled deeper and his followed hers. She had heard of the concept of big spoons and little spoons, but she felt like more of a tiny spoon while he was the big and intimidating soup spoon. Only now did she realize how big and bulky he had gotten over the years. Not that she minded, though. Not that she minded how his breath had hitched at her blunt statement, but she was honestly too tired to really care.
Maybe, she was too tired to care anymore. Bakugou was too close to her for him to care about her problems with him.
She had expected him to stay silent as he always did whenever somebody called him out on his bullshit. His usual screaming and raging had been notably suppressed lately and with that came the awkward moment of him letting her remark soak in before curling his arms a bit harder around her, as if he was scared to let her go.
Uraraka would never know how much he treasured her, secretly, like a pirate keeping their golden coins guarded from the thieves. She would never know just how much he craved her touch from the shadows, how she made him feel weightless in this silent cold night of intimacy and unspoken feelings. He could feel her heart beating under all the blankets and, above all, the shield covering her crestfallen heart.
Would she ever allow him to break that shield and expose her raw sunshine? Would she ever let herself fall with him to a pit of uncertainty as he figured out his feelings? He would shield her all the way down, he'd protect her from danger and make sure she landed safely.
But would she accept him just the way he was? There was no other like her, it was her who he had been searching for all his life. This infinity girl, who was the only person who could make his heart fly, soar, but also plummet to the ground and below.
Suddenly, he felt her shift in his hold. Something about the softness of her movements, as if not to startle him, made Bakugou know she didn't plan to run away, so he let go of her for a few seconds. Her soft cheek met the hard, warm but smooth place of his chest, right above the surface of his heart. Right in his most vulnerable spot, where she could hear the melody of his feelings.
Bakugou wanted to tell her many things. He wanted to tell her about how due to her fucking scent, hair, eyes and soul rattling in his head, he had gotten a broken arm. He wanted to tell her how much it hurt to be away from her to not be distracted again. It hurt to know he had almost pulled away, but as always, she had been the one to pull him back to the shore.
He didn't mind being a sappy asshole if it was her listening to his soul. Just as Uraraka's arms folded around his back, his curled around her half again, yet a fickle hand winded into her hair and kept her head there, where it hurt him the worst, but also the best.
Her words came muffled. Under the warmth of the mattress and the silence of the night, she felt safe, surrounded by the comfortable scent of roses and powder. "I missed you." she mumbled to his shirt. Her nose dug into the fabric like a kitten nuzzling a bowl of water, asking to please be fed more.
Bakugou's hands curled inwards instinctively. Like a child being born anew into a world of flowers, he was lost in the way she gazed up at him. Her forehead was touching with his chin, he could see the small gleam of her bottom lip from where he was lying. If he could put a name to what he was feeling right now, it would be absolute and utter temptation. She was just a lean and a touch away.
However, there was a high possibility she would pull away, still angry at his prior outburst. He wouldn't mind being slapped on the face, for the risk was worth it, but she would mind the probably outrageous advance now that they were making up. Things seemed to be going down a good lane, but would he butcher it if he took things a step too far?
His hand cupped her jaw to make her look at him entirely, inspecting her vulnerable expression, that face of a lost puppy one could find at every corner of a rainy street. Cozy and warm, she nuzzled his neck with her nose affectionately, as if finally accepting his small break in character, and in exchange, he hugged her closer until there were no gaps between them.
Her fleshy leg curled around one of his, seeking his warm temperature, just as his fingers winded into the forest of her hair to provide him with a comfort he was unable to describe. Perhaps it was in the way she melted and dripped between his fingers, or maybe it was because when she felt his touch, her face seemed to be so much closer than before.
It was probably his heart just messing with him, but her nose was just a kiss away, and so was her forehead, her hair- that sultrous chestnut hair. "Uraraka…" his voice was hoarse, as it always does, but it dragged a softness with it the girl identified quickly. Bakugou saw small stars in her eyes.
He didn't even know why he murmured her name so lovingly. He just did. Bakugou longed for her presence like sunflowers begged for the sun, and all he needed was a way to convey that sentiment.
Unable to help himself, he dragged her lips closer to his. The blond failed to realize her fingers were twisting the fabric of his tattered tanktop, just as how her legs had tightened around his while her eyes fluttered shut at the uncanny affection he was displaying.
His eyes scrutinized every crane of her skin, the curve of her nose, each eyelash glued to her round eyes. But his lips were parted in awe for her beauty while their lips inched closer, and before long, his own eyelids started to close, feeling instead of seeing the beauty in her. Her flowery scent invaded his nostrils while his ashen scent exploded in her mind like fireworks.
Bakugou leaned down just as she pushed forward and suddenly, their lips made contact. The sparking contact made her head swim and his hands sweat, but the unfathomable adoration they felt for one another could only be translated into a single sweet kiss of his chapped lips. He kept her anchored to his side and if Uraraka gave the minimal sign of wanting to let go, he'd chase her back.
He angled his lips a little to press more comfortably against hers, noses brushing as his lips captured her rosy petals and softly sucked at the skin, causing her to shudder in his arms and scratch the surface of his heart at that sinful, daring gesture. His tongue flickered against her lips, but didn't enter and he pressed a kiss to her parted lips once more, needing her contact like fire craving oxygen.
It finally felt like something he did with her was right, and pieces were clicking into place with her. For once in a while, Bakugou felt like he could breathe again.
After pressing one last chaste kiss to her chapped lips - worn off because of today's mission, no doubt - he pushed her frame against his chest and tucked her head under his chest so she wouldn't see the mad blush stinging his sharp features.
Under him, he heard a girly laugh coming from the bubbly hero in question. "I guess you missed me too, Bakugou?"
His cheeks were positively red right bliss from the kiss had been broken, but the toe-curling satisfaction of having done something so right with the woman he loved - the woman that from now on he knew to be the only one - was enough to make the embarrassment die down.
"S-Shut up! It's not like you weren't clinging to me, needy brat!"
Uraraka smothered her laugh into his chest. She was equally embarrassed, but double happy she got to kiss with the man she adored. Her arms folded around his back, cheek pressed to his heart as his nose blew gently on her hair.
Like that, they fell asleep.
The following morning, when Uraraka woke up, there were two mugs of coffee waiting for her on the kitchen counter. Before his disappearance could disappoint her, she heard the rustling of pages being turned on her couch and saw a familiar blonde reading the news with undivided attention.
The brunette looked at the cups and shed a sincere, upbeat smile.
He wouldn't be the one to leave first, anymore.