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Uraraka would assume Bakugou has grown out of the nasty habit of getting into trouble he can’t explode himself out of. But no. Even as pro, he ends up in the vilest situations and honestly, Uraraka’s had enough of them. She’s going to put a collar on him with a bell and she will never let him out of her sight. Because the moment she does, Bakugou goes and has a building collapse on him.
It’s easier to focus on her anger and not let worry grip her heart with icy fingers. She needs to stay calm and collected as the rescue mission progresses. If only it was something more action-packed, a villain she could punch or guards to take out, anything but this! The painstaking monotonicity of removing large debris out of the way and digging her way towards Bakugou is the cruellest torture. She concentrates on clearing the path, half-listening to Kirishima and Deku behind her back, working with a dozen others on stabilising the debris behind her.
She trusts them as well as her own power as she continues working. Her hands don’t even shake, her resolve iron-hard as she pushes on, ignoring the nausea tickling the back of her throat. She is on a mission – her priority is getting Bakugou out. Nothing else matters at that moment. There’s one way to go and that’s forward so she takes a deep breath, ignoring her wildly beating heart and the anxiety jittering her brain.
It’s like playing Jenga on expert level – if she moves the wrong piece of concrete, the whole structure might collapse on itself, burying the survivors into their early graves.
She knows Bakugou’s alive because his heart is still beating. The monitors were created and included in their costumes exactly for this reason. They still share the same costume designer, so the dots aren’t the only thing they have in common sewn into the textile.
After three painstakingly long hours, Uraraka uncovers the first civilian. They get eight people out, all alive. That’s the only thing that registers to Uraraka – they’re breathing and okay. From then on the paramedics must take care of them, not her. A hero’s job is finished. She can focus on what her heart has been urging her to do since the beginning – check and make sure Bakugou’s alright.
She kneels next to the coughing Bakugou, raising a bottle of water to his lips to help him drink. He tries to talk but she shushes him. “Just drink, Bakusatsuou, just d-drink.” She curses her wavering voice but the adrenaline’s started to wear off. “You’re safe now.” He seems alright, bruised and covered in dust but no bones are poking out, no blood pooling around him. It’s a good sign.
“You won’t shut me up,” he wheezes and Uraraka rolls her eyes.
“I’ll knock you out and blame a falling rock if you don’t shut up.”
The corner of his lips twitches up but he scoffs all the same. With this settled, Uraraka touches him, making him weightless as she raises him, carrying his bigger frame with relative ease. She’s been saving the last of her power for this and this only – to be strong enough to save him.
“My hero,” he murmurs.
“I’ll drop you,” threatens Uraraka, but she only seems to amuse Bakugou further. She can’t fault him when she knows there’s a smile on her face too. She’s just so relieved she can barely contain herself. Even though she doesn’t need to, she holds onto Bakugou tightly.
Once she puts him down to the back of the ambulance, she has half a mind to just collapse right then and there, let the others handle the paperwork and the cleanup. She needs to sleep for the next 15 hours. Before she could do that, however, Bakugou grabs the front of her costume and drags her close.
“You saved me,” he says lowly.
Uraraka panics from the proximity of his beautiful face so she says the first thing that pops into her mind. “Don’t get used to it.” She would walk into fire for this man. Still, she’s smart enough not to expect gratitude. Uraraka’s just been doing her job, after all.
“You dug me out like a mole.”
Uraraka snorts. “What does that make you?”
“The treasure you found.”
Uraraka laughs at that because it’s that pointless bullshit Bakugou would say. He lets her clothes go and slides his hands onto her cheeks, thumbs wiping the tears away. Oh, she’s been crying? For how long?
He doesn’t ask, she honestly hasn’t thought he would, but he leans in so slowly she has ample time to pull back or turn her head. She does none of those things: she meets his challenge head-on, closing the remaining distance between their faces and kissing him first. His hands come up around her back and pull her flush against his body. Uraraka doesn’t know who’s more desperate to kiss the other senseless, but she’d wager it’s her.
Uraraka forgets where they are until the paramedic politely coughs into her hand. “Oh. Oh! Sorry. I’ll leave him to you.”
Before she could step away, Bakugou’s hand finds hers, and he doesn’t let go. So she stays.
And never leaves his side.