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Bakugou had wondered, when he’d been asked who he wanted as a contact for this contract, if Kirishima was the right choice. He was man enough to admit that he was his best friend, but Kirishima had a habit of calling him on his bullshit, and it wasn’t exactly one of his favorite things. He had a feeling that Kirishima would have something to say about this particular circumstance.
He had to remind himself that he wasn’t doing anything wrong. He and Uraraka had both agreed to this setup. There was nothing wrong with it. Anything else, he had shoved to the bottom of the barrel. Whatever he experienced, whatever he felt, it needed to go away. He couldn’t do anything about it.
He was aware of what he felt, what he had felt basically since high school, but there was no way to actually do anything about it in a way that was productive. So instead, Bakugou decided that this deal was the best way to get what he wanted. It would be nice to have a roommate, at least. Someone to hold him accountable for how long he worked, and how little he rested.
Since she worked with him, Uraraka did that to some extent, but he had a feeling that things would be different when she moved in with him. It would be a whole new dynamic. And it wasn’t like Bakugou had made any progress in the romance department. So he wasn’t really losing anything by moving in and… Getting married to one of his best friends.
Uraraka had more romantic prospects than he did. He was certain of it, actually. Since her and Deku had broken up though, she hadn’t pursued anyone. There had been no other guys. Bakugou didn’t like how much he liked that. How relieved he was that there were no other exes to compete for her attention. It was nice, actually.
But still, when he’d signed the contract, and signed on Kirishima as his contact, he’d been a little nervous. Not that he would ever tell anyone that, especially not Uraraka and Kirishima. Especially not Mika, that conniving bitch.
So, Bakugou had a feeling, when Kirishima called him instead of texted him, that he was in trouble.
“Did you sign the contract?”
“Yeah, obviously I did. What the fuck, man?”
Bakugou slammed down the knife he was using to prepare for dinner, not wanting to get too angry while holding a sharp object. “What the fuck do you mean, ‘what the fuck’?”
“You, using Uraraka to get ahead,” Kirishima said plainly. “Come on, dude. That’s low, and she’s one of your best friends.”
“Our publicists recommended it and drew up the contract. She’s using me just as much as I’m using her. Don’t make her out to be some innocent angel. She knew what she was getting into.”
Kirishima was quiet on the other end for a moment, “I… I’d like to meet with both of you.”
“Wha- Are your our publicist, now, asshole?”
“No, I’m a concerned friend. You understand what this means for your relationship with her. Don’t you?”
Bakugou rolled his eyes, throwing a towel over his shoulder and leaning against the counter. “Yes. We get an apartment, we sleep in separate rooms. I make number one. End of story.”
“What about her?”
“She can be number two. I don’t know what the fuck she wants,” Bakugou snapped. “She wanted to move up, and I wanna move up too. This is good for both of us.”
“No offense, dude, but you’re not exactly well versed in romantic relationships.”
“This isn’t a romantic relationship,” Bakugou snapped. “It’s a business arrangement.” A business arrangement where he occasionally kissed one of his best friends and had to ask like it meant absolutely nothing to him. So far, it was a bit more difficult than he originally thought it was going to be. Uraraka had always been sunny smiles and disposition, a light at the end of the tunnel. It was blinding up close.
Kirishima sighed so heavily Bakugou swore he could feel his breath from the phone. “This is embarrassing for you, man. If you’re not in love with her already, you’re going to be.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is and you know it. You’ve always been drawn to her. I saw it, Midoriya saw it-”
“You leave that goodman nerd out of this.”
“Their breakup left a door open for Uraraka. She deserves to have somebody who’s going to give her all their attention and affection. If you’re seeing this as a business arrangement, you’re both going to get hurt.”
Bakugou kissed his teeth, loudly enough that it cut through the phone and Kirishima definitely heard it. “You don’t have any fucking idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m in a committed relationship that is built on mutual love and respect with a woman I am absolutely crazy for,” Kirishima said bluntly. “Man, I just want that for you, too. You deserve to be happy. And so does Uraraka.”
Bakugou was quiet for a moment. Romantic relationships had always taken a backseat for him, and by that, he really meant that he never dated anyone at all. So having Uraraka around was nice - it was almost like she wanted to spend time with him, like she didn’t mind how blunt or stiff he was when it came to conversation.
Sometimes it felt natural.
Uraraka deserved that, sure. But he wasn’t necessarily sure that he did. He grunted by way of answer to Kirshima.
“What if we all get dinner together on Wednesday? The three of us?” Kirishima asked, his tone softening. “I just think it would be a good idea for everyone to discuss it, for you guys to know what you’re actually getting into.”
Bakugou couldn’t think of anything he wanted to do less than get grilled over dinner by his best friend, because he knew he was going to be the one doing all of the cooking. Still, he could tell Kirishima was frustrated, and bakugou had actually learned quite a bit about holding his temper since high school, so he bit the inside of his cheek and counted to ten trying not to explode anything within a ten mile radius.
Uraraka would bolt. He knew she would. The idea of a dinner with him and Kirishima would send her into full tilt overthink mode and he didn’t want that. The last thing he wanted to do in all of this was make her uncomfortable.
“Hello? Dude?”
“Fuckin fine. You shits can come over here because I know that’s what you’re gonna suggest anyway. Will you just leave me alone?” He hung up then, jamming his finger far too hard against the screen of his phone and tossing it down on the counter before Kirishima had even a moment to respond.
Bakugou would deal with the repercussions of that later.
He’d had a bit of time to actually tell Uraraka that they’d be having dinner with Kirishima, but for reasons he hesitated to explain even to himself, he couldn’t seem to bring himself to ask her. Still, when Tuesday arrived, and they were looking at apartments before their patrol together, he knew he had to say something.
She was sitting across from him, looking painfully nervous, her brows drawn together in worry as she looked over one of the apartments.
He rolled his eyes at her worry - it didn’t really matter to him where they lived. If he could still do hero work, that was all that really mattered to him.
“There’s a nice place over here,” She pointed, looking up at him anxiously, “Not too far from your current place.”
“Okay.”
“You didn’t even look!” She whined, and Bakugou had to stop himself from violently rolling his eyes again.
“I don’t need to!” He snapped, “It all looks the fuckin same to me. We can schedule a tour if you like it, i don’t care.” Bakugou got to his feet, and looked down at her. She didn’t look back up at him, which made his chest twinge a little against his will. “We gotta get ready to patrol,” he said, trying to get her attention. “You coming?”
“Yeah, one minute,” she mumbled, still not looking up.
“Oi.” Fed up, he leaned forwards and flicked her forehead, grinning when she glared up at him, finally acknowledging him. “Don’t get overwhelmed.” He felt the need to at least encourage her, just a bit. “It’s not that big of a deal and we don’t even have to deal with most of it anyway.” he started heading towards the door and winced as he realized he still hadn’t told her that they’d be having dinner with Kirishima that night.
On his way out of the office, he told her, over his shoulder so he wouldn’t have to look at her, “Kirishima wants to have dinner with us tonight. Be at my place at seven.”
“What if I have plans!” He heard her protest from behind him.
“You don’t.” He said firmly, though he really wasn’t sure if she did or not. “See you then.”
He walked quickly out the door before she could yell at him any more.
By the time Bakugou got back to his apartment, Kirishima was already at the door, holding a bag of groceries. Bakugou bit back a sigh and glared at his friend before entering the apartment.
“You know, if you would just give me a key, there wouldn’t be a problem,” Kirishima teased, trying to lighten the mood.
“Be nice to Cheeks when she gets here,” Bakugou pointed at Kirishima as he walked past. “She’s probably nervous as hell already because she thinks you’re gonna sit there and make her feel bad.”
Kirishima rolled his eyes. “I like to think that she knows me better than that, Bakugou,” he scolded. “I’ve never been mean to her.”
“Tch.”
“I did mean to ask you something though, before she gets here.”
“What, asshole?”
“Do you have feelings for Uraraka? Like, for real?”
Bakugou jolted. It wasn’t as though he’d never expected that question, especially from his best friend, but he’d not really wanted to be grilled on it. He had considered it, privately, in the comfort of his own room when it was dark and no one could laugh at him or make fun of him for the fact that a girl with rosy cheeks and a sweet smile had gotten so far under his skin.
No matter how comfortable he got with Kirishima, that was never something he’d been able to share with him. They were best friends, but Bakugou felt that feelings like that were sacred. Not for public consumption. They belonged to the person they were about, and that was all. He didn’t think that was too unreasonable.
“Shut the fuck up,” he responded finally, feeling a little lame for not wanting to vocalize what he was feeling. It was annoying, on some level.
He’d admired Uraraka from the moment they’d met. She’d thrown a baseball to space, for God’s sake. He didn’t remember her name at that point, but he knew she was a contender. She proved that again at the sports festival, and in every battle they fought as a class. She was bright and determined, and their agency buried her in so much pink and so many frills that he was surprised she still knew who she was at all.
They hung out a lot, post graduation. He liked to think that he knew her. He got to visit her apartment, pet her stupid little cat, make fun of her for not living in a nicer area. Not because she couldn’t move, but because she was cheap and wanted to send a metric fuckton of money to her parents. That was the one thing he could never understand. She was so painfully selfless. How could even she not realize that? When he bashed on her for her apartment, he just wanted her to be somewhere safe.
Well, he supposed, they’d be moving in together, and the apartments they’d been looking at were significantly nicer than the place that she was currently living. But that brought on another string of thoughts he didn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole.
LIving with Uraraka. Her stuff intermingled with his, her mugs in his cupboard, the possibility of her walking around in just a tshirt and shorts that she wore to bed. The possibility of her being so close to him all the time when she might as well be wearing a neon sign that said “Look, but don’t you dare touch! You don’t deserve it!”
Not to mention the fact that he might explode her with just his hands, and he wasn’t too fucking keen on that other.
“I will not ‘shut the fuck up’,” Kirishima protested, crossing his arms over his chest. “Look, when I was all bent up about Mina, I came to you, right? I told you all the shit I was worried about, and how I felt about her. You remember that, don’t you?”
Bakugou grunted.
“Right, so you remember what you said to me?”
“To get off your fuckin’ ass and ask her out before another one of the guys did it because Pinky’s too goddamn charismatic for her own good,” Bakugou rolled his eyes. It was some of the best advice he’d given. Of course he remembered it. And the two had gotten together shortly after, so he prided himself on it.
“So… Why won’t you let me do the same?”
“Because this situation ain’t remotely the same,” Bakugou snapped. “She’s not- we’re not- it’s a business arrangement. This whole thing, that’s all it is.”
“So, are you gonna keep hooking up with other girls?”
“Hah?”
“Because that’s not fair, you know. You’re not supposed to be sleeping around. That’s what the contract says, at least, of did you even bother to read it?”
Bakugou turned to him, narrowing his eyes. “I’m not fuckin stepping out. I haven’t done anything with anybody since I signed the contract.”
“Not even with Uraraka?”
Bakugou balked at that. “That doesn’t- I don’t do shit with Cheeks.”
“You could though. She likes you, I think. She always sort of has. And the way you look at her and treat her more like an equal than any of us, I’d wager to guess that, on some level, you feel the same way.” Kirishima cocked his head to the side, regarding Bakugou as though he were a flight risk or an animal, moments from disappearing into the night.
“Shut up.”
Kirishima continued to grill him, and Bakugou continued to give non answers as he began to prepare dinner for the three of them. This was going to be a long night and he already knew he was in for it.
When her knock came at the door, his heart jumped up into his throat and he did his best to ignore it. He also tried to ignore the twinge of jealousy that ripped through him when Kirishima swept her up into a huge hug, crushing her to his muscular chest.
“How have you been!” Kirishima beamed at her, acting as though Bakugou wasn’t there at all. “I feel like I never see you.”
“I know, it’s been so busy,” Ochako laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. Bakugou did his best not to look. “It’s good to see you.” She walked to the kitchen, handing Bakugou the grocery bag of ingredients he had asked for.
“Go ahead and take the money out of my wallet,” he said, without even looking at her and taking the bag from her hands..
“Oh, I don’t need to take your money. I’m okay, I don’t mind picking them up.” Did she sound sad? He noted her tone but said nothing about it.
“Tch.”
Uraraka cleared her throat, throwing that bright smile back at Kirishima. “To answer your question, I’m just fine! I’ve been picking up a few more hours though, so it’s a bit busy.”
“I know, Mina’s been whining about you being around less,” Kirishima smiled warmly at her, crossing the room. “Don’t overwork yourself, okay?” He nudged Bakugou’s shoulder. “Don’t let her.”
Bakugou felt his hackles rise a bit at the suggestion that he wasn’t already looking out for her at any opportunity. “I fuckin won’t. I keep an eye on her. She can handle herself, though.”
Kirishima poured Uraraka a glass of wine, and Bakugou took another long drink out of the one that Kirishima had set down for him earlier. Usually he didn’t drink, but tonight he was feeling the need to loosen up a bit.
Kirishima arched an eyebrow, looking between the two as silence settled heavily between them. “I guess it’s no secret as to why I came over here, huh?”
“You signed the contract,” Bakugou reminded him gruffly, still keeping himself from looking up. “So I dunno why you wanted to come over and eat all my damn food.”
Kirishima rolled his eyes at Bakugou’s tone. “I’m worried about both of you. And don’t worry, I didn’t tell Mina. I told her I’m under a confidential contract for your agency, but I didn’t tell her it was about. I don’t think she suspects it’s about you, because she hasn’t asked any more questions.” He crossed his arms over his chest, gaze flicking between Bakugou cooking over the stove and Uraraka, who was now standing so close to him that Bakugou swore he could feel the heat from her body on his bicep. “So. What the fuck are you two doing?”
Uraraka scoffed, a sound Bakugou very much approved of. “Kiri, you read the contract, didn’t you? So you know already.”
“Yeah, technically, I know what you’re doing. I sort of understand why. But… The two of you are playing with something I don’t think you understand.”
Bakugou glared at him, willing him to keep his mouth shut about any personal feelings . “We know exactly what the fuck we’re doing,” he snapped harshly. “We had meetings with our publicists, we have a contract. It’s fine.”
“Yeah,” Uraraka chimed in, her smile wavering a bit. “It’s been fine.”
Kirishima looked between the two of them. “I don’t believe you.”
“Huh?” Bakugou looked up at Kirishima, his brows furrowing. He dried his hands on a dish towel and turned around, leaning next to the stove so he could glare at him better. “Fuck is that supposed to mean, asshole?”
“You guys are friends. You wanna lie to me and tell me that this has done nothing to affect your relationship?” Kirishima arched a brow.
Bakugou felt Uraraka look over to him, but by the time he moved to meet her eyes, she was already looking back at Kirishima.
“It… Hasn’t, really. We’ve just been hanging out more. And we work together more.”
“And you kiss now.”
Bakugou felt his cheeks turn bright red.
“Well, that too.”
“What are you trying to say?” Bakugou snapped.
“That I think both of you deserve a real relationship. This is ridiculous. Do you have any idea how outdated these sort of arranged marriages are?? Plus, ‘Chaks, you’re one of the most romantically driven people I know. And yet you haven’t dated anybody since you and Midoriya broke up.”
Uraraka sighed heavily next to Bakugou, and he stared at her. What? Was she going to try to defend that damn idiot again?
“It’s nothing like that,” she said softly, “I don’t… I don’t really need those kinds of relationships.”
“Plus, I’ve been taking her on better dates then that damn nerd ever did,” Bakugou pointed his spatula at Uraraka before turning back to the stove. If there was one thing he was confident in, it was the fact that he was a damn good fake boyfriend when it came to outings.
“Is that true?” Kirishima asked blandly.
Bakugou felt himself holding his breath, waiting for her answer. Would she agree with him? Or did she think he was a shitty fake boyfriend all along? He stared down at the vegetables in the pan, focusing intently on not burning them.
“He’s… A more attentive boyfriend then I thought,” she said finally.
“Oi!” Bakugou protested. That was all she had to say?
She muffled her laugh behind her hand, and he hated how endearing it was. “No, I mean it! He’s been really nice. We’ve gotten to go on dates I’ve never been on before. It’s been… Nice.” She looked down at her hands. “Even if it’s not real like that, Bakugou is my friend. And it’s okay.”
Kirishima let out a heavy sigh through his nose. “Bakugou?”
“Hah?” What could that idiot need him to say?
“What about you?”
He bristled a bit. She was cool. She was a good sparring partner, a good hero partner. She was someone he enjoyed spending a lot of time with. Still, none of those were the things he said.
“Cheeks is fine.”
“More than that, please. You are the only one who’s going to be able to hype her up for the rest of her life. Because the both of you signed a contract. What else.”
“She fucking knows how cool she is,” Bakugou rolled his eyes, feeling his hands start to shake with nervousness at the confession. He could feel her eyes boring into him. “She’s fine. Her cat is cool.”
“I knew you liked Mochi,” she grinned up at him, and he couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Still, he couldn’t stop the twitch of his lip at her comment. Her stupid cat was kind of cool, that was all.
Kirishima rolled his neck. “Okay, I don’t think you guys are getting what I’m getting at. You know, the two of you are eventually going to want a real romantic relationship. Ochako, I know you, Mina knows you, and she’s mentioned to me that you’re so deserving of an earth shattering love, and I have to agree. You guys are just friends. How can that… I just don’t understand.”
“It’s not that easy for everyone,” Ochako said softly. “Hero work takes priority for both of us, plus the fact that we both want to move up in the rankings, we already work together, and get along well. It’s a good match. Logically speaking.”
There it was. Logic. Right. Bakugou would do well to remember that shit. He took another long sip of wine from the counter.
“God, do you hear yourself?” Kirishima spread his hands in front of him in a desperate gesture. “You talk about it like you’re talking about math. How can you stand to think about the rest of your life like that?”
“I’m not like that,” Bakugou snapped, feeling a familiar anger rise within him. “You and Pinky have all that lovey dovey shit. I don’t do that.”
“Don’t you think Ochako deserves that?”
“Oi! She signed the contract too, don’t pin this all on me!” Bakugou glared at his friend, willing with everything in the world that Kirishima would just shut the fuck up.
“What did Jirou say? I know she’s your contact on this,” Kirishima turned to Ochako, looking exhausted.
Bakugou found his interest piqued at the mention of Jirou. She was another one of his closest friends, so the fact that Uraraka had chosen her was sort of interesting. He tried not to look too interested in the conversation.
“Um… Some… Similar stuff to what you’re saying.” She fiddled with her thumbs, pinching the skin and running her finger along her finger pad. “I don’t really want to get into it too much.”
“She roasted you, huh?” Bakugou asked, smiling a little. Jirou had been quickly filed into the ‘little sister’ category when she’d started dating Kaminari. “I know that bitch.”
“She means well,” Ochako said softly. “She does.”
After that, Kirishima directed the conversation to a more neutral topic, but he didn’t keep his eyes off of them. He stared them down, and Bakugou could tell by his posture that he was trying to catch them. Everything he asked about their relationship was bait.
It was all he could do to keep their wine glasses filled in the hopes that everyone would just shut up.
Kirishima didn’t stay after dinner, citing that they could use the rest of the night as one of their mandatory date nights.
“Fine,” Bakugou said, slamming the door behind Kirishima on his way out.
“I don’t have to stay.” She said softly, right after. “I know you like to wind down at night.”
His heart twisted in his chest. “Can wind down with you here.” He tried to sound casual, heading to the kitchen to pull two beers from the fridge, handing one to her. “Not that big of a deal.”
She took it, smiling a little as she pulled the drink to herself. “I… Can I ask you something?”
Oh, fuck. What the fuck could she want to ask him? “What.”
“I just... “ she paused, before sighing heavily, like she was gathering her courage. “You… Used to bring girls home a lot.”
He furrowed his brows at her. Sure, he’d had a few one night stands, was that so bad? “Yeah.”
“And… You can’t anymore.”
He glanced over at her, still not quite getting her point. “Uh huh.”
“Are you gonna… Resent me for that?” She asked softly.
Bakugou watched her shift from foot to foot. For some reason, she was terribly nervous about this. He couldn’t put his finger on why, so he just lifted a shoulder and did his best to reassure her. “That shit’s not important to me.”
“That’s not true,” Uraraka snapped. “Physical… Intimacy is a huge thing and… This contract is stealing that from you, and I just… I don’t know. I wanted to ask. I don’t want you to hate me for it.”
He was almost disappointed that that was all. He knew that she wasn’t interested in him, but he guessed there was enough horny teenage boy in him to hope for her to maybe want to at least use him for his body.
“I don’t hate you,” he said gruffly. “And I definitely wouldn’t be mad at you over some stupid shit like that. Are you asking me for a hall pass?”
She blinked. “No! No, of course not. That’s ridiculous. And against our contract.”
“Well, like you said. Physical intimacy is important. I’m takin’ it from you too.” Though the thought of her with somebody else made his stomach roll.
She sat still, primly on the edge of his armchair, which was cattycorner to the couch he was sprawled out on. “I don’t… Need it.”
He glanced up at her, curious. “What, you’re ace?”
“N-no,” she shook her head, cheeks flaming. He marveled at how much pinker they were than usual, though he wasn’t sure if it was nerves or alcohol. She took a long swig of her beer. “No. I just… I’m used to not having it, so I don’t need it.”
He arched a brow, feeling his gut roll again, but unable to stop himself from asking. “Not that I wanna know about that goddamn nerd-”
“-Then don’t ask!”
He stared at her, and apparently, that was all the question she needed. She leaned back in the chair, sighing heavily.
“We were never… Very connected, that way, I suppose,” she said softly. “He was always so busy, plus-” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think he liked it very much.”
Bakgou looked away from her, shaking his head and taking a long drag of his drink. A woman that beautiful, and Deku fucked it up? He wasn’t sure whether to call him up to punch him in the face or thank him for his sacrifice. “Fuckin’ idiot.”
“Excuse me?”
“Not you. God. Deku. He’s a fucking idiot.” He looked over at her, feeling a little fuzzy. He was definitely drunk, asking her questions like this, trying to get into her personal life. Why did he care so much? “Did he make you feel bad?”
“No, not at all. He just wasn’t very interested in it, that’s not his fault.” Ochako laughed. “I, um, learned to do without, I guess.”
Bakugou leaned his head back on the couch, eyes never leaving hers. He found he wouldn’t mind helping her out if she ever wanted to find release. “Yeah? So you’re not gonna hate me?”
“Don’t think I could if I tried, Bakugou. We’ll always be friends.”
He tilted towards her, narrowing his eyes. “Friends, huh.”
“Yeah.”
“Mm.” He stood up from the couch, liquid courage getting the best of him as he came to stand before her. “You know, friends can do other shit.” He sank to his knees in front of her, putting his hands on either side of her on the chair. His heart was pounding and he was careful to keep his hands away from her. The last thing she needed was explosive sweat painted all over her because he couldn’t control himself.
“I don’t… I don’t follow,” she said finally.
Bakugou resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing she wouldn’t respond well to it. “We’re gonna be stuck with each other for the rest of our lives.”
“Yes.”
“So, it would stand to reason that we could… Do married people shit. Right?”
She winced physically, and his heart sank a little. “Sort of. But you don’t wanna do that.”
When had this become about him? Personally, Bakugou was more interested in this particular moment being about her. He looked down at himself, and then at her, as though indicating where he was, situated at her feet like a supplicant ready to worship. “Obviously not, Cheeks,” he rumbled, sitting up on his knees, his torso nudging between her knees, and bringing his face close to hers.
“You don’t drink very often, Bakugou,” She whispered. “I think you’re drunk.”
“So are you,” he pointed out, noting the bleariness in her soft, dark eyes.
“Y-yeah, well,” she swallowed, and he watched her throat move with the motion. “I don’t drink that often either.”
He grunted in response, his gaze drifting up to her lips. His hands slid up by her hips, still not touching her, keeping his sweat far away from her, and he leaned forwards, pressing a kiss to her lips.
They’d done this enough that it wasn’t too terribly awkward. She leaned into him, and Bakugou felt his heartbeat pick up as though it hadn’t done that already. Soon it would be at full hummingbird speed.
He meant to be sexy, to kiss her like she’d never been kissed before, as heat settled in his gut at being so close to her. She reciprocated fully, and he wondered how he had gone so long without kissing her so deeply. His kisses grew sloppy and frantic, the hitch of her breath driving him wild. He heard her fumble with her drink, settling it on the end table before wrapping her arms around his neck. He groaned at the touch, leaning closer against her.
She pulled her hands back from his neck, smoothing her thumbs over his cheekbones as she took control of the kiss. His body came alight as her hands explored him, and not for the first time, he wished more than anything that he could touch her safely. Cradle her face in his hands, brush her hair away from her neck. Was he cursed? Was it really so much to ask that he be allowed to touch a beautiful woman? All his prior relationships had had minimal touching, but he found himself far more concerned about hurting Uraraka than he had with anyone else.
Finally, he pulled back from her mouth, giving her time to breathe as he kissed along her jaw in slow, almost reverent movements. He smiled against her skin when her head tilted back and her breath hitched, causing her throat to shift under his teeth.
“Touch me,” She whispered, and the words crawled under his skin and burrowed right under his heart.
Touch me.
Touch me.
He couldn’t.
“Can’t,” he mumbled into her skin.
She let out what seemed to be a noise of frustration. “Why not?”
Embarrassment colored his drunkenness, and he shook his head. “Just can’t.” He settled one hand on the outside of her leg, safely over her jeans. Even that was enough to send him into a tailspin of fantasy. “Happy?”
“My skin,” she whined, tugging on him. “ Touch me.”
He glared at her, eyes locked onto hers. Didn’t she understand how dangerous he was? “No, Cheeks.”
She sat there as he dipped back in to kiss and bite at her neck, seeming to hesitate. “You haven’t given me a reason,” She pulled him back by his hair from where he had latched onto her neck. He found himself scowling, staring down into snapping brown eyes.
“Oi,” he grunted, shifting in her hold and biting back a whine of his own. “let go of me.”
“Why would we do this if you’re not going to touch me?” She demanded.
He almost rolled his eyes at her again, but he was too focused on keeping her close to him that he wasn’t too worried about her attitude. Besides, she knew how his quirk worked. She wasn’t really going to make him vocalize that his sweat was explosive, was she? “Don’t take it personal, Cheeks,” he said finally as he pulled out of her grasp, nudging his nose against hers and capturing her lips in another slow kiss that stirred the heat in his gut again. “I just don’t do that.”
She was hesitating. He could feel it in the way her shoulders rose and her muscles tensed under him. He sat back a little, peering up at her.
“I should go home.” She said softly.
“Wha-? But we-”
“The trains are still running, and I’m only a little tipsy. I’ll just… Take a bottle of water, if you don’t mind.”
He didn’t answer, or attempt to move off of her. She sighed, pushing him by the shoulders. Bakugou took the hint and got to his feet, turning away from her, embarrassed that it had took so long for him to catch what she wanted.
“Sorry,” he said gruffly, trying to will away the blush on his cheeks.
“No, it’s okay!” She rushed out. “It’s just late. And we’re… Drunk. And Kiri and Jirou both put stuff in our heads.” She slung her bag over her shoulder and returned to where she’d left him standing. She cupped his cheek in her hand and pressed a sweet kiss to the other cheek, making it impossible for him to hide from her. Her eyes watched him carefully, and he wondered how Deku could ever given up a view so beautiful.
What a fuckin’ idiot.
“Thank you for dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
A bit of shame washed over him. Of course she hadn’t wanted him. And who wanted a jaded twenty something year old pro hero anyway? He knew he wasn’t exactly a catch by those standards, but Uraraka… She was different, wasn’t she?
It didn’t matter. This was a business arrangement, nothing more. One he’d fucked up by trying to get fresh with her. He’d do well to keep his mouth to himself from now on.
“Sure.”
She left his apartment and he immediately stumbled to bed, the hot press of her lips on his and her hands on his face etched into his mind and lulling him to sleep. This had been a horrible idea.