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Ochako stared at her math homework and groaned internally. She was burnt out from schoolwork, training, and even some of her friends. Math was the last thing she wanted to do at this point.
She looked around the common room and watched other people, like Yaomomo and Iida, doing homework or having fun messing with each other, like Kaminari and Sero. Ochako watched Deku draw in one of his notebooks and then bite his pencil as he thought.
Jirou was conducting Tokoyami while he practiced a song on the guitar and Tsu was sitting in between Mina’s legs on the floor while Mina braided her hair. Hagakure and Satou were cooking in the kitchen while Aoyama read the ingredients and instructions out loud to them. Ojiro and Shouji were arm/tail wrestling and betting who was the stronger out of the two of them. Mineta was on his phone grinning mischievously and Ochako did not want to know what he was looking at.
She forced herself to stop watching her class. It was just a way to distract herself from what she needed to do, which was solving these derivatives. Ochako sighed as she focused on the formulas on her paper.
BANG
“Don’t destroy the dorm!” Ochako heard Kirishima yell from outside of the window. The smoke was clearing and Ochako noticed Kirishima was shirtless.
“You said to give it all I got!” Bakugou yelled and threw another explosion at his friend.
Ochako watched them spar on the grass and propped her head on her palm. She loved watching Bakugou fight.
He jumped and dropped down to punch Kirishima who blocked with his forearms. Bakugou placed his palms on the block and let off an explosion. Shards of Kirishima flew into the air and Kirishima lost his balance slightly.
“Bring it!” Kirishima yelled as he regained his attack stance.
“Kirishima, I just blew off your skin. Just-”
“Keep going! I’ve got to get harder!”
“Fuck it!” Bakugou shouted and fought with more intensity.
Ochako watched as he zipped around Kirishima, finding openings that possibly only he could find. It was mesmerizing. Bakugou was hard to catch even when he wasn’t trying as hard as he could. Kirishima kept punching air as Bakugou weaved and dodged, landing hit after hit on his friend.
There was one thing in Kirishima’s favor and that was determination. He began flailing around rapidly to get a hit on him and Ochako watched as Kirishima hit Bakugou in the shoulder, scraping his skin and ripping his tank top strap.
“What the fuck,” Bakugou gestured to his shirt.
“Sorry! I needed to get a hit in!”
Bakugou shook his head and took the shredded tank top off.
“Makes the playing field even anyway,” Bakugou grinned and went back to attacking Kirishima.
Now Ochako was truly distracted. Ochako closed her eyes and savored the image. Kirishima’s hero costume was him being shirtless so that was nothing new but a shirtless Bakugou was a rarity.
BANG
Ochako’s eyes snapped open as the dorm shook a little.
“Really!?” Yaomomo said with frustration. “They couldn’t keep it down a little bit?”
“Um--I wouldn’t want them to,” Mina said, licking her lips. She ran over to sit at the table Ochako was at which had the best view of the fight. “Front row seat, eh, Ochako?”
“You could say that,” Ochako blushed and looked down at her homework but didn’t see any of it. All she could think about was how strong Bakugou looked. “I want abs like that,” Ochako mumbled quietly as she doodled on her paper.
“You could easily get them too. Just go up and ask if you can touch-” Mina giggled when Ochako playfully flicked her. “Kirishima let’s me touch his all the time.”
“Well, Kirishima lets anyone and everyone touch him so….”
“So why don’t you ask?”
“I don’t want to touch his abs. You took what I said and changed the meaning.” Ochako stuck her tongue out at her friend who mimicked her.
Ochako side-eyed the fight and watched Bakugou wipe his brow while Kirishima caught his breath. Bakugou tried to play off like he wasn’t tired and grinned at Kirishima, saying something Ochako couldn’t hear to bait him into attacking. It worked as Kirishima threw himself forward at Bakugou.
Ochako stared blankly at her homework and pictured herself fighting Bakugou. She was wearing just a sports bra, showing off her own abs and goading Bakugou into fighting her, who was shirtless.
“Come on, Bakugou, come and get me. I’m stronger than Kirishima now.”
“I won’t hold back,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I hope you don’t,” she responded with a determined glint in her eye.
Ochako ran forward and attacked Bakugou who moved like he always did. Fluidly and so quickly it was hard to figure out a game plan. Ochako managed to get a good hit on him, which shocked Bakugou to the point that she could touch him. He lifted to the ceiling and Ochako used her quirk on herself, jumping up to pin him there.
“Got you,” Ochako whispered.
“You did,” Bakugou smirked.
“What are going to do about it?” Ochako teased and she lifted one of her hands from his forearms and touched his chest.
“I’ll take a page out of your book,” Bakugou said as he lifted his free arm to touch her abdomen. His hands cupped her hip then wrapped around to her back. Bakugou pulled her to him and her stomach was now right up against his. “How’d you get so strong?”
“Watching you,” Ochako said with a smile as she leaned in toward his jawline.
“What are you doing, Uraraka?” Mina asked abruptly and Ochako’s daydream bubble burst.
“Huh?” Ochako mumbled and she realized in horror that she was biting her fingertip. She was no longer watching Bakugou with side glances but was staring right at him.
“Who were you thinking about?” Mina asked with sly eyes.
“No one.”
“What were you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing doesn’t elicit that kind of blush,” Mina grinned. Ochako could feel her cheeks get even hotter.
“It’s just--sunburn.”
“Right. Sunburn,” Mina agreed with pursed lips. “From watching something hot.”
“No-”
“Ochako, if you’re not gonna go for Deku, you could go for his super hot childhood friend turned rival,” Mina whispered as she leaned over the table.
Ochako stuttered and blubbered through words, none of them coherent except the last bit.
“So you like Bakugou!? You think he’s hot!”
“A blind person would know he’s hot. Not just from the explosions, haha. It’s objective. Plus, Kirishima’s more my type anyway. I like ‘em big, strong, kind, smart enough to hold a conversation but dumb enough to make me laugh.”
“Bakugou has a great sense of humor,” Ochako said defensively. “And he’s...well he respects me enough to call me by my name. He doesn’t yell at me or anything like that.”
“Just ask him out.”
“No! Are you crazy?” Ochako said in a hushed voice.
“I’m not the one drooling over someone being shirtless. I appreciate the art but I’m not fantasizing about the artists.”
“Oh, just--shoo!” Ochako said as Bakugou and Kirishima started fighting again after a small break.
“Ochako and Bakugou sitting in a tree,” Mina teased quietly before Ochako acted like she was going to slap her. Mina ran off laughing as Ochako started up her daydream again.
Her eyes glazed over and she pictured herself touching his arms, rubbing her hands through his spiky hair, and kissing him all over. That was the best way to explore someone, right? Ochako giggled as she stared at the window.
She didn’t notice the boys stop fighting and she didn’t notice that Bakugou had wrapped one of Kirishima’s headbands around his forehead. Ochako was so caught up in her fantasies that it took Kirishima waving in her face and Bakugou shouting to get her to snap out of it.
“What the fuck is out there?!” Bakugou said as Kirishima stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Yeah! Is there some wild animal we didn’t see? We could’ve gotten hurt! Why didn’t you tell us!?” Kirishima panicked.
Bakugou rolled his eyes as Ochako stuttered incoherent sentences.
“Speak or shut up,” Bakugou said, crossing his arms as well. Ochako stared at where his arms covered his chest before hurriedly moving her gaze to his eyes.
“Um-I was just--thinking about--my math!” Ochako held up her notebook to them.
“You were so focused on solving a math problem that you didn’t hear or see us?” Kirishima asked. “She might need your help, Bakugou.”
“No.”
“Come on! She’s desperate.”
“I’m fine, really,” Ochako said, throwing her notebook into her bag.
“Obviously not. Get it out. I’ve already done the homework for today and you can’t be worse than him.”
“Hey! I try really hard,” Kirishima whined.
“Get out of here,” Bakugou growled. Ochako quickly got her notebook out and opened it to the problems she was working on. He leaned over her and laughed. “This is confusing you? It’s easy. If you do-”
Bakugou began explaining math in a very harsh, yet surprisingly helpful way. Ochako focused on his lips to hear what he was saying but that was no good. She only pictured kissing them. She focused on his eyes but when he looked at her it just made her blush.
Getting sick of her brain messing with her, she closed her eyes and focused on the words he was saying.
“You need to see the paper to do this,” Bakugou said with frustration. Ochako opened her eyes with a forced smile.
“Right,” she said through her teeth.
“You’re acting strange and that’s saying something.”
“You’re shirtless teaching me math. Kind of think we’re on an even strangeness playing field.”
Bakugou looked down and then his cheeks flushed for a second before he scowled.
“If this distracts you, how are you ever gonna be a hero? Kirishima’s shirtless all the time. What if he’s on the scene?”
“Uhhhh,” Ochako groaned for too long. How could she explain it was just him without seeming like a freak? “It’s not distracting. Sorry. Keep going.”
Bakugou raised an eyebrow at her but rolled his eyes and continued showing her how to do it. She felt his pec rub against her shoulder and it took everything in her not to jump out of her seat.
“Understand?” Bakugou asked angrily.
“Yep. Totally.” She had heard nothing.
“You’re lying. I am distracting you.”
“Nope. Just here--learning math. Totally focused.”
Bakugou grinned and sat next to her, flaunting his physique.
“So I'll just sit here and you can do what I taught you.”
“I don’t have to prove anything to you,” Ochako threw back too quickly.
A sly expression spread across his face.
“Sero,” Bakugou said loudly without breaking his gaze from Ochako. “Can you dish Uraraka and I up some of that yakitori? She needs some brain food.”
“Sure, man.”
Sero brought over a couple plates and Bakugou nodded in thanks.
“I’m just gonna eat my dinner here,” he said.
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
Bakugou bit into his chicken and glared at Ochako. She glared back before turning to her math homework and biting her lip.
“Alright, here we go,” Ochako said almost inaudibly. She put her pencil to the paper and tried her best to work out the problem. She tapped the pencil on the paper over and over again as she stared at it. Unfortunately for Ochako, her peripheral vision was full of shirtless Bakugou tearing into his yakitori as he continued to stare at her.
“There a problem?” Bakugou asked.
“Of course not. Just working through things.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t have all day. Just admit you were caught and I’ll leave you alone.”
“Caught? Psh, what are you talking about?” Ochako mumbled, looking only at her math homework.
“C’mon, you stare at me all the time. Kinda thought it was because you were memorizing my moves but-”
“That’s it. Just that. Didn’t want to admit it because I know you hate it.”
“I do but I’m starting to believe,” Bakugou said and he leaned forward so his face was right next to hers. “That you’re an idiot.”
“Excuse you!?”
“Only an idiot would get caught by Raccoon-Eyes. Look at her over there.”
Ochako turned around to see Mina bouncing on the balls of her feet, grinning with wide eyes in their direction. She waved at them. Kirishima was watching them too and laughed when Ochako’s face practically glowed red.
“Yes or no. You were thinking about me before we walked in.”
Ochako froze. Her heart had fully stopped.
“Um-define thinking.”
“Damn, Uraraka, you’re making this a lot harder than it needs to be.”
“A girl can think about people. It doesn’t--mean anything,” Ochako laughed anxiously.
“Okay. Easier question since you don’t have a functioning brain. Would it be better for me to ask you out or do you wanna do it?”
“Ah,” Ochako said and looked away from him. “I mean-when you put it that way. You can do it. If you’d like.”
Bakugou leaned back in his chair, showing off his assets, and grinned.
“Guess you’re gonna have to wait a bit. I wanted to be dressed up for this.”
He pushed his chair back and started to walk toward the elevators.
“Wait!” Ochako said too loudly and everyone looked in her direction. Bakugou smirked. “Fine! Bakugou, do you---want to hang out with me?”
“Hang out? What am I, twelve?”
Ochako clenched her fists and closed her eyes.
“Go out with me!”
The entire class gasped and Bakugou laughed.
“If you insist,” Bakugou said with a shrug.
Ochako opened one eye to see Mina losing her mind next to Kirishima. The rest of the class had mixed emotions ranging from muted shock to utter disbelief.
“How did you do that?” Mineta asked in awe. “How did you get Uraraka to ask you out?”
“I think we’re all a little curious as to this new development,” Iida said, pushing his glasses up.
“Stalkers. Come on, Uraraka. Let’s go somewhere these extras can’t eavesdrop.”
Ochako followed Bakugou up to his room and she sat on his bed while he put a shirt on and ripped the headband off.
“That was hilarious,” Bakugou chuckled.
“I didn’t know you liked me that way.”
“You really are an idiot.”
“How long?”
“Eh--probably since the Sports Festival in our first year. If I’m being honest, that infinity ball you threw on the first day might have been it too.”
“So over two years!”
“How long for you?”
“Um- just like, psh, a year. Maybe.”
“Right. I thought you could read people, Uraraka. What took you so long?”
“Me!? You’ve liked me longer!”
“I’m not going to ask someone out unless I’m sure they’ll say yes!” He shouted.
Ochako and him held each other’s gaze for a moment before Bakugou scowled at her.
“What were you zoned out on?”
“Nothing!”
“Bullshit.”
“Fine! You and me. Doing things.”
“What kind of things?” He asked firmly.
“Bakugou!”
“Didn’t peg you as a coward, Uraraka. Tell me!”
“So pushy! We were--kissing.”
Bakugou laughed.
“That’s it? My daydreams of you aren’t so tame.”
“Yeah?” Ochako asked, her heart feeling light.
Bakugou nodded and sat next to her.
“So where do we go from here?” Ochako asked him. She breathed in deeply as he turned toward her and looked deep into her eyes.
“You asked me out. You pick what we do.”
The way he said it made it seem like he wasn’t talking about the activities for the date.
“Um, how about swimming?”
“Tch, you’re just trying to get me shirtless again.”
Ochako nodded as she bit her lip and Bakugou sighed with a smile.
“You’re too damn cute for your own good, you know that?”
“No. I guess you better teach me,” Ochako grinned and Bakugou raised his eyebrows at her.
“Reel it in, Uraraka. I’m not gonna kiss you tonight. However much I want to.” Ochako pouted and Katsuki scowled. “I’m a gentleman! I kiss after the first date. Not before.”
“What if we had a study date? Still need to do that homework.”
Bakugou’s eyes lit up and he grinned mischievously.
“I’ve had a very similar daydream to this exact scenario,” he said as she got up to go get her books. “Come back in your uniform and it’ll be to the detail.”
“We’ll see,” Ochako whispered in his ear. “If you want that, your shirt better be off when I come back.”
Bakugou took off his shirt and laid down on his side, propping his head up and gesturing to his torso.
“One daydream made real coming right up,” Ochako said with a wink.