Chapter Text
It was one of those nights. A night full of hope. A night of new beginnings. She felt it.
Something was going to change today.
Holding on tightly to her purse Ochako made her way through the crowded streets. It was a warm night which typically led visitors to local parks, bars, and restaurants. Neon lights invited people all around to linger a bit longer. Faint laughter hovered through the air. It was promising.
Ochako slowly looked around, scanning the streets to find the neon sign designated for her. Finally, she stood in front of a pretty glass facade with the cursively written words “Orchid Bar” on it.
Right behind the glass she spotted a couple of men with significant green, purple and yellow hair. She stepped a bit closer, squinting her eyes to get a better look. A black lightning bolt decorated the blonde man’s head. Right next to him a lean guy with black hair and a bright grin was seated. On the opposite side of the table black and pink haired women found their places. And a blue haired man with glasses sat at the end of it. A smile grew on her face. Deku. Kaminari. Sero. Momo. Jirou. Mina. Ida. So many were here. Her heart skipped a beat.
It was the first time in forever since she had last met most of her old classmates. Ochako had always wondered what some of them were up to by now. Life went on and not all of them grew up to become heroes. It was a strange thought.
Carefully Ochako pushed the door to the bar open. It was loud and lively inside – many guests found their places around the tables. As soon as she stepped inside multiple heads turned towards her. „Rescue hero Uravity! “, she heard a familiar voice shout towards her. Kaminari really knew how to draw attention to someone. The blonde-haired man was the first one to stand up, opening his arms widely. It was a bit embarrassing, but all Ochako could do was giggle. He was just how she remembered him. A chaotic ray of sunshine.
Ochako quickly hung up her jacket and went towards the big table. Now more of her friends stood up. The first one to greet her was Deku, a smile covering his freckled face. “It’s so good to see you”, he whispered gently as he welcomed her in a hug. Deku and she had remained close friends and colleagues after graduating UA. Regarding him being the number one hero, he didn’t have much time though. They saw each other at battles mostly. It was a nerve wrecking friendship. Thus, it was wonderful to see each other at a different occasion for a change. Ochako smiled at him but got caught off guard with a strong hug from behind the very next second. Mina jumped at her, happy as always, greeting her full of excitement. One after another all of them greeted her. Ochako’s heart was overwhelmed by happiness.
Finally, she took a seat next to Ida at the end of the table. The conversations went on immediately. It was a great atmosphere. Gradually more of their classmates arrived. Everyone was being greeted with the same innocent euphoria. Then, when the table was almost completely filled, a redhead arrived with the brightest grin on his face. Right behind him a blond man entered the room. Kaminari almost jumped on the table. “No way! “, he shouted. „You actually managed to get him here?! You sick son of a gun how on earth did you do it? “. His words were instantly met by angry red eyes.
„I’ll bust your head off if you don’t shut the fuck up this second. “, Bakugou declared with a grim tone to his voice. Kirishima burst out laughing. „We’re in here for less than a minute and I already feel like we’re back at UA “, the redhead said with a sharp-toothed smile on his face. „It’s so good to see you all! “
Ochako couldn’t help but laugh. It was such a strange but wonderful feeling to see them all grown up yet somewhat exactly how she had remembered them. Regardless of their appearance of course. Kirishima was almost two heads taller than his blond friend. Even though Bakugou didn’t grow as much, his hair was a lot shorter than it used to be. The undercut went well with the image of the hero Bakugou had become.
„Let’s get you a drink, shall we? “, Kirishima suggested to his friend, not giving in to the underlying aggression. Bakugou grumbled. „You know I don’t drink alcohol. “, he spat out, but let the redhead direct him towards empty seats regardless. „You won’t say no to a glass of water, eh? “, Kirishima replied smiling and that was pretty much what ended the conversation. Bakugou sat down on the opposite side of Ochako, two seats to the right of her. Kirishima sat right next to him, talking happily to Kaminari who switched seats to get closer to the both of them. Sero grinned, eying the situation knowingly while Mina laughed loudly. The squad was reunited. Ochako couldn’t help but smile.
From the corner of her eyes, she suddenly noticed a piercing gaze. It was Bakugou’s. His crimson red eyes stared at her. Intensely. Why?
Her smile gradually faded. It seemed as if he said > What the fuck are you laughing at? < which caused her to look away. But a small voice inside her stopped her. After all this time, why should she feel intimidated by Bakugou? In the end, they were both heroes. She was strong. Ochako wouldn’t let him take away her smile.
Determined to withstand, she turned her face towards him and met Bakugou’s gaze. Stared right back into his fiery red eyes. And to her surprise Bakugou was the first one to look away. He took a sip of his drink and seemed somewhat flustered. Ochako had to admit it surprised her.
The night went on in an exuberant manner. The more drinks the bartender brought, the more joyful the small party got. Mina made it to her mission to get Todoroki drunk, and to the delight of everyone she managed to get him unusually happy. “I still think you’re his son”, he drunkenly said to Deku, an arm around the green haired man’s shoulder. Without allowing further questions Deku quickly changed the subject. But Todoroki didn’t give up. In the meanwhile, Kaminari and Mineta seemed to try and come up with some sort of plans. Both of them already had a solid red glow on their faces. Jirou, Tokoyami, Ida, and Shoji talked politics. And Ochako had a lovely talk with Momo. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Just Bakugou seemed to stare into his drink most of the time.
Ochako’s smile turned into a worried frown every now and then whenever she noticed. She wondered why he didn’t engage. After all he decided to take time off and came to the party with Kirishima. But if he didn’t at least try to have fun, why would he bother coming at all? In the end of course it was Bakugou. But still - there had to be a way to get him out of his shell. “Excuse me”, Ochako politely said to Momo and walked over to Ojiro, who sat in front of Bakugou. “May I switch seats with you?”, she softly asked, and within the next moment she sat on his chair.
Bakugou’s eyes pierced her immediately. “What do you want, Cheeks?”, he asked harshly, without taking his eyes of her. He seemed wary.
“I don’t think we talked yet today.”, she suggested, “How are you Bakugou?”. The blond man scoffed. “How am I?”, he repeated, raising both of his eyebrows. “Are you drunk?”. Ochako laughed, causing Bakugou to frown even more. “No, I’m not drunk.” She calmly answered. “I just wondered what’s going on in that head of yours.” Bakugou snorted. “I don’t think that’s any of your concern” he replied and let her know that the conversation was over. But Ochako just got ready.
“Come on Bakugou, we know each other since more than ten years now. If you don’t want to talk about yourself, we can talk about work. What are you up to?”. Bakugou didn’t seem amused at all. “Same shitty villains as always.” He replied. “You’re a pretty taciturn person, aren’t you?”, she mocked him. “Was I ever different?” He responded annoyed and took another sip of his drink.
“Remember when we sparred?”, she continued. “You didn’t seem so mute then.” He frowned even more. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ochako shrugged. “You gave me the best tips is all. And you screamed loudest when I was about to win.”
“You never won though.”, he decided. Ochako smiled. “I would beat you now.” she responded, looking straight into his eyes. Bakugou returned her stare.
In the very next moment Kaminari stood up, raising his voice and demanding attention. “Okay everyone, it’s time to spice things up a bit more!”, he started triumphant. “How about we play a little game?” Jirou rolled her eyes. “No one wants to play your pervy games, mate.” She countered, leaving no space for negotiation. Kaminari pouted. “It’s not like that!” He claimed, waving his hands defensively. “It’s more of a >get-to-know-each-other-game<, only that we know each other pretty well already. It’s a game of truth. The rules are simple: someone asks another person a question. That person has to answer the question truthfully. If we notice the person lies, that person has to down his drink in one big gulp. If the question is answered truthfully that person gets to ask the next person a question. Simple, huh?”
“I’m in.” Todoroki immediately shouted, setting down his freshly poured glass. Everyone looked at him in utter surprise. “Midoriya”, he continued, “is you-know-who your father?”. Deku almost screamed “No!” at him and let his face sink into his hands out of pure exhaustion. “No, he’s not my father Todoroki.” But Todoroki didn’t give up yet once again. “Then how come we’ve never seen your father and why do you have- “, Deku now gently placed his hands on Todoroki’s mouth. “He’s not my father. End of story.”
Kaminari grinned joyfully. “Excellent! That’s what I’m talking about! Now it’s your turn, Deku. Go ask ahead!” Deku sighed, then looked at Kaminari. “All right then Kaminari, if you want to play so bad: what’s your favorite food?” Kaminari pouted in an offended manner. “Come on bro, just try to get a bit creative. I like Hamburgers best. Now, since that one was an easy one, how about I demonstrate how this is supposed to be done: Jirou, when did you have your first time?” Jirou sighed once again.
“You just want us to play this because you knew we would say no to a classic truth or dare, right? You won’t get any risqué stuff out of me, that’s for sure. I’m not answering pervy shit.” To prove her point she took her drink, said >Cheers< and downed her half empty glass.
Kaminari pouted once again. “Come on guys don’t be such party poopers. How about you, Kirishima? Can you tongue kiss with those teeth?” Kirishima snorted of laughter. “Sure bro, wanna try?” He mockingly said while Kaminari held up his hands in defense once again. “You know I can’t bro, I’m taken!” Kaminari replied, to which Jirou raised her eyebrows. “Wait, someone actually hooked up with you?” she asked him almost with shock in her voice, while Kaminari laughed. “That’s none of your business Jirou – unless you play the game!”
Kirishima then continued to ask Tokoyami about his darkest secret, to which he shockingly replied. Tokoyami asked Momo for details about her quirk, Momo asked Mina about her meanest prank, Mina asked Jirou about her taste in perfume, and Jirou finally got to know that Kaminari indeed had a partner. “I’m not going to tell you who it is though, you’ll have to wait another round for that one.” Kaminari winked at her, and Jirou just took another big sip of her drink. Kaminari then proceeded to ask Mineta something extremely dirty to which Mineta gladly replied, and Mineta asked Todoroki who he thought was most attractive in the room. Todoroki drunkenly glanced at him, then drily replied “Midoriya” to which Deku hid his face in his hands once again. “We need to get you home Todoroki” he whined, to which Todoroki dryly replied: “Is that an invitation?”. The table absolutely lost it after that.
The game went on with Todoroki asking Tsu how long her tongue was which she gladly demonstrated. Tsu then continued to ask Ochako what a perfect gift was to her. Ochako had to think for a moment, then gently replied: “Mochi.” The table burst out in laughter again. She frowned. “What’s so funny? I just really like them.” Kaminari wheezed. “We know. Do you remember that one time I asked you out to eat? Even then you replied with Mochi.” Ochako pouted, then laughed herself.
The game turned out to be more fun than she had expected it to be. Smiling, she turned her head towards Bakugou. “It’s my turn now!”, she announced, thinking about what to ask. But before she could do so, as if he knew what she was up to, Bakugou stated: “I won’t play that stupid game.”
Ochako wasn’t surprised. She looked at him calmly. “How about I ask you a question, and in return you get to ask me anything you want. Even if you don’t want to answer my question. I promise I’ll answer honestly.” It was an offer. What did they both have to lose? “Just loosen up a bit for once.” Bakugou’s eyes grew colder. He remained silent.
“Fine.”, he then replied, without taking his eyes of her.
A bright smile filled up Ochako’s face. “Alright then!”, she cheered. But what would she ask him? She wanted Bakugou to answer, so it had to be something he was willing to share. Something explicit was off the table, she didn’t want those details anyways. It had to be something casual yet deep, something that was fun to answer. Ochako knew just the right one. “If you could choose what you would dream of tonight, what would it be?”
Bakugou remained silent for a while. He looked at her closely. Then, he finally answered.
“You.”
One word. Three letters. That was enough to turn Ochako’s entire world upside down. Her eyes opened widely, looking at him in disbelief. What did he just say? All she was able to hear was her own heart thrusting heavily against her chest.
>> You <<
The entire table fell silent. Time felt like it lasted forever. Bakugou continued to look straight at her. Not one muscle in his face moved. This man didn’t joke. He never did. Ochako wanted to reply something, but her mouth wouldn’t open. What was this all about?
Kaminari was the first person to break the silence. “Now that was the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life.” But Bakugou still didn’t move. All he did was look at her.
“It’s my turn.” Bakugou then stated in an almost threatening way which immediately caused the table to fall silent again. Ochako stared at him, desperately searching for an explanation. But there was none.
“How would you beat me?”
His bright red eyes rested on her face keenly. Their eyes met, and for a moment it felt like time had stopped completely. Ochako new from the bottom of her heart that this was a question that Bakugou truly meant. It was something that was important to him. As a hero. As a person. Ochako was too baffled to answer him right way. But Bakugou waited surprisingly calm.
“I know how you fight.”, she then replied. “More than I did at the sport-festival. More than I did at UA. I know how you move. I know how to beat you. And I would succeed.”
A faint smile appeared on Bakugou’s face. Just for a moment. But it was there.
The rest of the night went on joyful. More drinks were poured. More games were played. Deku was the first one to leave, together with a pretty drunk Todoroki. Ochako smiled. Even now Deku couldn’t stop being a hero. Even if it only meant bringing home Todoroki safely. The next ones that left were Ida, Momo and Jirou. After that more and more people said their goodbyes. Kaminari left with Sero, Mineta tried his luck getting numbers from girls at the bar. Tsuyu and Tokoyami left shortly after. A beautiful evening came to an end. Ochako felt it was her time to leave as well. “See you again soon. Thanks for tonight.”, she said as she stood up, ready to grab her jacket and call it a night. As she headed towards the door, Kirishima tapped on her shoulder. She looked at him with surprise.
“Would you mind if I walk with you? I felt like leaving anyways.” Ochako smiled. Certainly, she didn’t mind Kirishima’s company. She nodded, receiving a bright smile from the redhead as a thank you. Politely, he offered her to help her in her jacket which was a gesture she gladly accepted. “Oh, you know since I brought Bakugou here, would it be okay if he comes too?”, he then casually added while putting on his own jacket. Before Ochako could answer, the blond man appeared right behind Kirishima. “I’m away for one second and you’re leaving without me shitty hair?”, he scolded his friend and seemed far from happy. Kirishima just grinned. “Ah, no worries Bakugou. We were going to wait for you. Right Ochako?”. Ochako just stared at Kirishima. He had pulled a trick on her. “Of course.”, Ochako then responded, moving her face towards Bakugou. To her surprise his face was just as baffled as hers was. She saw him look at Kirishima angrily, while the redhead proceeded to give Bakugou his jacket. “Come on then bro.”
As soon as she stepped outside Ochako noticed how much cooler the air felt than it did a couple of hours ago. The streets were almost empty, most lights were out. The full moon above the city lit their way. It was a calm night. While they walked Kirishima did most of the talking. He was such a lighthearted person. His attitude always made Ochako happy. It was easy to engage in a conversation with him. Ochako felt safe and content. But before she knew it, Kirishima stopped, looked at a street sign and said: “Ah, sorry guys, this is my turn. Have a good night rest, okay?” and vanished into the darkness without further explanation. Ochako looked after him in utter disbelief. She moved her head towards Bakugou. He looked fuming. Great.
Silently they both continued walking next to each other. It was an awkward situation regarding the fact they both hadn’t planned to end up like this in the first place. Ochako looked at Bakugou every once in a while, but he just had his hands in his pockets and walked straight ahead. She sighed. Thankfully her turn would appear soon.
“I’m almost home, I’ll just have to walk down the street to the left now”, she then broke the silence, and smiled at him friendly. “Goodbye, Bakugo.”
The blond man looked at her, shrugged and replied: “If it’s that close I’ll walk you home.”
Ochako turned towards him confound. He just looked at her for a moment and then continued walking. Carefully she started followed him, unsure what to reply. She didn’t mind his company. Not at all, actually. She just hadn’t expected a friendly gesture like this from Bakugou.
Quietly they made their way. When they finally reached Ochako’s apartment they stopped and just stood in silence for a while, until Bakugou turned and said goodbye. Simple as that he just left, leaving Ochako alone. She stared after him for a moment.
“Bakugou!”, she then suddenly shouted after him, leading the blond man to stop. He turned around, the same neutral look on his face, making it impossible for Ochako to read his reaction. She bit her lip. Why did she stop him? She felt so stupid. It didn’t make sense.
“Did you mean it? Did you mean what you said at the bar?”, she quietly asked. It had bothered her the entire evening. And since she had stopped him, she felt almost obliged to ask.
Bakugou frowned. “I said a lot of things”, he harshly replied, leaving her beat for a moment. But she didn’t want to give up. She was so confused. And she couldn’t let the night end like this.
“You said you wanted to dream of me. Of all things, me. Why?”
Bakugou looked at her intensely, creating a dreadful silence between them for a while. Instead of giving her the answer she had awaited, he carefully asked: “Did it make you uncomfortable?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. Since when was Bakugou considerate? She took a moment to sort her thoughts. It had made her feel something, yes. It made her feel overwhelmed. Lost. Confused. But uncomfortable?
“No, it didn’t”, she replied after a moment, leading Bakugou to nod, somehow relieved. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Good”, he finally said, looking towards the ground. She looked at the man in front of her, with nothing but the faint moonlight illuminating his face. For the first time in her life, it seemed like Bakugou was vulnerable.
“Was it the truth?”, she then carefully proceeded, hoping for clarity. Bakugou lifted his head, looked straight at her, and said: “Do you really fucking think I’m the type of man to lie?”
Ochako swallowed hard. Of course, he wasn’t.
Bakugou looked at her closely. The uncertainty was overwhelming. Ochako felt like her heart was about to burst any instance. He started to walk towards her. Slowly. Right in front of her he stopped, looking down at her with his crimson red eyes. She looked up to him, locking their eyes for what felt like an infinity. Calmly he lifted a hand, directing it towards her face. Ochako didn’t dare to breathe. Carefully, he selected a loose strand of her hair and gently tucked it behind her ear.
He took a deep breath. For a moment he closed his eyes, only to stare directly into hers afterwards. He wanted her to listen. And to understand what he was about to say.
“I really fucking like you, cheeks. I always have.”
Beat.
For a moment nothing but silence filled the air again. Ochako’s lips shivered. Her heart beating on tirelessly. He meant it. He meant what he said. It was hard to comprehend.
“You… like me?”, she then softly broke the silence, leading Bakugou to loudly sigh and look away, hating every single bit of the situation. She could tell.
Ochako felt her whole world collide. She didn’t know what to say. It had never crossed her mind that she could end up in a situation like this with Katsuki Bakugou. Not in her wildest imaginations. It felt utterly overwhelming.
“Liking as in… Love?”, she then carefully asked, looking up at him nervously. Bakugou just stared at her. She felt he wanted her. Felt his need to hold her. But just as gently as he had placed his hand, he took it away again.
“Goodnight, Cheeks.”, he finally whispered, leaning in towards her, but stopping himself before he came too close. It hurt. Ochako could feel it hurt him. Right after he had pulled himself away from her, he left.
She watched him walk away. Her heart pounded. She felt the urge to run after him, but what would she do then? She never considered Bakugou as a romantic interest. Never looked at him that way. Stopping him would just be selfish and mean more pain to him. And hope. Hope she couldn’t give him.