Archive of Our Own

Ochaco had a sneaking suspicion.

It was honestly kind of a wild assumption. She wasn’t exactly known as the resident expert on romance, and her ability to clock people of the LGBT community left some to be desired, if her experience with Jirou taught her anything. She didn’t even have a reason to be paying attention. It was just, well… they weren’t subtle. At all. The number of times she’d caught them in mildly compromising positions was strangely frequent, despite doing almost no team-ups with either of them as of late.

Okay, ‘compromising positions’ was a stretch, but this was Bakugou Katsuki she was talking about. Any amount of vulnerability from him would be considered compromising. His walls were made of brick, or something stronger. Titanium?

When she thought about it, they’d always been close. Even at UA, they were practically inseparable. Ochaco was pretty dang sure Bakugou made dinner for both of them most nights, other than the occasions that she spotted the other using the counter-top grill to fry meats. They didn’t go to bed at the same time, but Bakugou did have a habit of sleeping early, and the other had a habit of staying up way too late socializing.

There were plenty of reasons she could be wrong. Neither of them had ever said a thing about being gay, and while they’d never shown an interest in girls either, it was wrong to assume. Bakugou came across as the type to know even less about romance than she did, though, and she couldn’t imagine either of them being the type for something as soft as a high-school sweethearts romance.

As she stood across the street and stared into the alleyway in front of her, she thinks her speculations may be leaning more toward being accurate, however.

There he was. Bakugou Katsuki, the supposed beast of their former class, nuzzling into Kirishima Eijirou’s hand while they have some kind of hushed conversation that she couldn’t possibly hear over the traffic. They’re clearly taking a break from patrol, both of them in their hero uniforms, and they have no idea that anyone is watching them. Ochaco watched with an odd fascination as Kirishima leaned in for a kiss, and Bakugou stopped him with a single finger to his lips. He said something. Kirishima laughed and backed out of his space. Bakugou was pouting now, pouting, and he said something else that made Kirishima even more amused.

Almost in slow motion, the inevitable happened. Bakugou turned on his heel to storm off, and his narrowed eyes met Ochaco’s wide ones. He paused. Bakugou never hesitates, but in this moment, he seemed to. He blinked once, then again, processing. Then, his entire face turned tomato red, and he turned his back to her. Kirishima was wincing, but he shot her a shy little wave before jogging across the street.

Bakugou was still in the alleyway, stock still, facing away from them. “Hey,” Kirishima said sheepishly. “Is there any chance that you, like, just got here and didn’t see any of that?”

Ochaco wanted to lie. She wanted to protect their perfect little bubble and tell him that no, she hadn’t seen anything, and they could rest easy. She wasn’t a liar, though, and she knew he would see through her. “I saw enough,” she said guiltily.

“So,” Kirishima said somewhat awkwardly. “Uh, we’re not out yet,” he explained, though Ochaco had already guessed that. “No one actually knows… you know, about us, so, uh…” he trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words. “Katsuki’s super in the closet, so he’s kind of freaked out.”

“I can see that,” Ochaco said, gazing at his back. He’d switched to his sleeveless costume for the summer, which reminded her that it was already June first. “I won’t say anything,” she promised. “Of course I won’t.”

Kirishima looked back and winced again. “Yeah…” he said faintly. “Uh, thank you,” he said, turning back to her. “Seriously, we owe you one.”

Ochaco scoffed. “No, you don’t, silly,” she said with a small smile and a punch to his arm. “It’s basic respect. So… seriously no one knows?”

Kirishima shook his head. “We’ve managed to keep it a secret so far,” he grinned proudly. “Almost a decade.” Then, he seemed to remember the situation they were in. “Yeah, we made it almost a whole decade without getting caught,” he said with a wince.

“To be honest, I was starting to suspect it,” Ochaco said sheepishly, more as a warning above anything else. “You two aren’t exactly subtle.”

“Shit,” Kirishima scrunched his face up with concern and looked back at Bakugou. “Don’t let Katsuki hear you say that. He’d lose his mind.”

“Noted,” Ochaco said. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. Uh, sorry for, you know, staring.” She gave him a sheepish look. “And sorry for the inevitable tantrum I’ve caused,” she said, gesturing toward Bakugou.

Kirishima just smiled at her. “I’ve got him handled,” he assured her. “Thanks again.”

They parted ways, Ochaco going back to her patrol route while Kirishima presumably went back to calm Bakugou down.

The next time she saw either of them was when she was invited to Mina’s house for what she called ‘game night’, but was actually just an excuse to drink while they were off duty. They didn’t do it often, because most of the time they were on call, but on the occasions that enough of them had a day off, she or Kaminari would usually get everyone together like this.

They arrived together, as they always did. Ochaco was convinced that they were living together. If they had been together for almost a decade, she couldn’t imagine they would have separate apartments. Now that she thought about it, no one ever seemed to be invited to Kirishima’s place, despite him being just as social as Kaminari or Mina.

“Uraraka, do you want a cocktail?” Mina called suddenly, breaking her from her thoughts. Who was she to refuse?

At this gathering was Mina, Midoriya, Todoroki, Kaminari, Sero, Jirou, Bakugou, and Kirishima. Sero and Kaminari were trying to teach Todoroki the game they were playing, which looked to be some old shooter game, while Midoriya watched enthusiastically and Jirou scrolled on her phone. Bakugou and Kirishima had just arrived, so they were busy taking off their shoes while Ochaco followed Mina into the kitchen.

“We have mango, strawberry, green apple, and pina colada flavors,” Mina said cheerfully, showing Ochaco her collection. It was a lot of bottles. “The mango juice isn’t alcoholic, but the rest is, so you have to be careful with your choice,” she said with a wink.

The mango juice was for Bakugou. Ochaco knew this because she’d been to enough of these gatherings to notice that he was usually the only one drinking it, and he never really got that drunk. He probably diluted his liquor quite a bit. Still, she had a selfish idea. “Can I mix the mango and strawberry?” she asked.

Mina gasped. “Uraraka, you genius!” she shrieked, and she made two mango strawberry cocktails with vodka. One for her, and one for Ochaco. It tasted so good. There was barely any burn from the alcohol, but Ochaco knew it was dangerous that way.

She went into the living room and stood by the wall to watch the chaos. Todoroki was doing terribly, but Midoriya cheered him on for every kill despite that. Sero and Kaminari were getting most of the points, but they were still giving Todoroki instructions.

Ochaco didn’t even notice his approach, but suddenly Bakugou was leaning right next to her. She didn’t look at him, and he didn’t look at her. The tension was high for only a moment.

“Thanks,” he murmured quietly, and Ochaco finally turned to look at him. He was glaring at the floor. “For, you know.”

“Like I told him,” she said just as quietly. “It’s basic courtesy.”

“Still,” Bakugou shrugged. He glanced at the glass in her hand. “What’s that?”

“Strawberry mango vodka,” Ochaco listed the ingredients. She offered it to him for a sip.

Bakugou leaned down and sipped from her straw. “Hm,” He hummed. Then he stood back up. “Mina!” he called out. “Get me one of these fuckers,” he demanded rudely.

Mina hopped up. “You got it!” she said enthusiastically despite his attitude.

She rushed off to make the drink, and before they knew it Bakugou had one in his hand too. He sipped it slowly like he would normally, but Ochaco was a little bit worried by the alcohol content. He might not know what he was getting into.

“Let’s sit,” Bakugou said suddenly, and Ochaco blinked. Bakugou wanted to sit with her? Did he feel safer around her now, knowing that she wouldn’t treat him any differently? Maybe they would become closer after this. The prospect was exciting.

“Yeah, sure,” Ochaco said with a smile, and Bakugou’s lip almost twitched upwards.

Kirishima was standing behind the couch Todoroki was sitting on, coaching him on how to get the perfect headshot, so he was clearly busy enough that it wouldn’t matter for Ochaco to steal his boyfriend away from him. They sat together on the smaller couch where there was really only room for two people.

Bakugou slouched in his seat and sipped his drink watching the screen incomprehensibly. He leaned over to Ochaco. “You know anything about this shitty game?” he murmured.

Ochaco shook her head. “Just that the boys love it,” she said with a grin. She gestured toward them “Look at how passionate they get.”

Bakugou snorted. “Passionate’s one word for it,” he snarked.

He was already finished with his drink. He stared at the empty glass for a moment. “One second,” he said, and he went into the kitchen where Mina was still setting up a snack tray for everyone.

Ochaco heard Mina squeal, and then she yelled, “Blasty's getting drunk!”

Kirishima whipped his head up with a frown.

“No, I’m fucking not, asshole,” Bakugou complained. “Just make me the damn drink.”

Kirishima’s frown turned into a sort of deadpan, knowing look. He set his own drink on the side table subtly. Abandoned. He was already anticipating disaster, just as Ochaco was, and he’d decided to stay sober for that evening. A manly sacrifice.

Bakugou came back in the room with another strawberry mango vodka drink, and Ochaco felt slightly nervous. She’d never actually seen Bakugou drunk before, and she was worried that he didn’t know what he was in for. He wouldn’t appreciate her mother-henning, though, and she knew it, so she opted to stay silent for now. Maybe she could assist Kirishima in taking him home later.

He sat down heavily beside her on the couch, and Mina followed close behind with the snack platter. She set it on the coffee table in front of the boys and sat down on the floor to watch the game. Todoroki was starting to do a little bit better, but not by much. Midoriya was getting really into it, though.

It was nice. The atmosphere was good, and everyone was having fun. They went a few more rounds, and Kirishima jumped in as well, so they had the maximum four players. It became an intense competition between the three experts and poor humble Todoroki while Jirou, Midoriya, and Mina cheered them on.

“Mina,” Bakugou spoke beside her with an audible pout to his lips. Oh no. He was already gone. “Another.”

Kirishima made a face, but he didn’t say anything. Mina got up eagerly. “Sure thing, boss!” she said, snatching the glass from his hand and taking it into the kitchen. Kirishima subtly handed his remote to Midoriya, who floundered a bit before taking it, then followed Mina into the kitchen.

Ochaco listened closely. She heard Mina saying something about Bakugou being a grown man who doesn’t need Kirishima’s permission to get drunk, and she winced. Mina didn’t seem to have a clue about the nature of their relationship.

Kirishima re-entered the living room a bit dejected, and Ochaco sent him a sympathetic look that he seemed to appreciate. Bakugou didn’t seem to notice anything at all, his eyes trained on the screen as if he actually enjoyed watching the game, and maybe he did. Ochaco couldn’t really tell.

Mina came back and handed Bakugou his third drink just as Ochaco finished her first one. She was feeling a decent buzz already, and she knew Bakugou was even more of a lightweight than her considering the fact that he almost never drank alcohol. He was about to be absolutely blasted drunk, and he didn’t even seem like he realized it.

Over time, Bakugou’s slouch became even more pronounced, and he was kind of leaning a bit on Ochaco. He must have been more out of it than he let on to be initiating physical contact like this. She didn’t mind it, to her surprise. She may be somewhat touch starved herself, and she was a little tipsy, so she found herself leaning in too. They were basically holding each other up at this point. Kirishima caught sight of this, and Ochaco was witness to the most affectionate and love-filled gaze she’d ever seen.

Bakugou laid his head on her shoulder. “You’re fucking aiming it wrong again, half-and-half bastard,” he groused, unintentionally bringing attention to them. Midoriya did a double take. Mina looked shocked, and then her face became a little eviler. Jirou made a confused face, probably well aware of his relationship with Kirishima due to her insider knowledge as an LGBT member.

Sero laughed, barely sparing them a glance. “Looks like someone’s paying more attention than he lets on,” he pointed out.

“Bakugou, how do you suggest I aim?” Todoroki asked, eyes glued to the screen.

Bakugou didn’t seem to notice the upset he’d caused among their friends who were shocked at the sight of him touching another human. “It has a fucking auto-aimer,” he explained, irritated. “If you let it do the work, you’ll get more headshots.”

Todoroki hummed in understanding and squinted at the screen, focusing in again.

Bakugou looked down in the empty glass in his hands. “Mina, how much fucking alcohol is in this shit?” he finally asked. Mina just snickered at him. Ochaco couldn’t see his face behind his fluffy head of hair on her shoulder, but he must have had some expression because Mina laughed even harder. Bakugou sighed, disappointed. “Wanted another,” he murmured. “Tastes good.”

Ochaco’s heart broke for him. Poor guy just liked the flavor. He hadn’t intended to be in this state at all.

“Hey, man, I’m driving,” Kirishima offered him a smile. “You can have another if you want.”

Bakugou considered this. “Mm,” he agreed, holding it out to Mina. “Please?”

Mina squealed like that was the cutest thing she’d seen in her life. “Best game night ever,” she hissed, jumping up to snatch his cup. She paused by Ochaco. “You too?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows.

Might as well. “Yes, please, thank you, Mina,” Ochaco said with an easy smile, handing over her cup.

While Mina was off making their drinks, Midoriya was still staring at them. He looked conflicted. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Then he looked back at the screen stiffly.

Mina came back and handed them their now full glasses, but she paused in front of them with hands on her hips and a grin on her face. “So, what’s going on here? You’re just cuddling her now?”

“Hm? Uraraka?” he asked, and oh. He was aware of what he was doing. That made Ochaco feel so special. He trusted her now, with more than just his secret. “Mm,” he made a noise of concern and sat up to look at her with glassy, tired eyes. He was adorable. “This okay?” he asked.

“Of course it is, Bakugou,” Ochaco said with her softest smile. “I don’t mind at all.”

Mina hummed suspiciously, but she left them alone to go sit in her spot while Bakugou laid his head back down on her shoulder contentedly.

After some time, the game was shut down, and more people got their drinks. They were sitting around chatting now. Kirishima, ever the affectionate puppy, sat on the floor by Bakugou’s feet with a glass of water. Mina was sitting with Jirou, who had traded her phone for a neon green cocktail. Midoriya also had the green one, presumably green apple, while Todoroki’s was white, Kaminari’s was pink, and Sero had gotten one of the now infamous strawberry mango beverages.

“So, Bakugou,” Mina prompted. “How are things with you?”

Bakugou made a weak questioning noise. “The fuck are you asking me, Mina?”

“You know…” she said innocently. “With your agency, your life, your love life…”

“My agency is the same, my life is fine, and my love life is none of your damn business,” he said, irritated by her vague questioning.

Unfortunately, his answer was more revealing than he intended.

“So you do have a love life!” Mina accused, ecstatic.

For the second time in Ochaco’s life, she witnessed Bakugou hesitate. “I said it’s none of your fucking business, Mina!” he growled.

Kirishima rubbed up and down his calf to calm him. Bakugou relaxed a bit. They were so obvious, Ochaco held back a wince.

Kaminari squinted over at the three of them, then back to Mina. “I see what you mean,” he agreed with a nod.

Sero just smirked and shook his head. “Leave him be, guys,” he said with an easy smile.

Mina crossed her arms and slouched with a sigh.  “Fine,” she grumbled. “Only because it’s, like, basically the first time he’s been drunk in years.”

“Exactly,” Sero said, looking over at Bakugou. “He’s in a vulnerable state.”

“I’m not fucking vulnerable,” Bakugou muttered irritably. “I could beat all of your asses.”

“Not like this, Kacchan,” Midoriya said sympathetically.

“Fuck off,” Bakugou said with no real heat.  

Conversation moved on. Bakugou finished his fourth drink and handed the glass to Kirishima, who took it to the kitchen for him without complaint. He looped an arm around Ochaco’s elbow with a deep sigh, and her brain short circuited. He was fully cuddling her now, willingly, and it was honestly kind of adorable. When Kirishima came back, he gave Ochaco this knowing little smirk, like he knew exactly how rare this was and he was eating it up.

Eventually, when it was starting to get late and Jirou was getting ready to head out, Ochaco realized that it was about time for her to go too. “I have an early morning tomorrow,” Ochaco sighed.

Bakugou made a disappointed noise, and Kirishima laughed at him. “Come on, man, I think it’s time I take you home too,” he said, amused. Then he looked at Ochaco. “I can give you a ride, if you want.”

“Sure!” Ochaco said. She grinned at him. “Thanks, Kirishima.”

“Boo,” Mina complained. “Half the party’s leaving!”

“Well stay longer next time,” Kirishima promised. “Bakugou’s just a little, uh…” he glanced at Bakugou, who was gripping Ochaco even tighter in protest. “You know.”

“A little adorable?” Mina smirked.

Kirishima winced and gauged Bakugou’s reaction, but he didn’t seem to notice, too focused on his mission to stay locked on the couch. “I was going to say plastered,” Kirishima said with an amused look. “Come on, let’s get you up, man,” he said, pulling lightly on Bakugou’s free arm.

Bakugou groaned and buried his face in Ochaco’s shoulder. She giggled at his antics. “Come on, Bakugou,” she said as sweetly as possible, nudging him with an elbow. “Let’s get you home, yeah? A bed would be nicer, wouldn’t it?”

For a long moment, Bakugou seemed to be connecting the dots. Ochaco imagined his thought process was something along the lines of, home equals bed, bed equals Kirishima. He nodded once and allowed Kirishima to yank him to his feet. He wrapped an arm around Kirishima’s shoulders tightly to stay upright. It wasn’t abnormal, and neither was the sight of Bakugou placing his hand on Kirishima’s chest for balance. Though, Ochaco was now convinced it was less for balance, and more of a subtle way to feel up his boyfriend.

Ochaco stood with them and grabbed her purse from the side table, slinging the strap over her shoulder. “Alright, well, bye everyone,” she said with a smile. She pat Midoriya on the head. “Bye Deku, bye Todoroki,” she specifically called out her closest friends. Everyone said their goodbyes, and then she took Bakugou’s other side and helped Kirishima carry him to the car.

When they got outside and were away from the others, Kirishima looked at her over Bakugou’s bowed head. “I hope he didn’t bother you,” he winced.

“Not at all!” Ochaco smiled brightly. “It was cute.”

“Not fuckin' cute,” Bakugou complained.

“Aw, baby,” Kirishima cooed. “But you know you’re so sweet for me.”

Bakugou grumbled incomprehensively, and Ochaco let out a light laugh.

They got him settled in the passenger seat, and Ochaco took the backseat. Kirishima had been to Ochaco’s apartment a couple of times, so she didn’t need to give him directions or anything. She spent the entire ride listening to Kirishima playfully bickering with a very drunk and sleepy Bakugou. It was so sweet. She was happy for them.

When they got to her apartment, they had to get Bakugou to stand in order to let her out of the car. He did so with many complaints, and leaned heavily against the car while Ochaco got out. Kirishima hugged her. “Thanks for the help,” he said into her hair. He pulled back and smiled at her. “We’ll be in touch. Say bye, Katsuki,” he ordered.

“I’m not a fucking child,” Bakugou snapped. Then, his voice softened. “Bye cheeks,” he said. “Maybe we can go to lunch or something some time.” Ochaco couldn’t help but think that the offer would have stayed behind his lips if he had a better relationship with his inhibitions at the moment.

“I would love to,” she smiled brightly. “With either of you, or both of you. Just text me whenever.”

Kirishima grinned. “We’ll keep that in mind,” he said cheerfully, and then he started to manhandle a grumpy Bakugou back into the car.

Ochaco waved goodbye and went up to her apartment. The space was dark and empty, and a little too warm for her liking. She had the thought that maybe she should get a pet to fill the space, and then her mind wandered to Kirishima and Bakugou. Maybe she wanted more than a pet. It would be nice to love and be loved like they did. To go home knowing that someone was waiting for her there. She had no earthly idea who she would have that be, though.

The image of Midoriya popped into her mind, and she tamped it down immediately. She needed to get over that silly little crush. It’s not as if he had the time for a girlfriend anyways.

But maybe… one night of fantasy wouldn’t hurt.

The call from Bakugou didn’t take long. Ochaco was honestly surprised. She was sitting at her desk at work going over some reports when his name lit up her screen. It was close to noon, only about a week since they’d last seen each other.

She smiled to herself and picked up the phone. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked teasingly.

“Oh, shut the hell up,” Bakugou was immediately irritated by her, which only caused her to giggle. “It’s close to my lunch. I was wondering if you would join me.”

He said it less like a question and more like a statement, and he almost sounded like he was being forced into it. Ochaco knew better. “I need a break from this paperwork anyways,” she said with a grin. “Where are we meeting?”

Bakugou directed her to a restaurant she’d never heard of before, claiming that their teriyaki was the best in the city. Ochaco trusted his judgment. She didn’t bother to change into civilian clothes, knowing that Bakugou was showing up in uniform too. It wasn’t abnormal for heroes to stop by restaurants like this, so she hoped they wouldn’t mind.

Ochaco met Bakugou outside of the restaurant, and they walked in together. Surprisingly, the man at the counter seemed to know Bakugou personally. He greeted him enthusiastically, then introduced himself to Ochaco. Tanaka Akihito. He was fairly young, but very professional for his age, she noted.

They ordered their food and sat in a booth in the corner of the restaurant. The entire wall they were sitting against was made up of windows, so the space was lit nicely with natural light. It was a beautiful little restaurant. Ochaco wondered if he’d come with Kirishima before and smiled to herself at the thought.

Their food would take some time, so they sat down to wait for it. Bakugou was uncharacteristically quiet. He fidgeted with his hands on the table, and if it was anyone else, Ochaco would say they were nervous, but this was Bakugou. Bakugou didn’t get nervous.

“I wasn’t ready,” Bakugou eventually spoke. “For… you know,” he stuttered awkwardly. Ochaco blinked at him. “I’m kind of glad it was you, though. You’ve been, uh, pretty great about it, so…”

Ochaco could see he was becoming increasingly embarrassed. It took a lot for him to be vulnerable like this, and Ochaco knew that only a few people had ever seen this side of him. She felt kind of blessed that he trusted her enough to speak so candidly. Before she could think better of it, she reached forward and held both his hands in hers, stilling his fingers.

“I’m happy to support you,” she said with a soft smile. “And whenever you’re ready, I’m sure your other friends would be glad to support you, too.”

Bakugou’s eyes got a little shiny. He didn’t move away, just allowed her to give his hands one last squeeze before she let go. “Thanks,” he said after taking a moment to collect himself. “And… sorry about the other day. I guess we found out I'm a cuddly drunk,” he said with a cringe.

Ochaco laughed. “I really didn’t mind it,” she assured him. “It was nice. I think we were kind of supporting each other in that moment.”

Bakugou looked at her searchingly, then huffed a grumpy breath. “Well, glad it wasn’t one sided, then,” he grumbled.

Their food arrived, and it was just as good as Bakugou had claimed. She would probably become a regular soon enough. Their conversation moved on to lighter topics as they ate. Mostly about work, but Bakugou also told her about the renovations he was getting done on his and Kirishima’s house. They were adding a game room and a third bedroom. He didn’t explain the reason for the third room, leaving it entirely up to Ochaco’s internal speculations.

“Fucking annoying,” Bakugou was complaining. “The workers are never quiet, and it feels like we can’t even be alone in our own goddamned house,” he said with a disgusted shake of his head. “They’re supposed to be done next week, but they look far from fucking finished.”

“Renovations are usually like that, aren’t they?” Ochaco said sympathetically. “I hope you’re not paying them by the hour.”

Bakugou winced. “Fifty-five-hundred yen an hour for the foreman, four-thousand for his workers,” he admitted. “It was in their contract.”

“Oh, they’ll never finish, then,” Ochaco teased with a laugh. Bakugou just groaned miserably.

They finished their lunch and went their separate ways, Bakugou going back to his patrol while Ochaco headed back to the office to finish her paperwork. It was nice knowing that she was now a trusted confidant for the couple. Bakugou had had no problem with discussing details about his personal life that he usually kept a secret from everyone else, and Ochaco was eating it up.

She wondered about the third bedroom as she continued to sign her forms. Her initial thoughts were maybe a training room, or an office, but Bakugou had specifically said third bedroom. It wasn’t like they were having guests over, considering their whole relationship was a secret, so why would they need another bedroom? A third one for that matter? If they already shared a room, that meant that they would have two extra.

A buzz from her phone snapped her out of her thoughts. Then another one. And another one. Suddenly, her phone was absolutely blowing up, and she had no earthly idea why it would be. She picked it up with a deep frown. The first thing she saw was a text.

Mina: I KNEW it!!!

Ochaco frowned. She couldn’t fathom what Mina was talking about. Then, she saw a text from her publicist, and her heart dropped to her stomach. All her publicist had said was, ‘Meet me in my office.’ Above that was a screenshot of an article.

Dynaravity confirmed? The headline read. There was a photo there, taken through the window of the restaurant she’d just been at with Bakugou. It was the moment that she’d held his hands. Ochaco brought a hand up to her mouth. That had been such an intimate and vulnerable moment between them, and some stranger had used it against them like this. She was horrified. Bakugou must be livid.

The meeting with her publicist was a tough one. She couldn’t explain the situation to its fullest extent without outing Bakugou, so it was obvious she was hiding something. Her publicist told her to come back when she felt like being honest about the nature of their relationship. Even her own publicist believed the media vultures.

Dejected, Ochaco went to her office and closed the door. She shuttered the windows too, for good measure. Then, she called Bakugou.

As soon as he picked up, she spoke. “I am so sorry, Bakugou,” she said genuinely, hoping he would believe her.

“You have nothing to apologize for, cheeks,” he said, surprisingly calm. “The media are fucking freaks. They’re always itching to catch us in a position like that. I should have taken you somewhere more private.”

“What do we do?” Ochaco lamented. “Even my publicist believes it. Mina too.”

“I saw,” Bakugou growled. “She’s blowing up the group chat with her bullshit.” He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know what to do yet,” he admitted. “This is new territory for me.”

“Me too,” Ochaco sighed. Then, she opened up about her biggest fear. “I don’t want to put any strain on your relationship. Is Kirishima okay?”

Bakugou scoffed. “Fucker thinks it’s hilarious,” he grumbled irritably. “Don’t worry about us, cheeks, we’re fine. Just… maybe come over tonight, and we can game plan?”

Ochaco let out a relieved sigh. “Yeah, that would be great,” she agreed. “I’m really stressed out.”

“Me too,” Bakugou admitted, albeit a bit reluctantly. “I’ll pick you up after your shift.”

They ended the call, and Ochaco was really relieved that she wouldn’t have to sit alone with this tonight. She was worried. This would affect her reputation, her relationships, and her work. It wasn’t that she was ashamed to be paired with Bakugou. It was a rather big compliment that anyone would think she would have a chance with the number five hero. It was just that, well, they weren’t together, and this misconception brushed against a huge secret that she swore never to tell.

Ochaco wasn’t a good liar. Everyone would be able to tell she was hiding something, and they would all assume the most obvious explanation. The one that was simply not true. This was an absolute nightmare.

She sat down in her chair and read some more of her texts. In the group chat, Bakugou’s friends were all teasing him.

Kaminari: I say this platonically, but if I got to be with someone as cute as Uraraka I would never keep it a secret.

Sero: making moves on his girl already damn

Mina: you guys are SO CUTE! Do you want the pictures I took of you last weekend?

Bakugou: You fucking took pictures?? Delete them.

Mina: No! Never!

Kirishima: Bakugou and Uraraka sitting in a tree (:

Bakugou: I will end you.

Ochaco scoffed at Kirishima’s message. She supposed he really was having fun with this. He didn’t seem worried at all, and that eased some of her own anxiety.

Then, she got another private message, and her adrenaline spiked again.

Deku: How long?

Ochaco’s heart stopped. Of all people, the last person she wanted to believe this was Midoriya. She cared for him so much. She couldn’t imagine how hurt he must be feeling, thinking his closest friends were lying to him.

Me: I’m so sorry, Deku. The picture is taken out of context. It’s really not like that.

Ochaco paused. She couldn’t be dishonest with Midoriya, but she couldn’t out Bakugou either.

Me: There are some things that I can’t explain, but please trust me when I say that the media is wrong about their assumptions. I am not dating Bakugou.

Three dots appeared and disappeared on her screen. They appeared again.

Deku: I trust you.

Ochaco let out a breath of relief. She was so grateful that Midoriya was such a good friend. She didn’t know what she would have done if he didn’t believe her.

When her shift ended, she got a text from Bakugou telling her he was waiting outside. It wasn’t until she saw hordes of paparazzi taking photos of Bakugou sitting in his car that she realized how this was going to look. She cringed, then stepped outside to face the media circus.

Instantly, she was crowded. People shoved microphones and voice recorders in her face and spoke over each other to ask her a million questions that she could hardly understand. “Excuse me,” she said politely, trying and failing to push through them.

“Get the fuck away from her,” she heard Bakugou growl, and the crowd parted for her suddenly. Bakugou was standing there with his typical intimidating snarl, holding up his sparking hands in threat. “Have some fucking common decency and let her walk, assholes.”

Without waiting for their response, Bakugou stepped over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively, glaring at anyone who dared to stand too close as they passed by. He opened the passenger’s side door for her, still glaring at the media, and let go only so that she could sit. He slammed the door closed and got into the driver’s seat, then peeled away in a flash.

“Sorry,” Bakugou murmured as he drove. “I probably just made this worse.”

“It’s okay!” Ochaco rushed to assure him. The paparazzi had been out of control. They needed a firm talking to. “Thank you.”

“I talked to Deku,” Bakugou said without looking at her. “He knows.”

Ochaco’s eyes widened. “About… you and Kirishima?”

“Yes,” Bakugou said through gritted teeth. “I told the fucker not to say a damn word to anyone, but he’s not exactly the king of keeping secrets.”

Ochaco blinked rapidly, processing. “Why did you tell him, then?”

Bakugou glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, then looked back at the road. “You have a thing for him, don’t you?” he asked. “Didn’t want this to fuck that up.”

That was actually… really sweet. Ochaco felt her eyes get a little soggy. “Thank you,” she said genuinely. “That means a lot.”

“It’s no problem,” Bakugou said. “Really. He probably would have figured it out next anyways.”

They lapsed into silence. It wasn’t the uncomfortable kind. They were both just deep in thought while they drove, lost in their respective nightmare situations. Ochaco got a new text from Midoriya.

Deku: I’m sorry for doubting you. Thank you for protecting my Kacchan.

Ochaco smiled. Midoriya was so fond of Bakugou, it was cute. She quickly sent a text back.

Me: I did what any decent person would do. No need to apologize, Deku, I appreciate that you could trust me.

Another text came in pretty quickly after that.

Deku: We should get together for coffee soon.

Ochaco’s heart skipped a beat. She hesitated before replying.

Me: Give me a time and date, and I’m there (:

Bakugou pulled up to an absolutely gorgeous house. Ochaco could see where the renovations were being done. It looked like it was only going to add to the grand silhouette of the house once it was finished. Bakugou clicked a button attached to the visor over his head, and the garage door opened for him to pull in next to Kirishima’s minivan.

“The crew should be gone for the night,” Bakugou assured her as he opened his door to step out. Ochaco followed suit. “Eijirou is already inside. Said he made dinner, so it’s probably steak.”

Sure enough, when they got inside the table was already set with three plates, each with a sirloin, steamed veggies, and a side of rice.

Kirishima smiled brightly when he spotted them from where he was washing a pan in the sink. “Hey, babe!” he said brightly, and he shut off the water to come kiss Bakugou right on the lips. “I missed you today.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Bakugou grumbled.

“Aw, are you feeling shy?” Kirishima called him out mercilessly, and Bakugou’s face flushed. Kirishima laughed at his reaction and gestured to the table. “Go ahead and sit down, I’ll be right there.

The two of them sat down together, and they waited for Kirishima before they dug in. When Kirishima walked up to them, he had a cheeky grin on his face. “Ah, the two lovebirds,” he teased as he sat down and took Bakugou’s hand.

“Fuck off, shitty hair,” Bakugou snarled, but he didn’t take his hand away. “This is serious.”

Kirishima kissed his knuckles. “I know, baby,” he said with a tiny smile. “We’ll handle it.”

Ochaco couldn’t help the smile that graced her lips. They were so cute. Kirishima released Bakugou’s hand so that they could dig into their food. “I don’t even know what to say to my fucking publicist,” Bakugou grumbled. “I don’t know what statement to make. We can’t just deny it. No one will believe us.”

“My publicist knew I was hiding something,” Ochaco sighed forlornly. “She’s so mad at me…”

Bakugou winced. “Sorry…” he mumbled.

“It’s fine,” Ochaco said with a weak smile. “I won’t break my promise. No matter what.”

Kirishima was uncharacteristically quiet. He cut into his steak slowly, the gears visibly turning in his head. “What about the truth?” he said shyly. “That would dispel everything, probably…”

Bakugou blanched. “You mean come out in fucking public?” he said, voice pitched up in disbelief.

The knife was set down on the table with a soft thunk, and Kirishima turned towards Bakugou with a sympathetic look on his face. “You know we can’t keep it a secret forever,” he said softly, gently, like he was trying to calm a wild animal. “Maybe now is the time. I mean, we’re going to have to do it before…” he paused and glanced at Ochaco, then looked back at Bakugou with a shy shrug. “You know.”

Bakugou’s breath had picked up a little. He was staring at Kirishima, horrified. “But…” he said, and he trailed off. “I’m not ready.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Kirishima said cautiously. “I’m not exactly jumping for joy either, but this might actually be the perfect time.”

Bakugou swallowed thickly.

Ochaco raised her hand slightly. “You don’t have to decide right now,” she said sincerely. “I’m fine with the rumors circulating until you come to a decision, so…”

Kirishima looked at her gratefully. “Are you sure? It’s gotta be a huge hassle.”

“It is,” Bakugou said seriously, frowning at her. “The paparazzi nearly trampled her earlier.”

Ochaco waved off their concerns. “If they want to believe we’re dating, they can. I’ll tell my publicist to hold off on a statement until you decide. It’s no big deal, really!”

“Our asshole friends aren’t going to leave us alone,” Bakugou pointed out.

“That’s their problem,” Ochaco said, challenging him.

“Your reputation—” Bakugou started.

“Will probably improve if people think I’m dating the number five hero,” Ochaco finished for him. “Nothing bad is going to happen if you take a couple of days to process, Bakugou.”

He looked down at his plate with a frown. “You’d really do this for me?”

“Of course,” Ochaco said emphatically. “You’re my friend. I care about you, and I don’t want you to regret any decisions made in the heat of the moment. We’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, Uraraka,” Kirishima said sincerely. “We really owe you one now.”

Ochaco grinned. “I’ll take that one,” she agreed cheerfully.

Conversation moved on. Kirishima asked a quiet Bakugou about his day, and while Bakugou seemed reluctant to change the subject at first, he inevitably opened up and grumbled about how it was a boring day, which was technically a good thing. Ochaco watched them in amusement before Kirishima turned to her and asked the same thing with a bright smile, and she had to explain that it was a paperwork catch-up day for her, other than the PR disaster. Once she’d finished, Kirishima went on to explain how he’d stopped an armored truck robbery, and Bakugou looked absolutely enamored.

Ochaco was so curious about them. She didn’t want to overstep, but she had so many questions. “Would it be okay if I ask some questions about you guys?” she couldn’t help but ask.

Bakugou inevitably glowered, but Kirishima lit up. “Of course!” he said brightly. “Ask away!”

“How did you two get together?” she asked excitedly. “Did you do anything exciting for your first date?”

“First date was hiking,” Bakugou said.

“No,” Kirishima argued emphatically. “It was the ice cream!”

Bakugou glared at him. “It’s only a fucking date if both of us knows it’s a date, asshole,” he said. It sounded like they’d had this argument a million times before, and Ochaco giggled.

Kirishima rolled his eyes and turned to her. “It was second year,” he started the story with a grin. “Katsuki was doing his physical therapy, and we got to talking. He was saying that he didn’t understand why all those girls were after him when he is the way he is, and claimed that if they got to know him they wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole,” Kirishima looked at Bakugou fondly, and Bakugou just slouched and took a bite of his rice, clearly embarrassed. “I was sitting there, at a loss for words, because I had a crush on him and I knew him just fine. I knew it could ruin things, but I couldn’t let Katsuki keep thinking he was unlovable.”

“That’s so sweet,” Ochaco said with a hand to her heart.

“He stuttered through the whole confession,” Bakugou said, probably just to embarrass him. “Could barely understand what he was saying until the end. What he didn’t know was I kinda liked him since the sports festival…” Bakugou blushed a bit and chewed his lip.

Kirishima laughed. “And I fell for him during that attack on USJ!” he looked delighted. “It was almost love at first sight.”

“That’s why no one’s guessed,” Ochaco realized with a grin. “Because you were never just friends.”

“Yup,” Kirishima said proudly.

“Well,” Ochaco didn’t know how to phrase the next question. They didn’t exactly seem like boyfriends. They owned a house together. They were getting renovations done on said house. This seemed well established and serious. “Where are you guys at now?” she asked awkwardly. Kirishima tipped his head in confusion. “I mean… What stage? You two seem more than boyfriends…”

Bakugou flushed to his ears, and Kirishima had a sheepish grin. “So…” Kirishima winced. “We might have had a private wedding with just our parents…”

Ochaco squealed. “Oh my god you’re married?”

“We’re going to renew our vows when we come out so that we can have a bigger celebration with friends!” Kirishima assured her. “But, yeah, we’ve been married for three years now.”

“That’s amazing,” Ochaco said genuinely. She was so happy for them. “You two are really perfect for each other.”

At that, Bakugou grinned. “Damn right, we are,” he said confidently. So different from the boy in the story who didn’t believe he could be loved.

Dinner ended up being very nice, and Ochaco was a lot less worried about the whole thing after all was said and done. Midoriya knew the truth, and that was the most important thing. Everyone else could be left wondering until Bakugou made his decision. The situation felt a little less out of control somehow.

Kirishima gave her a hug goodbye, and another thank you before Bakugou drove her home. In the car, they chatted about all sorts of things. Anything from ancient All Might merch to the colors he wanted to paint the walls in his new rooms. Ochaco noted that he was listing exclusively pastel shades for the third room, and she was starting to get an idea of what it might be for.

When she was back in her tiny apartment, she didn’t feel quite as lonely. She’d gotten herself a plant which sat on her windowsill. When she opened her phone, she had another text from Midoriya.

Deku: How about tomorrow before class?

“That’s what I said!” Midoriya said gleefully, clutching his mug of coffee close to his chest. “I don’t understand kids these days. You would think I would get it better considering how much time I spend with them…” He shook his head fondly.

Ochaco laughed. “Well, they’re not going to show their true colors in front of their teacher,” she pointed out.

“I wish they would!” Midoriya said with a sigh. “I’m not scary, I promise!” Ochaco laughed at him again, and he gave her a small smile. “So… Kacchan and Kirishima, huh?” he changed the subject smoothly, but he looked a little sheepish, like he knew they shouldn’t be talking about this. “I never would have guessed.”

“Really?” Ochaco said with a smile. “They’re kind of obvious, but I guess I didn’t know for sure until I caught them flirting at work,” she snickered.

Midoriya’s eyes bugged. “Did they, really? Wow,” he said, then he got that fond look in his eye that only appeared when he spoke about Bakugou. “I’m just so glad he’s happy. They’re happy. They seem pretty close.”

Ochaco chose not to disclose their marriage, but she couldn’t hide everything. “I went to their house last night to discuss the situation,” she admitted. “It’s beautiful. I think they’re in it for life.”

“Good,” Midoriya smiled softly. “That’s good to hear.”

“They’re considering telling people,” Ochaco said a little worriedly. “Kirishima was trying to say it was the easiest way to dispel the rumors, but Bakugou seems really apprehensive.”

Midoriya brought a hand to his chin. “I can see why,” he said comprehensively. “There’s no top ten heroes in the LGBT community that I know of. I don’t think there ever has been, at least not openly. There’s no telling how people will react.”

Ochaco hummed in agreement. She paused to consider it. Ever since learning about Bakugou’s relationship, they’d only become closer. He showed her a side of him that few ever witnessed. If she was honest with herself, she did like him better than she had a month ago. Not just because he was gay, but because of all of the events that came with it.

“I think he’ll be fine,” she said, looking down at her coffee with a soft smile. “I think he’ll go up in ranking, honestly.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened. “Oh, boy, I better watch out, then,” he grinned.

Ochaco laughed. “Maybe you should find a cute romance to increase your ratings too,” she teased.

The look in Midoriya’s eyes changed. There was something unreadable about his expression. “Maybe I should,” he said cryptically.

They chatted for a bit longer, but Midoriya had to get to class. He left with a cheerful goodbye and a promise to do this more often, so Ochaco felt quite hopeful and warm about her morning. She still had three hours to kill before her shift, though, so she wasn’t really sure what to do with herself now.

Visiting friends was out of the question. They all thought she was dating Bakugou, so any interaction with her former classmates was sure to end in disaster. In the end, she decided that all she could do was head into work early and get some extra paperwork done before patrol. With three hours, she might actually be caught up for once.

 Once she got to her office and settled in, she got two messages in quick succession.

Mina: wya

Bakugou: Ignore her.

Ochaco sighed. This was bound to be some drama that she didn’t want to deal with. She had accepted that it would be part of her life while Bakugou made his decision, though, so there was nothing that could be done. She typed up a quick response to Mina.

Me: Working.

Mina: She responds!

It was true that she’d ignored all of her texts from the day before, but she hadn’t really expected that to be a big deal. She sent a message to Bakugou.

Me: I’m not going to be rude, but she won’t get anything out of me, trust me.

Bakugou: I do.

Ochaco smiled at that. She was happy that he trusted her to handle Mina. She was a little apprehensive, though. Mina could be very pushy.

Mina: I’m omw

She buried her face in her hands with a groan. What was she supposed to say? Mina had plenty of evidence to back her claims if she had photos of Bakugou cuddling her the weekend before. There was no way Ochaco alone could convince her that they weren’t together. What did she even want?

Not long after she received the text, Mina burst into the office with a convenience store bag in her hand. She chucked a rice ball at Ochaco’s head which she easily caught. “How could you not tell me?!”

Ochaco sighed and gave her a pained look. “Mina, I’m not dating Bakugou,” she said honestly.

“Well, then, you at least obviously have feelings for each other!” Mina continued, not backing down in the slightest. “Bakugou doesn’t cuddle just anyone.”

“It’s not like that, Mina!” Ochaco insisted. “Look, I have some paperwork to do, so—” she was cut off before the excuse had time to leave her mouth.

“I looked at your schedule!” Mina said. She plopped down in the chair in front of Ochaco’s desk. “You don’t have to work for two and a half hours. I’m here to bring you to your senses, Uraraka.”

“Bring me to my senses,” Ochaco deadpanned.

“Look,” Mina started with a sigh. “I know our blasty friend can be difficult to deal with at times. That’s not news. Is he making you stay quiet for his ranking?”

Ochaco’s mouth hung open. Well, technically, but, “Mina you have the wrong idea,” she tried.

Mina shook her head, taking her reaction as confirmation. “That dickhead,” she grumbled. “Acting like this doesn’t affect you too.”

“No!” Ochaco defended him instantly. “I told him to take his time before making a statement. It was a mutual decision.”

“So, you’re letting him control the narrative,” Mina said with a squint.

Ochaco sighed heavily. “I told you, it’s not like that.”

“What’s it like, then?” Mina challenged her.

“I…” Ochaco cringed. “I can’t say…”

“Bakugou’s got your tongue on lock down, huh?” Mina said with a squint.

“Don’t say it like that!” Ochaco gasped, feeling her face flush.

“Well, what can you tell me, then?” Mina asked somewhat forlornly, unwrapping her rice ball.

Ochaco considered it for a moment. Something that might satisfy Mina without outing Bakugou… “Bakugou’s struggling with this more than he lets on,” she said finally. “He’s probably the one in the situation who is the most freaked out by everything that’s happening, so… he could use a friend over an interrogator.”

Mina considered this, then she sighed. “Yeah, he seems like more of a grump lately,” she agreed. “I’ll try to be patient.”

“Thank you, Mina,” Ochaco said with a bright smile.

Before they had a chance to say their goodbyes, Bakugou’s name lit up Ochaco’s phone. Mina’s eyebrows raised. “He doesn’t call just anyone, either,” she pointed out. Then she gave Ochaco a smile. “I’ll chill out. Go see to your boy.”

With that, she was gone, and Ochaco answered the phone with a heavy sigh.

“That bad?” Bakugou asked.

“She was only trying to help, but…” Ochaco hesitated. “She’s just got everything so mixed up.”

“Course she does,” Bakugou grumbled, and Ochaco smiled to herself. She could see what Mina meant about him being grumpy.

“What did you need?” Ochaco asked.

“Well,” Bakugou paused. “It was a stupid idea. I was gonna offer lunch, but it can wait until the media storm passes.”

“That’s sweet, Bakugou,” Ochaco smiled. “You’re probably right, though. We wouldn’t have a moment alone.”

“Not fuckin’ sweet. You sound like Eijirou,” Bakugou complained.

Ochaco laughed. “I happen to know that you really like him, so I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Bakugou scoffed. “Fuck off,” he grumbled. “I take my invitation back. You have to earn lunch with me now.”

“Oh really?” Ochaco chuckled, amused. “I think I’m doing more than enough already.”

“Fine,” Bakugou agreed. “But you buy dessert.”

“You got it,” Ochaco grinned.

There was a brief pause, then Bakugou sighed a deep and tired huff of breath. “I was hoping to discuss things with someone other than Eijirou,” he admitted.

Ochaco hummed in understanding. “I’m sorry, Bakugou,” she said sympathetically. “If we could find a private spot, I would totally be there.  What about Deku?”

Silence. “You want me to discuss my fucking feelings with Izuku?” he hissed incredulously.

“You know he won’t judge you, right?” she scolded him playfully. “He might have some good insights as a fellow top hero.”

“Don’t remind me,” Bakugou grumbled, intimately aware of Midoriya’s number four spot.

“Don’t be like that,” Ochaco said, but she was holding back a laugh. It was all an act. She knew he loved Midoriya, because why else would he almost singlehandedly fund his hero suit? “Give it a shot. He would be happy to help, and you know he’ll be realistic. Kirishima’s optimism isn’t wrong, I think, but there are things weighing on you that he doesn’t understand, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Bakugou grumbled. “Fine. I’ll talk to the nerd.”

“Good,” Ochaco smiled brightly. “If he’s no help, maybe we just work harder to find a private spot.”

“Thanks, cheeks,” Bakugou sighed. “I guess I better call him.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Ochaco said fondly. “Go get ‘em.”

When Ochaco got dressed in her hero uniform for patrol, she knew that she would be dealing with some paparazzi that day. What she hadn’t expected was the crowd of paparazzi that was following her on her route. They were keeping a good enough distance that they wouldn’t be in her way in the event of a villain, but there were a lot of them, and it was rather unnerving.

One newscaster standing on a corner wasn’t abnormal. A newscaster on every corner she had to turn on was, however. Were they seriously there for her? She wasn’t the only Pro Hero to ever be caught in a dating scandal, and she knew for a fact that none of her friends had ever gotten this treatment. Not even the real couples generated news like this.

Ochaco had avoided going online so far, but she was starting to think maybe it was time to take a look. As she rounded another corner only to find more cameras waiting, she was also starting to think it was time to cut her patrol short. Instead of walking all around the block again, Ochaco floated herself over the buildings beside her and gracefully floated down to the agency.

Maybe she would just focus on quirk counseling while Bakugou made his decision. But then, what if the paparazzi followed her there and scared those vulnerable kids? Clearly, she would just have to take some time off. She pulled up her phone to search her name as she walked to her office.

Uravity bails on duties to avoid scrutiny! Is the first article, with a blurry photo taken of her floating away just moments ago. She rolled her eyes and moved on.

The articles made her blood boil.

Many of them spoke about domestic violence and narcissistic abuse. They never directly accused Bakugou, but they tactfully pointed out that this was the perfect opportunity to have that discussion, for no particular reason. One article was titled, 3 Tips on Putting a Leash On Your Man (That Uravity Needs To Hear!), and another one titled, You can’t save them all.

On social media, it seemed that most of the hype was drummed up because their fans found them attractive and thought they looked cute together. There were edits of the scene with Bakugou and the paparazzi, Sparkly icons made out of his glaring face, and all kinds of memes about their supposed relationship. It was spreading like crazy.

Ochaco was overwhelmed. Sure, she’d agreed to this, but she didn’t really know what she was getting into at the time. Would Bakugou forgive her if she couldn’t handle it? How was she supposed to go to the grocery store, or live her life until Bakugou made his decision?

Her hand hovered over her phone. She needed to talk to him. She didn’t know if it was to vent, or to beg for mercy, but she was freaking out alone in her office, and somehow, he’d managed to become her voice of reason. Surely he wouldn’t be mad at her, right?

Before she even touched her phone it buzzed once. Then two more times. Ochaco picked up her phone to look. She’d been added to a group chat by Bakugou that had Kirishima, Sero, Mina, Kaminari, and Jirou in it.

Bakugou changed the chat name to ‘idiots (and Jirou)’

Bakugou: We need to talk.

Oh. Oh, he was doing this. His talk with Midoriya must have gone well.

Sero: You realize that you just called your girl an idiot, right?

Bakugou: She’s not my fucking girl tape face.

Bakugou: And she knows I don’t mean her.

Kaminari: See, you’re giving us some mixed signals, blasty…

Kirishima: wait, am I one of the idiots?

Bakugou: Obviously.

Kirishima: D:

Ochaco laughed at the messages. She was glad Bakugou was including her in this, if only for the entertainment. She felt the panic in her heart calming as she watched the chat.

Mina: Bakugou you’re not fooling anyone!!

Mina: What is there to talk about? Is this about your relationship?

Bakugou: Well, yes.

Kirishima: lmao

Kaminari: AHA!

Sero: he admits it.

Ochaco rolled her eyes fondly. They thought they had it all figured out. She decided to offer some assistance.

Me: Hey, Bakugou, where are we meeting up for this talk?

Bakugou: Finally someone with fucking sense. Goddamn.

Bakugou: Mina when can we meet up at yours?

Mina: Uh, literally tonight I’ll clear my schedule? I NEED this.

Bakugou: Is everyone free tonight?

Jirou: Yep.

Kaminari: Well I had chores but that can wait

Sero: My patrol goes until ten tonight, so it would have to be pretty late…

Mina: That’s fine!

Jirou: I’ve got nothing in the morning.

Bakugou: It’s decided then.

Bakugou: And Mina?

Mina: Yes?

Bakugou: Have one of those strawberry mango drinks ready for me. I’m gonna need it.

Kirishima offered for him and Bakugou to pick Ochaco up in the group chat where everyone could see it. No one had anything to say about Bakugou and Kirishima riding together, but there was plenty of teasing about Bakugou chauffeuring ‘his girl' as they kept calling her.

When they got to her apartment, Kirishima got out and greeted her with a hug before helping her into the back. Ochaco got cozy in the makeshift seat while Kirishima put up his seat and sat back down. Bakugou didn’t even greet her. He seemed tense. He slowly pulled out of the parking lot onto the road, almost as if stalling.

There were soft love songs playing on the speakers. Ochaco had a feeling it was Kirishima’s doing. She’d learned a lot of new things about Bakugou recently, but still, he didn’t seem the type to willingly listen to this type of music of his own volition.

They came up to a stop light and Bakugou’s thumbs tapped the wheel anxiously. His knuckles were white. Kirishima held out a hand, and Bakugou took it, leaving him to drive one-handed.

Ochaco’s theory was proven right when Kirishima tapped on his phone for a little bit and the song changed. Then, Kirishima began to passionately sing along to Die With A Smile in his own… unique style. Bakugou continued to sit rigidly in his seat, but Kirishima didn’t seem to mind at all. He waved their intertwined hands back and forth as he sang, as if he was forcing Bakugou to dance with him.

It was so sweet. Ochaco had chills watching them. This felt like such a private moment between them, like she was intruding on something. She had to remind herself that they’d offered to pick her up.

When she thought about it, she figured that to Bakugou, this really did feel like the world was ending, as the song described. He’d expressed multiple times that he wasn’t ready for this, and yet here he was. Preparing to bravely face his closest friends with something he’d held close to his heart for ten years.

While Kirishima struggled in their English class in high school, his pronunciation had always been pretty decent due to his appreciation for American television. While he sang, though, his accent was almost nonexistent. This was how Ochaco knew that he was actually a good singer with an unfortunate choice in genre.

She watched as Kirishima brought Bakugou’s hand to his mouth to use it as a microphone when he hit a particularly high note, further proving he was secretly a good singer, and it shocked a laugh out of her. His eyes flickered over to her for half a beat, and she could see the cheeky smile on his face as he gazed lovingly towards Bakugou. The song came to a close, and he brushed his lips against Bakugou’s knuckles, then leaned back in his seat. He continued to hum along to the music as they drove.

Bakugou slowly pulled into Mina’s apartment complex, and found a parking spot near her door. For a moment, he sat there, unmoving. Then, he grabbed Kirishima’s shirt and pulled him in for the softest, most sweetest kiss that Ochaco had ever witnessed. Her breath caught.

“Thank you,” he mumbled, and then he slipped out of the car before Kirishima could say anything.

Kirishima stared after him for a moment, then turned to Ochaco with a slight flush to his cheeks. “Let’s, uh, get you outta there,” he said, and he got out of the car to move the seat up for her. 

When they knocked on the door and Mina opened it she squealed and cooed at her and Bakugou, as if Kirishima wasn’t right there with his hand against the small of Bakugou’s back, and Kirishima didn’t even seem to mind it. Ochaco tried to imagine how she would act if the person she was with for almost ten years was suddenly being shipped with one of her friends, and she didn’t think she would be so gracious. Mina excitedly invited them inside where everyone was already sitting.

Bakugou stood in front of the group and eyed them. Uraraka sat down beside Jirou on the smaller couch, while Kirishima sat beside Kaminari and Sero on the big couch. Bakugou looked towards Mina and held his hand out without a word.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, and she scrambled to go get him his drink. After a moment, she came out and handed it to him, then sat on the recliner.

Before saying a word, Bakugou drank half of the drink. He paused to catch his breath for a bit, and everyone was silent. When he finally spoke, he wasn’t looking at any of them. His eyes were locked on the table below him.

“I haven’t been honest with you,” he started, and Sero and Kaminari shared a glance. “Uraraka is a good person, but I can’t be with her.” Mina’s eyebrows shot up and she opened her mouth to speak, but Bakugou barreled on. “That’s because… I’m… gay,” he said. It came out stilted and awkward. Like he’d never said those words out loud before, and maybe he hadn’t.

The room was silent. Kaminari was gaping at him, as was Mina, and Sero’s eyes bugged out of his head. Jirou didn’t seem surprised, as Ochaco had expected.

For a beat too long, no one said anything, and Bakugou downed the rest of his drink. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something else, maybe to soften the blow, but he couldn’t. Nothing came out. He was shutting down.

“I guess that’s my cue,” Kirishima said with an awkward laugh, standing up to go over to Bakugou and rub circles on his back. Then, he turned to their friends. They were all giving him quizzical looks, but he just smiled a little sheepishly at them and held Bakugou closer. “I’m gay too,” he admitted, and then he continued. “And we’re together.”

Again, silence. Then Mina screamed, “What?!” She sounded excited, but Bakugou still flinched, anticipating the worst. “Since when?!”

It was Kirishima’s turn to look a bit anxious about that. He hesitated for a moment before answering. “It’s been… a long time,” he said a little quietly. “We weren’t ready to come out yet, so we had to keep our relationship a secret until we were,” he explained. Then, hesitantly, he said, “We got together in second year…”

“Dude, what?” Sero scoffed in disbelief.

“Bro, the whole time?” Kaminari asked, voice pitched up.

Jirou just sighed in relief. “I knew it,” she said, and Bakugou’s head snapped up to squint at her. “The whole Uraraka thing threw me for a loop, to be honest.”

“Uraraka caught us being a little too friendly at work,” Kirishima said sheepishly. “That’s how she found out, and she’s been talking to Katsuki about it a lot, y’know, being supportive.”

Mina was gaping at them. She looked hurt. “You didn’t think you could tell us?” she asked, voice small. “Even after we accepted Jirou?”

Kirishima winced. “Mina, I swear it’s not personal,” he said sincerely. “Let me start from the beginning,” he started, removing his hand from Bakugou’s back to gesture as he spoke. “At first, both of us were really afraid of your guys' reactions! When we were in high school, Bakugou planned to never come out to anyone. I won’t go into why, but he had his reasons. We had to go to therapy about it, and eventually came to a compromise,” he explained.

“Ei,” Bakugou said harshly.

“There’s nothing wrong with going to therapy, Katsuki,” Kirishima said automatically, as if they’d had that argument before. He moved on before Bakugou could fight him. “Our compromise was that we were going to tell you guys when we were ready,” Kirishima continued. “But, well, Katsuki was never ready. When Jirou came out, I felt like I could be ready, but then I was worried about how you would react to how long we’d been lying to you guys.”

“Oh, no, you’re both messes,” Sero chuckled.

“Right,” Kirishima cringed. “So, we made more compromises. As we came to certain milestones, we made plans to include you in them in the future, but no concrete plans about when that future would be.”

“Milestones, as in…?” Kaminari asked, almost in awe.

“We… we’re married,” Kirishima winced as if he expected a bad reaction to that.

Mina burst into tears.

Instantly, Kirishima pulled her up into a hug. He held her while she cried and Sero and Kaminari stared openly, processing everything themselves. Once Mina calmed down a little, he continued. “We’re going to have a vow renewal for you guys,” he explained. “That way we can celebrate with the most important people in our lives…”

“I can’t believe I missed this,” Mina cried.

“Don’t feel bad, Mina,” Bakugou mumbled awkwardly. “We spent our whole wedding night thinking about you assholes, so…”

Kaminari put a hand to his heart. “You do like us!”

“Shut up,” Bakugou said with an eyeroll.

“We were never going to come out publicly,” Kirishima continued. “It was always going to be something we kept to our closest friends and family, but obviously this whole mess has changed things. What it hasn’t changed is the timing of us coming out to you guys,” Kirishima said with a bit of a smile. “We were planning to tell you this month before Uraraka even found out.”

“Wha—seriously?” Kaminari blinked. “Crazy timing.”

Mina sniffled and buried her face in Kirishima’s shirt. “Good,” she said petulantly. “You better have.”

“The other milestones were easy to rationalize, you know?” Kirishima continued, his smile widening. “This one is a bit different. Not just because it’s hard to hide,” he laughed. “But because you guys should be involved. Kats, do you want to tell them?”

All eyes turned to Bakugou, and he anxiously played with the hem of his tshirt. “So,” he said awkwardly, then he cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He continued more smoothly. “Long story short, you guys are gonna be aunts and uncles in about five months,” he said with an upward twitch of his lips.

“Holy shit,” Jirou said with a grin.

Sero and Kaminari were gaping at them, and Mina shrieked and jumped up and down in Kirishima’s arms. “I’m gonna be an auntie?!” she shouted, and Bakugou let out a little laugh, finally relaxing. “Oh my god, is it a boy or a girl?!”

“She’s a girl,” Bakugou answered proudly. “Kirishima Katsue.”

“That’s so cute!” Mina shrieked, and tears streamed down her face.

Ochaco had had a feeling they were preparing for a kid, but she hadn’t realized how soon it would be. She found herself tearing up too. She was so full of happiness and pride for the two standing in front of them. They’d overcome so much, and they were even stronger for it. Now here they were, being brave in front of their people, and Ochaco was blessed to witness it.

Kirishima excitedly explained the process of how they’d started their journey for a child, to Bakugou’s embarrassment. Apparently, they’d found someone with a genderswap quirk who had a history of helping same sex couples conceive children. Since neither of them had the time for a nine-month pregnancy, they’d opted to do a more short-term swap and freeze some eggs for IVF. Bakugou was the one who had undergone the swap, all because Kirishima had a hugely public case going on at the time, so he couldn’t take the time off.

Sero and Kaminari teased him, predictably, but Ochaco thought that was a very sweet sacrifice. The procedure to get eggs frozen isn’t known to be a comfortable one, either. Bakugou probably took that into account when making his decision.

They went through a surrogacy program that kept their identities a secret from the surrogate, which they explained was hard for them but necessary in the case that she is a fan, or uses this as publicity, or outs them. Bakugou seemed more affected than he let on as Kirishima described the important events that they were missing. Especially when Kirishima mentioned how he wished he could feel little Katsue kicking.

Ochaco looked around at how excited everyone was for the couple, and she smiled to herself. Just as she’d predicted, they had plenty of support. It was only a matter of time that the world would see Bakugou how she did now, too.

The very next morning, Ochaco was in her office working on paperwork again, since there wasn’t much else she could do at the moment. Her head was spinning. She was still reeling after that conversation last night. She’d made plans with Mina and Jirou to buy baby stuff for the clueless boys who were soon to be fathers after work, and her mind was working overtime on making a shopping list rather than focusing on the pages in front of her.

Her phone buzzed on the desk. She picked it up to see that it was a post on one of Bakugou’s public accounts. It was a picture. In the picture, Bakugou was kissing Kirishima, both in their hero costumes, and he had his left hand holding on just below Kirishima’s jaw to show off a thick metal band with one small red gem on his ring finger. Kirishima’s eyes were closed, but Bakugou had narrowed eyes looking directly at the camera. A smile split Ochaco’s lips when she saw the caption.

@GEMGDYNAMIGHT: thought we’d clear some things up.