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Katsuki Bakugou has made a lot of mistakes throughout his life: for years he was Deku's bully, he partly caused All Might's retirement, he almost pushed away his friends with his horrible behavior, just to mention some of them. He's become aware of himself, of his demons and of what he did, and he knows he can't fix everything, he can't simply wipe his slate clean, but he's at least trying to put a remedy.
He might not be perfect, he'll always have his grouchy personality, but he's the hero Dynamight, and as such he wants to be useful to people.
Since a few years the class A of the U.A. High School has made its debut in the hero world and it has rapidly created itself a name: the public is recognizing in them the successors of the Symbol of Peace and their popularity rises day by day.
Life as defenders of the law is quite strenuous; there are some days in which the boy comes back home exhausted and, if he only could, he'd immediately drop dead weight and fall asleep on the living room couch. He's embarked himself on a long-lasting relationship with the freezer, because he gets sick even at the mere thought of having to cook after a backbreaking patrol shift.
He's certainly not the only one to be affected by this lifestyle's hectic paces – even though he's chosen this path, and instead of changing he'd rather pass out on the couch every evening –, because for example there's Deku who in a month must have had maybe ten hours of sleep in total and when Katsuki sees him he always has two dark bags under his eyes that could scare the shit out of anyone. Moreover, it's better avoid posing him too complex questions because last time someone asked him to choose between two options, the green-haired boy's answer was a simple "yes".
They all have to get used to this fatigue, they have to learn to deal with it or they risk making the worst disasters. And they also have to master the hard art to do things correctly even when they're focused on something else, like him now.
He was lucky enough to clock out quite earlier than the usual, so for dinner he is hell-bent on wanting to cook a semi-decent meal. The problem is that, so lost in his thoughts as he was, he's made a too strong tug: instead of opening the can cover, he has practically extirped it and the beans' sauce has flown on the kitchen counter and on his freshly laundered pants.
The sequence of curses that escapes his lips is unrepeatable and surely doesn't help calm him down. And then, as to make him blow a fuse right on the spot, the bell ring catches him off guard in an absolutely ridiculous scene – and the blond thanks he's alone, that at least nobody could see him.
Grumbling, he drops the goddamn can and heads towards the intercom to know who had the bright idea to piss him off. He is quite surprised, though, when the answer is a very tired feminine voice.
"Hey hello, sorry, is it a problem if I come in for a moment?" Uraraka asks him, from her voice it's clear she's worn out.
Katsuki murmurs a confused "okay", even though there's a couple of things he can't grasp: first, how the hell the Gravity Hero managed to arrive there if she lives on the other side of the city, and second but not least important, who the fuck gave her his home address.
Ochako takes the elevator and then she enters the apartment dragging her feet, it's written all over her face that her work shift has exhausted her and she'd just wish to drop on her bed. Her greeting is a mumble the blond interprets like a "hello", but it could also mean "I'm dead" or "I hate penguins".
Not that he's better, as his answer is halfway between a grunt and a strangled cry – and he'd throw himself in a pit of boiling lava rather than admit that this moan is exactly in part due to Uraraka's unexpected presence.
Ungainly, the brunette flops herself on the couch cushions and then she finally decides to explain the situation. "Coming home from the agency I took the last train, turns out it was the wrong one and I ended up light years away from my neighborhood."
Okay, point one just solved.
"And can I know how the fuck ya found my house?" it comes out harsher than what he actually means, but the girl doesn't mind too much.
At first it seems a reasonable question, since the only ones to ever have visited that apartment were he, Kirishima and the other three idiots he's forced to define friends. But he's got a delayed fuse because of the groggyness, and the intuition comes only a few seconds before Ochako opens her mouth.
"Mina mentioned it with us girls, after all her boyfriend used to live here too, before moving in with her. And Kyoka came here a couple of times with Kaminari... How can I remember it better than you?!"
The blonde rolls his crimson pupils, while the other continues her speech. "When I realized I was in a different neighborhood I remembered what the others told and therefore I asked Mina and Kirishima for your address."
To those words, Katsuki is unsure whether kill both of them, blast them in the ionosphere or admit that he should thank them. But maybe first he should also admit that since high school he's been feeling a certain attraction for the brunette there, and the mere thought is enough to make him swallow nervously. Better change topic.
"Listen, Round Face... The fuck you plan to do now?"
He growls it as it's his habit, but he has to divert his gaze and pretend to study her clothes so that she won't notice the slight blush on his cheeks and on the tip of his ears. Damn, he's Katsuki Bakugou, he shouldn't blush like who knows what goddamn loser!
Uraraka shrugs her shoulders and he doesn't notice, but her chocolate-colored eyes lower to stare at her hands between her knees covered by her dark trousers. She doesn't have a proper plan either, because her answer to the question is only a tense silence.
Dynamight raises a hand to scrape the back of his neck, while he jabs his thumb at the kitchen behind him. A pose definetly not like him. "I was making dinner before you rang. I'll go back in the kitchen."
The Gravity Hero knows him; it'd be easier for the world to fall apart than for him to express his kindness like all normal people, for this reason she smiles and follows him two steps behind, accepting his indirect invitation. Eventually, in addition to the meager can of beans they cook also some frozen steaks that the house owner wasn't even aware about – and in fact they're a renmant of an old grocery shopping from Kirishima.
It's strange finding herself cooking dinner with the blond, she observes. Bakugou is always the same surly one and more than once he scolds her because she flipped the meat too early. Yet their movements are harmonious, they somewhat manage not to step on each other's toes while cooking and Ochako finds out Katsuki's calm side she doesn't dislike at all. She's enchanted by how the companion adeptly navigates it all: his hands getting at work with expertise, his traits focused and his muscles tight. Without even realizing it she's there staring at him, her cheeks pinker than usual.
"Damn it Uraraka, the steaks!" it's the shout that brings her back to reality.
"Uh... Ah, crap!"
"First you flip 'em too early, now you almost burn 'em... The fuck," the explosive hero grumbles, but he's lost his usual raging tone.
And the girl is about to blow when he dares to flick her forehead softly. Is it really Katsuki Bakugou the one there with her, or a doppelgänger? It seems impossible it's been him to make a gesture that's so... soft. Yeah, soft and pervaded by something domestic.
She doesn't have much time to wonder about it, though. Kacchan is plating, and he's asking her to take the cutlery from one of the drawers. This whole situation has a strange effect on her, but she can't deny to herself she's liking it.
They don't talk much during the meal; Ochako discovers she's really hungry only when she has the plate in front of her, and also the blond is no less; it's a quick dinner, twenty minutes later they're already removing dishes and tablecloth.
The girl forestalls the blond in taking away the dishes and is about to open the warm water, a sponge found in the sink in her hand, when the other's voice stops her. "The fuck you doing?"
"Uh?"she turns and eyes with her big, brown eyes, surprising for how close he is. "I'm washing the dishes, isn't it? You surely can't leave them in the sink for who knows how long... And it's also a way to thank you for hosting me."
"Round Face, 's not necessary: I have a dishwasher."
The answer is a shrug on the girl's side. It doesn't seat very well with Katsuki that she sets to work as if she were permanently living in that house. His cheeks and ears are burning, and for once his palms are sweating not because of the effort during a fight.
A sound escapes from his lips, but his voice shakes so hard he has to shut his mouth again and count up to ten.
"Uraraka, I can manage." This time is tone is confident, the usual Bakugou as always. Perhaps a bit less aggressive. "Damn, you stink like a sewer. Go get a shower before making my fuckin' kitchen reek!"
The Gravity Hero turns to glare at him. How he's managed to realize it only in that moment she doesn't understand, she really has the urge to remark he doesn't smell like a bottle of Chanel either. But of course, after a tirying day spent patrolling and running after Villains nobody could expect anything different.
After this, however, Ochaco's exhausted brain manages to finally put two and two together. "If I shower what do I wear afterwards? I have only these clothes."
"...ah."
A quite flooring answer, especially if given by someone like Katsuki. The conversation stops there, the brunette focuses back on the dishes and the explosive hero is left with nothing to argue back – nothing that wouldn't make him die of embarassment, because there'd be a solution, but Kaminari could become the new Science Nobel prize before he'd even think of proposing it.
Eventually, however, Ochaco does take a shower. Her exact words, she felt filthy with that stench stuck on her. It's her to ask Bakugou to give her an old tracksuit, saving him from having to actually offer himself to lend her his clothes: the blond hands her his folded clothing and then shoots off like a rocket, because he has to finish who knows what matter very far away from the bathroom.
While he waits for the girl, Katsuki is unsure whether slap himself or slam his head hard against one corner of the table: now he has time to think about it, he wonders how the fuck he thought it was a good idea to flick her forehead softly. How could he be so dumb?! What's gotten into him? He's always been able to hide his attraction towards her, now he almost screw up everything with a simple gesture.
Uraraka must know nothing. Katsuki is pretty sure she still has feelings for Deku, even though her crush back in their days at the U.A. has been interpreted as simple friendship by All Might's heir – he may be a genius in terms of quirk, the nerd, but on certain aspects he's really a moron; he and Todoroki could have a competition. The latter and Ponytail would've been giving each other goo-goo eyes until they turn ninety without any interaction if it hadn't been for the other girls.
Shitty Hair always tells him that he should still give it a shot with the brunette, that if she and Izuku didn't get together then maybe he has a possibility to make a move. Bakugou growls that he has to become the Number One hero, that he has no time for other distractions, even though this is just an excuse to avoid reality and they both know it.
Why he thought of his best friend's words right now, the blond doesn't know, but he really wish he'd shut up. It only adds to the confusion in his head.
Eijirou's voice, though, doesn't intend to pipe down even when Ochako exits the bathroom, her hair still damp and Katsuki's tracksuit pants, at least a size bigger, falling on her alluring figure. All his thoughts about hiding attraction go down the drain as soon as he finds her in fron of him, tremendously beautiful even when she's wearing some old clothes. There's something that stirs inside him, right in the middle of his chest, and makes him feel the overwhelming istinct of covering the distance between them and kiss her. But he's not seventeen anymore, the explosive hero Dynamight is different, he's a serious and responsible adult who's mastered the hard discipline of self-control. So he limits to a grumble vaguely resembling a "was about time" and then invites the girl to follow him and show her where to sleep.
Uraraka doesn't seem very excited about knowing Katsuki is willing to give up his bed for her while he settles with the couch – because Kirishima's bed is broken and in the weeks since the redhead moved he's never had time to fix it; his room has turned into a closet for a shitton of weird stuff (and no fucking way he will look for a new roomate, he can afford the rent also on his own and the less people he has around, the better he feels).
She gives him a side-eye and grumbles he didn't have to, because she doesn't want to disturb and the one with the morning shift the following day is him.
Uravity insists to switch places, headstrongly, but the stubborness competition is won by him. "Listen, Round Face, stop giving me shit or I'll kick you out! You know I'm able to, so now you make do with the bed and we all go to sleep without any other pain in the ass, got it?"
The girl lets out a resigned sigh and is forced to accept, even if her expression reveals the issue isn't settled at all. She places her dirty clothes on a dresser in the back of the room while Bakugou closes the door behind him.
The truth is that the blonde didn't leave his room to the brunette only out of kindness: his apartment is on the fifth floor of one of the highest buildings aroun and the living room window is located in an area where the streetlamp light, due to the particular angle, is almost non-existent. Hence, during cloudless nights it's a bit easier to admire the starry sky.
Stargazing is a habit Denki has passed on the friend group – who'd ever thought the electric idiot knew about constellations and their hidden myths? – and which has a good, calming effect on the confused thoughts in the boy's mind. Staring at the night sky is a great help not to make him feel lost in all the events occurred that night.
He doesn't want to stand up and check out the clock, but he knows it's past midnight and he probably won't get a wink of sleep for at least another good handful. He's not able to, he can't help but remember what occurred just a few hours earlier.
The stupidest part of himself keeps replaying those scenes, thinking of how they seemed natural and regular, as if the two of them cooking together was a thing repeating every day. And holy fucking shit if he likes it, if he likes this idea of him and Ochaco. Together. Without any need of self-control to hold back from kissing her, without any wish of clashing his head against a corner because he's made an ass of himself, without any kind of problem.
Katsuki feels anger building up: he's furious at himself because he's imagining stuff that is not and never will be real, he's hurting himself for no reason. Dang, how he wishes it'd be all stable and certain like the stars before his eyes!
He's so focused on his own feelings that he notices the sweat on his palms only when the explosion is about to happen and can no longer be stopped. The one to pay the price is the couch, since Katsuki decides last minute to dig his hands among the cushions and muffle a blast that otherwise would've waken up the entire building. The padding bursts out and maybe a few springs give in too, but luckily the blow isn't powerful so the couch doesn't catch fire. Still, there's an annoying burning smell lingering across the room.
Luckily he's been living in this flat for long enough to have already adapted it to his own quirk's downsides: the smoke detector and the fire alarm no longer go off for the minimal stream of smoke.
Too bad now he can no longer sleep on the couch. With an annoyed grunt aimed at himself and his own fucking idiocy, he grabs the blanket, somehow lies down on the hard living room carpet and then finally gives in to get some rest.
He's still half-awake when he registers some noise behind him that bring him back to reality: some light steps, then a muffled groan of irritation. He recognizes Ochaco's voice but he's still too shaken by his own doubts to be able to talk with her normally, so he tries to regulate his breath and pretends to be sleeping. The trick holds for two or three minutes maximum, the time necessary for her to take a glass, fill it with water and drink it. After this Uravity notices his figure lying on the ground and is immediately next to him and shakes his shoulder, calling him in a whisper.
Katsuki pretends he wakes up with a grunt only after the fourt or fifth touch, shooting his guest a crimson death glare. "Mmh... The hell ya want? D'ya realize what time it...?"
"Come sleep in the bed too."
"Are you fucking stupid or what?!"
"Bakugou, you'll get a back pain, damn it! And if ya keep complaining I swear I'll make you float to the room and to make you stay I'll tie you with the blankets!" her brown eyes sparkle like two stars in the semi-darnkess and it's as it could confirm her willingness of actually put that threath in action.
He's too tired to think of a decent reply, so, after a few other seconds of silent, useless protest, he's forced to get up and unwillingly follow the girl in the room. During the short walk, it seems as Ochaco is hesitating for who knows what goddamn reason: more than once her body looks about to turn and face him to maybe say something, but the blond has no intention to urge her – as if he's this stupid to dig his own grave for making a fool of himself even further!
Only when they enter room, the explosive hero's brain connects the dots that they'll have to share the same bed. He can't deal with all this shit, definetly not. The idea of walking back to the living room begins to settle in his mind, but he gets stopped by the authoritarian "Alt!" of his own guest.
Amazing, now he also obeys someone else's orders. Where has the insolent and untameable Bakugou Katsuki gone?!
"Don't you dare go back to that carpet. I know you're on patrol tomorrow morning, so now you better get some sleep at least for a while." the stubbornness in Ochaco's words is prominent, Dynamight is taken aback.
"How the fuck...?"
"Y'know how Deku is, he repeats everyone's shifts at least five times at day. By now I memorized my own weekly shift, yours, and even Kirishima's, Todoroki's and Iida's!" the young hero giggles.
The blond roolls his crimson eyes in annoyance; typical of the nerd.
After tucking themselves into bed, they're met with some difficulties in sharing the already limited space: he gets an elbow in his ribs and in turn kick his partner on her shins, he gets lying on one side and immediately spuns back in his original position when met with her face a mere inch from his own.
Uravity's presence, so close and intimate, is bringing him on the verge of spontaneous combustion. Yet it's also so reassuring and pleasant that Katsuki finds himself yearning for it anytime. It doesn't matter how many lies he tries to tell Kirishima or himself or the whole world, his feelings don't lie about what he feels for her.
It's the contact of Ochaco's back against his that finally soothes his nerves on edge, a gentle and warm touch, perhaps unintentional, but which he didn't know he's been yearning for. The same contact that makes him realize in a flash how stupid he's been to hide for all these years, to keep his emotions bottled up. His traits relax into a much more peaceful expression and all considerations inside his head go quiet.
What Katsuki doesn't notice is that also the brunette has felt a similar wave of emotions when their bodies touched; something within her moved, not a strong feeling like Dynamight, but something that has sparked up her musings and amazed her for even just thinking about it.
Eventually, lying back against back, it doesn't take much for both of them to fall asleep. They're lulled by the rhythmic and regular beats of their hearts which, they're not aware of, syncronized and are echoing in harmony.
Many hours later, only when the first rays of spring light filter through the slits in the shutters, the first to open his eyes is Bakugou, always the early riser, though there's still a little time before the alarm rings – he doesn't realize it immediately, but he's seriously been a genius this night: how in hell would have he woken up on time in the living room if the alarm clock is in his room?
It takes him a while to get used to the dim light the room is engulfed in, but as soon as he can he's checking his surroundings, still a bit groggy from sleep. During the night Uraraka must have tossed around, because on her side the sheets are all crumpled and her chocolate-colored is a forest of tousled locks spread on the pillow around her face. She has stretched out and, much to his embarrassment, the boy finds out her legs have invaded his half and now their limbs are basically entangled together. He'd want to grumble something, or maybe move aside to free himself from this situation, instead he ends up watching mesmerized her traits caressed by the faint rays. It seems to look at a fairy: so celestial and elegant despite she's sleeping, her cheeks soft and her mouth half-opened to breathe regularly.
He could send his rigid and rational self-control to hell, exactly as it happened in the kitchen less than twelve hours earlier: the temptation to brush a hand against those traits so soft and beautiful is really strong, so much that he gets lying on one side, the elbow pointed against the mattress and the hand holding up his head to better bask in that view.
The other arm is already moving to get closer; he can afford it, Uraraka looks asleep and...
"Ow!"
Katsuki risks falling down the bed, his fingers clutched around his poor nose, and doesn't have a sweet start of the day against the floor tiles just because Ochaco's hand grabs at his shirt last minute, while activating her power on him: now the girl is lying on her belly, her balance all shifted towards him to hold him and avoid that he bumps against the ceiling.
Uraraka has just punched him while she was trying to turn in her sleep. So much for being a ethereal and graceful fairy...
Fuck it, she's amazing also like this.
Between thousands apologies and begging for forgiveness, Ochaco gets even closer to him and joins her fingers against his t-shirt to make him stand on the ground. Both their faces are undergoing at least seven shades of red for the suddenly so small distance; Uravity pretends to be focused on her own fingertips and in the meantime Katsuki keeps railing against her stupid punches, although his gaze is planted on the wall behind her rather than on her figure.
Yet, even though his nose is still throbbing with pain, the explosive hero is glad for what happened that night, because he's finally decided to accept his own feelings and the universe forbid Dynamight run away from something, including his own emotions.
He doesn't know that also Ochaco is happy to have gotten on the wrong train; maybe she's still a bit confused by all these new feelings, but surely she doesn't mind how they warm up her chest.
What he knows is that sooner or later he'll have to dedicate Kirishima a statue for all his – unrequested – advice and for redirecting the girl to his place. But this, in complete Bakugou style, he'll never, ever admit it out loud.