Firsts

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Her forearms throbbed, the nerves embedded in her skin searing in pain. She didn't have to look to know that her skin was burned a raw red, the flimsy layer of protection her costume offered now in scorched ashes.

She lowered her crossed arms, gritting her teeth to suppress the scream threatening to rip through her throat.

Horror struck his face; he crushed his hands into trembling fists by his side. He didn't have to feel guilty about hurting her, she knew that the anger and pure hatred loaded into that attack wasn't meant for her. However…

"Katsuki," she called, her voice a breathy rasp, "stop this. This fight is over."

Bakugou looked up, meeting her steely brown eyes. His lips pressed into a thin line, he dropped his gaze to the burns scarring her arms before returning back to her eyes.

"Uraraka," he called back, his voice dark, quietly suppressing an animalistic ferocity, "get the fuck out of the way. This fight is between me and that motherfucker."

"Katsuki, get a hold of yourself," Uraraka snapped. She stepped aside to reveal Deku, panting heavily as he struggled with the simple act of standing. Blood dribbled down the side of his head in thin rivulets, his right eye puffy and beginning to blacken. "Deku-kun is in no condition to fight! Anymore and he'll suffer permanent damage that even Recovery girl can't heal. Stop this Katsuki, you win."

"I win?" Bakugou repeated, taking a step forward. "If he's still standing, then he has the intention to fight me. It's not victory until he's crushed, until he's annihilated. I know this fucker is always holding out on me. He doesn't think I'm ready, doesn't think that I'm worthy of his full-strength. It pisses me off so goddamn fucking much."

"Katsuki calm down! Deku-kun is not like that, he'd never hide anything from us. Let's just call off the battle and you can do a rematch after he heals," Uraraka admonished. As if on cue, Deku wavered on his feet. Before he crumpled to the floor, Uraraka managed to wrap an arm around his waist.

Bakugou narrowed his eyes, watching as Uraraka tenderly hoisted Deku's arm around her shoulder.

"Because you're the fuckin' expert on Deku aren't you? He's your goddamn best friend hm?" Bakugou wiped his mouth, ignoring the smear of blood that stained his gloves. "Come to think of it, why are you putting him first? Is he more important to you than me?"

Uraraka flinched at his tone, but held her ground. "Katsuki, this isn't about putting you or Deku-kun first. This is about my desire to protect my friends, even if it means from you."

"Protecting your friends from me?" The fire in his red eyes quivered, his anger teetering to mania. The line between good and evil blurred. "Don't give me that righteous bullshit. I'm the one that's your fuckin' boyfriend. If you can't put me above fucking Deku of all people then our relationship is just a hollow word and nothing more than a fucking lie."

"Deku is my best friend!" She screamed, the tension coiling in her heart exploding. "How dare you accuse my feelings as lies? Though looking at you right now, I really don't know what I see in you! All I see is a child with a superiority complex throwing a tantrum!"

Bakugou froze, the snarl on his lips fading to a frown.

Uraraka sharply inhaled, readjusting Deku's weight on her shoulder. "Katsuki…please, I'm not asking for anything difficult. Why can't you for once put something that I want first and let go of this fight?"

"I can't. I've already lost way too fucking much to him and I'm not about to lose another—nevermind…I'm so sick of this shit." He shut his eyes, taking a shuddering breath. "Now you've gotta go and take my girlfriend too, huh?" Bakugou tapered off into a low murmur, then scoffed, more at himself than anyone.

Silence reigned between them; thick and palpable like smoke that hung in the air, refusing to disperse. Bakugou shook his head, his eyes glazed over as he aimlessly stared at a pile of rubble in front of him.

"Uraraka…" he called her name, his voice a rough croak.

"Katsuki, it's not like that. I'm not on anyone's side, I just have to do what's right," Uraraka said softly, a cold sense of dread percolating in her stomach.

"If you don't understand why you have to choose me over Deku, then you don't understand me at all." He turned in a semi-circle, craning his neck back to look over his shoulder. Red met brown in a silent farewell.

Uraraka's heart listlessly pounded, already knowing what Bakugou was about to say.

Bakugou knew the words he was about to say, but that didn't mean he really wanted to say them.

"Let's…end this thing between us. Everyone knew we wouldn't last long anyways. There's no point in this relationship if we can't put each other first."

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"Uraraka-san…"

"…."

"Uraraka-san?"

"Oh…sorry, Deku-kun," she tilted her head to see him worriedly watching her. She smiled reassuringly, then turned back to focus on her footsteps as she carried Midoriya to the infirmary. "I zoned out a bit there. You should get some rest, don't try to talk so much."

"Ah, it's okay. Don't worry about me Uraraka-san, I'm fine. But um…are you alright?"

"Me? Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Uraraka chuckled. Heartily. Loudly.

"Because well…erm…Uraraka-san…I'm sorry, I really really didn't mean to cause you and Kacchan to break up," Midoriya blurted out, frowning as he saw her plastered smile crack.

"No no, it's fine," she guaranteed. There it was again, that loud, hearty, (evasive) chuckle. "Besides, it's a good thing! I can focus on more important things like my hero career. There are no distractions now."

He bit his lip, that wasn't true. No one pushed Uraraka to be a stronger hero than Bakugou did. "I know how much you loved him…" Midoriya couldn't help but say.

"I didn't love him," she reaffirmed quickly. Determined. Confident. "How could I love someone who treats my best friend so terribly?"

Midoriya was quiet for a moment, knowing her words were as much truth as they were lie. "Uraraka-san…if Kacchan wants to work on mending our friendship, I'd be open to it. Then maybe you two can get back together?" Midoriya settled on suggesting.

Uraraka shot him a wry, half-smile. He always tried so hard to keep her happy. "Thank you, Deku-kun. But you saw how Bakugou-kun was for yourself. Bakugou-kun isn't going to change, and I'm not going to wait on bated breath for him to grow up."

Midoriya shrugged, but instantly regretted it as a sharp pain shot up his shoulder. "Maybe I just…can't help but think it's sad for something that made you so happy to end like that."

Uraraka sighed. "Deku-kun, you know that was the first time Bakugou-kun called me his girlfriend? How manipulative of him, he's only willing to label it when it's convenient for his argument."

"I-I don't know if I'm overstepping boundaries, or if I'm saying the right things to make you feel better but…" Midoriya rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "I think Kacchan finally established the relationship because he was desperate to keep it. In fact, it seems like he already loved you for much longer."

Midoriya slipped off her back with a yelp, landing with a dull thud against the grass. Battling through the stabbing pain and dried blood caked around his eyes; he looked at his friend in alarm. "Uraraka-san?"

"Ugh…" she groaned, sinking to a crouch and burrowing her face into her knees. "Don't tell me things like that." She sniffed, and when she lifted her head for a fresh breath, fat tears rolled down her cheeks. Uraraka wiped her face with her forearm—skin still stinging from blocking Bakugou's blast— and then pressed the heel of her palms against her eyes. "If he really was so desperate…why did he push me away?"

Midoriya didn't say anything. He didn't really have a good answer for her.

If only they could understand that they were already each other's firsts.

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