It had been four days since the explosion.

Three days since they had left the hospital.

Bakugo and Uraraka never talked about it.

They were back in class, and if one were to look at the two of them, they would have thought that the whole incident had never happened. The only ones who seemed the most affected by the occurrence were the ones who weren't even there - their classmates. There wasn't a single half-hour period that passed by without one of Uraraka's friends asking her how she was doing. Her smiling muscles were beginning to grow sore with overuse. Bakugo, in a similar position, couldn't seem to find himself alone at any point during the daylight hours. Someone, whether it be Kirishima or Kaminari - or hell, even Todoroki once - someone was always by his side, keeping a silent watch over him. He didn't know if they were waiting for him to break down in tears or something, but it was getting really fucking annoying. If his class ever noticed that his outbursts had grown less in number, then they didn't say anything.

Deku only approached him once, just to say that he was glad that Kacchan was okay in a stiff, clipped tone. Bakugo couldn't find it in himself to be insulted enough to tell him off. Then he had done a quick turn around and headed straight back to his own vigil over Uraraka. Bakugo watched them leave together, watched as her smile sprang up only when he came near, then faded just as quickly when he looked away. More than anything, Bakugo wished he could talk to her, to know if she was feeling what he felt, going through the same turmoil that he was. But he couldn't. And it sure as hell wasn't because he was afraid. But not knowing whether she despised him or not was the worst part for Bakugo.

The worst part for Uraraka was when night fell. She left her lights on, lest the darkness crumble down on her like the ceiling had. She only felt comfortable asking one person to stay with her... but, unfortunately, he wasn't an option. But during the day, she really was fine. That's what she told herself and everybody else, and it worked. With her friends around her, it was easier for her to pretend, easier to forget what she had been through. It might not have been the best way to heal from a near-death-experience, but she couldn't spend all her time in a therapist's office and to be honest, she preferred it this way. Now, if only her friends would leave her be.

But the truth of the matter was, she wasn't fine. Neither of them were.

That didn't become apparent until the night of the thunder storm. Lightning had struck the dorms, knocking the power out. The sudden darkness had awoken her, a rush of adrenaline making her shoot up in the bed. The resounding, deafening crack of thunder made her scream, kicking against the bed until her back slammed against the wall. Huffing as the thunder rolled away, Uraraka gulped. It's just thunder, she reminded herself. Her eyes drifted out the windows, to the rain pounding against the glass, and the small bursts of white lightning off in the distance. Her heart rate refused to go down, and with each shot of thunder, flashes of fire and pain burst behind Uraraka's eyes. She clapped her hands over her head and whimpered, desperately willing herself to calm down. But it was hopeless. Peeking up through her elbows, Uraraka wearily looked out the window one last time.

There, on the same level as her in the tower across from her, was a figure standing in a window. Through the water running down the window, it was difficult to make out who it was, but the proximity of the two towers let her make out certain details. Details like the white flash of teeth as they opened their mouth to scream. Uraraka had a feeling she would only need one guess.

The next day was brutal. Though the rain had stopped and left the world glittering and fresh, Uraraka hadn't managed to fall back asleep at all. Smiling was harder, laughing impossible. If she had bags under her eyes, then none of her classmates pointed them out. But Iida and Deku were definitely gentler with her than they would have been any other day. They could all tell that something had gone wrong during the night. The thunder might have covered up her scream, but there was nothing to cover up the red puffiness from her tears. Everybody had a suspicion, but none were brave enough to voice them. Even Aizawa, a man who was usually indifferent to his students' drama, was careful with his tone, as if he was afraid Uraraka might break down in tears if he was too loud or harsh. What's more was that Bakugo seemed to be in a similar state, which further confirmed their suspicions.

He slouched in his chair more then he usually did. His eyelids drooped, but Bakugo never lost awareness. The darkness under his eyes and below his chin seemed more prominent. No one tried to talk to him, but that was partly because they didn't know what to say. He couldn't care - for him, it had seemed like he had gone completely numb. Kirishima and Sero would often glance over at him, see him spacing out when he should have been writing notes, and then share grim looks with each other. It hurt to see him and Uraraka like this. Their two classmates were like shattered figures that had sloppily been glued back together again. One touch, and they might fall to pieces once more.

The day wore on. Lessons came to a close, and the students of class 1-A set about their chores.

"Go ahead and go home, Uraraka." Midorya said before she could do anything. Looking up at him, Uraraka forced her lips into the smallest smile.

"It's alright, Deku, I can-"

"Uraraka, please."

Iida was the one who had cut in. He came up from behind, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. His eyes, still serious and ambitious as always, now held a sincere gentleness that she had never seen. With a light squeeze, Iida narrowed his eyes as Midorya spoke once more.

"We'll take care of everything." Deku smiled softly, and her heart faintly fluttered. "And then come and visit you later, if that's alright."

Uraraka looked between the two, overwhelmed with gratefulness to have such wonderful friends. But a part of her knew that if she went back to her room, she wasn't going to lay down and get any rest. She wasn't ready to seclude herself to her thoughts, and a sense of duty to herself and her class held on by threads in her mind.

"I'm serious, guys, it's okay."

A third shadow crept over her other shoulder, this one taller and darker. "Let's go already, Pink Cheeks."

Midorya and Iida looked up, their expressions concerned. When she twisted to look up at Bakugo, she saw her own eyes reflected back at her. His pale skin and red-rimmed eyes resonated with her, and an understanding passed between them. A coded message that only she could decipher. We need to talk. After hesitating for only a moment, Uraraka nodded and packed her things. The others watched her and Bakugo leave the classroom together, thoughts swimming with concern and questions.

Instead of turning left to head to the stairwell that would lead out of the school and to the dorms, Bakugo took a right, towards the interior of the school. Uraraka followed him without a word , her chin dipped and her eyes trained to the back of his head. Their footsteps echoed hollowly off of the walls. When he opened the door to the emergency access stairwell and began climbing the steps, she knew exactly where they were going.

The air was cool and humid, the sky tinted orange by the evening sun. Half-evaporated puddles of water cast perfect reflections, littering the rooftop with pools of lava. Bakugo walked to the middle of the roof and dropped his backpack to the ground, letting the cold air wash over his heated body. If Bakugo didn't know any better, he would have thought that he had a fever. But he did know better, and he was in perfect health. The girl behind him closed the door lightly and stepped toward him. She was more reserved than she usually was. Watching him quietly, Bakugo and Uraraka stood for a while in silence. It was a comfortable silence, though. Neither of them felt any pressure to speak. Bakugo gathered his thoughts, unsure of how to say what he wanted to.

"You look like shit," he said without really meaning to. A great start. Looking at her over his shoulder, Bakugo was afraid she might start crying. But she didn't. Of course she didn't.

Uraraka smirked, also letting her backpack fall to the roof as well. The angle of the sun cast one side of her face into shadow, but both of her eyes were tinted in a glowing shade of amber that reminded Bakugo of honey. A smile stuck to her lips as she stepped up to him, but her eyebrows were scrunched together in worry.

"About as well as you are, I'd say." Her playful demeanor was nearly convincing. Another stretch of quiet followed, and Bakugo was painfully aware of how close she was to him. Just out of his arm's reach, but close enough to make out the bags under her eyes. Uraraka was gazing at the setting sun, her eyes half-lidded with a lazy grin. She probably could have fallen asleep right on the spot. Instead, she continued speaking. "Have you talked to anybody about what happened?"

Bakugo sneered. "What's there to talk about? We almost got blown up, but we lived. End of story."

Uraraka quirked her lips and sighed through her nose. "You make it sound so simple."

Bakugo rounded on her. "Because it is that simple! It doesn't have to get any more complicated than that, so don't even try!"

"I'm not trying anything." Her voice became softer and she stepped closer to him, within his reach and close enough to ignite the fire in Bakugo's chest. "But... I've seen the way you flinch whenever someone slams a book on their desk, or bangs on a door. I do it, too. Bakugo we-"

"We what?" The boy was shouting now, and even he wasn't entirely sure why. "We almost died?! You said that already! Look me in the eyes, Uraraka - do I look dead to you?"

Uraraka was suddenly inches away from his face. Her smile was gone, eyes fully open as she peered up at him and into his soul. He could feel the warmth of her breath, his reflexes screaming at him to back away. But he stood his ground and stared back at her, a small fear that she would see right through him tightening his throat. But at the same time, her closeness was comforting, and he had to fight the urge to lay his head on her shoulder. Uraraka took a deep breath, watching Bakugo's features soften as he got used to her presence and lowered his guard. The hollows under his eyes darkened, but his red irises seemed to emit their own light. The boy looked like he really needed a hug.

"Why did you bring me up here, Bakugo?" She breathed. "What did you want to talk about?"

For a long while, Bakugo didn't respond. Uraraka could see the warring thoughts behind his gaze, the struggle between saying what he wanted to say or dismissing her all together. Patiently, Uraraka waited for him, hoping her expression was giving him the right encouragement. Slowly, Bakugo's face started to match his thoughts. A slight frown tugged at his lips and his eyebrows broke their steep angle to turn up. When he spoke, Uraraka was surprised to hear how uncertain he was.

"I... I don't know..." This was the first time since the hospital that she had heard him talk so quietly. "I can't... I'm not..."

Her fingers reached out and touched his. The contact made him ball his hand into a fist, but he didn't pull away. The soft pads of Uraraka's fingertips were cool against his hot skin. His eyes never left hers. It seemed like the thunder storm from last night had returned in her heart, and there was nothing she could do to clear the skies. Uraraka wasn't really sure what was happening, but there was one thing that she did know - they needed to help each other. In this moment, they needed each other in order to move forward. In order to heal.

"Do you hate me, Uraraka?"

His uncertainty was gone, but his fist trembled underneath her hand. His face was set somewhere between a glare and a plea, and Uraraka wasn't sure which one she preferred. His question had caught her completely by surprise, causing her to hesitate. She almost pulled her hand away, but his fingers relaxed and he was pressing his shakey, sweaty palm into the tips of her fingers, the warmth of it matching the warmth that was blooming on her cheeks. Now, Uraraka understood. This was why he had never talked to her, why he had distanced himself when he so clearly needed just the opposite. She should have known, Uraraka thought as a smile crept back onto her lips. He blamed himself for something that wasn't his fault. It had been her choice to follow Bakugo into that room, and she would willingly do it again. With a small huff of laughter, Uraraka shook her head.

"No, Bakugo. Never. Not in a million years."

In the blink of an eye, Bakugo closed the gap between the two of them. His top lip slipped into the space between hers, head tilted to the right and hot breath washing over her face. His eyes were still open, and he seemed just as surprised as she was. Uraraka could already feel him beginning to pull away. But she reacted on instinct before he could. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head to align with his and reached up her other hand to lay on his elbow. Bakugo hesitated... and then slide his warm hand along the side of her ribs, wrapping his arm around her back and pulling her closer. She could feel him relax into her, deepening the kiss and sending her soaring. For the first time in a long time, Uraraka felt that things really were going to be okay.

The already colorful world made by the setting sun seemed to become even more beautiful. Bakugo had never experienced a closeness such as this - and he wanted more. Like he was lost in the desert and had found a hidden oasis, or stuck in a blizzard and stumbled upon a roaring bonfire. It wasn't just the taste of her lips, either - subtly sweet, like fresh water from a forest spring - but also the feeling of her body against his, just like when he had carried her from the rubble. His eyes slid shut lazily. Uraraka was still smiling against him, her hand slipping behind his neck where the heat of her body spread through him like an infection, contaminating him once more. If Bakugo really was getting sick, then he didn't want to find a cure. The raging storm of his mind that had plagued him for days subsided, his doubt and anxiety dripping away like water off of a stone. He was finally warm when he didn't even know he had been cold.

The funny thing about life is that it goes on. Sometimes we fall behind, and it's never our fault. It can be hard to catch up, though. To press the pause button, catch our breaths, bring ourselves back together, and rush back to everything like nothing ever happened. For some, however, when we fall behind... we stay behind. It seems that no matter how hard we try to catch up, the finish line moves farther away. It's easy to give up, to accept our lot and continue to keep everything on hold, only to succeed in falling farther behind. Finding the courage to continue this crazy race we call living is difficult - but not impossible.

Though it took a while, Bakugo and Uraraka had finally started the road to recovery, to catching back up. From here on out, it didn't matter what happened next, what other hurtles were waiting for them in the future. For better or for worse, the two of them were in this together.

A/N: I mainly wrote this chapter for two reasons: one being that I wanted to, and the other being that I don't write a lot of romance and this was good practice. I wouldn't expect another chapter after this, but I said that last time and here we are. So, you never know haha. I hope you guys like it!

As always, read, review, and enjoy!