Note:

"Utsuro" = Nickname, means hollow. At first used to pick on Koge and be an insult, it became her permanent nickname, and she quite likes it. It references to her constantly blank expression

Koge tapped her finger to her chin as she stared at the blinds of her window intently, her mind racing back and forth with what she wanted. Should I have them open or closed? What would make the best impression on him? Gripping onto the thick white fabric, she pulled it back, walking with it to uncover the glass door that led out to the balcony. Indeed, the view was breathtaking, one of the many reasons she chose this particular apartment. A view of the bustling city below with no tall buildings blocking her view of the brilliant sunset that painted the sky in orange and purple clouds. Yes, that's perfect. Katsuki probably won't care about the view, but it still gives off a nice vibe…

Pushing the curtain all the way over until she felt satisfied with its position, she backed away from the glass doors and turned to glimpse over the rest of the living room. In truth, she wasn't sure why she was panicking over making sure everything was perfect. Impressing her lover had always been important to her, and since Bakugou was quick to judge on literally anything, she knew that he was going to pick at something. Almost a year after graduating from UA and landing a very good job as a sidekick at a popular hero firm, Koge had made the decision to rent her own apartment and move away from her father's home. Her lover had made his opinion on this very clear when she first told him she had decided to do this, and it was just as she had expected.

He didn't like it.

Reminding herself of that fight made her stomach bubble violently with anxiety. That had been one of the worst fights during their entire relationship, and she was more than thankful that they had come to an understanding with each other in the end. Although she had been hurt by his initial refusal to support her, she could understand his frustrations. Being a year ahead of Bakugou in everything from age to career progress, he felt as if she were leaving him behind at this point. Koge had been able to break free from her shackles of adolescence where he was still stuck, limited by his ties to UA. Close to graduating and just shy of turning nineteen, he was antsy and ready to move on with his life. Seeing Koge take these steps where he couldn't was like taking a knife to his pride, unable to be the support for her like he wanted to be.

"You're my girlfriend, damn it!" His words still echoed through her mind clearly, making her heart heavy. "I should be there to help keep us stable, to support you! How can I be okay with you doing it alone?!"

Clicking a lamp on and off in an attempt to decide which had the best atmosphere, Koge tried to pull her mind out of the negative thoughts of the past. Everything is okay now. He was okay as long as I kept him in the loop. The only thing I really couldn't do with him was this place… He knows the location since he insisted on this safe area of town, but he doesn't know what the inside is like… Deciding that the light looked best on, she thought about checking the kitchen one more time, but she was stopped by the violent buzzing of her phone in her back pocket. Grabbing it, she checked the screen, feeling her nervousness return as she read the name Cutesuki as it flashed on the screen.

Swiping the answer icon, she held the phone up to her ear, frantically glancing around for anything out of place. "Ah, you know what I love most?"

"Eh? What?" Bakugou's voice was tinted with irritation, most likely from the silly way she had answered the phone.

"Seeing 'Cutesuki' every time you call me. Reminds me how cute you are."

"Why do you still have that stupid fucking nickname as my name on your phone! Change it!"

"Oh no, it's staying like that forever. You have 'Utsuro', so I think it's only fair."

"Tch, it's different, you actually like that name! I hate it when you call me that, it makes my skin crawl."

"When I call you what?"

"I'm not saying it."

"You're no fun. Are you almost here?"

"I'm in the elevator. Why the fuck did you pick such a high place? Thirty-second floor, that's kind of fucking nuts."

"You'll see why when you get here. I'll be in the hallway."

"Mmph, bye."

Koge let out a small sigh as the call ended, hearing that he was in a good mood lifting her spirits quite a bit. Setting her phone down on a small table by the door, she headed out into the hallway, allowing it to close behind her as her pale blue gaze locked on the elevator down the hall. Nibbling on her bottom lip nervously, she shifted her weight from one foot to another, wringing her hands to keep herself occupied. It'll be fine. He's going to like it, and he's going to agree to move in with me after he graduates. Her plan had been to ask Bakugou if he wanted to live with her when he was finally free, though she felt worried that he may take some offense to the suggestion. That, or he would decline on the grounds that he didn't feel their relationship was ready for such an important move. If he did pull that reasoning on her, then their entire argument in the past would have all been for nothing, as he seemed pretty set on wanting to be the main provider for them both in the future.

As a ding sounded from the elevator, Koge's focus was pulled from her thoughts. Unable to help herself, a smile crossed her lips as Bakugou exited the elevator, still dressed in his school uniform and bag on his shoulder. The thought that he came here straight after school made her heart flutter, her smile only growing as his crimson gaze finally landed on her. Feeling a bit giddy, she raised her hand in a small wave. "I'm glad you were able to make it okay." Bakugou scoffed as he reached over, grabbing onto her hand and pulling her in close, his other arm slipping around her waist. As her body was pressed tightly into his, he leaned in to kiss her in passionate greeting, making her melt as if she were ice in his fiery grip.

When he pulled away, he moved his lips to her forehead, releasing her hand to caress her small frame to him tighter. "That's all I get after not seeing me for a week?" Koge giggled softly, moving her arms to wrap around his neck. "Oh, want me to be more dramatic?" Keeping her grip tight, she let her legs fall out from under her, leaning her head back in dramatic flare. Even though she didn't have the strength to pull him down, he still had to bend over to keep her from falling, yelling out in shock and frustration at her random action.

"Oh Katsuki! It's been an eternity!" Feeling that he was holding her, she brought one of her hands to rest against her forehead, like she saw in dramatic romance movies. "I'm so glad to be in your arms again!" Koge barely saw the sly smirk cross his face before he released her, letting her fall to the floor with a squeal. Even though she didn't fall far, it took her a moment to recover from the impact, her ears ringing with the sound of his laughter. Her face burning with embarrassment, the sound of his laughter was still contagious, and she couldn't help but to giggle along as she propped herself up on her elbows. "I think I set myself up for that one." Koge took his hand as he reached it out to help her up, borrowing his strength to help pull herself to her feet.

Bakugou kissed her forehead once more before he began to walk past her towards the door to her apartment. "Damn right you did. Let's go inside now-"

"Wait!" Koge grabbed him by the arm, tugging him back to stop him. Bakugou looked down at her, brows furrowed in irritation. "What?"

Moving to stand back in front of him, she reached up and put her hands over his eyes. "You have to close your eyes!" Bakugou groaned, leaning his head back. "Utsuro, that's so childish, just fucking show me inside!"

"No! Please close your eyes!"

After a bit of back and forth, Bakugou begrudgingly obliged, keeping his eyes shut as he was led along by the hand. Koge held the door open for him, unable to help the excited smile on her face. "Take two steps in and stop, then turn around so you can take off your shoes." Grumbling at the rules given to him, he did just that, glaring down at her as he kicked his shoes off. She wasn't in his view for long as she hopped up over the step that led into the main room from the entrance hallway, putting her hands on his shoulders to make sure he didn't turn. "Slippers, too." With a growl, he angrily shoved his feet into the white slippers she had set out for him. "There! Now let me turn around!"

Koge gave his shoulders a playful squeeze before she backed away, giving him room. "Okay, Katsuki." She nervously chewed on the inside of her cheek as he turned around, the glare that had been on his face relaxing just a bit as he took the step up and walked into the main room. Removing the bag from his shoulder, he placed it down on the floor by the couch. "Well, Utsuro, it's uh…" Koge felt her stomach lurch, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for him to continue.

"It's exactly how I expected it to look. Hollow and boring, just like your face."

Immediately, relief and annoyance rushed through Koge. She was happy he hadn't totally destroyed the place, but also annoyed at his insult to her style. "Hey, it's minimalist! You know I don't like a bunch of clutter." Bakugou nodded, walking into the kitchen. "Just a couch, a TV and a lamp in the living room is pretty damn minimalist, Utsuro. It reminds me of your dorm room." He opened one of the cabinets, scoffing at the ridiculously small amount of dishes she had. "I can see why you didn't need my help moving in."

Swallowing her embarrassment, Koge moved her hands to grip onto the hem of her shorts. "I hired people to move things, Katsuki." With only a grunt in response, he completely ignored the view she had spent so much time contemplating as he headed towards the bedroom. A bit disappointed that he didn't notice it, she followed him, her eyes locked on the back of his fluffy ash blonde head. Watching him reach up to rub the back of his neck, she only grew more curious as to his real thoughts, his silence bothering her quite a bit. "I… think it's a good size, don't you?"

Bakugou glanced at her as he walked towards the restroom, peeking inside. "It's bigger than I expected. I thought it was going to be smaller, it being just for you. How long did you rent it for?" Koge shifted in her spot, beginning to feel nervous about bringing up her idea to him. "Three years." She could see the growing irritation on his face as he left the restroom, walking past her to go back into the living room.

"That's a long time. Though, you made a good choice, I guess." He stopped at the glass doors, shoving his hands into his pockets as he observed the sunset. "You'll be fine here." Koge reached up to rub her cheek, able to tell he was fighting with his own pride. She knew that he wanted to be happy for her, but that part of him that wanted to be a part of this was dragging him down. After a deep breath, Koge walked over to stand behind him, gently placing her hands against the hard form of his back.

"Katsuki… There's more reasoning behind why it's so empty in here." Her hands slowly made their way around to his sides, feeling his tense posture relax under her touch. "I want us to make this place ours, together… I know it's not a permanent home, but…" Her arms wrapping around his torso completely, she lied her cheek against his back, slender fingers clutching onto the front of his uniform jacket. "It could be our first, until we're both in stable jobs. When you graduate, I want you to come live with me."

The longer his silence persisted, the more nervous Koge grew, tightening her grip on him in hopes it would squeeze some words out of him. Eventually, he gave a small sigh, removing one of his hands from his pocket to rest it over hers. "Is that why you were so intent on getting it in an area I liked?" Koge gave a small nod, releasing her grip on his jacket so that their fingers could lace. "Yes… I know graduation for you is still a few months away. I'm just ready to take that next step with you…" She closed her eyes as she turned her face more into the warmth of his back. "You're my world, Katsuki… Even if you're not ready, I'll wait for you."

Bakugou scoffed, gripping onto her hand tighter. "Seriously, Utsuro, you always make every important question into some sappy event. You know damn well that I'm ready for that, too. I mean, we basically lived in each others dorm rooms to begin with." Koge gave a small gasp as he grabbed her arm, tugging her around to his front. With only a slight push, Koge found herself with her back pressed up against the glass of the sliding doors. She felt the heat return to her face as Bakugou pressed his palms against the glass on either side of her head, making it rattle softly against his weight as he leaned in towards her.

"Listen to me," his low voice and piercing gaze kept Koge's firm attention, a heat beginning to spread through her entire body as he leaned in closer. "I already told you. I will be the one to take care of you. I'll rise to the top, and we will have a stable life, just like we always talked about." Koge was so engaged by his words and by his eyes that she didn't notice his hands move to cup her backside, scooping her up into his arms with ease. Her legs hooked around him as she gripped onto his shoulders, effectively pinned between the heat of his body and the cold glass at her back.

Overwhelmed with her adoration for him, Koge moved her arms around his neck, leaning her forehead against his. "Then being on the thirty-second floor isn't all that bad is it?" Starting from where he gripped the back of her knee, Bakugou's hand slowly began to slide up her thigh, tilting his head so that their lips brushed as he spoke. "I'll live. Besides, it's got a view almost as beautiful as you." Although his tone was teasing, his words and feeling of his hand slipping around the underside of her thigh filled her body with violent tingles and butterflies, making her act in a sudden impulse to catch his lips with her own. Happiness and longing edged her on to pull him closer as he immediately took control of the kiss, his passion swallowing her-

"CONGRATULATIONS KOGE!"

The sudden sound of her door swinging open and the chorus of voices shocked the couple so badly Bakugou nearly dropped her, their foreheads clashing as they clutched onto each other. Her face on fire, Koge peeked over Bakugou's shoulder, her own shocked gaze meeting the multiple pairs staring back at her from her doorway. "Ah.. Izuku… Eijiro-" She felt Bakugou's grip tighten on her as she said these names, feeling his hands heat up and his body begin to tremble. "U-Uhm-" She was unsure of what to say, counting at least six of their friends from school all crammed into her doorway, those in the front staring at them with wide eyes and red faces. Before she could speak again, she saw hands rise up in the back of the group, and a voice she recognized as Kaminari's speak up.

"Hey, what's going on!? Why did everyone stop?" Jumping up, he climbed over the frozen bodies of Midoriya and Kirishima, immediately freezing in fear just as they were when he laid eyes on them. "Oh damn. I told you we should have knocked!" He smacked Kirishima on the head, breaking him out of his stupor. "D-Don't blame me! This was Midoriya's idea, he decided to open the door!"

"Deku…" Everyone's attention was pulled to Bakugou as he growled, including Koge, who looked up at him as he sat her back down onto her feet gently. Even she felt a bit of shock at the intensity of the glare on his face, and just him turning towards the group sent them into a panic. As he began to make his way over, menacing and palms smoking, the group tried to retreat, turning back towards the door to exit, but found them being bunched up in the small hallway made it impossible to open the door. Koge could only stare in bewilderment at the frantic way in which they tried to escape their doom, able to pinpoint them all by the panicked sounds of their voices.

"O-ow, Iida, that was my foot!" Ah, that's Ochaco…

"K-K-Kacchan, listen, I-I didn't mean to i-i-interrupt you!" Poor Izuku, he's so scared.

"He won't listen, Midoriya! We have to leave!" Denki… I can see he's trying to climb over Hanta.

"Everyone calm down, this is pure stupidity!" Shoto… No way.

I can hear Tsuyu as well. This is ridiculous.

Fearing that someone was going to get hurt, either on accident or by her enraged lover, Koge quickly caught up with Bakugou, gripping onto his hand to stop him. Even though it was nearly hot enough to burn her, she held it tightly, pulling his attention to her instead. "Everyone, please calm down!" She put her free hand onto Bakugou's chest, giving him a comforting smile to ease his tension, though it only worked enough to make him pull back his quirk. Shoving the hand she wasn't holding into his pocket, he scoffed in frustration as his glare moved back to the group, or specifically, Midoriya. "You damn nerd! Don't you think you should ask before showing up unannounced!"

Midoriya wiggled free of the group, holding his hands up in defense as he took a step into the living room on trembling legs. "K-Kacchan, really, that wasn't my intention-"

"You weren't invited in, Deku! Take a step back!"

Panicked, Midoriya did as instructed, laughing nervously. "O-okay!" His nervous gaze moved to Koge, though he seemed too embarrassed to even look at her for long. "Koge, really, we didn't mean to cause trouble! I had just heard Kacchan talking on the phone about meeting you here, and I mentioned it to the others. It all just kind of blew up out of proportion!" Koge released Bakugou, walking a bit closer to the group. "What blew up?"

Kirishima moved forward to stand beside Midoriya, holding out a gift bag as if it were a peace offering. "We wanted to come congratulate you on your new place! We brought housewarming gifts!"

"And food!" Kaminari called out, though Koge couldn't quite see him. "Not all of us could make it, but we thought it was a good idea!"

Even though it was very badly executed, Koge felt her heart swell in happiness from their kind gesture, walking closer to take the bag that Kirishima was presenting to her. Although she had wanted to be alone with Bakugou this evening, she didn't have it in her to turn them all away when they had such innocent intentions. "Thank you all very much... " Looking back at her lover, she could tell he was still furious, but he was leaving it to her to either invite them in or turn them away. "I… I'm not prepared at all for this. It's a bit overwhelming, to be honest." The dejected look that came across Midoriya and Kirishima's face tugged at her heart, deciding she needed to get to the point before she accidentally hurt feelings.

"But I'm so thankful to have friends like you who would think of me like this. Thank you all so much." Clutching the bag to her chest, she gave a deep bow from the waist, setting off another panic.

"K-Koge, don't bow to us, seriously!" Kirishima reached over and gripped her shoulder, prompting her to stand back up straight. "We barged in when we shouldn't have. If you want to be alone with Bakugou, we can just leave the stuff and head out, it wouldn't hurt our feelings." His sharp toothed grin and lighthearted attitude were as infectious as always, and as she looked at the others just as cheerful faces, she could feel a familiar burning of tears in her eyes. Fighting them back, a wide smile broke her face instead, beaming with a flushed face.

"Doing all of this for me, I could never turn you away. Please come in!"

The group all relaxed, though as Midoriya took another step into the main living area, Bakugou's booming voice made them all stop. "Hey, you scum! Take off your fucking shoes, where do you think you are, huh?!" Midoriya held up his hands in defense again as he laughed nervously, slipping his shoes off. Kirishima did the same, lowering his voice as he spoke to Koge while everyone else filed out of the hallway. "Did you ask him?"

Koge nodded, her smile only growing. "I did. He said he would." Kirishima chuckled, grazing his knuckles against her cheek in a playful manner. "See, you had nothing to worry about!" Walking away, he put his arms up in the air, addressing everyone. "Hey, let's pitch in for some pizza!" Cheers of agreement were drowned out as Koge's attention was pulled back to Bakugou, feelings his presence as he came up to her. "What did he give you?" Koge could tell that he was still upset, but he was accepting the presence of their friends better than she expected. Leaning on him as he put an arm around her back, she peeked inside of the bag, only able to make out a frame. Curiosity peeking, she pulled it out, giving a small gasp as she examined the framed photo.

It was a photo of her and Bakugou that she had never seen before, though the memory was still extremely vivid in her mind. Not long ago, the group had taken a day trip to all hang out at the beach to swim and enjoy the summer heat. This picture caught a moment at the end of the day where Koge and Bakugou had been off on their own, standing together by the water. Holding hands and facing each other, Bakugou had his lips pressed to Koge's forehead, the sunset in the background making them seem as if they were glowing. Sniffling, Koge brought her hand up to cover her mouth, feeling her emotions swell as she handed it to Bakugou, allowing him to observe it closer. "Katsuki, it's so nice…"

Bakugou grumbled as he took it, and Koge could feel the heat of his palm as he grew embarrassed. He looked towards his friends, his booming voice making everyone jump. "Hey, who took this?! Don't you think that's kind of fucking creepy?!" Wary smile on his face, Midoriya raised his hand a bit. "I-I did, Kacchan. Though, the girls pointed it out to me and told me to." Uraraka grinned, giving a thumbs up towards the couple. "It's a perfect gift for a big event like this!" Asui nodded, putting a finger to her chin. "It's a really touching moment."

Kaminari snickered, leaning on the back of the couch with a smug grin on his face. "I said we should have used it for blackmail. We always knew you were a softie deep down, Baku-"

"Shut up!" Bakugou barked at him, and Koge quickly took the frame back, worried he might break the glass on accident in his anger. "Taking random pictures of people when they aren't looking is fucking creepy! It's even worse that you kept it hidden for months!" Fuming, he looked back down at the picture, calming a bit. "Idiots… you're all lucky it's a good shot." As their friends snickered amongst themselves at his final comment, Koge tugged on Bakugous arm gently leading him towards the bedroom to have a private moment. After shutting the door behind them, she flipped on the light, looking up at him with teary eyes. "You're not mad I let them stay, are you? I couldn't kick them out…"

Bakugou shook his head, putting his hands on her shoulders, giving them a squeeze. "No, Utsuro, I'm not mad. Not at you, anyway. I am pissed they decided to do that without telling either of us, but it made you happy, so it's fine." He took the frame from her, looking it over again as he turned to walk towards the bed. Curious, Koge followed him, reaching up to wipe her eye before the tears could escape. "Katsuki?" Bakugou pushed the stand on the back of the frame out, before setting it down on the bedside table, turning it slightly into a position he wanted. "This is a good memory. One of the best I've had with you." His voice was quiet and calm, as if he worried about anyone overhearing him. "And now, it's the first thing in this place that is ours."

Koge couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes, sniffing as Bakugou reached up to wipe them away with rough fingers. "Katsuki… thank you." Bakugou placed both hands on her cheeks, squishing her face and making her look up at him. "Stop with the waterworks. There's nothing you need to thank me for, stupid. You should have known I was going to say yes." Koge took in a deep, trembling breath to calm herself, giggling softly as he playfully pinched her cheeks.

"I'm just so glad. Think you can really handle me every day?" She placed her hands over his, stomach fluttering as he ran his thumbs across her cheeks. A sly smirk crossed his face as he used his grip to pull her closer, giving her a rough kiss before releasing her. "I think it's the other way around." As he turned to leave, Koge snickered, giving him a good smack on his backend, though his baggy pants cushioned the blow. "I'll whip you into shape!"

Hissing in anger, he reached around to slap her hand away, his cheeks turning bright red. "Damn it, Utsuro, don't smack my ass like that! I hate it!"

Just as he said this, laughter erupted from the other room, sending Koge into her own giggle fit. "Katsuki, you can't yell like that, the walls are thin!" Laughing, she covered her mouth as he stormed out of the room with a red face, palms smoking and crackling.

"You all want to laugh at me? Huh?! I'll give you something to laugh about, YOU FUCKING SCUM!"

Koge couldn't rid herself of the wide smile that was plastered to her face, glancing back at the picture that sat on her bedside table before making her way out into the living room to save her friends and the apartment from her lovers wrath.

"Katsuki, wait! Please don't set of explosions inside!"