"BREAKING NEWS! We are live at the scene of the action and as you can see, the terrorist villains have completely overtaken this department store and are heavily condensed in Musutafu's most popular diamond exchange. Confirmed to be at least twenty hostages inside. The city is on standby as we wait for professional heroes to arrive."

The female anchor's voice boomed above Uraraka's head, amplified by her voice quirk, and Uraraka quickly blocked out the sounds of both the reporter and the helicopter. She couldn't afford to lose focus in such a crisis.

Her arms tightened around Bakugou's waist as he revved the engine of his sleek motorcycle. She could hear Kirishima's bike next to them, who was thankfully bringing along Deku.

For the most part, the regular heroes could usually handle anything in this sector, but for this large-scale incident, there had been a citywide alert. The Wonder Duo agency had been personally called in. Deku was thankfully back in Japan for a visit and having the world's strongest hero pair would help greatly.

"Hold on, cheeks. Tight turn ahead," Bakugou rumbled, leaning his body along the curve of the street. Uraraka obediently shifted closer, pressing her nose to his nape, breathing in his heady scent.

Her eighteen year old rookie self would've never believed that five years later, she would be running around with the media-dubbed "Bakusquad" in her hero work.

But after the incident a few months ago that resulted in the loss of Kirishima's eye, she had inevitably become a central member of the agency, something that surprised her best friends from UA to no end. Although they had all been in the same class, there had certainly been established groups of regulars. The people you sat with at lunch versus the people you passed by and said a few friendly greetings. The Bakusquad had been the latter.

What amazed her most of all was how much closer she had become with Bakugou himself. None were spared from his explosive behavior, but she couldn't help but feel a warm sense of camaraderie with him right from the start.

And recently, she had begun to admit to herself the same warm camaraderie had simmered under her skin for so long that it had transformed itself into an aching feeling of something more.

Uraraka's eyes locked on the crisis building, and she felt worry flush through her veins at the sight of shivering civilians sitting on the curb being attended to by paramedics.

Sometimes villains would let a few hostages go to declare their terms, but it sickened her to see people being handled like cattle for trade and slaughter. At least they were relatively unharmed.

As Bakugou's bike slowed to a stop, she immediately swung herself off the seat and jogged towards the semicircle of police cars, Bakugou and the others hot on her heels. They were the first heroes on the scene as far as Uraraka could tell.

"Oh thank goodness you're here, Uravity! Red Riot and Deku as well!" The chief of police's shoulders sagged with relief and Uraraka cringed at the fact that Bakugou was pointedly not acknowledged.

Deku stepped forward, silently putting a hand on her tense shoulder, before addressing the policeman. "Don't worry, sir. You can let us handle it from here."

Kirishima had already busted into his hardened form, his single eye trained on the entrance of the department store. "Look, guys."

The group turned their attention towards where Kirishima indicated, watching another hostage suddenly exit the building, stumbling his way over to us. The man was practically hysterical but what made Uraraka freeze up in cold shock was the blood flowing from the side of his head from a horrible claw mark. Her assumption and hope that they would send out people unharmed was shot.

"H-help me! Please!" He fell to his knees, and Uraraka immediately rushed forward, applying her Quirk to help lift the man to a semi-standing position.

"What happened in there?" She asked urgently. Deku helped balance the man on his other side, waving a medic over with his other hand. The man was shivering uncontrollably and accepted a blanket before speaking. "T-they threatened to send us all out like me. They said they would," he swallowed dryly, "make the injuries worse if you all didn't cooperate."

Bakugou bristled from behind Kirishima. "Fuck that." he snarled, adjusting the power levels of his metal arm. The chief of police turned and sneered at the blonde hero, his lip curled in undisguised disgust. "Why are you here? We're not trying to kill the people in there."

Kirishima stiffened at the words and opened his mouth, but Bakugou shook his head. He looked at the man slowly, but instead of blowing up like Uraraka thought he would, he held his tongue and looked away. She almost would have preferred his screaming over the stoicism. The people of Japan still hadn't completely forgiven him for what had happened, and it broke her heart to see him like this.

"Excuse me, sir. What is your name?" His expression softened to an extent when Uraraka addressed him. "I'm Captain Marks."

"Well, Captain Marks, with all due respect, I agree with Ground Zero on this. Giving in and complying to villain threats will most likely result in the situation escalating and the hostages getting hurt anyway."

She leveled her glare at him fiercely. "Let the Wonder Duo and Red Riot handle those villains. I can help the hostages get out until more rescue heroes arrive. For now, we should focus on getting in there quickly and efficiently. Got any ideas, Deku?" She glanced at their resident strategist.

The green-haired man nodded in return, stepping forward to take charge of their plans. Uraraka backed up, sliding next to Bakugou, who looked lost in thought.

"Hey...you okay?" she said gently, peering at his handsome face.

"Hah? I'm fine, Round Face. Let's go." His nonchalant tone was decidedly forced. He bumped against her as he moved away to listen in on Deku's strategy. Uraraka followed suit, feeling the negative vibes come off of him in waves. She would have to address it later.

.

.

.

There were three, maybe four hostiles from what Uraraka could tell, perched on the side of the building. She peeked down into the store again, counting the people in ski masks closely.

"Hey sweet cheeks, hurry up." Bakugou deadpanned.

"Shush!" She clasped and opened her fingers in a quick motion, making him lurch down a little. "Don't make me drop you, knucklehead."

"See what happens if you do, Round Face. See what happens if you do."

"Don't provoke her man, she's holding all of us up." Kirishima said nervously, eyeing the far-off ground. Deku looked utterly relaxed, even amused at their banter.

The four of them were quite a sight, floating at a window on the second floor of the building, placed directly next to a staircase that led down to the diamond exchange. Deku had figured that the terrorists would have every entrance on the ground watched closely.

They wouldn't be expecting an assault from the floor up.

Uraraka made eye contact with each member of her team, mouthing a countdown.

5. 4. 3. 2.

1.

With a great crash, Deku shattered the glass and the foursome tumbled onto the second floor, immediately sprinting down the stairs. Bakugou led the group, fiercely kicking down the door to the hall.

"Surprise, MOTHERFUCKERS." An explosion launched from his arm at the nearest bogey, who launched through the opposite wall, a man-shaped hole left in his wake.

"Nobody move!" Deku declared, moving on one side of Bakugou, while Kirishima went to the other. The three men made a very intimidating sight, all radiating massive amounts of power.

Instead of complying, the terrorist group slowly inched back towards the hostages, who were sitting side by side with their backs to glass counters. Uraraka's stomach coiled with worry.

"Don't you take another fucking step." Kirishima snarled, the spike-like points of his skin rippling along his forearms in warning.

"Are you really in a position to negotiate when we have the lives of innocent people in our hands?" One man spoke up from behind his mask, eyes glinting with malice. He must be the designated leader, Uraraka noted.

He looked at Bakugou, and a spark of recognition flashed in his eyes. "Then again, you have the Traitor Hero in your midst. Killing civilians might be your forte after all." Bakugou's face twisted into a dark expression.

Uraraka knew that Bakugou had learned better than to be baited by a villain's mere taunts. He wasn't a student anymore. But everyone had a breaking point, and Bakugou was no different. He had understandably had enough from the constant jabs at his character, the constant questions to his loyalty.

So she wasn't surprised when Bakugou leapt at the man with a war cry and a fist crackling with a ready explosive, when the leader swiftly slammed his foot down hard and activated his Quirk.

The floor shook with the force of the man's stomp, and the people starting screaming in fright. Lights and chunks of stone started descending from above, causing even more panic. Uraraka nearly lost her balance, switching on her own Quirk to rise above the unstable earth.

"Everyone, calm down!" Uraraka ordered at the alarmed citizens, jumping up and making a tile weightless before it could fall onto a cowering woman.

"I'll take the hostages the other way out!" Uraraka called out to her comrades, taking charge of the civilians. She put her fingers in her mouth, releasing a loud whistle. "This way, people!" The hostages all made a mad dash towards the gravity-manipulator, and she waved them behind her as she started touching the objects that were obstructing their path. They made a slow, but steady pace towards the end of the hall.

Around them, battle erupted as the hero trio traded blows with the group of terrorists. Deku was handling two villains at once, one with a Quirk that let him release a poisonous gas and another that had transformed herself into a massive black panther. Kirishima was throwing large stones at a flying bat-like villain who slapped them back with his wings like they were playing a dangerous game of tennis. Uraraka saw Bakugou fight with the earthquake user himself, detonations rocketing around his body as he moved in a brutal dance of fire and gunpowder.

Bakugou was hitting in the craziest, most uncontrollable manner that Uraraka had ever seen, and she was shocked when one of his blasts accidentally hit the large breaker panel in the back, igniting flames that quickly rose.

Uraraka moved at a faster pace at that sight, ushering hostages away at a hasty speed.

By the time she had gotten every hostage safely evacuated, the savage combat had moved outside and Uraraka's Quirk usage was severely drained. If she used it any further, she'd be in some serious trouble, especially with quickly how the fire was spreading.

Time to make like a banana and split, as Kirishima would say.

"Mommy! Mommy, where are you?" A high-pitched wail made Uraraka stop in her tracks. Oh no.

A child was stuck in the tiny space of the cashier booth, probably put there by his guardian when the terrorists had first attacked. A flaming light fixture blocked him from crawling out, and he huddled in his corner, terrified.

Without hesitation, Uraraka placed her hands on the burning objects in her way, not even flinching as her bare flesh was exposed to the heat. She threw the wood and steel to either side, finally reaching the cashier booth and lifting the ceiling light with ease.

"Hey, baby, it's okay. I've got you now. Can you reach my hand?" She smiled brightly at the young boy, whose face was bloated from tears. He hesitantly stretched his small hand out to her, and she immediately scooped him up, shielding his face into her chest.

Uraraka looked around, spotting the exit a few meters away. Elation shot through her and she gently raised the boy in the air, concentrating on moving him out as smoothly as she could. With one last push of her strength, she boosted the flying boy into the light of safety, hoping someone would help him out there.

Her deed done, a cold, empty feeling seeped into Uraraka's belly as she felt nothing of her Quirk's power left. She couldn't even float a spoon at this point.

Loud crackling sounds rippled from above her, and she jumped when a piece of the ceiling dropped a few feet from her. The building was deteriorating fast. She sprinted forward, forcing herself to not look around at the falling construction. A chandelier crashed too close, sending a jolt of terror through her.

Just a little further!...

A searing pain shot from her ankle up her spine and Uraraka let out an ear-piercing scream as she felt herself get crushed.

.

.

.

Bakugou gripped the rope, almost certain he was squeezing the unconscious villain a little too tightly, but he was feeling vindictive. Fucking earthquake bastard had really made him do a number on their surroundings. Bakugou looked around at the chaos, watching rescue heroes with water Quirks attempt to douse the flames in jets of water from the outside.

The news chopper had flown closer, and Bakugou tuned out the irritating voice of the reporter until he heard her say something that caused his heart to stop.

"...pro heroes Deku, Red Riot, and Ground Zero are making quick work of the villains. All hostages have been rescued, courtesy of The Media's Sweetheart, and are currently being transported to police facilities. However, the heroine herself has yet to come out of the building. Where's Uravity folks?"

What? Where was she? Was she still in there?

Something screeched from behind him, and Bakugou barely managed to dodge as the panther-shifting villainess leapt at him, dead set on killing him. Bakugou shot a nitroglycerin blast that missed the enraged cat by an inch. He swore disgusting profanities as he dropped his hogtied villain to grapple with the giant feline. Her golden eyes gleamed with bloodlust and she snapped her jaws hungrily at him.

A single gunshot rang in the air and the wrestling superhumans both turned their heads to see a quivering Captain Marks with a smoking pistol pointed at the panther. The bullet had clipped the cat, singeing some fur off, but altogether doing nothing to deter her attack. The animal snarled, leaping off Bakugou in a flash and bounding towards the vulnerable policeman with murderous intent. He froze, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights.

"No!" Bakugou punched the ground with his fists, propelling him forward. He landed on the creature's back, activating a consecutive burst that made her yowl. He wrenched her neck away from the civilian with a grunt. "Don't you fucking touch him, ya stupid bitch!"

Bakugou checked to see Captain Marks knocked on his ass, mouth gaping from his near-death experience. "Run, you fucking dipshit!" The words shocked the man into action and he scampered away as fast as he could, to Bakugou's satisfaction. Now he had to deal with this fucking overgrown pussy.

"YAAARGH!" Out of nowhere, Kirishima barreled into the cat, shoving her off Bakugou with a mighty push. Deku appeared in a blitz of sparks, delivering a brutal spin kick that sent the black panther flying into a light pole.

"We got this, Ground Zero! Go find Uravity!" Kirishima's face erupted into spikes and he charged once more, bulldozing the shapeshifter. Deku nodded in agreement, determined green fire burning in his eyes. "Get our girl out of there, Katsuki."

"Shut up, crap for brains." Bakugou had already starting running, weaving his way into the blazing building.

"Uravity! Uravity are you here?" He called, shouting her hero name as loud as he could. There was no way she could handle this kind of heat for long. He had a pretty high tolerance from training with Shouto all the goddamn time, but even he was starting to get disoriented.

"Round Face where are you?! Ochako!" He stopped in his tracks when he heard a low moan respond from under a massive pile of stone. What he saw made him feel like the ground had been pulled from under him.

Uraraka had been buried, with only the top half of her body visible to Bakugou. Her hero costume was torn to shreds and blood was quickly forming a scarlet pool. She had clearly reached her absolute limit, unable to activate her Quirk any longer to help herself out.

"Cheeks...cheeks, can you hear me?" He went to his knees and turned her dusty face towards him. Among the fire and flames, he could see that she was barely conscious, and he himself fought the urge to keel over from the thick smoke. She stirred at the sound of his voice, eyes fluttering violently.

"Ngh…Katsuki..."

Her whimpers gutted him entirely. There was only one reason that she was stuck there. The only reason the place had gone down in the first place. He had caused this to the girl he loved.

The girl he loved. Of course it would take her dying in front of him for that fact to finally slap him in the face.

If only he hadn't lost his head. If only he'd been more careful.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ochako. Fuck, I'll get you out of here, I swear to fucking-" He cut off when she shrieked, the debris having shifted somewhere behind the pillar crushing her, putting even more pressure down. He placed his hand under the gravely post, trying to hoist it up. Sweat dripped down the side of his face, and he heaved with all of his might, amping up the strength in his metal arm to its maximum.

He had fucked up again. But this time, instead of dead civilians, the consequence would be a dead Uraraka Ochako.

No. No, he wouldn't, he couldn't, let her die like this.

By some miracle, or sheer willpower on Bakugou's part, the giant structure completely slid off. Bakugou immediately grabbed her by the waist and dragged her away before the fragile setup of pillars could collapse on her.

Her leg had come out mangled and twisted, and she was shaking forcefully. "Breathe, Round Face, come on, don't stop." He urged desperately, a hint of fear creeping into his voice.

Bakugou started muttering endless apologies to her until she suddenly gripped the front of his hero costume firmly, forcing him to stare into her glassy eyes in the midst of his panic. "Don't...you dare...blame yourself for this..." She slumped in his arms, all the strength in her body gone.

The rest was a blur.

Bakugou knew he must have looked like a madman, charging out of the burning destruction with Uraraka in his arms, but he couldn't care less. He had to get her to a hospital or he was going to lose his fucking mind.

There was so much blood, so much blood. He couldn't tell if it was his or hers anymore and it scared the crap out of him.

When he tried to follow her into the ambulance, some workers attempted to stop him. He had brutally retaliated, not caring who he was punching or shoving or kicking until Deku had tackled him to the ground. He struggled violently under his friend, eyes locked on the small figure being loaded in the vehicle.

"Calm down, Kacchan! You're making a scene!" Deku hissed in his ear. Damn him. Damn him for being so much stronger than Bakugou was in the moment. "She wouldn't want you to be like this, so get your shit together."

Bakugou gradually ceased his attempts to break free, his limbs going limp under Deku's lockhold. Deku rolled off him, letting out a sigh of exasperation. "Come on, we'll follow them over."

Bakugou didn't answer, choosing only to watch the blue and white ambulance fade from view as rain began to pour. Clouds covered the sun, as if the sky had sensed the fall of an angel and had veiled itself in mourning.

.

.

.

Kirishima found Bakugou sitting outside Uraraka's room, leg jiggling as he rested his head on the knuckles of his hands, staring at the nameplate next to the door.

"I called Mina and the others. She's coming down to visit in the morning as soon as her flight lands. The terrorists are all in custody." Kirishima said quietly, mussing up his long red hair. He settled down next to Bakugou, mimicking his solemn form in his chair.

"So." Kirishima prompted.

"What." Bakugou couldn't even muster the energy to be snarky, he was that fucking drained.

"You finally suck it up and admit her you love her?"

"What's it to you?" He didn't mean to be an ass, really. At this point, it was just a reflex.

"Ohhhh, so you have? And ya don't gotta put up that act, Mr. Explosion Murder. This shit's been brewing since the day I brought her into your apartment. Don't even deny it." Kirishima's scarlet eyes shone with resolution.

"You know what I think? If that woman makes it out in one piece, you better fucking worship the ground she walks on."

Bakugou scoffed. "I've been worshipping the ground she walks on since she kicked my ass in combat training, retard." Even if he hadn't known it at the time. Details, details.

"Well it's good you know now. Glad you've got your head on right, sweetie pie," Kirishima stated casually, taking out his cigarette pack and lighting one without care that he was still sitting in a hospital. He took a long drag as the two sat in anticipation, listening to the clock tick.

The pair looked up when Uraraka's door finally opened. Her doctor came out, flipping through her medical record, not even acknowledging the men sitting in front of him. A moment of silence passed. Another page was flipped.

"Would you fuckin' tell us how she is?" Bakugou barked loudly, startling the doctor, who scowled in return but complied.

"Honestly, she got off a lot better than most would if they were crushed by that much debris. Significant burning and bruising, plus a pretty nasty break in her right leg. It'll take a while, but with a lot of physical therapy and effort, she should be able to walk just fine, with a few kinks here and there. Her hero work will have to wait, of course, but Uravity is very tough and very lucky indeed."

Bakugou moved his head slightly to the side to catch a glimpse of said brunette behind the doctor and the man dared to roll his eyes.

"Alright, you can come in no-" Bakugou had already strode into the room at the first word, shouldering past the disgruntled doctor. He stopped by the side of Uraraka's bed, studying the sleeping beauty resting there. Some color had been restored to her face and Bakugou let out a trembling breath of relief. Her right leg was in a cast, every inch of her skin was wrapped up in bandages, and the visible bruises had darkened to a light purple but other than that...

She was okay. She was safe.

He dragged a chair over and plopped down, rubbing at his eyes. Kirishima came over and clapped him on the shoulder, squeezing gently in support. "Dude, just rest. Uraraka's gonna be fine." Bakugou merely grunted in response, his friend's voice growing distant. He folded his arms under his head and rested on the soft white sheets next to her body.

He felt his eyelids start to droop, exhaustion finally settling in his bones and he drifted off into a sleep filled with a memory of the girl he loved.

.

.

.

Bakugou was observing her closely. As always.

For all her bumbling clumsiness, Uraraka was incredibly graceful when she fought, and in practice it was no different. His eyes lingered on her taut limbs, shining with a light layer of sweat, and his stomach churned. The upbeat music in the background pounded in his head as he ogled her unabashedly.

They were both working out in Gunhead's gym in the dead of the night, an unspoken weekly ritual they had picked up ever since Uraraka had first started patrolling with their squad. Bakugou liked the place because, like their UA training grounds, there were endless things to blow up. Uraraka preferred the more traditional aspects of the gym, especially the sparring areas. The place was empty save for the two of them, and it made Bakugou feel more at ease to not have so many eyes on him for the time being.

Uraraka stopped after a solid kick on the dummy in front of her, wiping her forehead with her arm. She must've sensed him looking because she glanced over, eyebrow perking in curiosity.

"Whatcha doing there, Bakugou?" Her head crooked to the side in an adorable manner.

He blinked dumbly at her, seeming to at last realize that he'd been clutching the same punching bag in his hands for a good ten minutes. His cheeks burned with a dull blush at having been caught staring, but he blew it off with a mumble of "Nothing, Round Face," before throwing a series of hard punches to the bag.

He heard her feet quietly pad towards him, spring in her step. When he turned his attention back towards her, he could see the amusement dancing in her eyes. He scowled at her. "What?"

"Your form's off. You're getting sloppyyyy, Kacchan." she sang in his face. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not as good as you when it comes to the technicalities, sweet cheeks." It was true. Bakugou fought hard, and he fought fast, but he relied on quickly and ruthlessly taking down his opponents with his overwhelming power. There was simply no need for him to refine his technique beyond what he needed to efficiently end the fight.

Uraraka was a different story. She was categorized primarily as a rescue hero, but she could effortlessly bring Bakugou down in a Quirkless fight every time. Working with Ojiro on martial arts combined with Gunhead's style of takedowns made the seemingly harmless girl a lethal fighter.

He secretly envied Uraraka for that, because people could see her talent beyond just surface-level strength. They underestimated her, and overestimated him. It was about goddamn time they removed "fragile" from the list of words associated with Uraraka.

"Come on, Bakugou, you know better than to put your elbow there." she chirped cheerfully, sliding her body closer to his, her tiny hands pushing on his bare arm to readjust his position.

He inhaled sharply in surprise at her boldness. Bakugou didn't like physical contact with people outside of beating them to a pulp, but he had to fight from leaning into her touch because goddamn it those hands were so fucking soft.

Bakugou noticed her looking curiously at something, and watched her hand brush over his prosthetic arm in fascination. She looked up at him sheepishly. "I've always wanted to know what it felt like."

"It's nothing special. Just a hunk of metal attached to my shitstump." He said bluntly.

She bit back her smile. "It's not just a hunk of metal. You can't win without using it, you dirty cheater." Uraraka huffed jokingly.

A slow, naughty grin stretched over his face, and she looked at him suspiciously. "Oh yeah, cheeks?"

"No. No, no, Bakugou no-!" He tackled her, sweeping her easily off her feet with the enhanced strength in his left arm. They tumbled onto the mat together, her shrieking laughter echoing in the empty gym.

"Take it back, fucker!" It was a testament to their friendship that she knew he wasn't serious at all, and instead fought him, strong hands gripping his biceps as they wrestled. "Never!"

When they finally rolled to a stop, Bakugou was hovering over her, forearms planted firmly on either side of her face. They were both heaving so hard that he could feel her breasts brush against him with each exhale. She stared up at him, pink cheeks, chocolate eyes and all, and he felt his chest tighten painfully.

Bakugou cleared his throat and briskly stood up, holding out a hand to her. She clasped it and jumped up too quickly, stumbling into him. "Oops." She mumbled. He steadied her easily, not in any rush to push her away.

The gym's stereo system had faded out the catchy pop tune and had begun pulsing with a different beat, a slow sensual song coming on that was completely inappropriate for working out. But definitely appropriate for the thick tension between the two heroes.

She looked up at him slyly, putting a delicate hand on his shoulder. "You know how to fight, sure. But can you dance, crazy boy?" Bakugou hated dancing almost as much as physical contact, but Uraraka managed to somehow break down every one of his pet peeves with little resistance on his part.

And besides, he was never one to back down from a challenge.

He set his large hands on the curves of her waist, drawing her close. He thumbed the bottom of her sports bra testily, and her whole body shivered. "Hell yeah, I can." He growled.

Eyes locked, they rotated around the mat, their bodies humming at every point of contact. In one of the most mindnumbingly sexy acts he'd ever seen, she whipped around right on the beat, sliding her backside and her glorious ass down the length of his body.

"Angel Face." He whispered hoarsely, turning her back to face him. He was, needless to say, effectively turned on.

He heard her breath catch in her throat. Their movements slowed to a stop, and Bakugou knew with every part of his being that something had changed between them. Or perhaps it had always been there, unacknowledged and ignored.

"Katsuki..."

Katsuki.

"Katsuki."

Bakugou woke to the sensation of soft fingers in his hair and that same voice in his ears.

He jolted up from his position, scraping his chair back, and the small hand fell back onto the bed. He distinctly heard the chair knocking over a vase of flowers, but he couldn't care less.

Not when she was awake, sleepily blinking at him.

"Angel Face." he croaked, before diving at her. She squealed at his sudden lunge, but laughed and put her arms around his back as he embraced her tightly. Bakugou pulled back just as quickly and grasped her face in his large hands, stroking back the longer strands of hair that were framing it.

"You're holding me like I'm about to break, knucklehead." The warmth in her smile made him feel comfort for the first time in twenty-four hours. That relief quickly melted into a more familiar emotion of anger.

"You're never allowed to do that again, ya hear me? That shit was fucking stupid." He barked roughly at her. She remained unfazed, looking into his eyes without a hint of regret. He both loved and hated that look with a fucking passion.

"Those people needed me."

Bakugou growled at her words. "You could have died, you fucking idiot. Look in the mirror, cheeks, you're more banged up than Deku after sparring with me."

She frowned petulantly. "But I didn't die. You saved me and everything's fine now. I'm feeling much bet-"

"That's not the point!" His voice raised suddenly and Uraraka startled in surprise.

He drew his hands back to run them over his face."It was my fucking fault. All this is because of me, cheeks, just like with Shitty Hair. Everyone's already saying how I'm a train wreck of a hero and that my success rate doesn't mean shit when I just hurt the people I'm supposed to protect. This shit just proves them right, because I couldn't even stop myself from hurting you."

"Stop that." She interrupted sharply. He brought his hand down and saw that she looked furious, but not for the reason he had anticipated.

"I thought I told you not to blame yourself, idiot. You didn't hurt me. That department store was going to collapse even if you were fighting carefully. That villain's Quirk makes earthquakes for fuck's sake! You need to forgive yourself, please, because it honestly makes me feel sick!" She paused, wringing her hands in her lap. He had a feeling she wasn't just talking about the beam. Her next words jarred him out of his thoughts with a cutting sharpness.

"Do you think I'm not strong enough?"

His brows furrowed deeply at the ridiculous notion, but he wisely stayed silent as she continued. "We're professional heroes, not amateurs anymore. I've been fighting the same fight as you for years, so don't treat me like I'm some weak fragile little thing. I helped people and I'll be damned if a little rubble was going to stop me!"

His anger slowly waned when he saw frustration bubble up in her large eyes. Aw crap. "You know that's not what I think of you. I've never, not even once, thought you couldn't handle anything thrown at you. But do you know what I thought when I saw you trapped under that rubble?" She stiffly shook her head once, and he reached over to grasp her hand in his. "I thought I was going to lose you."

Bakugou heard and saw her breathe in shakily, but he kept going before he lost his nerve. "I'm so goddamn fucking in love with you, Ochako. You're everything to me." He whispered emotionally, his voice breaking a little.

She stared at him silently before suddenly bursting into tears, covering her face with her hands.

Alarmed, he leaned forward, eyes wandering over her bandaged injuries. "You okay, Round Face?" Uraraka abruptly slugged him hard in the arm, and he winced. "Hey!"

"You're so stupid. Did I really have to almost die for you to finally say this to me?" Without another word, she grabbed the neck of his T-shirt and dragged his face towards hers from where he was already hovering over her.

Bakugou's brain must have stopped working in some parts, because all he could register was the velvety feeling of her lips and the soft pressure of her arms slung over his shoulders.

She pulled back, eyes shining. "I love you." Her murmured words made his adoration for her grow exponentially.

With an almost embarrassing enthusiasm and a complete disregard for the wires and tubing connected to Uraraka, he lifted her up, climbing clumsily onto her bed. He set her right on top of his lap and hungrily kissed her again, swiping his tongue across her lips until she opened her mouth for him.

Uraraka was spicy, not sweet like he'd imagined. He'd wondered about the flavor of her mouth more times than he cared to admit, and the unexpected taste contrasted strongly with her sugary personality. Not that he minded. She was fucking addicting.

Her thighs straddled his legs and he hissed in pleasure when she shifted more comfortably onto him. She giggled lightly, running her index finger along his cheek. She leaned down to run little kisses along his jaw and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head when she firmly pressed her body onto his. Uraraka arched her hips against the crotch of his jeans and he remembered very clearly that all she had on was a sheer hospital gown and quite possibly nothing else underneath.

"That's so fuckin' hot. You sure you've never done anything like this before, cheeks?" Bakugou meant to sound more teasing, but it came out as a low rasp. His fingers trailed along her collarbone, softly pulling down the collar of her gown like they had a mind of their own.

"No…but I just can't help myself when it's you." Bakugou craned his head to attach his mouth to the swell of her breast, massaging the flesh with his teeth and tongue. Her chest heaved at his action and he smirked. He pulled back to admire his handiwork, sure that it would be leaving a noticeable mark.

"Mine." He said with as much force in his voice as he could muster, and her loving smile washed over him like sunshine.

Fuck it. Fuck if they were in a hospital? If he didn't get her naked right here and now, he was going to die of blue balls. That was possible right? It certainly felt like it.

He gripped the fabric at her sides and started lifting it, swallowing deeply as the creamy skin of her thighs came into view. "K-Katsuki...please…" she whimpered, sending a pleasant tingle down his back.

All of a sudden, the door to the hospital room slid open and Bakugou nearly bumped his head into Uraraka's in surprise.

"OH, FUCKING SHIT!" A frazzled Mina stood in the doorframe, jaw agape at the couple's compromised position. Uraraka's face flushed deeply and Bakugou was momentarily distracted by the inviting scarlet color traveling down her neck before that stupid alien flung herself at the both of them.

"OI, GET OFF US YOU PINK FREAK!"

"I'm so happy you're okay, Ochako! We were all so worried about you, and stupid Bakugou over here refused to leave your side, and you should've seen Kirishima hold him down to change his clothes, it was so fucking hilarious and what the heck is poking me right now-" Mina cut off, looking down between the two of them. "Oh wow, Bakugou you've got quite the boner going on there!"

"M-Mina!"

"I'm gonna fucking kill you, Pinky."

With a cackle, Mina jumped away from them, practically skipping back to the entrance. She turned back to blow a kiss towards them, and a feral growl ripped from Bakugou's throat. "See ya later, you horny babies!"

Bakugou felt like his head was about to explode. "THAT'S IT!" He gently lifted a confused Uraraka off his lap, his face ticking with rage. "Move aside, angel, I'm about to find out if the alien bleeds pink too."

"Wait, Katsuki, no!"

"C'MERE, YOU ALIEN SHITSTAIN!"

Uraraka dove for the nurse call button on the side of the bed, frantically slamming her hand against it.

"Oh god."