Chapter Text
Ochako sat cross-legged on the floor, a warm mug of hot chocolate in her hands, watching her classmates with a smile. Their excitement was infectious, the room buzzing with energy. Conversations overlapped as the students lounged on the couches or sat on the floor. The topic of the night? The upcoming U.A. dance.
Though at first she wasn’t entirely sure if she’d be asking anyone— or if anyone would ask her, the rest of her class’ excitement got her thinking who she would go with.
“Alright, so who’s taking who?” Mina asked, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “C’mon, I need to know!”
“I’m going solo!” Kaminari declared, grinning. “More room to dance with everyone, you know?”
“Yeah, sure,” Jirou quipped, rolling her eyes. “That’s just code for ‘no one’s asked me yet.’”
“Hey!” he protested, but the laughter drowned him out.
“I’m going with Ojiro,” Hagakure smiled fondly as Ojiro slightly blushed. “He asked me yesterday!”
The conversation swirled around the room, names tossed back and forth, teasing and speculation growing louder. Then, as if the thought struck them all at once, everyone’s eyes turned to the blond sitting in the corner of the room.
Bakugou sat on the couch, glaring at his phone as if it had personally offended him.
The others’ attention seemed to sharpen his scowl, and Ochako couldn’t help but stifle a giggle.
“Hey, Bakugou,” Mina called, grinning wickedly. “You going to the dance?”
“Why the hell would I tell you?” he snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut through the noise.
“That’s not a no,” Jirou teased, smirking as she crossed her arms. “What, are you too scared to tell us? Afraid we’ll guess who you’re taking?”
Bakugou’s glare shot to her like a missile. “Shut up, Ears.”
“Oh, come on,” Kirishima chimed in, his shark-toothed grin widening. “You’re not gonna take anyone, are you? Too chicken to ask?”
The tension in the room shifted as Bakugou’s eyes narrowed, his fiery temper flaring to life. “The hell I’m not!” he barked, standing abruptly.
The room fell silent for a beat before erupting into chaos.
“Wait, so you are asking someone?” Mina gasped, her voice a mix of shock and delight.
“Is it someone in our class?” Kaminari asked, leaning forward eagerly.
“Or from another course?” Sero added, his grin matching Kirishima’s.
“Mind your damn business!” He growled, his hands sparking faintly with frustration.
Ochako watched the scene unfold, wondering who Bakugou would ask. It wasn’t that she cared that much, but he never showed interest in anyone. She couldn’t help but be a little curious.
“Bet it’s someone here,” Mina whispered loudly to Yaoyorozu, her voice conspiratorial.
“Maybe,” She replied, trying to stifle a smirk.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Bakugou snapped, cutting through the chatter. “You’ll find out when I damn well feel like telling you.”
With that, he turned on his heel and stomped toward the boys’ dorms, his heavy footsteps echoing down the hall. Ochako glanced at the clock on the wall that read 8:30, and she felt herself getting tired as well.
“I think I’m gonna sleep too,” Ochako yawned, getting up from the floor.
“Yeah, me too,” Tsuyu said to the group, “As much as we make fun of Bakugou for sleeping early, he’s the one who has the best skin and most energy.”
The group agreed, though some of them wanted to say a little longer. Ochako said her goodnights to her classmates and headed to her room. As she walked, she wondered what it would be like if Bakugou asked her.
She shook her head, laughing softly to herself. “Yeah, right,” she muttered under her breath.
__
Ochako adjusted her scarf as she stepped into the convenience store a few minutes away from U.A. She grabbed a small basket and began wandering the aisles, her eyes scanning the shelves for her favorite snacks.
She reached for a bag of chocolate-covered almonds and tossed it into her basket, along with a can of soda and a pack of strawberry-flavored gum. As she turned the corner toward the checkout, she froze.
There he was.
Bakugou stood at the far end of the store, staring at a shelf of instant noodles with his trademark scowl. He wore a dark hoodie under his coat, his hands stuffed into his pockets. For a moment, Ochako considered sneaking out before he noticed her, but the thought felt silly.
Taking a deep breath, she walked to the register, pretending not to notice him. She placed her items on the counter, her focus on the cashier.
“Is that all for you?” the cashier asked, ringing up her total.
“Yep!” Ochako replied, pulling out her wallet. She opened it to count her cash, but before she could hand it over, a rough voice interrupted.
“I got it.”
She turned, startled. Bakugou was standing next to her, his hand already slapping a few bills onto the counter.
“What?” Ochako stammered, blinking up at him.
“You’re taking too long,” he grumbled, avoiding her gaze as the cashier handed him his change.
Ochako stared at him, unsure of how to respond. “Uh… Thanks, Bakugou!” she managed, clutching her bag of snacks as they stepped away from the register.
He didn’t reply, his eyes fixed ahead as he headed for the door. But something about the way his shoulders tensed made her pause. He looked like he wanted to say something.
She hesitated for a moment before falling into a step beside him, waiting for him to finish buying his items.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, the cold air nipping at their faces. Ochako glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. His expression was hard to read, but there was something different about him tonight. He seemed… hesitant? That wasn’t like him at all.
Finally, he broke the silence. “Hey.”
Ochako turned to look at him, tilting her head. “Yeah?”
He stopped walking, his gaze fixed on the ground. His jaw tightened before he spoke again, his voice gruff. “You’re going to that stupid dance, right?”
She blinked, caught off guard. “Uh, yeah, I think so. Why?”
His eyes flicked up to meet hers, and for a moment, she thought she saw something vulnerable in his expression. But then he looked away, his usual scowl returning.
“Go with me,” he said, his tone sharp and direct, as if he were giving an order.
Ochako stared at him, her brain struggling to process what he’d just said. “Wait, what?”
“You heard me,” he snapped, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “I’m asking you to go to the damn dance with me.”
Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Bakugou Katsuki—the loud, brash, explosive Bakugou—was asking her to the dance?
He continued, his voice growing more defensive. “You’re the least annoying one out of all of them. And my mom’ll never shut up about it if I don’t take someone.”
Ochako blinked, trying to make sense of his reasoning. Least annoying? His mom? Was this really why he was asking her?
But then she noticed the way his ears were tinged red, barely visible under his hood. He looked so out of his element, standing there with his hands stuffed in his pockets, avoiding her gaze.
A small smile tugged at her lips. “So… you’re asking me because I’m not annoying and you don’t want your mom to nag you?”
“Tch. Take it or leave it,” he muttered, turning his head away.
She bit back a laugh, her chest feeling strangely light. “Alright,” she said softly.
His head snapped back toward her, his eyes widening slightly. “Hah?”
“I said alright,” she repeated, smiling now. “I’ll go with you.”
For a moment, he just stared at her, as if he couldn’t believe she’d agreed. Then he straightened, his usual scowl returning. “Good. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she said, giving a smile.
As they reached the dorms, Bakugou stopped at the common room. Ochako paused too, unsure if he was going to say anything else. He only glanced at her, and turned to the boys’ dormitories without a word.
Ochako let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She stood there for a moment, staring after him, wondering if the past 10 minutes had really just happened. Then, a voice behind her stopped her train of thought.
“Hey, Uraraka!”
Ochako yelped, nearly dropping her bag as she jumped back
“Woah, sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you!” Hagakure waved frantically, her voice apologetic.
“Hagakure?” Ochako clutched her chest, her heart pounding. “I didn’t even see you there!”
“Well, yeah,” she giggled. “Kinda the point, right?” She stepped fully into view, holding a small bowl of chips. “I was just grabbing some snacks from the common room. What about you? What’re you doing standing out here?”
“Oh, uh…” she fumbled for an answer, her cheeks heating up. “I just got back from the store.”
Toru tilted her invisible head, and even though Ochako couldn’t see her face she could tell something was up. “Wait, were you walking back with Bakugou just now? I saw him heading in too.”
Ochako blinked, caught off guard. “Oh! Uh, yeah. We just happened to be there at the same time,” she said quickly. It wasn’t a lie, but it still felt strange to say it aloud.
“Hmm. That’s kinda rare, isn’t it? You and Bakugou, I mean. He’s not exactly the ‘walk home with people’ type.”
She forced a laugh, hoping it sounded natural. “Yeah, well, it wasn’t really like that. We just left the store at the same time. That’s all.”
“Gotcha,” She said with a playful tone. “Still, I bet it was kinda awkward, huh? Did he yell at you or something?”
“No, actually.” Ochako shook her head, her mind flashing back to the moment he asked her to the dance. “He was… quieter than usual.”
“Quieter? Bakugou?” She gasped dramatically. “Are we talking about the same person?”
Ochako laughed, but it felt forced this time. She shifted her bag on her shoulder, suddenly feeling like she couldn’t meet Hagakure’s gaze—even if she couldn’t see it.
“Uraraka,” she said, her tone softer now. “Is something up? You’ve been acting kind of… weird.”
Ochako froze. She opened her mouth to deny it, but words wouldn’t leave.
“Okay, okay,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. Even though Bakugou didn’t tell her not to tell anyone, she still felt like it was a secret. “Just, don’t tell anyone.”
“Ooh, a secret? I promise! Cross my heart!”
Ochako hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the strap of her bag. “Bakugou… asked me to the dance,” she admitted, her voice rushing out in one breath.
There was a beat of silence before she squealed. “What?! No way! What did you say?”
“I said yes,” She said quickly, her hands flying up defensively. “But it’s not what you think! He said it’s just because I’m the ‘least annoying’ and his mom would nag him if he didn’t take someone.”
Hagakure gasped again, but this time it was more dramatic. “That’s so Bakugou! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. So he does have a soft side!”
“Soft side?” Ochako blinked. “Did you miss the part where he called me ‘the least annoying’?”
“Please,” She said, waving a hand dismissively. “Coming from him, that’s practically a love letter!”
She groaned, burying her face in her hands. “It’s not like that, Hagakure. He just didn’t want to deal with his mom.”
“Sure, sure,” She teased, her voice sing-song. “Whatever you say, Uraraka.”
Ochako peeked at her through her fingers, feeling both flustered and amused. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Not a chance,” She laughed. “But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
“Thanks,” She said, feeling shoulders relax a little.
“Alright, I’ll let you get back to your room,” Hagakure said, lifting the bowl of chips again. “But if anything else happens, you can tell me, okay?”
“Okay. See you, Hagakure.”
“See ya!” She called as she disappeared back into the common room.
Ochako turned and headed for her room, her thoughts still spinning. She replayed the walk with Bakugou in her mind, dissecting every word, every glance.
As she entered her room and closed the door behind her, she sighed and leaned against it, her bag of snacks forgotten on her desk.
Katsuki Bakugou asked her to the dance.