Don't Be Late

Chapter 4

A badly wrought silence hung in the air as Bakugo and Uraraka made their way back from training.  It used to be comfortable, but now it was overtly disjunct. Bakugo was different; something about him was off-kilter. He would look at her every couple of seconds, perhaps to check if she was looking back, and then immediately look away. He did this a few times, and Ochaco could tell through the corner of her eye. The next time, she turned to face him. The moment her deep brown eyes met a pair of striking vermillion ones, they seemed to want to look at anything but her. 

Ochaco was the one to break the silence. 

"So, is sparring all you do in your spare time?" Ochaco said cheerily. 

"What kind of stupid-ass question is that?" barked Bakugo, as if she ought to have known the answer to that question already. He was back to his usual tough demeanor; the small moment of vulnerability she'd glimpsed had all but disappeared. "How the fuck else am I supposed to become number one?" 

"Well, you don't have to spend all of your time working." At this, Bakugo looked aggravated, but he didn't interrupt her. 

"I'll go out with friends sometimes," she offered earnestly. 

Bakugo didn't look too convinced.

"That's a waste of time if I ever fuckin' heard of one." He was supremely disdainful. 

"No, it's really fun! I go out with the girls sometimes. We'll study at Momo's, or shop at the mall, or go for walks-"

"And other times, I'll hang out with Iida and-"

"Let me guess. You like being with that shitty nerd, eh?" Bakugo spat the words out of his mouth hatefully. He hadn't even heard his name, and yet a mere reference to him was enough to evoke such a reaction. She'd forgotten how deep his hatred for Deku really was. 

Ochaco's face fell mid-sentence. He was right, of course, but she didn't want to admit it. Not to herself, her friends, or him. Not to anyone.

"I-I mean, of course I do! He's my friend!" 

"Why the fuck would anyone would want to be friends with a fuckin' loser like him?" 

He'd said it spitefully, but there was a touch of genuine curiosity in his tone. 

Ochaco flushed. There were so many things she wanted to say to him. It made her angry. The way he spoke so rudely about her friend, and how he didn't seem to care about what she was saying to him. Her hands curled into fists at her side. 

But before she got the chance, they were already back at the dorms.

Bakugo swiftly turned away from her, not bothering to wait from her as climbed the staircase and pushed the door open. 

Ochaco was still brimming with anger. She was just trying to make small talk, but of course Bakugo proved to be impossible to talk to. Why did she even try? It's not like she'd ever get to know him. Not in a million years. He always had to be angry. He'd turned what could have been a perfectly nice conversation into a bitter mess. Bakugo didn't even have a good reason for it. 

Fuming, she walked up the stairs, entering the common room after him. 

The girls' eyes widened in awe as Ochaco described her experience with Bakugo. They were sitting on the couch once more, occupying their habitual positions. 

"I wouldn't be surprised if I were you, Ochaco-chan. Bakugo's never been likeable, kero." 

Tsuyu said this bluntly, but it was a popular opinion. Jirou, Momo, and Hagakure all voiced their agreement, chiming in with their negative opinions of Bakugo.