Stay With Me || Kacchako

6: Insight

"Thank you," Uraraka said. "I had fun tonight."

It was just after one in the morning. As quietly as he could on his monster of a motorcycle, Bakugou had pulled them into UA's small parking lot and was busy preoccupying himself with wiping dirt off the sides when she spoke. He paused for a moment, frame rigid. Then he continued scrubbing.
"I'm still not sure why you invited me, but I appreciated it. Really." Uraraka faltered, not sure what to make of this odd, detached Bakugou.

It was true, though - she really had appreciated the evening. After the initial scare Bakugou had refused to let her do the jump again, so instead she simply spent the night enjoying the company while gliding through the silver pool.
And the Bakusquad was fun. Not the reckless little shits she'd expected them to be, but rather good people with good jokes and even better comebacks. Besides the one girl - Tanaka Aki from the general studies course, she'd later learned - there was no hostility, even though she wasn't part of their group - no side glances or snide comments. Instead they'd welcomed her with open arms and treated her and Momo like they were each one of their own.
Uraraka didn't think they realised how much that had meant to her.

Finally, with a tiny sigh, Uraraka turned away from the angry blonde. He, of course, hadn't taken his eyes off her the entire evening. Every movement she made had been carefully observed with a magnifying glass, scrutinised and analysed like it had potential to be another puzzle piece to a picture of her that he had not yet completed.
"Well, I guess I'd better be headed to bed then." As Uraraka moved to float herself over the fence, a rough hand pulled on her wrist. She glanced back, surprised, as Bakugou finally willed himself to meet her gaze.

"No." He didn't avert his gaze. "You're not sleeping alone. Not tonight."
Uraraka gently attempted to tug her hand from his grasp. "It's fine. I'm a big girl. I'll be alright."
Bakugou glanced down at their intertwined fingers. He let go quickly when he realised what he was doing. "When was the last time you said that and meant it?"
Dread flooded Uraraka's senses. "Look, if this is about earlier-"
"What the hell was that anyway? Some kind of suicide jump?"
"No. And don't throw that word around-"
"Why not? Is that not what was passing through your head when you directed yourself to land instead of water?" Bakugou clenched his teeth. "Like hell you're gonna throw your life away like that. Not on some pretty plot of land in the middle of nowhere. Not ever."
"It's not like that, Bakugou. It was a spur of the moment thing that went wrong, and if you'd just listen-"
"I've never stopped listening!" He yelled. His voice bounced through the empty school, loud. Alerting. Some teacher was probably on their way, but neither Uraraka nor Bakugou moved. Not until he spoke again

"Why do you think I'm so worried?" Bakugou said, a lot softer this time but with the same bite. "Cutting you hair? Losing copious amounts of weight? Blocking everyone out? Nearly dying and not giving a shit?" He searched her eyes desperately. "You're heading in the wrong direction, Uraraka, and I'll be damned if I let you ruin yourself before you've even given yourself a chance to live. Understood?"
"Why does it matter to you?" she said in a small voice, feeling the words lodge painfully in her throat. "I'm no one, Bakugou, but an opponent on the other side of the field. We aren't friends, or, teammates, or...lovers. We're nothing but a mistake." He bit his lip almost imperceptibly, a pained look flashing across his face - one that almost screamed of hurt.
Uraraka closed her eyes. She hadn't meant what she'd just said...or had she?

Bakugou looked like he wanted to say something - desperately. His hand twitched by his side, quickly moved towards hers, then stopped. He let it fall back down in a fist before he spoke.
"Things are different now, Uraraka." His voice was rough. "I'm not going to be held responsible for your death when my record's next to spotless. It'll look bad going forwards, especially when hero agencies come knocking after school."
There it is.