From the Ground Up: Kacchako

Chapter 24: confessions

"Ochako, what were you thinking?! You two were on the verge of tearing down the whole cabin!"

Uraraka shrank back, looking apologetically up at Mina. Right now they're standing in the hallway outside of Uraraka's room, since Mina's was blown up. The brunette shrugged.
"I- I don't know! I just- he just- I just don't know at all. He got all angry because I fell asleep with Izuku outside and it just snapped something-"
"Ochako, it's not entirely your fault, I know that, but you can't ignore that you falling asleep with Midoriya looked a little bad, especially to Bakugou. You should've seen him, he was felt so guilty after what happened before. He thought because of it you'd gone running to the closest person, it's not just his fault and you have to realise that"
Uraraka blinked back the sting in her eyes and the burn in her throat.
"He felt guilty? He thought- he thought that what happened before was enough for me to leave him?"
Mina blinked.
"Duh! Have you seen the guy? He jumps to conclusions faster than anyone on earth! You have to think about how everything you do will effect him"

Uraraka stomped her foot.
"It's not my job to babysit him! I shouldn't have to take every one of my actions into consideration just because of how he will react!"
Mina took hold of her friends shoulders.
"Ochako, it's not babysitting. It's taking in his feelings, his opinions, his thoughts. You have to be considerate of him, it's how relationships work. You talk, you change yourself with them, not for them, there's a difference"
"And has be done that for me? At all? Really changed?"
"Yes!"
"How?"
"Haven't you been paying attention? He hasn't picked any fights, he's pulled his head in, he's cleaned himself up so much!"
"I haven't seen any of-"
"You didn't see because you didn't look. You and I both know you've been too caught up in yourself to notice how he's changing himself for you"
Uraraka looked at the ground, suddenly guilty for all the things she'd said to him earlier. She really hadn't been looking, had she? Mina sighed and stepped closer to her friend, her voice getting considerably softer.
"Ochako, he's not as tough as he makes himself look. He's- insecure. About Midoriya. Kirishima told me so"
Uraraka looked back into Mina's yellow eyes, disbelief written all over her face.
"What?"
"Ochako, you and Midoriya are so close, and you have a kind of relationship that you and Bakugou will never have. Kirishima said that a few nights ago, Bakugou told him that he was afraid you'd choose Midoriya over him. The successor of the Number 1 hero is hard to beat"

Uraraka couldn't stop the stray tear that slipped down her cheek.
"That's not true! I'd never- I could never hurt him like that! Izuku is my friend! That's all! Bakugou he's- he's more to me than that! Why can't he see it?"
"-because you don't show me"
Uraraka spun around at the sound of his voice. He was a few metres away down the hallway, hands stuffed in his pockets with Kirishima not far behind.
He still looked mad, but then again, he almost always looked like that. Kiri beckoned Mina away, but she gave her friend a comforting squeeze on the hand before walking away with him. It was silent for long seconds after the others were gone. Uraraka spoke first.
"I don't not show you anything"
He snorted.
"Oh yeah? It's not hard to see, Ochako. You're 'confused' aren't you? You don't know if you made the right choice"
She stepped forward.
"And that's a horrible thing, right? So horrible of me, to be concerned I didn't do the right thing. Last time you left me, you-"
"And I'm different now. So are you. Things are different, things are-"
"Yes, Katsuki, things are different. But you know what? It's not a crime for me to be unsure. If I didn't want to be with you, I'd have told you so. I stayed because I decided you were who I wanted"
He laughed.
"Oh, settled have you? Boiled down to the final decision finally? Wow, I'm such a lucky guy!"
He touched his hand to his heart, faking heartfelt. She swallowed hard.
"You think this is easy for me? It's not! Yes, I made a mistake, and yes, I completely realise it. But my whole life isn't just you and me, Katsuki. Have you even bothered to ask me how I'm doing outside of 'us'?"
He blinked once, slipping his hand back into his pocket. He had no idea how she was spinning the conversation so spectacularly. A pant of guilt spread through him when a few tears began slipping down her cheeks.
"My parents are getting older every day, and they want me home. They want me safe. They fight me everyday about being a hero, and about seeing anyone, let alone someone who's broken me before. I've been getting invites from hero agencies, all over japan, some in other places, and I can't even tell them, because they'll hate me for saying yes to any!"

She clenched her fists, fighting how difficult the words were to get out. If anyone would understand how she felt, she figured it was Katsuki.
"I want to take care of them, I want to stay with my friends, my family, you. But I don't know what to do with myself if I don't have my hero career, and if I choose that, if I choose to do the right thing, I have to risk my parents hating me for it! Even you, and me, I have to risk it,"
He narrowed his eyes.
"How? Risk us how?"
Her eyelashes were getting heavy from being soaked in tears. She blinked them away.
"you're getting offers, a lot of them, I know. And you'll travel, I know you will. We'll be separated whether we like it or not, it's inevitable. One of us won't come back, and I don't want to be the one stuck waiting"
He took a few steps forward, protests rising in his throat.
"Stop acting like this! Like everything is slipping through your fingers! You're better than that. Screw what your parents think, it's not their choice. And screw all of this, we're not getting separated, we're not falling apart, you're not getting cut off from everyone you love, and I sure as hell ain't leaving anywhere without you!"
He was right in her face now, looking down at her with bright red angry eyes. His voice lowered, almost worried he'd scare her off.
"Which ever agency we choose to go to won't matter, people make sacrifices for each other all the time. If one of us gets shipped off to another country for hero work, the other will call it a glorified holiday and follow."

Her hand slowly raised and cupped his jaw, feeling light stubble, and he took her free hand in his sub-consciously.
"I can't say anything about the future, but right now, we're graduates on a ridiculous holiday, so let's just focus on that. We'll worry about career options when they're damn well knocking at our doors"
He said, and She swallowed hard and sniffed.
"I'm sorry, Katsuki. I don't know why I'm acting like this. It's just- I'm sorry"
He quirked a smile and pulled her in for a hug.
"It's alright, I guess. We just gotta sleep it off. Figure it all out in the morning..."
she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, memorising the feel of him against her.
"By the way, I think I'll crash with you tonight, damn Kirishima's got Mina staying in his room since hers was blown to pieces, and I don't wanna walk in a see anything I'll have to burn out of my memory"
She laughed against him and hugged him tighter.
"Okay, you can stay in my room. But I warn you, it's a little simple"
"I don't care,"