Hot-Headed (Now also a podfic on spotify!)

Chapter 9

Ochako awoke with a start, her fists swinging.

"Woah woah! Uraraka-chan, hang on! You're fine," a warm masculine voice came to her ears.

"What the-" she shook her head, trying to shake off her disorientation.

She was in a bed in the infirmary... again. Why was that?

There had been a fight... Bakugo had kissed her and... Her face heated at the thought. That was real. She wished she could pretend it had been a dream; wished it actually had been a dream. What had he been thinking getting all up- No, no! She could not start thinking about that right now! This whole... thing with him had been the entire reason she hadn't been on her A-game when she'd fought Kaminari.

That jogged her memory. She'd had to fight Kaminari in the next bracket when he won his match. 

After she'd walked away from Bakugo, she'd just sat alone in the waiting room replaying everything in her mind. She'd thought about what he'd said and what she'd said and what they'd done. She thought back to all the times she had interacted with him ever and wondered if they had always been dancing on this knife's edge or if he'd just lost his damn mind for a minute. 

She'd been so messed up and confused that she hadn't been able to focus and properly fight Kaminari when her turn came around again. But she couldn't remember what had caused her to be here. Although, that was probably for the best. It was likely too embarrassing to be worth remembering anyway.

Ochako gave her surroundings a once-over. From the looks of it, she probably hadn't been here too long. Maybe a day. But that did mean she had missed the end of the Sports Festival and was currently missing the next day of school. How unfair was it that they had to go right back to school the day after the Sports Festival? Their first year, they'd gotten two days off after they'd participated but that was when they'd competed on the first of three days. This year they had competed on the third and final day and had gotten the two days previous off of school.

"You've been out for almost 24 hours. Kaminari gave you a pretty back shock," the voice came again and Ochako's eyes landed on a forest green mop of hair sitting at her bedside, then shifted down to Deku's freckled face, mild concern written on it, "Don't worry about class for today, though. Yaoyorozu said she'd give you a copy of her notes."

She made a note to thank Momo when she saw her next. At the very least, she was getting notes from the best student in class.

"Are you...okay?" Deku asked, "You still seem out of it."

Ochako realized she hadn't acknowledged him yet. "Oh. I'm fine, Deku," she said, giving him a weak smile, "Have you been here this whole time?"

He shook his head, "No, I was some of yesterday but Recovery Girl said you probably wouldn't wake up until today so I went back to the dorms and came back today."

"Did you... skip school?" Ochako asked, feeling shocked if that were the case (and, she had to admit, a little flattered.)

"Aizawa-sensei said I could take the day off." A red tinge came to his freckled cheeks and he looked away, "I was kind of a mess anyway."

She frowned at him in puzzlement, "Why?"

"It was pretty rough. Kaminari didn't hold back but he— we all— thought you would be dancing circles around him." He looked up at her then, "Your heart didn't seem in it. Did something happen?"

It was Ochako's turn to look away. She wanted to lie; probably should lie. She seemed to recall Deku warning her about Bakugo...

She sighed. "Yes. Something did happen. I don't want to get into it, though, Deku."