#emeraldwaves

They were in their final year at U.A. when everything was much more intense and the stakes of everything were much higher. There wasn't really any time to think about dating someone, and yet when she'd asked him during one of their training sessions, he'd, first of all, been shocked that she asked him, and second, said he could try it, if nothing than to rub it in Deku's face.

He knew the nerd had liked her for a long time their first year at school, but now? Now Deku was off doing whatever the hell he was doing. Bakugou didn't particularly care. As long as Deku didn't stand in his way, that was all that mattered.

But now that he'd been dating Uraraka for the past month, he actually found that he... really liked her. He wasn't about to make any huge leaps and bounds or anything, but this was definitely more than tolerance of her on his part, and it definitely felt more than just friendship or camaraderie between classmates.

It felt... fuck, he couldn't think of how it felt. He didn't try to dwell too much on the emotional shit; it just wasn't his style. But logically? Logically his mind wouldn't stop cranking out about every scenario he'd had with Uraraka over the years, of her stupid smile and stupid cheeks and stupid, pretty brown eyes, and what it would be like to kiss her.

Yeah. They hadn't done that yet.

He scowled at the thought. How the fuck had he not kissed her yet? He glanced at her walking next to him, taking in every detail he could: she had a yellow headband in her hair that matched her yellow and white striped shirt, one of the sleeves hanging off of her shoulder so her thick strap of her undershirt could be seen, black shorts, dark pink sneakers, a light blush on her cheeks, a smile on her face, and--

Fuck, she was looking at him now.

"Is something wrong, Bakugou-kun?" She titled her head slightly at the question, the motion doing something to his chest.

Fuck, what was that?

He looked straight ahead again, clenching his fists in his pockets, the scowl back on his face. "Nothing."

Uraraka didn't say anything more as they turned the corner and came upon the restaurant they had been looking for. It was home to a famous chef in the area who made a lot of different kinds of meat in a special way and with special spices. Luckily when they walked inside - the aroma wafting over them - there were two spots for them and they took their places across from each other.

They each placed their order and sat in silence for a minute, Uraraka looking around at the various papers on the walls and the other customers in their seats, even watching the chefs prepare the food in the center of the room. But Bakugou's eyes kept drifting to her and he was getting annoyed with himself that that kept happening.

He liked her, yeah, but why was her pull suddenly so strong? Why couldn't he stop looking at her? Thinking about her?

He ran a hand through his hair, grumbling as he looked away from her to the wall beside him.

"This is a nice place, Bakugou-kun," she said cheerily, and he turned to face her. She smiled happily at him and he thought his heart damn nearly stopped. Fuck. What the hell was that? Uraraka was none the wiser to what was happening internally, though, as she kept going. "Are you sure it's not too expensive? I don't want you to put yourself out for me." Her eyebrows turned down, worry crossing her face.

Bakugou scoffed. "The meal isn't just for you, you know. I need to eat, too."

She nodded, looking down at the table, her cheeks turning a shade brighter. "I know. I just don't want to inconvenience you, that's all."

"Hey, Uraraka," he said, and she looked back up at him, the worry still on her face. He had to take a breath to calm whatever the fuck his nerves were doing, because dammit, why did she look like that? He frowned. "You're not an inconvenience to me, so get that shit out of your head, got it?"

Uraraka blushed even redder and she nodded, looking away shyly.

Luckily their food arrived pretty quickly and the two ate, Uraraka happily chattering away now that she had food, and Bakugou listened to every word she said, putting in his own input when needed.

They'd gone on four dates, he realized, once per week. Each time Uraraka would seem to get braver, more comfortable with him and talk more and more. And even Bakugou was talking more. That was the weirdest thing of all, actually. He didn't like to waste his time talking about shit that didn't matter, so how the hell was she able to get so much out of him?

Fuck it if he knew.

Once they finished their food, both having thoroughly enjoyed their meat, they headed out to walk back toward campus. It was about an hour walk from where they were, but they could take the subway to cut it in half, although when he'd suggested that, Uraraka had declined. Why? He wasn't super thrilled, but the night air did feel nice, even to him.

Their conversations slowed the longer they walked. It wasn't an awkward silence though, which Bakugou was thankful for, but it was just... comfortable.

"Say, Bakugou-kun?" He glanced over at Uraraka, who was still staring straight as she caught his attention. "Are you glad that you agreed to go out with me?"

He fully looked at her now as they still kept walking. "Huh?"

She looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly, before she smiled a little nervously. "I just mean, you've always been such an individual. I'm just surprised you agreed to go out with me and then have taken me on dates each week and have just... talked to me so much more." She looked down at the ground at the last second, a soft smile playing on her lips.

He looked ahead again. It was true: he had been talking to her more: through text, in class, more training sessions together, even a few phone calls over the weekends. It was weird. Hell, he didn't even talk to his parents as much as he's been talking to her lately. But, even he could stubbornly admit to himself that he didn't mind it. In fact, he'd found himself anticipating seeing Uraraka and talking to her on the daily in between classes, at lunch, after classes. It was strange. So strange.

"I-I'm not saying it's a bad thing," she stuttered, waving her hands at him a little, flustered, before she held them together in front of her. "I've just really had a great time these last few weeks, is all."

She was speaking so quietly now that he barely heard the end of her sentence, but his chest still managed to do that weird thing again. What the hell was that?

He clicked his tongue against his teeth, his eyes shifting away from her. "Yeah, well, you better fucking have." There was no bite to his statement, it was simply just that: a statement, with his own flair, of course.

They were quiet for a few more moments, just about ten minutes away from their dorm and the school now. "Bakugou-kun?"

"Hmm?" He continued to walk, but stopped when he turned to look at her and saw she had stopped already. He frowned again, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Uraraka looked up at him, a bright smile on her face, and holy shit, his chest was pounding at the sight. He should've brought some damn sunglasses with him, for fuck's sake. "Will you go on another date with me next week?"

His cheeks instantly heated up, his ears feeling like they were on fire, too. His eyes widened slightly. She looked so happy, so expectant of his answer, so sure of his answer. He cast his gaze away from her. She was too fucking bright, too fucking perfect for him.

That thought snapped inside of him, causing him to swing his gaze back to her.

She was too perfect for him? His heart was pounding as he took one step forward, then another. No, she wasn't too perfect. He stopped in front of her, looking down at her expectant and very red face. He swallowed and said, "Of fucking course."

Uraraka beamed up at him so brightly, her smile and happiness so contagious, that he had to look away again. Fuck it. Looking back at her, he leaned down and plopped a kiss right on her lips.

She froze under the kiss, her eyes wide when he pulled away, staring at him. She looked like a tomato now.

His face wasn't feeling so cool, either. He turned on his heel and started to walk again toward the dorm. He called over his shoulder, "Does that make you believe me?"

When there was no response again he turned and instantly said, "Oy, Uraraka!" He toward where she was now floating above the ground several feet in the air, her hands covering her face. He sighed grumpily and jumped, using his quirk lightly to propel himself toward her and grab her before coming back down.

She didn't uncover her face. "Oy, Uraraka," he grumbled, taking each of her arms and pulling them apart from her face. That was a mistake because now she was looking at him with the brightest eyes that was so full of happiness despite the very shy look on her face that his face heated up again.

He swallowed and ground out, "What do you think you're doing floating away like that?"

She smiled at him from her spot still above the ground, and whispered, "I can't help it."

A slow smile spread across his face at her statement. His heart was racing, but he didn't fucking care anymore. He leaned in close to her, staring into her beautiful brown eyes, and whispered back, "Then it's a good thing I've got you."

And he planted another kiss on her lips, this time much softer, much longer, and wow. Much better. Her lips were soft and wet, her nose lightly touching his cheek as his did on hers. He pulled her closer, grabbing a hold of her waist to keep her close, which made her squeak, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

Which activated her quirk on him from her emotions going crazy.

Which meant they were both floating now.

This wasn’t the first time Mina had asked the question. She was always curious about the future, always wanting to know how events would unfold and how they could possibly affect her and her friends and family later in life. But more than that, she was nervous: would she be a good hero? Would she be strong enough to stay at the top of her game? Would she still be friends with the same awesome group of people she’d come to know and love during her time at U.A.?

Would she and Kirishima still be together?

The two had been dating since the middle of their second year when Kirishima had very awkwardly confessed his feelings to her – and she reciprocated with a kiss.

But now he was looking down at her, her legs across his lap as they sat on the couch in their dorm, just the two of them in the room while everyone else had gone to do their own thing for the day since it was the weekend. His arms were resting on top of her legs, one hand holding the remote for the TV.

He looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure, really.” He glanced over at her, his red eyes peering at her yellow and black ones. “But I know we’re going to be great heroes.” He grinned, the smile wide with the thought of it.

And she could see it. She could see him being a great hero. Hell, she could even see the headlines now: “RED RIOT SAVES CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FROM VILLAIN,” “RED RIOT CURES WORLD SADNESS WITH HIS SMILE,” “RED RIOT SAVES THE DAY AGAIN!”

She sighed softly, looking away toward the TV, not really paying attention to the show that was on the screen. Mina had always known that Kirishima would be a great hero – even when he was doubting himself all of those years ago in middle school – and seeing him in action these last three years definitely confirmed to her that he would be great.

But that wasn’t what she really wanted to hear, not really.

Kirishima, ever perceptive, muted the TV and poked her stomach gently. “What’s wrong, Mina?”

Staring at the silenced TV, Mina muttered, “What do you think will happen to us when we graduate?”

“What?” Kirishima leaned forward just slightly, trying to hear exactly what Mina was saying.

She shut her eyes tight, turning her head so she was facing the ceiling, and said clearly, “What’s going to happen to us when we graduate?”

There was silence in the room for a moment and it felt like Kirishima turned to stone under her, he became so still. She peeked one eye open and watched as he reached over to her, adjusting himself to face her at an angle. His warm hands wrapped around her arms and pulled her up, causing both of her eyes to open.

They were much closer now, only inches apart. Kirishima had gotten braver with his affection as time passed, which always thrilled Mina. She was a super cuddly and affectionate person, so having Kirishima, once he was comfortable, be the same way toward her had set her heart soaring.

Now it made her heart do flips with how he was looking at her like she was the greatest thing in the world.

“What do you think’s going to happen to us,” he asked, a blush tinging his cheeks.

Mina pouted slightly. “I don’t know, Kirishima, that’s why I’m asking.”

He laughed heartily. “Fair enough.” Then he leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers, his eyes never leaving hers. “What do you want to happen?”

Mina’s heart galloped in her chest. She stared back at him, unsure if she could say the words to him, but she managed to whisper, “I want us to stay together, always.”

Kirishima’s cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red at her words, but all he said was, “That sounds manly enough to me.” But before Mina could comment further he closed the distance and placed his lips on hers, kissing her.

Her hands went up to either side of his face as he kissed her, his own hands wrapping gently around her forearms to hold her hands there. They kissed softly at first, open mouthed and gentle, before Mina could feel the butterflies in her stomach and the tightness in her core and she deepened the kiss, licking his lips, his mouth opening to let her in and dance with her.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer, even at the angle they were at, and melted into him. She loved kissing him, loved being close and touching and just being in contact with him. From the simplest graze of a finger against a hand to their bodies pressed close in the dark of their rooms, she loved the feeling of being touched by him.

She loved him.

His wit, his humor, his compassion, his smile, his eyes, his hair, everything physical and not. They’d been together long enough – been friends long enough – that Mina had had time to fall in love with him the way she’d always dreamed of falling in love with someone.

They pulled apart long enough to breathe and look into each other’s eyes before they were back at it. Mina moved her legs off of his to push herself up off the couch and moved to straddle his lap, now able to kiss him even deeper and more passionately, and it was everything she had been looking for.

His arms, strong and sturdy, wrapped around her, holding her close.

Mina broke the kiss first, both of them breathing hard. She looked into both of Kirishima’s eyes, the look in them full of a mix of emotions ranging from excitement, love, lust. A smile spread across her face, and he reciprocated.

“I love you, Kirishima Eijirou,” she stated proudly, her grin growing as she watched his face turn red again.

He looked away, embarrassed, but then turned a shy gaze back to her and whispered, “I love you, too, Mina.” And then he kissed her, soft and tenderly this time, and Mina felt like she could soar once again.