#rolierose

It should’ve been romantic. Fun, at the very least, but Bakugou’s glare hadn’t faded in the slightest since they’d got off the humid bus and arrived at the overcrowded beach. He hadn’t replied to anything she’d said with more than a huff or a grunt. He had barely looked at her; she now felt silly worrying over what to wear, fretting over whether to wear a cute skirt or a comfy pair of shorts. She tugged down the hem of her skirt absently and tried to keep the heaviness of her heart from showing on her face.

Sure, Bakugou wasn’t exactly romantic in the slightest. She knew that. He’d made her painfully aware that he wasn’t that kind of guy when they started dating and she was fine with that. She was fine with him. But Bakugou usually made a comment, a teasing jest at least, whenever she seemed to dress up for him.

When they met up at the station, he didn’t say anything except for a gruff “let’s go.”

Uraraka sucked in a deep breath as they squeezed through the crowds towards the shoreline. Towards the refreshing embrace of the sea that was now almost within their grasp. They just needed to find an empty spot on the sand to place their stuff when they got down there–

“Oof!” Someone walked smack into Uraraka’s shoulder, knocking her back a foot and away from Bakugou, who kept walking. A hasty apology muttered, she scanned the sea of moving bodies in the direction they were heading and hurried after Bakugou’s quickly disappearing head.

He hadn’t even noticed she wasn’t beside him anymore.

Uraraka wasn’t about to let that happen again. She caught up to Bakugou, reached out to take his hand so they wouldn’t get separated, and he yanked his hand away, shoving it deep into his pockets.

The air rushed out of her lungs. Her cheeks flared with heat as if they’d been burned, the shock enough that she almost stopped walking, staggering in her step as she struggled to keep up with him.

He was mad at her.

He had to be.

And it stung. Tears sprung in Uraraka’s eyes as if he’d slapped her. As if he’d yelled at her or snapped at her with frustrated, biting words.

He hadn’t said anything at all and she was reduced to tears.

She couldn’t do this. She stopped following him. She stopped weaving through the crowds and stepped away to lean against a wall in a sliver of shade. Her eyes burned with tears, she rubbed them away with the heels of her palms as she tried to calm herself down. In and out. In and out. She took deep breaths one after another, staring at the ground beneath her feet.

Stupid Uraraka, she chided herself. What was she even doing? She should’ve said something at the start. Called off this silly little date the second she saw that frustrated glare on Bakugou’s face. She should’ve done something. Anything. Instead, she pushed through, pushed and pushed until she couldn’t and now she’d lost Bakugou in the crowds.

Stupid.

“Oi, roundface. Had enough already?”

Bakugou’s scoff snapped Uraraka from her stupor and she glanced up to see him standing in front of her with a deep frown on his face. It was enough of a surprise, to see him standing there, that a tear she’d failed to blink away slipped from her eyes.

Bakugou’s eyes widened. “What happened? You trip or something? Are you hurt?” He stepped closer, scanning her up and down.

“N-No.” She shook her head hastily, her mind spinning as she tried to come up with an excuse. She hadn’t expected him to actually seek her out.

Bakugou huffed, folding his arms, but it came out like a sigh.

A sigh of relief?

“Then what are you doing, snivelling and crying your eyes out for?”

Uraraka flushed and wiped her eyes again. “I-I wasn’t crying my eyes out!”

Bakugou raised an eyebrow. “Could’ve fooled me.”  He looked away from her then, gaze cast towards the ocean, a hint of that aforementioned glare returning in the lines drawn tight between his eyebrows. It faded, slightly, as he muttered, “you’re the one who wanted to come here…”

Uraraka’s throat clenched tight. “Sorry.”

Now he was looking at her like she’d grown a second head. “What’re you apologising for?”

“Forget it,” Uraraka shook her head. “This was a bad idea. Let’s just go home.” She stepped off the wall and headed to re-join the crowd when Bakugou caught her wrist. She hadn’t expected him to, and when she whirled and looked at him, he seemed just as surprised. He stole his hand back quickly, snatching it away to his side, but he’d held her wrist long enough for her to feel the heat of his palm and the sticky sweat that now lingered on her skin.

His sweat.

“Shit,” Bakugou cursed beneath his breath and wiped his palms hurriedly on his shorts.

His sweat.  

Everything clicked into place all at once. Bakugou’s discomfort. Stealing away his hand when she’d gone to take it.

He was sweating. And it wasn’t ordinary sweat either. Uraraka had seen Bakugou’s quirk enough to know the potential that lay in his sweat alone. And now, it all made sense.

“Oh.” Uraraka looked up from the patch of sweat around her wrist and met Bakugou’s eyes.

He frowned instantly, a glare hardening in place. A challenge. “What?”

Uraraka’s heart lifted. As if the heavy weight clinging to her like a thick coat had been thrown off, she suddenly felt light. “Nothing,” she said, and wiped away the sweat on her wrist, smiling. “Let’s get some ice cream.”

Confusion washed over Bakugou’s face as Uraraka strolled past him with a smile. Even the harsh click of his tongue as he followed her made her smile. It made a rush of bubbles form in her chest.

He wasn’t mad at her. He’d gone out of his way to try not to leave any of his potentially dangerous sweat on her. That was the reason he’d been grumpy and irritable. Not because of her. Not because of the date.

Bakugou huffed for the umpteenth time beside Uraraka as she scanned the wide assortment of ice cream flavours, some she’d never even heard of before. The comforting embrace of the working air-conditioning system made the ice cream store a very popular destination, and it felt like half of the beach had crowded in the small shop. Uraraka had half a mind to use her quirk to get a better view of the flavours, deciding against it because she was wearing a skirt.

“C’mon, roundface. We don’t have all day,” Bakugou huffed, though there was no edge to his voice. The cooler temperature had softened his mood dramatically.

“All right, all right.” She gave the various flavours one final scan, and caught the eye of the very patient worker. “I’ll have the caramel malteser one. Thanks.”

Uraraka fumbled with her bag, trying to dig out her purse from beneath her towel and sunscreen, and finally brandishing her money only for the worker to say, “your boyfriend already paid for it.”  

Uraraka took her ice cream with a flush and whirled on her feet to follow Bakugou from the store.

“You didn’t have to pay for it,” Uraraka said when she caught up with him. Tucking her purse beneath her arm, she held out her money to Bakugou. “I’ll pay you back.”

Bakugou scoffed. “I’m not taking your money.”

“But–”

“Just shut up and let me pay for the damn ice cream!” Bakugou snapped, a rising blush colouring his cheeks.

Uraraka stared at him in shock after his outburst, wondering if the heat on his cheeks was from the sun or something else.

She wondered if his cheeks burned as hotly as hers.

Bakugou turned away from her, focusing on his ice cream as it began to melt beneath the sun. “It’s the least I can do for making you cry earlier,” he grumbled, Uraraka barely catching his words muttered beneath his breath.

Her face flared hotly once more. So much for not being romantic, Bakugou was sweet in his own ways. Ways that made her heart flutter and sparks shoot through her veins.

The heat on her cheeks was definitely getting to her head. She tried her ice cream, licking it frantically as it melted down the side of the cone. It tasted as good as it looked.

“What flavour did you get?” Uraraka asked. She hadn’t thought Bakugou would be one to like ice cream, or sweets in general. “Is it chocolate?”

“Chocolate chili.”

Uraraka balked. “Chocolate chili?” She didn’t even know that was a thing.

A flash of a smile appeared on Bakugou’s face. “Want a taste?”

It was a challenge. Uraraka knew that. She also knew Bakugou’s taste for chili and all foods spicy. She glanced between Bakugou and the ice cream held out towards her. The teasing glint in his eyes. The sliver of white teeth showing in his taunting smile. His ice cream.

She would’ve taken up the challenge immediately if her brain didn’t instantly alert her that taking a bite – or a lick – from his ice cream would be like an indirect kiss. Of all the stupid things to get flustered about.

And it wasn’t even like they hadn’t kissed before. They had. On multiple occasions. But this – this was different. Somehow. Sharing food.

It was stupid. Uraraka shoved down her trepidation and took a tiny bite from Bakugou’s ice cream, staring elsewhere so she didn’t have to see his eyes on her.

Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good.

“Good, huh?” Bakugou said proudly, the smirk on his face unfading.

“Weird mixture, but it’s good.” Spicy and sweet. Wasn’t a combination she’d thought would work but it did. The flavours of the chili and the chocolate seemed to complement each other perfectly on her tongue.

“Want to try mine?” Uraraka held out her ice cream, Bakugou leaning forward to take a bite without replying. Her heart sped when their eyes locked, a strange heat jolting down her veins.

Bakugou leaned back and scrunched his nose as he tasted it. “Too sweet.”

“It’s so good, though!”

“Bit like someone I know.”

Uraraka’s brain stopped working.  

Bakugou left that comment hanging in the air as he crunched through the remainder of his ice cream cone and headed towards the beach. “You coming or just going to stand there with your mouth open all day?” he called over his shoulder. The corners of his mouth were upturned in an amused grin.

“Wha– I’m coming!” Uraraka finished the rest of her ice cream and followed Bakugou down the steps and onto the burning sand.

Had he just complimented her?

Her mind was spinning, heart fit to burst. She was glad she pushed through the discomfort now. Glad she didn’t give up.

Seeing the smile on Bakugou’s face was worth it.  

They found an unoccupied patch of sand not too far from the water’s edge and set down their stuff. Uraraka got out her towel and spread it out, removing her shoes to stand on it.

This was what she had been waiting for. It was the perfect weather for swimming. A hot sun glaring down at them and not a shred of wind blowing. The waves were lightly cresting, rolling onto the sand at around knee-height. She didn’t have to worry about being dumped by a wave and losing her bikini top in waves like this.

It was perfect.

Uraraka was about to comment as such to Bakugou, turning to face him, only to see him taking his top off. The muscles on his arms rippled and flexed as he pulled his shirt over his head and Uraraka absently swallowed at the sight. His bare chest was a magnet for her eyes. Smooth, well-defined muscles usually hidden from sight now on display.

Her mouth went dry.

“You gonna ogle me all day or what?” Bakugou teased, an amused smirk on his face.

Uraraka snapped her gaze away. “I wasn’t!” Her voice cracked as she denied it and knew instantly she’d been caught. The flush on her face, burning red right to the tips of her ears, was a dead giveaway.

If only she didn’t flush so damn easily.

If only Bakugou wasn’t so damn attractive.

Uraraka breathed a tight huff and faced away from Bakugou so she could take off her shirt in piece. With the public bathrooms packed, it was only natural for them to come to the beach with their bathers on underneath their clothes, but it still felt awkward taking her top off in public. In front of Bakugou.

She tried not to think about the fact that she might be doing the same thing in a very different setting sometime in the future.

With that thought pushed far out of her mind, Uraraka stepped out of her skirt and shoved her clothes into her bag. She didn’t dare look at Bakugou, even as every fibre of her being screamed at her to. Not just to ogle him again, but to see what he thought of her new bathers. She’d spent hours searching the shops to find a pair that fit her correctly, and finally settled on a cute pink-and-white polka dot bikini. It was simple but cute. And, although she bought it primarily for herself, a part of her wanted to know what he thought. What his reaction was.

Finally, with all the effort she could muster, Uraraka grabbed the sunscreen from her bag and turned to Bakugou with the excuse to offer it to him, only to find him already applying his own to his arms. He wasn’t even looking at her.

Uraraka deflated, sighing as her fantasy faded and her mind returned to reality. This was Bakugou, remember? He wasn’t going to outwardly shower her in compliments or anything. Uraraka shook herself back into reality and began lathering herself in sunscreen. It wasn’t long until she’d finished, except for a tiny, frustrating area on her back that she couldn’t reach. She tried and tried and tried, stretching her arms this way and that in an effort to contort herself into reaching it, to no avail.

Just as she was about to give up, Bakugou huffed. “Let me do it before you dislocate your shoulder, idiot.”

Uraraka jumped as Bakugou came behind her and ran his fingers across her back. She was hyperaware of every movement of his fingers, the coolness of the sunscreen and the heat of his touch. She was burning up inside with every passing second. Every moment it felt like his touch was lingering a little longer than necessary.

Or was it all in her head?

It had only been a few seconds, but Uraraka felt dizzy by the time Bakugou stepped away, his fingers dropping from her back as if they had never been there at all, though she could still feel his touch, still feel the ghosting of his fingertips across her back. Nonchalantly, Bakugou stepped around her and thumbed his finger to his back.

“Your turn.”

“R-Right.” Uraraka tried to focus as Bakugou turned his back to her. His bare back. Skin she had never seen before let alone touched. She tried to think about anything except what she was doing, and poured a small amount of sunscreen onto her hands before smoothing it over the hard planes of his back.

It was just applying sunscreen and yet Uraraka was burning up inside. Her fingers were alive with heat as if every nerve in her body had concentrated to the very tips of her fingers. She tried desperately not to press the round pads on her fingertips across his back, realising how easy it would be to activate her quirk on him.

She realised just how easy it had been for Bakugou to activate his quirk on her.

It was a strange thing, their hands. How self-conscious Uraraka was that Bakugou would be able to feel the soft pads on her fingers. How self-conscious and – dare she even think it – afraid Bakugou was that he’d put her in danger with the sweat from his hands.

And yet, here they were, having touched each other in such a simple, normal fashion, with their hands. As if there was nothing different about them at all.

Uraraka dropped her hands from Bakugou’s back when she’d finished, once again feeling lighter than before. A weird understanding that she’d never realised or thought about before settled in her mind. An acute awareness of the insecurity they shared.

It made her smile.

“What are you smiling at like an idiot?” Bakugou remarked, an eyebrow raised.

“Nothing!” Uraraka’s lips pulled up against her will, even as she tried to force away her grin.

Bakugou just clicked his tongue and headed for the water. Unsurprisingly, the second his feet hit the water, he dived right in and swam out a few feet. Never one for being cautious or taking things slow, that’s for sure. Uraraka smiled at that thought, until she jumped at how frosty the water felt on her feet.

Now she just thought Bakugou was insane for diving right in.

“You coming in or what?” Bakugou called from where he bobbed in the waves.

Uraraka stepped a further foot into the water, feeling the cold biting her skin. “It’s cold!”

“Wimp!”

Uraraka rolled her eyes and stepped further into the water until it came to her knees. She felt like shivering. As if her teeth were going to chatter any moment. She shook out her fingers, danced from foot to foot. Even under the scorching sun the water felt like ice. Every wave that knocked into her was another rush of cold through her bones.

“You’re taking forever,” Bakugou groaned. “Who knew you were such a wimp, roundface?”

Uraraka wrapped her arms around her middle. “I’m not, it’s just really cold!”

Bakugou came towards her until he could stand, a sharp grin forming on his face. Uraraka recognised the glint in his eyes and stepped back. She held her hands up and levelled a glare at him.

“Don’t. You. Dare.”

Bakugou’s grin turned sinister. “Watch me.”

He lunged at her with a spray of water around his legs and Uraraka squealed, whirling and wading away from him as fast as she could in knee-deep water.

“No! No, no, no, no!”

She’d almost gotten away unscathed, save for the water splashing onto her as she ran, until she overbalanced and tripped, ending up completely submerged anyway. Uraraka surfaced with a yelp, wiping the water from her eyes and her hair off her face.

“It’s freezing!”

Uraraka had a mind to complain more until Bakugou’s laugh reached her ears. It was a laugh rarely heard, one that sent her blood buzzing and humming and thrumming through her veins with glorious heat. It was a brilliant laugh that was completely worth the humiliation of stacking it in front of him.

It was a laugh that made her smile, a laugh that made her laugh as well.

It was worth it. Worth the discomfort of earlier, worth the grumbling, the glaring, the tears and the heat.