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Branches whip past the windows of the train, dark green leaves turned pink and gold under the light of the midafternoon sun. Passengers murmur quietly to each other about the beauty of the scenery or look at their phones in silence. Uraraka Ochako holds onto her the edge of her seat and tries not to throw up.
She’s accustomed to feeling nauseous, but not for this reason.
Tsuyu watches her tap her feet on the floor, pull out and quickly put away her reading for Present Mic’s class, scroll through messages days old.
“You're nervous,” she says, not asking.
“What? Me? I don’t- I’m not nervous,” Ochako replies, laughing nervously.
Tsuyu hums, reclining more in her seat and stretching her legs out. Their carriage on the train bound for Umbara is sparsely occupied, giving Ochako enough breathing room to not be nervous.
The ride isn't lengthy, but it's long enough for her to think of every possible way her first meeting with Mongoose Habuko since she visited Yuuei as a representative for Isamu High can go wrong. She and Tsuyu had volunteered immediately when the opportunity arose for Yuuei to return the favor with their own Class A students. Ochako had considered it to be a chance to spend more time with her girlfriend, but when Mongoose invited them to stay in her family's apartment for the duration of the trip, she had discovered a previously unknown, incredibly strong desire to make Mongoose like her.
Ochako envisions a future of sleepovers and saving the world with Tsuyu and Mongoose, and she would do anything to reach it.
She pretends to look out the window before turning quickly to face Tsuyu, catching her at the end of a countdown, holding up a fist with a slight smirk on her face.
“Are you absolutely, positively certain she wants to see me too?” Ochako asks, frowning and poking at Tsuyu’s cheek until her smirk melts into laughter.
“Her exact words were ‘even if you can't make it, tell Uraraka to visit,’” she says.
Ochako looks appeased for all of two seconds before turning pale again. “But what if she's just being polite? You haven’t seen each other in months. There's no way she wants someone else interrupting her time with you.”
“When I first met Habuko-chan, she screamed at me from behind a lamppost then asked if she could call me Tsuyu-chan. If she didn't want to meet you, she would say so.”
Ochako bites her lip, still unconvinced, and notices Tsuyu’s eyes flicker down. She swats at her arm, giggling. “Pay attention, this is serious.”
“I am paying attention,” Tsuyu replies, still not making eye contact.
“Tsuyu! What if she doesn't like me?” Ochako grabs her by the shoulders and gives her a shake in an attempt to get her to focus.
Tsuyu lets her head bobble back and forth. “You do remember you two already met, right? Habuko-chan liked you enough then.”
“That was in a group setting, and we weren’t dating then,” Ochako presses on. “This time, she has to see if I’m worthy of you.”
“Worthy of- what does that even mean. And she knew I wanted to date you.” Ochako wonders when she’s going to stop being surprised by the things her girlfriend says.
“Oh. Really? Since then? Wow. And I didn’t even know, I probably embarrassed myself, what did I say to her, oh no-” She’s mumbling like Izuku now, Tsuyu listening carefully. She grabs Ochako’s hand, distracting her from her rambling as she watches the way their fingers fit together for the hundredth time, still as floored as when Tsuyu had first done it.
“Don't worry. She's going to love you.” Tsuyu pauses. “I don't think it's possible for anyone to not love you.”
Ochako blushes, unable to say anything more than ‘I love you too,’ but it's enough. She holds tight to Tsuyu’s hand for the rest of the train ride, anchoring herself but not quite quelling the floaty feeling in her stomach as the trees begin to give way to buildings.
----
“Do you see her yet?” Ochako asks Tsuyu, pushing her bangs out of her eyes as she tries to peer over the heads of the train station lunchtime crowd.
“Not yet,” she replies, a finger pressed to her chin as her other hand scrolls through her texts. “But she says she's here and she's wearing her school uniform.”
Ochako takes the opportunity to rearrange her own outfit, wrinkled from the train ride, into something presentable. She had been planning what to wear for a week - she was going for impressive, but inviting. During the train ride, in between refreshing apps and trying not to throw up, she had pictured all the possible introductions she could give. She had plans for if Mongoose had forgotten her name, if she had lost her voice, or if there was a sudden villain attack as Mongoose approached them. Having a notebook like Izuku’s would have helped keep her thoughts straight, but she felt confident she covered all of her bases.
By the end of this visit, Mongoose Habuko would know that nobody wants what's best for Tsuyu more than Ochako (and Tsuyu’s family, and possibly Mongoose herself).
Tsuyu grabs her hand and points into the crowd, and Ochako’s stomach feels like it's rising into her throat.
“Habuko-chan! Over here!” Tsuyu calls, barely restraining herself as she leaps imperceptibly higher than her height should allow.
“Tsuyu-chan!” echoes through the station. Ochako turns in circles, trying to find the source of the voice, until a red and green blur rushing past nearly knocks her off her feet. Then Tsuyu and the blur are hopping together in the middle of a train station, holding hands and squealing while Ochako gulps and tightens her grip on her backpack.
They're talking fast and at the same time, too fast and too unfamiliar for Ochako to comprehend, so she steps back awkwardly and starts to reach for the phone in her pocket to distract herself.
“Uraraka!” Mongoose yells, and then Ochako’s being pulled by her wrist to join the circle of hopping high schoolers.
“Oh- hi, Mongoose-san! It’s good to see you again!” Ochako sputters, trying to bow and hug her at the same time, eventually ending up just resting her forehead on her shoulder.
“You can call me Habuko-chan,” she says. Ochako’s eyes widen as she nods, her thoughts a jumbled mess. Does this mean we're friends already? Or is this something she tells everyone to do?
“Okay- Habuko-chan,” she says, testing it out. “You can call me Ochako-chan.”
Habuko beams, continuing to hop in place. Tsuyu and Ochako’s arms wiggle as she jostles them back and forth.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m just so excited! You’re finally a couple! Took you two long enough!” Habuko says, and Ochako isn't sure how to reply. “Tsuyu was pining for months. Months!”
Ochako freezes in awe when she sees that Tsuyu is blushing and avoiding her gaze. She puts the hopping to a stop by planting her feet. “Yes, we're very happy to be together, now didn't you promise a tour-”
“You know,” Habuko loops an arm around Ochako’s shoulders, grinning conspiratorially, “I have maybe a hundred messages from Tsuyu grilling me on the best way to ask you out.”
“Really?” Ochako smiles at a reddening Tsuyu, eyes shining.
“Yes! And after she finally went through with it-” she pauses to wiggle her eyebrows at Tsuyu, and Ochako laughs- “she described it to me, in great detail, over text and Skype. I feel like I was there.”
“Yeah, me too. I feel like- I was there too?” Ochako trails off, realizing what she had just said. Now she and Tsuyu wear matching blushes as Habuko stifles a snort behind her hand before gasping.
“You must be starving! We can talk about this while we eat, and also I want to know how the train ride was, and how your classmates are doing, like that angry one? Is he okay? And the girl with the pretty hair - well, I guess I should be more specific-”
Ochako falls back to cling to Tsuyu’s hand as Habuko leads them out of the train station, not pausing in her list of questions.
“I’m so awkward!” Ochako groans, smacking her forehead with the hand Tsuyu isn’t holding.
“What do you mean? You're basically best friends already,” she whispers back.
Ochako shakes her head emphatically. “Not yet, we aren’t. But I can do better.”
Tsuyu recognizes the determined expression on her face and instinctively leans away. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m going to be so nice that by the time we get back on that train, she’s going to be begging me to transfer to her school,” Ochako hisses, her eyes narrowed.
“Please don’t be too scary,” Tsuyu sighs as she allows Ochako to pull her into a stiff march forward.
---
“I know ice cream isn’t really lunch, but no one’s here to stop me so that’s what I’m getting.” Habuko gestures to the row of restaurants lining the city center. “You can choose anything and we’ll meet at a table later.”
“No! Ice cream is good. Ice cream is great, actually. What a good idea, right Tsuyu?” Ochako enthuses, nudging her girlfriend with her elbow. Tsuyu looks at her in confusion before realization dawns on her face.
“Oh. Yes. I love eating ice cream,” Tsuyu says, expression unchanging.
Habuko’s eyes flicker between the two of them before she shrugs and moves to the entrance. “Uh, okay. This place is my favorite in Umbara. They have, like, five million toppings.”
Ochako grabs the door at the same time as Habuko, trying to hold it open for her as she holds it open for them. They end up squished together, stuck in the doorway.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, Ochako looks at Tsuyu, who stands with her head bowed and arms folded, shoulders shaking. “Um, a little help, honey?”
Habuko cracks up as Tsuyu sighs and pushes them forward. All three stumble into the shop, giggling, but freeze when they see the cashier looking at them.
“Everything okay over there?” she asks.
“Yes! Sorry! We’re here for ice cream,” Ochako squeaks.
“I would hope so,” the cashier replies wryly.
Tsuyu’s head falls forward again, so Habuko approaches the counter first. Ochako recovers from her embarrassment to dart ahead of her, throwing her arms out.
“I can take care of it!” she says. “You two sit down, get comfortable.”
Habuko eyes her in confusion. “Um, if you’re sure, I guess. I’ll have chocolate, and Tsuyu-”
“Cake batter,” she calls out decisively.
“Got it!” Ochako flashes them a thumbs up. “I’ll be right over!”
Ochako steps up to the counter, placing their orders and selecting the coffee flavor for herself. She hands the cashier her change and scoops toppings onto each ice cream distractedly, glancing at Tsuyu and Habuko when the sound of their laughter reaches her. She can’t tell if Habuko is impressed yet - she’ll have to keep trying. Maybe she can find out if they have anything in common other than adoring Tsuyu.
“Here you go!” she places the three cups of ice cream on the table. “Chocolate, cake batter, and coffee for me.”
“Thanks, Ochako.” Tsuyu reaches for her ice cream, but Habuko grabs her wrist.
“Wait, Tsuyu - isn’t that strawberry sauce?” she asks, frowning.
Tsuyu pulls her ice cream closer. “Oh, it is. Good catch.”
“Tsuyu is allergic to strawberries,” Habuko explains to Ochako. “Here, switch with me.”
Ochako’s stomach plunges. “Tsuyu, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know-”
“It’s okay. I like chocolate too,” she says, pulling Ochako’s hand away from tugging on her hair.
But Ochako feels awful - she had been so focused on her own plans that she forgot that the reason she wanted to befriend Habuko was for Tsuyu, so they could all hang out together.
They catch up with minimal input from Ochako, Tsuyu casting worried glances her way. She only hums in agreement whenever it’s appropriate, feeling each bite of ice cream freeze her voice further as it slides down her throat.
Tsuyu stands suddenly, pushing her chair back from the table. “I saw a restroom when we came in. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” Ochako murmurs. Habuko smiles and waves as she leaves with a lingering pat on Ochako’s shoulder, digging into her ice cream.
Nerves continue to choke Ochako as the silence at their table (too big for only two people, but feeling smaller by the minute) drags on. She finishes her ice cream before Habuko does and is forced to sit quietly with nothing to occupy her hands.
“So...what’s your favorite color?” she tries, and immediately cringes at her stilted question.
Habuko doesn't seem to find it weird, actually considering it before she answers, tapping a finger on her chin in a way that reminds Ochako of Tsuyu. “Probably blue - it’s the color of my costume. But I don’t know if my costume is blue because it’s my favorite color, or if my favorite color is blue because it’s the color of my costume, you know?”
Ochako nods enthusiastically, content to let silence fall again, but Habuko asks, “What about you?”
“Huh?”
“What’s your favorite color?”
“Green,” Ochako answers instantly.
Habuko smiles at her like she understands, and Ochako tentatively returns it.
They go back and forth like that while they wait for Tsuyu to return. Ochako finds out that Habuko wants to join a hero team when she graduates, and she tells her about the classmates that stood out to her when she visited. Her family is too important to go without mention, but Ochako only tells her a little bit about them, sensing that an ice cream shop isn't the right place to delve into her motivation for being a hero. Habuko lets her know what to expect when she meets her family. They talk until they realize it’s been too long for only the two of them to be talking.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Ochako says, looking to where she had seen Tsuyu turn the corner.
“Should we-”
A bang outside interrupts Habuko’s question and rattles the windows of the shop. They leap from their seats in unison, the same thought crossing their minds as the ground shakes.
Ochako watches in horror as the crowd outside breaks into chaos, anger and worry burning away any lingering feelings of guilt and nerves. “We have to-”
“-find Tsuyu,” Habuko finishes.
They storm out the door together - and are welcomed by a hero crashing into the ground, a villain trapped in her headlock.
Ochako darts around the fight, pulling Habuko with her towards the source of the commotion.
“Where are we going?” Habuko calls out.
“To the middle of it! If I know Tsuyu-”
“That’s where she’ll be,” Habuko says, running alongside Ochako.
She notices another villain menacing a family and takes a quick detour to sneak around him. One touch sends him floating, and the family looks at her in gratitude.
“The police are in that direction! You’ll be safe there,” Habuko says, ushering them down the street.
It looks like a team of villains are attacking the city center, all dressed in grimy browns and greys, dirt smudged on their faces. Ochako finds herself leaping over craters and tunnels in the ground as she makes her way towards the loudest bangs.
“Earth powers?” Habuko questions.
“It looks like it,” Ochako answers. “We’ll have to be- wait, look!”
Ochako pulls Habuko behind a bench. She thought she had seen a flash of green- there!
“It’s Tsuyu,” she hisses to Habuko, pointing to where she hops over debris to check for people stuck under the rubble.
“Are there any more villains around?” Habuko whispers.
There’s dust in the air from the earthquakes and fighting, but Ochako can’t see any reason to wait.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m going to get her,” she says. “Can you watch my back?”
Habuko nods determinedly.
Ochako begins to creep over the rubble, staying in a crouch to avoid detection. Tsuyu is only yards away-
A harsh cackle to her left has her diving behind a fallen store awning. The source of the laughter steps out of a cloud of dust. Another villain, clad in a jacket so dirty Ochako can't tell if it's grey or brown. His hands look like metal drills, and he catches Tsuyu by the sleeve with one of them as she tries to leap away.
Ochako tenses as a hand squeezes her shoulder, but it’s only Habuko joining her behind the awning, worry in her eyes. She squeezes her hand back, focusing on Tsuyu.
“What’s this? A young hero in my clutches? This day just gets better and better - or should I say, worse and worse?”
“Ugh. A monologist,” Habuko says.
Ochako shakes her head in disgust. “You know what to do?”
“Yup,” she answers.
“Okay. Get ready.”
She waves a hand to get Tsuyu’s attention. Tsuyu nods imperceptibly when she notices, signalling that she knows the plan.
“Today, the masters of earth will bring this city down to our level! Long have we toiled in the dirt, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike-” Tsuyu rolls her eyes at them, gesturing to her arm. Ochako nods in understanding, dropping into a crouch.
“You’ll have three seconds,” Habuko says.
“He won’t know what hit him,” she promises.
Habuko takes a deep breath and throws herself out from behind the awning with a yell. “Hey!”
The villain turns to her in confusion. Her eyes flash yellow and Ochako takes off running as he stills.
Tsuyu kicks him in the ribs, breaking his grip on her arm and making him fall, still frozen, towards Ochako. A light brush of her fingers sends him soaring two stories up just as Habuko’s powers wear off.
“No! My beloved earth! Put me down!”
Ochako and Tsuyu meet in the street, colliding into a hug.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I heard rumbling so I went to check-”
“I knew you would be in the middle of it-”
“I love you.”
“I love you too-”
“Tsuyu-chan!” Habuko crashes into their hug, nearly in tears.
Ochako and Tsuyu pull her in and they stand quietly in the middle of the street for a brief moment, until-
“This is really sweet and all, but can I come down now?” the villain interrupts.
The three girls tilt their heads towards the sky appraisingly.
“So how long is he going to be up there?” Habuko asks.
“As long as he deserves,” Ochako hisses. Tsuyu shakes her head, but she can’t hide her smile.
Habuko throws an arm over both of their shoulders as they make their way to the police to give their account of the events. “I like the way you think, Ochako-chan.”
---
Ochako rubs alcohol onto a scratch on Tsuyu’s arm and tries to resist the urge to kiss her.
“-and it was so sweet, when you sent that one guy flying, he was like ‘whoa, what’s happening,’ and then when Tsuyu kicked him it was like, bam, and that was so cool-” Habuko rolls around on her bed, reenacting the fight as she had been during the entire trek to her apartment. Ochako and Tsuyu thanked her family for letting them stay the night before they’re scheduled to visit Isamu in the morning, fielding their concern and gratitude for keeping Habuko safe. Ochako assured them that it went both ways.
She places a final bandage on Tsuyu’s arm and a subtle kiss on her forehead. “You were really helpful, too, Habuko-chan.”
“Really?” Habuko squeaks.
“We wouldn’t have made it out with only scratches without you there,” Tsuyu says, and since it’s her, it’s the truth.
Habuko kicks her legs back and forth in excitement before launching herself off her bed onto Tsuyu’s borrowed futon. She lands across Tsuyu’s ribs and she releases a breath in surprise, but only pats Habuko’s head. Ochako raises the box of bandages over her head, out of the way of Habuko’s flailing arms, and tilts onto the pile of heroes.
“Anyone else have anything they want checked out?” she asks, slowly packing up the first aid kit as she reclines on Habuko’s knees.
“Ochako!” Tsuyu laughs. “I’m gonna suffocate!”
“Hmm? Did you hear something, Habuko-chan?”
“Can’t hear anything, I’m too busy being your savior.”
Tsuyu’s tongue darts out and hits Ochako in the ear. She shrieks and rolls away, giggling, taking Habuko down with her.
“I can’t believe I let you two meet,” Tsuyu says, looking over the sprawled mess of limbs on Habuko’s floor.
“I’m glad,” Habuko retorts. “This is a beautiful friendship.”
Tsuyu glances meaningfully at Ochako, whose cheeks have puffed up in the widest smile she can manage.
Habuko hasn't noticed, busy throwing medical tape and spare masks out of her drawers until she finds a hairbrush. “Let's braid Tsuyu’s hair for tomorrow! You have to show everyone at Isamu that Yuuei students mean business.”
“They've probably heard about how we helped today,” Tsuyu says. “That will be a good conversation starter.”
“‘Uravity and Friends,’” Ochako says, hands raised as if she's reading a sign. “That's how we'll introduce ourselves. As a new hero team.”
“Now wait just a minute-”
“I brought everyone together, my name should go first-”
“Oh, do you prefer ‘Uravity and Acquaintances?’”
“We're dating.”
“You are stone cold, Ochako-chan. Those innocent eyes are false advertising!”
Ochako chuckles at her girlfriend and new friend’s protests, glancing over them appraisingly.
A new hero team doesn't sound like a bad introduction at all.