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1
“Stupid city bus, stupid bus pass, stupid machine,” Ochako grumbles as she picks up the pace. The bus driver had spent five minutes arguing with her over the validity of her bus pass, which still had an entire day left on it, the number was right there, but decided to instead waste time arguing with her. She can’t be late today, there’s a rally first thing in the morning and since she’s in the school band she’s a part of the opening number!
It was only the second day of Ochako’s day at a new school, she really doesn’t need to be late.
Her boots slam against the pavement, and she slides her eyes to check the time, and—
“Ow…” a voice whines.
Ochako ran into somebody. “Oh!” Ochako cries. “I’m so sorry! Here—” she moves her gaze downward, to the person she bumped into. The victim of Ochako’s hurriedness looks up, and Ochako feels her heart jump into her throat.
It’s a pretty girl.
“Thanks,” she breathes, gripping Ochako’s hand and pulling herself up. The girl’s in her cheer uniform, the orange shirt and miniskirt looking nice on her warm, tan skin. Her hand is soft, but Ochako can briefly feel calluses on her hand. No doubt from holding her pom-poms. The cheerleader’s hair is dyed pink, and she has smudges of pink glitter resting on her eyelids.“I’m Ashido!”
Ochako’s throat is dry. This is an incredibly unfair position to be in: minutes away from being late and being confronted by an undeniably attractive girl. “U-Uraraka. Nice to meet you.”
Ashido beams at her, and Ochako’s just about dies. I’m really gay.
“Oh!” Ashido exclaims, eyeing the instrument box in Ochako’s other hand. She’s still holding my hand. “Are you a part of band?”
Ochako nods. “I play the, um, clarinet. I also do track and field,” she says. Then she immediately punches herself on the inside. Shut up! her conscious is screaming at her. She’s not going to care about any of that!
However, contrary to what Ochako’s conscious thinks, Ashido looks excited. “Track and field, huh? What events do you do?”
Her throat is clamming up. Ashido’s still holding her hand, and Ochako can feel the warmth radiating off the skin. “I run. The uhm… 200 meter. And I also do the shot put.”
Ashido’s smile is literally killing her. “That sounds so cool! See you around, Uraraka!” Ashido exclaims, finally letting go of her hand and walking away. Ochako’s eyes are wide, and she can’t rip her eyes away from the short pleated orange miniskirt oh my Lord her THIGHS—
She swallows, and she can feel her face pulsing with warmth.
With a pink face, dry throat, and sweaty hands, she hurries to the auditorium before she gets in trouble for being late.
2
A familiar head of pink hair pokes its way into Ochako’s homeroom the next day.
No.
“Sorry I’m late, Aizawa-sensei,” Ashido blows a puff of hair out of her face. Uraraka grips the sides of desk, and feels the split-second her soul decides to leave her body. Then, Ashido sits in the same row as her. There are two people in-between them, sure, but it’s enough to make Ochako really want to die.
“It’s… not fine, don’t be late, but I didn’t take role yet and I’m too tired to mark you as tardy. Just don’t do it again,” Aizawa-sensei yawns, his eyes roaming the attendance sheet to begin taking role. “Alright… Everyone knows their schedules, right? No need for me to hand out these maps?”
If anyone says yes, Aizawa-sensei ignores them because he collapses on the desk and falls asleep.
...Okay.
She scans the classroom for anyone else she might know, and feels a grin on her face when she sees a fluff of green hair. The owner of said hair is talking to another boy she recognizes: tall, glasses, and pretty bookish. If she remembers correctly, he’s also in track. She moves to get a closer look, and the full-on smile breaks onto her face.
“Hey,” she breathes, moving to tap her fingers against the desk. “Remember me?”
The boy with curly green hair looks up, and he looks scared for a split second before a smile—one anxious and a bit wobbly but otherwise normal—makes its way onto his face as well. “H-Hi!” He says, a little too loudly. “Yeah, I do remember you. Thanks, by the way, for not letting me fall on the day of the entrance exam. And for, um, giving me a... pad. It meant a lot. It still does!”
“I don’t even need them,” Ochako whispers, winking. “I carry them just in case. But I don’t need them.”
The boy blinks. “W-Wait—Are you…” his voice drops into a whisper. “Are you trans too?”
Ochako beams, nodding.
“Midoriya Izuku!” The boy cries out, tears welling up in his eyes. “It’s nice to meet you!”
“Iida Tenya!” The taller boy introduces. He lowers his voice a little, too. “It seems the three of us are the same in that regard.”
“Uraraka Ochako,” she responds steadily. “It’s nice to meet two, too.”
The three converse for a little while. Midoriya is really nice, he’s generally pretty soft and sweet, but according to what the two spoke about, he’s also pretty good with punching people in the face. Ochako just wonders where he learned. Iida is by-the-book and straightforward, but kind and gentle and Ochako was right—he’s on the track team.
“Uraraka!”
Oh no.
“A-Ashido!” Ochako stutters. The cheerleader shoots her finger guns, and moves to where the two others are. Midoriya’s looking at Ochako oddly, and Ochako feels his knowing gaze on her. They’ve properly known each other for maybe fifteen minutes, and he already knows that Uraraka Ochako is a big lesbian and hopelessly has a crush on the pretty cheerleader with dyed pink hair.
“Whats up!” Ashido asks, leaning on Midoriya’s desk. “I didn’t know you were in my homeroom! That’s sick!” She pauses, turning her gaze to Midoriya. “We have the same hair.”
“Huh?” Midoriya asks, something nervous glimmering in his eyes before blinking and glowing with something Ochako can’t quite place. “O-Oh, you’re right! Hi, I’m Midoriya Izuku,” he says bumpily, a little too softly, but loud enough for Ashido hear. Ashido sends him a grin, and moves to ruffle his hair. Her jaw drops.
Ashido looks offended. “This isn’t fair,” she sniffs. “We have the same hair, how come yours is so soft!?”
“Because his hair isn’t dyed, Ashido!” cries a boy with spiky red hair. A smile quirks at Ochako’s lips when Ashido whips around and sticks the bird at the boy, before running towards him and screeching something indignantly.
Midoriya taps Ochako’s shoulder. “I’m assuming you already like someone?”
Ochako’s rosy cheeks redden. “Shut up.”
Iida’s laughter takes up the trio, and the other two join him.
3
All of the girls in Ochako’s homeroom get along really well. Maybe it’s because there’s so few of them—really, it’s kind of ridiculous. Fourteen boys and six girls? What kind of organization is that? Fourteen boys, most of whom are oblivious and very… boyish. In conclusion, it’s really no surprise Aoyama Yuuga decided to tag along on their trip to the mall.
“Honestly,” Aoyama huffs. “Almost of the other boys have good taste. You ladies, on the other hand, have wonderful taste and I know will not disappoint me today.”
For some reason, Ashido stays at Aoyama’s side. It really shouldn’t bother her, but it does.
“Come on!” Ashido shrieks, tugging on Aoyama’s arm and Tooru’s hand. Tooru is another cheerleader in Ochako’s homeroom, though she currently has a boyfriend in the form of Ojiro, another boy in her homeroom.
Kyouka, Momo, and Tsuyu all hang back with Ochako. “Damn,” Kyouka says, popping gum in her mouth. Kyouka’s also on the band—she plays percussion—and she’s walking pretty close to Momo. “Those three are excited.”
“Aoyama-chan likes shopping,” Tsuyu says. “He and Mina-chan are like, the fashion icons in our grade. Tooru-chan and Mina-chan are also pretty close, since they’re both cheerleaders. It makes sense they’re into the same kind of stuff.”
“That’s true,” Momo agrees. “Isn’t Aoyama-kun a cheerleader, too?”
Tsuyu hums. “He is. He’s very flexible.”
Kyouka snorts, and points her head to the large retail store the other three ran into. “There they go,” she says wistfully, as if they were leaving and never coming back. The four that lagged behind walk in together, and Ashido, Tooru, and Aoyama are all grabbing clothes. Ashido squeals when she sees the four laggers, and runs towards them, and grabs Ochako.
“Uraraka-chan!” Ashido cries out, clinging to Ochako. “I need your opinion on which jeans look nicer on me!”
Ochako is on cloud nine. “Um,” she says eloquently. “Try them on?”
Ashido nods vigorously. “Right, follow me!”
She sprints towards the dressing room, and Ochako can’t help but follow her. Ashido rushes into the dressing room, and Ochako waits anxiously. Ashido wanted an opinion—why didn’t she ask Tooru or Aoyama? Or even Kyouka, or—why Ochako?
The lock on Ashido’s dressing room swings open, and in all Ashido Mina’s glory, she’s wearing terrifyingly tight jeans. They squeeze onto her skin nicely, showing off her lean thigh muscles from her work as a cheerleader. Ochako’s eyes trail Ashido’s hips, and she feels something hot squeeze in her chest.
I’m too gay for this! Her heart is yelling at her, forcibly shaking her by the shoulders. Alarms are blasting in Ochako’s head, roaring in her ears, and all Uraraka Ochako can do is blink dumbly at the gorgeous sight before her.
“Guh,” she lets out, before slapping her mouth. This is a disaster! “Those look, um, nice. Really nice. On you.”
Ashido giggles. “You think?” She does a twirl, and Ochako nearly dies. This is entirely too much. Ashido’s… assets are rather nice, and Ochako would be a fool not to appreciate them. They’re only in view for a split second, but they’re certainly lovely.
“Let me show you the other one! Oh, and Uraraka—call me Mina!”
Ochako is still dumb with gay shock. “Y-Yeah! You call me Ochako!”
4
Ochako walks into the classroom with a beet red face. It had been so hard to convince Iida she was just going to ask a teacher for some quick homework help. Ochako just really didn’t want to explain what she was doing here. Momo, Todoroki, Kaminari, Yuuga, and Tsuyu all sit in a circle. The whiteboard reads pining and gay club: express your feelings about your gay crush here!
“Hi, Uraraka,” Todoroki says serenely. “I didn’t expect you to come.” Ochako looks for the teacher chaperone (how did they even get this club approved?), and feels her jaw drop when it’s Aizawa-sensei. To be fair, he’s napping, but he’s still here.
“Um…” Ochako can’t even figure out what to say. Yuuga pats the seat next to him, and Ochako clumsily goes to sit there. Momo clicks some papers into place, and clears her throat.
“Welcome to the Pining and Gay Club! I’m Yaoyorozu Momo, and this is my co-president Todoroki Shouto. Who wants to go first?”
Todoroki raises his hand. “I spoke with Midoriya today. He had this hoodie on… He’s an angel. His hair looks so soft, I want to run my hands through it and stuff my face in it,” he sighs dreamily. “He’s like a sunflower. Bright, beautiful, mimics the sun. No—he is the sun. A star, the only star in my sky...” Todoroki’s face is slightly pink. “I’m really gay.”
“Didn’t Midoriya-chan punch Bakugou in the face?” Tsuyu asks, pressing her finger on her cheek. Todoroki nods dreamily.
“Yeah, he did…” Todoroki trails off. “It was hot.”
Ochako gapes. Is this a club literally centered about spilling what you like about your crush?
Yuuga straightens his back. “Iida-kun looked at me today. He’s so smart. He offered to tutor me—who am I to refuse such a handsome boy from helping me out with homework? Do you think I could seduce him into doing it for me?” Yuuga pauses. “No… Iida-kun wouldn’t do that. He’s too good of a person,” Yuuga sighs dramatically. “It’s alright, I’m still going to try. Just the seducing part, not the homework part.”
“Does everyone have a crush on my friends?” Ochako asks, twirling a piece of hair in-between her fingers. “It’s sweet.”
“You’re lucky to have an excuse to speak with Midoriya,” Todoroki says seriously. “I want to talk to him but I don’t know how. You can’t tell but I’m actually dying inside.”
“Oui— Except Iida-kun offered to tutor me. So, I’m doing better than he is,” Yuuga crosses his legs. Ochako fights the urge to snort.
This is absolutely ridiculous.
“Jirou and I were talking during break—the entire break! We spoke about her taste in music, and,” Momo exhales shakily. “She invited me to a concert. A concert!”
“She asked you on a date!?” Kaminari exclaims, falling backwards. “This is so unfair. I’ve been friends with Hanta for almost two years now, pining endlessly, waiting so long to be noticed—this is an act of biphobia,” they huff. “Jirou’s biphobic. She’s doing this to spite me, I swear.”
Momo hits Kaminari gently, playfully. “Don’t talk about her like that…!”
“What about you, Uraraka?” Kaminari tilts their head towards her. Ochako gulps.
“I, uh…”
Tsuyu makes a small noise in her throat. “Here, I’ll go first,” she says softly. Then, louder, “Habuko-chan is going to visit me tomorrow. We’re going to the mall again.”
“That’s sounds wonderful!” Momo says, smiling. Yuuga claps his hands together in delight. Ochako inhales sharply, and considers: what has Ashido—no, Mina done lately that’s driven Ochako absolutely mad?
It’s football season…
“Ch-Cheerleading skirts,” Ochako murmurs.
The classroom breaks into whoops and laughter, and Aizawa-sensei’s tired groan of being woken up makes even Ochako let out a giggle.
5
“You look so cute!”
“Mina,” Ochako flushes a bright pink. Mina just clasps her hands, before bending down to adjust Ochako’s skirt. “This feels weird… I’m not cut out for this kind of outfit!”
Mina waves her hands dismissively. “Nah, you look cute, like I said. Come on, wave your pom-poms! Say a cheer—uh—2, 4, 6, 8! Who do we appreciate!?” Mina makes exaggerated motions, and Ochako thinks it’s both endearing and absolutely terrifying. The orange cheer uniform fits her, yes, but it just feels… wrong.
Ochako repeats the cheer dully. “Mina, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“You look cute!” Mina insists. “Halloween only happens once a year—and you do want the extra credit from Kayama-sensei, don’t you?”
Kayama-sensei had promised that everyone that came in a costume would be awarded ten percent extra credit for one of their essays. Considering Ochako happened to not be doing so well in History, she needed this as much as possible. Mina was dressed as an alien, with nerdy green glasses that mimicked stereotypical alien eyes and a full greenish-black bodysuit. Mina even bought a headband with horns on it.
The only thing that matters to Ochako is that Mina is seeing her in a cheerleading outfit, and the fact that this is Mina’s cheerleading outfit.
“I still don’t think this is a good idea,” Ochako murmurs quietly. “I’m not as… lean as you. I have some extra… um… I might’ve stretched it out. So, I, uh, don’t think it’s a good idea. As I’ve said.”
“Hey,” Mina interjects. “It’s okay. If you really don’t want to wear it, you don’t have to. But please, don’t not wear it because you think you’re too big for it. You’re not, I promise.”
Ochako shuffles uncomfortably. “I—Okay,” she sighs. “I’ll wear it.”
Mina squeals, jumping forward and latching her arms around Ochako’s neck. Ochako stiffens, feeling Mina’s everything press against her body. It’s always been entirely too much to deal with, and it’s still too much, but something about this hug feels warmer. Safer. More understanding. Mina’s hands move to rub Ochako’s gently.
“Thanks, Ochako.”
Ochako shuts her eyes, feeling her heart squeeze.
I really, really like you, Ashido Mina.
+1
“You can do it, Ocha!” Izuku cries.
“Yes, I have faith in you,” Tenya responds, adjusting his glasses. Ochako buries her face into her hands. Tsuyu laughs, and moves to rub her back.
Ochako groans. “Guys, you know I’m not actually going to do it. I’d die. I’d die so hard and then she’d reject me and then I’d die again. It’s not going to work. You know, I know, the gods know—It’s going to end horribly. I can feel it.”
“That’s what you said about the project you did on the Big Bang Theory,” Izuku huffs. “And that went perfectly fine. You got one of the highest scores! And that’s what I thought when I asked Shoucchan out, y’know—that he wouldn’t like me, that he secretly hated me, that no one could ever like me because I’m a disappointment to everyone I care about—” Ochako, Tsuyu, and Tenya all give him a worried look. He continues like nothing; must be a mumble fest.
“—but the point is, you have a chance. It’s like the Big Bang Theory!”
She crosses her arms, and clicks her tongue. “Deku, that’s different. That wasn’t about asking the girl I’ve been pining over for the past seven months to prom! I doubt she likes me the way I like her—it’s probably some gal pal stuff. God, why did I decide to fall for her…!”
“Fall for who?”
Ochako screeches when she hears Mina’s voice. Tenya, Izuku, and Tsuyu exchange some looks before all three of them go away. Ochako curses them for leaving her alone to suffer a lesbian death.
“Oh—Uh, hi, Mina.” Ochako stumbles over her words. “How, ah, are you?”
Mina considers the question. “Pretty good. I was about to ask someone to prom.”
Ochako’s heart wilts and dies, but at least she doesn’t have to deal with asking Mina out anymore.
“So, Ochako, wanna go to prom with me?”
Ochako stumbles. Legit, just topples over. Into Mina’s arms. Oh, her gay heart is slamming into her chest. “Uhm…!” Ochako lets out a high-pitched noise, before burying her face into Mina’s chest. Mina lets out a hearty laugh, and helps steady Ochako onto her feet.
“Are you serious?” Ochako whispers, twiddling her fingers nervously. Mina gives her a look.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Mina asks, tilting her head to the side.
Ochako shuffles, a little embarrassed. “I’ve, uhm, had a crush on you. For a really long time. Like, since we met.”
Mina blinks. “I know.”
“And, like—wait. You. You know?” Ochako screeches. “Who told you—which unfaithful bastard told you I like you, whoever did it better run before I get my hands on them—was it Kaminari?”
A laugh makes its way out of Mina’s throat, and Ochako duly calms back down as a result. Unfair. “No, I figured out. You’re kind of obvious. And when I let you borrow my uniform for Halloween? An experiment. I didn’t notice until our day at the mall though. You were dead. It’s also when I started to like you.”
Ochako flushes. “You’re just… really pretty. That’s all.”
Mina’s cheeks redden nicely. “T-Thanks! You’re pretty too. So… what’dyou say, Uraraka Ochako? Wanna go to prom with me?”
Is it really a question she needs to ask?
“Yeah,” Ochako says softly, taking a step closer. “I’d love to go to prom with you.”
Mina’s smile is like the sunrise after a week of storms, and the kiss that is placed on Ochako’s lips is sweeter than anything she could’ve asked for.