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It was last week, but Ochako is still reeling. She just can’t quite believe that she was asked out by Hatsume Mei. It just doesn’t seem real.
When Mei wandered over to her, wearing a new pair of her ‘babies’ on her feet (she had no idea what they did, but they looked dangerous), all Ochako could think about was Mei’s performance at the School Festival, how she ignored her in favour of talking to Izuku and then threw her fight with Tenya just to advertise her gadgets. So she was certainly rather annoyed to see her again.
“Hello, Uraraka,” Mei said, grinning. She rubbed her fingertips and thumb-tips together, her smile slightly awkward. “Uh… can I ask something of you?”
Ochako resisted the urge to raise her eyebrows. “Um, yeah, if you want.”
And Mei smiled and clasped her hands together as she blurted out, “Excellent! Because, well, this might seem very random of me, but I’ve admired you ever since we first met and… and would you like to go on a date with me?”
It was at this moment she remembered she and Mei were stood in the middle of a hallway, and several students were close enough to hear them. She blushed deep red, avoiding looking at Mei as everyone started at her.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you…”
“No, it’s okay,” Ochako said. “Can we just talk about this somewhere more… private?”
Mei smiled and nodded, wringing her hands together.
“We can go to my homeroom classroom,” she said. “Come on, let’s go there.”
And even though she was painfully embarrassed and confused to learn that Mei had a crush on her, she let Mei follow her to Class 1-A’s homeroom (which was almost always empty at lunchtime, Aizawa-sensei heading somewhere else to sleep). As they walked, Mei had a bounce in her step and Ochako couldn’t stop blushing.
“Have you seen my new babies?” Mei said. “They’re just like the ones we wore during the Cavalry Battle, except better designed and far more efficient. Aren’t they just so cute?”
Mei continued to babble like this the entire walk to the classroom, and Ochako realised she found this quite… cute rather than annoying. Wait – cute? Did she find Hatsume Mei cute?
When they reached the classroom, Ochako shut the door and said, “So, you really want to go on a date with me?”
Mei nodded, starting to go red. “Uh, yeah. Would you?”
She shrugged. It was true she had never thought about Mei this way, but, well, Mei was kind of cute. And… it wasn’t like she got asked out every day.
“Okay, why not?” she said, smiling.
And Mei laughed and grinned and said, “Great! This is going to be so great!”
Yeah, it still seems weird, like it was all a weird dream. But that all definitely did happen, and now Ochako is a bit dazed as she prepares for her date. A date that not only happens to be her first date in over a year, but also her first date with another girl. And it’s fair to say she’s just a little freaked out by it all.
Which explains why she can’t stop bouncing her legs as she sits in the dorm common room, Denki braiding her hair and Izuku trying to reassure her.
“It’ll go perfect,” Izuku says, patting her hand and trying to get her to smile. “Look, I mean, I was so nervous before my first date with Tenya, but now look at us.”
Ochako looks at him, knowing he has a point; Izuku and Tenya have been going strong for months now.
“Thanks,” she says. “I appreciate it. And thanks, Denki. I didn’t know you’re so good at braiding hair.”
“Oh, yeah, well, my little sister and my mom kind of taught me,” Denki says, laughing slightly. “You don’t think that’s weird, do you?”
“Denki, we’re both bi,” Izuku says. “We’re not about to think you’re weird for being good at hair braiding.”
Denki laughs. “Good point.”
Ochako smiles, so glad to have her best friend and one of her classmates here for support before she goes on her date with Mei.
“Good luck,” Izuku says.
“Thanks, Deku,” she says, hugging him tightly.
---
Ochako meets Mei in a local restaurant, a place Mei has been to a lot and heavily recommended. It appears to sell mostly American food, but she doesn’t mind going to a foreign restaurant (it’s been a while since she’s had American food, so this should be nice).
She wanders into the restaurant and is shown to an empty table. Mei isn’t here yet, she thinks.
This is so weird. Ochako looks around the restaurant, realising that she has never actually had a date in a restaurant before.
But she is distracted from her thoughts by the arrival of Mei. She rushes across the room and grins at Ochako, saying, “Hello! Sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“No, it’s fine,” Ochako says, watching Mei slip into the seat opposite her. “How are you?”
---
Their date goes rather well, not that Ochako actually has many experiences to compare it to. She and Mei drink fizzy drinks and eat burgers, and talk about their lives and their friends and their classes at UA. And as the meal draws to a close, Mei coughs awkwardly and taps her fingers against the table.
“Uraraka?” she says.
“You can call me Ochako.”
“Okay. Well, Ochako, would… would you like to do this again?” Mei asks, blushing. “I mean, would… would you like to go on another date? I would be honoured to be your girlfriend.”
Ochako stares at Mei, her cheeks heating up. This is such a big thing, but… she finds herself thinking about when Mei asked her out and how she thought Mei was cute. And… well, Mei is cute. She’s a bit annoying and all that, but so is everyone else she knows.
She smiles. She reaches across the table and covers Mei’s hand with her own.
“Yeah, I’d like to do this again,” she says.
Mei grins. “Me too.”
---
On their way back to UA, Mei holds her hand and Ochako doesn’t let go. When it is time for them to head to different parts of the dorms, Mei squeezes her hand and says, “Can I kiss you?”
And as she goes red, Ochako nods. So Mei leans forwards and gives her the softest, quickest kiss on the lips.
And then Mei dashes off, leaving Ochako stood there, touching her lips and smiling.
Entering the 1-A common room, the only one in there is Denki, looking half asleep as he slumps on the couch.
“Good date?” he says when he sees her.
When Ochako simply blushes, he laughs and says, “I knew it. Ochako’s got herself a girlfriend!”
And Ochako rolls her eyes, but doesn’t flinch when her friend pulls her into a hug.