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Ochako has always loved to figure skate. When her parents first took her to their local ice rink, she laughed as she stumbled around in too-big skates, finding that she was actually pretty good at this. She was four years old, and that was the moment she fell in love with skating.
That same day, she also met Kyouka. She wore headphones as she stumbled on the ice, holding her dad’s hand and smiling. Her movements were fluid, and Ochako knew this other girl was amazing.
So she decided to tell her that. Ochako skated across the rink, her arms up in the air to help her balance, and approached the other girl. And even though she was quite a shy girl as a kid, she went right up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.
The girl pulled one of her earbuds out and looked at her.
“Uh, hi,” she said, starting to go red. “I was… this is my first time here and… and you’re really really good. How long have you been skating?”
The girl smiled slightly. “Since last month. And thanks. You know, I’ve seen you skate too. You’re good too.”
Ochako grinned. “Thank you. I’m Uraraka Ochako, by the way.”
She nodded. “I’m Jirou Kyouka. Nice to meet you.”
For the rest of her time at the rink that day, she looked at Kyouka. After only a month of skating, she was amazing for a four year old. She was going to go far.
After falling in love with skating, Ochako kept going back. Over the weeks and months she spent on the ice, she got good enough to let go of her mom’s hand and even skate across the ice without waving her arms around for balance. Kyouka kept skating too, always with her headphones on, and they smiled whenever they saw each other.
One day, Kyouka asked if Ochako wanted to go around her house after they finished skating. She was almost five years old, and Ochako giggled when she realised she was making a friend. Her parents let her and she spent the afternoon at her new friend’s house. Kyouka showed her the collection of records she kept in her bedroom, and Ochako thought her house was really nice.
At seven years old, they were invited to join the rink’s skating club. Even though it was quite expensive, her parents let her go, and it was amazing. This was a club for kids aged five to nine, and the other children were so amazing. But they were taught by a proper teacher, and soon the two girls were able to skate backwards and spin around on the ice, and Ochako was amazed by her own skill and fascinated by the way Kyouka skated.
At eight years old, she landed her first jump. It was only a single toe loop, but she barely wobbled upon landing and half the class applauded. And Ochako grinned, her face going red, wondering if she was ever going to become like the figure skaters she watched on the TV.
And things just got better. Throughout her time at elementary school, Ochako went to skating lessons and learned how to land more jumps and by the time she entered middle school, she was invited to a regional competition. Her parents bought her a pair of skates and she, along with Kyouka and several other students from their class, took the train and went to their first regional competition. She wore a proper costume and shivered with nerves as she waited for her turn to skate.
“Are you okay?” Kyouka said, wandering up to her.
Ochako tried her best to smile, nodding. “Yeah. Just… nervous.”
“Me too. But it’ll be okay.”
The way Kyouka smiled at her made her blush.
But Kyouka was right. She skated better than ever, and finished the competition in third place. And in second was Kyouka. Afterwards, she hugged her friend and congratulated her, and she realised that Kyouka was blushing too.
When they were thirteen, a few months after the competition, a coach came to watch their practise sessions. Their teacher told the students that she was there to scout them, and if she saw potential in them, she would become their coach and help them enter the junior championships.
Understandably, she buzzed with excitement and became determined to show her skills. She wanted to make her parents proud, to show them that investing in her training and expensive skates wasn’t a waste. And when their session was over, the coach wanted to talk to her!
“I see great potential in you, Uraraka,” she said, smiling. “Would you like me to become your coach?”
And Ochako tried to stay calm, smiling and saying, “I would be honoured,” and bowing and trying not to cry with delight. But when the – her – coach left, Ochako giggled and jumped up and down and went and hugged Kyouka, so amazed she could barely talk.
But it turned out that Kyouka had news too.
“She wants to coach me too,” she said, the loveliest smile spreading across her face.
And from that moment, their lives changed. Ochako and Kyouka were now professional, and found themselves training hard and being entered into proper competitions. It even got to the point that, at age fourteen, the pair came first and second in a regional competition and found themselves competition at a national level. And after competitions and training halfway across the country, they were in the final.
She was so nervous, but Ochako skated the best routine of her life and broke her personal best. Her parents were in the audience, having travelled all this way just to support her, and they cheered the loudest of them all when Ochako sat at the Kiss and Cry with her coach and found about shattering her personal best.
And then it was Kyouka’s turn, and she watched her friend skate to an American song she had always loved, finishing with a flourish and smiling. And when she sat with their coach at the Kiss and Cry, it was revealed that she broke her personal best too, and Kyouka grinned and laughed and seeing this made Ochako blush again.
By the end of the competition, the two were amazed to see the final result:
1st place: Jirou Kyouka
2nd place: Uraraka Ochako
This was amazing! They were both on the podium. She came second in a national competition, and Kyouka won!
And as she stood on the podium, a silver medal around her neck, Ochako couldn’t remember a time she felt this happy.
---
They are sixteen now, and in their first year of the senior division. Things are going better than ever with their careers, and she and Kyouka are still the best of friends. Although… Ochako can’t stop thinking about how she always seems to blush around Kyouka, and how her friend is so pretty…
Does she have a crush on her?
Well, she guesses she needs to tell Kyouka about this. Because she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship by being awkward around her. So she decides to approach Kyouka one day at their training rink, taking advantage of a break.
“Kyouka?” she says. “Can we talk?”
Kyouka looks up, pulling an earbud out of her ear. “Sure. What’s up?”
“Uh… how would you feel if…” she blushes, her face burning. “If I had a crush on you?”
Kyouka’s eyes widen slightly. “Do you?”
Ochako shrugs, wondering if she should run away. Her voice is tiny when she says, “Y-Yeah.”
“Well,” Kyouka says, patting her arm. “I’d say that I’m amazed you told me and say I was trying to think of how to tell you about my feelings for you.”
Ochako stares at her, watching Kyouka go red. Did she say what she thinks she said?
“Do you mean…?”
Kyouka nods, smiling. “I like you too. Would… would you like to date?”
Ochako laughs nervously, and gives Kyouka a hug. “I’d love to. Um… can I kiss you?”
Kyouka nods again, and lets Ochako kiss her softly, not caring that anyone might see.
And that’s it. They’re dating. They’re going to be famous figure skaters and now she’s dating her best friend, and life is amazing.