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Somehow, Uraraka and Eijirou end up being the only ones still awake at the end of the night. After everyone had finished their final exams, they wanted to celebrate the end of their penultimate semester with some smuggled in drinks, but if anyone asks, Eijirou had nothing to do with it.
He’s only buzzed, but his head tips away from Kaminari’s passed out, drooling form to blearily focus on Uraraka curling into the other corner of the couch Eijirou is currently nestled in. Her sweater sleeves are pulled over her hands, tucked into the space between her chest and knees. She looks really tired, but awake.
Uraraka’s eyes slowly blink open again, taking a few seconds before she spots Eijirou watching her and sits up slightly, leaning against the backrest and fixing her bangs.
“What’cha lookin’ at?” she murmurs, voice rough.
Eijirou blinks slowly. “We’re the only ones still awake.”
“Really? Wow… You didn’t drink much though, did you?”
“Nah,” Eijirou says, but his mouth feels too dry anyways. “I was mostly watching Bakugou and Kaminari to make sure they didn’t die.”
Uraraka laughs quietly, glancing over at the floor where Bakugou lays face down over Kaminari’s lap, the two of them snoring loudly. “I didn’t know Deku-kun’s tolerance was so good… I was trying to match him but had to tap out, like, a good while back.”
Neither of them speak for a few moments, just breathing and taking in the dim surroundings of the common room. Most of their classmates are here, only a few of them opting to return to their rooms after a bit of socialization for a night of well-deserved rest.
“It’s weird, right?” Eijirou starts, thinking about how close he’s grown to all of these people over the last two and a half years. “We’re graduating in a few months… we’re really gonna be heroes.”
Whenever he tries to say something like that to Bakugou, he just gets an, “Of course we are, that’s what we’re going to UA for, Shitty Hair,” but that isn’t quite what he’s looking for. It’s never stopped being surreal to Eijirou that he can actually be a hero.
“It’s so weird,” Uraraka nods. “Even though I was so set on it, I didn’t know if I could make it. I thought I was gonna have to apologize to my parents for letting them down…”
“Letting them down?” Eijirou gapes, looking at this girl that he knows has been a powerhouse all through high school, never letting anyone underestimate her. No way in hell could someone like her be a let down. “Uraraka, you’re amazing. Even if you weren’t gonna be a hero, your parents are always going to be so proud of you.”
Uraraka looks at him, silent in consideration. Eijirou worries that he was too forward, overstepping with a compliment she isn’t comfortable with.
But then she smiles, looking up at him with kind brown eyes. “Thanks, Kirishima-kun! That’s really nice of you. But… being a hero was always more your dream than mine, right? At least when I first started aiming for it, it was just a means to an end. Of course, I care about more than the money now, but you always knew you wanted to protect people.”
“I mean, yeah,” he says, shifting in place to be closer to her. He pulls a throw blanket off the top of the sofa and drapes it over both of their laps, grinning as Uraraka shivers and moves closer.
“You know Crimson Riot’s manliness is what inspired me! It’s because of him that I even started to believe my quirk could save people. It’s all of you guys who gave me the confidence I could make it strong enough, though.”
“Yeah? I guess it makes sense that you’re the friendliest guy in class, then.”
“Really? Even more than Midoriya?”
“Deku-kun can be so petty, you know that! He’s super sweet, but I think it’s easier for you to get close to people than it is for him.”
Eijirou shrugs. “I just like knowing people, making them more comfortable if I can. I think that’s kinda part of being a hero, yeah?”
“Definitely!” she nods, grinning at him. “Maybe we’d make a good team, y’know! People sometimes don’t take us seriously because we’re nice, but then we can come in and show ‘em all what heroes are all about!”
Her voice rises in volume a bit while she talks, and they both glance at Bakugou shifting on the ground, groaning softly as he readjusts. Thankfully, he falls back asleep, and they both sigh in relief.
Uraraka giggles. “Oops.”
“I guess we should go to sleep,” Eijirou says, yawning and blinking at Uraraka’s soft form. “Do you have any plans tomorrow?”
She shakes her head. “It’s the first day of break, but my parents aren’t home right now. I was just gonna stay here and hang out with Deku-kun and Iida-kun. Why do you ask?”
Admittedly, Eijirou hasn’t thought about this that often. He’s been so focused on his heroics and keeping his grades up, especially in their final year, that he hasn’t let himself relax enough to consider liking someone. But when he looks at Uraraka, he sees this girl that he’s spent so much time fighting alongside, laughing with, having lunch with. Sure, it wasn’t often that they were alone, but right now, he realizes he might have subconsciously been seeking her out. Uraraka’s quirk might be Zero Gravity, but Eijirou knows he feels drawn to her in some kind of way.
“Do you… wanna see a movie together?”
Uraraka beams. “Sure, that sounds great!” She yawns then, muffling it with her hands.
Eijirou laughs softly, reaching forward to tuck a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear before he realizes what he’s doing. He hesitates, the both of them looking at each other wide-eyed and holding their breaths. Eijirou thinks the pink of Uraraka’s cheeks glows brighter.
He leans back, half laying down on the couch. He exhales nervously, watching her do the same against the opposite end. “...Good night, Kirishima-kun,” she whispers, a small smile on her face.
“Sweet dreams, Uraraka.”
☆