Chapter Text
Ochako let out a yawn, hoping Deku wouldn’t notice. She had no idea where he was taking her so early in the morning. The sun hadn’t risen yet, and the last time she checked her phone, Ochako shuddered to see that it was 5:54am. It was a miracle she was able to keep her eyes open. Her feet must have been moving from muscle memory alone.
Just an hour earlier, she was tossing and turning in her bed, unable to fall asleep. Frustration grew, after the first few hours of trying, but she was surprised to hear a quiet knock at her door.
“Who else could be up this late?” she asked herself, getting up promptly. Was this still considered late, or was this early? Ochako opened the door cautiously, only to confirm her suspicions.
Who else, indeed, she thought to herself with a smile, seeing her green-haired friend.
Deku stood outside her door with a timid expression, whispered to her, “Ah, Uraraka-san, you’re still awake?”
She nodded sleepily, the bags under her eyes weighing her face down.
“I saw you studying alone in the common area earlier. I couldn’t sleep,” he admitted.
“Me neither,” Ochako said with a frown. The two stood there nervously, not sure what else to talk about. What could he want at this time?
“Wanna go somewhere?” he asked.
This sounded impulsive. Too impulsive to be Deku. Ochako was convinced this was nothing but a lucid dream.
“Sure,” the sleepy girl agreed, imagining that lying in bed wouldn't do her any good. Besides, she figured some alone time with Deku could be a small treat to herself, well-deserved after a long study session.
It was quiet out. There were the distant sounds of sirens and seagull squawks. The city was still deep asleep; not a single soul was spotted on the street besides them.
“Where are we going?” she asked curiously, looking up towards him
“Somewhere special to me,” he said with a nervous smile, before recoiling into an apology, “sorry to drag you along.”
“No, no,” she stopped him, “I don't mind the walk. The fresh air is nice."
A shiver sent a shake through Ochako's whole body. Her hands dug deeper into her pockets. It'd gotten a little colder since they'd originally come outside. Ochako was seeing less and less buildings. She smelled salt in the air, and recognized the faint rhythm of waves on the shoreline.
“This is it,” Deku announced, motioning to a sign: Dagobah Municipal Beach Park. Ochako took in the view. She saw a vast beach, pristine and peaceful, painted tints of pink and violet from the twilight. As did the stars in the sky, her eyes sparkled in awe.
"It's beautiful," she observed.
"It wasn't always, Deku told her, picking up an aluminum can off the ground. His eyes looked towards the horizon and she caught a smile, "It was a dump before. I used to spend hours cleaning it up."
"Oh wow," said an impressed Ochako, "you're always doing the right thing, aren't you?"
Deku motioned to the gazebo at the end of a dock, "wanna go there?"
With a nod, she removed her shoes, dipping her feet into the smooth, cool sand. They walked side-by-side, with the beach to themselves, in their quiet edge of the city.
The gazebo was bigger than she imagined. Deku sped toward the end of the dock, taking a seat. He looked out to the water and asked her, "do you know what today is?"
"February 26th?" she answered as she plopped down beside him. A gentle wave flowed in, tickling the bottom of their feet with a chill.
"The day of our entrance exam," he said.
"The same day we met," Ochako added. With warm eyes, she reminisced, "You saved me with your quirk."
"You saved me first, didn't you?" Deku laughed, and the two shared a wave of nostalgia. He looked around anxiously, as if checking for other people, before checking his watch. "But about that," he started, "there's something I want to tell you, but I don't really know how."
Ochako felt heart stop for a moment, and a blush crossed her face. She could've hid it better had it been darker, but the sun was about to be above the horizon. Did Deku bring her here to watch the sunrise with him? Her mind was racing, thinking of possible reasons, but she would shake it off, denying the possibilities, as she always had.
She leaned back, propping herself on her arms, only for her hand to land on top of his. They both flinched, and she moved her hand off first. Ochako looked up to find him already looking at her. Staring into his eyes was a mistake. Those bright green eyes, tinted orange by the rising sun, seemed to lock her in, and she couldn't look away. Each breath was getting harder to take.
"Is this some kind of secret?" she asked him, breaking eye contact first.
"Yeah," he answered with a frown. It was a look Ochako had come to recognize. It was the look he'd have when a heavy burden was too much for him to carry alone. It was the look he'd have when the brave boy knew he needed help.
"I have an idea," she said confidently, hoping to help lighten his load.
Deku's eyes lit up, curious about what she had in mind.
"I have something I’ve wanted to tell you too, I guess," she admitted. Her face felt warm, but she was intent on blaming that on the sun. She motioned out, pointing towards the divide between the sea and sky, "Let's yell our secrets out at the same time, on the count of three?"
He raised an eyebrow at first, but agreed. There wasn’t anyone else at the beach this early, and if he had her support, he could tell her anything. Deku stood up, offering a hand to help pull Ochako off the ground too. A moment like this, demanded their every effort, a scream at full force. They took a deep breath of air in.
"One," they counted reluctantly, each questioning if the other would go through with it. Ochako smiled warmly first, and Deku returned a cheery grin with a nod.
"Two," they continued. Ochako's heart would not stop fluttering. This was her moment to tell him how she felt, and this was not how she thought she'd confess. She'd always contemplated a quiet, awkward talk between the two of them, but today, she was prepared to lay her feelings out, loud and proud.
She thought about the past year, and everything it’d put them through:
The entrance exam. The mock battle trials. The villain attack at USJ. The sports festival. The training camp. The provisional license exam. The Shie Hassaikai raid. The joint training with Class 1-B.
Her hand grasped his, clutching it tightly as if he could disappear at any moment. If she didn't tell him now, she might as well never tell him.
"Three," they said quickly. There was no turning back for her. At the top of their lungs, with no one else there, they belted out:
"I LIKE YOU, DEKU."
"I WAS BORN QUIRKLESS."
With wide eyes and rosy cheeks, they looked at each other in shock, releasing a unified “EH?!”
Neither had any idea what changes this spontaneous sunrise would lead to, but they did know that it would be an interesting conversation on the way back to the dorms.