Archive of Our Own

Ochako isn’t a reckless person. In fact, she usually goes out of her way to be extra careful, out of a deep-seated oath to avoid hospital bills at all costs; no pun intended. She’s never wanted to burden her parents--already struggling financially--with an expense that she could have prevented. 

So why is she headed to the nurses office right now?

She isn’t a reckless person, really! However, it seems like a certain green-haired friend’s tendencies have been rubbing off on her. That’s just great, because he’s such a stellar example of self-care. Treats his body as a temple, that one. Ochako sighs, dragging it out more than she might have if the hallway weren’t deserted due to classes being on at the moment.

No, she’s not that upset about going to the nurses office. It’s just that, no matter how exasperatingly often or absurdly severe Deku’s injuries are, he’s never gotten them over something so stupid. 

Here’s how it went. 

Post-hero training, dilapidated building, unsuspecting Jirou chatting away with Yaoyorozu. Then, a shocking (or maybe predictable, because things always seem to get out of hand when class 1-A is involved) turn of events--rubble descended, with the intention to strike! Ochako, or Uravity, had started running before she could even think to push Jirou out of harm's way. It would have all been good and well, except that in Ochako’s frenzy she had disregarded the debris lurking in her own path and fell flat on her face.

What a dumb move! Ochako thinks, cringing at the memory. Tripping prematurely meant that she hadn’t even been able to reach Jirou in time. Luckily--although embarrassingly, Jirou had startled at the commotion caused by Ochako’s fall, and jumped out of the way. 

She could have just told Jirou to get out of the way or something, in hindsight. Why did she go straight to charging in? If she had managed to get to Jirou, wouldn’t they have both just ended up shoved onto the ground? Maybe it was better this way. Ochako wouldn’t know what to do if she had to worry about someone else feeling as embarrassed as she does right now. 

So yeah, not the most graceful save. Thankfully they aren’t real heroes, or else she’s sure that a clip would have been spread all over the internet by now. Modern netizens could be even more dangerous than live mobs, nowadays. Hell, even in their class, everyone remembered the fateful day that Mr. Aizawa showed up with dried toothpaste on his chin. She’s pretty sure that Mina, who has a well-renowned reputation for uncaught phone use, had only been spotted on it that morning because she had tried to take a picture. It is pretty hard to notice your subject looking at you when you’re focused on zooming in on them, after all. 

(Though, you might as well be in an open field if you’re foolish enough to take your phone out in Eraser’s classroom; the guy does specialise in watching his opponents. Apparently the blurry photo that circulated later that afternoon had seemed worth it, to some.)

If there’s one thing she can be grateful for about this situation, it’s that she had barely gotten injured. It would be really humiliating (and of course, painful) to sport a massive bruise from her failed rescue for the rest of the week, but thankfully she had only scraped her forehead a little. Or at least, that’s what she had told Aizawa. You can see the good that did her from where she’s trudging towards. 

…It’s getting really hard to find a silver lining here.

Anyways, saving people is great and all, but getting injured like this instinctively makes her nervous about, well, saving money instead! Once when she was smaller she had caught an unusually persistent illness, and it had worried her parents enough to book a check up. She had insisted that she was fine, but in the end, they went. However, while some kids her age had shuddered at the gloomy atmosphere of the hospital and the smell of antiseptics lingering about ominously, for her whole visit Ochako had been thinking-

‘This must be so expensive!’ 

The building had been tall, wide, and cleaned to a shine, which no doubt meant that they had enough money to pay people to wipe every speck of dust from every corner ten years before it had even manifested. That also, undeniably, meant that her parents had spent much more than they ought to on the appointment. From that day, Ochako had made an oath to never step foot into a hospital ever again. And if you would believe it, she never did. 

That is, until she made such an embarrassingly stupid move in hero training that she got herself mailed right over to one. Well, an infirmary. Does that count? Maybe Ochako’s record is still intact? 

No, in any case, it doesn’t change the fact that she had gotten a careless injury. So in concept, she had broken her vow.

Not that it actually costs anything; It’s unlikely that recovery girl is going to become a for-profit and start charging for kisses all of a sudden. Although Ochako doubts she’ll be swimming in debt if that does happen. Like she said before, not reckless. There’s a reason why she had held that record of avoiding hospitals for so many years. 

If that did happen, what would Ochako sell first? Her uniform? There are tons of cosplayers out there.

…Or villains looking to infiltrate the school and overturn hero society. Okay, maybe not the uniform. Her hero costume? (It has to be made out of some pretty expensive materials) Ochako reaches the nurses office, pushing open the door. Or perhaps she could swipe a couple All Might figurines from Dek-

“Who..?” Ochako freezes, meeting the gaze of a girl with her hair in two blonde buns. The girl blinks in surprise, but recovers quickly as she flashes her a wide smile.

“Ah, Ochako! What are you doing here?” She chirps. Ochako’s brain short circuits, and all she can think is-

‘What a cute smile!’

It really is cute. Like, insanely cute, showcasing white teeth and curving up in a way that compliments her golden eyes perfectly. Ochako doesn’t keep a ranking or anything, but if she did then she’s sure that this girl’s smile just shot up to number one of smiles-that-would-make-me-fight-harder-if-I-was-losing-against-a-super-bad-villain. 

God, how do people like that even exist? Ochako wishes that she had a smile that cute, because being born with one had to automatically invite you into some higher social circle. She would bet money that this girl got to keep hers when she bought from food stalls. Is this what people mean by the rich get richer?

Luckily for her, she’s so paralysed that she can’t speak at all for a couple minutes and say something embarrassing. Instead, after a beat she asks;

“Do I know you?” The smile distracted her, but this girl did just address her by her name, and her first name no less. The question is more of a formality, though, because Ochako is pretty damn sure she would remember a girl like this.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry, is Uraraka better? I just saw you in the school festival against Bakugou and I thought you were sooo cool! My name is Himiko Toga, but you can call me Himiko.” The girl--Toga, no, Himiko? (ah, forget it) Toga comes towards her.  

“So you’re here because of your forehead?” She stops in front of Ochako and leans in, scrunching up her face to look at said forehead.

“Oh, r-right. Yeah, training accident,” Ochako gulps, casting her gaze to the floor nervously. The school festival, huh. Well, that explains that, but doesn’t it make sense to think that Bakugou is the cool one, since he had won and all? She doesn’t know how to feel, solving a question just to get another one. Ochako peeks back up at Toga, only to find that she’s stopped looking at her forehead and started staring right into her eyes. 

Yikes!

“So! Toga, are you here for an injury too?” Ochako blurts out, flinching back in surprise.

‘Are you here for an injury?’ Shit, who asks that in a nurses office?! That's like asking if there’s water in the ocean! Ochako silently laments her fate, trying to steel her face into looking as blank and friendly as possible. Maybe if she acts normal then Toga will assume that she heard her wrong, or that the forehead injury was actually gravely serious and has damaged her br-

“Uh… no, I’m Recovery Girl’s assistant. Well, on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Toga cuts off her mind’s rambling and points to herself. Or more accurately, at her clothes.

Oh, All Might’s ass. Ochako looks down slowly, seeing the medical uniform that she had somehow missed. Figures that she would somehow mess up even worse than she had imagined.

“Ah..I see.” she says smartly. There’s really no way to save this.

Toga looks at her for a second before giggling. 

“You’re funny, Och-Uraraka. Oh, and I’d really like for you to call me Himiko, y’know?”

“Oh. Sorry, Himiko,” Ochako smiles feebly, feeling heat crawl up her face. At least Himiko had brushed over her blunder so easily; she’ll take the small wins.

“It’s okay! Come here, let me clean you up. Recovery Girl is out with class 1-B at the moment.” Himiko beckons at her and heads towards the bed. Ochako sits down stiffly, more self-conscious than usual. Himiko seems to really not have cared about Ochako making a fool out of herself, but it doesn’t mean she’s not embarrassed. First the hero training incident, and now this--today just isn’t her day. She sighs, watching Himiko scuffle away to get what she presumes is medical supplies. 

It’s only halfway through the day, too. Ochako entertains the idea of making up an excuse to stay here, away from everyone, lest she gets into another awkward situation in their presence. The less people are around her, the better. Though, this is quickly shut down as it would mean staying with Himiko. 

It seems that she had been right. In less than a minute, Himiko returns with a damp cloth and a box of band-aids. She sets herself down on the bed, next to her, getting to work. Ochako stays still and silent, not wanting to disturb the girl in any way. 

Maybe a bit too still and silent, from what Himiko says after she’s done and sets down the towel.

“Is the posture part of your hero training or something? With your back like that, all the villains will mistake you for a wall and you’ll sneak up on them in no time,” she giggles. Ochako feels herself flush at the comment.

Oh, okay, she’s embarrassed herself again. Yeah, this is why she didn’t want to ditch classes here.

It isn’t like the girl is making fun of her, though. Or at least, it doesn’t seem like it--and for that Ochako is grateful. She makes fun of her own actions enough to cover for everyone else. 

“It’s that obvious?” Ochako mumbles, making herself slouch a bit. She doesn’t know if it looks right. Why is it so hard to sit normally right now? 

“Okay, now you just look like you have scoliosis,” Himiko sighs, shaking her head. 

“I’m trying, okay!” Ochako exclaims, with a bit too much volume considering that they’ve just met. For some reason, the joking, playful way that Himiko behaves makes it feel natural to act like they’re familiar. Now, if only it were that easy to sit normally around her. Ochako straightens her back again, then changes her mind and hunches it forward slightly.

“You, hold still! If this plaster gets in your hair, I have to tell you that our scissors have gone missing and the only thing we have here is an electric shaver!” Himiko pouts, pinching the band-aid in one hand. 

That gets Ochako to freeze. Her posture still feels a bit awkward, but it’s nothing if it means avoiding a potential bald spot. 

“There! All done!” Himiko declares at last, satisfied with her work. She smoothes the band-aid out against Ochako’s forehead.

Ochako reaches up to prod at it, only for her hand to be swatted away by Himiko’s. 

“Uh-uh, no touching! It's only a minor scratch, but if you keep poking at it who knows!” The girl scolds her. 

“Sorry!” Ochako exclaims, embarrassed at being told off by such a pretty girl. Oh man, now she understands what guys are talking about.

“You better be! You can go now, by the way.” 

“Huh?” Oh, right- class! Ochako’s gaze snaps towards the clock. Luckily, she had only taken around ten minutes, so Aizawa probably isn’t going to chew her up and send her right back to here. She needs to get going, though, because fifteen is when he starts giving the stink eye to you upon return. 

“Thanks, uh, Himiko!” Ochako stands up from the bed and rushes to the door. She reaches out for the handle, only to pause. Turning around, she waves at Himiko with what she hopes is a grateful smile, and not one that makes it seem like she’s fleeing, or betrays the nervous beating of her heart still hammering away even now. 

“See you around!” 

Before the other girl can respond, Ochako hurries out of the room and shuts the door.

Will she see Himiko around, though? She isn’t a reckless person, so she might not even come back for the rest of the year.

…It’s not like she wants to get herself hurt again, but as she returns to her class, she can’t help but feel like her meeting with Himiko was too short, and that she’d like to see that smile again.

Maybe this day hasn’t been so bad, after all.

“Himiko Toga? Oh, I know her!” Deku remarks, through a mouthful of his lunch. “She’s- *om nom nom* second year- *munch* -ship.” 

“Midoriya, we didn’t quite catch that.” Todoroki replies, straight-faced. Ochako really can't tell if he’s being sincere or not. It’s a fifty-fifty, with a stoic guy like him.

“Shorry…” Deku replies bashfully, before gulping. “Toga is a second year general studies student who recently got permission to enter an internship with Recovery Girl because of the nature of her quirk.” 

“Do you know what her quirk is?” Ochako leans in, suddenly curious. She hadn’t seen any hints as to what it could be the other day. 

“No, sorry, I haven't heard much about it,” Deku says apologetically. “You could always go back and ask her or Recovery Girl.” 

“Ah! I don't think I will. I wouldn't want to bother them.” Ochako falls back in her seat, disappointed. She had kind of expected the quirk know-it-all to, well, know. 

“Yes, good thinking Uraraka,” Iida nods approvingly. “Although, if any of us does end up in the nurses office again, I'm sure she’ll take the opportunity to ask politely.” He pointedly looks down at his food, ignoring her confused face. Ochako turns to Deku and Todoroki, only for them to be acting as if their lunch is a pop-quiz from Aizawa on quantum physics, too.

“Wh- guys!” She sputters, “...If anything, it’ll be Deku!” Iida looks back up at her sternly. 

“Most of Midoriya’s injuries were from his self-destructive quirk, which he learned to manage a while ago. You, on the other hand, have been putting yourself in danger to save others a lot more often. It’s like Midoriya’s spirit is being channeled into you instead.” The way he’s speaking almost makes her feel like she’s being scolded by a parent.

Ochako doesn’t have anything to say to that. Deku does inspire her to an extent, but it isn’t like she’s saving people because of his spirit. That’s really spooky! Do her friends actually think that she’s acting like Deku used to? When it’s put into perspective like that, it really does sound bad.

She just wants to keep everyone safe and smiling. 

…She really does want to see Himiko’s smile again. However, the girl won't be doing her internship forever, and Ochako probably won't return to the nurses office anytime soon.

After all, she certainly isn’t that reckless.

Or maybe she is. Ochako proves herself wrong by ending up back in front of the nurses office exactly a week later, on Thursday. Aizawa is way too fussy about small things like scratching her palms a tad too harshly against a rock while trying to float it! Sure, it was also speeding towards her and the group behind her as a result of Bakugou’s explosions (he had gotten a stern lecture after class) but what was she supposed to do? Dodge? Then someone would have a real injury, instead of her measly scratches. For someone who acts so antisocial towards other people, Aizawa sure does involve himself in their business a lot. Honestly, how does he think he’s doing anything but a half-assed job at hiding how much he cares about them?

Okay. To be honest, Ochako doesn’t care so much about Aizawa’s whole kuudere thing. Sue her. Actually, she’s just trying to distract herself from the strange tension in her gut from being in front of the infirmary. Yes, she’s only in front of it, having an eye contest with the door. It’s not because she’s scared of a certain nurse behind it or anything. Himiko is just- a really attractive girl, and one that Ochako made a total fool of herself in front of before! It’s only natural that she’s on edge around her.

On another note, if there was any doubt about her childhood oath being broken, then it’s well and utterly gone now. If one infirmary visit only half counts, then two of them added together make a whole. The part of her that’s not busy twisting her stomach into knots is in disbelief at how easy it’s been to shatter her legacy. It’s official--Ochako’s failed herself and her parents. 

She tightens her grip on the door’s handle, and Ochako is suddenly aware of moisture on her palms. Not good! If she even manages to get past this dastardly entrance, Himiko is going to have to treat her hands while they’re covered in sweat. No way is the other girl going to be able to smile through that! Ochako pulls her hand off of the handle and frantically wipes them against her skirt. 

“Okay, Ochako, you got this!” She mutters, trying her best to imitate confidence. “You’re a hero in training, you’re going to have much bigger problems than pretty girls remembering you as ‘that one gross sweaty girl’ forever, and going; ‘Oh, hey, I met that hero in high school and she had really sweaty palms,’ every time she sees you on TV after you graduate!” 

She’s not sure if her pep-talk was that great, but this isn’t the time to ponder it. She doesn’t know how long she’s been here, but it’s probably pushing her visit’s overall time closer to that fifteen minute stink eye mark, and if she keeps standing around she might even receive the twenty minute tongue click/glare combo. Ochako shudders. She can almost hear it echo in the hallways, urging her to get her trip over with quickly.

With that, (and all of her willpower) Ochako enters the room, only to find Recovery Girl sitting alone at her desk. There’s no sight of Himiko anywhere, and Ochako deflates ever so slightly. 

“Hello there, what can I help you with?” the woman enquires politely.

“...Oh, just some scrapes on my hands that Aizawa-sensei told me to get checked,” she says. Why does she feel disappointed? She was just nervous about seeing Himiko, and now she’s upset about the opposite? What had Present Mic called this in english--an antithesis? What a way to complicate things; she should just get back to class as soon as possible. 

Recovery girl nods in understanding. After a kiss on the cheek, any trace of her injuries is gone, and Ochako thanks her before turning back to the entrance. She almost wants to ask where Himiko is, but decides against it. They’ve only spoken once, so it isn’t like they’re friends or anything. Besides, it’s not like Himiko lives in the infirmary, and Recovery Girl is her mom or something. 

Or would it make more sense for her to be Himiko’s grandmother? Ochako thinks she’s going down a strange train of thought, and she gets back to her original one.

Why does Ochako want to see her so badly? The powers of a pretty girl, maybe? She almost mopes as she heads out, but startles as someone nearly crashes into her. 

She just barely catches an eyeful of the person’s blonde hair, and the sight of it makes her heart skip. Could it be…?

“Uraraka! Did I just miss you? Aww, worst timing for a bathroom break ever!” The face of Himiko Toga pouts up at her. Ochako feels excitement bubble up inside her. Yeah, the powers of a pretty girl seem about right. She opens her mouth to speak, but to speak about what? Her mind draws a blank.

“H-Himiko! Er, hi?” Now that the girl is actually in front of her, Ochako has no idea what to say except for a dumb greeting. I’ve only gotten better at my conversational skills since our last encounter, haven’t I? she thinks dryly.

“Hey! And bye, if you’re leaving.” Himiko grins. Well, she is, and she’ll hopefully never get another injury so as to end up in the nurses office again. However, some part of her doesn’t want this to be the end, so she blurts out the first solution she can think of;

“Lunch!” 

Himiko stares at her. Ochako stares back. Then she takes a breath and tries again.

“I mean- do you want to eat lunch with me? I’m guessing you, um, have the same breaks even though you’re on an internship?” Somehow, she’s become even more nervous than when she was pep-talking herself into the room earlier. No, nervous isn’t a strong enough word. Distressed? Still not enough. Mortally petrified? A bit closer, but that’s two words. Ochako really wants to run away.

Himiko seems surprised, because she isn’t saying anything. Now that Ochako has been given a minute to think things over, she realises how stupid what she just did was. She barely knows this girl--hell, she doesn’t know her at all. What had she been thinking, inviting someone who’s essentially a stranger to eat with her? The answer has been set in stone before she even asked. 

Which means there’s only one way for Ochako to save herself now--it’s time for some expert backtracking.  

“...Unless if I’m wrong, or you’re busy, or you’d rather sit with your friends or something. Actually, forget I said anything! Bye!!” 

Did she cover every scenario? Probably not. Nevertheless, it’s time to escape. Ochako dodges past Himiko with the swiftness befitting of a hero, and is about to begin an Iida-style sprint when she feels a firm grip on her shoulder.

“Hold it! Where do you think you’re going?” Ochako can barely hear the words over the throbbing of her heartbeat, accelerating at a quicker speed than she had been about to run away at. She turns her head back slowly to see Himiko with a questioning look, one eyebrow raised, and (Ochako’s eyes are definitely tricking her) a slight blush on her cheeks.

“I’d love to. Have lunch with you, I mean.” Himiko lets go of her, smiling. It's shyer than the ones she’s flashed before, but that isn’t a bad thing, and Ochako hasn’t seen enough of her smiles anyways. Himiko blinks, and Ochako gulps as she takes a second to watch the flutter of the girl’s long eyelashes.

“Oh! Oh. See you later, then!” She says, and with that she dashes away, feeling equally pleased and confused with herself. Is it really normal to be this.. whatever she’s feeling about meeting up with someone? It’s not weird, is it?

No, it’s definitely weird. If she was in Himiko’s shoes, she would definitely think that there’s something up with her. She doesn’t know why she keeps acting like this around the girl. Hopefully she doesn’t mess up this lunch as well, because that would really be ridiculous. 

Ochako spots her classroom up ahead. That was quick. 

Wait, she’s still running! Luckily she caught that on time, or else she might find out how Aizawa treats students who run into his classroom. She stops for a minute in front of the entrance to catch her breath before heading in. Speaking of, had the jog saved her from- Ah, no, there’s the stink eye.

It only occurs to Ochako later that she didn’t tell Himiko where to meet her. Why can’t she think straight around the girl? Holding her tray, she spins on her feet again and tries to peer over the heads of the students around her to spot Himiko’s signature space buns. Is that?- no, just a man bun. Eurgh, and it’s shaved underneath and around the sides. Ochako wrinkles her nose, grateful to look away and return to her search. She pokes her head in all sorts of strange angles, coming across various other dubious haircuts as she does so.

“No luck,” she sighs after a minute. She drops her head and dejectedly shoves some rice into her mouth. Some cold rice, might she add. At this rate, lunch will end, Himiko will think she stood her up, and Ochako really won’t ever get injured ever again just so she doesn’t have to run into her at the infirmary. Having to see her pretty face contorted into everlasting disappointment might genuinely make Ochako drop out of UA. 

Though, the image of it might haunt her imagination no matter what schools she switches to anyways.

Her chewing pauses. Okay, that makes Himiko sound like she’ll turn into a vengeful ghost if Ochako doesn’t have lunch with her. She really needs to go sit down and get a proper meal into her stomach, if she’s imagining things like this.

Well, at least Himiko would make a cute ghost.

Ochako turns around, and at that moment someone decides it's the perfect time to leap at her and go:

“Boo!” 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Ochako nearly falls over in shock. Her heart jumps as images of various, very un-cute ghosts flash through her mind’s eye. Thankfully, growing up poor means that even if All Might himself pops up in your kitchen and says that he’s chosen you as his successor and that you have to eat something strange--or even a bit gross, to receive his power and save the world, your grip would stay firm on the plate you were holding so as not to have to pay for a replacement. 

Unconventional example aside, (How did she even think of that?) Ochako swears she’s seeing ghost Himiko right now, laughing in her face. She’s that hungry?!

“No- ha! way!” The ghost chortles, clutching at her stomach. “You acted like I was a ghost, or something!”

…Oh, this is the real Himiko. A blush creeps up Ochako’s neck as she realises that she and the still-laughing-girl are getting curious looks from the students around them. She hurriedley (but still somewhat gently) grabs Himiko’s wrist and drags her towards the table where her other friends are. Fortunately, the girl has calmed down by the time they’ve arrived.

“Uraraka!” Deku waves, then pauses. “ …Was that scream earlier you?” 

“What scream?” Ochako replies hastily, at the same time that Himiko says, “Sure was!” She glances at the girl out of the corner of her eye and they awkwardly make eye contact. Luckily, her three friends’ attention shifts away from the topic of scream and towards the new person. 

Right, if Himiko eats lunch with her then she eats with her friends too. Ochako hadn’t mentioned it to either side, because in truth she hadn’t even thought of it. She hopes that nobody minds.

“I’m Himiko Toga! Nice to meet ya!” The girl flashes a friendly smile.

“Izuku Midoriya!”

“Shouto Todoroki.”

“Tenya Iida. So, you’re the one that Uraraka was talking about?”

“Ooh, she’s been gossiping about me? Any dirt?” Himiko plops down in the space next to Iida.

“I haven’t been gossiping!” Ochako yelps, sitting next to her and setting her tray down.

“Hm, suspicious… spill the truth, Iida!” Himiko waves her chopsticks at him threateningly. Now that Uraraka thinks about it, she’s… kind of weird. But not in a mean way! If anything, it makes Himiko, well, Himiko, and Ochako want to know more about her. Besides, after how she’s acted, Himiko probably thinks she’s weird, too.

The others at the table don’t seem to care about Toga’s behaviour, either, if their lack of reaction is anything to go by. Well, their lack of unusual reactions. It would really be weird if they stayed straighted-faced while someone threatened them with chopsticks. 

(..Aside from Todoroki, of course, because that’s what he’s doing right now)

“Certainly. A while ago we were just wondering what your quirk is,” Iida replies.

Right! Ochako had forgotten about that, and her last meeting with Himiko had been too short for idle questions like that. It seems like she forgets a lot of things when she’s around Himiko.

It’s something related to nursing, so maybe a healing quirk like Recovery Girl’s? Abruptly, an image of Himiko planting a kiss on Ochako’s cheek appears in her mind and she’s quick to swat it away. The ideas that your head thinks up of when you’re hungry, haha..

“Oh, that! When I drink someone's blood, I can transform into them.” She replies simply. A bit too simply, for someone who had the flair to wave their chopsticks at someone like a knife earlier.

“Wow!!! What a cool quirk!” The local quirk-nerd bursts out almost instantly. “What are the limits to that? How long does it last? Does it include clothes- no, quirks? That would be incredible if you were in the hero course! Oh, but I guess people wouldn’t really be willing to give up packets of their blood every time you went on patrol…bla bla bla bla bla” The boy’s muttering speeds up, gradually becoming incomprehensible.

“Is he always like this?” Himiko questions.

“Yeah,” Ochako admits delicately. “It’s best to just leave him, he’ll come back on his own eventually.”

“Cool! Well, I’m not sure if he can hear me, but aside from the person’s quirk, I can more or less become an exact copy of them, including clothes I’ve seen them wearing and even their blood type.” 

Now that’s interesting. How is clothes embedded into a person’s blood? That means it’s somewhat reliant on Himiko’s perception, but Ochako assumes that Himiko can still transform using the blood of someone she hasn’t seen. What outfit would they be wearing, then? For the first time, Ochako thinks that she understands why Deku likes dissecting quirks so much. Although, if she keeps this up then she’s sure she’ll get a sizable headache. So, blood type, huh? 

“Oh!” Something clicks for Ochako.

Himiko’s golden eyes flick over to her, looking almost… cautious? It doesn’t suit her, Ochako notes subconsciously, because all she can think is:

“Thats perfect for being a nurse! You can be a blood donor for anyone!” 

The apprehension is wiped off of Himiko’s face as soon as it had come, and now she’s beaming at Ochako instead. 

“That’s exactly what I thought!” Himiko playfully pushes her shoulder up against hers, as if she’s rewarding her, and Ochako feels giddy from the touch. It seems like Himiko’s smile is contagious-- and addictive too. It seeps into Ochako like a drug and she can’t help but want more.

“Hey, do you want to sit with us again tomorrow?” she asks.

Himiko just smiles wider at that.

“It’s a date!” she winks. Ochako tries, really tries to stop her heart fluttering at the comment. It doesn’t mean anything, her head tells her, since they’re sitting with three other people.

That doesn’t stop Ochako from feeling a bit more nervous than usual the next day, though. Or from brushing her hair a couple extra times in the morning and checking up on her appearance in her pocket mirror a bit more often than usual, particularly before lunch.

Her tray of food remains largely untouched, since she’s been distracted from it. Ochako doesn’t exactly know why she’s putting this much effort into seeing Himiko. Some people might expect her to be doing this normally, seeing as she eats lunch with three guys, but to be honest, she doesn’t see any of them that way. Well, she had a slight crush on Deku at some point, but that’s in the past. Ochako really dislikes the idea that just because a guy is friends with a girl means they’re obligated to date; you get along with who you get along with at the end of the day, and she definitely wouldn’t get along with anyone who thinks otherwise. 

Also, it isn’t like any of those three would notice anything about her looks anyways. Ochako looks up from her most recent mirror check, carefully examining her friends sitting around her. Iida and Deku are currently having a heated debate over which pro hero would make the second most successful villain--since All Might was immediately agreed as the hypothetical best, (Iida says Ingenium 1.0, Deku says Hawks) with Todoroki chipping in his two cents (he’s suggested Aizawa) between painfully full looking mouthfuls of soba. Yeah, she’s currently surrounded by blind, deaf, and mute in terms of knowledge on girl’s appearances. 

It’s a close call between Hawks and Aizawa, but Ochako has to agree with Deku. Iida’s arguments have been kind of biased, so she’s left him out--politely.

In Deku’s words; ‘Hawks not only has sheer speed, but his wings, and in turn, feathers, are amazing for stealth that you just can’t replicate otherwise.’ He also makes some good points about a fight between Aizawa and Hawks specifically--‘On top of general speed, the wings would give him the advantage, since aside from the feather control the things themselves can’t be erased, still letting him fly, and could also be used to flap wind into Aizawa’s eyes and make it hard to maintain his quirk.’ Todoroki acknowledges this, but points out that they don’t know the exact details of Aizawa’s weakness to mutant types, and that he might be able to just erase the actual ability to use the wings completely, leaving them as dead weight on Hawks’ back.

(Aside from the three options, and though nobody has mentioned him in respect to Todoroki, Ochako thinks that Endeavor might make a good contender. Destructive power is destructive power, right? Plus, he already kind of has the personality of a villain. No offence.)

Ochako sighs. Himiko had told her to go ahead and sit down, and that she’d find her on her own this time. It was fair enough, considering Ochako had been surveying botched haircuts for at least ten minutes yesterday just to end up being the one found instead. 

She hasn’t questioned the girl until now, because Himiko just has the air of someone who knows how to do things at her own pace, but will she really be able to find them? It’s been--she glances up at the clock in the cafeteria--okay, it’s only been six minutes since she’s sat down. Maybe she’s worrying over nothing.

If Himiko doesn’t show in the next four minutes, then she can start worrying, Ochako reassures herself. She checks her hair with her pocket mirror once again. It’s kind of hard to see the shape from this angle below the table, so she moves it up to get a better view.

…And makes eye contact with someone else through the reflection. Someone with a piercing gaze layered with thick eye makeup, their hair in two twin buns, and a cute-but-sharp smile.

Ochako quickly whips her head around, snapping the mirror shut and jerking it out of view on impulse from being caught. It’s silly, because there should be no problem if Himiko- another girl, or anyone else, really, sees her scrutinising her own appearance. It’s not like it matters, but for some reason she doesn’t want the girl to think that she cares about looking nice for Himiko, specifically. 

Because she doesn’t! She’s just been nervous, that’s all. Or something. She’ll think about this some other time, since right now she has more important things to address. For example, the strange circumstances she’s meeting Himiko in. How long has she even been behind Ochako?!

“Not that long, actually. Probably for less than a minute,” Himiko replies casually, as she makes herself comfortable in the chair next to her. Did Ochako ask that out loud? She flushes, embarrassed.

“Don’t sweat it. I’m more surprised- or worried, about these three.” She gestures to their seatmates, who Ochako realises are still deep in their furious battle of words. She’s never cared about what people think of her friends, but right now she’s ever so slightly embarrassed. She’s invited a pretty girl to join them, and yet they don’t seem half as conscious of Himiko as Ochako is. 

“I get Todoroki, since we’re not in his view, but how haven’t Deku or Iida noticed me? They’re literally facing us,” Himiko mutters, as she grabs some pork from her bowl.

“I have no idea…” Ochako sighs, picking up her chopsticks to roll some noodles around them. “So, do you think Hawks or Eraserhead would make a better villain?” The topic isn’t something she really cares for, but she wants to hear Himiko’s opinion no matter what it’s concerning.

“Hawks, duh! He could probably manage being a villain infiltrating the heroes, considering his skill for someone his age and how he’s totally charmed the public. He’s already hiding something now, I can tell from how smiley he is. Though I guess all heroes do; they’re the same as politicians.” Himiko answers almost instantly, in a casual tone. Ochako blinks. It’s surprisingly thought out, for an answer that came so quick. Has she thought about this before, or is she really just that fast of a thinker?

“Oh, Is that what they’re talking about?” Himiko asks in a hushed tone, though she’s not looking at Ochako anymore, instead observing the scene in front of her. “They still haven’t seen me. Hm. Let me try something.” She clears her throat carefully, though still a tad bit on the dramatic side. 

“Yeah! Don’t underestimate Ingenium… he could be a world-class purse-snatcher!” She chimes in, louder. Ochako watches in amazement as the others don’t even flinch at the new voice. How are these some of the best students in their class? God, she hopes that no villains they run into are enthusiastic about powerscaling.

“Exactly!” Iida starts, turning to Himiko in hurried approval. One moment, he has a proud look, (probably because someone finally ‘agreed’ with him) and in the next, he seems to process two things at once. The result is a strange crossover between his thoughts as they collide.

“Wait! That’s not what I- Himiko Toga when did you get here?!!” is what it comes out as. His right hand starts flying in his typical fashion, and Ochako can’t help it--she bursts into laughter. Thankfully, she’s not the only one. Todoroki and Deku look shocked, Iida looks shocked with remnants of indignation, and Himiko-

Himiko is laughing with her, uncontained and full-stomached just like Ochako. It’s a nice thing to share a moment this way, like they’re connecting without a word. She watches the girl through blurry eyes. 

The moment is over as quick as a flash. It might've just been a minute or two, but Ochako feels like it was something significant. This time, her meeting with Himiko has seemed far more like what it should be. She hasn’t embarrassed herself at all--not to jinx it. Ochako covertly taps the wood of the table, just to be safe.

“I was always here, don’t tell me you didn’t notice?” Himiko finally replies, though the air of innocence is tainted by the leftover snickers she’s covering with her hand. Ochako snorts, sensitive after recovering from laughter even if what was said wasn’t that funny.

“...Sure you were, just like how Hawks would somehow be a better villain than a man who specialises in staying out of the public eye,” Todoroki comments nonchalantly, and this time Ochako miraculously spots an ever-so-slight tug at his lips when Deku shoots him a glare. 

Does he even think that Aizawa would actually be a better villain than Hawks? Only he, himself, knows. Maybe the slip up Ochako had spotted was a trick of the eye, or--she and Himiko share a smirk--maybe some people’s smiles are just contagious.

It is a very pretty smile, Ochako thinks, as the argument at the table suddenly picks up where it left off. 

“Staying out of the public eye isn’t as important as not getting captured!” Deku protests. 

“Which is why my brother would make such an excellent villain!” Iida chimes. Deku and Todoroki both give him a look; it seems like they’ve given up on getting him to admit defeat. Instead, they just ignore Iida and subtly shift their body language away from him, as if he’s an outsider. 

“Uraraka, you’ve already said you agree with Midoriya, but what about you, Toga? Would Hawks or Aizawa be a better villain?” Todoroki enquires. He’s realised that he’s gone a significant amount of seconds without soba, so he’s quick to slurp up some as soon as he’s finished speaking. Is that bowl bottomless?

“Obviously Aizawa! I agree with you ten times over!” Himiko giggles out. It doesn’t exactly sound fake, but it’s not completely authentic either, Ochako muses. Which means that she finds something funny enough to laugh at, but she’s concealing what it actually is. It’s easy for Ochako to see, since it explains the discrepancy between her answer now and the one before.

Todoroki sends Deku a smug look--as smug as someone so expressionless can be, anyways. It gets the point across, because it takes Deku all but two seconds to leap into another over-complicated rant. 

So easy… Ochako thinks, watching his furrowed brow and severe expression. She turns to Himiko to see how she feels about this, but freezes when she sees that the girl is already looking at her. 

Then Ochako realises that Himiko is getting closer. Leaning in. The sight seems to play out in slow-motion. But why is it happening? She would rack her head for an explanation, but she finds that it’s quite empty in there, so she goes still instead. Himiko keeps going, and Ochako flinches. At what? Time seems to drag on for too long, almost in slow motion. Then, it’s over--Himiko has passed out of Ochako’s line of sight and is whispering in her ear. 

“Wanna ditch?” It comes out dangerous, like she’s suggesting they escape to another country. Ochako doesn’t know what she had been expecting, but she brushes it off and adapts. 

“...Sure,” she says feebly. As much as she loves her friends, she doesn’t want to find out if they can drag out this topic for the entirety of lunch. 

That’s all it takes for Himiko to give her a quiet smile, before shifting into action. It’s like the air suddenly shifts, with a jolt of electricity that Ochako swears she feels shoot right through her.

“Uraraka’s been hurt!” Himiko exclaims, loud enough to pass through to the boys’ dispute. They pause, and--even though Himiko had announced it--all turn towards Ochako with concern. The situation happens too fast, the sudden attention making her head blank, so she looks at Himiko to explain for her. Yeah, best to trust her and not question whatever is going on.

The three follow Ochako and shift their attention to Himiko. Like a game of tennis with their heads as the ball, Himiko passes them back to Ochako by pointing at her hand. Even though she would be a hypothetical tennis player in this situation, Ochako is bewildered too, and looks down with them. 

Indeed, there is a small cut on her thumb, blood just barely leaking out. When did that happen?

“You guys are so lucky I’m around,” Himiko sighs, tutting as she picks up Ochako’s hand to inspect the cut. “I should really get her to the infirmary.”

Oh, so that’s her plan. Did she notice that Ochako had been hurt earlier? ‘It isn’t like we’re actually ditching, if I would have needed to go to the nurses office anyways,’ Ochako thinks. Nevertheless, she plays along with Himiko.

“Amazing idea, Himiko! Uh, have fun you guys!” Ochako gently takes her hand back, covering the wound to suppress the bleeding, however minor it is. 

Together, she and Himiko make a quick escape. The others must either trust their word or want to continue their discussion, as their farewells are a tad bit hasty before they resume it. Himiko plays her part as a gracious caretaker by handling both her and Ochako’s trays, and soon they’re racing down the hallways, giggling without a care for the startled students that they pass.

“Keep up, Ochako!” Himiko snickers from ahead of her. 

“The teachers might see us!” Ochako huffs back, though she’s not actually upset. Most of the teachers are eating lunch right now, and being around Himiko really messes up her priorities. She feels like she wouldn’t even care if they were scolded by Aizawa himself. It’s kind of funny, that a man with a closet limited to what it seems like one outfit and a sleeping bag has a stricter reputation than All Might, the former number one. Or maybe the running is making her delirious. 

Maybe it’s Himiko.

“Who cares!” comes Himiko’s voice, as she swerves neatly around a corner. Ochako doesn’t reply, coming around the turn to see the door to the nurses office and Himiko stopping in front of it. She jogs up to her, slowing her pace and catching her breath. Himiko doesn’t wait to open the entrance slightly, peeking in before pushing it all the way. 

From behind her, she catches sight of the room. It’s become somewhat familiar by now. It’s interesting, Ochako thinks; after spending most of her life avoiding hospitals, she’s suddenly found herself in the school equivalent of one three times in less than two weeks. It’s almost like she’s compensating for it.

Not to mention, she’s coming here willingly. What is it about Himiko that makes her feel so drawn to her? It’s not really just because she’s attractive, is it? Ochako nervously looks at Himiko. They’re around the same height, but she feels outperformed in every category, honestly. Not even in a self-deprecating way--Himiko is just one of the most beautiful girls that she has ever seen. She wonders if Himiko has a boyfriend. She has to, right? If someone like her doesn’t, then Ochako doesn’t think there's much hope for the rest of the regular folk.

Anyways, she only hopes that if this becomes regular, she’ll be visiting it like this and not because of any more (stupid) injuries. That’s another thing that’s interesting. She’s already assuming that she’ll come back, already feels comfortable around Himiko. 

“The boss is having lunch right now,” Himiko hums, going in with a skip in her step. Ochako follows her, short of breath now that the adrenaline has worn off. She decides to sit on the edge of one of the beds, as Himiko quickly goes towards the back of the room with no indication to follow.

The cut (if you can even call it that, it’s pretty small) has already stopped bleeding. Ochako doesn’t know if she should scrape off the dried blood, though, so she just waits for Himiko.

The other girl takes a minute, shuffling around a cupboard, but eventually comes back with a plaster. Seeing Ochako’s finger, she frowns.

“I didn’t wash it? Give me your hand,” she orders, and Ochako does as she says without thinking. The other girl peers at it closely for a second, then her tongue darts out and she licks- actually licks, the cut. Ochako gasps, flinching and nearly yanking her hand back on reflex. 

She almost doesn’t believe it happened, because there had barely been any blood and it was a quick job. However, from the traces of saliva she can still feel, cold against the air on her finger, and the unreadable expression on Himiko’s face as she studies hers, Ochako knows that she didn’t imagine it.

“Sorry!” Himiko says abruptly, almost artificially, letting go of her hand. Her eyes jerk away from Ochako to unpeel a plaster, and silence falls upon the two. 

What was that? Should she talk about it? Ochako watches the girl fumble slightly with the band-aid, her whole face concentrating on it in an obvious attempt to avoid Ochako’s gaze. Maybe not. 

Sure, it had been a bit weird, but Himiko didn’t do it with any bad intention. Besides, Ochako isn’t angry or grossed out, even though she probably should be. So, there’s no reason for Himiko to apologise. Still not looking at her, the girl takes her hand again more carefully than before. 

“Oh, it’s fine! You’re the nurse- er, assistant, here!” Ochako reassures, making an effort to show how unbothered she is. 

Himiko’s smile gets a bit warmer at that, and she finishes her job. 

“All better!” she chirps. Ochako feels the loss of Himiko’s careful touch, as she examines her finger. There’s not much to see--it’s been plastered, all right.

“So, you want to become a nurse when you’ve graduated from UA?” Ochako asks, quickly losing interest in her thumb. She’s pretty sure she knows the answer, but she wants to hear it in Himiko’s own words anyways.

“Yep!” The girl replies. “Like you said before, my quirk is really useful for blood transfusions,” she pauses, sitting down next to Ochako. “I didn’t realise it right from the start, though. From when I was a kid, I- well, I loved blood. I just thought it was so pretty--like how someone else would think that someone’s hair is pretty. I didn’t want to make people sad, or angry, but no one seemed to understand that-” Himiko cuts herself off. One second, she seems conflicted, her words coming out faster than she can think, but in another, the emotion is wiped off her face and replaced by a smile.

Ochako blinks, unsure of what to say. That seems like a pretty normal preference, considering her quirk, but Himiko looks really upset. The way she had just blurted all of  that out of nowhere... is she trying to explain herself? Is that the reason why she had licked Ochako’s cut so casually earlier? She’s already over that, but she doesn’t know if she should say so. Himiko seems kind of embarrassed by her outburst; perhaps the kinder thing is to just move on.

“...Sorry, Uraraka! What a load of depressing stuff!” Her grin is pulled too wide. Ochako thinks that she doesn’t like it as much as her usual one. What is this girl always apologising for, anyways? Does she think that Ochako’s the type of person to judge someone’s vulnerabilities, or ignore someone who’s feeling down? She has to do something about that.

“Himiko, you can go on. I’ll listen,” Ochako says firmly. Himiko stays silent for a bit.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to listen to me whine about my problems,” Himiko murmurs. She seems uncertain for once, unlike her usual happy-go-lucky persona. 

“I’m sure!” Ochako nods determinedly. “If you don’t feel comfortable, then that’s okay too, but I want you to know that you’re always welcome to share your problems or feelings. Whatever you want to do is okay with me.” 

Ochako holds her gaze firmly, and gulps. She feels a little embarrassed at being so sincere, wondering if she sounded too commercial--but if she did, then Himiko doesn’t point it out. Thankfully, her words seem to soothe the girl, and she looks relieved as she returns to more genuinely to her usual self.

“Thanks, Uraraka! What I want… is to talk about you!” Himiko exclaims. It’s not what Ochako had expected, but she did say that she would go with anything Himiko wanted, so she won’t press any further. 

“Live on national television; what is Uravity’s reason for becoming our beloved number one hero?” Himiko suddenly questions her, imaginary mic in hand. A bit unconventional, but if this is what makes the girl feel better, then she’ll play along.

She huffs. “Is this your version of small talk? I don’t know how I managed to beat out Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki for the title.”

“With your charming smile, of course!” Himiko uses her free hand to point at the one on her own face. “There’s no better accessory--that Bakugo and Todoroki are quite lacking, might I comment professionally. Deku, he’s too busy arguing with people over hypotheticals. Which leaves the spot just for you!” Her finger lands on Ochako like an enthusiastic game show host, and she makes a soft pew sound.

Ochako snorts. Although, she can agree with what Himiko said at the beginning. Not the part about her having a charming smile--it pales in comparison to Himiko’s--but that it’s the best accessory someone can wear.

(And maybe that part about Bakugo and Todoroki lacking them, as well, but she digresses)

“Well, miss reporter, the reason why has evolved a bit since I first entered UA. I mean, none of it has really changed, but there’s more to it now.” She looks at Himiko, who has the microphone pushed into Ochako’s face expectantly. 

“I started training to be a hero so that I could earn money for my parents. I wanted them to smile, and live comfortably. Being a hero meant that I could support them while making everyone else smile, too. But recently, seeing my classmates and teachers struggle, seeing them want to be stronger so desperately even at the cost of their own health has made me want to help them too. So, I guess you could say I’m a hero because I want to keep everyone smiling,” she finishes, pulling on her own, practised PR-ready smile.

Himiko appears satisfied with the answer, nodding in approval.

“Good, good… my ratings are gonna shoot up,” she mutters. “So- when you say everyone, you mean 12-trillion-people-on-earth everyone, right?”

“I mean 12-trillion-people-on-earth everyone!” Ochako confirms zealously. 

“Excellent! Five stars! I knew I saw potential in you all those years ago during the sports festival tournament!” Himiko praises, balancing her imaginary microphone between her fingers to applaud her.

Ochako giggles at the sight. Speaking of, now is as good of a time as ever to ask about that.

“Good to know I have a veteran fan! What potential did you see in me back then?” she jokes. She’s a bit nervous to hear the answer. She knows that she must have looked a bit, well,  desperate on that field. Aside from Bakugou himself, there were so many other contestants that had outshined her. She can’t understand why Himiko would single her out specifically. Perhaps Ochako was just one of many that Himiko admired that day?

No matter what Himiko says, she hopes that she can live up to it. It’ll be good to hear someone’s opinion, so that she can work from it.

Himiko taps on her chin, wearing the image of someone deep in thought. It’s just for show, along with the obnoxious ‘hmmmmmm’ that the girl drags out with it.

“-mmmmmmm,” the noise is finally cut short. “...What I saw was someone who would do anything she could for her goal, and push through even if the whole world and her own body was against her saying that she couldn’t. I saw someone who was putting her raw emotions into every single one of her actions, and I really admired her for being so true to herself. Plus, you looked pretty cool, beaten up and still going.” Himiko summarises, wearing a look fond with nostalgia.

It amazes Ochako, how she’s able to explain herself so swiftly, and so clearly. She might even be a bit envious, but everyone has their own skills. Maybe if Himiko doesn’t become a nurse, she could be a public speaker instead. Though, her face might distract the people she’s speaking to.

Does someone like Himiko really think that highly of her? Even though she had asked, Ochako feels a bit embarrassed about the response she has received. All that stuff that Himiko has just said sounds a lot better, and also much more wordy than just ‘desperate.’ The praise makes her chest buzz with excitement, but she doesn’t know what to say in return. If only I could express myself like Himiko, she thinks. 

“So, Uravity,” Himiko continues, fast as ever to keep things fresh. She can probably sense that Ochako feels nervous. “Are you a cat or a dog person?” The question is unexpected, but Ochako’s getting used to that. 

They spend the rest of the lunch there, the conversation playful and light, and Ochako wouldn’t mind if it stretched on forever.

And that’s how they become friends. Ochako is Himiko’s friend. She likes that she’s Himiko’s more than she likes that she’s her friend, even if she doesn’t quite understand why. All she knows is that Himiko has swiftly become one of the most special people in Ochako’s life. It suits her fast-paced personality--always darting from one topic to another and keeping Ochako on her feet. She can never guess what Himiko is going to say or do next, and Himiko seems more than content to play around with her.

Ochako starts looking forward to lunch time every day, and feeling disappointed when it ends. It isn’t like the lunches before with her other friends had been boring, but she sees them all day, every day. Something-something about variety and flavor? She only gets to see Himiko at that time, or if she gets injured. (Which is never, because Ochako isn’t a reckless person!) 

It seems like her other friends are getting along with Himiko, too. Todoroki follows her nonsensical ranting with a clean poker-face, Iida asks for her opinions on formal topics as if he's an interviewer, and Deku is mercilessly ripped apart by her teasing way too often. Sometimes, these things happen all at once, but Himiko always ends up involving Ochako even if split off conversations are bound to happen in a big group like this.

It’s not like she’s complaining, though, since it makes Ochako feel like she’s special to her. Himiko is special to Ochako, too, so it’s nice for the feeling to be mutual. That’s all, really!

Now, where is her hairbrush? Ochako gets onto her hands and knees and peeks under her bed. It’s currently an already terrible morning and she’s don’t-know minutes late, because her alarm clock had run out of battery at--she looks up at it--thirty minutes past five. Why couldn’t it have held on for just a couple more hours?

Though, her losing her hairbrush isn’t the clock’s fault, and her spending too much time trying to find it certainly isn’t either. She could just give up on it and run her hands through her hair a couple times, but…

Okay, so, Himiko has started walking her to the main building in the mornings. A couple of days ago, Ochako had pushed the entrance open only to find the girl waiting behind it. No, she didn’t jumpscare Ochako this time, and yes, Ochako still reacted as if she had done so. In her defence, it’s not like anyone is fully awake at eight a.m. in the morning. 

Well, except for the psychopaths (cough Bakugou, Deku) who wake up at the crack of dawn for training. You would think that it’s just another weird micro-competition between them, only that on the weekend, Ochako had run into Yaoyorozu after the girl’s ‘light jog’ at six in the morning. It was with great reluctance that Ochako had admitted that she was only awake to bring snacks back to her room and fall right back asleep until at least twelve.

Actually, is that…? Ochako grabs a wrapper from under her bed. A bed that has no hairbrush underneath it, by the way. Yeah, it’s the granola bar from the day of her encounter with Yaoyorozu. Ochako sighs, hurling it towards the bin. It misses by a long shot and flutters to the ground, but she spies something nearby. 

The hairbrush! Ochako crawls towards it, because she’s been searching for the damn thing for too long to care about acting dignified anymore. Claiming her prize, she starts untangling her hair from the bottom.

So, maybe she wants to look presentable for Himiko. Is that so odd? Some people don’t care about their appearances, and some people do. Everyone does their own thing, and what Ochako wants to do is have unknotted hair around Himiko. 

…And maybe put on a tiny bit of makeup if she has the time. Ochako snorts. That almost makes it sound like she’s getting ready to see her boyfriend. She pauses for a second.

Himiko as her boyfriend, huh? Now that doesn’t sound too bad. Besides her being plain attractive, and having the cutest smile Ochako has ever seen, she’s also witty, fun to be with, and surprisingly sincere. She’s never one to judge who you are, and it’s actually quite difficult not to be your genuine self when you’re in her presence. Being around her is disarming, in the best way. 

Additionally, Ochako really admires that she always does things at her own pace. There’s no room for hesitation for Himiko Toga, because she always knows what she wants and does what she wants. It makes Ochako excited to see where Himiko wants to go. The way she lives is quite beautiful, to be honest. 

Just like her, Ochako thinks. Her chest starts to feel warm, and she brings her hands to her mouth. When did she start smiling? And that line was so cheesy; God, it really does seem like she’s a lovesick girl swooning over her crush. Why does the thought of Himiko make her heart race like this? Is it just because she admires her so much? Himiko does seem to be outstanding in everything Ochako thinks of herself as mediocre.

After she’s done with her hairbrush, she places it with much more care on top of her desk. So, what time is it? She probably should have checked earlier, but she was too distracted during her search. 

Upon tapping the screen of the phone, Ochako frowns down at it. It’s actually… quite early. For some reason, she had assumed otherwise and rushed out of her bed, panicking at the thought of making Himiko wait. That really says a lot about her priorities. 

Though, now that she knows she has the time, maybe she should do a little more for her makeup.

…For Himiko. Is it too much, to be doing all of this for your friend? Ochako pauses, feeling a knot of worry grow in her chest. If she acts this eager, will Himiko be annoyed? The last thing she wants is to be clingy. Himiko always seems so happy, so she would feel awful to be the reason why that changes. 

Though, she still wants to look good for her. Maybe she shouldn’t do too much for her makeup, but she can still see how much she can get away with without seeming like she’s trying too hard.

She hopes that Himiko doesn’t feel bothered by her. That’s all that matters.

“Haha! Gotcha!” Himiko teases one day, pulling at Ochako’s cheeks from behind her. They’re in her dorm room, and Ochako sits defeated on the floor as Himiko torments her. Well, it’s Himiko in the form of Deku. She doesn’t know how she fell for this after the fake Aizawa, out of all people! It had been really freaky to be hugged by her teacher while his usually monotone voice giggled. 

“You’re way too good at impersonating people!” Ochako groans, as her face is pulled and prodded at. 

“And you’re way too good at falling for it!” is Himiko’s only defence as she squishes Ochako’s poor face with her palms. Her hands have become softer, and her voice is now her own, so she must have transformed back. Her clothes don’t come back when she does, though, so she had probably stuffed her uniform somewhere here in advance. Ochako tries not to think about what's behind her. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. 

To distract herself, she moves the conversation along. 

“How did you get their blood, anyways? I haven’t seen any of Deku’s boot marks on you, and Aizawa still lets you into the class before homeroom, so I’m guessing you didn’t jump him either.”

The question only comes from curiosity--who wouldn’t want to know how a teenage girl got close to the Eraserhead? But Himiko stills, and Ochako suddenly wishes she could take back her question. It isn’t that important anyways, if it upsets Himiko. 

She’s wondering how she can brush over her own question when she feels Himiko’s cold fingers clasp around her face delicately, as if she’s cradling something fragile. A shadow looms closer, nearly nuzzling into her shoulder. Ochako sucks in a small breath at the proximity, and a scent hits her. It’s sharp, sweet, and familiar; Himiko’s, just like that cute smile is Himiko’s, just like Ochako is Himiko’s. She’s a perfect picture of a cheerful, upbeat girl, but painted with an addictive color that swallows you into her vivid inner world. Ochako never wants to leave.

“That’s my secret!” Himiko whispers softly. Her breath tingles against Ochako’s neck.

“Okay.” Is all she can say in return.

Himiko hasn’t impersonated anyone since then.

The fourth time Ochako visits the nurse’s office, she’s not alone. Actually, she’s not even hurt; Tsu is the one feeling nauseous, but Ochako volunteered to help her. She cares about her friend, of course! Seeing Himiko is just- a nice bonus! She feels slightly guilty for being excited rather than worried about Tsu’s wellbeing, and mentally apologises.

“We’re here! Just a little more, Tsu…” She steadies her friend, who’s leaning against her, and opens the door with a little bit too much vigor. She quickly zones in on Himiko, standing next to Recovery Girl as the woman examines a student lying on one of the beds.

Himiko visibly brightens when she sees her, smiling as a greeting and not leaving her place next to her mentor. Ochako nearly forgets that she’s doing official intern work and calls out to her, but holds her tongue and stands by the door just in time. 

Recovery Girl evaluates Tsu’s state, then says;

“Hello, girls. Toga, can I trust you to take care of her? The quirk that this boy got himself hit with is quite troublesome...” 

“Yes, ma’am!” Himiko chirps. She dashes over to help Ochako guide Tsu towards the other bed.

“So, do you have any idea what's giving you problems?” Himiko asks professionally. 

“Ribbit…I figured it out on my way here. Early period cramps.” Tsu croaks. 

“Ah, let me get you a cup of water.” Himiko hurries away, returning quickly with a paper cup and handing it over. 

“Thanks…” 

“No problem! Anything for a friend of Uraraka’s!” 

Tsu takes a gulp. “Call me Tsu. Still ‘Uraraka,’ huh?” 

“What?” Ochako blinks, confused. Her two friends don’t seem to notice.

“Yeah, but I’m hoping that changes by Christmas!” Himiko grins cheerfully. 

“Christmas, huh? Ribbit. That's a while away. I think you should just go for it if you want it now. It probably hasn’t even crossed her mind, since you tend to distract her.”

Wait, this is about Ochako, right? 

“Hey! What secrets are you two conspiring about!” She pesters, tugging at Himiko’s sleeve to shake her back and forth.

“Nooothinggg, Urrraarraakaa” Himiko replies, her voice vibrating from the movement. Ochako stops abruptly. The other girl’s head lolls to the side, the top of her buns hiding her face from view. Her body goes almost completely limp in Ochako’s grasp. Almost. 

“You’ve killed me, Uraraka. How could you, in a room meant for saving lives? Recovery Girl will ban you from here, and then you’ll get kicked out of the hero course and become a villain out of spite.” The dead body mumbles languidly. 

“Call me Ochako.”

That gets the corpse interested, and its posture perks up faintly. Looks like Ochako got it right. Himiko’s been getting easier to read.

“Really? I’m not just imagining happy things as I cross over to the other side?” 

“Really!”

Tsu was right--Himiko does distract her, because in the next second she’s escaped from Ochako’s grasp and pounced on her, arms wrapped around her in a tight hug. 

“Yay! Ochako, Ochako, Ochako!” The Ochako in question can’t even turn to see Himiko’s face because of how secure the girl’s hold is, but she can hear the smile in her voice and it spreads onto her own face. 

Then she makes eye contact with Tsu, looking amused as she sips on her water. Suddenly, she’s aware of how they might look to other people. Heat swells uncomfortably across her entire body, and she’s not sure if it’s Himiko’s or hers. Even so, she doesn’t push the girl off of her, and Tsu gives her a knowing frog blink.

“Toga,” comes an older voice from behind them. Himiko peers back, while Ochako stays stuck in her arms.

“Oops! Sorry, boss!” She calls back. Himiko gives her one last squeeze, then lets go. Quieter, she says; 

“Psst, you should get going, Tsu’s safe with me, I promise! I’ll stop by later,” she winks cheekily, and Ochako just feels dazed as she gapes at her friend. It makes Himiko frown.

“Eh? I didn’t squeeze you that hard, did I?” Her expression suddenly turns into something more predatory, and her mouth splits into a grin. “Or do I look that cute today?” she teases, and that certainly breaks Ochako out of her spell.

“Wh-wh-what?!” she sputters. Just when she had started thinking she could keep up with her, she goes and says something like that. What had been even worse was Ochako’s reaction! What the hell was that? 

“No? Hm, okay.” Himiko feigns disappointment, looking away. Oh, compliment fishing now, are we?

“Himiko Toga, cute girls like you have no right to be such brats!” Ochako stands up, giving the girl’s cheek a scornful poke. She turns back to her less bratty friend and huffs. “I hope you feel better soon, Tsu. Bye!”

“I think watching you two already helped. Bye, Ochako.”

“What, no goodbye for me? Rude!” Ochako hears Himiko holler as she marches out of the room.

Heading back to class, Ochako replays what had just happened in her head. Himiko’s arms wound around her, pulling her so close that she could never leave--as if they could melt into each other and become one.

‘Do I look that cute today?’

She scoffs. What kind of question was that? Of course she did, she looks cute every day! Himiko is the cutest girl Ochako has ever met! She’s got gorgeous blonde hair, she’s… well proportioned--objectively--even though she’s only a bit taller than Ochako, the flow of her limbs is smooth in a way where you can’t help but be drawn to her movements, and the nurse uniform she wears seems to flatter her effortlessly. Not to mention, she has the number one smile in Ochako’s smiles-that-would-make-a-sick-patient-think-they’re-seeing-an-angel ranking.

Ochako pauses. Is…this normal to think about your friend? She’s been having a lot of thoughts like this, lately. Himiko is definitely a cute girl, no question, but she doesn’t think this about Tsu, or even Yaoyorozu, who’s been silently agreed upon by class 1A as the ‘prettiest girl’. 

Is Himiko’s smile what makes her different? Ochako has always been a sucker for people’s smiles; seeing them is one of her biggest motivations to becoming a hero. No, that doesn’t feel right. Sure, Himiko has a nice smile, but that's not the only reason why Ochako is drawn to her. Actually, it’s more like her smile alone doesn’t capture Himiko well enough. With someone like Himiko, you can’t just compliment one thing about her and leave it at that, because it’s when you combine all the beautiful things about her--like her laugh, and her playful teasing, and the way she does things the way she wants without much regard for what people think she should do, that you do Himiko Toga justice. 

Something catches Ochako’s attention out of the corner of her eye, and she turns to see the window of class 1A. A couple of the students closer to the glass are looking back at her with strange expressions.

She blinks. Wait. Ochako turns around, and sees the door to the classroom that she somehow missed before. Had thinking of Himiko distracted her that much?! Speedily, she corrects her path and mumbles an explanation about Tsu’s absence to Ms. Midnight. On her way to her seat, she really can’t help the glance she sneaks at Yaoyorozu, or the thought: ‘Yeah, it’s not the same,’ that pops into her head.

To say that Ochako is distracted for the rest of her classes that day is an understatement. The realisation that Himiko is different, makes her restless. It’s been so obvious, but she’s only actually grasped it now. Ochako suddenly has so many questions--like just how different and different how, exactly?--that she definitely doesn’t have time to solve during math class. Luckily she doesn’t have hero training, because Ochako is sure that she wouldn’t be able to pay attention and end up with an injury that would send her straight back to the infirmary, again.

Although, then she would be able to see Himiko again. 

Oh, my god. Ochako shakes her head, focusing back on the math equations on the board. Math, math, math! She has to pay attention!

Right! If her grades sink so low that she gets kicked out of UA, then she won’t be able to see Himiko ever again.

 …Not the point.

Just the thought of having to see her friend (Friend?) later in this state makes a bead of sweat roll down her temple. Ugh, now she’s getting flashbacks to that one time.

“Math, math, m-” Ochako cuts herself off when she notices Iida giving her a concerned look over his shoulder. She musters a weak smile to assure him that she hasn’t been driven insane by advanced algebra, then concentrates on the lesson again.

(Not before peeking up at the clock, though. Thirty more minutes.)

Ochako calms down by the end of Math, Himiko drifting from her mind once the example worksheet for the new formula is handed out. It really hits her then how much her lack of attention has cost. She has to ask Ectoplasm some very telling questions, but she’s pretty sure he lets her off because he thinks she’s worried about Tsu.

When the bell rings she practically jumps out of her seat and starts packing. She doesn’t want to keep Himiko waiting, after all. Give the girl enough time and she’ll get bored enough to find a way to pinch some of All Might’s blood. Ochaco would probably drop dead from shock.

Now that would be funny to see on a gravestone; ‘Ochako Uraraka- death from All Might impersonation.’ She snorts, only for something else to occur to her. 

‘The blood…’ Ochako thinks, zipping up her backpack. After that night in her dorm, she’s pushed it out of her mind out of consideration for Himiko. However, it doesn’t mean she’s not still curious. It would be nice to have an answer to that mystery, since she’s become so preoccupied with another.

An idea comes to her, and she grabs her bag off of her desk to head towards Deku’s. 

“Oh, Uraraka! Is Tsu okay?” the boy greets, throwing some pencils into the opening of his bag. 

First of all--those are totally going to get crushed. He really has no sense of self-preservation, does he? Secondly, why does Deku’s backpack look so much more crammed than Ochako’s? They have the same classes, for god's sake! 

Ochako tears her eyes off of the drooping state of the bag, with some effort. Pencils aside, it almost seems like the zip opening is pulled into a frown, begging for her to save it from bursting apart. 

…Not what she wants to talk about. She isn’t here on behalf of Deku’s mom.

“Tsu was doing better when I left, don’t worry!” She leaves out the finer details, not wanting to have girl-talk with Deku. “Hey, this might be a weird question, but can I ask you something?”

He seems surprised, but oblivious. So nothing major enough to be weighing on his mind has happened, that’s good.

“Sure, go ahead.”

Ochako takes a second trying to find the right words. Her plan kind of sucks, to be honest. 

“Have you gotten into any accidents recently? Like, injured yourself?” What she really wants to ask is, ‘Have you bled recently, around Himiko maybe?’ but she figures that’s pushing it. Plus, Deku might go to Himiko to ask about it. 

“Injured myself? Well… not really, to be honest. A couple small incidents in training? And I guess I accidentally cut myself on one of the dorm’s kitchen knives a while back- if that counts,” Deku says, clearly struggling to recall. 

For some reason, Ochako feels relieved. Why? It isn’t like Himiko has been going around cutting people up. She would never do something so, well, villainous. Although, that would imply that Himiko has been sneaking around the dorms and wiping up any spilt blood, which doesn’t sound much better. Ochako catches herself before she can frown in front of Deku. She came here to get an answer, but the only thing she’s done is reopen a retired case. 

Why is she even thinking about this, and now? The reason why she had let it go in the first place was because it had upset Himiko. And she trusts her, really. So why is she asking Deku about this? Himiko must have an explanation about this, but-

Ochako thinks back to how the girl had reacted when she had asked. It hadn’t been angry, or even slightly annoyed; she just didn’t want to talk about it. And if she hadn’t treated it seriously, then maybe it isn’t. Ochako doesn’t want to pry into things that make the other person uncomfortable, even if she’s curious.

Though, perhaps Ochako is just a tiny bit scared. She hadn’t wanted- doesn’t want to think about this, but no matter how she looks at it, Himiko must have… she must have drank those people’s blood. What does it mean, if she did? Ochako really doesn’t want to think about that. 

Also, Himiko had stopped doing that. Right! Ochako has only seen space-bunned Himiko ever since that day. So even if she was doing  …whatever she was doing with blood, she probably isn’t doing it anymore. Maybe this case isn’t retired; it’s closed, and Ochako is just tripping over her own worries for nothing.

Himiko can have her secrets, Ochako decides. As her friend, it’s her duty to respect her wishes.

“Okay, thanks Deku!” she replies. Even though she hasn’t gotten a clear answer, she’s happy that this conversation has led her to some sort of a conclusion. Namely, doing nothing. It seems like a cowardly choice, but it honestly seems like the only one that will prevent Himiko from getting upset. Her feelings are the highest priority, after all. 

“No problem. Why did you want to know?” He asks, when Ochako doesn’t continue. She should have expected this, honestly. For a lack of a better response, she just titters nervously and tries to play it cool.

“It’s nothing important! Do you want to walk back to the dorms with me?” The deflection is a bit too obvious, and she sees Deku’s eyes narrow, but rather than look suspicious he just seems confused. 

“Alright,” he says, seemingly deciding to let it go. Ochako relaxes, and the two walk up the door when a familiar pair of space buns pops up in front of her out of nowhere.

“Ochako! Oh, and Izuku too!” Himiko is suddenly right in Ochako’s personal space, and she nearly goes cross-eyed trying to catch up. When Himiko said that she would ‘see her later’, she had thought it was, like, at the dorms later. Then again, there’s no point trying to predict this girl’s actions. However, Ochako’s mind zeroes in on something else.

‘Izuku?’ Why is she calling him that? The thought crosses her mind before she’s even realised it, and a pang of--jealousy?--zaps through her. It surprises her, because it comes out of nowhere, and it’s over something so small, too. She’s such a mess today. Himiko can do what she wants, really! It shouldn’t bother her. 

It shouldn’t.

“Toga!” Deku exclaims, caught just as off-guard as Ochako, but for a different reason. The envy calms a bit at the fact that Himiko and Deku haven’t buddied up with each other behind her back that much. Himiko is a friendly person, and Deku is too polite to mind what someone wants to call him--there’s proof of that right in the ‘nickname’ his middle-school friend/academic rival/whatever they are, had given him. 

“That’s me! I felt like coming here instead of waiting by the hero dorms today, so I did,” her grin doesn’t falter for a second as she keeps speaking. “I’m not interrupting a couple’s stroll, am I?”

The jab doesn’t affect Ochako, and she just scoffs, but Deku is unfortunately still not so used to Himiko’s teasing, and fills up red. If Ochako has to describe it, it looks like tomato juice is being poured into his head.

“N-No!!!” he splutters, and the sight makes Himiko giggle. Ochako rolls her eyes and grabs both of their arms, hauling them out into the hall. They’d stay here for hours if she let Himiko harass such an easy victim any longer. Perhaps it could be considered quite insulting that Deku had refused the suggestion so quickly, but she doesn’t really care. She’d much rather- okay, she should shut up now. 

Granted, the walk doesn’t keep the girl nearly busy enough to prevent her from picking on Deku, but at least Ochako is getting closer and closer to her comfy bed. Besides, it’s nice to see two of her friends getting along so well, even if she feels strangely possessive over one of them. She really needs to figure herself out. Honestly, she feels a bit horrible, standing here like normal while being so strangely fixated on Himiko. She’s nervous that somehow, they can tell.

Is Himiko having fun? Is she having more fun than she would alone with Ochako? Ah, it doesn’t matter. Himiko is happy, so Ochako should be too.

“What? So Shouto is a liar?” Himiko gasps, her look of shock too exaggerated to be real. Somehow, Deku still falls for the bait.

“He’s mistaken! All Might and I are not related in any way!!! I don’t know why he still thinks that!” The boy frantically waves his hands in a useless defence. Himiko continues.

“I dunno, a little birdie with two-toned hair gave me some pretty solid evidence.” She mimics unraveling a scroll as she speaks, reading off of it like a list. “Frequent secret talks, eating lunch together, favoritism…” The scroll is pulled open further. “Similar quirks, being spotted on trips with each other…” Himiko furrows her brows, squinting at her scroll.

“You know, most of these… you’re lucky that Shouto thinks that All Might is your old man, and not something else,” she lets go of the bottom of the scroll, as if it springs back and rolls up, before tucking it neatly into her blazer pocket.

“What do you…ew!” Deku wrinkles his nose and goes from red to green, like a color-changing Christmas light. Ochako doesn’t get it. 

Anyways, they’re back at the dorms. Deku runs off to his room with the excuse of some homework, (Although Ochako’s pretty sure he just wants to escape from Himiko) leaving the two girls alone. She’s satisfied to have Himiko all to herself, but she’s also a bit too aware of the fact that it’s just the two of them.

How long has she been like this because of Himiko? How long has she been behaving strangely around her, and has Himiko noticed? She has so many questions, but she can’t ask the only person she wants to hear the answer from. Maybe just being around Himiko will soothe her.

Ochako can only hope. 

They don’t talk on the way to Ochako’s room. Her breathing is a bit stiff, her arm tense from occasionally brushing against Himiko’s. The other girl doesn’t notice. Or rather, she doesn’t mind. She never does when Ochako is uneasy, choosing to give her space unless she wants to bring it up. 

(Ochako never does, too afraid of bothering Himiko)

Ochako peeks at Himiko from the corner of her eye. She has a content smile on her face, humming a melody Ochako hasn’t heard of as she skips slightly beside her. It sounds soothing in the soft tone of Himiko’s voice, the notes shifting from one to another in a way that tells Ochako that she would be a good singer, too. 

Everything she does just seems to entrance Ochako, doesn’t it? It doesn’t matter if she’s humming, or singing, or even silent—the way she does things is just so captivating. 

Himiko stops in front of Ochako’s room. 

“After you, my humble lady,” the girl says, bowing to imitate the stance of a butler. 

Ochako huffs, entering and turning around to see Himiko waiting cheekily at the boundary between the hallway and the bedroom. She always does this, for some reason. 

“You can come in, my loyal, most-courteous servant,” she doesn’t wait to finish her sentence before pulling Himiko towards her. If anything, Ochako should be the butler and Himiko should be the princess. She won’t say it, though, because her friend would jump at the easy opening to poke fun at her, and Ochako would end up a blushing mess.

Himiko leaps into her arms, falling, and then keeps falling, and before Ochako can do anything about it the two of them have hit the ground with a ‘Thud!’ 

Ochaco winces as her back makes contact with the hardwood. Even so, it doesn’t hurt that much, and the feeling of Himiko’s body shaking with light laughter on top of her negates any of the pain, anyways. Ochaco quickly becomes flustered as she feels the pressure of Himiko’s chest pushing down on her. Luckily, the girl rolls off of her and flops onto her back beside her before Ochaco can figure that feeling out.

At some point, Himiko has stopped laughing, and they lie on the floor in a comfortable silence. Ochako wants to speak up, to ask if Himiko has the answer to her feelings. She doesn’t know what to say, though. ‘Hey, I think I like you as something other than a friend! I’m so confused. Also, how did you get that blood?’

Ochako’s heart sinks a bit. She’s still thinking about that? It doesn’t matter, really. Himiko doesn’t want to talk about it, so she shouldn’t either. If Ochako keeps brooding over it, she’ll spoil this precious moment with Himiko. Granted, most of their time together feels special, but that doesn’t make this particular moment any less so. 

Ochako wonders if she’ll remember this moment ten years from now. Compared to a number like that, the months they’ve spent with each other feel so fleeting. How did they get this far, in such a period of time? Ochako already never wants to let go of Himiko. She wants to give her everything.

Neither of them had time to turn on the lights, so the only thing illuminating the room is the grey of the clouded sky. It’s tainted slightly orange. The days have been getting shorter, and the sun will probably set soon. It would be nice, Ochako thinks, to watch it with Himiko. She would look so beautiful washed in the hue of the fading sun.

They’ve been lying down like this for a few minutes now. Ochako becomes nervous that Himiko is waiting for her, and opens her mouth to suggest her idea about the sunset. However, Himiko is too fast, as usual, and speaks first. 

“Hey, Ochako?” she says softly. Ochako turns to face her, but Himiko is still staring up at the ceiling, a wistful expression on her face. She’s never seen this look on the girl before. Does Himiko feel the change that Ochako has recognised in herself? Is it in the atmosphere?

“Yeah?” Ochako whispers, studying the peaceful glaze of her eyes, the subtler, close mouthed smile on her face, the tint of her skin nearly covered by the shadows of the unlit room. She stays as still as she can, transfixed by the sight.

“Do you have someone you love?” Is what comes out of Himiko, unexpectedly. She’s still ignoring Ochako’s gaze; which is good, because Ochako’s afraid that she would have been able to see all of her feelings laid out in that moment if she wasn’t. Though, it’s a bit unfair that she can see the other girl. Himiko is acting so different from usual, and looks so unexpectedly delicate. Before, had she been wondering if she would remember this? Now she knows for sure--she definitely will. 

For all the surprise she feels, Ochako doesn’t startle. Something tells her that if she makes the wrong move, then this precious moment--with Himiko showing her something that feels almost fragile and young in comparison to her usual unreadable actions, will slip out of her grasp and escape to somewhere that Ochako cannot reach.

She doesn’t answer right away However, it instantly hits her. She knows. She knows how she feels about the girl in front of her--and nobody else. Love, was the word Himiko had used. She loves her parents, she loves to see people smile, and she loves her friends, but that’s not what Himiko is to her, is it? 

No, Himiko means much more to Ochako. She’s something beautiful, and captivating, and unfiltered that Ochako could never help being drawn into the orbit of right from their first meeting. She’s someone who feels everything so strongly, and radiates that pure emotion no matter what she does. It’s dazzling to Ochako, to see someone who feels so intensely. She wants to let herself be consumed by the swirl of chaos, to be Himiko’s, to see everything Himiko is and give her everything Ochako has to offer. 

That’s why she feels so blissful to be around Himiko, even when they’re lying down on the cold, wooden floor in silence, and why she wishes so dearly that this moment could last forever, just the two of them cut off from the rest of the world where she can admire her essence until time ends.

Ochako loves Himiko, more than anything and everything. It almost doesn’t feel like a strong enough word.

The sudden clarity makes her want to blurt it out right there and then. However, as she watches the rise and fall of Himiko’s chest, an expectant--hopeful?--stillness to the girl, she thinks that it’s not the right choice. There’s a subtle heaviness in the air, and Ochako’s instincts are telling her that if she chases her own happiness, then she’ll fall back into a dream with Himiko and won’t ever see this frail, childish smile again. 

Isn’t that what she wants? So why isn’t she doing so? 

(The blood…the blood…)

She doesn’t say no. She would never lie about her emotions, not to someone like Himiko who’s so full of them. Or maybe she’s just a coward. What she replies with instead is;

“Do you, Himiko?” 

Himiko doesn’t seem upset with her answer. Her smile stays, but when she turns to finally meet Ochako’s gaze, her eyes seem a bit sad. It’s not overdone like when she’s pulling her puppy-dog eyes, but imperceptible to anyone who isn’t as familiar with her tells or isn’t close up enough to her face as Ochako is, and that’s how she knows that it’s real. Himiko can’t help but broadcast what she’s feeling--it’s one of the things Ochako loves about her. However, the next thing she does is out of character.

“I do. I love them so, so much.” Himiko's eyes don’t waver from hers, and Ochako’s getting ahead of herself. She’s starving to ask, because she’s never been so curious in her life. She almost fools herself into thinking she can just confess and forget about whatever the reason is for Himiko’s sorrow, but she holds herself back. Just like Himiko is clearly holding something back, for a reason Ochako doesn’t know. She’s unsure, because both of the choices she has seem wrong. Should she confess how she feels and risk losing this part of Himiko, or should she contain herself and have to face that same part that frightens her so much? The part that seems just as weak, just as uncertain as Ochako? It hurts her, not to have the courage to reach out to the one she holds above everything in the world. Some part of her is hoping that Himiko will take that last step for her, so that she knows that she’s allowed to as well.

But Himiko only stares at her, and stares and stares with something behind it that Ochako can’t quite comprehend. She’s scared, she realizes, of Himiko. She understands her, but she also doesn’t at the same time. On the other hand, it feels like Himiko can peer into her soul with ease. 

The human mind is so complicated, Ochako thinks. I wish I could cast it aside and show you how I feel instead.

“You’re the only one,” Himiko murmurs, so gently that Ochako almost questions whether she heard it at all. “You’re the only one that’s ever been this kind to me.” 

It’s not just the volume that makes her doubt what she hears, though.

“The only...?” Ochako repeats, trying to understand. The statement just doesn't make any sense to her. Himiko has told her before that people hadn’t understood her, but that was when she was a kid. Surely now, with her carefree personality, and in a school so prestigious, things are…?

“Everyone thinks I’m weird--a freak who shouldn’t be allowed into the biggest hero school in Japan. Before, it was just because I liked blood, but now people are saying that my even quirk itself is villainous. Even though I went through years of counseling to get where I am now, and I learned to give and not just take, they still don’t make any effort to understand me.”

Oh. Now that she thinks of it, there were signs. Like Himiko meeting her friends, but Ochako never meeting Himiko’s. From what she’s said, she probably doesn’t have any. Ochako has never gone to the general studies part of UA, after all, and Himiko is always the one popping up around her. Why did Ochako assume that all the problems she had spoken about before had passed with time? Has she really been so ignorant this whole time?

“...But you’re different, Ochako. You never tried to make me into someone different. You don’t act like I owe you something just by being around you, or force me into things I don’t want. You let me be me, without wanting anything in return.” 

Ochako’s heart feels like it’s going to burst like a dam in her chest. It’s beating with affection, but also with apprehension. She wants to say something, but she has no idea what. Himiko is smiling, but it’s a terribly sorrowful thing, as if she’s mourning and savoring something at the same time. She’s never seen this part of her before. 

Or has she? Maybe she’s seen glimpses of it, yet she’s been too scared to ask further. Even now, she- she doesn’t know what to do. Himiko would; she always does, always has the right words for any situation. Ochako has just been following her lead this entire time, hasn’t she? Was that a bad thing?

“You’re not like them,” Himiko continues. “You’re so special to me, so much so that I can’t help but…” she trails off. She’s said so much, already laid herself out bare, and Ochako has to speak.

“Himiko…you’re special to me too. Every day I’m with you, I’m- I’m just so happy, and I’m sorry that I didn’t notice that you were suffering. No matter what people say about you, I know that it’s not true. You’re a kind person, Himiko, not a freak or a villain. You’ve treated me so well for our entire friendship--you would never hurt me.”

Is that enough? Ochako holds her breath, waiting to find the answer in Himiko’s eyes. 

The other girl’s expression barely changes, as if she knew what Ochako was going to say before she had even spoken. Her smile is too soft, her eyes still melancholic, meaning that Ochako’s words weren’t what she needed to hear. What else could it be? What else can she say? There are too many anxious words swirling around Ochako’s head, like stormclouds in a dark sky.

“Himiko-” she starts, though she’s not sure where she’s going. She’s being motivated solely by her quickly rising fear, at this point. The girl cuts her off, like she’s aware. 

“You’re the most unselfish person I’ve ever met, you know? You should really be careful of who you put your faith in, but I know that won’t stop you from protecting everyone’s smile.” Himiko giggles, trying to pull on her usual grin but failing to contain her true emotions. 

“You’ve given me more than enough precious memories--enough to last me a lifetime. Even so, I'm still not…nevermind, you don’t need to know that. What I want to say is that I’m grateful, and I won’t ask you to give me any more.”

What is she getting at? Ochako would never tell Himiko to shut up, but right now, she feels an indescribable urge to. She doesn’t want to hear Himiko continue what sounds like a farewell. Like she’s leaving Ochako, for a reason she isn’t even explaining. Forget what Ochako had decided earlier about not neglecting her problems--she doesn’t want to hear this any longer.

It’s almost funny. Isn’t she the one who swore she wouldn’t ignore someone in pain? Yet when the most important person to her is hurting, she freezes up and just wants to run away.

“Thank you, Ochako,” Himiko concludes, breaking eye contact to look back up at the ceiling. It seems like she’s said everything she’d wanted to say, but Ochako’s heart whispers to her that there’s more. Or maybe it just wants there to be.

Maybe if Himiko wasn’t so fast-paced, Ochako could take a minute to find an appropriate response. Unfortunately, she’s up on her feet before Ochako can even string a sentence together.

“Wait!” she says, sitting up frantically. The girl is at the door, which Ochako suddenly realises is still wide open from before they fell. No, Ochako thinks, she’s running away!

She gets up quicker than she’s ever moved in hero training--as if there is a life on the line, here in her bedroom. It feels like there is, but it’s unclear if it's Ochako’s or Himiko’s. In any case, Himiko is a part of her life, so she can’t just let her leave it so suddenly. Especially not when she’s just a step away, and there’s so much more to talk about. She’s always thought that Himiko embodied everything she’s felt, but what about her fears? Her worries? Her troubles? She hadn’t told her about any of it, or perhaps it was because Ochako had never asked. She feels so stupid for only just realising.

Maybe she doesn’t know the girl as well as she thought she did. Still-

You haven’t even said goodbye yet, so-

“Don’t go!” Ochako pleads, reaching the door after Himiko has just fled out of it. There’s still so much to talk about. Her voice sounds horribly vulnerable to her own ears, not unlike an infant crying out for its mother. She races out of the door, turning to the side to see Himiko’s retreating figure already at too much of a distance. No, it’s okay; she’s not gone yet--as long as Ochako reaches her, then they can talk about this together! 

“Himi-!”

“It’s better this way, Ochako,” she hears Himiko call back, sniffling. Her voice sounds a bit stuffy, too. Is Himiko…crying? Like a spell, the realisation stops Ochako in her tracks. 

Himiko doesn’t wait for her to break out of it, racing towards the stairs. Soon, she’s out of sight, and her frenzied footsteps fade until there’s no trace of the sound any more. The girl who’s always been too fast for Ochako to keep up with has escaped from her, once again. 

What had Himiko’s last words meant, ‘It’s better this way’? Why had she said all of those things, and then run away? 

A minute passes, and a door down the hallway creaks open. Ochako makes eye contact with a confused looking Ashido. 

“Uraraka? I heard some noises, you good?” comes the girl’s concerned voice.

What Ochako should reply to that, she doesn’t know. She still isn’t sure what she could have said differently to make Himiko stay. And perhaps that’s why Ochako doesn’t chase after her that afternoon, the afternoon when she is torn so violently from her brilliant dream. 

When she goes back into her room, the sun has set. 

It’s so strange, how that average morning was the precursor for their friendship’s only conflict. (Ochako really hopes it isn’t their last, if it means that would be how it ended) What’s even stranger is the next morning, which is almost mocking with how ordinary it is. Ochako nearly believes that by the time lunch time rolls around, Himiko will sneak up from behind her and everything will go back to normal. She’s not exactly optimistic, but what little hope she does have is slowly dwindling by the second half of break. 

“I’m barely able to hold my chopsticks after that class,” Deku groans, massaging his shoulder. “I guess I really do need more practice.”

“I don’t think practice is going to make Bakugou stop targeting you,” Todoroki replies, not looking away from his soba. 

“True…” Deku mutters.

It’s such an unbelievably mundane conversation, so plain that it’s strange. If Himiko was around, she would’ve found a way to turn it into something more entertaining by now. Somewhere along the line, that had become Ochako’s ‘normal’. 

Himiko… It looks like she really isn't going to come eat with them. Ochako digs her chopsticks into her bowl bitterly. She wonders where she had eaten before they had met--and where she’s probably eating right now, since it doesn’t seem like she gets along well with her classmates.

She should have asked. 

Does Himiko feel the stark difference, like she does? Ochako said that she isn’t hopeful, but what if… what if Himiko is waiting for her to come find her? 

She sighs. It would be nice to believe so, but honestly, Ochako is still too afraid. Should she try to find her? Sure, she misses Himiko, but maybe things really were ‘better this way,’  as the girl had said. Thinking back to the night before, Ochako feels her chest tighten at the thought of the terrible sorrow in Himiko’s voice. There must be a good reason for it, if Himiko had thought she’d be better off not knowing. 

Maybe she’s going somewhere? That’s the most straightforward reason that a person would ever say goodbye for. She could just be transferring schools, or moving houses.

…No, there would be no reason for Himiko to be so indirect about that. She shouldn’t belittle the girl’s feelings. It has to be something serious, Ochako can feel it in her gut. But what? She can’t think of anything Himiko had mentioned in previous conversations that would explain her sudden change. She had always been smiling, as if there was nothing in the world she couldn’t skip through. Even just before, when they were walking home with Deku…

There it is again, that feeling. The one that Ochako recognises as uncertainty. Specifically, the kind of uncertainty that strikes when there’s an imbalance in what you think you know, and what beats in your heart. The type that whispers to you that something you treat as a simple truth is, in fact, false.

Himiko… was always smiling. Ochako had known her for months now, yet the amount of times she had seen any sort of negative emotion from the girl came up to the humble count of two. She had never seen her get angry, and she’d barely seen her get sad just yesterday. Even Ochako had her days; she had occasionally been with Himiko while she was grumpy from getting too little sleep or down from a particularly low test result. On the other hand, Himiko never spoke about anything like that, and she had even been the one to cheer Ochako up during those rough times. 

That was probably why the girl’s tears had made her freeze.

Ochako really doesn’t know Himiko that well. Oh. Her heart sinks as the notion settles firmly within her. She’s been holding out against it, but there’s no other explanation as to why she’s struggling so hard to understand Himiko’s actions.

She can’t believe she had been so preoccupied with her feelings for Himiko, yesterday. Well, she’s still doing that, just a different type of feelings. How could she, when Himiko had been suffering next to her? How long had she been doing so, without her realising? Oh god, this is all Ochako’s fault. 

Does she even have the right to think about her crush on the girl anymore? She’s been pushing away any form of conflict that arose in favor of it, and looked at what happened. Ochako feels a painful sting in her heart, and realises she’ll cry if she keeps thinking about this. She tries to focus on her breathing, distract herself-

But how can she distract herself, when the act itself feels like her worst mistake?

“-And he looked really mad when Uraraka got the ball that he was going for. Even with my engines, I was hesitant to go near anything he set his eyes on.” 

“Yeah, Kacchan never lets up, even during dodgeball. Luckily you didn’t get hit by his blast after that, Uraraka,” Deku says, moving on to knead his other arm.

“Yeah,” Ochako mumbles, not trusting herself to speak any more without her voice wobbling.

“...It’s good that you did, otherwise you would have had to go to the infirmary again,” Iida pauses. “Speaking of, is Toga not joining us today?”

At the mention of her name, Ochako grits her teeth. She probably won’t be joining them today, or tomorrow, or ever. Will Ochako ever even see the girl again? Does it even matter if she wants to, if Himiko doesn’t? Ochako knows that the girl always does what she feels like, without concern for what others try to make her do. And the infirmary… if Ochako is injured and goes there, will Himiko treat her like a stranger? Will she even smile at her? 

At that thought, it takes all the strength she can muster to steel her face into a neutral expression.

“I don’t know,” Ochako responds curtly. An awkward pause washes over the table, and Ochako realises how her answer must have come off as. 

“Ah- I mean, I don’t think so--Himiko’s probably busy today,” She corrects, hurriedly trying to smooth over the atmosphere. Apparently, she doesn’t do too great of a job.

“Are you alright, Uraraka?” Deku asks apprehensively. The other three are also giving her concerned looks. Is she really this easy to read? 

“Yes, of course! Come on you guys, you know I would tell you if it was something serious,” she laughs nervously, but all she can think about is how much her heart feels like a sinking ship. She’s being so dramatic, she should just forget about all this.

Though, the way she’s brushing over things like this right now reminds her of…reminds her…

“Alright,” Iida says hesitantly. Nobody actually looks convinced, but she’s glad that they’re not pressing further. She doesn’t want to make them uncomfortable, as well. 

The three go back to their conversation, and Ochako’s gaze falls back down to her lunch. It tastes dull, and there’s a bitter aftertaste every time she swallows that she’s not sure has anything to do with the food itself.

What had she been thinking about? …Oh, right--how little she knows about Himiko. 

Perhaps there’s no point thinking about all this. It’s not like she could ever truly understand Himiko Toga. Maybe she should just be grateful for all the times that they had shared together, and move on with her life. It might even be the kinder thing to do, if it means that she’ll never make Himiko cry again. 

…But if she gives up just because this is too hard, then what kind of hero does that make her?

Ochako stills. She had been so caught up in her worrying that she had nearly forgotten what she’s always sworn to do; to protect everyone’s smiles. Himiko had the prettiest one of all, and she hadn’t done shit for it. Ochako says she wants to give everything she has to her, but she’s only stolen the most special thing about Himiko away from her. On top of that, she has no plan to give it back.

She hasn’t been living up to her motto at all, has she? Yesterday, Himiko had been crying, and Ochako still doesn’t have any idea why. She won’t ever know why, if she sits around moping and trying to figure things out without knowing the full picture. 

Which means…

…Ochako has to talk to Himiko. There’s probably no other way to solve this. The thought of losing the girl so easily does make her nauseous, more so than how just the tension between them alone is causing her. 

The first thing that occurs to her is that she doesn’t want to. Something inside of her is screaming to her that it’s not safe, and that she’ll get hurt. It’s so hard, not to fall into her usual habits and forget everything. It would be so much easier, so much more comfortable. She could go on and live her life, never see the girl again and graduate without a care in the world. Maybe she would eventually forget Himiko. 

The idea of that, she thinks, is somehow worse than how things are right now. Confronting her fears would be the hardest thing she’s ever done, but she desperately doesn’t want to let her memories with Himiko fade into nothing. She’s always thought that taking the more peaceful route would be better, but she knows that she will lose something essential to her if she does so. 

Right. She’s acknowledged that taking the easier, happier option hasn’t served her very well recently. Not talking to Himiko would just be another step down that steep road. 

Even if the other girl doesn’t want her to, she has to try. Maybe it’ll be the first thing she truly does for herself. She has to try, at least until she understands things well enough--and then she can decide for herself if they’re better off as strangers. Right; she’s been following whatever Himiko does, too afraid to upset her, but Ochako needs to start making her own decisions. For the sake of all the time they’ve spent together, she has to reach out to the girl. 

Even if it’s for the last time. 

The last bell rings. Ochako hasn’t made a lot of decisions in this friendship, she’ll be honest, but she’s ready to try now. She’ll never be completely prepared, but this will have to be enough. Ochako shoots out her seat, her things already packed up in the last couple minutes. There’s no way she could ever catch Himiko at her own classroom--the girl is way too fast--but she wants to get to the General Studies dorm as soon as possible. She leaves the classroom before anyone else, feeling determined.

She doesn’t want to sit through another lunch without Himiko, or for her stomach to lurch when someone mentions the nurses office, and she definitely doesn’t feel like mourning Himiko for another second when she’s just a couple minutes away. She’s going to catch up to her this time, even if the girl tries to run away.

Because she cares about Himiko. Because she lo-

“No running in the hallways,” Aizawa’s stern voice grunts, sidestepping to block her path. 

“Wh-” Ochako startles, nearly toppling onto him. She hasn’t even been running! …Just speed-walking, at most. And where did he come from?!

“No running, do you understand?” Aizawa repeats, fixing her with an irritated gaze.

“I understand, Mr. Aizawa,” Ochako begrudgingly answers. 

He scrutinizes her for a second. Time passes agonizingly slow, but he eventually lets her pass. Ochako nervously (and speedily) walks away, coming down from her previous high due to the sheer absurdity of the encounter. 

It had been almost comical how he had appeared in the seemingly empty hallway. You’d think that he was hanging off of the ceiling with his binding cloth, ready to drop down on unsuspecting students. It’s just the type of thing that Himiko would find hilarious--that they would spend their afternoons laughing about together. Ochako smiles at the thought. 

In truth, she doesn’t want the next time she sees Himiko to be the last. She wants to see her again tomorrow, and every other day following that. Who else is she going to laugh with, if Aizawa catches her running again? Who will sneak up on Ochako when she least expects it? Who will show her a smile as stunning as the one that she had fumbled her words over, that first encounter in the nurses office? 

Just like that, Ochako feels determined once again. She checks over her shoulder to make sure Aizawa is out of her vision, then breaks into a run.

Himiko is waiting for her, after all. She can’t be late. 

It might have only been a day since she’s last seen her, but it’s too much time that Ochako has spent inactive. Hell, she’s spent their entire friendship too scared to do anything about the issues right in front of her. So the only way she can make it up to Himiko now, is to run towards her with everything in her heart--a heart that beats in Himiko’s color.

Even if she’s scared, she’ll go to Himiko. She feels the fear gripping at her heart, and that’s exactly what forces her to keep moving.

Right now, there’s nothing in the world that could stop Ochako from reaching out to her.

-Except, maybe, that she has no idea which room belongs to her, Ochako realises once she’s reached the General Studies’ dorms. She halts in front of the entrance, hands braced on her knees as she stares up at the last thing keeping her from her goal. She isn’t going to turn back now, but how should she do this? She’s nervous to even go inside, despite the fact that Himiko has visited her at 1A’s dorms more times than she can remember. 

Maybe she can ask one of the other students when they arrive. Yeah, that would work. Ochako stares up at the entrance of the building. She sucks in a breath.

Is that really the only reason why she’s hesitant? Ochako’s feeling lightheaded from the running, sweat rolling off of her even though the months have just tipped into winter. Maybe she could say she’s just catching her breath--however, the truth is that she’s still frightened. She’s always been afraid of confrontation, and that's not any different after a little sprint. 

What if Himiko doesn’t want to see me, a small part of her whispers anxiously. Ochako feels her will falter by a fraction. Can things really be fixed if she passes through these gates? Is Himiko already behind them somewhere, waiting for Ochako to confront her? She’s so scared. It feels like the biggest choice of her life is dangling in front of her. At this point, she could still turn back and give up--she won’t, but she could, and the idea makes Ochako feel lightheaded with responsibility. Could her friendship with Himiko already be irreparable? Or is there still something left to save, in this moment? It feels like it’s both at the same time, in a way. A lump forms in her throat. 

No, she won’t let herself run away now. She’s already gotten this far, and nothing could be worse than not knowing why Himiko has broken off their friendship. Even if it’s ‘for the better,’ she has to understand why for herself. Besides, Himiko has been hiding everything she’s been going through within herself. She must have been so lonely; Ochako knows she would’ve felt so if she was in her position.

She grasps the handle of the door. It feels slightly slippery, and Ochako is suddenly aware of the sweat on her palms. A memory flickers in her mind’s eye, right before she hears a faint voice from behind her.

“...Ochako?”

Oh, that’s different from last time.

Ochako lets go of the door and spins around, eyes locking with the only other person in the world that matters right now.

“Himiko,” she breathes. Had Ochako gotten here faster than her? To be honest, she had just assumed that Himiko would have arrived at her room already. The idea that she could have been faster than the girl had never crossed her mind.

Himiko looks toned down, like an echo of how Ochako knows her. The air is cautiously polite, like they’re strangers. No--like they’re on bad terms, which Ochako guesses that they might be. It’s funny, because she doesn’t really feel any trace of resentment, studying the girl across from her.

She only feels relief, along with anxiety, she supposes. It’s a contradiction, but right now Ochako could care less. The only thing that’s important is this moment, and where it will go. 

Right. She’s not so afraid anymore, now that she’s in the present. She can worry about how this goes when it’s is all over. For now, she has to focus.

“What are you doing here?” Himiko asks, keeping her distance. 

“I want to talk- about yesterday. About you,” Ochako provides. A sense of urgency jabs at her.  Honestly just wants to blurt everything out right now, but she contains herself out of consideration for Himiko. 

Also, she doesn’t think this is the right place to talk. In the far distance, she can see pinpricks of people heading in their direction. Himiko seems to be aware of them too, because her gaze darts to the side and her eyes narrow. However, she doesn’t immediately rush to invite Ochako in.

“There’s nothing to say. Just go back to your dorms and leave me alone,” Himiko snaps. Her features twitch irked. It’s a change to how she’s always acted, and for a second Ochako feels a sting of hurt. Only, this is just another one of Himiko’s emotions, and Ochako promised that she wouldn’t ignore them any longer. 

Also, Himiko somehow doesn’t really seem irritated at her. She’s not even looking at her, instead directing her glare at the cement between them. Maybe it could be seen as a sign of disrespect, but something tells Ochako that  it’s not meant in that way. If anything, it looks to her as if there’s something on Himiko’s mind that’s the true source of her frustration. It makes Ochako glad--to know that she can still somewhat understand the girl.

“Is that true? I think there is more to it, Himiko,” Ochako counters, steadying her voice. She doesn’t budge from where she’s standing, and straightens her posture so as to distract herself from how she doesn’t feel all that sure of herself. She’s never taken a stance against Himiko like this--challenged her will. Ochako doesn’t see herself as a pushover, but she does admit that it’s more or less always been more comfortable for her to go with what others want. She understands the importance of making your own decisions, and she can do so, but sometimes hers really are just to support her friends.

A long time ago, her parents had told her that they would have preferred for her to pursue her own goals. Only, what she truly wants is for the people around her to smile. Nothing in the world makes her happier than seeing others reaching their goals, and if that seems like a weak ambition to some people, then so be it. It’s not like she just wants people to do everything for her. She just wants to be a hero that spreads smiles to everyone she saves, and to be surrounded and supported especially by the smiles of those she cares about the most. 

Which, of course, includes the girl trying to push her away. Being a hero is about giving help even when it isn’t needed, after all.

“There isn’t,” Himiko sulks, gaze remaining fixed on the ground as her grip on her schoolbag straps visibly tightens. It’s such a childish response, but Ochako doesn’t waver. Just the fact that Himiko hasn’t shoved her out of the way means that there’s hope.

“It won’t take long,” she presses. 

The pinpricks from earlier now have more form to them, and a laugh chimes faintly in the distance. Himiko seems to accept her fate, and she disgruntledly shuffles past Ochako huffing a brief-

“Fine.” 

Ochako is nearly surprised at her own success, but she swiftly follows the girl inside.

That’s how they end up in Himiko’s room, one suffocatingly silent walk later. It occurs to Ochako that this is the first time she’s ever been here, and she can’t help her curiosity as she surveys her surroundings. 

It’s very (there’s no other word for it) girly. The ratio of pink-to-other is absurd, and there are plushies and magazines strewn over the floor, the desk, and even the bed. 

It suits Himiko perfectly. Ochako feels the corner of her lip twitch.

“If you’re just here to tell me to clean up, the door is behind you,” Himiko retorts. Ochako’s gaze quickly darts away from the cutesy anime posters and back to the girl standing, arms crossed, across from her. Her bag has been discarded amongst the rest of the clutter. Ochako cautiously sets hers down as well, and although Himiko’s eyes narrow, she doesn’t object. 

“I want to know why you don’t think we should be around each other anymore,” Ochako states clearly. 

“...I just do. I told you, there’s nothing to say,” Himiko grumbles. So, she’s going to keep that up. It’s not going to scare Ochako off, not when she’s already made it so far.

“Then why did you let me in here?”

That seems to get her. Himiko’s eyes narrow critically, and the atmosphere grows tenser. It honestly does work in making her feel a bit guilty. Ochako gulps, almost looking away, and opts to speak before Himiko orders her out. 

“Look, I want to apologise. You’ve been dealing with things by yourself,” Ochako begins. “I’m sorry for not noticing earlier, I mean- for not reaching out to you sooner. But I want to listen now. If you’re having problems, then I want to help you--or at least give you someone to lean on.”

Himiko’s face contorts into a troubled scowl, like she isn’t fond of what she’s hearing. She isn’t saying anything, though, so Ochako hopes she’s being heard out to some extent.

“If…if you really don’t want to be friends anymore, then that’s fine too,” Ochako adds, though she doesn’t feel like that’s the case. Or maybe that’s just her being hopeful. “I only want to talk, Himiko. I want to understand, because you’re my- because I care about-”

Himiko holds up her hand, cutting her off with an exasperated expression. She suddenly seems a lot less stern, almost like an actor after the show who’s bored of their role. 

“Yeah, yeah, Ochako. You really don’t give up, huh? Did you even listen to what I said yesterday?” The girl starts coming towards her, scrutinizing Ochako and speaking in the tone of a professor giving feedback.

Ochako stays still, not expecting to have been cut off. At least, not so casually. She would have been less surprised if Himiko had started shouting at her, but instead the girl just rolls her eyes as she strolls over to her, like they’re having a simple disagreement over something small. It’s almost like- like usual. 

Wait, what had Himiko asked? Ochako remembers just as she stops right in front of her and pokes harshly at the fat of her cheek. 

“It’s better this way. It’s better for you this way. “ Himiko chants, repeating her words with an unbothered tone. “This is for your sake, and not mine. All that talk about me, me, me--why don’t you ever think about yourself instead, you dummy?” She’s pouting now, and suddenly Ochako feels like Himiko is the one confronting her, instead of the other way around. 

Huh? What’s going on?

“Huhhh?” Himiko imitates. Did Ochako say that out loud? “Honestly Ochako, you never fail to amaze me with how reckless with yourself you are. That sounds so silly out loud, I’ll never forgive you for making me say it! Not in a million years!!” 

Ochako doesn’t understand what’s going on right now. She swore that she would catch up to Himiko, and had even beaten her to the dorms, so why does she feel so lost right now? Why is Himiko being so laid back about this? And Ochako isn’t that reckless! Why is that even being brought up?

No, wait- is she being lulled into a false sense of security? It’s not working, because her thoughts are still coherent enough for her to realise something.

“You still haven’t told me why you don’t want to be friends anymore,” she murmurs. Don’t distract me, she wants to add, but she doesn’t want to return to their usual banter yet. It’ll be too easy for her to go along with Himiko once she starts, and they need to have this conversation.

Besides, Himiko had just said that Ochako should think of herself. She doesn’t really get what had caused her to say so, but Ochako is doing this for herself, so Himiko would be a hypocrite to try and make her do otherwise. 

(She really is glad, though. Even though she’s determined to follow through on her plan, relief that her friend really isn’t mad at her tickles the edges of her heart)

Himiko lets out a sigh. A tinge of discomfort colors her face, and she chooses to look over Ochako’s shoulder instead of at her face.

“Is it really important?” She says, almost whining. 

“Yes,” Ochako replies simply, not wanting to give Himiko anything to latch onto in case she distracts her again.

“It won’t change anything, you know.”

Ochako assumes Himiko is implying that whatever answer she gives, she still won’t want to be friends anymore. It’s the only thing that fits--though she can only guess, and it doesn’t even seem to be true. For someone who Ochako has always praised for her way with words, Himiko’s sentences seem a bit clipped right now. Like she’s hoping it’ll make her give up.

(It won’t)

“That’s okay. I just want to understand why. Weren’t you the one that said I should think for myself?” Ochako says softly. It’s getting harder to be the stern version of herself that had demanded for Himiko to hear her out, anymore. She just wants to return to the regular version of her, the one who is hopelessly concerned about her friends and wants only to soothe them when things are going wrong. It doesn’t seem like she needs to be firm anymore, but she won’t forget why she was acting like so in the first place. 

For a moment, Himiko is silent. That’s okay. Ochako will wait for however long she needs. She won’t try and make a joke, or brush over the mood, like she would have earlier in their friendship. Himiko doesn’t have to worry--Ochako owes her so much. Ah, that line of thought… Ochako is faintly grasping what Himiko had meant about not thinking about herself.

Himiko leans in, staring at Ochako with that same intensity that she always handles everything with. Her hands are behind her back, but her arms are rigid, like she’s holding them tightly. Her eyes dart over Ochako. Up, down, back to her eyes. It feels like she’s sizing up an opponent, or maybe her prey. Ochako straightens her posture, just for good measure.

The silence drags on for a couple minutes, and then a couple more. Ochako gets the feeling that Himiko is waiting for it to expire so that she won’t have to say anything. She stays silent, keeping her eyes glued onto the girl. She can’t look away now. 

“You’re better off not being around me, you know.”

Ochako frowns. The answer itself seems normal, although quite unspecific. Also, Ochako disagrees. However, what’s strange is that it doesn't match how Himiko is looking at her. The girl’s stare is still unrelenting, but there’s now an unusual flame dancing in her eyes. It’s almost like it’s beckoning towards her, as if it wants to pull her in. It’s frightening, and it feels like the inferno will devour her slowly if she keeps looking straight at it. At the same time, Ochako finds herself transfixed--because there’s something flickering deep beneath the fire;

…Breathtaking passion. The fervent emotions that Ochako has always admired in Himiko lingers in the heat of her gaze, and it only seems to grow wilder as Ochako acknowledges them. But why are they here now? What is Himiko seeing? Ochako wishes she could lay eyes on it too, because she can tell that it’s something she’d savor for the rest of her life.

“I…I don’t agree,” Ochako murmurs, her breathing shallow as she tries not to be overwhelmed by the sight. 

“Ochako,” Himiko whispers, still staring. “Can I…can I?”

Ochako has no idea what she’s agreeing to. Maybe this is a bad idea. However, as she’s sharing something unspoken with Himiko, a sort of energy in the air between them, she puts logic aside for a second and trusts her gut. 

“You can.”

At that, Himiko finally breaks her gaze. Her eyes flick towards Ochako’s mouth, and she thinks she catches the girl wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue before what she can see doesn’t matter anymore.

Instead, she feels something warm and soft on her mouth--Himiko’s. Her eyes snap shut on reflex, and she huffs out a breath. The heat has nowhere to go, and lingers between their lips. Then, Himiko’s mouth starts moving against her own.

She hesitates slightly, and it occurs to Ochako that this is her first kiss. The rate of her heartbeat starts to quicken in panic. She doesn’t know what to do, but she doesn’t want to pull away, so she tries to match Himiko’s movements. Though, she feels like her inexperience becomes clearer the longer it goes on. Thankfully Himiko ends the kiss herself. 

“Was that your first?” Himiko asks almost immediately. Ochako flushes in embarrassment, even though she had already been feeling warm. 

“That obvious?” she asks bashfully.

Himiko gives her a warm smile. “No, I just had a feeling,” she replies. “It’s my honor.”

“Oh,” Ochako says dumbly. She can barely catch up to what just happened. And wait, she still hasn’t gotten her answer. Was the kiss just to distract her? 

“I love you, Ochako.”

Well, that’s definitely distracting. Ochako freezes, not sure if she heard it right for a second. However, Himiko’s face is still so close to hers that there’s no doubt she did.

“I love you so much, and when I love someone, I can’t help but want all of them,” Himiko leans forward, so she’s whispering into Ochako’s ear and almost nuzzling into her neck. Ochako holds her breath. Looks like she’s finally getting her answer. It’s like they’re kids, and she’s telling Ochako a big secret. Perhaps that’s exactly what it is. 

“I’m a greedy, greedy person. I’ve had a lot of crushes before. Oh, but don’t be jealous, none of them compare to you--you’re perfect. You’re so kind, and you truly care about others above yourself.”

The praise makes Ochako feel slightly embarrassed, but she tries not to think about that too much.

“Maybe… maybe you should have said that before you kissed me,” Ochako croaks. Her voice feels strange, probably due to the intimacy of their positions.

She really wishes Himiko would just let Ochako look at her. She wants to capture this moment properly, but like this she can only see her blonde hair. She realises that whenever Himiko is saying something important, she’s never looking at her. Sometimes, like now, she isn’t visible at all. It’s such a shame, because Ochako knows that she could never find any of Himiko’s expressions distasteful.

“Maybe next time,” Himiko mutters, and Ochako can practically hear the smirk in her voice. “You know, I get it now. You made me understand what all those shrinks were rattling on about all the time. They told me that I could be a nurse, and I agreed because it was convenient for me. But I really get it, now. Love really isn’t just about taking, you have to give, too, and you’ve given me it all, Ochako. Before, I thought that giving a little meant that I could do whatever I wanted and still be part of the society that rejected me. You know, like a transaction. But you showed me what it truly means. Even so, I- I can’t give you anything, Ochako. I only know how to take.” 

Ochako notices Himiko shudder, ever so slightly. Immediately, she pushes the girl off of her and grips her by her shoulders. Luckily, Himiko doesn’t put up much of a fight and her face comes into view to reveal tears in her eyes. She had done such a good job of hiding it in her voice, that Ochako nearly missed that she was crying. 

Even when she’s crying, she still smiles--with a sad kind of love, Ochako realises. Her eyes are sharp, and her canines are on full display, but it’s a gentle thing, in a way. Very much like her. Ochako is perfect, had she said? No, she’s made so many mistakes. She would say that Himiko is much more deserving of the title, but she doesn’t want to push it upon her. 

“Himiko, that’s not true,” Ochako protests, though her tone is soft. She had never expected Himiko to be the type of person to worry about those types of things. She’s been forcing her assumptions onto her the whole time, hasn’t she? Maybe she should stop being shocked when Himiko acts differently than the version of her that Ochako has in her head. It would only shackle Himiko even further down, and prevent Ochako from seeing things clearly. Himiko should be free, like a bird amongst the clouds. Even if there’s more to her than Ochako had initially thought, every part of her is still beautiful.

“You’ve made me happy, too,” Ochako continues. “I love being around you, and talking with you, and going along with all of your dumb pranks. My memories with you are some of the most precious to me in the whole world. Besides, I’m the kind of person who loves seeing other people smile, remember? And I think that yours is the prettiest I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Right, that reminds her--she has something to say. Ochako steadies her hold on Himiko’s shoulders, as a way to brace herself.

“I love you too, Himiko.”

The eyes of the girl in question widen slightly. Himiko’s lip trembles, and suddenly, she starts sobbing even more. 

“Ah-” Ochako startles, not sure what to do. Her hands lose their hold briefly, and the girl hunches over, back shaking as she cries into her sleeves. 

“I-” Himiko sniffles, wiping her eyes. “I’ve wanted someone to say that to me for so long. I’ve wanted someone to love me back for so long, but they never- they never-” she cuts herself off, hiccuping, before calming herself down. Then, she looks back up at Ochako. Even now, she’s still wearing a smile, although barely, and it’s trembling. “Ochako, when I say I want all of the person I like, I mean it. I want their time, their affection, their tears, and even- even their blood. I want to become one with them; I want to become them. For me, blood is the purest expression of love. A cut is like a compliment, and a wound is like a kiss. ”

She looks so ashamed, but to Ochako, there isn’t anything wrong with her at all. It’s just how Himiko sees the world, how she was born. If anything, she had just been unlucky that it was blood, of all things. A taboo to society, but certainly not worth making her feel guilty over. 

Was this what people had rejected Himiko over?

“Himiko, that doesn’t make you a bad person. I love you, and if you love blood, then I’ll happily give you mine. You don’t have to feel embarrassed, or ashamed, I’ll accept all of you. Don’t listen to what those other people say.” Ochako whispers. She wants to hold Himiko again, closer, to comfort the girl in her arms. 

“You’re still looking at me like that. “ Himiko mutters. “Even though…”

“Even though I stabbed my first crush. It’s why my classmates now avoid me.”

Oh. Ochako gulps. 

“Do you feel bad about it?” she asks, watching Himiko sniffle into her sleeves. Is it weird that she still finds her beautiful, even now?

No, she decides. Not any weirder than it is for Himiko to like blood.

“...I do,” Himiko replies quietly. “I should have asked first. Maybe I should have offered him some of mine, too, instead of just assaulting him and  taking his blood forcefully. He probably still would have thought I was weird, though. …Bummer.” She sighs, but not dismissively. “My urges have the same rules as any other human urges.”

“Then it’s okay,” Ochako decides. Maybe it wouldn’t erase what had happened, but there’s no point in brooding over the morals of it. Not now, anyways, but perhaps when this is all over. “As long as it doesn’t happen again.”

They both go silent for a second, and something else comes to Ochako’s mind. There’s no better time to ask than the present, she supposes.

“Uh, Himiko?” Ochako braces herself. “I have a question. Before, you sometimes, well-”

“I didn’t stab them or anything, if that’s what you’re asking,” Himiko mutters. “I mean, I went to get us food that one time and I saw some pretty blood that Izuku dropped, and one time before that Aizawa went to the nurses office after a villain attack and I thought it would be funny to use the blood he left to sneak up on you, I- I’m sorry-” Now she’s rambling. 

“Himiko, it’s okay. You don’t have to say sorry, and definitely not to me. Deku and Mr. Aizawa probably wouldn’t be super happy about it, but if you really don’t do it without asking again, then it can be our secret. Okay?” Himiko peeks at her from behind her sleeves, eyes still glassy with tears. Ochako puts a finger up to her lips and smiles, in an attempt to console her. Even with the hands blocking out most of her face, Ochako thinks she can still see a tint of pink color the girl’s cheekbones.

“You can still leave, you know,” Himiko says, out of all things. “I won’t get mad, it’s the safer thing to do.”

Ochako huffs. Really? They’ve just kissed and confessed to each other, for God’s sake. How can she leave, after Himiko had spilt so much of her heart to her? How can Himiko even think that she wants to leave? The girl has gone back to avoiding her gaze, and she really wishes that she would stop doing that.

Himiko doesn’t look to be crying so profusely anymore. The main reason why her hands are still covering her seems to just be to conceal her supposed vulnerabilities. So naturally, Ochako reaches out and pushes them away, bracing her hands on each side of the girl’s surprised face. She feels a slight chill where Himiko’s cold tears make contact with her palms, but it doesn’t matter.

Up close and in her hands, Himiko looks more stunning than ever. Even if her face is covered with tears, and her nose has turned red, Ochako can’t think of anything she would ever want to change about the girl. She doesn’t want her to hide anything out of fear, anymore.

“Don’t you get it, Himiko?” Ochako murmurs, wiping at one of her eyes with her thumb. “I love you, and I won’t leave you. You said that you only know how to take, but you’ve given me plenty. You’ve shown me so many things, been so patient. You’re not nearly as selfish as you think you are.”

She feels Himiko’s face shift in her palms, as she tries to turn away. 

“And I’m tired of you putting me above you. You said it yourself, I’m reckless with myself. And I don’t make my own decisions, I let people lead me around, and I can be kind of a coward. But I’m going to try live with that, and I want you to, as well.”

She’s still unsure. She definitely won’t be able to change the things that she’s realised about herself any time soon. Perhaps she doesn’t need to, and just being conscious of her flaws will be enough for now. It feels like she has all the time in the world with Himiko. She knows that she’s a coward sometimes, but one thing she’s not afraid of is Himiko running away anymore.

“I spent all of our friendship putting you on a pedestal too, I admit. I’m sorry. It stopped me treating you the best that I could. So I want to tell you, Himiko, that you’re not alone. I want all of you, too. Give me everything. I think that you do know how to, it’s just that you’re scared that others don’t want what you have to offer.”

Slowly, carefully, Himiko’s hands come up to hold Ochako’s face too. She doesn’t look as confident as usual, face moist with the shine of her tears.

“What an earful. We’ve just kissed, and you’re seriously still babbling on about that? If you want to talk that much, you should give me another one to pay for my attention.” Himiko says, but she doesn’t try to pull Ochako into one. To be honest, she looks a bit shy. Ochako hasn’t exactly been leading them for their entire friendship, and she suddenly feels that she’s been missing out. Himiko looks so cute like this, meek for once and wearing a slight blush that’s slowly warming Ochako’s hands. 

“If you don’t want me to keep talking, then you should listen to what I say,” Ochako quips back. Himiko shoots her a narrow-eyed glare. Ochako feels a tug at her lips at the sight.

“Let me in, Himiko.”

The girl lets out a long, steady breath, and their conversation dies out for a minute so that Himiko can watch her. Ochako isn’t sure if Himiko is actually using this time to consider things, because her tongue keeps darting out to brush her lips, and her eyes keep flicking to Ochako’s mouth. She gulps, feeling her own face grow hotter in Himiko’s hands. She feels so vulnerable like this, and she almost wants to take her own hands off of Himiko’s face and sever the connection. At the same time, she wants to grip tighter until they can’t be pulled apart. You know, another kiss doesn’t sound too bad. 

Now who’s the one getting distracted?

“I don’t know if I agree with you, Ochako. Your so-called ‘bad traits’ seem pretty good to me.” Oh, so she was listening. “Or at least, not as awful as mine.” 

Ochako opens her mouth to retort, but Himiko brings one finger up to her mouth. “Shh. I’m speaking now, Ochako. I don’t believe you, but it doesn’t change that I love you. And you’re right about something; I’m probably putting you on a pedestal, and I’m scared of you realising that I’m not the version that you admired. I’m a coward, too.” The finger drags slowly down, and Himiko’s eyes track the movement. Her gaze is soft and focused, like she’s close to sleep.

“But I’ll try, since you’re trying too.” Himiko finishes, looking back up at Ochako. She smiles, and as always it spreads to Ochako. As she returns it, she feels Himiko’s nail tug at her bottom lip. The girl still hasn’t removed her finger, and maybe that is why Ochako feels there’s no need for any more words. 

Inadvertently, Ochako feels her own eyes dart towards Himiko’s lips. Earlier, they had been so soft. Smooth, as well, maybe even bordering on waxy. She had been panicking about her inexperience too much for her to tell, but now that she’s paying attention, she thinks that Himiko is wearing some sort of lip balm. If Ochako takes a deep enough breath, she can catch a faint smell of something sweet. She wants to taste it again, too.

She looks back up at Himiko. The girl is staring at her with an expectant expression, which probably means that she saw Ochako looking. It’s hard to feel embarrassed, especially when Himiko’s eyes flick towards her own lips, and then back up. 

Go on, take it, Ochako urges internally. 

Thank you, Ochako.

She leans in, and Ochako does the same. Their lips meet, and as their mouths shift a bit more comfortably than they had before against each other, Ochako wonders if this is what she had come here for. Has their conversation derailed, or has it gone exactly where it should have? People have called her reckless before, but it feels like this is the first time she’s truly taken a step outside of her comfort zone. 

She thinks, as she feels a swipe of Himiko's tongue, asking for permission, that she should do it more often. Especially if this is how it will turn out. …She also thinks that Himiko is going to have to do most of the work if their kiss progresses. It seems like she has more practise than Ochako, after all.

God, she loves the girl in front of her so much. Ochako feels a pull in her heart, like it wants her to get even closer. She smiles into the kiss, and knows that no matter where she and Himiko go, they’ll have each other.

The orange of the sky leaks in through the window, coloring the two as the day comes to an end.