1.- I can't wait anymore.
The first time Ochako stares is during English class.
Present Mic is explaining something on the whiteboard. She can vaguely hear him saying something in a foreign language; the sounds of the words reach her ears, but not her brain.
Her mind is completely focused on the other side of the classroom. In a diagonal line and behind some heads of black, red and purple hair, there is green; wild and unruly as the day she first saw him.
"Green, that is his colour," she thinks. His head, crowned by that soft, green cloud is looking down at his notebook.
Her eyes travel downwards, to his bright red shoes. They're too worn out; but they're his favorite pair, she knows that much.
She can see his hands: they're deeply scarred. Reminders of the battles—some he's won and others he's lost.
"He's a fighter...a great one," she thinks as her eyes move upward to scan his face.
Small, pale brown spots cover his skin. From here, they seem countless; but she's seen his soft face from up close. Ochako sighs dreamily, she secretly wishes she could count them.
Finally, she finds his eyes.
Soft and enchanting—they're the eyes of a hero. Bright emeralds that adorn his face… She has seen him cry from anger, sadness and frustration. But they always show strength: a fiery determination that sends shivers down her spine, and makes her heart beat faster and threaten to escape her chest.
Then it dawns on her that she's staring. He hasn't said anything, but she feels the gaze of her classmates pointed in her hides her face behind her notebook: she's as red as the boy's shoes. She raises her hand, and excuses herself to go to the restroom.
Once there, Ochako splashes herself with cold water, and looks at the mirror. "Izuku…" she whispers, "I can't wait anymore…"
It was their last week at UA. The classes are slow and practically over, so the teachers have just been reviewing old materials to make sure they're completely ready.
It's only Monday, but the teens feel like it'll all be over soon. Come Friday, everyone would have packed their things again and return home. Those who already have a contract with an agency will move to their districts; and they know it's going to be hard to say goodbye.
Izuku has a bigger problem: one he knows he should've dealt with sooner. He's tried to deal with it many times before, but he simply cannot do it. He's too awkward. He is deeply in love. He has been for a long time, and now time is running out.
He feels like he'll combust if he goes one more day without saying it, but he keeps it to himself. And it pains him. It pains him terribly because he thinks she doesn't feel the same way...
It's during English class when he finally decides that he's done waiting.
Present Mic is giving them a little lesson on French: he says it will help future heroes to know many languages in case they ever go overseas.
"J'aime les oeufs…" he repeats silently as he makes tons of notes in his notebook, but he feels something on the back of his neck, like someone was looking at him. Izuku ignores it at first, but the sensation doesn't go away.
He turns around when he hears Kirishima chuckle lightly and sees her.
She's as pretty as she always is, and she's looking at him: like she's analyzing some cryptic text from science class... and he can't help but do the same.
"Her hair is a little longer than last year," Izuku thinks, "She looks amazing…"
His eyes wander to her ever pink cheeks and wishes he could…maybe kiss those cute blush marks…
His eyes wander from one place to another, drinking in her beauty.
"The uniform has always looked good on her…"
And slowly, without any intention, their eyes meet. Hers are big and brown; beautiful in every way.
A little laugh from the seat behind him breaks his trance, and then he realises. He's staring.
She notices too; and she immediately turns away, her face flushed. Ochako hides behind her notebook and excuses herself so she could go to the restroom.
Izuku feels like a deer caught in headlights: he can feel his face warm up as his classmates look at him fondly.
"Young love truly is something else," he hears Present Mic say, and his heart pounds against his ribcage… he's afraid, terribly afraid of leaving things unsaid.
The second time she stares is during heroics training.
She knows All Might has been extra hard on Izuku these last months, he's now running through a circuit for the fifth time today. The rest of her classmates are doing exercises together as the teachers watch them; but she's not paying them attention, her eyes are set on something greater.
"Lightning."
She keeps track of his every move. How gracefully his body moves through the circuit, and she can't believe a human is capable of moving so fast. He finally lands on the other side of the circuit, and Ochako's heart beats faster when she sees him clad in his hero costume.
He's grown a lot since last year, and he stands proud above most of his class His teacher looks at him as if he were his own 's back is now adorned with a bright red cape. A gift from another hero who wishes to save a million people.
Many more details have been added to the costume, but the original is still there, below his tall green ears and mouthguard. Ochako wants to touch them… she wonders what would she look in his costume.
"He looks like a bunny, a really fast bunny…"
Then he turns around, and his radiant smile illuminates her world.
She feels a deep, crystalline pain in her chest; and it takes everything inside her not to jump in his arms and tell him how much she loves him. In a heartbeat, Izuku's gaze meets hers, he looks fondly at her.
Then, it dawns on her, again—she's looking at him.
She turns around quickly and runs to one of the circuits, her cheeks burning as she goes.
Izuku feels like the wind: free and powerful as he runs through the circuit.
All Might is waiting for him on the other side, but more importantly, she's looking at him.
The concrete walls are nothing. His powerful kicks shatter them as he gains more speed. He's the fastest he's ever been!
He aces the circuit, and lands perfectly on the other side.
All Might congratulates him—the man who's practically become his father is proud of him—and Izuku couldn't be happier.
Then he turns around, looking for her.
She's standing a few meters away, and Izuku can feel her eyes scanning his costume and he can't help but do the air in his lungs escapes at the speed of light.
"She's beautiful."
Black and pink: those are her colours...soft, yet incredibly fierce on her. A light armor covers her body, flexible but strong, perfect for the woman who could make the world weightless in a single touch. Gravity-maneuvering equipment is now attached to her boots, an addition her genius had come up with. She's holding her helmet in her arms, and the memories of her headbutting villains while wearing it sends shivers down his spine.
When his eyes meet hers, Izuku feels as if nothing in this world meant anything compared to her.
He wants to use his power to lift her, and run away very far from here. Only the two of them. And for a fraction of a moment, so, so small that it's almost imperceptible: Izuku is no longer afraid.
He smiles at her, full of joy and pride, just like his mentor had taught him.
And then she runs away…
Izuku's world disappears before him; she takes his heart with her. It hits him like a blow to the stomach… He's lost, but All Might is there to save him again.
"I am here, young Midoriya," he reassures with a hug that grounds him to reality. "It is time, don't you think?"
Toshinori knows Izuku is afraid, but he won't let fear stop the greatest hero he's ever seen.
Toshinori knows little about teenage relationships, but he's sure there is no greater love than the one that blossomed between his protegé and young Uraraka. He has watched with fond exasperation as they practice this dance between themselves through the years.
They were both so close, and yet so far.
In many ways Toshinori was still a hero, and he was going to save the day once more.
He would not let their love fall into nothing.
The third time she stares is when the two of them are completely alone.
Ochako walks into the classroom, and it is completely empty save for one person. Izuku's taking a nap over his desk, using his green sweater as a pillow. Normally she would let him nap in peace, but seeing how the classroom is empty save for the two of them, she goes to take a seat in front on him.
Ochako turns around to see him, she loves watching him sleep. his face is so peaceful, his features relaxed.
She knows she shouldn't, but the temptation is too out her phone she takes one, two, and three pictures, the quiet shutter taking over the silence of the room.
She's saving the pictures on her Deku folder when he wakes up. She's been caught staring.
Again.
Izuku stares at her curiously, he's been here since 6:50 a.m, and she's the only one of his friends who has arrived.
So much has happened in their last year, they were so close; but as they discovered their mutual feelings, they grew so distant—afraid that they could mess up their friendship.
Izuku smiles sweetly at her. He's still half asleep and the sight makes Ochako's heart beat faster.
"Good mornin'," he stifles a yawn mid sentence, "Uraraka-san."
The cuteness of it makes her giggle softly, "Good morning, Deku! Why are you here all alone? Where's everyone else?" she asks, confused as to why everyone is missing today.
"I…don't really know. All Might told me to be here early. But when I arrived, the classroom was empty so I took a nap."
"You've been training until late again, haven't you?"
Izuku smiles sheepishly and rubs his neck. He had been pushing himself to the limit this week...
Maybe it's the fact that they're alone right now, but for the first time since the beginning of the week Ochako feels at ease with her , she reaches for his hand and holds it, feeling it's warmth and the texture of his scarred skin. She makes sure not to touch him with her pinky, so he wouldn't float and ruin the moment. Ochako admires the way her hand fits in his, gently running her thumb over his knuckles. "It really has been a long week, hasn't it, Deku-kun?"
Izuku blushes at the contact, but doesn't pull away. "It has… But I kind of don't want it to be over. Not yet."
Her eyes rise to meet his with a shy smile on her face. "Oh? Why is that, Deku-kun?"
He takes a deep breath. "There is this girl I like. I've liked her for a long time now, but I don't know how to tell her…I think she's been avoiding me…"
Ochako looks down to the desk but doesn't let go of his hand. "Maybe…maybe she likes you too, but she's too shy to tell you…"
Izuku takes another deep breath before raising his hand to place it on her cheek, gently lifting her head to make her look at him again. The world stands still the moment they lock eyes. It's clear to both of them just how much they long for each other. Not breaking their eye contact, Izuku stands up. Ochako does too after a second. They get closer and closer, until their foreheads are touching and their breaths mix together.
"Uraraka…Ochako"—Izuku grabs her other hand and intertwines their fingers—"What would you do if I kissed you right now?"
"I would…I would feel very happy, Izuku…"
Izuku closes his eyes and dorkily bumps his nose against hers."Can I?"
Ochako nods as she closes her eyes.
They kiss. It's sweet and brief and maybe a little off center, but as perfect as they both dreamed it to be. They part slowly, but Ochako pulls him to kiss again. They're obviously terrible kissers, but still they don't stop for some time.
When they finally part to breathe, Izuku pulls her into a tight hug and whispers into her ear,"On Friday…on Friday I'm going home for the weekend… I'm going to stay with my mom while I look for an apartment near the agency… Would you like to come with me?"
"I do, Izuku."
2.- Epilogue.
It's 4 a.m. when she wakes up.
Ochako groans as she sits up to turn the alarm clock off. She forgot to do it last night, and today she has a free day.
She falls back onto bed, happy that she has a lot more time to sleep, and happy she gets to spend the whole day with her husband.
She stares at him , the little moonlight filtering into the room allows her to appreciate his face in the stirs a little in his sleep, and opens his eyes slowly.
She got caught staring. Like always.
"Ochako?" He stops to yawn, "What time is it? why are you awake?"
"Sorry, I forgot to turn off the alarm."
He pulls her into a tight embrace and kisses her forehead. "Oh, don't apologize Ochako. I'm happy we get to spend the day together..."
She rests her head in his chest, and breathes in his scent before closing her eyes."Hey, Izuku?"
"Hm?"
"I really like looking at you."
Heyyo! It's been so long since I posted here, I wanted to post some of my stories but for some reason I could only publish this one. I'll leave a link to my AO3 where I do post more frequently. Hope you enjoyed! /users/ButterDork/works (There are some +18 works)