Ochako and Tsuyu decided to share a taxi to the address Momo had written on their invitations. Alcohol was explicitly stated on the small, unassuming cards, and the girls decided that in the spirit of partying, safety, and relaxing for two whole seconds, they would not rely on self transportation.

The cards had also stated to dress casually. Nevertheless, Ochako had fussed over what to wear. "Casual" to Yaomomo Yaoyarozu wasn't an everyman's definition of the term, but showing up in sweats was also out of the question. It was summer, so she settled for a nice white blouse and a pink, knee length skirt with nice flats, and figured it was casual enough. She enjoyed dressing cute, anyway, she told herself. Tsuyu had shown up with the taxi in long jeans and a green shirt, and Ochako doubted Tsuyu thought twice about Momo's definition of "casual". The girl just had her act together, Ochako supposed.

As they arrived at Momo's estate (or rather, her parent's estate, most likely), Ochako felt the pit in her stomach make itself known again. It had been a while since she had seen any of these people. It had come as quite a shock to her when Momo's invitation came in the mail. The snail mail. In a real envelope with postage. Between graduation and that moment of delivery, Ochako could count the number of times she had seen or called Momo on one hand, sprinkled about with social media interactions that dried up just as quickly. But that wasn't nearly as bad as her track records with other students in the class. Was everyone in the same boat or had she not tried hard enough to stay in contact? At the time it felt like she was doing a lot of work but maybe it wasn't? Would she be asked why she disappeared? Would work be a good excuse? Was anyone mad? Was anyone missing her?

Tsuyu squeezed her hand from the other side of the car as it came to a stop at the front door. Ochako jumped slightly and looked at Tsuyu who stared right back.

"You'll feel better once you see everyone," Tsuyu promised and handed the cabbie some money.

Ochako exhaled audibly, and gave a weak smile. Of course she would. This new anxiety was really starting to get on her nerves. It was different than the anxiety she had felt in school. Back then, it was a healthy stress that propelled her forward to study harder for tests and perform better in battle simulations. This one was darker, a little cruder. As if her childish insecurities had festered into a new adult version that consumed not only her thoughts about Izuku, but everyone who wasn't currently Tsuyu. It was exhausting and intruding to say the least.

As the taxi disappeared back down the winding path back to the main road, Tsuyu and Ochako walked up the steps to the front door and rang the bell. After just a minute, the large, wooden door opened to reveal a butler who greeted and led the girls further into the house where Momo waited.

The designated "party room" was a wide expanse and two stories tall, as if the same volume of Ochako's entire apartment were doubled and stacked one on top of the other. Ochako figured that the room acted as some sort of personal library, what with all the bookshelves built into the walls. The second "floor" of this room was more bookshelves with a catwalk. In contrast, the wall to Ochako's far left was all windows with two double door exits leading to the balcony. During the day, those windows would let in an enormous amount of natural light, Ochako could only imagine, but it was getting dark now. Instead, the room was illuminated with glass chandeliers overhead and a few floor lamps. Across the room, chairs and tables covered with white table cloths and snack foods dotted the maroon carpeting. Momo had even set up a TV with some gaming system into a corner with couches for the more rowdy guests she was expecting.

"You're here!" came Momo's voice from straight ahead.

Ochako had misread the room. By day, it was a personal library. By night, it was for other mature entertainments, fitted with a large bar against the immediate wall. This was where Momo was sitting, perched upon a stool, leaning her elbow upon the carefully crafted and finished wood counter. Behind this counter were more shelves that were not for books but for booze. Bottles of all sorts of elixirs were neatly placed upon the shelves, glasses were lined up underneath on the back counter, and there was surely more to be had in the cubbards below that.

As Ochako had guessed, Momo's definition of "casual" wasn't the word's true definition, as the host had dressed herself in a deep red cocktail dress and shiny black shoes. Momo popped up from the stool and rushed to the girls, embracing them both into a tight hug. Ochako could sense the anxiety she felt outside wash away as she returned Momo's excited squeeze.

"I'm so glad you're here!" the creation heroine squealed. She let them go to look them both over, as if in disbelief that they existed. "And you're so punctual!"

Tsuyu gave a light shrug - punctuality was important to her, too.

The doorbell rang through the house at that and not a moment later, Iida and Todoroki were delivered. As was expected, Todoroki stood in the door frame, cool and aloof, but with a slight smile on his face as Momo greeted the boys in the same fashion she had greeted the girls. Iida, on the other hand, looked about as stiff as he ever was, containing his excitement, chopping about with his hands, thanking Momo profusely for her invitation. When he finally looked up and caught Ochako's eyes, however, that stiffness was immediately traded for pure glee.

"Uraraka!" he shouted as he speed-walked towards her and embraced her in a bear hug. The man was still larger than life. "How have you been?"

"I've been okay," Ochako answered. This wasn't the time to get into anything too detailed, and Iida seemed to buy it.

The doorbell rang through the house again, and soon enough, all of class A was streaming through the entrance.

It didn't take long for everyone to find their respective cliques and fill the space with excited banter. It also didn't take long for the alcohol to start running. Despite being unsure at first, Ochako shared a communal shot toast with Iida, Todoroki, Momo, Tsuyu, and a very tardy (and definitely pre-gaming) Mina.

"To lifelong friends!" Momo shouted, having already partaken in some wine. Despite how tall she was, Ochako learned that night that Momo was a light weight, already letting loose from a full glass of red wine. Nevertheless, just after she clinked her shot glass with Ochako, the host downed the sweetened vodka in a single gulp. Ochako followed suit with the rest.

Momo glanced around the room, her face already flush. "It's already been 40 minutes, but it doesn't look like everyone is here yet..."

"Not everyone can be so punctual," Mina shrugged from behind the bar counter and sipping her clear drink.

"You could at least try," Momo snapped. Mina only giggled at this – guilty as charged. If Ochako knew anything about Mina Ashido, it was that she was a free spirit. Expecting her to be on time to a party was asking a lot. Mina spent all of her seriousness and punctuality on hero work, for which she was very good at as Pinky, the Acid Hero.

Momo straightened up on her stool, and took a breath to ignore Mina. She announced, for what had to be the fifth time tonight already, "But they will be here. I am sure of it. I worked very hard to ensure everyone would be here."

"Everyone?" Todoroki chided, the scotch rolling in his glass, "You don't say." He was clearly enjoying this new, looser side of Momo. She didn't catch on, and that made it all the more safe to poke fun at her.

"Yes. Everyone. I didn't leave anyone out," Momo announced again. "I even invited Mineta and Bakugo, because it's important that we all come back together and get back in contact. We deserve to see each other. We deserve to have friends and to have lives."

Todoroki's seriousness returned. "What do you mean by that?"

Momo sighed, as if she should not have to spell this out. "We are human! Yes, we are heroes, yes, we have chosen this life of sacrifice, but that doesn't mean we are machines!"

She took another sip from her wine glass and continued. "You know, we are all very busy. I get that. Hero work is tiring and there's little time for much outside of it. But, don't you find that tragic?"

She looked around for someone to agree. Todoroki shrugged.

"We have a sworn duty, but I can see where you are coming from..." Iida finally said quietly, bringing his large hand up to his chin to ponder this new philosophy.

Momo nodded in a drunk state of confidence. "It's tragic that there were twenty of us in the class, plus class B, and others in other departments and I find myself not really knowing much about how any of you are doing. I find myself wanting to pick up the phone and ask how you are, but I don't for fear of waking you when you finally get that chance to sleep...or eat...or"

"Or breathe," Ochako finished for her, looking up to the ceiling. So, it was true – she wasn't the only one feeling that way. Like she couldn't call anyone out of respect, but all it amounted to was pain and loneliness for both parties.

"Exactly!" Momo exclaimed. "And that's not fair. We are still people. So, I decided to hold this get together in a private location so no one is hassled by fans or media and we can all just relax as human beings for once."

Todoroki turned to Momo, one eyebrow arched as if he made a passing connection as she nodded to everyone. "This wouldn't have anything to do with that interview, would it?" he inquired directly.

Momo's brow furrowed, and she looked back at him. Todoroki only stared back waiting for an answer. After a moment of silence, she said in an exasperated sigh, "Maybe..."

"What interview was this?" Tsuyu asked the rest of the group, seeing as Momo was already reliving it.

"It wasn't that bad," Todoroki started off.

"I think it was the one that aired while you were at sea...uh, the time before this last one," Ochako filled her in.

"Oh, was it the one where the host compared you to a 3D printer?" Mina asked Momo, who downed the rest of her wine in that instant.

"How dare he!" Momo whined. "I had worked two weeks straight and then spent my only day off to do that interview as a courtesy and that's what I get? I'm a 3D printer?!"

"Yaoyarozu, I had no idea. That's awful. Completely out of line, I would say," Iida said supportively.

Todoroki took a swig of his scotch and put his warm hand on Momo's shoulder, "To be fair, that guy likes to make a lot of jokes. He compares lots of heroes to common objects. I turned down his offer before because I don't need someone else to call me IcyHot."

"Wish I knew that..." Momo groaned, calming down and pouring herself another glass of wine.

Ochako sighed as her friends tried to cheer up their host. She remembered cringing while watching that segment. Although she was huffing and puffing about it now, Momo had taken the comment in stride and emerged the bigger person during the interview.

As Ochako continued to nurse her drink, listening to her friends veer off into another conversation, a voice crashed through her thoughts, loud and proud as it always was, even when being condescending to its usual target.

"Look who decided to finally show up!" Bakugo's raspy broadcast drawled sarcastically, pointing the spout of his amber beer bottle straight at the newcomer.

Ochako's heart lept into her throat as she realized it was Izuku who had shown up. Right. Momo did say not everyone had shown up yet. Last time she had seen him, it had been on the news in his hero costume, like the returning character in a series. It was almost strange to see him in street clothes. Khaki shorts and a nice, collared shirt was wildly different than the green jumpsuit and iron sole boots. He suddenly seemed real again.

"Yeah, I, uh, got caught up at work," Izuku tried, becoming slightly uneasy as Bakugo closed in on him.

"What? They pull you over to issue you a ticket?" Bakugo continued to badger him, much in the same manner they had in high school. Ochako guessed their relationship would never be a flat road, but at least it seemed that, like everyone else, Bakugo was sincerely interested in what had become of his old classmate. At least a little.

"Hey, man!" Kirishima approached next from behind the explosion hero, his wide toothy smile relaxing Izuku. "What the hell does he mean by "ticket"? Who's gonna give you a summons?"

Before Izuku could answer, Bakugo explained himself, "Haven't you heard? Deku is a police dog, now."

Without missing a beat, the explosive hero turned back to Izuku, "Have they given you permanent tags yet or are you still wandering around looking for your forever home, ya mutt?"

Izuku seemed to brush off the comments as Kirishima only looked more puzzled. "Still wandering around, I guess." And like that, Bakugo seemed to shut up. It had been a new tactic Izuku picked up while in high school. Bakugo could go off on a potty-mouth tangent and Izuku would reply as if he were being a normal human being. Sometimes it stopped Bakugo's incessant yelling and sometimes it didn't, but at least Izuku stopped taking it to heart. He viewed it more like a proper challenge than the condescending barking it often was. Right now, it seemed to be keeping Bakugo's blood pressure in check.

Izuku responded to Kirishima's confused glances between the two rivals. "Out of high school I got a freelance position with the police department, Kirishima. I've been all over the country working with different departments and heroes. That's what Kacchan means."

"That's so cool!" Kirishima gushed.

"And I bet you've already filled in at least eight nerd-books all about those heroes," Bakugo jabbed with a condescending smirk.

"Actually, it's more like ten," Izuku expertly deflected. Ochako giggled silently into her drink.

Bakugo had to snicker as well. "Damn, why am I not surprised you still do that shit, ya nerd?"

Kirishima poked Bakugo's shoulder with the spout of his beer bottle, "Don't you know? Midoriya's real quirk is Strategy. He can remember every little thing about anyone and use it against them."

Izuku became visibly flush at the notion and whined, "Well, not-"

But Bakugo had already grown bored of the interaction and started walking back to the TV where Sero and Denki were playing some video game. "Whatever."

Kirishima went to follow him, then turned around with an excited grin back to Izuku, "It's good to see ya, man. Come join us for some gaming like old times, yeah?"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

He and Kirishima parted as Izuku made his way to the bar, no doubt because Iida and Todoroki were still conversing with Momo. Ochako felt her body tense up as Izuku's eyes met hers and he stopped right in front of her, his smile growing soft. Right. He was also coming over because she was sitting there, too, and they had been best friends at some point or other.

"Hey, Uraraka, how have you been?"

It was a simple statement, albeit one she should have guessed would be the first thing he said to her, but she felt her throat awkwardly constrict. It had been months since that voice had addressed her personally, and memories of her body's reactions to it through the television speakers just a week or two ago made this all the more difficult. She had known about Momo's party for a long time, but never once thought that Izuku would be there. It hadn't occurred to her. Izuku hadn't existed for months, and only Deku visited her through a screen and as a name printed in ink upon the hero rankings list. She hadn't had time to process or plan what she could possibly say to him should he really stand before her as flesh and blood.

"Oh, um, well," she tried looking down at the floor, away from his questioning gaze, trying to come up with an answer. The truth was out of the question, but a lie would cut this interaction short. The whole circumstance was damning.

Fortunately, as her head and heart argued with her mouth to just say something, Iida saved the day as he stomped over in excitement. "Midoriya!"

Just like he had done to Ochako, Iida wrapped his arms around Izuku in a bear hug that would have surely squeezed the life out of him had he been a scrawnier man. "We haven't spoken in eons! How have you been? How is police work treating you?"

"Great. Great, Iida," Izuku choked as Iida set him down in front of the rest of their friends. Mina and Todoroki silently waved in greeting, but Momo sat her wine glass down on the polished wood counter and put her hands to her hips. "Yes, where have you been?"

"Well, I travel a lot for work. Wherever they need me for a tough case, I get transferred," Izuku informed her, not seeming to understand the trouble he was in.

Momo sighed and ordered, "You need to stay in better contact. You were the most difficult one to get to come to this reunion."

"Is that so?" Todoroki asked in surprise. "I don't even pick up my phone."

Momo shook her head hopelessly and dropped it into her hand. Everyone was difficult, and although it was no surprise that the quiet, aloof Todoroki wouldn't bother to pick up a phone, it was downright shocking that the affable Izuku didn't.

"Yes, seriously," Momo answered, squeezing the bridge of her nose, "At least you have a permanent address I can send letters to...and you open those."

"You have no permanent address?" Mina asked as she cradled her chin in her hands, her elbows resting on the counter. "What about a PO Box?"

"You guys don't understand...I'm really all over the place," Izuku tried again. "I mean, I would make a PO Box, but I'm really not in any one place for too long. If I make one, I may not get to it really ever. All my mail still goes to my mom's apartment and then I get all the mail when I visit her. I've really considered all of that and I've been meaning to call or something, but I get home at crazy hours and I don't want to be bothering anyone on a day off or..."

He was rambling, struggling to address their complaints. Like Ochako, it seemed that he was expecting this sort of interrogation for his shotty communication skills.

"At least you still make time for your mother," Momo said quietly as she took another sip from her glass. "But we want to hear from you, too!"

She had said that just a bit too loud, a bit too stressed, the alcohol having made its presence known again. And Bakugo answered it from the corner with the TV, "Speak for yourself! Don't call me, Deku!"

"You got it, Kacchan! At least there's someone I haven't let down," Izuku answered as if scripted. Bakugo grumbled audibly.

Momo breathed a defeated sigh and straightened her back. Ochako felt the same way – what could really be done? In the end, they didn't have much sway in the way Izuku did things. They didn't really have any right to demand he stay in better contact, although it seemed easier now to ask as it appeared he generally cared. Ochako had never thought for a moment he didn't care, but surely his hero work was his top priority, as it was for all of them. Distractingly so.

"I said this before you arrived, but I think it's something you really need to hear," Momo said, sitting straight with a focus and air of wisdom the girl was known for back in the day. "You're human. You don't have to work so much that you can't call your friends."

"Yeah, I see you on the news all the time. It's like you don't sleep," Mina commented.

"I sleep...sometimes. But I've been on missions that required I be awake for more than twenty-four hours..." Izuku scratched the back of his head. He knew that didn't help his case any. "I like the work, honestly. But yeah, it's been pretty lonely."

Iida piped up. "Then from here on out, might we make a promise? To stay in better contact...and agree now that there is no "bad" time to call?"

"I'll drink to that!" Ochako lifted her glass, now only half empty of its tropical blue elixir. She turned sheepishly to Izuku, hoping that Iida's pact made sense to him. He stood for a moment as the rest of their friends lifted their glasses one by one. It wasn't in a way that seemed as though he was considering if this promise was worth his time. No, it was more like he was considering if it was a promise he could keep. He caught her eyes, and this time Ochako kept them locked, and smiled as a prompt for him to answer. He cracked a grin.

"I'd drink to it, but I don't have a drink," Izuku answered, shrugging. Iida laughed, throwing an arm around Izuku's shoulders, taking that as an affirmation of the pact. Mina jumped up at this.

"Oh! Let me make you this. It's what I'm drinking," she said, bubbly and excited to get someone else hooked on her new favorite concoction.

"Nothing too heavy," Izuku warned, leaning against the counter and looking down to the pink girl crouched behind it. The glass bottles klinked as Mina shuffled through looking for the right ingredients.

Ochako watched as Izuku struggled with Mina, who insisted that this was a party and he needed to relax. She poured him something or other that looked too transparent to be light, and she giggled along with Momo as Izuku, as accommodating as he was, took the shot against his better judgment. His face contorted with the drink's dry sting, complaining to Mina that she certainly just served him rubbing alcohol.

He was too cute like this and Ochako found herself feeling warm at this reconnection. Their days in high school had been like this - one part responsibility, two parts shenanigans. The adversity in their world hadn't taken away their time for "just being kids". Granted, they weren't kids anymore, but still...wasn't there more time for this? For something more constant?

The relief she had felt before was fading now. She hadn't said much more than two words to Izuku or really anyone, and now they were drifting apart to opposite sides of the room. Izuku refused Mina's special mix and headed toward the TV where Kirishima and Kaminari shouted in excitement for him to join them in some virtual fun. Meanwhile, Iida had gotten into a long-winded conversation with Shoji and Tokoyami about current events in their shared work spaces. Something about a villain, clues, the office, and long after-hours. Todoroki stood off to the side of them, listening but seeming quite content in his quiet sphere of influence, swishing around his scotch in bemusement of the world around him. Momo was greeting Kyoka Jirou who was kicking Mina out from behind the counter as official bartender as Tsuyu tried to reason that Mina ought to give Kyoka a chance at it. In the far corner where Izuku had disappeared, Bakugo stood on the sidelines shouting fiercely at Kirishima every time he made a mistake, while Sero and Mineta shouted, booed, and whined at every ridiculous mishap on screen. The whole room and its occupants seemed to be moving like a video played at two times speed as Ochako sat completely paused. Everyone was moving, the noise and voices from either end of the room were blurring together into white noise until she couldn't differentiate them as separate things anymore. Her eyes lazily rested back to Izuku as he concentrated on his character on screen. He seemed so out of reach again. This had been another missed shot, it seemed. Her heart sank.

The sound of a liquid falling into a thick glass came into focus again and Kyoka's low, concerned voice penetrated Ochako's dizzying thoughts. "You okay over there? You look like you're drinking to forget."

"How do you figure that?" Tooru Hagakure's voice asked from the left. Ochako hadn't even noticed the invisible girl had taken the stool right next to her. A cute, ruffled tank top with blue jean short shorts hovered in the shape of a young woman next to her, as the bangles, around where Ochako assumed Tooru's wrists were, jingled as she moved her arms. "She barely drank any of it."

"I've been helping my dad out at his new Rock Bar," Kyoka informed the rest of the girls as she looked down at her own drink. "It's amazing how well you can tell someone's feelings just by how and what they're drinking."

"Oh, yeah?" Mina leaned over the counter in excitement, her stool leaning forward on only two legs. "Tell my fortune, Kyoka! How am I feeling?"

Kyoka gave her an amused side glance, pointed an earphone jack at the pink girl and said, "You're just a party animal. You're here to partake in Momo's free liquor and have a good time with us."

"Damn, she's good," Ochako heard Mina whisper in shock as she sat back onto her stool.

"But when people want to forget, like, a break up or something bad that just happened, they'll throw back shot after shot real quick. Like they're not even tasting it," Jirou explained as she twirled one of her earphone jacks. "But, if it's something they want to forget from a long time ago, some people kinda just nurse one drink absently like they don't know why they ordered it."

Kyoka's eyes playfully zeroed in on Ochako, although she seemed a bit concerned as well. Ochako stiffened. Was she really that obvious?

"Well, Mina made me this," Ochako tried, looking down at the half empty glass in her hands.

"You said you liked it!" Mina whined in response.

"I do!"

Tsuyu brought a long finger to her lip and murmured a bit too loud, "Well, if that's true, then Ochako also dates to forget."

Ochako's face dropped in shock, her eyes became large, and a lump in her throat manifested, making her incapable of choking out much more than, "Tsu...!"

"Sorry, Ochako, I didn't mean to say it out loud, but maybe it would be best to discuss it with the other girls. There hasn't been much I could do for you."

"Oooo, what's going on?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Ochako squeaked.

"You're not fine," Kyoka stated, a jack pointed right at Ochako. She then continued thoughtfully, tapping a finger on her chin "Drinking and dating to forget..." She rolled her eyes with a smirk, as if thinking hard about this, "...Midoriya, I hazard a guess."

Ochako felt her cheeks get red hot and her spirit left her body. By third year, they all knew, not just Tsuyu. As much as she had been keeping her feelings caged like a frenzied animal, it was hard to hide for very long. Mina had guessed it first. After Ochako had made the mistake of admitting to the girls that her heart had been stirred up for some time, Mina had been on a mission to find out who was stirring the pot. And it hadn't been difficult. Ochako still remained very close friends with the object of her affections, and she guessed any subconscious staring, pain, and closeness just made it too obvious. Mina was a good friend though, and never blabbed about it, although she could barely curb her enthusiasm. Same as right now, the pink girl bounced up and down with an abnormally large grin, stifling her giddiness. As much as the pink diva didn't consider any of the boys dating material for one flaw or another, she had found it unbearably adorable that her friend had fallen for one of them despite it.

The other three girls only found out because Ochako decided to tell them during a night of secret sharing. She immediately regretted it. At that moment, Mina and Tooru had become the giggling brigade and Ochako could only thank the stars above that Izuku was as dense as he was not to notice the increased attention. Questions inundated her until graduation, questions like...

"Why don't you just tell him already?" Tooru whined in the present day, shaking her arms in frustration, the bangles klinking rapidly. The question came among more chatter from Mina, Jirou sighing and shaking her head, Tsuyu pleading with them to wait for Ochako, and Momo asking for them to keep their voices low, Todoroki and Iida were still in earshot.

"Everyone just...!" Ochako started with a raised voice, built up into nothing as she slouched back into her drink and finished with a mousy, "...shut up."

"All right, all right, let's calm down everyone," Jirou ordered.

"But really," Tooru said in a calmer, quieter voice. "Can't say it'd be a distraction anymore, we're not in school."

"It's not that simple," Ochako argued weakly from her glass.

There was a collective sigh from the rest of the girls.

"It could be simple, if you let it," Tooru continued on. "Tonight's a brand new opportunity!"

"I suppose..."

Ochako made it sound like she actually considered the sentiment. She knew Tooru meant well. They all meant well. But things were even more different and complicated now. She managed to steer the conversation to other things, namely hero work, something Uravity had a handle on. Just like that, the spotlight faded off her, and the other girls were talking support items, villains, and glory. Ochako made sure to perk up and engage, even if it was the last thing on her mind.

After a good half hour of banter, she excused herself to the bathroom, and was thankful as Mina announced it was time to tap a kidney. She'd rather them all imagine that than her crying...which she wasn't going to do either. Just a splash to the face and a reset was what she needed. To pull out in order to go back in with a better, clean mindset. She needed to tell herself that things were going to be okay now. She would start texting Iida again, going to dinner with the girls, calling Izuku...

As she headed down the corridor to the nearest bathroom, a familiar, flamboyant voice filled her ears.

"Oh, Uraraka, is that you?*" Yuga Aoyama was approaching from the bathroom.

Ochako couldn't remember when he had arrived to the party.

"What's with the long face?*" he asked, genuine concern hiding somewhere on his permanent smile and among the sparkles.

"Oh, you know, just..." Ochako started her explanation but Aoyama was too quick.

"Brooding about your interaction with Midoriya?*"

She couldn't tell if he was teasing her or was just better at guessing these things than even Mina. After all, Aoyama knew about Ochako's feelings before even Ochako had. Just as those feelings were kindling in their first year, Aoyama pointed them out to Ochako during their joint exam against Thirteen. Since that moment, he had known, but never said anything about it again. He seemed to have just prided himself in spreading the embers around and left Ochako alone to deal with the wildfire that ignited afterward.

"What the heck! Why does everyone know?" Ochako whined. "Am I that easy to read?"

"Oui."

Ochako grumbled, but Aoyama, now done teasing her, gently put his hands up and spoke softly. "Now, now, really, what's troubling you, dear?*"

Ochako had crossed her arms over her chest, as if now trying harder to resist any more intrusions. But as close as they weren't, there was something about Aoyama she could always trust. After all, he had never spoken again about his knowledge of her budding affections for Izuku. Even when he befriended the boy in question, no hints were ever dropped as a courtesy to her, and Ochako had appreciated it. Aoyama seemed to know that this was something she had to do on her own terms.

Ochako sighed, but said sternly. "You weren't wrong."

"Ah*," Aoyama nodded quickly. "I did see the whole debacle.*"

"Yeah..." Ochako murmured, squeezing her arms and looking away from the sparkling man. "I just don't know about saying anything tonight like all the girls want me to..."

"What?" Aoyama stammered. "No. No no no no. No. That's ridiculous.*"

Ochako finally loosened. Here was someone who gets it. "Thank you! We haven't spoken in so long...it just doesn't seem right..."

"Oui*," Aoyama agreed. "Granted, you probably should have done all your confessing at graduation. That was probably your best opportunité...*"

Wasn't it? Only in hindsight, though. At the time, it still seemed so scary. She had been missing opportunities left and right for years, arguing that those times were just not right. Promises of broken friendship, awkwardness, and distractions littered her excuses when she found herself never committing. She just...loved him too much. Somewhere down the line, his aspirations became just as important to her as her own dreams. She wanted to be close to him, wanted to watch his dreams come true, and confessing...well...it ran the risk of destroying all that. And if that was so, then when would have been a good time? Probably never.

So, she had watched him disappear. After graduation, things only got more difficult. She sullenly convinced herself that, even if she had told him, it wouldn't have kept him close to her. He still would have taken the job with the police, running himself thin, and still not having time for this brand of nonsense, just as Ochako always predicted. That was a self-fulfilling prophecy though, wasn't it? Because here she had done nothing and gotten that same result.

Seeing her brow furrow in building anxiety, Aoyama hummed, questioning what could be taking her so long to continue their conversation. Instead, he continued.

"Nevertheless," he stated. "I don't agree this is a good opportunity. No, it just won't do. You need to start again. Paris ne s'est pas fait en un jour!*"

"So...what should I do?" Ochako asked. She wasn't looking for advice, but instead saw the twinkle in his eye that signified something up his sleeve and she was too curious to ignore it.

"Tell you what," he responded with a flip of his luscious blonde locks. "Find yourself on the balcony in exactly ten minutes."

"What are you going to do?" Ochako squinted her eyes, becoming defensive and immediately coming to the conclusion that his end was the same as Mina's and Tooru's – prompt her to confess.

"I know you have no reason to, but trust me," Aoyama said, still confident and sure. He walked off with a parting, "Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid!*"

Ochako didn't know what that meant, but before she could ask, he was gone like a shadow in the light. She stood in the hallway, dumbfounded and not really sure what to do with herself. Sure, she could follow along with Aoyama's schemes or she could ignore it and figure it out on her own. After all, this was her issue...why so many people wanted to be involved with it was beyond her. Then again. What did she have to lose? Her friendship with Izuku was already fading into oblivion as it was. The worst that could happen would be more of the same. Best case scenario, she could rekindle the friendship into something more fortified against the elements of hero life. At the very least, she could be close to him again, even if it wasn't in the romantic sense.

So, she found herself on the balcony, exactly ten minutes from her conversation with Aoyama, as instructed. The dark had set itself in for the night hours ago, the only light illuminating the gorgeous stone balcony was from the lamps and chandeliers back inside. Despite the tall windows, she felt as though the balcony was as private as one could get. Even with the party raging on behind the glass, it was quiet. She leaned against the railing with her arms folded, her elbows becoming cool from the stone. The ten minutes passed, and then another five, and another five.

A cool breeze broke the day's unrelenting heat, and for once this summer, she wasn't sweating. All of her worries blew away with the wind and she began to find herself again.

"Oh, hey, Uraraka!"

Zen lost.

"I didn't know you were out here. I thought you would still be with the other girls."

It was Izuku, clearly as by Aoyama's design. But what had the clever, son of a gun said to get Izuku to come out here if not that Ochako was here and had something to tell him? She glanced inside. The TV where the other boys were playing video games was very close to the windows, but they were all paying attention to the screen, including Aoyama. The blonde match-maker was sitting pretzel style on the floor with a game controller in his hand, nervously trying to play. Normally, she would have expected someone like Aoyama to sip Merlot the whole night, not play video games. He really had done her a favor.

Izuku took the space next to her on the edge of the balcony and leaned against the railing like she was. "I know our conversation ended pretty abruptly before. Sorry about that."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Ochako jumped, shaking her hands, as if to swat his worries away. She had been thankful Iida cut their conversation short then. She hadn't been ready for Izuku.

"Still, I'd like to hear about how you've been doing," he continued. "It's been a while since we spoke."

"It really has," Ochako sighed, "And I've been...fine. Busy, but fine."

"That's good. I figured things were starting to pick up for you when you started calling me less," he said wistfully. He then caught himself and scratched the back of his head. "But, uh, I'm sure that was also my fault."

Ochako gave him a worried glance and he addressed it.

"Well, Yaoyarozu was right. I could be better about answering...anything," he continued on, "It was just so hectic for a while. Every other week I was transferring to a new part of town or a whole new town or going abroad for something or other...but it's no excuse. I had cell service."

Before he could ramble again, Ochako shook her head with a smile. " Well, I probably could have kept calling even if you didn't answer...but it was getting weird..."

She was joking, but Izuku clammed up at the notion, turning to her with such guilt, she regretted it immediately. "I'm just kidding! It's really okay!"

"It is, though?" he asked, still consumed with guilt.

"Well, yeah! I know you're busy! I watch you on TV all the time!"

"You do?"

Ochako caught what she said and her face went red as she remembered exactly what watching news segments featuring him had entailed recently. Nevertheless, she decided to run with it. "Yeah! How else am I supposed to know how you're doing?"

His anxiety returned. "So, you are upset I didn't answer the phone! I'm really sorry!"

Ochako put her hands up to calm him. "No, no, it really is okay, Deku. Honest. I forgive you."

"If you say so," Izuku sighed in unsure relief. They turned to face the blackness beyond the house again, leaning on the railing just an inch apart. A moment swept by. Then another. Her cheeks still hadn't cooled, and she refused to look in his direction again, although she was certain he was also still staring into the abyss. It was awkward, but it was necessary, Ochako told herself. No matter what the end game was here, at the end of the day, she had missed her friend dearly. The fact that said friend also summoned romantic feelings in her was beyond the point. When the silence became too much to bear, Ochako decided any conversation was better than none. After all, Aoyama wasn't feigning a love for video games for nothing.

"Well, uh, to answer your questions...work has been pretty interesting...and exhausting," Ochako interjected into the silence. Izuku seemed to perk up at the sound of her voice...at least that's what she felt from an inch away. "We've been dealing with a lot of recovery missions lately," she elaborated.

The image of the severed hand raced across her mind and she winced.

"That must be rough. I'm sorry," Izuku said, imparting his condolences in a low, soothing tone that sent shivers down her spine. "It's from the downed apartment buildings, right?"

Ochako nodded, staring off into the night.

"That actually reminds me about what I wanted to tell you before Iida dragged me away," Izuku said thoughtfully. "I was transferred to your neck of the woods to work on that case."

Ochako whipped her head around with wide, disbelieving eyes. All this time he had been nothing more than a memory...now all that would change. He'd be closer. So close they could actually keep this friendship going longer than this night. Of course, he was extremely close now, and when she turned towards him, the inch between them became so much more reduced that she could see the more muted freckles on his nose in this dim light. They blinked in unison before realizing the intimacy of the limited space between them. Turning away quickly, they reestablished the friendly boundary once more in a frenzy. Ochako felt the perpetually rosy spots on her cheeks heat up anew.

It took a hell of a lot of self discipline, she figured, on her part, to continually douse this inferno welling up from her heart. Had she been a weaker woman, she probably would have just said "screw it" and blamed it on the alcohol as she distanced the tiny gap that had been between their lips moments ago. Would have dug her fingers into his fluffy hair and pressed her body against his. Would have kept coming back for more from his lips as their breathing became strained and hands wandered...

Her heart sped up at these wild suggestions, the fantasy a recurring chaser to his image. It was all she could do to appease herself in private. But now, it was awkward...mortifying even, and she was glad no one had a mind-reading quirk. Still, this damn blush was telling, even in the dark.

From what she could gather, though, he hadn't noticed. His voice wavered as he explained, trying to fill in the awkward, damning silence. "Yeah, uh, I...the transfer took up a lot of my time. That's why Yaoyarozu was mad. I wasn't...I didn't think I would make it to this tonight. I only got the assignment yesterday."

Another second of silence. The awkwardness from before continued to haunt them like a miserable ghost.

"Well, I'm glad you made time in the end," Ochako commented, still without looking at him, still with hot cheeks.

"Y-yeah, me too." His hands were fidgeting and he continued on. "I thought...or figured...since we'll be living close by each other, maybe we could see each other more? Maybe grab lunch. Or something? You know, if you want to and you have time. I'm not expecting anything...for you to go out of your way, you're really busy and I am too, I just thought..."

When he started to talk too much, her awkwardness transformed into relaxed endearment. She watched him struggle a little while longer while holding in a laugh. His rambling and mumbling was something she expected from him, and she didn't even know why she liked it so much. Where other people found it strange, she knew he needed it to think, like having a full conversation with himself just got the cogs moving, and when he was done, the product was an adroit strategy no one but Deku could come up with. But it backfired sometimes, like now when his kindness and consideration for her limited personal time was getting in the way of asking his friend to lunch once while he was in town. At least that's what she perceived.

Ochako giggled, and finally cut him off for his own health, "I'll definitely fit you in somewhere."

He visibly loosened and smiled brightly. Their reconnection was complete. Friendship saved. Right? Ochako felt like she could look him in the eyes again, and for the next blissful moment, she didn't realize she was staring. Things became effortless again, like when they were in high school. Sure, there were times when the awkwardness between them flared up, but it hadn't stopped them from being together...as friends! Maybe Tooru and Mina had been right. Maybe tonight was as good as any other to just let the truth come out.

Her voice was shaky, but for once her resolve was as strong as the feelings she was about to unveil. She looked down, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. "Hey, Deku..."

"Yeah?" he answered cluelessly.

"Oh, Midoriya~*!" Aoyama's voice came crashing in from the open door.

Ochako had almost forgotten that other people existed.

"Hey, Aoyama. You done playing?"

"Oui. In fact, Bakugo would like a challenge, now.*"

Izuku rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Sounds serious. I guess I'll head in then. I'll text you Monday about lunch?"

Ochako nodded, and just like an apparition, he was gone. Ochako was left standing at the edge of the balcony alone again, and Aoyama took Izuku's place next to her holding his cheeks in sparkling glee.

"Oh my! A lunch date for mon amie chanceux!*"

"Aoyama, you came at the worst time. I was about to...I was gonna do it."

Aoyama shook his head and booped her on the nose, "You were not supposed to do that. Good thing I intervened."

"You did it on purpose?"

"Of course! This is no setting for confessions...not unless you're inebriated!*"

"But Mina and Tooru..."

"Mina and Tooru are selfish. They want to witness you confess and kiss and become an item, but it's not any of their business. You need a private setting.*"

Ochako threw up her arms. "This felt private!"

"And I was here to remind you it's not.*"

"Then where in this overcrowded city?*"

"I see. Among the clouds, then.*"

"Now I know you're crazy."

Aoyama sighed and moved a shiny blonde lock of hair from his face only for it to fall exactly where it had been. "Since year one, you always knew when the time wasn't right. Give yourself some credit to know when the time is right."

And with that, he was done with her, disappearing back into the party through the immense open doors, never to be seen again. Ochako looked back to the party inside – everyone was here now. Despite the quiet that enveloped her out here on the balcony, it was transparent. Those tall, opulent windows wouldn't have hidden the aftermath of her spilled guts. She made peace with what transpired and ambled her way back inside. Whether Izuku remembered or not, she committed to texting him as promised and lunch would happen. She hoped.

*Note 1: What is Aoyama saying?

Oui = Yes

Opportunité Opportunity

Paris ne s'est pas fait en un jour!Paris was not made in a day!

Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid! = Little by little, the bird builds its nest! (A French saying that means that every little action will get you closer to your goal. I felt it made a lot of sense for what Aoyama's role was in this chapter.

Mon amie chanceux = My lucky friend.

*Note 2: So names are hard. I wanted to reflect Ochako's closeness with everyone by referring to the girls by their first names and every one else by their last names. Izuku was difficult, because even though she calls him Deku, I wanted to make the "double life" theme apparent by using hero names when they are being heroes in the narration. Sorry if it's confusing, but it was a literary choice.