A/N: So, some of you may have noticed that I haven't done a lot of romance explicitly with Ochako and Izuku. Well, that changes today! I just wanted time to build their friendship, flesh them out. Here's hoping it all paid off and you guys enjoy! Heads up though; with school starting I'll be updating less frequently simply because of the craziness that is college but I'll do my best!

Chapter 6: The Heart's Beginning

Sunday Afternoon

Izuku was still amazed at the drawing of Momo as a paladin, even several hours later. He didn't quite know what about it entranced him so much; sure the drawing was amazing as he expected from Ochako, but there was something else. Perhaps it was how well it seemed to fit with Momo as a person, this image of her as a brave paladin. He could easily imagine Momo holding off an army of monsters to defend her friends, a grim look of determination on her face.

He sighed and put the drawing down, looking at the cup of tea before him. With any luck, Ochako would be able to tell him more about this "idea" she hinted at in the note that was left with the drawing. He had been trying to figure out what that meant as well and couldn't really get it. Still though, if had anything to do with the picture, he was all in.

The bell at the cafe door jingled and Ochako hurried in, a smile on her face. Izuku found himself smiling back and his heart did a little skip. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and her old pink scarf was a bit loose around her neck, the ends falling down onto her brown jacket. She looked cute, he thought, and he found himself blushing. "Sorry I'm late Deku! My boss asked me to stay a little longer to discuss some scheduling stuff." She slid into the seat across from him and gave him a more sheepish, apologetic smile.

"Don't apologize," he said with a soft chuckle. "I did sort of call you over here very last minute so if anything, it's my fault for being early."

"That makes no sense, Deku," she laughed. "But, I'll accept your apology."

He laughed again and waited as she went to order her coffee before rejoining him, shucking off her jacket. As she did so, he found himself watching her face carefully. She really was cute, with her big grin, flushed cheeks, and big, light brown eyes. He had known that since they met but for some reason it was jumping out at him. As she turned her attention to him though, he snapped out of it and tried not to seem awkward. "So, why did you call me over here?" she asked.

"The drawing you left with me and that note," he said, tapping the drawing on the table. "You said you had some sort of idea you wanted to talk about and when I texted you about it you refused to elaborate, like some sort of jerk."

Her face lit up and she leaned in. "I do! You're gonna love it! You ready?"

"Totally ready," he said with a grin.

"Remember how we had talked about working with each other on a graphic novel of sorts? Well, I have an idea for one!" She tapped the drawing excitedly and then dug her sketchbook out of her bag, opening up to a page towards the back and thrusting it into Izuku's hands. On the page in front of him was a very rough sketch but it looked like….Shoto, but in some sort of old-fashioned finery, a sword buckled at his waist.

"Is this Shoto?" Izuku asked.

"Yup! So, here's my idea. A graphic novel starring our friends!" Izuku blinked and gave her a quizzical look, trying to wrap his head around it. She must have noticed his confusion because she seemed to backpedal a bit mentally.

"Not like, them completely," she said, "but like, fictionalized versions. A fantasy world with our friends as characters, as the heroes! Momo the paladin and Shoto the….noble? Lord? I don't know yet with him, but do you get the idea?"

Izuku thought about it and a grin spread across his face. The idea was actually really interesting. His friends were a varied group with a lot of interesting dynamics and personalities and such. Honestly, he had always toyed with the idea of making a character or two based on them. "I think I love it," he said. Ochako's eyes seemed to dance with that and she pumped her fist. "So, what kind of story are you thinking about?"

"No idea yet!" she admitted cheerily. "That's where you come in, Deku! Honestly, I was just struck with the idea after having lunch with Momo but then when I saw Shoto yesterday something just clicked and well, boom!"

He sat back in his chair and thought, looking at the sketch of Shoto. "Hmm, so do you want all of our friends to be in it?"

"Most of them, I'm thinking. I don't think I've met them all, but you can help fill in the blanks. We should probably show them first and get their permission. I can work on the drawings and maybe you can create backgrounds for them all? That way we can sort of play off of each other's ideas, improve upon each other as we go!"

Izuku grinned and took a gulp of his tea. The idea was good and could be really fun. Plus….he loved the challenge of it. When he had been trying to match her with Iliasa it had been so much, always trying to meet her art with his writing and make sure they were on the same level. "Let's do it!" Ochako gave a small little cheer and extended her fist, and he bumped her fist with his. "So, let's get started, partner."

"That's why I brought with my drawing stuff," she said, pulling out pencils and erasers. "How about you work on an outline for the story? Or maybe for Shoto and Momo?"

Izuku nodded and pulled out his writing notebook; he never left home without it. "First though, do you want us to be in it?" he asked.

"Of course! We're going to be a part of the main cast, goof!" She made a small frown, like she was thinking and tapped a pencil's eraser against her lip. "I mean, maybe not the main characters, but in the group for sure."

He nodded, not adding that he wasn't sure if he was main character worthy. Instead, he focused on Shoto, or rather, fantasy Shoto. Definitely of noble birth, but that wasn't much to write about. So, Izuku borrowed a bit from Shoto's real life. His white and red hair would have to be in it, as it was too cool to not include in a fantasy story. So, why not find a reason for it? "How do you feel about Shoto being magic, to a degree?" Izuku asked as he wrote.

Ochako looked up from her drawing and gave a decisive nod. "I like it. I was actually thinking about that but I'm not sure what kind of powers. You?"

"I like the idea of maybe some sort of conflict," Izuku said slowly, still thinking. He knew Shoto and his dad….well, saying they didn't get along felt like a bit of an understatement. "Maybe he has a power he hates? Like it reminds him of someone he hates, like his dad."

Ochako made a humming sound in thought but nodded, her hand flying across the paper as she drew. Izuku turned back to his page, and focused on writing.

An hour or two later he had a decent backstory written up for Shoto. Or, at least decent enough. Ochako was still drawing as he went over what he had written. It wasn't anything amazing, but it was interesting enough he thought. A prince made to be a weapon for his father, running away to rebel and discover himself, while trying to hold back the power he inherited from his father. Good stuff without being overly heavy.

As he waited for Ochako to finish what she was working on, he studied her. It had been only two weeks since he had met her and yet, he loved hanging out with her. She had quickly risen up the ranks in his texts, becoming the person he texted the most, and he had spent more than a couple of late nights just texting her. Plus, her drawings wowed him and made him want to write again. The girl was amazing, he thought. It had been a while since he thought about someone quite like this….

"Deku?" He blinked and smiled at her. She smiled back. "You seemed a little out of it. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's okay," he said with a laugh. "I was just thinking, you know?"

Ochako laughed and nodded. "Well, I finished up another sketch if you wanna look. It's super rough, but I mean, it's something."

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "You would say that even if it was finished."

"Like you wouldn't for your writing," she countered with a laugh. "But if you insist….here. I hope it's okay." She passed the notebook over and she seemed nervous. More so than she ever had been about sharing her art before.

"I'm sure it's great, Ochako," he said with a smile as he took the sketchbook. She smiled back at him, kind of weakly, and then he looked down at the drawing.

There were two figures in it; one was a girl wearing what looked like traditional style witch clothes, but a bit more individualized, with a skirt that swirled out from her, as if she had just jumped in the air. Her hat was floppy and seemed ragged and old, but fit her well. Beneath it, he could see two long locks of hair framing her face….Izuku blinked. It was Ochako, or close to it.

The other figure in the drawing stood with a big smile on his face. He wore what looked like trousers meant for traveling but on his torso he wore a waistcoat and button up shirt, or something like it. His eyes seemed big and cheerful looking and his hair was a mess of curls. The dusting of freckles on his cheeks made him gave him a look of youthful energy, and his hand rested lightly on the simple pommel of a sword at his waist.

Izuku looked up to see Ochako blushing and looking down at the table. "Is that me?" he asked.

She nodded and grimaced. "I'm sorry, I know I should've let you know but I just….well, I thought we could both be in the story and I was even thinking maybe you could star in it, and well….once I started drawing I couldn't stop."

"Why are you apologizing?" Izuku smiled and looked at the drawing again. It was just a sketch, but it was a good one. His character….was that really him? He passed the drawing back and chuckled. "I don't know if I agree with you on me being a main character but I like the art. Your character is especially neat looking."

Ochako bit her lip and nodded, taking the drawing back when he offered it. Something seemed off with her, but Izuku wasn't sure if he should ask. "Thanks, Deku," she said softly. She smiled briefly and checked her phone. "I have to go to class soon, but wanna meet up in a week or so again? I'll get these two done and maybe a couple of others as well."

"You can drop by the bookstore whenever you want, too," Izuku said. "I like hanging out with you."

"Thanks," she said, whatever was going on seemingly melting away. "I'll see you, Deku!" She waved and ran off. Izuku sat at the table, watching her leave, waving back, his heart thudding gently. It had been two weeks. Only two weeks since he had met her. Almost three weeks, now that he thought about it. And yet….something was different than before.

Izuku frowned and looked down at his empty mug. He….he couldn't like her so soon, could he? Crazier things had happened but this? This seemed a bit much. He sighed and got up, waving goodbye to the owners. He was off for today and he needed some time to think.

Monday Morning

Izuku unlocked the door to Plus Ultra, pushing it open with its customary jingle and then locking it behind him. It had been a while since he was the one to open the shop, but Tenya had an appointment with an author's agent. That didn't really bother Izuku; he liked opening up. The shop was always so calm and peaceful in the morning and being able to just wander the shelves and do some simple work by himself was good.

But, first he went up the stairs. A floor above was the break room that they all used, with its coffee pot, couch, and table. He got the coffee pot ready and started it up, and then went up the next set of stairs, taking out a coppery key. When he reached the top he knocked and then pushed open the door.

Toshinori's apartment was well-lived in, and everything in it looked like it had been there for years. The old, ratty looking but incredibly comfortable couch, the faded looking rug, the nicked but clean coffee table. The room was packed with bookcases too, full of worn and well-read books. Toshinori had always loved reading and many of the books Izuku knew were from his childhood, saved over the years.

"Toshinori? It's me, Izuku!" he called as he walked over to the kitchen. He heard shuffling and turned to see Toshinori walk from his bedroom, already dressed.

"Morning, young Midoriya," he said. He opened his mouth to say something else and started to cough. His shoulders shook violently as he coughed with a terrible racking sound. Izuku burst into action, running to grab a glass of water from the cabinet along with a small container of pills that always lay out. His heart thudded with worry. Please not today. The doctor said you were still okay! Toshinori's coughs slowed and he wobbled a bit on his feet. His hand was bloodied from the coughs and when Izuku took his arm to help him, the older man nearly collapsed on him.

"You didn't take your pills yet," he said quietly as he helped Toshinori into a seat.

"I got up late," the man said with a heavy sigh as he took the container and water. He popped it open and downed the pills, followed by a deep gulp of water. He groaned and leaned forward, propping his elbows onto the table. "Sorry to worry you, Izuku. I promise, everything is fine."

Izuku didn't say anything but he let his doubt show. Ever since he and Tenya had learned about their boss's illness senior year they had taken it upon themselves to watch after him carefully. They didn't quite understand what the illness was; Toshinori never elaborated, but the way he seemed drained after each hospital visit made it seem serious. The coughing fits especially were worrisome, as was the ugly looking scarring on Toshinori's side and stomach from where he had surgery to help treat whatever it was. Tenya had guessed cancer of some sort. Izuku hadn't wanted to guess.

"Trust me, Izuku, I'm fine," Toshinori said. He flashed a smile and a thumbs up at Izuku and he felt his worry wean a little. "I was late one time. I'll be fine."

"Good." Izuku started to head towards the door but stopped. "I….just be safe, okay? We all care about you."

"I know, young Midoriya." Toshinori smiled softly and Izuku felt himself smiling in return. "Tell me, have you started working on the book that you told me about? I remember you mentioning working on something with young Uraraka."

"We started, yeah," he said with a chuckle. "We're working on flushing out the characters for now, but I think it's actually gonna happen."

Toshinori nodded and smiled again. "You know, she's good for you."

Izuku blinked and felt his heart race and his cheeks flush. "W-w-what do you mean?"

"Whenever she comes over you smile more, and more warmly, and seem more alive. You've been writing more too, in your notebooks, ever since you met her." Toshinori got up and walked over to his fridge, grabbing a carton of orange juice. "She….how do I put this? She makes you happy and strive to be better." He nodded as if satisfied with those words. "That's an important thing to find in someone, Izuku. You should keep her close."

He laughed awkwardly and tried to not blush too noticeably. "I….I mean, she's a great friend, Toshinori. Of course I want to keep her close."

Toshinori gave Izuku a cryptic looking smile and just nodded. He seemed to know more than he was letting on, but Izuku didn't need him sharing more. The whole thing was troubling enough on its own. "Well, if you don't need anything else, I'll be downstairs," Izuku said, inching towards the door to get out of whatever happened. "You know how to reach me if something happens."

"I'll be fine, young Midoriya." The older man smiled and his eyes flared to life with blue fire. For a second, instead of the thin, sickly man he was, Toshinori Yagi became the confident, inspiring author he had been when Izuku first met him. No, Izuku corrected himself as he headed down the stairs, he's always been that man. It's just not as obvious.

The work went by quickly that morning, with Emi popping in when he officially opened the store. Tenya was always excellent at getting any paperwork done well in advance, so most of Izuku's morning consisted of preparing the store for the day and checking stock. As much as Tenya loved and craved the thrill of a busy day, Izuku liked these slow days. It gave him chances to relax, chat with the customers and Emi, and just have a good time.

Of course, the slow day also gave him plenty of time to think. Normally, he loved that and for the most part, he loved it that day as well. He thought intently about the novel, trying to craft a backstory for all of his friends. Tenya he could picture as a knight or something, from a long line of heroes perhaps. Momo as a lawful paladin made a lot of sense but crafting her backstory was a bit harder. A wealthy family made sense, explaining her detailed armor. But why would she be a paladin and adventuring? That thought took up a lot of time.

When he reached his character though, he found himself sidetracked. He started thinking about Ochako, subtly at first, before it turned to him thinking solely about her. Her smile when she talked about her favorite authors, that focused look on her face when she drew…he forced himself to stop before he went too far, but he found himself blushing. He tried to get back to thinking about the story, trying to figure out Paladin-Momo's past, when it happened again. Time and time again he thought of Ochako and her smile, her warm brown eyes.

Izuku sighed and smiled weakly at Emi when she gave him a concerned look. He hated it, but he had to admit that he liked Ochako Uraraka. Of course he did. Of course he did. He wasn't really all that surprised as he thought about it; she was sweet and smart and cute and liked some of the same books as he did and she pushed him in a way no one else had. Hell, she had gotten him back into writing often.

No, it didn't shock him. It just….irked him, he decided. After the incident with Tsu and the errant crush here and there that had never gone anywhere, he had shut down the romantic part of him. Why, he thought, would anyone bother liking him? Especially if they got to know him better. Shoto and Tenya, they had ideas about who he was deep down, about that pit of darkness he had drifted into often when he was younger. He still did, the only difference being that he knew how to hold it in now.

But if anyone actually dated him, actually saw that sadness that so often consumed him, why would they stick around? Even if they managed to get over everything else about him, that would scare them off for sure.

Izuku sighed, sadness weighing on his heart even as his cheeks flushed thinking of Ochako. He couldn't stop liking her, not easily at least. But he wouldn't act on it. No reason to show her what a pathetic guy he was.

Saturday Evening

Ochako knocked on the door to Deku's apartment- well, his and Shoto's and Tenya's, she corrected herself- and waited anxiously. She had been working hard on the drawings since their last get-together and when Deku suggested meeting up at one of their places to work, she loved the idea. Unfortunately Tsu was having Fumikage over for one of their planned date nights and while Tsu insisted that it would be fine, Ochako would have been looking for a way out regardless. So, Deku offered to take her in for the evening. Shoto was out with Momo- something Deku went over way too fast for her taste- while Tenya was spending the night visiting his brother.

It would just be the two of them. Alone. At his place. Ochako found that utterly terrifying and absolutely amazing.

The door opened and Deku stood before her, smiling sheepishly. His hair was messy, like he had been rolling around on the floor, and there was a bit of chocolate or fudge smeared on his chin. "Ochako! Hey! Come on in!"

"Sorry again to have you host, Deku," she said as she walked in, kicking her shoes off.

Deku made a scoffing sound as he passed her. "I was the one who suggested we get together and hang tonight. Besides, I didn't want to get in the way of Tsu and Fumikage." He smiled faintly. "Fumikage gets surprisingly nervous around other people when he and Tsu are together."

Ochako raised an eyebrow and filed the information away for later. It might come in handy. She then pointed to the chocolate on Deku's chin. "What were you making?"

He raised his hand to his chin and his eyes widened. He chuckled awkwardly as he rushed over to the sink to scrub it off. "I was, uh, making brownies." The way he said sounded almost hesitant, as if saying it was embarrassing or something he was upset about it. Whatever it was, it confused Ochako and made her a little worried.

But still, the fact that he made brownies was kinda cute.

"You didn't have to make brownies!" She laughed a little at his sheepish expression and gave him her sweetest smile. "But, I do love brownies so I will totally eat them if you let me. Please tell me though that you didn't also cook up a three-course meal, too."

"I actually held myself back," he said with another sheepish grin. He still had a little bit of chocolate on his chin but she decided to let it be for right now. It made him look cute. "For one thing, I was wiped so I didn't feel like cooking. Plus Shoto said it would seem to be a bit mu-" he paused, eyes widening, before continuing, "I mean, he said that I should leave some of the groceries for him and Tenya."

"Wait, back up," Ochako said with a chuckle. She decided to ignore his slip-up though it was definitely something to keep an eye on. "You were too tired to cook but you still went and made brownies? How does that work?"

Deku gave her a strange look and made his way to the couch, plopping down. She followed and sat next to him, waiting for his answer. "Baking is easier than cooking," he said. "Baking is relaxing. Ask Rikido, he bakes all the time and he's super relaxed. There has to be a relation there, right?"

Ochako laughed and shook her head. "I mean, you seem pretty chill yourself, Deku. I don't think you need to bake to become more chill."

He paused and then laughed. "Shush! Maybe I just like baking, then."

"You could have just said that you know," she said with a teasing tone. "But I'll drop it for now, so long as you tell me what we're having to eat. As much as I love sweets, my parents would not approve if that was all I ate for a dinner."

"My mom would be disappointed in me if I let you," Deku laughed. "Though I wasn't thinking anything special. There's a good pizza place that does delivery if you're okay with that?"

She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. "Well it depends. What do you like on your pizza? Because if you like anything but mushrooms I think we'll be all good."

"I'll leave those off," he said with a smile.

About an hour later the two of them were still sitting on the couch, now with a pizza box opened on the kitchen counter, notebooks next to them flipped open to various pages, and drawings and notes scattered across the couch and coffee table. Currently, Deku was looking at her revised sketch of Shoto, which she was actually really proud of. She had colored it a little, giving him a background of ice crystals and flames. The ice arched up along the wall behind him, curving a little, while the flames burned along his body, arching off of his skin. Together it made him look like he had wings of fire and snow. It fit what Deku described of his character earlier, she thought, and he seemed especially thrilled by it.

She, meanwhile, was reading some backstory Deku had written up for all of their characters, and some of the others. Tenya, he described as a knight from a family of knights, with a strong drive for justice and carrying on his lineage, but easily caught up in minutia and an obsession with following codes of honor. Tsu was a water sprite, or at least part water sprite, and was a kind hearted soul who didn't quite get human customs, causing her to be a bit blunt and forward. That made Ochako laugh when she read it, much to Deku's surprise. It fit Tsu so well and the idea of her friend being this fairy-like creature was actually really cool.

Katsuki's character, who Deku sometimes slipped up and called Kacchan in his writing, was….interesting. She could see what Deku described easily in her head; a muscular, rough looking man with a shock of white hair and tattoos on his arms of tribal origin. He wore an open short vest and carried a wicked looking saber. Despite his barbaric appearance, intelligence still gleamed in his eyes. Overall Ochako liked it a lot but one thing seemed odd.

"Does Katsuki have to have a dragon?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Deku who blushed a little and rubbed the back of his head.

"I, uh, technically no," he said with a small chuckle. "But if we want his permission, it might be for the best. Kacchan has always loved dragons and fire and stuff like that. He thinks its fierce and well, you may not have met him for very long, but trust me, if anyone could actually conquer and tame a dragon, it would be him."

"Okay, sure, but still. Makes him seem a little crazy powerful. I mean, dragons kind of solve a lot of problems."

"We don't have to keep it," Deku said after a moment of thinking. "Maybe something can happen to it. But I think to get his permission, Katsuki needs a dragon."

Ochako pursed her lips but nodded. Drawing a dragon would be hard but it wouldn't be impossible. Whatever, she thought. She would make it work, probably.

Funny, she thought with a small smile as she flipped to the next page in the notebook. If it comes to Deku I seem to find myself more willing to try and risk things without fear.

She ignored those thoughts and quickly read the next page, her cheeks flushing as she read. It was her character. Deku described her as a cute girl with a round face and flushed cheeks. Her eyes were a warm brown and always sparkling with joy and excitement. She was a hard worker and enthusiastic about her magic, if a little inexperienced at first. Her favorite part though, was right near the end.

"Ochako may have been a young mage, may have been inexperienced, but she didn't let that get to her. She's the heart of the group, her smile and words of encouragement keeping the others moving forward even in the darkest of times. Second only to Tsuyu in her kindness, Ochako is always ready to make everyone in the group smile and is the one the others turn to when they feel lost. For example, when Izuku and Shoto both find themselves at a loss following a major defeat, both ready to give up, Ochako is the one who keeps them inspired, even though she was devastated as well. She is the one who inspired Izuku to join the party, after all, who pushed him. This young mage means more than she thinks she does."

Ochako looked up and stared at Deku, her eyes wide and….watery? She felt like she was going to cry from that passage and she….dammit. He didn't know, couldn't have known, about her high school life- Tsu barely knew- and yet, what he wrote, about her being the heart, the one who kept the others going….the one they turned to. It hit hard in a way she didn't expect it, making her think of high school again.

The loneliness. The pain. The forced smiles and laughs even as she just wanted to break. Even as she did break. Those hollow smiles she got, the fakeness, the heartbreak that ruined her. All of it rushed in and then was held back. Was this how Deku thought of her? As this person to be trusted and who could inspire others?

The boy in question looked up, his eyes shimmering and sparkling. He smiled at her softly, and held up her picture of Shoto. "This is amazing, Ochako! I mean, genuinely awesome! I love the idea of him having fire and ice as a power as it just seems to mesh with his character and that duality and trying to control it and you really made it so beautiful." He paused and his smile dimmed as he looked at her. Was she crying? She didn't think she was yet, but she wasn't sure. Dammit, this one thing shouldn't be affecting her so much. "Hey, are you okay?"

She sniffed and wiped her face, just in case. "Yeah, yeah. Just feeling a little sick. I'll, uh, be right back." She hurried off to the bathroom and closed the door behind her, leaning against it. What was happening? Why did she feel both sad and ecstatic? Why was her heart thudding so hard?

Then, it hit her. She had known for a while that she had been thinking of Deku as less and less of a friend and more as a crush…..but this cemented it. She liked him, and that terrified her. The last crush she had didn't end well. She could still remember the utter feeling of betrayal and the crushing despair.

"'I can't believe you're crying over getting rejected,' her 'friend' said with a small smirk. 'He never liked you. Hell, I wonder if he even liked you as a friend or if he just kept you around because you amused him.' She laughed as Ochako felt her heart thunder in her chest. 'It is kinda funny that you never noticed. That you thought he liked you back. God, what an idiot. Why would anyone like you?'

'Why?' Ochako asked in a small, weak voice. Her accent was pronounced and that caused another bit of laughter, which, in turn, caused more tears from Ochako. 'Why?' There was no answer. Ochako was alone, in more ways than one, crying as laughter echoed in her ears."

"Why?" she asked herself as tears fell. She had promised herself that she wasn't going to let high school hold her back anymore, that she wasn't going to let it rule her anymore.

And here she was crying because of it. Because she was scared it would repeat. Because she hated herself for feeling so weak.

She liked Deku and she was scared of losing that. Scared of him laughing at her for liking him, for thinking that he could ever feel the same way. He was great and amazing and she was….her. Deku wouldn't laugh at you, a part of her thought. I thought the same thing about Daichi though.

It took a few minutes for her to properly compose herself, but when she felt like she wasn't as broken as before, she left the bathroom to return to Deku, putting on her best smile. She accepted that it was too late to stop liking him. Even as she turned into the living room, she caught a worried look on his face and care in his eyes. He cared about her as a friend, and even that little thing made her heart ache. No, she couldn't stop liking him. But she could never tell him. It would hurt too much.

She couldn't deal with losing him as a friend, this person who saw her as something more than what she was. Who saw her as an artist worth admiring, a friend worth having. Someone whole. She couldn't lose that.

"Feeling better?" he asked softly.

"Much better. Just needed some time, is all." She gave him another brilliant smile, and it didn't feel false, or at least too false. With him it was a bit easier to be real. "Don't worry."

He didn't seemed convinced but nodded and turned to her other drawings. She picked his notebook back up and flipped to the last passage he wrote. This one was shorter than the others and as she read she learned why.

It was his passage. This Izuku Midoriya was just an average kid with some skill in swordplay who decided to join the quest because of Ochako's inspiration and Tenya's ideals. He never seemed to be in the center of attention, rather was just another member of the group. While Tenya was the brains, Izuku seemed to be a bit more strategy minded, but that seemed to be his main focus.

She frowned a little. The passage wasn't deprecating but it didn't feel like Izuku was anything special. He was just one of the characters, just a guy who didn't have anything unique going on. He was there to help out his friends and support them in every way he could, but he didn't seem to have any goal of his.

"What do you think?" Ochako looked up to see Deku looking at her with a smile. "I finished going through your drawings and writing notes for what I want to change in my writing. How about you?"

Ochako smiled, deciding to worry about Izuku later. It was something that could be fixed as they went on. "I like it. I think we have a real masterpiece in the works, once we figure out a story for it, that is." Deku laughed and rubbed his head.

"Yeah, that would be good, wouldn't it?" He got up and stretched and walked to the kitchen. "How about we think it over brownies and tea? You in?"

"You had me at brownies," Ochako said, hopping up to join him.

No, she couldn't stop liking him. And as painful as that was, that flutter in heart when she saw him smile back at her, it made it worth it for now. She could enjoy that feeling.

A/N: Hey guys, sorry about the late update. Sophomore year started and it was kinda crazy moving in and getting ready and just….you know, life happens. Still, I'm going to do my best to upload at least once every two-ish weeks (at least once a month) but if I fall behind, I'm super sorry! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this and feel free to show love in any way you can! I really do love it!