The First time Through the Looking Glass

Psss-psss

Squeak-squeak-squeak

Psss-psss

Squeak-squeak-squeak

That, and the occasional howling wind were the only sounds that Izuku Midoriya could hear through his headset as he carried on with his work for this evening.

Window washing.

It was not the most glamorous occupation in the world, nor was it what Izuku expected he'd be doing with his free time even just two years ago, but life had a funny way of turning upside-down on him.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Finished with his current section, Izuku clipped his spray bottle to his belt and kept the squeegee he used securely in his right hand. He double-checked his harness, the camera strap around his neck, making sure he wouldn't be taking the expressway down to the ground floor. He was about to begin his ascent upwards when he was startled by static coming from his headset, which usually precluded someone from trying to get in touch with him. It had to be his shift supervisor, trying to get him to hurry up as usual. Sweating nervously as he prepared for another potential verbal thrashing, Izuku just spun there in his harness, uppity as could be, not wanting to climb whilst talking. At least he could also use this opportunity to scout for any potential photo opportunities! Even if the park below didn't offer much in potential.

"Hi, b-boss, what do you need!" He tried starting on a helpful tone. It didn't work.

"Midoriya! Would you hurry up and finish floor twenty! You better not be up there sight-seeing again! I don't wanna get another complaint from tenants saying that some creep in a harness is taking pictures instead of washing windows."

"I'm ahead of schedule, I swear! And t-that was only one time sir like I told you it wasn't like that—"

"Whatever it was like doesn't matter anymore, especially since I had to pull you from that building, you—" A sigh could be heard from the other end of the line.

"Look, Midoriya. You're a good kid. I like you; you show up on time and don't normally cause trouble. And you like taking the high-risk shifts, only god knows why. That's why you haven't been sacked yet. So just, keep at it, alright?" He did have a good reason for taking the high-risk shifts! That's why he was here to begin with!

"But, Sir, I wasn't—"

"Oh, and Mineta was supposed to cover Kamachi's section today, and since you're covering Mineta's section, you get Kamachi's. Hurry on up to floor thirty and work your way up. Have fun!"

Static followed Izuku's attempt at explaining himself, signaling that he'd been cut off. Again. And what a joy! More work. Thanks, Mineta.

Izuku couldn't believe the boss! It wasn't like that! Izuku wasn't some kind of creepy weirdo! Was his boss confusing him with Mineta or something?! Mineta, who's taking a day to, "prowl the streets." Had Izuku not known him personally for about a year now, he probably would've called the cops after Mineta had said that.

Maybe he still should.

Typically, Izuku would be thrilled to pick up another shift; he'd be helping out friends and get a potential photo opportunity, too, so what's not to love? However, today was supposed to be his day off, and he'd just wanted to rest for a bit. The days just kept blending more and more; he might go stir crazy if something didn't change up his routine, hence the bonus shift.

As he activated his rope winch (which is how he traversed the building), he couldn't help but wonder for the nth time if this was worth it. This particular 50-floored, high-rise apartment building was smack dab in the center of the city, where a lot of the action was, Hero-and-Villain-activity-wise. In theory, Izuku should be in prime condition to get some shots,so hopefully the park wouldn't be too much of a bore. There were so many trees! How was he supposed to grab a good photo like that?!

As Izuku walked upwards towards his next section, the winch ever pulling him to the roof, he couldn't help but bemoan how huge the building was. Supposedly, the building was designed with "shine" in mind, which translated to lots, and lots, and lots of windows for Izuku to clean.

The company Izuku contracted with, Glass Heroes! 'The No. 1 choice for Pro-Hero's window-washing needs!' prided itself on providing window-washing services to the private homes of several Pro-Heroes-even a couple in the top 10! None of those could be found in any of the company's commercials thankfully, hopefully, because they felt they shouldn't use their Hero status for such commercial needs, and not just because they were lazy. While Izuku didn't know specifically of any Pro-Heroes living here, he was sure there were a couple, only that could explain why Glass Heroes had bothered to get the contract at all.

Despite Izuku's small complaints, it was a good way to get him out of his room and away from his actual job, something he'd been putting too much time into and not getting the enjoyment he'd used to out of it.

The prattling of the winch shook Izuku out of his thoughts, and as he arrived at the 30th floor, he prepared himself for scrubbing away at another set of windows. The Sun was setting now, swathing the city in a dusky orange hue, which was reflected in the building itself as well.

The thirtieth floor signaled the end of the more affordable-lavish apartments, and yes, Izuku was aware of the oxymoron. But as anyone who'd seen the upper 20 floors could attest to, those apartments were something else.

While the lowest two floors were comprised of retail and office space, floors 3-30 comprised of the mid-to-high end apartments, with rooms ranging from singles to doubles depending on what side of the building you got. The upper 20 floors were very spacious, and only the uber-rich could even contemplate residing in such a place. They had gold tiles. 'Seriously, who does that?' Izuku thought.

This particular apartment's design seemed to be trying to imitate those upper floors to an extent. For starters, on the side Izuku was currently hanging outside of, there was no corner wall. To his left, Izuku could see a set of three floor-to-ceiling glass panels, and to his right, another set of four. All in all, it gave the entire apartment a distinct look and one heck of a view.

As Izuku unhooked his spray bottle and got to work from the left side, he couldn't help but peer into the curtain-less apartment because well…

It was empty.

Izuku could see most of the apartment from where he was hanging, and asides from the architecture itself, there wasn't much to see. The floor was some kind of polished wood, the sheen from the planks visible even in the dim light from the setting sun. If Izuku tilted his head, he could see two rows of empty lightbulb-sockets jutting out from the ceiling, like an AC unit in the center of the wall.

Shifting his gaze across the apartment, Izuku could see an island countertop, with a sink and faucets sticking out from its surface, and another countertop right across from it against the wall, which formed the kitchenette with a trashcan sitting underneath one. Strewn across were a couple of bags and a bubblegum pink laptop, with a solitary chair accompanying it, and… that was it.

The entire apartment seemed to be comprised solely of a single, wide-open living room, a kitchenette off to the far side near the inlet for the entrance, and a corridor off to the side, presumably leading to the bath and bedrooms.

There was no nice rug and curtains to tie the room together, no couch and table for friends to come over and hang out on, no TV to binge Netflix, not even a fridge for food.

Just who lived here exactly?

It seemed fate was keen on Izuku learning that answer; no sooner than he had wondered about the tenant and moved onto the next panel of glass to clean, the door at the apartment's entrance swung open and a young woman came stumbling in, slamming the door behind her. What caught Izuku's attention was that it was clear from her at presently-battered state that this tenant was a Pro-Hero. Short yet slender, her costume was familiar and form-fitting enough to accentuate her muscles. The color scheme matched the laptop on the countertop, and along with some kind of weights on either arm, she wore a helmet with a visor, the glare of which made it difficult to see her face. She paused in the doorway, slouched, as if finally allowing herself to catch a breath, and then she took off her helmet. Her shoulder-length hair matted with sweat—probably from being out in the field— came tumbling out as she placed the helmet onto the countertop, and as she turned to face towards the windows, sitting down on the chair to take off her boots, Izuku caught a glimpse of her face. Before she had finished taking off the boots and collapsed backward onto the countertop, something became abundantly clear to Izuku.

'Wow, she's really pretty.' Despite having just come from Hero's work and being exhausted, Izuku could only think she was one of the prettiest girls he'd seen. She was far prettier in person, and those photos in the news didn't do her justice at all. The second thing was that he recognized her; Ochako Uraraka, the gravity Hero, Uravity.

Blushing at the absurdity of the situation, Izuku did his best to pretend she wasn't there and get back to washing her windows. Since she hadn't said anything it was clear she didn't particularly care that he was there.

psss-psss

squeak-squeak-squeak

psss-psss

squeak-squeak-squeak

Despite himself, Izuku couldn't help but take a look now and then as he continued working. As he was about to wrap up the last windowpane, he glanced once more and was very glad that he did. It seemed that she had recovered some of her energy and was carrying on with changing out of her uniform.

Right then and there.

'Oh, she must be wanting to get out of the uniform after such a long day. Good for her.' It took a moment to sink in for Izuku. The lack of a laundry area in the main area of the apartment indicated that there was one further in, perhaps near, or in the bathroom. She was not making her way inside.

And so, she reached for a zipper on her costume and began to—

"WHA- NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO—" Needless to say, Izuku was panicking bad. Whilst the flush on his beet-red face was faster than his brain, he tried to quickly bang his fist against the glass to hopefully grab her attention.

THUNK-THUNK-THUNK

THUNK-THUNK-THUNK

THUNK-THUNK-THUNK

He succeeded.

But surprising a Pro-Hero was never a good idea.

She jumped up, costume off of one shoulder only thankfully, and scanned the apartment for the source of the disturbance, before finally spotting Izuku on the outside, and gave him the most murderous death glare he'd ever received.

Amid a panic, he quickly scrubbed a bit more on the window to indicate what he was doing there, and when she started walking towards him, he shut down completely. Izuku shut his eyes to avoid making things further worse for himself, and rapidly bowed while holding up his squirt gun and squeegee, all the while screaming "IM SO SORRY IM SO SORRY IM SO SORRY."

Before she could bust open the window and take him down for being a pervert, he activated his winch and shot upwards, making a quick escape.

Heart still pounding and cheeks still flushed Izuku cursed his luck— and Mineta. Oh god, what was he thinking! Why him?! Oh, he was like Mineta, wasn't he? Why did he have to take Mineta's shift today, why did he think she knew he was there?! He should've skipped out on this job the last time something like this had happened a year ago. But once again, he listened to the nagging voice inside his head and stuck to his decision.

He once believed in his actual work, that it had meaning, a purpose. So, he'd made a decision that day. 'It'll be okay,' he told himself, ' I know it's not exactly what I wanted, but the pictures are helpful; I can do this! No matter what anyone else thinks, I have to believe in myself. Just hold your head high, Izuku Midoriya!', he told himself.

Just keep smiling, he told himself. Just like him.

But it was the wrong decision. Just like it was all those years ago.

As tears threatened to burst from his eyes, Izuku lamented his misfortune. Why could he never just quit while he was behind?

Why couldn't he just accept that he couldn't do it?

…

Having had a moment, Izuku took the silence of the ride on the service elevator back down to the ground floor to calm down and collect himself. He was an idiot, A complete, moronic, thoughtless idiot, and he wouldn't blame Uravity for tracking him down and beating the crap out of him.

But he couldn't leave things like this. He had to try and apologize, and beg for mercy while he was at it. Pulling out his phone, Izuku called the one person who could let him make things right, pacing up and down the elevator trying to calm his nerves.

"Midoriya? What's up, you should be done with the shift about, now right? You can come to join me if you want. Haven't had any luck yet, but the night is young— "

"Mineta. I need to swap shifts with you. Probably for a while." There was no telling when he'd run into her again, so he'd just have to keep trying.

"Wha—? What's up, did you meet a cute tenant?" Mineta teased.

He stopped in his tracks and blushed. "N-no! That's— well, she is, but no! I just need to apologize, okay? Can you call the boss and get our shifts swapped, please?"

"Apologize, huh? That what they're calling it these days? Since when do you ever ask for a permanent shift? Aren't you busy running around town doing whatever secret stuff you're usually up to?"

"This is more important," Izuku said adamantly. Only silence could be heard for a few moments as Mineta presumably thought it over.

"…Fine, fine you've helped me out more times than I can count, and it's not like I liked my shift anyway. Have at it; I'll call into the boss man."

"Thank you, Mineta." Izuku sighed in relief as he hung up, one thing is taken care of. Now all he had to do was apologize properly. That shouldn't be too difficult.

Right?

"…The fuck?"

To say that Ochako Uraraka was irritated and confused was putting it mildly. It'd been another long day, although why Ochako expected any different at this point was beyond her.

As Ochako rode up the elevator to her floor, she thought back on all she'd done today. First, an attempted bank robbery on the edge of her district made for a jurisdictional nightmare with multiple hero agencies on the scene, leaving her with a supreme headache and further increased her ire at how little Hero agencies seemed to want to cooperate; there was also the fire at her favorite mochi place (thankfully no one— except for the deserts— was hurt and everyone had already gotten out safely before she'd arrived on the scene), and the string of pranks and graffiti that had been popping up everywhere; and then, of course, there was the huge battle with villains right as she sat down for lunch because lord knows she didn't have anything ready at her apartment— God, she'd have to order out now, too.

Great.

So, when she finally was done with her shift she just wanted to curl up in a ball on the floor of her apartment— because she didn't have the bedroom setup yet either— and hibernate for a month. And speaking of her apartment, that's what she was dealing with now.

It was close to sunset by the time she'd gotten home, dead on her feet and starving to boot, and had just collapsed onto the one chair she'd bothered to bring in.., The rest of the little furniture she owned, along with the rest of her belongings she'd brought from her old place, were still in storage, too, so it was still essentially unmoved in.

She liked her new apartment well enough— although, she probably would've liked it more if it was kinder to her bank account— it wasn't too large and was in a good spot in her district near to Ryuko's agency. There was hardly any light in the main living area, asides from what little came in through the windows from the waning sun as she hadn't had a chance to put in the lightbulbs and her favorite lamp. Speaking of windows, what was with the ginormous ones in this apartment‽ They went all the way from the floor to the ceiling! Why?! She was told the view was pretty fantastic, but honestly, she didn't see it. A quaint little park, and more of the city she spent all day in anyway.

So, what if it'd been a week already? She was busy! And just really, really not bothered. She spent minimal time in her old place, and she'd spend minimal time here. It was just a waystation between shifts anyway. She'd get around to the lightbulbs. Probably.

When Ochako finally getting some energy back, her next task was to get out of her costume ASAP, not thinking to go into the laundry room. Her bag was on the countertop from earlier, so she could just change here.

She hadn't even gotten the zipper all the way down before she heard the furious drumming.

Not thinking about trying to fix her slight state of undress, Ochako spun around, fully alert and searching for the source of the noise. Could some villains have followed her home? Was someone pounding at the door— Was someone outside her window?

SOMEONE WAS!

Almost exactly across from her, a guy was hanging outside the window and he immediately stopped banging away at her window, and instead appeared to be wiping at it with a sponge, as they made eye contact. While Ochako was still feeling off-kilter from the surprise, she thought she recognized him from work. Upon a closer look, she couldn't help but notice:

He had the most incredible green eyes.

Drawing herself to her full height, Ochako put on her Pro Hero look and calmly walked towards the window. In the few seconds it took for her to come closer, the boy seemed to be bowing up and down in a frenzy shouting something, but she had no idea what, due to the window and all. Before she could try and say anything to get his attention, he pressed something on his chest and off he shot upwards, out of sight, but certainly not out of mind.

This brings her to:

"…The fuck?" It was all she could say.

However, as her brain processed the nonsensical images her eyes were sending, another question escaped her lips.

"Was he holding a camera?"

The Second Time through the Looking Glass

As he lay on the bed in his tiny one-room apartment, Izuku's mind raced through a million different possibilities of what could happen to him.

What were the odds of it being a Pro Hero‽ Let alone one he knew stuff about already! So what if he'd thought about buying some of her merchandise, that was perfectly normal! And now this‽ He'd be lucky if he was ever allowed within talking distance of her ever again!

Would she have reported him to his boss already somehow? Did he go to the police once and for all— did she? Is there a warrant out for his arrest already? He was too frightened to check the police scanner, but it was a possibility he had to account for. Oh god, what if she found out who he was and tracked him down? What if she was about to bust down his door in the next couple of minutes?! Did he have enough money on him to make a run for it? What about—

"FOR THE LOVE OF ALL MIGHT, SHUT UP, MIDORIYA; I CAN HEAR YOU FROM MY APARTMENT!" The thundering echo of the voice he just heard in his inner eardrum bounced around his tiny room and signaled to Izuku he had made yet another mistake.

"O-oh h-hi Mr. Kamijou! I guess I was mumbling again, huh?" Izuku spoke out to the tenant, right under his room, abashed.

"You're damn right you were! Don't you come with an off button? I was trying to sleep here!" he moaned.

"Do you know all the crazy stuff I have to put up with? And I still have— " He sighed. "Never mind. Just, keep it down and go to sleep, please?"

Silence again. Mr. Kamijou was right, he just needed to sleep and stop worrying, it wouldn't get him anywhere. He just… hoped Uravity would… forgive him…

…

He had slept in. It was past midday. Standing from his bed Izuku stretched and remembered that he did in fact, not have a horrible nightmare, and he did still have to go and apologize to a Pro-Hero for—accidentally— peaking on her. 'What is my life?' He groaned.

Izuku was lucky his new shift was in the afternoon. Instead of heading out for the day like he normally would, he got to thinking about what he could say, and before he knew it, it was time for him to head out for his shift. Glancing at the camera he'd left at his desk/workstation, Izuku decided to leave it at home today. Like he'd told Mineta, this was more important; he could go a couple of days without angling for more shots of Heroes.

…

Standing at the edge of the roof of the building now dressed in his work overalls, Izuku peered over at the street below, cars and people bustling about like insignificant ants, the building itself appearing to disappear into nothingness when it met the street. Izuku could feel his stomach churning with anxiety, but it wasn't because of the height. Hooking himself up to his harness and making sure the cables were secure, Izuku let himself fall off of the edge of the roof, free-falling for just a moment before his harness picked up the slack and began rappelling down the building to his assigned sections. He still had time before he expected to reach Uravity's apartment, so he should be able to come up with something by then.

Hopefully.

Another day washing windows, another sunset swathing the city in a dusky orange hue— is what Izuku would normally think.

Alas, the situation at hand was more pressing and did not give him the luxury of complaining about the sameness of the weather. Izuku knew that, as he finally finished with the rest of his sections and rappelled his way to the thirtieth floor—specifically Uravity's apartment— he was here for one thing, and one thing only.

Groveling.

Of course, he knew full well that Uravity may not even come home at the same time today, or at all even. Hence why he'd asked to trade shifts permanently; this was something he intended to keep doing until he could apologize.

God, he was so lucky no one else saw that, he'd never live it down.

Figuring he still had some time before Uravity would show up, Izuku wasn't too worried that he still had no idea of what exactly he could say. But that was fine, he had time to— and Uravity was right there in front of the window.

Now hovering parallel to the thirtieth floor, Izuku was face-to-face with said Hero, who was out of her costume—and fully into normal clothes— and was in the middle of putting up curtains when he'd shown up. Said curtains happened to be folded neatly into a pile beside her. Her face had a look of focus as she worked away with the steel rods that she'd be hanging her decidedly pink curtains on. That look of focus morphed into one of surprise when she met his eyes. She probably didn't expect him to return to the scene of the crime as it were.

Even though there was the glass between them Izuku was a bit intimidated at being so close to a Pro Hero (had he mentioned how pretty she was?). Then that look of surprise morphed into an icy glare and he was back to being very intimidated.

"I'm sorry!" Izuku yelped his face flushing red in embarrassment all over again.

"Miss Uravity I really am so so sorry I really wasn't trying to perve on you or anything like that I swear! I was just here washing your windows because I'm a window washer sometimes and I was washing your windows— "

THUNK THUNK THUNK

Izuku was brought out of his apology spree early by Uravity pounding away at the window in a similar fashion to his own from yesterday, and after seeing the stat he was in, she didn't look so upset anymore but instead mildly irritated.

"S-sorry again, Miss Uravity, haha…"

Still looking irritated, she shook her head and raising a hand, pointed to her ear at the same time.

"Oh, you can't hear me?"

She continued to point at her ears and narrowed her eyes.

"Right, of course, she can't hear me. There's a bunch of glass in the way. I really didn't think this through…" He couldn't just ask for her phone number out of the blue— he was still a stranger, after all, so maybe…

"Oh!"

Looking straight at her, Izuku raised his hands and made a couple of gestures. Do you know Sign Language?

Uravity just started for a moment before realization flooded her face, and she started gesturing too. Yes, I do.

Great! He signed back at her, relieved to have solved this sudden problem.

That relief was short-lived when she resumed her icy glare from earlier and folded her arms momentarily. What were you doing outside my window yesterday? I haven't been here long, but my windows are normally clean by the time I get home.

I am very sorry about that. I was covering for someone and was still washing your windows and didn't realize you didn't see me when you came home. I came back because I wanted to apologize properly. I am so, so sorry; I never meant to catch you at a… moment like that and I understand if you'd like to talk to my manager. Izuku did his best to get his point across, but it'd been a while since he'd needed to sign for any length of time.

You really came back just to apologize? She asked signing slowly, as if bewildered.

Yeah. Izuku was quick to sign in the affirmative, happy to move on.

He could see Uraraka mulling it over, her bangs swaying to-and-fro as her head tilted to one side. Has he mentioned how pretty she was? What about the camera?

Izuku shut his eyes, exasperated with himself. Right. The camera. He was wearing that yesterday. Well, he was going to be found out by someone eventually. So, he let her in on what he actually did for a living.

He was slow and deliberate with his gestures here, not wanting to mislead her and making sure he explained properly. As he went on, Izuku picked up speed but tried to keep in mind his gestures still had to be readable by Uraraka. I am not a full-time window washer. I run a blog and YouTube channel about Heroes and their activities. Window washing is an easy way for me to get access to buildings with high rooftops for photo opportunities if there is a battle going on. It started as something temporary to help out a friend, but it's nice to get out of the house sometimes.

Izuku figured he may as well get this out of the way, too. Since I do all that. I also know who you are: Ochako Uraraka, Uravity. So, it's only fair that I introduce myself, too. My name is Izuku Midoriya. I… I'm a fan of yours. He admitted, blushing even more now.

Izuku Midoriya… A nice name! You are a fan? She seemed surprised for some reason.

Of course! You're my age, but you've already climbed your way high onto the Hero rankings, and you are really well-known for your martial arts that you learned during your time at Shiketsu, and how you always dive right into the fight!

Oh… Thank you that's nice to hear. I just do what I can to help, you know? Izuku seemed to have stumbled onto the right thing to say because she seemed in a much better mood now, smiling so brightly he thought the sun was reflecting off of the glass and into his eyes.

She was so pretty. He wondered what she sounded like, Izuku knows she's done an interview here and there, but he couldn't place it exactly. It was sort of high-pitched, right?

Uravity unfolded her arms at hearing his explanation for the camera, relaxing slightly. Well, that changes things then. And you did bang on the window to get my attention when I was uh… Her already rosy cheeks darkened in color as she remembered her almost-compromising position.

Indisposed? It took Izuku a few tries to sign this properly, also blushing due to the circumstances.

She offered him a slight smile, and Izuku sighed inwardly in relief. Standing more relaxedly, her signs began having a bit more flair to them as she got into it. That works. I suppose I can forgive you— Wait. Did you say blog and YouTube channel? Are you… Deku?

Well, this was certainly unexpected. Izuku's heart pounded at being found out in such a manner, he had no idea what a Pro Hero would do with this information.

How did you figure it out so fast? Izuku signed back in surprise.

The others at the Agency talk about your articles all the time! I read them from time to time as well. A lot of them are fans, too, but there are a couple who don't like your take-down posts. You disprove of Heroes who act like they're all that, huh? Oh- and your photos are always so great! I guess now I know why, huh? Uraraka was all excited now like she'd aced a really difficult test, and that excitement was contagious, she made being found out a lot better than he'd expected.

You… read my blogs and know who I am? He asked, honestly surprised, and a little proud. Uravity liked his blogs?

I do! Your work has caught the attention of a lot of Pros, Deku. She was almost bouncing up and down in excitement whilst signing that, Izuku could feel the blush spreading to his ears.

Izuku was surprised to hear that, but that name... He should explain so she doesn't keep calling him that. Thank you. And… you can call me Midoriya. Deku maybe my online name, but it's not particularly one I'm fond of. It's something an old friend came up with to insult me, and I only stuck with it because I couldn't think of anything else. Izuku the Deku, Izuku the useless. 'And because it was true,' he thought to himself. That name was always trouble.

Wait, what? I always thought it was a cool nickname. Like, Dekiru, you know; it gave me a 'You can do it' vibe. She continued to give her impressions of the name, even doing actual air quotes to give it emphasis, and how she always thought it was a good one for someone covering Heroes and whatnot.

And as she did, just like that as he hung there outside her window, Uraraka had rendered him speechless. Dekiru?

He'd never thought of it like that.

THUNK THUNK

Uraraka tapped on the glass again to get his attention. Are you alright, Did I say something wrong? She signed slowly, the worry seeping through clear as day.

Izuku moved to sign some more but as he did, he noticed he was crying. When did that happen? Wiping them away with his sleeve, he reassured her and smiled. No. Nothing's wrong, not at all. I think I like it now, too. Thank you. You have no idea, really.

Uraraka looked as though she wanted to ask him something, with how her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, he was about to tell her more about the name, but he noticed how dark it was getting. But I should get going now, it's getting late, and you must have other things to do.

Oh. Of course. It took her a while to sign that out. If Izuku didn't know any better, he'd say that she looked a little disappointed.

He wasn't expecting what she'd say next, however. See you tomorrow then!

Tomorrow? He asked, confused.

Well yeah, you said you swapped shifts, right? So, you'll be back here tomorrow! I should be. Too, so we can chat again, then! Uraraka signed quickly and made sure to wave at him, her eyes bright and full of excitement.

His eyes lit up at that too, having something to look forward to now.

Yeah. Tomorrow. See you then, Miss Uraraka.

She shook her head. Uraraka is fine. You've already seen my house, so we must be friends, right? A teasing glint in her eyes.

He better hurry up least he starts crying again. That… that sounds nice. See you tomorrow, Uraraka.

The two of them made for an odd pair. A guy part-timing as a window washer, hanging outside an apartment window, and a girl home from saving the day. The two of them chatting through a sheet of glass like it was the most natural thing ever. It almost ended before it began, of course, and he didn't expect this last night or even this morning.

But as Izuku waved goodbye and whooshed off upwards being pulled by his harness, he realized he didn't mind.

A simple conversation between a windowpane had provided them both with some clarity, and he was excited for their next one already.