The following week was rather hectic for Ochako. She and her family had multiple conversations with each other, Mina's family, and most importantly her current landlord. Getting out of the lease early was a bit tricky, but after a few days of back and forth an agreement was reached. Mr. and Mrs. Uraraka came by to take home belongings that their daughter wouldn't be needing after her move, leaving her already spare apartment even more barren.

By the time next Sunday rolled around, everything was set. Ochako was all packed and her apartment was clean as it could be. Locking that annoying door for the last time was quite cathartic, as was turning the key in. She still couldn't believe all this was happening, to be honest.

"I'm moving…" It was really starting to set in as she waited with her bags for Mina. The pink girl had insisted on helping her transport her things, even if Ochako could (probably) handle carrying everything herself. She didn't have much, after all.

This day had been on her mind all week. It had been extra difficult to focus on class she was so anxious about it, and she hadn't been able to sleep well the last few nights. She was excited, of course, but also quite nervous; this would be a whole new environment for her. Sure, she knew the Ashidos pretty well at this point, but there was a difference between spending a few hours at their house and living there.

On top of that, there was that part of her that felt guilty about all this. Yes this was going to make things easier for both her and her parents, but at the expense of her friend's family. They insisted it wasn't any trouble, but that didn't stop the poor girl from feeling bad. She'd have to make sure she didn't take advantage of their hospitality too much.

Still, that didn't stop her from thinking about what life would be like at her new home. A soft bed, good food, hot showers, places she could actually sit comfortably… So many basic things she simply didn't have before. She could actually look forward to going home at the end of the school day now.

But more than all that was the fact that she'd be seeing Mina that much more. Just knowing how much more time she'd get to spend with her best friend made Ochako glow with happiness.

Said best friend showed up before long. The two set off, and before long they had arrived at the Ashido household. It was a moderately sized 2-story building, fairly standard looking for the neighborhood it was in. The front yard had a few statues and ornaments here and there, as well as a couple toys and sports stuff that had been left out. The two girls walked up to the front door. As Mina opened it, Ochako looked down at the mat she was standing on.

It read "Home sweet home!"

She had obviously seen this mat several times before, but looking at it now made her chest swell a bit. Again the reality of her situation set in.

This was her home now. At least for a while.

Taking a deep breath, she followed Mina inside.

As the two girls took off their shoes, Ochako looked around the foyer slowly. She'd been here plenty of times but, much like the doormat, she was seeing it all in a different light.

"Mom! Dad! We're here!" Mina called out as they walked out of the foyer and into the kitchen. Ochako continued to take in her surroundings more. The kitchen was a decent size, obviously much larger than her apartment's. To the left was the kitchen proper; a large fridge, a sink, oven, and dishwasher all built into a single counter, and an island. Entrances to the dining room, a bathroom, and the garage were on that side was well. To the right was open space where the kitchen table sat. From that side one could enter the family room where the couches, chairs, and TV were set up.

Sitting in this room was one Mrs. Aki Ashido. The woman was getting up from one of the chairs as she set down a book she had been reading, smiling warmly as she spotted the two girls.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon," she said to her daughter before turning her attention to Ochako. "It's wonderful to see you Urara-

"Thank you!" Ochako cut the woman off as she exclaimed loudly, bowing respectfully. "Th-Thank you so much for letting me stay here! I… I'll try not to be too much trouble and-Oh!"

Mrs. Ashido had simply walked up and hugged Ochako mid-sentence.

"Oh hush. We're more than happy to have you." Mina did get her affectionate nature from someone, after all. Ochako simply accepted the hug. "Honestly, Mina had you over so much you might as well have been living here." The mother chuckled as she released her daughter's friend.

"Uh, heh… I-I guess." Ochako smiled sheepishly; she had been here a lot. "Still…" Her smile dropped. "I'll try not to be here any longer than I need to."

"You can stay as long as you like. Within reason," Mrs. Ashido added with a wink. Her face then grew uncharacteristically serious as she put a hand on her hip. "Honestly, I'm quite appalled by your school's behavior. You should have never been in the situation you were in." She did not sound happy. "They can afford all those fake cities and robots but can't help their students with living arrangements?"

"Yeah, it's dumb right!?" Mina spoke up, equally annoyed-sounding. Ochako simply looked down, not sure what to say. She had definitely thought about that more than a few times herself.

"Yes, Mina was quite vocal about the whole thing. You should have heard how excited she was when she came up with the idea to have you move in." Aki smirked. "We could hardly understand her she was talking so fast."

"M-Mom…" Ochako looked at Mina, who was blushing slightly.

"What? It was very sweet of you," Mrs. Ashido teased. She then turned back to Ochako. "Now, why don't you go get yourself situated. Mina will help, I'm sure." Her daughter nodded to confirm.

"Alright… Again, um, th-thank you for all this. Really, I can't say it enough."

"As I said, it's nothing. Besides, I'm not the one you should be thanking." She turned back to her daughter with a grin. Ochako looked at her too as she shrugged.

"…Just wanted to help." Mina looked at Ochako as she spoke, a small smile on her face. Perhaps it was all the attention, but she had a slight blush going. Ochako felt a bit warm in the face herself, likely for similar reasons.

"Honestly, you two…" Aki chuckled. "Makoto and his friends could learn a thing or two."

"Oh, hey." Mina snapped out of her little trance. "Where is he anyway? Or dad?"

"Your father went out to get groceries. Makoto's upstairs in his room."

"Gotcha. Well, come on Ocha! Let's get this stuff put away." Mina headed back toward the foyer towards the stairs. Ochako gave one last nod at Mrs. Ashido before following her.

"Alright, that's everything."

Unpacking didn't take very long. Aside from clothing and personal hygiene items, Ochako didn't really have much to put away.

The guest room was a pretty good size. It had a double bed with plain but comfortable sheets, a nightstand, a desk with a large mirror, and a closet. There was an overhead lamp built into the ceiling as well as a smaller one on the nightstand.

"Alright! You are now officially moved in!" Mina cheered excitedly as she held a hand up towards her friend. Ochako high-fived her, causing her to throw both her hands up above her head "Woohoo!"

The other girl giggled, amused by Mina's enthusiasm. She was obviously excited too, but she was also still a bit overwhelmed.

"I've probably said this a million times now, but… Thank you." Ochako sat on the foot of the bed as she spoke.

"And I've said like, a billion times, you don't have to." Mina plopped down beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Helping out's just what heroes do."

"I know, but still." Ochako found herself moving a bit closer to Mina, finding a bit of comfort in her arm being around her. The pink girl was a very warm person both emotionally and physically. "Also, what your mom was saying about you…" She felt Mina shuffle a bit.

"Oh, that. Um, well…" Her slight reluctance suddenly went away. "Of course I was excited! It wasn't fair you and your folks were in that stupid situation in the first place! Plus I'd been trying to come up with something, like, all day!" She paused, calming down slightly. "I was just happy I figured out how to help my best friend out, you know?"

"…Yeah." Ochako couldn't help but blush hearing that little outburst. Mina had been really determined to help her out, and not out of pity or anything like that. Just because, well, she cared. A lot. That really meant a lot. "I'm lucky I got you for a bestie, Mina." The pinkette giggled, resting her head against her friend's.

"Same to you, Ocha." The brunette felt a warm, fuzzy sensation well up in her. Mina was really good at making her feel good; her positivity was rather contagious.

She also felt something else. Something small and fleeting she swore she'd never experienced before bubbling in her chest. Before she could even begin to wonder what it was though, she caught sight of something strange.

The bedroom door was open ever so slightly, and through the crack Ochako was able to see a small face watching her intently. As their eyes met, it suddenly darted away.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion before quickly realizing what she had seen.

"…Makoto?"

"What?" Mina let go of Ochako, confused for a split second. Her friend pointed at the door. "…Wait." It took only a second or two or her to put it together. "Hey!" Suddenly getting up, she marched over to the door and flung it open.

"Ah!" A small voice cried out as Makoto Ashido jumped back a bit.

"The heck are you doing!?" Mina demanded, folding her arms.

"N-Nothin'," the smaller boy stammered, avoiding Mina's gaze. Ochako had stood up at this point and walked over. As she did, Makoto looked up at her.

"Um… Hi," Ochako greeted. He didn't say anything back, just kept staring. "Um, I'm sure you know but I'm going to be staying here for a while, and…"

The horned boy suddenly turned around and ran off.

"Hey!" Mina made to go after him. "Get back here you little… Ugh." Deciding it wasn't worth it, she turned back to Ochako as her little brother got to his room and shut the door.

"What was that…?" The gravity girl was more confused than anything. While she wasn't friends with Makoto or anything, they tended to get along well enough whenever she was here. At least when he wasn't being obnoxious.

Mina sighed.

"He's… Not super thrilled about you living here, honestly." She paused. "I mean, it's not that he dislikes you or anything. He just thinks it's unfair mom and dad won't let one of his friends move in too."

"Oh." Something told Ochako the 12-year-old didn't quite understand just why she had moved in.

"Probably part of why he was snooping." Mina shook her head. "Whatever… Anyway, what did you want to do? We got like an hour or two before dinner."

Ochako look back at the bed.

"Actually, if it's alright with you I kinda wanted a bit of time to relax." She turned to Mina again. "I'm… Still kind of taking in the fact that I'm actually here, you know?" Her friend nodded.

"I getcha. Well, I'll probably… Ugh, right, I still have to do that assignment." She rolled her eyes as she groaned to herself. "Yeah I guess I'll start that. You take however long you need, alright?"

With that Mina left the room. Ochako shut the door as she did, then walked over and lied down on her bed. She stared at the ceiling, sighing loudly.

It was a comfortable bed, one she had slept on a few times before. And, well, it was more or less hers now. For a while at least. This whole room was hers.

She could still feel it. That sense of being a burden. That part of her that said she shouldn't be here. Try as she might, it just wasn't something she could easily shake off.

Ignoring it for the moment, the girl instead focused on trying to just relax. To accept that this was her home for the next while, and that she was in fact welcomed and wanted here.

About a half hour later, Ochako stepped out of her room. After taking a little time to reflect, she felt considerably more comfortable with her situation now. Still had some lingering worries, but those weren't going to go away anytime soon.

Mina's room was right next to hers. Walking over to the decorated door (it was covered in various posters and stickers of all sorts of random things), Ochako knocked few times. When nobody answered, she knocked again.

"DANG IT!" A voice shouted out suddenly from downstairs. Mina's voice, to be precise. A little startled by the outburst, Ochako made for the stairs. She passed by the bathroom, a hall closet, the master bedroom, and Makoto's room (his door was also covered in stuff, mostly warnings like "no girls allowed") before getting to them.

As she reached the bottom, she heard more noises.

"Yes! I'm ahead! Eat my dust, pip-WHAT!?" Mina cried out from the family room, followed by laughter from what sounded like Makoto. The sound of sticks and buttons clicking and cars driving tipped Ochako off to what was going on. Stepping into the family room, the brunette found Mina and Makoto on the couch in the midst of playing some racing videogame. Based on the noises she had heard and the fact that the blue car was ahead of the pink one, Ochako concluded that the younger Ashido was winning quite handily.

"Come on come on come on- Nonononoooooo!" Watching the screen, it looked like Mina had tried to pull off some kind of shortcut on the track only to mess it up and fall off the side. Her car was placed back on the track as she fell, but it had put her even further behind.

Videogames certainly weren't one of Mina's main hobbies, though she did dabble in them occasionally. They seemed to be more Makoto's wheelhouse. Ochako had played with them a few times and he pretty much always won, though Mina could consistently beat him at dancing games.

This time was no different.

"HA!" The horned boy laughed as he crossed the finish line, standing up and doing a little victory dance. "That's what, 4-0 now?"

"Oh shut it, you stupid-

"Mina." Mrs. Ashido was sitting a chair in the corner of the room, not even looking up from her book as she spoke up.

"…We're going again."

"Sure, I can whoop your butt all day!"

Ochako blinked. They'd been playing that long? Didn't Mina say she was going to do homework?

Oh, hey Ocha!" Mina had finally noticed her friend. "You all good now?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Great! Wanna play? Could use your help beating this little twerp." Makoto scoffed.

"I'll take you both on." He sounded pretty sure of himself. Though he had plenty of reason to; Ochako had never touched this particular game before. Still, it looked fun enough.

"Sure," she said, sitting down between them. In the back of her mind a tiny voice was shouting "How much electricity is this using?". She shook her head and ignored it; she didn't need to worry about that now.

The first few races were rough. Ochako needed to learn the controls and a get a feel for the track they were on, which wasn't easy. She hardly played these sorts of things after all.

She and Mina tried to team up against Makoto, either by running him off the road or using the items the game gave you to attack other players with. Unfortunately it wasn't enough, and a lot of times they actually wound up doing more damage to each other.

"Ocha! You're supposed to hit him not me!"

"Ah! Sorry!"

Their adversary was laughing up a storm.

"Oh crap look out!"

"Mina why!?" Ochako cried as she was accidentally sent tumbling off the track.

"Sorry!"

Every loss was punctuated with Makoto gloating, and every time Ochako felt *something* well up inside her. Perhaps it was some of her experiences at U.A., but the more she played the more determined she was to win.

"Augh! This is hopeless!" Mina cried in lament as they lost another race. 9-0. "Alright, maybe we should just do something-

"No way!" Ochako shouted with fire in her voice. "We're going again!" The two Ashido siblings were a bit taken aback by her sudden shift in demeanor as she pointed dramatically at Makoto. "You are going down this time!" Ochako didn't realize it, but she was giving off the same aura she had been just before the Sports Festival.

"…Uh… Alright." Mina looked at her brother. "Again?" For a brief second Makoto looked a bit worried, but it quickly got replaced with a cocky grin.

"Sure, let's make it 10 wins!"

The race started up again. This time Ochako decided she wouldn't be trying to work with Mina. No, she was here to race her best and win.

She got the boost at the start for the first time ever and managed to keep an alright pace with the others. She stuck to the short walls and hit every speed pad; she knew the track by now. There was bickering around her, but she tuned it out as she retained complete focus.

A few hiccups occurred as the race went on. Makoto was a worthy opponent and knew every dirty little trick. He began to pull ahead, increasing Ochako's determination.

It was now the final stretch of the last lap. Mina had fallen considerably behind but somehow Ochako was still right on Makoto's tail.

"Woah." Mina actually just stopped driving as she watched the other racers' screens. "Come on, get him!"

Ochako watched as her opponent made for the last shortcut. Shoot, now she had to try for it too if she wanted to have a chance.

Gritting her teeth, the novice turned sharply onto the little side path. It was a risky move where a player's car could easily get stuck on a wall or fall off, as Mina had when she tried to take this one. The two cars were neck and neck on the narrow bridge crossing the chasm that was the shortcut.

Suddenly, Ochako noticed something. Makoto's car jerked slightly, angling towards her a bit. She quickly recognized he was trying to ram into her (she had tried it several times herself), and if he knocked her off the edge here it was all over.

But as she had learned, it was a very risky move sometimes. She pumped the breaks.

…Causing the other car to miss her completely and go plummeting off the side.

"WHAT!?"Makoto screamed, actually standing up a bit.

"YES!" Mina pumped a fist. "Bring it home, girl!"

Ochako drove on, Makoto's car appearing significantly behind as it was dropped back onto the track. He desperately tried to gain the lead again but it was no use.

"HOO-AAH!" The victor literally tossed her controller in the air (which then floated in place) as she leapt to her food. "WHO'S THE BEST!? ME!" She began shadow boxing for some reason.

"NO WAY!" Makoto had also stood, positively fuming. "Y-YOU CHEATED!"

"No she didn't." Mina sat, looking as smug as possible.

"W-WELL I-I JUST LET YOU WIN!" Ochako didn't even seem to hear him as she continued celebrating in her oddly aggressive state.

"Suuuuuure. Come on, don't be a sore loser." It didn't seem to matter to any of them that Makoto had won the first nine games. "Or are you just mad a girl beat you?"

"SH-SHUT UP!" Whether Makoto's face was red from anger or embarrassment was up for debate. "Stupid… Don't even like this dumb game…" He mumbled.

"Alright, alright, settle down you three." It was Mrs. Ashido's voice that snapped Ochako out of her trance. Turning, she saw the woman looking at the three of them with a bemused expression. "But I'm glad to see you already fitting in, Uraraka."

Ochako's face instantly turned scarlet as she sat back down, making herself look as small as possible. Oh god, what had just gotten into her? It was a just a silly little game.

"That was awesome." Mina whispered to her, grinning from ear to ear. "Haven't seen you get that worked up in a while."

"S-stop it." The embarrassed girl felt like she was about to catch on fire.

"Rematch!" Makoto demanded as Mrs. Ashido got up and left towards the bathroom. "Rematch rematch rematch rematch!" Ochako had no interest in playing more, however.

"I… I think I'm good for now."

"No way! Rematch!"

"Dude, she said no. She's retiring champion." Mina was milking this for all it was worth. "You're just not worth her time."

"Grr… Shut up!" His attention was now on his sister.

"Besides, I thought you didn't like this dumb game?"

"Pinky."

"Shrimp."

"Airhead."

"Numbskull."

The two devolved into simple name calling, rattling them off like they'd rehearsed it all before. As Ochako debated breaking it up, she heard some commotion in the kitchen. Turning her head, she saw a large man had entered holding several bags. Between her desire to escape this situation, her underlying guilt at just for being here, and her natural desire to help out she got up and walked over.

"Hi Mr. Ashido," she greeted Mina's father, Daiki, quietly. The burly man smiled as he turned to her.

"Uraraka! Aki told me you were all settled in. Put 'er there," he offered a hand, which she grabbed and shook. "Settling in ok?"

"Mostly. It's… Defintely still a bit to used to." She paused. "Thank you, by the way. I… I know this is probably inconvenient for you all…"

"Nonsense! We're glad to have you." It was more or less the same conversation she had with Mrs. Ashido, but Ochako still felt she needed to say it.

"Well, um… Do you need help putting this away?" She gestured to the several bags of food he had brought home. The man looked at her for a moment, laughing once as Mrs. Ashido walked in.

"Aki, you hear that? Not even a day and she's already offering to help with chores."

"Really? Well, I think I know a couple kids who could learn a thing or two from her," she said with a smirk, looking towards the family room. Ochako turned to see the two siblings had gotten physical; Mina had Makoto in a headlock as he tugged on a bit of her pair, squirming in her grasp. She was trying to release his grip on her curls as he was… Attempting to bite her arm?

"Hey!" Mr Ashido shouted, sounding a bit more serious. "Knock it off, you two." They almost immediately released each other.

"Yes dad," they said in unison.

"Now, how 'bout you two help us out over here. And then we can decide on dinner."

Ochako munched on her dinner as food passed around the table. Dinner with the Ashidos was always something of a treat for her; Mina's parents were pretty darn good cooks, and there was always fun conversation going. This time though, she felt a little out of it.

How much had this meal cost them to make? How much would be appropriate for her to take? Probably not much, right? But it was really good, and she was really hungry… But what if she took too much and there wasn't enough for the others?

"So, Ochako," the gravity girl was pulled from her thoughts as Mrs. Ashido spoke up. "Mina tells us you've been considering taking martial arts?"

"Uh, yeah. That's right." Ochako nodded. "I mean, after the Sports Festival I just feel like I need to make some changes, you know?"

Ochako had gone quite far in the competition, yes, but much of that was reliance on others. And when she got to that fight with Bakugou, well…

She appreciated that he didn't hold back. How else would she know where she stood? What she needed to improve? Like how she couldn't simply rely on hitting someone with her Quirk or using it for a surprise attack.

"That explosion guy was kinda scary," Makoto said as he moved some food around his plate slowly. "Mina talks about him a lot, is he really that mean?"

"Yes," Mina answered curtly.

"I was talking to her, stupid."

"Makoto." Mrs. Ashido voice was stern.

"…Sorry." The young boy hung his head a bit.

"Um, Bakugou is…" Ochako paused as she started to answer his question. "Complicated, I think."

"No he isn't," Mina interrupted as she stabbed into a piece of her dinner with a fork, waving it around as she spoke to punctuate. "He's a complete assssssssss….iiiiinine person." She caught herself as both her parents gave her a look. "Like, there's nothing complicated about it. Reminds me of Endeavor, honestly. Bet he's a big fan."

"Well, maybe. I mean, he's definitely… Difficult to be around." Ochako was trying really hard not to bad-mouth a classmate behind his back.

"He certainly gave off that impression," Mr. Ashido stated matter-of-factly. "Hardly the appropriate attitude for a hero if you ask me."

"Well it is only his first year at U.A., hopefully they can straighten him out," Mrs. Ashido reminded him.

"Pfft. Yeah right," Mina muttered. "I mean, he's strong. Like, super strong. Just wish he wasn't so… Ugh."

"Yes, well anyways… Martial arts you say?" Mina's mother turned to Ochako.

"Yeah. Like I said, that fight with Bakugou kinda opened my eyes. My Quirk only works through touch so I'll need to get close to villains, and I can't always rely on it. Figure I should learn how to actually fight a little."

"Sounds smart," Mr. Ashido commented. "Sounds like you got a good head on your shoulders."

"Yeah, all Mina did was complain about how 'unfair' her fight was," Makoto made air quotes as he said "unfair".

"That was totally different from her! What was I supposed to do, shine a flashlight? Only reason Bakugou beat Tokoyami is he had like, the perfect Quirk to counter his." Mina folded her arms, pouting a bit. "So not fair…"

"Mina, Excuses are the nails-

"That built the house of failure, yeah dad I know." She sighed. "Sorry, I'm just whining."

"Hi 'just whining', I'm dad."

Mina leaned her head back, rolling her eyes at the awful joke. Though Ochako could see the hint of a smirk. Daiki, meanwhile, was grinning widely. He was quite fond of his intentionally bad jokes ("Not bad jokes, dad jokes" he'd say).

Dinner continued like this for a bit longer. Ochako continued to resist the urge to take too much food, not wanting to look ungrateful. Unfortunately, someone seemed to notice.

"Ocha, you sure you don't want more?" Mina asked. "Like, you barely had any."

"Oh no, I'm fine! Just wasn't that hungry I guess," Ochako lied. Her friend gave her a hard look. She didn't seem fooled.

"Please, help yourself if you want more," Mrs. Ashido insisted. Seems she had noticed too. Dang it, why were these people so observant?

"I'm fine, really." No, she was still definitely a bit hungry. But she was used to that.

"Ocha, please. I know what you're doing-

"I'm not 'doing' anything!" She said it just a bit louder than she wanted to, and suddenly all eyes were on her.

Shoot.

Looking around rapidly, the brunette tried to think of something.

"Uraraka… Ochako." Mrs. Ashido spoke softly. "What's bothering you?"

"Noth…" The brunette girl trailed off, knowing this was pointless. Besides, she needed to get this off her chest while everyone was here. "I… I just don't want to, you know, take advantage of you guys. Like… You've taken me in and already given me so much, I just feel like-

"Ochako,' the woman repeated, holding up a hand. "Please. If you're living under our roof, you're going to treat you like one of our own."

"That's right," her husband chimed in. "Your concern for us is appreciated, but we care much more about your wellbeing than our wallets," he said with a small laugh.

"We're not doing this out of some obligation." His wife smiled softly. "We do want you here, Ochako."

"Yeah, I still want a rematch!" Makoto exclaimed, though it seemed less out of anger and more admiration at this point. "Nobody's ever beaten me before!" Mina simply beamed at her; she knew she didn't have to say how much she loved having her best friend here.

The combined strength of the entire Ashido family's kindness finally seemed to push those annoying thoughts of out Ochako's head. She had heard this sort of thing from most of them throughout the day, but this time it really seemed to hit home.

She thought of her own parents. They too expressed their desire for her to be happy, and how that mattered to them more than anything. The problem was she felt the same about them. And she certainly cared about the well-being of the Ashidos, but…

Well, the fact was they could handle a few more expenses better than her family could. Not a fun thing to admit, but it was just the truth.

…For now. One day Ochako would become a pro, and then she'd be able to give her family a life like this. There would be no need for all these weird thoughts about money and cost.

And really, she couldn't be a good hero on an empty stomach.

"…Thank you." She sniffled slightly, wiping her eye. "I, uh, I know I've said that way too much today, but still." There was a slightly awkward pause. "Uh, could I please get some more rice and pork?"

Ochako and Mina laughed heartily as the comedian finished his punchline.

The two girls were dressed in their pajamas, lying together under the covers in Mina's room. A laptop sat on their, well, laps as they watched a stand-up comedy special on it.

Dinner had been a few hours ago and it was nearly time for bed, but the two friends wanted to watch this together before that.

Ochako yawned. She was quite tired and quite full. It had honestly been awhile since she hadn't been hungry at this hour. Between a full belly, warm blankets, and mostly dark room, her eyes were starting to droop. Just as well; the special was ending now. Mina shut her laptop.

"Alright…" She paused to let out a soft yawn that ended in a high-pitched squeak. "Bed time…"

Ochako groaned slightly. She didn't really want to get up, even if it was like a 10 second walk back to her own room. The temptation was there to ask to just spend the night with Mina, but…

…

But what?

"Hey Mina?" Really, there was no good reason she couldn't. They'd done it once before, after all.

"Hn? The pink girl rolled over to look at her, not wanting to get up herself.

"…Mind if I stay here tonight?" It shouldn't have felt weird to ask, yet for some reason she hesitated a bit.

"Uh… I figured that's what we were doing." Mina smiled tiredly. "What, first night living here and we weren't going to have a sleepover?" Ochako giggled.

"Well, wasn't sure with it being a school night."

"Pfft, so what? I'll make sure we wake up on time."

"Well alright. Cool." They had already brushed their teeth and everything, so there was no need to get up for anything else. The two made sure they were comfortable, Mina actually snuggled up against her friend. The action caused Ochako to involuntarily blush.

"Oh…" No reason why it bothered her, just being this close was a little unusual.

"What? Your comfy…" Mina murmured, burying her head in the crook of Ochako's neck. Well, she had always been a very affectionate person.

The brunette sort of hugged her bedmate, pulling her in closer. She had to admit, this was quite comfy. Mina's warm body and soft silky pajamas felt rather nice.

"…Sorry about dinner, by the way." Ochako wasn't proud of her little outburst.

"Don't sweat it. We get you're still adjusting. Just… Don't worry about stuff like that. Treat yourself a bit, you know."

"I'll… Try." That was a very foreign concept to the impoverished girl. But tonight had certainly helped clear her head.

"Nice job kicking Makoto's ass by the way. Pipsqueak needed a lesson in humility."

"I… I'm not sure what came over me." Mina giggled.

"Well, it was fun to watch. You should do that more, it's cute." Again, Ochako blushed. The two called each other stuff like "cute" and "pretty" a lot, but it could still embarrass her from time to time. Plus the whole racing situation was… Silly, to say the least.

"… He's going to keep asking for a rematch, isn't he."

"Yep."

"Great…" She yawned again, causing Mina to yawn in turn. "Alright, think it's time to sleep."

'Yeah… Night."

The whole time they spoke, Ochako hadn't really seen Mina. The pinkette was still buried in her shoulder, speaking in a sort of muffled voice. As the two girls continued to lie there cuddling, a familiar sensation returned. That small, tiny weird feeling Ochako had gotten earlier when they were in her room.

Another yawn, though, and she already forgot about it. A few minutes later and she was snoring away.

Well it's finally here. Sorry this took so much longer than the others, but life is life. Just a fun little establishing chapter showing us the dynamic between Ochako and the family and her adjusting to her new life, which is why it was all her perspective. Plus, something perhaps growing between our two leads?

Don't know for sure when the next one will be, but I hope you enjoyed.