"Come on, come on! We gotta go!"
"I'm going I'm going!"
Mina anxiously waited by the front door, backpack on as she bounced on the balls of her feet. She watched as Ochako scrambled out of the kitchen in a frenzy, throwing on her shoes as she held a slice of toast in her mouth. Her friend checked the time on her home, grimacing.
"God, we're gonna be so late…!"
It had been a hectic Monday morning in the Ashido household. It started off normal enough; Mina had woken up to her alarm, grumbled about it being Monday, and went about her routine. Under ordinary circumstances she would have had more than enough time to get ready and get to school, but there was a complication this morning: Ochako.
The house's new tenant had also woken up alongside Mina when her alarm went off, but unlike the pink girl she didn't immediately get up. She simply checked the time, mumbled something about "5 more minutes", and rolled back over. Mina decided to let her friend sleep, figuring she had her own alarm and everything.
Mistake.
What the acid girl hadn't realized was that Ochako had set her own alarm to go off much, much later. Apparently, the brunette was used to getting up some 15 minutes before she left for school. Maybe that worked at her old place where she was living alone, but here? Not so much.
By the time Mina realized there was an issue, it was too late. Ochako woke up like everything was fine, and went to shower. Unfortunately, someeone else – Makoto – was using the shower so she had to wait. On top of that, she was in a new environment and couldn't just autopilot her routine while half-asleep. Before long she was running around the house in a panic as she desperately tried to get ready in time.
Mina could have left without her, of course, but she wasn't about to just abandon her friend like that. And so here she was, trying to stay calm as she waited.
"Okay, ready? Good. Come on!" She didn't even wait for Ochako to answer before sprinting out the door. Her friend followed suit, dashing alongside her with her toast still dangling from her mouth (she hadn't had time to actually eat). They'd have to run the whole way if they wanted any chance of making it on time, and even then, they'd have to get lucky with the train.
Which they in fact did. The pair arrived at the station seconds before their train departed, narrowly getting inside just as the doors started to close.
"Phew… Whoo… Oh man…" Mina leaned against a pole as she gripped a handhold, slightly out of breath from the run.
"We… Made… It…" Ochako, by contrast, had collapsed onto a seat as she gasped for air, head leaned back as her arms hung limp as her sides. She held a half-eaten slice of toast in one of her hands.
As the two girls caught their breath, they looked at each other for a moment. They suddenly started laughing as the ridiculousness of the morning caught up to them.
"Good workout, huh?" Mina joke as she moved, sitting down next to Ochako.
"Yeah… God, I really need to get in better shape." While the gravity girl was obviously athletic enough to both get into U.A. and place well in the Sports Festival, she was still a bit less active than most of her class. Hanging around someone like Mina so much had begun to make that even more apparent; that run had barely winded her.
"Maybe we can start working out together?" Mina suggested. "I was probably going to after school today, so if you want to join you can."
"Oh, that could be fun!" Having someone else there would definitely help keep Ochako motivated.
"Great!"
A few seconds passed before Ochako sighed.
"…Sorry, by the way."
"Huh? For what?" Mina looked at her.
"You know, for making us leave late." The brunette felt more than a little foolish about this whole thing. Why didn't she realize she'd probably have to adjust her routine? And now between sleeping in and looking half-dead from that sprint, she just looked lazy.
"Aw, don't worry about it." Mina clapped her on the shoulder, grinning. "Just gotta wake up earlier from now on, right?" Ochako couldn't help but smile too; the pinkette's joy was always so infectious. She had a really nice smile…
"Yeah, I guess."
"And hey, so what if we're late once? I'm sure Mr. Aizawa will understand if we just explain."
"I hope so… He can be kind of a…" What was a nice word for it?
"Hard-ass?" Mina finished?
"I-I wasn't going to say that…" Though it was true.
"Yeah, well-CRAP!" Ochako jumped as her friend suddenly shouted, sitting up straight.
"Wh-What is it?" Mina quickly took off her backpack, opening it up as she fished through it.
"Crap crap crap crap crap…" She muttered. Thinking about teachers had suddenly made her realize something.
"Mina, what's wrong?"
"I completely forgot to do that math assignment Ectoplasm gave us!" She cried, trying to find said assignment as she checked a folder.
Ugh, what was the matter with her? She had specifically set aside an hour or so to work on this thing, then completely forgotten about it. Playing games with Makoto and Ochako had just taken up so much time…
"Shoot, I'm never going to… Ugh!" She was now looking over the actual homework, and there was no way she'd be able to get this done before class.
Ochako removed her own backpack and opened it up. She knew she probably shouldn't do this, but she didn't want to just leave her friend high and dry like this.
"Here," she said, handing Mina a sheet of paper. "Just, uh, just don't make it look exactly the same." Her friend looked at the paper in surprise, then back at Ochako.
"Oh Ocha, no… You don't have to-
"It's fine, really. What are friends for, right?"
"But I don't want you to get in trouble…" Mina didn't feel good copying a friend's homework like this. Well okay, she didn't care about that much. But she did care about what would happen if their teacher picked up on it.
"Like I said, just… Change some stuff, okay?" The pink girl bit her lip before eventually nodding.
"Alright. Thanks, really. You're a lifesaver." She began scribbling down answers, finishing just before the train arrived at their stop.
"Oh man…" Ochako grumbled, realizing they'd have to run again.
"Race you there!"
School came and went. The two girls barely managed to make it to class in time, albeit completely out of breath. Mr. Aizawa had questioned them after their first class, with Ochako attempting to explain the somewhat complicated situation that led to their near-tardiness.
"I was informed of an address change," the tired teacher said, looking over some paperwork. "Well, you were still technically on time… Just try not to cut it so close in the future, alright?" While he was initially annoyed with their dramatic entrance this morning, he seemed to accept their explanation. That or he just didn't care much.
"We won't, sir!" Ochako and Mina exclaimed in unison, bowing.
Considering how unfair their homeroom teacher could be about things, the girls were happy to know he was letting them off.
At lunch they decided to tell their friends about Ochako's new living arrangements. They didn't give all the details about why she had moved in with Mina, but at least explained that it was to circumvent unnecessary expenses.
"It's just smart, really," Mina said as she finished speaking.
"That does make sense, ribbit." Tsuyu, being Tsuyu, quickly saw the logic in it.
"Kind of lame the school didn't offer some kind of housing," Kirishima mused. Meanwhile, Mineta stared at the two girls as gears started turning in his head.
"Uh, your family wouldn't happen to be taking anyone else, would they? Because, um, I'm also living on my own and-
"Dude, no you don't! I've been to your house!" Kaminari interrupted.
"Ssh!" The purple midget shoved a hand over his partner in crime's mouth as Ochako and Mina both rolled their eyes.
Ochako shut her locker door, turning to Mina.
"Alright, all set. Um… You mind if I just follow your routine?" With classes over for the day, the pair had gone to the school gym to work out. Ochako figured whatever her athletic friend had planned would be a good model to follow.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure," Mina answered as she stretched a bit. They had both changed into their workout clothes, with Mina wearing a black sports bra and neon green short shorts that hugged her snuggly. Ochako meanwhile had a yellow t-shirt on and more loose-fitting gym shorts. "You sure you can handle it?" Mina asked in a teasing voice, a smirk on her face.
"H-Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Ochako didn't exactly like that tone.
"Oh, nothing…" The mischievous girl then reached out and poked her friend's somewhat squishy tummy. "Boop!"
"AH!" The sudden gesture made Ochako cry out as her cheeks turned red. "H-Hey!" Mina giggled playfully, pleased with the reaction.
Her friend understood what she was getting at. Again, there was a very clear difference in their physical abilities. Mina's body was built, toned, muscular, and Ochako's… Well, she wasn't fat or anything, but she was definitely a little soft in some areas. Mina's exercise routine would no doubt be incredibly demanding, but that was okay. The Sports Festival had shown her that she had a lot of catching up to do to some of her peers, and she wasn't going to get there taking the easy route.
…Still, Mina didn't have to be so… Mina about it.
"V-Very funny," the brunette huffed, resting a hand on her stomach where she was poked as she puffed out her cheeks. If it had been anyone else, she might have actually been offended. But with Mina she was able to (mostly) shrug it off, knowing it was all in good fun.
"Really though, you sure? I'm not gonna let you slack off." The pink girl got serious for a moment. Ochako nodded. "Good! Figured, just wanted to be sure." Mina knew Ochako wasn't one to back down from a challenge (she still fondly remembered how… Excited… She got when they were all first talking about the Sports Festival).
The two left the locker room as Ochako started to psyche herself up. She could do this, she could do this!
She couldn't do this!
"Goood, my legs are gonna fall off!" Ochako whined as she struggled against the leg press. She was coated in sweat as her whole body burned; Mina had meant what she said about not slacking off.
"Come on, three more!" The horned girl had been equal parts cheerleader and drill instructor during the last hour or so. "Let's go missy! I thought you said you could handle this!"
"Ng…" Ochako needed to learn not to be so stubborn about these things. Holy crap this hurt so much… Why did she agree to this?
She clenched her teeth as she pushed against the machine as much as she could, trying to get a rep done. Unfortunately her strength was all but drained, and she only made it about halfway before losing steam. The press pushed back, resetting itself.
"Can't… Do it…" She gasped for breath as she looked up at Mina.
"Yes you can! Come on, girl, this is the last set!" Her instructor shouted, pumping a fist for emphasis. She actually looked pretty tired herself, her body dripping with perspiration as she breathed a bit heavily. She'd been following the exact same routine Ochako had, after all.
The spent girl stared her up and down. In her current state, one could really make out just how fit she really was. Her abs that practically glistened from the light reflecting off her sweat, her thighs that were as thick as they were buff, her deceptively muscular arms… An athlete in every sense of the word.
Ochako had always admired Mina's figure, but she'd never been as awestruck by it as she was now. It was downright inspiring to look at. She was downright beautiful.
Suddenly, the gravity girl felt a surge of energy as she caught a second wind. Before she knew it, she had done one, two, three more reps and finished the set.
"WHOO!" Mina cried as the other girl got to her feet. "Told you!" She double high-fived Ochako, who was now beaming with pride.
"See? It was nothing." That was a complete lie, of course; every muscle in her body was screaming in pain right now.
"Riiiiight." Mina rolled her eyes. "Alright, my turn! Then we'll be all set for the day."
Oh thank god.
Ochako stepped into the shower, sighing joyfully as she did. The hot water hitting her aching body felt simply wonderful.
She and Mina had just returned home from the gym and were getting cleaned up. After such a rigorous workout, this was exactly the sort of thing the sore girl needed.
"Mmmm…" She moaned softly to herself as she started to let her muscles relax. A small voice in her head was yelling at her to quit using so much hot water, to turn the temperature down and hurry up. She was wasting money!
Almost reflexively the girl moved to turn down the heat. She stopped herself as her hand rested on the shower handle. Her mind drifted back to the prior evening, and the conversation she had had with the Ashidos over dinner.
"…No." She murmured to herself, forcing that annoying little voice out and letting herself relax again. There was no need to think that sort of stuff anymore. Plus, it had been too long since she let herself just enjoyed a hot shower like this.
As she (slowly) began to soap, Ochako thought about the day. The chaotic morning, the workout from hell, and the feeling of coming back here after school instead of her old place. She was honestly still getting used to it, even if she was a lot more adjusted now than she was yesterday.
It was strange looking forward to going home after school again. There were actually things to do here, people she should spend time with. Dinner wasn't going to just be crummy leftovers from school. A bed to relax in. Just… So many little comforts that all added up to something so great.
This was the kind of life her parents deserved. Not even lavish or luxurious, just… Comfortable. Stable. Worry-free. She had only gotten the faintest taste of it, but it was enough to strengthen her drive to become a hero that much more.
"Yeah!" The brunette hyped herself up a bit too much and punched forward, wincing as her the pain in her muscles flared. "Ow ow ow…"
She may have overdone it today. As proud as she was of herself for keeping up with Mina, it wouldn't do her much good if she was too sore to move for the next few days. There was such a thing as working too hard.
Just… She really wanted to show Mina that she could do it.
A familiar image of the pinkette appeared in her mind's eye. That moment Ochako had just about called it quits just before the end only to find the will to power through… Something about the sight of Mina just gave her the strength she needed. She couldn't get it out of her head for some reason. It was a vivid memory, too; Mina's figure had left quite an impression on her.
Why was that? Again, she had always admired her friend's body, but never so… Intensely as she had then. Was it because of how tired she had been at the time? Perhaps she saw it as something of a goal to reach?
Deciding it wasn't worth mulling over, the girl pushed those thoughts out of her head and went back to focusing on how good the hot water felt.
The evening went by without anything too unusual happening. After finishing their showers Ochako and Mina had dinner with the rest of the family before working on their assignments for that day (Mina was determined not to forget any this time). It was getting late by the time they finished, so they decided to wind down for the night and watch some TV before bed.
They sat together on the sofa as a sitcom played on the family room television. Everyone else had gone to bed for the night, leaving just the two of them alone.
Mina laughed heartily as a silly scene played out before the show cut to commercial.
"Man, this episode's great huh Ocha?" She asked between laughs. When her friend didn't respond, she turned to look at her. "Ocha? Oh!"
The brunette's head was leaned back against the couch, her arms resting in her lap as she snored softly. Mina stifled a laugh at the sight.
The poor girl had been tuckered out ever since they got home. That workout had really done a number on her.
"Probably shouldn't do that again, huh?" While she had gotten through it all, the fact that Ochako was this exhausted meant it was probably a little too much for her at this point. Mina recalled how similar she had acted when she first really started training. Always going a bit too hard and winding up barely able to move after. As it turned out, not the best way to go about things.
Still, it was pretty cool to see Ochako do it all. Girl had a real fire inside, one of the many things Mina adored about her. Underneath that mild-mannered exterior was a real spunky girl.
"Smile!" The pink girl whispered as she snapped a photo of the sleeping girl. She was in a somewhat unflattering position, her mouth hanging open as a little drool dribbled down the side. Obviously Mina had to get a picture. And a video of her snoring for good measure.
The troublemaker giggled as she recorded her friend. It was kind of adorable seeing her in this unladylike state. Well, more adorable than usual anyway.
That was definitely one of the first words that came to mind when Mina thought of her best friend. Everything about her, from her appearance to her voice to her personality just screamed "cutie". Something Mina was always sure to tell her, much to her embarrassment.
The horned girl suddenly realized she'd just been kinda staring at Ochako this whole time. A blush crept onto her face as she realized how weird that must have looked.
"Hey, Ocha." Mina poked her in the cheek once, deciding to get her up. "Ocha. Wake up."
"Mmm…" The brunette hadn't fallen into too deep of a sleep it seemed, as she stirred a bit as she grumbled. Her eyes slowly opened to see Mina strangely close to her.
"You clonked out on me there, girl!" She had a big Cheshire grin on her face as she patted her sleepy friend's cheek a couple times. "Think you better go up to your room."
"Mmm… Yeah, probably." Seemed she was too tired to be flustered about the whole thing. Standing up, she lazily shuffled her feet toward the doorway. "Night, Mina," she mumbled.
"Night!" The temptation to have another "sleepover" was there, but it was probably best for them to both just spend the night in their own rooms. Didn't want any repeats of this morning, after all.
Mina remained downstairs as she watched a bit more TV.
It was nice seeing Ochako so… Mellow. She'd been considerably better mood today than she had been in a while. Just all around happier and more relaxed.
Made her that much cuter, really.
"Gosh, what is with me tonight?" Another blush formed on Mina's face. She usually didn't think about Ochako like that this much. "Probably should get to bed…" Flipping off the TV, she got up and headed upstairs.
Short update and admittedly a bit… Aimless. Just easing into the romance bit by bit, wasn't sure what to do here outside of that.