"Come on Ocha, you got this!"

Mina's cheers were answered with silence as Ochako kept all her focus on the screen in front of her. She had a fire in her eyes, tongue hanging out of her mouth slightly as her car zoomed along the track. Beside her, Makoto had a similar intensity to him as he held his controller.

The two were locked in another heated virtual race, though this time there was no shouting or taunts. They were neck-and-neck as the finish line neared, neither one seeming to have a clear advantage. One second Ochako was in the lead, the next Makoto.

Ochako had been living with the Ashidos for a month now, and during that time something of a rivalry had formed between her and the young boy when it came to racing games. Her competitive nature combined with her odd talent for the genre made her a formidable opponent for Makoto, who enjoyed having someone who could keep up with him.

Mina, meanwhile, had started to enjoy just watching them go at it more than actually playing. Today was no different; she currently had Ochako sitting on her lap as she spectated, cheering her friend on as she casually braided her hair. The fact that the brunette could still race so well while her hair was being fiddled with showed how skilled she really was.

"Come on, come on…. YES!" Mina threw her arms up in joy as Ochako narrowly won. The other girl did the same as her opponent hung his head.

"That's 3-2… You win." While he still had a knack for being extremely obnoxious, the horned boy had learned to lose a bit more graciously by now.

They powered down the game as Makoto went off to do something else. The two girls, meanwhile, remained where they were as Mina continued to work on Ochako's hair. She was about two thirds of the way through making a short, braided ponytail.

"Gosh, your hair is like, so soft!" The stylist commented as she wove the brown hair. "That conditioner's working super good!"

"I know, right?" Ochako had acquired a few additional beauty products over the past month. It had taken some time for her to feel okay with spending money like that, but with her increased allowance now that her parents didn't need to cover an apartment (despite her protests, they insisted on giving her more spending money), she eventually began to loosen up just a bit. She still only bought things on sale or with coupons, of course.

It wasn't just hair care and makeup, though; Mina had insisted on new outfits as well. The pair had at one point gone on a bit of a shopping spree, spending hours trying on all sorts of things at the mall as they visited just about every store. It had been a bit painful spending as much as she had that day, but Ochako wound up coming home with several new additions to her wardrobe.

Thanks to Mina's influence, many of them were a bit more colorful and well… Less modest than her older stuff.

The pink girl was happy to see her friend be willing to wear stuff that showed off just a bit more of her. Ochako was a bit self-conscious about her body, and the fact that she was currently in low-riding jeans with a tight belly shirt showed some newfound confidence. And god damn did she look good in that outfit.

A blush crept onto Mina's face at this last thought. "Hot" wasn't a word she'd often use to describe Ochako; "cute" was much more apt. But seeing her in stuff like this… Man. It was like perfect blend of both adjectives. It helped that the curvy brunette was putting on just a bit of muscle ever since they started working out a bunch together.

Mina had come to terms with her attraction to her friend about a week ago. There was no big moment that made her realize it or anything (though the mall helped; they had changed in the same fitting room several times), it was just something she had come to accept. Normally she'd be ecstatic about the prospect of having a crush, but in this case she was actually kind of worried.

She and Ochako shared a special bond. They were best friends and then some. Acting on these fleeting feelings could jeopardize that, especially since they were living together. What if Mina confessed but Ochako didn't feel the same? They might remain friends, but could they continue living together? Wouldn't that get awkward as hell?

Mina didn't want Ochako to have to leave because of her. Better to keep these feelings secret instead, as difficult as that would be. Mina wasn't one to hide her emotions often.

The two girls chatted about random nonsense until the braid was finished.

Ochako lied down on her bed, arms behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Time sure flies…" She muttered to herself. It was hard to believe a month had already passed since she moved in. Clearly, she had been having too much fun to notice.

Life here really was something. Without all the constant worries she had had back at her apartment, Ochako felt… Relaxed. Content. Able to enjoy things more. Friends at school had pointed out her much more peppy attitude as of late, noting she had started to become a "second Mina" of sorts. While some of that was no doubt the result of being around her best friend almost all the time, much of it was just the gravity girl's natural personality.

Despite seeming much more carefree, however, she was just as diligent as ever. Never once did she take her situation for granted, always offering to help Mr. and Mrs. Ashido with cooking, cleaning, and various other chores. Her helpful nature had earned her a bit of a reputation, the two parents often remarking how she was setting a good example for her children to follow.

Of course, the bulk of her time was still spent hanging with Mina. Whether it was games, movies, exercise, homework, shopping, or just sitting around talking, the two girls had become inseparable. It was odd, in some ways; Ochako expected the two of them to eventually get a little tired of being around each other all the time, but they more they hung out the more fun they seemed to have together.

It was honestly starting to concern her a bit. She found herself wanting to just always be with Mina now. To see her bright, smiling face, hear her voice and laughter…

Ochako gulped as familiar feelings crept their way into her head.

Ever since that first workout session, the brunette had been having odd thoughts about her pink friend. She had tried to push them away, but they only seemed to grow overtime. They were becoming harder and harder to ignore.

Mina was… A very good-looking girl, Ochako couldn't deny that. But there was a difference between thinking your friend was pretty and straight up ogling them.

Yes, Ochako had been a bit… Curious the past week or two. Sometimes it happened without her realizing it; one moment she was minding her own business, the next she was staring right at Mina's rear as she bent over for something. Naturally, she would quickly catch herself and freak out a bit, often starting to float a bit. Guilty didn't even begin to describe how she felt about it all.

It wasn't just a physical attraction that worried her, though; no, that desire to be around Mina more and more was clearly something beyond simple friendship. She had tried to deny it for the first couple weeks, but recently Ochako had come to accept she was starting to want to be more than best friends with her housemate.

And that terrified her.

She was able to put up a decent front most of the time, but deep down being around Mina made her super anxious now. She had to resist the urge to do or say something that would give away these newfound feelings, which wasn't always easy.

Just… Mina was so kind, so compassionate. Ochako had always admired her for several reasons, and that admiration had blossomed into genuine affection. But did she feel the same? Ochako knew she was into girls (Mina owned several posters of Mt. Lady, and not just because she admired her heroism), but that didn't mean much.

Sure she would snuggle whenever they slept together. Sure she would constantly compliment Ochako on her looks. Sure she liked to hug a lot. But those were probably all things Mina just did with all her friends. That sort of affectionate friendship was just part of who she was.

Ochako groaned, rolling over a bit. She hated whenever these thoughts flared up. Sure there might have been a chance Mina felt the same way she did, but she couldn't risk confessing. What if that wasn't the case? Would they be able to remain friends? If nothing else, Ochako would certainly have to move out, and she did NOT want to do that.

Hopefully this was just some silly little crush that would fade with time. She was more than happy to have Mina as a friend, after all. Just… It would be nice to take their relationship beyond that.

Another week passed. Both Ochako and Mina's newly realized feelings for one another were getting harder and harder to keep under wraps. Their conversations became more awkward, full of blushes and stutters (and floating). Workouts became just as much of a mental exercise as a physical one as they avoided staring at each other's bodies too much, not wanting to get caught. Sleepovers stopped happening, neither one feeling they could handle sharing a bed with the other without letting something slip.

Despite this, both girls continued to keep things to themselves. Each was so worried that confessing would backfire that they couldn't see the signs that the other shared their feelings. They could see, though, that their relationship was starting to become a bit strained. Both of them were bottling things up too much, and it was stressing them both out.

It all came to a head Saturday night.

Mina tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. Ochako was stuck in her head, and she refused to let her rest. What was just a small crush had grown considerably in the past week, and it was becoming downright painful to hide.

Ochako was such a sweet girl. But she had this fire in her, this drive that Mina adored. When she put her mind to something, she would do it. It was a quality Mina wish she herself had a little bit more of. Sure, she was passionate, but focus was something she definitely lacked.

Sighing, the pink girl sat up.

"This… Isn't working."

Again, hiding her feelings was not something the pink girl was good at. And the longer this kept up, the more stressed and unhappy she would be. While telling Ochako how she felt might damage their friendship, continuing to keep it all inside would guarantee it. The past week had been rough enough.

Biting her lip, she stood up. Time to channel some of that drive her crush had and just… Tell her.

Marching toward the door, she opened it up. She was so long in her own head that she didn't notice the person standing in the doorway, and blundered right in to her.

"Ah! Oh god, sorry, I…" Her voice trailed off as she realized it was Ochako standing before her.

"…Hey." There was a weird look in the brunette's eyes.

"…Hey." Mina paused. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"No." Ochako shook her head. A small silence followed. "Uh… Can I come in? I, uh… I want to talk about something."

Mina's heartrate began to accelerate. Could she actually be…

"Uh, s-sure!" She felt herself blush as she invited Ochako inside, who timidly entered. Was that a blush on her face too?

Butterflies filled the acid girl's stomach.

The two sat down at the foot of Mina's bed, neither speaking for a moment. Both had something to say, but neither were sure how to say it.

"…So… What's up?" Mina asked, desperate to stop the deafening silence.

"Uh… I have, uh… S-Something…. Something I've been w-wanting to…"

"Tell me?" The two girls looked at each other.

"…Yeah." Ochako gulped.

"Heh… Uh, s-same." Mina laughed nervously, a sheepish smile on her face. They were both beginning to realize what was going on here.

"Oh."

Another silence. Both girls' hearts were beating a mile a minute, their body temperatures rising to dangerous levels. In their hearts they now knew the other felt the same way they did, but neither was sure what to do with this information.

Mina tensed up as she felt Ochako's hand rest on hers. They both looked down, the brunette yelping; it seemed she did that subconsciously.

"O-Oh!" Face now bright red, she pulled her hand back as she looked up at Mina again. "S-Sorry, I-mmph!"

She didn't get to finish that sentence. That little touch gave Mina a jolt of confidence, and she decided to take the plunge. Without a moment of hesitation, she leaned her head forward and met Ochako's lips with hers.

Time seemed to freeze as they kissed. For a moment, the two stared wide-eyed at each other. A few seconds later, though, their eyes both slowly shut as Ochako returned the kiss.

Both girls felt a great weight lift off their chests as they embraced one another. All the feelings they had kept locked away the past few weeks came flooding out into that kiss, which quickly grew more and more passionate. Mina moaned softly as Ochako's tongue explored her mouth; Ochako giggled as Mina tickled her neck with love bites. By the time they separated, they were both completely out of breath, satisfied with their first session together.

"...Can I stay here tonight?" Ochako asked with a dreamy voice.

"…Yeah…" There was no need for any sort of verbal confession at this point as the pair gazed lovingly into each other's eyes.

The couple snuggled up against each other, sharing another kiss as they did. There were plenty of questions to be asked, such as how they would break this to Mina's parents, or where they'd go for their first real date. But for now, that wasn't on their minds. All that mattered was that they had each other.

Alright so… Yeah, super rushed and sudden ending I know. This was originally supposed to be a longer story with more drawn out romance, but unfortunately I have realized in the past few weeks that I just don't have the drive to write this kind of stuff anymore. I've sort of lost interest in MHA overall; still like it, but not nearly as much as I used to. But I wanted to give you guys at least some closure at least.

Again, sorry for the sudden end, but I figured it's better than me forcing myself to write more of it and having an overall worse product as a result. Hopefully this was at least somewhat enjoyable. Anyway, take care y'all.