Ochaco's footsteps echoed loudly down the deserted corridor. It was still extremely early in the morning, but she felt wide awake – she'd only ever been in the faculty's section of UA a couple of times and whilst students weren't technically forbidden from coming here she still felt faintly as though she was trespassing. It reminded her of when she'd been a little girl and snuck into her dad's study one day to test her newfound quirk.

Of course it wasn't like she was going to be scolded this time – the chances of her encountering any faculty this early in the morning were slim to none – but she couldn't help but look back surreptitiously over her shoulder in case there was anyone watching her.

She passed a few of the doors before she finally came to the one that she was looking for – Mr Aizawa's office.

"Ok," she said, speaking aloud to try and psyche herself up. "As soon as he gets here I ask myself in, make my case and convince him. It'll be a piece of cake. So long as I don't forget what I'm going to say, I'll be –"

"Who's there?"

"Gah!" Ochaco almost jumped out of her skin in surprise as the door to Mr Aizawa's office opened and his dishevelled head poked out of it. 'Why's he here so early? And why's he wearing that ridiculous sleeping bag?! Does he live in his office?!'

He looked at her, his stoic face giving nothing away. "Uraraka? What are you doing here?"

"Mr Aizawa, what a surprise. I didn't expect to see you," Ochaco laughed nervously, trying to regain her composure.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "You didn't expect to see me… at my office?"

"No, I just – because of how early it is – I didn't mean –"

Her teacher sighed patiently as she got herself more and more flustered. "Did you want to come in and talk?"

"Um, yes, please," she answered meekly. Shaking his head, he gestured her into the dimly lit room and sat down at his desk, offering her a seat. As she sat, she noticed that there was paperwork all over his office and he looked even more tired than usual, his hair unkempt and his eyes surrounded by heavy bags.

Mercifully he wriggled out of the sleeping bag – not that it looked as though he'd been doing much sleeping recently. "Ignore the mess. I'm in the middle of writing all of Class 1A's end of year reports and had to pull an all-nighter."

"Really?" Ochaco enquired, her curiosity piqued. "Didn't you already give out our end of semester report cards a week ago?" Her report had been somewhat middle of the road in terms of grades, but she'd been encouraged by his final comments, which had read, 'Has shown initiative in addressing her lack of combat experience and displayed an above-average ability for co-operating with others.' Small praise maybe, but coming from the infamously scathing Eraserhead it was more than she'd expected. She'd compared her report with Deku's and his had rather harshly said, 'Needs to spend more time in class and less time in the nurse's office,' which had him fretting that UA were going to kick him out until she and Iida had reassured him.

"These are different to the report cards students receive. They're meant for staff to best plan out each student's individual learning path for the next academic year. Less about grades and a more of a detailed analysis of each of your strengths, weaknesses, areas to improve and so on. Even after students graduate we keep them for agency recommendations and comparisons with future students that may have a similar quirk. Needless to say it's all completely confidential."

"That makes sense, yeah," she agreed. "I bet plenty of criminals out there would love to get hold of that sorta thing, what with so many active heroes being UA graduates."

"Exactly." Mr Aizawa rubbed a hand across his worn out eyes and then leaned over his desk to look at her more intently. "Right, enough small talk. Mind explaining why you're here at the crack of dawn?"

Ochaco took a deep breath. Alright, just like she rehearsed the night before. "I have a request to make, if that's ok with you. I want to stay on at UA over the summer break." She glanced at Mr Aizawa to gauge his reaction, but he remained poker faced. "I've decided to use this summer to put in some major training to build up my stamina and gain more control over my zero gravity. The best place for me to do that would be here, on campus – it has the best rescue simulation facilities, the library for me to research in, the combat robots for me to practice on and even the best gym equipment to build up my fitness. I promise I'll only use it for training and I won't make a mess, or cause any trouble, or anything like that. So can you give me permission to stay? Please?"

She fell silent, relived that she hadn't stumbled over any of her words, and waited on tenterhooks as he weighed up her proposal. He did at least seem to be considering it, which had to be a positive, right?

"I'm sorry, but the answer's no."

Ochaco's head dropped in dismay as her summer plans crumbled to dust around her. "What? But why?"

"You argued your points well, but I'm turning your request down for two reasons. Firstly, your own security and safety. We can't have just one student on their own wandering around the campus – the teachers are going to be away for the majority of the summer with pro hero duties, so what would you do if you were in a test simulation and got in over your head? Or if you bit off more than you could chew in a combat drill?"

Ochaco tried to interject but he raised a hand for silence. "Let me finish. The second reason is the effectiveness of your training. You're right that UA has all the facilities you could ask for, but from observing you in class and out in the field you work best with others. If you train alone for two months, it wouldn't be nearly as effective as finding a partner or a small group and working together with them."

"Is there nothing I can do to convince you?" she pleaded. "What if I only do simulations on days when there's at least one teacher around?"

"That's not enough. The teachers won't have time to monitor you even when they're present and you'd still be on your own."

Ochaco clenched her fists. She knew arguing would get her nowhere, but was so frustrating to have a clear plan in her head only to be denied. She forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. She had to think about this rationally, using Mr Aizawa's own logic.

The answer came to her in a flash of inspiration. "What if I find someone else to train with me? Who wants to stay at UA over the summer, just like I do?"

Her teacher looked across at her sceptically. "You mean another student?"

"Exactly," she nodded enthusiastically. "That way I'll have someone to train with, rather than working alone, and because I'll have a partner together we can cover each other with any simulations we do."

"Hmm." Mr Aizawa considered her words. "Why exactly are you so desperate to stay and train? Judging by the reactions of your classmates yesterday they couldn't wait to start the summer break."

Ochaco breathed out heavily. "Because I don't want to be left behind. I know I have a long way to go to be a hero and if I don't keep improving then I'll be standing still whilst others surpass me. I can't let that happen."

"You put yourself under too much pressure," he frowned at her. "Aiming for the top is important, but it's unhealthy to set your standards so high that you don't feel you can achieve them."

She shuffled in her seat awkwardly as he appraised her – she felt as though he was looking at her through a microscope. "It's not that exactly. I just want to pay back all the people that have put their trust in me by working as hard as I can. My parents, Deku, Iida. Even you Mr Aizawa."

If she didn't know better she could have sworn that she'd seen a flicker of surprise flit across the quirk erasing teacher's face, but it was gone almost as soon as she'd noticed it. Maybe she'd just imagined it.

As the wait grew almost unbearable he finally answered her. "I'll tell you what. If – and only if – you find another student willing to continue living on campus and partner up with you… I'll allow you permission."

"Yes!" she yelled, leaping out of her chair and punching the air with jubilation. At Mr Aizawa's pointed look she coughed, embarrassed, and toned her reaction down. "Um, I mean, I'm very grateful for this opportunity and won't let it go to waste. Thank you for believing in me and for treating my request seriously."

"Don't thank me yet. You still have to find another person, remember? And since all the students are leaving today, you'd better hurry."

Alarmed, Ochaco moved towards the door. "You're right, I'd better go. Thank you again for supporting me, I promise you won't regret it!"

He inclined in acknowledgement. "I take it you have someone in mind to partner up with?"

She turned back to face him, face determined. "Yeah, I know just the person."

-o-o-

Exiting her teacher's office, Ochaco was buzzing with adrenaline. At that moment she felt like she could've taken on the whole Villain Alliance with one hand tied behind her back. She'd been proactive, pushed herself outside her comfort zone and now she had everything she needed to kickstart her training.

She was still faintly amazed that she'd managed to persuade Mr Aizawa at all – he was notorious for his uncompromising nature. But he'd listened to her and it was gratifying to be treated like an adult. He hadn't even asked who she planned to partner up with, just accepted her reasoning and trusted her judgement.

Not that it had exactly taken much in the way of judgement to make her decision. When she'd been asked who her partner was going to be she hadn't even needed to consider it – her mind had just automatically jumped to Deku. In her head it was a given, like the sky being blue or water being wet. Maybe it was ironic that her powers revolved around gravity, because since joining UA she and Deku had settled into a comfy orbit around one another's company.

And it was because of that closeness that she couldn't wait to break the news to him. This felt right. For too long she'd had the nagging sense that she'd been relying on Deku, whether consciously or unconsciously – now she could finally approach him as an equal.

Making her way back to the dorms, Ochaco took a purposeful step through the doorway – only to be meet with a cacophony of noise from every direction and almost tripping over an enormous set of suitcases left by the entrance.

Grimacing at her stubbed toe, she surveyed the swarm of activity around her. Caught up in her own success and the need to ask Deku before he departed, she'd momentarily forgotten that everyone else would be leaving today as well. The rest of Class 1A were in varying states of disarray; through all the commotion she managed to make out that Mina was searching everywhere for her lost tube of horn moisturiser, Yaoyorozu was fretting about how she was going to fit her enormous four poster bed out of the doorway and Bakugo was having a heated argument with two adults Ochaco could only assume were his parents.

A little taken aback by the frenzy going on all around her, she quickly flattened herself against the wall to avoid colliding with a harassed looking Kyoka, who was carrying five different musical instruments at once. Deciding that it would be a whole lot safer to get herself out of the firing line, she looked for somewhere a bit less overwhelming and spotted the ever-reliable Iida standing in the middle of the chaos, directing everyone like a traffic warden – to her amusement she noticed that he was even making the hand gestures, completely po-faced. She called, "Hey, Iida, over here!" to him and he strode across to greet her.

"Uraraka, good morning. You seem to be in a good mood. I was wondering where you were – I hadn't seen you all morning and was starting to worry you may have already left."

"Can't get rid of me that easily," she grinned. "And yeah, I'm feeling psyched up. I've got so many ideas for training this summer and I can't wait to get started!" She pumped her fist to emphasise the point.

Iida nodded with approval. "Excellent, that's exactly the right attitude. We must all do our best to be ready for the challenges awaiting us next year – though I certainly have my hands full enough at the moment, too."

"Oh, you mean with everyone moving out? Yeah, sure looks busy, huh?"

Iida grimaced. "Busy is an understatement. I was running around for almost an hour earlier after Kouji's pet rabbit escaped and I've already had to break up two arguments between Bakugo and his mother. Ever since Mr Aizawa announced the summer break yesterday, some students have been rather… unruly."

"You can't blame everyone for being excited," she shrugged good-naturedly. "It's been a long year."

"I suppose so," Iida conceded. "But as class rep it's my responsibility to maintain standards right up to the last moment. Although, speaking of which…" he paused to check his watch. "I'll be departing later this morning to catch the train home. I intended on starting with my family's agency first thing today, but my parents insisted I take the day to travel and say my goodbyes here, so I'll begin working at my father's office tomorrow."

"Wait, you're taking a day's break?" Ochaco teased, feigning shock. "What happened to maintaining standards? If you're not careful, people are going to start thinking you're lazy!"

"Perish the thought," he answered drily. "Perhaps I should show my commitment by camping out in the agency offices overnight…"

It took Ochaco a second to realise he wasn't being serious. "Wait, did you just… did you just make a joke?!" she asked incredulously. "Since when did you get a sense of humour?"

"Just because I rarely do so, it doesn't mean I'm incapable," Iida replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"You should do it more often! I like this new, fun Iida."

"Perhaps, although I'm hardly likely to be a comedian any time soon," he admitted, adjusting with glasses stiffly. "But ultimately it's thanks to you and Midoriya that I've come to understand the need for some levity from time to time. After finding out about my brother's injuries, for a while it felt like I'd never be able to feel happy again."

Ochaco winced at the painful memories of how cut up her friend had been after his fight with Todoroki in the Sports Festival – it had put her own disappointment from losing to Bakugo into perspective. "We both just wanted to support you. It hurt to see you so upset and knowing there wasn't anything I could do to help."

"You did help," Iida assured her. "Just knowing that you were there for me to turn to made a difference, even if it took me a while to open up. I know that at times I can be rather… inflexible… but I truly appreciate having such steadfast friends. Thank you."

Ochaco felt a surge of warmth towards him. Iida could be so formal, but his heart was always in the right place. "You don't need to thank me, that's what friends are for. And as for Deku, he always puts other people before himself. That's just what he does."

"True," Iida acknowledged. "But he has a knack for drawing the best out of people, whatever their circumstances. He sets such a positive example that it makes me strive to match him, as both a friend and a rival."

It was a strange sensation, hearing how the boy that had inspired her so much had affected others too. It made her feel an odd mix of pride and protectiveness. "I admire him too," she said quietly, choosing her words carefully. "But for me it's kind of more than that? I think about how he works so hard and overcomes the odds every time. Every time I'm in a tough spot or I feel like I've reached my limit he's always there in my head and I try to imagine what he would do. He's just… amazing." Suddenly aware that she was dangerously close to letting her real feelings show, she hastily shifted the topic. "Speaking of Deku, have you seen him around? I had something important to ask him."

Iida paused, thinking. "I know he went for a run earlier this morning, but I think he's back now. Perhaps you could try his bedr–"

At that moment the conversation was cut to a halt by the sound of a small explosion and Bakugo's irritable shout. "I've already told you, I can carry my own stuff!"

"Stop being so stubborn and let me take the damn bag!"

Iida snapped to attention as Bakugo and his equally-feisty mother continued their war of words. "Excuse me, Uraraka. It seems I need to take on the role of peacekeeper once again."

Ochaco patted his arm sympathetically as he went over to try and break the two up. She debated whether to wait for him, but she doubted that it would be a quick resolution. And besides, her summer training plan wasn't going to reveal itself to Deku all on its own. Leaving the common room behind with a wave to Iida, she leapt up the stairs two at a time, emerging onto Deku's floor with a spring in her step and her excitement bubbling over. She couldn't wait to break the news to him.

Without pausing she knocked on his door. There were a few muffled sounds before Deku opened it, revealing a half-packed suitcase and masses of cardboard boxes on the floor behind him, and peered owlishly out at her. "Uraraka? What are you doing here?"

In her head she had it all mapped out. She would tell him about her plans for training over the summer, explain her conversation with Mr Aizawa and offer him the chance to stay at UA with her for the next few months. He would agree, they'd promise to work hard together and everything would be fine. No tension, no awkward pauses, no humiliating herself half to death like yesterday. Just talking to her friend like a normal, functioning human being.

Unfortunately, her mouth moved faster – and louder – than her thoughts. "Deku, I have something important to ask you!"

"Uwaah!" He recoiled at the volume of her exclamation and took a step back – right into one of the cardboard boxes, which promptly caused him to stumble and lose his footing, collapsing to the floor like a bowling pin.

She let out a gasp and rushed into his room to kneel alongside him. "Oh no, are you ok? That was totally my fault!"

He rubbed his head gingerly. "Y-Yeah, I think I'm alright."

She helped him into a sitting position, guiltily checking for any cuts or bruises. Thankfully he seemed unhurt, but she hung her head, ashamed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you like that."

"It's fine, honestly," he tried to assure her, waving away her concerns. "Nothing broken at least – just my dignity that took a battering."

Ochaco saw that he'd somehow managed to land buttocks-first inside one of the boxes he was packing, with his arms and legs sticking out, and she managed a lopsided smile. "You do look a bit like a tortoise stuck on its back," she admitted, trying not to be too amused at his tumble.

Deku laughed sheepishly. "I fit in the box so well that maybe you can cut down on the packing and just mail me back home."

Despite herself she snorted back laughter at his self-deprecating sense of humour. She hadn't realised how perceptive Deku could be when it came to cheering other people up, but she was thankful for his thoughtfulness. "I guess I could stick a couple of 'Fragile' stickers on the outside," she joked. "Handle with care, one partially-used hero, near mint condition."

Deku smiled too, obviously relieved she no longer looked so downhearted, and got back to his feet. "I dunno about near mint after all the times I've needed Recovery girl to patch me up. And the courier might find it tough to fit me in the mailbox."

Ochaco giggled at the idea, her previous overzealousness almost forgotten. "Mrs Midoriya, could you please sign here to confirm delivery of your son?" she quipped, making Deku break down into chuckles of his own. Knowing that she was one of the few who got to see this more lighthearted side of him was an uplifting feeling, especially considering how jittery he'd been around her back when she first met him. Even now he was mostly serious around the rest of his classmates, rarely getting involved in the boys' more raucous antics.

Feeling more relaxed, she looked around curiously – the only time she'd been in before was back when they'd first moved into the dorms and Mina had come up with the idea of showcasing everyone's bedrooms. Even with half of it now packed away in boxes he still had plenty of All Might merchandise decorating his walls.

"Man, I forgot how nerdy your room was – I really like it," she enthused, looking at some of the books that he was midway through packing.

"You do?" Deku's head shot up in surprise. "Most people just kinda roll their eyes, or say stuff like… well, you know…" He shuffled his feet awkwardly without continuing and Ochaco thought back to the little snippets he'd revealed about his childhood. He was reluctant to mention much, aside from his fascination with All Might and the world of heroes, but from what little Deku had mentioned she had pieced together that he'd been bullied quite a bit before joining UA.

Seeing his pained expression she felt an uncharacteristic surge of anger – how could anyone be cruel enough to pick on someone as kindhearted and sincere as him? – and tried to put his mind at ease. "Hey, nerdy's not a bad thing. It just means you're really into something you care about, right? To me, that seems way cooler trying to act like you're not excited by anything."

Deku blinked, caught off guard by her answer. "I… I guess I'd never thought about it like that. You're really interested in all this stuff? You're not just saying that?"

She punched him on the shoulder lightly, beaming at him. "Of course I'm interested; your room's like a treasure trove of hero stuff. Come on, tell me what your favourite is!" She started rummaging through his boxes and gestured encouragingly at him to join her.

Looking visibly more at ease, Deku scratched his head and positioned himself alongside her to root through the boxes. "Just one? That's really hard… Maybe this?" He held up a small piece of paper in a protective plastic folder. "It was the first All Might trading card I got as a kid."

Ochaco held it up to the light. "Ooh, it's got that reflective-y holographic stuff on it, awesome! I remember some of the kids in my neighbourhood used to trade these in the playground after school. What else have you got?"

He reached down and pulled out a slightly battered notebook. "Ah, this is my autograph collection." He handed it over to her and she flicked through the slightly-yellowing pages.

"Oh wow, you've got a lot," she noticed, impressed. She ticked them off on her fingers. "Kamui Woods, Air Jet, Backdraft, Mount Lady…"

"I used to collect them whenever I could, but I haven't done it since starting UA. I kinda figured it would be too weird to start asking the teachers. Do you have any autographs of your own?"

"Not as many as you, but I did get one or two. I remember being really excited getting Thirteen's when I was really young. I think it was the opening of a new bridge or something like that, not far from my home." She pointed at another box. "What about in there?"

"Erm…" He thought hard for a few seconds, before reaching across to pull out a slightly battered looking All Might action figure. "I really like this one – I got it for my seventh birthday. It has the moveable arms, see, and the retro style cape to go with –"

"Wait, what is that?!" Ochaco interrupted, pointing at the side of one of the suitcases Deku had been packing before she arrived. She saw a tuft of what looked like fur sticking out of the side.

Deku followed her vision and the colour drained from his face. "Nothing!" he yelped, scrambling over, but Ochaco was too quick for him. Before he could stop her she grabbed hold and pulled, revealing an old, ragged teddy bear wearing All Might's costume.

"It's so cuuuute!" she cooed, giving it a cuddle and looking at her reflection in the little beady eyes. "What's his name?"

Deku looked mortified. "I – I call him Bear Might. He's really old, so you've gotta be gentle with him – I've had him ever since I was a baby and I used to take him everywhere with me. He was the first piece of All Might merchandise I ever had."

She squealed in delight. "That's adorable!"

Frantically Deku tried to shush her. "Please, not so loud! The others might hear," he begged.

"Ok, fine," she relented, passing the bear back to him with a pout. "I promise I won't tell anyone, so long as you let me cuddle him every once in a while."

"Deal," he agreed shakily, cradling the stuffed animal gently in his arms as if it was a baby. Ochaco tried to keep a straight face as he packed the bear back into the suitcase as if it was made of glass, but a giggle escaped from her lips before she could stop herself and within seconds she had doubled over. Her reaction was infectious and before long Deku was laughing too – for the next minute the two of them kept trying to recover, only to fall into another laughing fit every time their eyes met.

Finally getting her giggles back under control, Ochaco was brought back to the reason for her visit to Deku's room as he turned to her. "So, um, what was it you wanted to talk to me about? Y'know, when you first knocked on my door?"

"Oh, right!" In all the fun she'd almost lost track of why she was here. "Yeah, I wanted to tell you something. I'm staying here at UA over the summer!"

"You mean to train?" he said, puzzled. "But all the teachers are going to be gone. You'd need to get approval from at least one staff member…" He faltered when he saw her victorious grin. "Wait, you mean you've got permission?!"

She beamed at him. "Yup! It was tricky, but I spoke to Mr Aizawa earlier this morning and he said yes!"

Deku gaped at her, awestruck. "Seriously? How did you manage to convince him?"

A bubble of pride swelled up inside her. She already knew he respected her, but this was different. After all her worries about never being able to catch up to him as he kept improving in leaps and bounds, seeing him blown away by something she'd done was a major boost to her confidence.

Trying to be modest, she shrugged. "I guess I managed to show him how determined I was. I want to keep getting stronger and surpassing my limits. That's not going to happen if it just sit around and wait for chances to drop into my lap – I've gotta grab 'em with both hands. I realised that yesterday, after talking with you."

Her naturally rosy cheeks went even pinker as she remembered how she'd run out of the room the previous evening, but thankfully Deku didn't bring up her embarrassment, instead absorbing her words. "That's amazing, Uraraka. I'm really happy for you. I never even thought about using UA's facilities to train."

Ochaco tensed. Now that the time had come to put the offer to him she felt strangely shy. 'Almost like asking him on a date…' murmured a small, snickering voice in the back of her mind. Fiddling with a loose strand of hair, she forced herself not to avert her gaze and look him in the eye. "That's not all. Mr Aizawa said that staying on my own would be too dangerous, so I would have to find someone willing to train with me. How would you like to work together?"

Later that night, Ochaco would repeat in her mind over and over the slow look of dawning comprehension that swept over Deku's face like a sunrise. "Are you… are you offering me the chance to stay here at UA all summer?" he asked tentatively, as if he was hardly daring to believe it.

"Duh, of course I'm asking you. You know my quirk inside and out, I don't know anyone who trains harder than you and, well… if I'm going to get tougher, there's no-one I'd rather team up with than you. Because you're the best."

For a moment or two Deku just stood there and Ochaco noticed that his eyes were tearing up. Worriedly she wondered if she'd gone a little overboard with the speech, even if it was all one hundred percent true. "Deku, are you ok?" she asked with concern, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just… Uraraka, I… I don't know what to say," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Thank you. Thank you for putting so much faith into me. I swear I won't let you down."

"Deku, you've never let me down," she said, with all the certainty in the world. She tried to keep her face from giving away just how giddy she was and held out her hand. "So whaddaya say? Partners?"

His smile took her breath away – so grateful and honest and genuine – and Deku grasped her palm in his own. "Yeah, partners."