"What the Hell?! Why does Deku get to stay here over the summer and I don't?!"

Ochaco inwardly sighed at Bakugo's outburst. She should've known that breaking the news to the other classmates about training at UA would be a minefield – maybe telling them as a group hadn't been the best idea.

As Bakugo stalked towards them, eyes blazing, Deku hurriedly waved his hands. "I-It's just going to be a training thing, Kacchan. It's not like we're going to be getting special lessons from the teachers or anything like that. Besides, didn't you say you had that trip out of the country with your parents?"

Ochaco could have sworn she heard the grinding of Bakugo's teeth. "That's not the point, you little –"

"Bakugo, please, control yourself," warned Iida, his voice ringing with authority. "Midoriya and Uraraka have shown great diligence and I for one admire their dedication." He turned to offer them both a smile and Ochaco beamed back at him.

Bakugo was less impressed. "You pickin' a fight with me, Four Eyes?"

"Hey, hey, take it down a notch, buddy," Kirishima cut in good-naturedly, putting a firm hand on the explosion-user's shoulder and trying to calm him down. "Just think of it like a new challenge – with all the training they'll be doing, don't you wanna see how much tougher they get?"

Bakugo grumbled something under his breath but seemed pacified – or as pacified as Bakugo could ever be. "Whatever. Deku, you damn well better make sure you don't waste the next few months, or next time we go head to head I'll wipe the floor with you."

With that the explosion-user stomped off back up towards his room and Kirishima grinned at the look of relief on Deku's face. "Don't mind him; he's just grumpy 'cos his parents are here. I think it's great that you've both arranged to stay on – makes me want to kick my own training up a gear, y'know? When we start our second year I definitely wanna spar with you to see what you've learned!"

Deku ducked his head down self-consciously at Kirishima's announcement but looked undeniably pleased. Ochaco couldn't help but let out a little snort of laughter. "I thought you'd be used to people wanting to fight you by now, Deku. Since the Sports Festival it feels like half the class have made you their rival!"

Kirishima directed his toothy grin at her. "Hey, it's not just Midoriya – after the summer I wanna fight you as well."

"Me?" Ochaco's eyebrows shot upwards. "Why me?"

Kirishima looked nonplussed by her reaction and glanced over at some of the other classmates for support. "Why not? Training with Midoriya shows how serious you are about becoming a pro hero and you're already plenty tough."

"Agreed," said Tokoyami, stepping forward and inclining his head towards her. "There is plenty of strategy to take into consideration when fighting an opponent with control over gravity. Even with Dark Shadow's manoeuvrability I would have a hard time landing a hit without you activating your quirk."

"Plus you probably came closer to beating Bakugo at the Sports Festival than anyone else," chipped in Tsuyu with her typical forthrightness, paying no attention to the wounded looks from both Kirishima and Tokoyami.

It was an unnerving sensation, suddenly being thrust under the spotlight – Deku being issued with challenges from the rest of the class might have become a regular occurrence, but it was a new and unsettling experience for her.

Iida launched his hand into the air, unaware of her discomfort. "I too would be thrilled to face you," he announced, voice energised. "I have not forgotten that in our first combat test at UA you and Midoriya defeated Bakugo and I – a rematch shall be a perfect opportunity to demonstrate how much we have both improved since then."

"Uh, thanks Iida. A rematch sounds… fun?" She shuffled her feet awkwardly, a little unnerved by his enthusiasm. How did Deku cope with this sort of attention every day?

"Indeed. So, tell me Uraraka, what sort of training did you have in mind? Will you be working on utilising your quirks in battle? Or something more around strengthening your bodies, such as stamina or speed training?"

"Um… I haven't worked out all the details just yet. Probably a mix of combat, rescue and quirk training," she replied evasively, unsure what to say to Iida as Kirishima and Tokoyami also crowded around to hear her answer. But then again, she reflected, wasn't this what she wanted? To stand alongside Deku as an equal? If she aimed for the top, then increased competition came with the territory.

As she stood lost in thought for a second and Iida nodded sagely, beginning to rattle off advice on the importance of a varied training regime, the main door opened and Mr Aizawa stepped into the hallway. There were several noises of surprise from the assembled students and Iida rushed forward, puffing his chest out with importance. "Mr Aizawa, sir, I was not expecting you! Have you come to check our progress? Rest assured that I have everything under control. All of us have packed our belongings, I have personally inspected each bedroom for cleanliness and I –"

The teacher stifled a yawn, cutting him off mid-flow. "That's not what I'm here for." Steadfastly ignoring Iida's almost comical disappointment at all his efforts being so overlooked, he searched around the room. "Uraraka. Have you chosen your training partner?"

Overcoming her surprise at seeing the teacher in their dorms, Ochaco stepped forward, heart thumping, with Deku just behind her. He appraised them for a brief moment. "Midoriya, huh? I expected as much. Once everyone else has left I want you both to meet me by the entrance."

"Is something the matter?" Ochaco asked, a little nervous at the serious look on his face. "We're not in trouble or anything, are we?"

Mr Aizawa's lips twitched upwards in a sardonic smile. "It's nothing like that. Consider it a… guided tour."

-o-o-

Mr Aizawa granted them a little time to say their farewells as he waited outside for them. Ochaco was thankful for their homeroom teacher's understanding – after all they'd been through together over the course of the year, it felt only fitting to have one final goodbye, with everyone expressing it in their own way.

It surprised her that the usually-reserved Todoroki was the first one to come up to both her and Deku, offering a quiet but genuine, "Good luck." Kirishima had been on the other end of the scale, giving her and Deku a hearty slap on the back as he wished them the best, and Ojiro had parted with a friendly wave – to her amusement, Ochaco noticed that his tail moved in time with his arm motions.

Kaminari and Sero had teased Deku relentlessly, leaving him a stammering wreck. "Midoriya, you must be the luckiest guy on the planet. Staying on over the summer with a girl? With no teachers around? Alone?"

Ochaco had gone pink at the implications, but that was nothing compared to the send-off from Tsuyu and Mina, who had dragged her to one side like a manic pink tornado. "Did I hear Mr Aizawa right? That you chose Midoriya as your training partner?"

"Yeah. Gotta pick someone I trust, right?" Ochaco laughed nervously, praying that Mina wouldn't pry any further.

Her prayers were shot down in flames. "It's totally him, isn't it?!" Mina whispered in frenzied excitement, practically bouncing up and down. "The guy you have the crush on! It's Midoriya!"

Ochaco was sure her blush would have been visible from space. She was 100% not ready to be confronted with those sorts of questions and her voice was high-pitched with panic. "I – you can't – it isn't –"

She tried. She honestly tried to push her feelings down. But in the face of Mina's delight and Tsuyu's questioning look, she just couldn't bring herself to flat out deny it. Her face fire engine red, she gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Tsuyu's eyes bulged out even larger than usual and Mina did a little victory dance. "I knew it!" she crowed. "When did you first realise?"

"I…" She sighed in defeat, burying her head in her hands. "In the end of term test, when I was paired with Aoyama."

Mina let out an incredulous laugh. "Seriously? In the middle of the exam?"

Tsuyu patted her shoulder. "Probably not the best time to have a revelation about your love life," she observed.

Ochaco managed a small smile – even though her face felt like it was about to spontaneously combust, in some ways it was a relief to say something. The emotions had been building up inside her like water in a damn and now the pressure was released she felt somehow lighter than before.

"So? Are you gonna talk to him?" Mina asked, nudging her playfully.

Ochaco lifted her head back up, horrified. "I can't do that!"

"Whaaat?" Mina pouted. "Why not?"

"You did just tell both of us," Tsuyu pointed out.

"That's different! I can't tell Deku because…" Ochaco trailed off helplessly. There were countless reasons why. Because it was unfair on her parents to put her own desires before her goal to provide for them? Because whenever she didn't think about her emotions she could talk and laugh with Deku, but the second she started thinking about her feelings she turned into a blushing mess? Because she couldn't bear the thought of ruining their friendship because she wanted to push their relationship further?

Eventually, she settled on just one reason. "Because we're meant to be training to be heroes. Every time I'm thinking about him, I'm not focusing on why I'm here. And worse than that, I'm distracting Deku from his own dreams. It's not fair on him for me to drag him down like that."

Her chest was a dull ache as she voiced her frustrations and Mina's exuberance faded, replaced with a look of concern. "That's… wow. That's kinda heavy."

Ochaco managed a watery smile. "Sorry. I just… can't let my emotions get in the way. Not when there's so much at stake. He's given up his time to help me train over the summer and I won't let it go to waste."

She tried to smile wider, to convince them both that she was ok, but Tsuyu shook her head. "Do you think having friendships is a bad thing for a hero?"

Ochaco blinked, shocked by the bluntness of the question. "What? No, of course not!"

"Then why would love be any different?"

Ochaco's mouth hung slightly ajar and she found that she couldn't answer her friend's logic. The months she'd spent trying to stop her feelings from growing – had it really been counter-productive all along?

Noticing her indecision, Tsuyu just gave her a friendly smile. "It's your choice, so don't feel like there's any pressure. If you want to tell Midoriya, tell him. If you aren't ready, that's fine too. And if you want to talk to someone, we're here, ok?"

Mina jabbed her thumb towards Tsuyu. "Yeah, what she said, girl."

Ochaco leant across and wrapped an arm around them both. "Thanks. You guys give really good advice."

Tsuyu's smile was even bigger than before. "Looking after my younger brother and sister has given me a lot of practice." With that she squatted down slightly and made a leap towards the exit. "I should probably get going. My parents are coming to pick me up from the school gates."

Mina looked crushed. "No, we can't go yet! I still have about a million questions! What is it you like about him? Do you think he likes you back? Have you ever –"

Mina was cut off as Tsuyu's tongue darted out and wrapped around her arm, tugging insistently. She let out a huff. "Ok, fine, I get it. Have fun with the training. And don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, giggling at Ochaco's scarlet face, and waved a goodbye, strolling out through the door. Ochaco mouthed a fervent 'thank you' at Tsuyu for cutting short the interrogation and the frog-girl waved back, tongue poking out the corner of her mouth as she too departed.

Momentarily alone in the corridor, Ochaco took a second to regain her composure. It was touching that the two of them cared enough to offer their support like that. She'd become so used to being self-reliant that sometimes she had to remind herself that she didn't have to go it alone, though privately she couldn't help but be a little envious of Mina's easy confidence. If she had the same self-assuredness, could she just walk up to Deku and tell him, as easy as that?

Shaking her head to put those thoughts out of her head, Ochaco walked back into the main common room. It seemed that most of the other students had left, with just Iida remaining, and she felt a little saddened as she watched him and Deku exchanging goodbyes. All three of them were looking forward to starting their plans over the summer, but it was tinged with the knowledge that they wouldn't be together as a trio again for quite some time.

Observing her return to the room, Iida spoke up. "Ah, Uraraka. I was just telling Midoriya, my train leaves in half an hour, so I need to take my leave."

He seemed oddly subdued and Deku must have noticed too, as he tried to break the ice. "I hope your work experience at your family offices goes well. Stay in touch, ok?"

"Definitely,"Ochaco agreed. "I really wanna see what you get up to working alongside pro heroes. Send us some photos of you on patrol or something, yeah?"

"Providing my colleagues have no objections, I will be sure to do so." Iida coughed awkwardly before extending a hand. "My sincerest best wishes to you both over the summer."

Ochaco exchanged a look with Deku and snorted back a giggle – Iida could be such a dork sometimes. "A handshake? You don't need to be so formal around us!"

The tips of Iida's ears went pink. "Oh. My apologies, you are right of course."

Deku gave him an understanding smile. "I'm not sure if there's a right thing to say or anything like that when it comes to goodbyes, but… I'm really gonna miss you, Iida."

At that moment, seeing Iida's surprise and the open, honest acceptance radiating from Deku, Ochaco felt more fortunate than she could put into words. Thinking back to how she'd first met them and all the time they'd spent together over the last year, for homework or training or just hanging out like ordinary teenagers, it made her appreciate just how lucky she was to have the two of them in her life.

When he next spoke, Iida's voice was noticeably softer than his usual precise, clipped tones. "I too shall miss you both greatly."

Ochaco let out a startled squeak as Iida pulled both Deku and herself into a hug. "Take care," he murmured, just loud enough to hear. "And thank you for being such exceptional friends."

Releasing his grip on them both, he picked up his bags and strode out the doorway, offering a smile of farewell. Ochaco's voice joined with Deku's as they both called after him, promises to keep in contact and hopes for a safe journey all mingling. Iida waved back to them one last time before turning the corner and walking out of sight.

It was a bittersweet moment, but there had been no time to dwell on it. Once Iida had left they met up with Mr Aizawa and the next few hours passed in a blur of activity. True to his word, he had spent the rest of the day guiding them around the campus and showing them all that they'd need to know for staying over the summer – everything from the locations of all the training equipment storage rooms to the reprogramming instructions for the combat robots. He'd even handed them special permits to give them access to the areas off limits to them as students.

The sun was almost setting by the time they reached the USJ, the final stop on their whistlestop tour. Now that they'd almost finished Ochaco was worn out from all the information she'd needed to absorb, but she knew there was no time for relaxing.

The quirk-erasing teacher motioned to a side access door. "This is the way up to the USJ's control room. The swipe cards I gave you earlier will let you enter." He reached into his pocket and pulled his own keycard, emblazoned with the UA logo, and with a buzz the door opened, leading to a long flight of stairs.

She glanced over at Deku, who looked just as weary as her, and they followed Mr Aizawa up the steps together. Ochaco wasn't quite sure what to expect when they reached the top, but as he led them into the room her jaw almost hit the floor. Surrounding her were wall-to-wall dashboards, dials and computer screens, all flickering and whirring. In the back of her mind she wondered if Mei Hatsume from the Support Class had seen all this – she would have probably exploded out of sheer excitement at all the technology on display.

"Woah!" she exclaimed, her tiredness forgotten as she leaned in to examine the monitors – it looked like they had a live CCTV feed to each of the rescue zones. "This is so hi-tech!" She had the horrible thought of what would happen if she broke something by accident – she could work for the rest of her life and still never pay off the debt.

Deku twisted his head around, equally as impressed as he tried to take in the whole room. "It's like something out of a sci-fi movie."

Mr Aizawa held out a hand to stop the two of them getting closer. "Don't touch anything until I've explained what they do," he warned them severely. "These panels control everything in the USJ. All the zones are connected up to the main console, so you can use it to alter the temperature, lighting, or things specific to each zone."

"Specific in what way?" Deku asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"You can alter the level of difficulty for each of the zones," the pro hero explained. "For example, in the fire rescue zone you could increase the strength of the flames, or you could add whirlpools and other strong currents in the flooded area. You can even change the environmental factors. The USJ is so big it has its own microclimate, so it's possible to whip up rainclouds or gale force winds. However, I'd strongly recommend that you keep the settings at a low or intermediate difficulty level. The higher settings are only for the more advanced rescue scenarios we give to second and third year students and if you take on something beyond your capabilities the two of you don't have a safety net. You'd be risking serious injury – or worse."

Ochaco swallowed nervously. Suddenly staying to train over the summer felt a lot more real than it had done when she'd first asked for Mr Aizawa's approval. She was glad that Deku was there with her to bolster her faltering resolve.

As Mr Aizawa showed them what each of the buttons did she made sure to pay close attention and chipped in with a few questions. Deku was equally as focused, if not more so – she could almost see the gears turning in his head as his analytical mind processed all the information.

Finally the demonstration drew to a close and Mr Aizawa led them back outside into the warm evening air. "That should be everything you need to know. If you're unclear, now's the time to ask. Any questions?" Both Ochaco and Deku shook their heads and he grunted, satisfied. "In that case, head back to your rooms and get some rest – from tomorrow onwards, you'll need to work your hardest. And Midoriya?"

Deku stiffened anxiously as the quirk erasing instructor's piercing gaze fixed on him. "Y-Yes, Mr Aizawa?"

"Please try not to break anything, including yourself. Recovery Girl won't be available to heal you this time, so show some restraint."

Deku nodded vigorously. "I will. Thank you for all your help this afternoon."

"Yeah, we really appreciate the support," Ochaco chimed in. "I promise we won't let you down. When you see us again at the start of the next semester, we're going to be so much stronger – I guarantee it!"

He offered them both a rare smile. "I look forward to that." Casting his eye over them one last time he turned and walked back towards his office, Ochaco and Deku watching him go until his silhouette was swallowed by the surrounding darkness.

Deku let out a shaky breath. "Man, Mr Aizawa is really intense."

Ochaco grinned across at him as they walked back towards the dorms side by side. "Aww, he's not so tough. He just spent the whole afternoon showing us around – I think he's a total softie deep down."

"Easy for you to say – he almost gave me a heart attack when he singled me out at the end."

"That's just 'cos you're not a model student, like me," she laughed.

That prompted a grin from Deku as well and together they ambled down the path in companionable silence for a while. Ochaco broke it with a yawn as her fatigue caught up with her. "Sorry," she apologised. "I feel like I could sleep for a week."

He suppressed a yawn of his own. "Don't worry about it, I know what you mean. It's been a busy day, huh?"

"Yeah. Just sorting out your bedroom again took a while." She thought back to earlier that morning, after Deku had accepted her proposal to train together – what with him already halfway through packing up to go home, all the boxes needed to be emptied and sorted through.

"Thanks again for helping. I would've been there forever if it was just me, without you making the boxes weightless. Your zero gravity is so useful."

He face went pink at the praise and she had to fight back the pleased smile that threatened to spread across her face. 'We're supposed to start training together tomorrow,' she told herself in annoyance. 'I can't keep getting flustered like this.'

Misinterpreting her silence, Deku's face dropped. "You know you didn't have to help, right?" he asked her, worry evident in his voice. "I didn't mean to make you feel obligated or anything."

This time a smile did touch her lips at his thoughtfulness and she waved away his concerns with one hand. "Hey, don't worry about that. I'm the reason you're staying, remember? It's only fair that I lent a hand. Plus, I got to see more of your hero stuff. I didn't even know they sold that much!"

Thankfully her response seemed to convince him and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "To tell you the truth, that wasn't even all of it. I've got more back in my apartment."

"More?" she repeated, dumbfounded. "How do you even fit it all?"

"Erm… I have a lot of shelves back home?" She giggled at his answer and he went red before turning back to her. "Ah, that reminds me. Did you call your family earlier to let them know you're staying on?"

"Yep, I called my dad just before lunch. It went straight to voicemail, so I guess he must've been in a meeting for work, but I left a message asking him to call back later this evening. How about you?"

Deku smiled, but Ochaco noticed that it seemed a little downcast. "Yeah, I phoned straight after we finished unpacking. I felt a bit bad for changing plans so last minute when I was meant to be coming home today…"

She felt a little spark of sympathy. "You get along really well with your mother, don't you?"

"She's great," he answered fervently. "I owe her so much and I'd never have made it this far without her. She was really understanding about me staying on over the summer too – it sounded like she was a little upset, but I think she's just happy that I've made friends here at UA." He paused, embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go on about it."

"Hey, you don't need to apologise," she cut in, frowning slightly. "I think it's a good thing that you two are close; I'm the same with my parents."

"That makes sense. I remember you saying that you wanted to become a hero to help provide for them."

"Exactly. And it's because of them that I wanted to be a hero in the first place – they always encouraged me to follow my dreams. It must be the same for you too, right?"

Deku looked pained. "Sort of. I didn't develop my quirk until late and I think she felt guilty about it. I wanted to be a hero so badly and I knowing that I couldn't must have hurt her…"

His voice trailed off and he looked so vulnerable that Ochaco racked her brain for something to say to try and cheer him up. "She… she must be really proud of you though, right?" she offered, stumbling for words. "I mean, look at you now! You really are on your way to becoming an amazing hero."

He gave her a look of gratitude and again she had to fight back the heady rush, wrestling to keep her emotions in check. Oblivious to her internal struggle, Deku scuffed one of his big red shoes into the ground. "I guess so. Now I think she worries about me more than ever, but with or without my quirk she's always been there for me. She used to play at being heroes with me when I was little and took me to all sorts of hero events and signings. She was even the one that made my first costume."

Getting a grip on her jumbled thoughts, Ochaco raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, you mean the one you wore for the battle trial, when we were teamed up against Iida and Bakugo? Wow, I never knew." She thought back to the design and scrunched her forehead in thought. "It does have that homemade sorta look to it, y'know? I think it makes you look more relatable than a flashier costume would."

She grinned as she saw his face light up. "That's exactly what I was going for! I wanted to show anyone else watching that they could be a hero too."

Seeing his enthusiasm always made her feel excited too. "The green is a cool choice too – it's kinda like your trademark!"

He fidgeted with his fingers, flattered. "Thanks. I was thinking of blue and red originally, but I thought that might be a bit obvious as a tribute to All Might." Deku tugged at his sleeve shyly before blurting out, "Uh, speaking of costumes, I like yours."

Now it was her turn to feel self-conscious. "Really? I still think mine's a little skintight…"

Deku noticeably swallowed. "Err, I think it suits you well?" he ventured tentatively.

She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Oh, um, thanks," she mumbled, toying with a loose strand of hair to try stop her stomach doing gymnastics. "I don't think I'll be wearing it much over the summer though – it's a pain to clean and if we're training all the time just some plain gym clothes will do, right?"

They reached the end of the pathway, the dorms now right in front of them, and entered together into the common room. It seemed a lot bigger without everyone else around – she was so accustomed to sharing it with the other students that it felt almost alien without them. Looking around the unoccupied space she felt a pang of momentary loss and let out a sigh. "It'll be strange having the whole campus to ourselves, huh? I'm gonna miss the others."

Deku took a seat next to her and rubbed his chin reflectively. "Yeah, it seems so much quieter. I've kinda gotten used to having everyone else around. But that doesn't mean it has to be lonely. We still have each other and we'll keep cheering one another on, right?"

She looked up at him and her heart clenched at the honest, heartwarming smile he offered her – in so few words he could be so uplifting. "Yeah!" She pumped her fist in the air and, newly energised, leaned in closer to him. "So, what ideas have you got for our training tomorrow? You still got that schedule you showed me yesterday?"

Deku raised his eyes to the ceiling in thought. "The original schedule was for solo training exercises, but now that we'll be training as a pair it opens up new possibilities." His words came out faster and faster as he began to mumble. "With two of us we can try more advanced rescue scenarios to test our teamwork and use some of the different zones in the USJ – although we'll need one of us to go up to the control room first to sort out the settings, like Mr Aizawa showed us earlier – and there's also the potential for us to try and –"

"Geez, slow down!" Ochaco laughed.

He rubbed the back of his neck, abashed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to start rambling. Basically, I was thinking of using tomorrow to set a sort of baseline – like how Mr Aizawa did with us back on our first day."

Ochaco thought back. "Oh, you mean the tests he got us to do? Like sprinting, long jump, throwing the ball as far as we could and all that?

"Yeah, that sort of thing. If we work out our current limits and set some targets, it'll be a good way to track our progress and maybe see how our quirks can work together in different situations."

She grinned, impressed by his reasoning – he always seemed to have a strategy in mind. "Sounds like a plan! But I did have one other thing I'd like to add…" She looked across at him and steeled herself, taking a deep breath. "I want to fight you."

Deku's made a choking noise, panicked. "You what?!"

She winced at her choice of wording. "Not fight like a fight to the death or anything!" she hurriedly amended. "More like… sparring. When Kirishima was talking earlier, it got me thinking. I need to push myself, to see how far I've come and how much further I still have to go."

"And you… want me as your opponent?" He voice was small and uncertain and she noticed he was twiddling with his fingers.

"Yeah. It's like…" She struggled to put her emotions into words, dimly aware of how her voice had taken on an almost pleading tone. "It's like I said before – you're the best. And I want to see how I compare with that. I need to see if I can compete with you as a rival!"

Deku seemed taken aback by her outburst, but to her relief she saw him nod slowly. "I… ok."

She let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. "You mean it?"

He half-chuckled. "I don't think I'd be brave enough to say no – you're kinda scary when you get so intense."

"Thanks for agreeing," she whispered, suddenly embarrassed at how adamant she'd been. "I didn't mean to force it on you or anything."

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He grinned across at her and she felt a little shiver down her spine as she saw the change in his expression – more confident, more heroic. "I think you're right – it'll be different to test myself against you, but I'm sorta looking forward to it."

Ochaco clapped her hands together, shooting him back an upbeat grin of her own. "Then it's agreed! Deku versus Uravity – I wouldn't miss it for the world!"