I love writing dialogue. No action in this chapter, I'm just shipping Deku/Uraraka and Hagakure/Kaji here. Hope you enjoy.
I wanted to write about the emotional struggle when crossing over from teenager into adulthood. In modern times that doesn't typically happen at 15 years old, but these students have had to grow up fast. It's funny to me that in the manga they behave like adults when it comes to death and sacrifice and basically everything soldiers endure, but when it comes to romance they actually act their age. My attempt is to bridge that gap, where the feelings are new and they have moments of immaturity but unlike the manga they confront their feelings just like they address hero work. With bravery and poise.
10:18 pm
The festival didn't seem to be ending anytime soon, and many of the students departed to either keep dancing or look for food while Asui, Sero, and a few others called it a night.
Uraraka noticed Kaji and Hagakure get up and start to casually walk away from the light of the bonfire towards a distant part of the shoreline that was littered with large rocks.
"Hey Deku." she whispered, and waited to continue until he looked into her eyes.
"I'm going to uh, go for a walk." she said regularly, but her expression became vulnerable for a split second before looking away towards the ocean.
"What-" he started to say in a louder voice, but she interrupted him by standing up and leaving in the same direction her other two classmates did a moment ago.
Deku hugged his knees and started to twiddle his thumbs and bit his bottom lip as he watched her fade into the near darkness.
'I suppose she just wants to talk, right? In private where...nobody can see us...Ha ha calm down Deku.'
Deku stared back at the fire, and his vision zoned out to ponder the fact that someone besides Inko and All Might truly appreciated him as a person and not a hero, classmate, or rival.
His self deprecating thoughts kept asking him why.
'Why me? She can do so much better than me. I can't even talk to her when she looks at me that way or gets too close...'
"I like Todoroki. I wish he liked himself." He recalled what Kaji said after a conversation about the Sports Festival and how Deku basically took the loss just to give him the courage to claim his father's quirk as his own.
"That goes for you too, Deku." he added.
Deku stood up confidently and tried to suppress the negative side of his inner monologue as he made his way to the coastline.
'I am Izuku Midoriya, and I am going to be the greatest hero!'
With Hagakure and Kaji
"Thanks for bringing me back to center earlier on the beach. Surprised you could tell I was overloading my quirk" Kaji said graciously.
"Well you sounded intense and your laugh changed." Hagakure replied honestly.
"Changed how?"
"Like, not like a dolphin?"
"I do not sound like a dolphin" he said embarrassingly, and then chuckled once to prove her wrong.
"Yeah you do, it's like-HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Her impersonation forced several chuckles out of Kaji, and he did his best to suppress it.
"You're...way off." he tried to hide his smirk.
"It's going to come out eventually. And when it does, I'm gonna pinch you." she said half threateningly.
"Ha ha" he responded combatively, and they walked in silence for a few seconds as Hagakure took a deep breath and sighed. She wanted to hold his hand but nerves got the better of her.
"Anyway, you're welcome, but I also did it for me cuz I didn't want to get kicked in the face again." she said fatalistically.
"What?"
"Like at the provisional exam."
"What happened?" he asked dreadfully.
"You probably didn't mean to hit me there when you knocked me down, so I'm not making a fuss! You kept me from getting burned."
"I remember. I'm sorry, I couldn't see you."
"Like I said, I'm not complaining! After I hit the ground I saw your how strong your next move was and knew you didn't want me getting hit even harder. So I left with just a bruise."
"I never saw a bruise." he said with a grin, making her laugh.
"I like how dangerous you are." Hagakure admitted.
"Hey, don't think like that. You deserve to feel safe around your team mates."
"I feel safe around you, though." she insisted.
"But you weren't safe. I was reckless. And Midoriya and Uraraka escaped without a scratch."
"First of all, it was that oaf Yoarashi who was reckless. And Deku only grabbed one person while you protected me and Mineta. Actually, you saved Mineta first. Kinda not over that." she mocked.
"You know that's because he was easier to throw." he said defensively.
"Oh I'm fatter?" she pretended to take offense.
"You're like three times his size, Hagakure!" Kaji said honestly, trying not to laugh.
"OOOHH is that why you kicked me so carelessly? My flab can just absorb it like Fat Gum?" she continued to ridicule him, making Kaji blush and giggle out loud.
"AHH!" Kaji exclaimed as he felt a quick pinch on his rear.
"There's that laugh."
"Shut up." he said in surrender, and then laughed again before clearing his throat.
"You're the perfect size, Hagakure. Wouldn't change a thing. Well..."
"Well what? You wish you could see me?" she flirted.
"Haha, yeah I do."
She reached over and held his hand, and when he held it back, she felt a cold chill emanate from deep in her chest, and he cleared his throat again.
"But no uhh, I was gonna say with you being close combat, you could actually stand to gain some weight."
"I've been thinking about going to the gym with Deku and Uraraka!" she said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah? For how long?" he said humorously.
"Um, since the start of first semester." she replied in shame.
"Uh-huh."
"I went one time! But I got so sore that I could barely walk. For DAYS." she admitted with a chuckle.
"Do you want to go for real?" he asked without pressure.
"Hmm. Could you be my gym partner?" she counter-asked expectantly.
"Yeah, sure. If you're motivated."
"I don't think that'll be a problem." she mumbled breathlessly.
"Cool. Who taught you how to box?" Kaji decided to change the subject to address something that was on his mind since the provisional.
"Ummm. Someone not very well known." she said sadly.
"Who?"
"Me."
Kaji laughed loudly.
"That's gonna look really good on your hero expo. "Toru Hagakure was trained by the vids.'" he splayed his hands out fantastically.
"I did use the vids as practice! And Deku. And I watch you."
"You practicing my moves?" he asked curiously.
"Not really." she said, and he couldn't see her bite her lip.
"Oh."
He thought about it for a second longer before he understood what she meant and smiled.
Hagakure squeezed his hand and he returned the affection, and silence fell if not for the serenity of the waves crashing up the beach.
"It's umm, kinda hard to tell what you're doing on the field even with the gloves and the boots. It's amazing that you taught yourself all that."
"Thanks. Do yoooou have any tips? I know you were trained in Judo and Muay Thai."
"Looked at my student profile, huh?" Kaji asked uncomfortably.
"Like duh. I had to see what our new classmate was capable of."
"Well, based on your quirk and what I've uhh "seen", you could learn some things from Muay Thai that would be useful. You don't need to practice self defense because of your quirk, and this art has some of the best striking and grappling maneuvers."
"You think I could become some kind of ninja?" Hagakure giggled.
"Yes." he said seriously.
"For real?"
"Like duh" he mocked. "Are you joking? With your quirk, I don't even know how I would fight you in a one on one." he laughed.
"I guess I'm just not very ambitious." she said sadly.
"Hagakure, you're in UA High School. If you want to play just an average support role then that's fine but...I think you're not ambitious because it's hard to see you. But you can be seen."
"I think you can see me." she said proudly.
"Uhh"
Hagakure didn't talk back, only held his hand a little tighter.
"Why'd you even decide to become a hero?" he asked.
"Why did you?" she tennis-balled him.
"If I didn't become a hero, I feel like I'd be wasting this power. Pretty simple, really."
A moment of silence.
"And you?"
"My parent's have the same quirk as me. It's hereditary. They lived normal lives, working regular jobs. My dad said he always wanted to be a hero, but he was clumsy just like his father. He said he saw something in me after watching me play softball."
"So you, so you're living his dream for him?"
"Yeah, I want to. But it was Ashido who kinda pushed me most of the way when I mentioned it to her."
"And now here you are."
"Here we are."
"Where are we?!" They heard Uraraka's voice call out from the distance behind a collection of large rocks, sounding like she was trying to start a chant.
"Two steps from hell." Kaji yelled back.
Soon they rounded the large boulder that was blocking their view and saw Deku and Uraraka sitting on a flat boulder and facing the ocean that was glittered with moon light.
"Hey, you guys!" Uraraka said cheerfully. "What brings you here?"
It was clear to the four of them that they caught each other stealing away from the crowd to be alone, and so their nerves were stilled given the similar circumstances.
"We were just going for a walk and talking about being heroes." Hagakure said as she and Kaji approached them.
"That's exactly what Deku has been rambling about for the last 10 minutes." Uraraka said sarcastically with a smile.
"I've never seen you two hanging out. So you're um, close friends now?" Uraraka was genuinely curious and up front but also purposefully nonjudgemental.
"Uh sure, yeah. I don't know what you mean by 'close' but-" Hagakure stopped short and snapped her head towards Kaji in anticipation.
"Yeah, we're friends" he shrugged as he finished her sentence and nodded at her assuredly. She nodded back even though he couldn't see her do it.
Both Deku and Uraraka found the interaction adorable and their predicament oddly familiar.
"Oh yeah?" Uraraka teased.
"I see why you two are here. This is a good spot." Kaji said, moving the conversation forward. He didn't want to interrupt their bonding so he used an escape tactic.
"I'm gonna keep walkin till I find one, hope you enjoy the rest of your night." He invited Hagakure with a gesture, and she followed.
"Good night, guys!" Hagakure said.
"Good night!"
With Hagakure and Kaji
"Do you think Deku and Uraraka?" Hagakure half-questioned as her and Kaji found themselves alone again.
"Yep. I mean I hope so. That's why I wanted to get out of there." he said quickly.
"Sounds like you know something." she said conspiratorially.
"Can you keep a secret?"
"Yeah! Ochako's one of my best friends!"
"Okay never mind then." he laughed.
"Oh come on. We just saw them alone together and you said there's a secret so I know something happened between them. Tell me! Did they kiss?"
"Keep it down. Yeah, they kissed. But it was nothin."
"What! You saw them?!"
"It was a quick one. I haven't told them that I saw it, so just keep it to yourself. I want it to be those two who let everyone know if they're...ya know, becoming a thing or whatever."
"I promise. I don't want any drama either. I think they're really cute together!"
"Me too."
"I wonder if they think we know something's up." Kaji carried on.
"Aren't you curious what they're thinking about us walking together?" she theorized.
"Not really."
"Oh." she frowned.
"Are you?"
"Mmm, yeah, kinda. We are alone out here, Kaji. You don't care what people might say?" she said mysteriously.
"Not if they're my peers" Kaji responded dismissively before continuing.
"Can't afford to care what people think when the most notable thing about you is killing your father." He spoke in 2nd person to lessen the horror of his statement.
Hagakure felt sorry for him.
"Did you lose a lot of friends even though the charges were dropped?"
"Lost 'em because the charges were dropped. I wish now that I had gotten some kind of probation to atone for the...damage."
"I saw that on the news. I didn't even know what decapitated meant." she chuckled nervously.
"It was new for me, too." he said in a low tone.
"You say that so casually." she said with concern.
"I have to tell myself he wasn't my father. He was just a villain who was doing harm and had to be put down." he said with dilligence.
"How is your mom?" she asked trepidatiously.
"She saw the whole thing, so. It hasn't been easy. But she pushed me to stay in school and says she's proud of me every morning." he said optimistically.
"But you still lost friends." she countered.
"Sure, but I also gained support. That's what I focus on. If I'm also a cautionary tale for how not to confront your problems, then I guess that's a positive, too."
"That's not how you're gonna be remembered, Ryuji Kaji." Hagakure said determedly.
"Thanks." He stared at the ground and then nodded.
"And Invisible Girl will be a well known name." he said approvingly, which made Hagakure smile before shaking her head.
"I'd rather be known well."
"Ha, I like that." He looked towards her floating robe again.
"So, you want to sympathize with those you rescue?"
"Ehhh, with anyone, really." she said in an exhausted sigh.
"You...have a problem with that? Just cuz of your quirk?"
"It's hard having a social life when you're invisible."
"I would think so, but you're really outgoing and you've got friends here." Kaji responded skeptically in her defense.
"Yeah and I like everyone. But I still feel kind of on the outside. I mean nobody can see me, Kaji. Can't even wear a hero costume cuz it would ruin my quirk" she laughed nervously.
"You don't say much but when you do you're outspoken. Just need more confidence. Maybe nobody will ever see you but they'll hear you and they'll feel you. Your punches I mean." he chuckled.
"And hugs." she leaned in and rested her head against his arm.
"Makeup shows on your skin, right?" he asked spontaneously.
"Yep." she said dryly.
"What's that look like-" he started to ask, but she interjected.
"It's the stuff of nightmares, Kaji. And yes I've painted my whole body."
Kaji's laughter echoed across the beach.
"Hands and names!" a voice suddenly shouted from a distance, while two and then three flashlights subsequently pointed at them.
"UA first years Ryuji Kaji and Toru Hagakure." Kaji said with his hands up.
"Way too far out for students at this time. Get movin!" the voice commanded.
"We were just about to head back to our hero office!" Hagakure tried to de-escalate the situation by referencing their status on the island.
With Uraraka and Deku
"They definitely maybe know about us." Deku predicted out loud.
"Know what about us?" Uraraka teased.
Deku's face felt hot.
"That um, haha I just mean it's kinda funny cuz um they didn't say anything about us being alone out here."
"I'm glad it was them. They're cool." Uraraka said reassuringly.
"Do you think they?"
"Yep. And I'll bet that's why they didn't ask why we were out here. So that we wouldn't pry."
Deku scooted closer.
"Uraraka."
"Yes?" her sensual voice forced him to gulp.
"Do you, like me?" his heart started to thump.
"Yes." she continued to speak breathlessly.
"Then let's make it official!" he said excitedly.
Her own heart pounded and she held his hand with both of hers.
"Do you like me?" she kept her voice low.
"Yes, of course."
"Then let's take it slow." she tried to sound comforting but she was actually afraid.
Deku looked down at the hand she was gripping, and furrowed his brows.
"I know, I...kissed you. But I think I let this feeling take over and I pushed things too fast. I don't want to pressure you." she said hopelessly.
"I don't feel pressured, Uraraka. But I guess...it does feel like we're moving fast." he said honestly.
"And everyone would treat us different. Maybe even say we're dependent on each other. And we'll never be seen as anything but a couple."
"Oh. I suppose I don't care what people would think." Deku responded indifferently.
"I just, want to wait a bit longer and...process these feelings. So I can still be a normal girl going to Hero school." she said depressingly.
"Okay." he said after a short pause.
"And I think it's kind of exciting, being all secretive with you." she upbeat her tone.
"Yeah getting your dorm room broken into from the balcony is really exciting." he said sarcastically.
"Haha did I scare you?"
"Yeah, big time. What if I was...naked?"
"I'm sorry. I guess I didn't consider you might be a weirdo who sleeps in the nude." she giggled and it made him smile awkwardly, so she cleared her throat and repeated herself but more genuinely.
"Really though, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about...last night, and then Bakugo interrupted us and I didn't have time to talk to you and then I saw you two come back and go right to your rooms and I just...really wanted to see you." she rambled pitifully.
"You saw us come in?"
"Uh yeah, I...got some water and saw you guys. Anyway! I won't sneak in again, I promise." she said uneasily.
"Well, you could probably just knock on the front door."
"And risk being seen? I...can't."
She tried resting her head against his shoulder, but he pulled away before she made contact and stood up.
"We should head back. It's getting late." he said distantly.
"Okay." she sensed the change in his demeanor after she declined his offer.
'Ochako you dummy. You're the first girl he's ever hung out with and you force a kiss, then you sneak into his bed to cuddle. And now you want space? I can't imagine what he's thinking! Ugh this is my first experience with a boy, too! What the hell is wrong with me?'
She questioned whether her brash actions this past week influenced Deku's affection towards her, and if she should feel ashamed.
'I never asked him what he wanted. I just let my emotions take over me.'
She couldn't trust the authenticity of his proposal, or that his admission wasn't simply a result of her persistence. So starting tonight, as they walked back to the office, she made a choice to back off once again.
With Hagakure and Kaji
Hagakure and Kaji joined up with Mineta, Koda, Iida, and Tokoyami on their way back, and noisily entered the office that seemed to be empty.
"Doubtful that we'll need a night watch." Tokoyami said.
"Not with Endeavor and Hawks on the island." Iida agreed.
"Could you theoretically train the birds in the area to scout for us, Koda?"
"I could."
"That's incredible."
"Those freakin' birds, man." Mineta added.
"Low key you and Hagakure have the coolest quirks." Kaji proposed.
"Agreed." Mineta voted.
"I disagree" Hagakure objected with laughter.
"I think we all have something unique to offer that will make villains tremble. But for now, good night, heroes!" Iida said with authority. And they all went their separate ways to their rooms.
Hagakure sat on the edge of her bed and eventually heard additional voices coming from outside from more students entering.
She waited for the sounds to calm and stood up. She untied her silk belt and removed her kimono before stepping outside her room into the hallway.
She stealthily made her way to Kaji's door, but as she stood in front of it, she feared she would draw attention if she knocked.
'Hopefully it's unlocked.'
Locked.
'Ugh'
She let go of the knob and gently collided her forehead with the door and closed her eyes in frustration. She then stood back and sighed after nothing broke the silence, and started walking back to her room.
The sound of the door unlocking and opening filled her ears and she tiptoed back to the door, but it closed just as she arrived. She grabbed the knob again but it had been swiftly relocked.
'Is he playing with me?'
She once again let go of the handle and knocked her head against the door, and a second later she heard the lock slide and the door opened to reveal Kaji in his kimono.
"Hey" she whispered.
"Hey"
"Um, can I come in?"
He answered silently with his hands and turned to re-enter his living space.
Hagakure closed the door behind her and moved to the bed that was the only seatable surface.
"You know this isn't what I meant by not coming over without an invite."
"Oh, I thought that meant I should just ask."
"Heh, what's up with you?" he said as he placed his phone on the desk and sat back down in front of his computer screen.
"Can't sleep again..." she lied.
"Ahh." he said half heartedly. Silence fell save for the clicking and occassional typing sounds from his desktop hardware.
"What are you doing?"
"Making a playlist. Way easier to do on a computer than my phone."
"Come over here." she said with allure, and he couldn't see her lay down on the bed.
"Uhh I'm about to head out."
"This late?" she asked as she sat back up.
"Well, one of the side effects of my quirk is I won't sleep for two days unless I burn off the adrenalin. So I'm gonna run a couple laps around the island."
"You're gonna get jumped by Endeavor." she laughed.
"Ahhh, crap, you're right. Guess I'll run through the interior."
"Can I come?"
"I'd like the company, but I wanna do this quickly."
"You could carry me again. Increase the weight on yourrrr-uhh legs"
She stammered as Kaji removed his kimono to reveal just his black leggings in the partial moon light.
"Haha, you're funny. But I held off on showering all day until I was done so you don't want to be that close." he sat down and put on some running shoes before standing up. "
"I'll be back. Maybe get some sleep?" he secured some earbuds in and slid the balcony door open.
"Okay. Bye." she said in a low tone as he stepped out and became more visible under the moon.
"Good night." he said as he looked up.
"I'll just um-" she started to say, but he couldn't hear as he jumped onto the roof.
"Wait here..." she finished with a sigh.
She laid back down, and the light from the computer screen bothered her so she got up to turn it off.
What she saw on the screen was the music app he was using to make a playlist, and in the lower center she could see a song currently playing, but not through the desktop speakers.
'The audio must be playing through his earbuds.'
She sat down and smiled after reading the title of the song.
'So girly.'
She wondered if she could change the song from here, and played one of her favorite love songs.
After about 5 seconds, the song switched back to the previous one, and Hagakure giggled as she replayed her song.
This time Kaji let it play until midway through the 2nd chorus before he changed it to something else. She couldn't hear anything, but the title was Leave Me Alone by Flipp Dinero and she thought maybe he was trying to send her a message.
She giggled again as she found a response song.
"Heartless"
After a short time, the song skipped again.
"Running Blind"
She laughed again. She knew he was playing around, and soon found another song to play.
"Sit Next To Me"
"I'll Be Seeing You" he queued.
"Don't Let Me Down." she added.
They exchanged a few more songs until Hagakure decided to let him run in peace. She shut down the computer and laid down on the edge of the bed again.
After about 20 minutes she heard a singular noise from the hall. A few more minutes passed with no sound and she remembered he said he was going to take a shower.
Not long after that, she heard the bedroom door open.
"I'm still here!" she announced as Kaji entered, and he flinched.
"You just scared the fuck out of me." he said half amusingly, half frustatingly, and shook his head.
"Whoops." she laughed embarrassingly and curled up to watch him set his drink down on the floor right in front of her.
"You're in my spot." he said callously.
"Go around." she said as she stretched her feet out comfortably.
He sighed and took a step closer to the bed.
"Where are you?" he held his hand out.
"Right..." she grabbed his hand and placed it on her bare hip, "...here."
He gulped quietly before putting his weight on her briefly and hurdling onto the bed behind her and laying on his back.
Hagakure turned to face him as he pulled the blanket up over him.
'He's too far away.'
"You um, want the blanket?" Kaji asked, politely holding the covers up.
"Yeah, a little." she said as normally as she could.
She inched closer as he threw the blanket towards her and she pulled it over herself, stretching her legs out as close to him as she could without touching.
Silence fell and she could see his eyes were closed. She also saw him stretch his legs out and pop his ankle joints by rotating his feet around. Just as he settled comfortably again, Hagakure decided to do the same, and after two identical snapping sounds followed, she heard Kaji quietly chuckle "Whoa"
"That was loud." she giggled as she rested her legs so they were pointed at him, with her toes barely touching his foot. After a moment, she pretended to shuffle to get more comfortable in order to stretch her foot again, this time moving it under his.
"Hey." she asked delicately, after he rubbed his toes against hers in response to her teasing.
He turned his head in her direction but couldn't make eye contact so he shifted his gaze around her general area.
"Yeah?"
She scooted closer with her fingers wringing together nervously in front of her chest.
"Would you like to...see what I look like?"
"I already told you it doesn't bother me. Not knowing, I mean."
"I can show you." she said vulnerably.
"Really? How?" Kaji couldn't mask his interest.
"If I use too much photokinesis, I become visible. But it hurts a lot."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah so. Do you want to?"
"No, not if it hurts."
"Oh. I thought you'd want to know."
"I already know you're beautiful, Hagakure."
"What?" she chuckled.
"You know. On the inside, or whatever." he tried to save face, which made her giggle more.
"Here, this might help." She reached out and grabbed his hands, and he let her gently placed them on either side of her head.
He gulped before stretching his fingers out. He gently traced over her eyebrows with his thumbs, then down to her nose, and then her cheeks, mouth, and finally her jawline. He chuckled quietly, which made her titter back.
"Wow."
"What?"
"You have a baby face." he chuckled again.
"Hmm" she moaned in approval as he ran his fingers through her hair.
Suddenly he felt her head move towards him, and then something warm touch his lips for a second.
"Uhh what was that?" he whispered as he moved his hand to wipe his mouth.
"Sorry. I never did that before." she said breathlessly.
"I don't think it counts if you steal it." he replied amusingly.
"Huh?"
"It's gotta be like, natural, Hagakure." he said patiently.
"That's not possible with my quirk." she responded in a monotone, and Kaji laughed.
"Sure it is. You just have to communicate in other ways."
"Oh yeah?" Hagakure moved closer to him and put her hand on his chest, making him sigh nervously. She then closed the distance to press her chest against his, and slid her hand around his back.
She nuzzled her face into his neck and relaxed the weight of her head on him, while he wrapped her in his arms and accepted the embrace.
"Hey." she whispered in his ear.
"Hmm?" he moaned tiredly.
"Sorry for...bothering you so much lately."
"Yeah why are you bothering me so much?" he joked.
"I dunno, I like being around you. You're nice, and. You make me laugh, and." she paused as she slowly flattened her palm out across his rhomboid muscles in between his shoulder blades and then gracefully slid it up and down the smooth new skin that was still healing from the burn he got in the Provisional test.
"and..." she stopped short.
"And I apparently make good bento."
"The best! You do something amazing to the pork in that gyoza."
"Thanks. But it's not pork, it's jack fruit." he said gratifyingly.
"For real?"
"Yeah it's cheaper and you can barely tell the difference."
"Not even barely for me. I'll have to see if I notice next time."
"I'll make extra for you. If you want."
"For me? Yeah, I'd like that." she accepted. She gently grazed his skin with her fingers and they both sighed before drifting off.
With Uraraka and Deku
Mostly silence and light conversation filled the time as Deku and Uraraka returned to the office/dorm. She wanted to talk about "them" but couldn't formulate her thoughts with him right next to her.
So it wasn't until after they said goodnight that Uraraka stopped at her door and watched Deku enter his room and thought about what else she could have said. She then heard the front door open and the voices of her classmates enter.
She was exhausted but couldn't sleep as she laid on her bed in her kimono after removing the chopsticks from her bun and letting her hair down.
'I'm not gonna sleep. I have to talk to him. I meant what I said, but I should have told him that I want to date him. Does he think I'm still screening him?'
More voices could be heard outside her door.
'Moment gone. I had that entire 15 minute walk to say this stuff. Why couldn't I think of it then?'
She turned onto her side and pulled her pillow into her chest.
'You had to do this. Wait until tomorrow or until we get to Heights Alliance and then bring it up again.'
It pained her that she put herself and Deku in this position.
'All I had to do was ask him to go see a movie like a normal person!'
She turned onto her back, kicking off her slippers and untying her Obi. She looked up at the dark blue ceiling, breathing a deep sigh while still hugging her pillow.
'He probably thinks I'm c-'
Her inner monologue was derailed by a tapping sound, and she turned her head to see a messy haired silhouette through the glass door to her back porch.
Deku knocked again quietly and Uraraka turned onto her side as Deku tested the lock and slid the door open.
"Hey." He approached her timidly, still wearing his yukata, and she rose to a curled sitting position on the edge of the bed. The light of the moon revealed Deku's features as he faced her a few feet away.
"Deku?" she pretended to not recognize him and rubbed her eyes with her hand.
He sat down next to her and placed his hand on her ankle.
"Can I umm, sit here?"
"I guess it's only fair." she said with feigned reluctance.
"So how did you do this?" He repositioned to lay behind her about 6 inches away facing in the same direction. He then placed his left hand on her shoulder and rested his other elbow under his head.
"Like that?"
A painfully cold wave emanated from her chest. She didn't know if he was teasing her or if he didn't know how to cuddle, so she took a gamble on the former.
"Closer." she whispered, and scooted her hips back until she was in his lap, making him inhale sharply.
She raised her torso up until her back was almost flat against his chest, and he sighed as he rested his nose just behind her ear. Her hair tickled his face and he puffed air out of his mouth to clear it.
She then grabbed the back of his hand and moved it to her chest and held it there, hooking his thumb with hers.
'Don't freak out, Deku.' they both thought in their heads.
Deku still had his right elbow raised and decided to slip his arm through the space between her head and shoulder. He then curled his arm around and gripped her left shoulder, and squeezed gently with both of his hands.
A soft moan escaped Uraraka, and she held the back of his hands. He breathed out of his nose against her ear and she moaned again, pushing her hips further into him.
She felt his stomach touch the small of her back in rhythm with their breathing, and all she could think about was how she could get even closer.
She slowly moved her hips up and down against him and he huffed out of his nose again.
"Hmm." Uraraka moaned softly.
Deku relaxed his body more and then moved his hand from her chest down to her stomach, and held his fingers flat. Uraraka felt chills down her body and held the back of his hand.
"Deku." she gasped.
He slowly scratched her with his fingertips as he drew them into a fist, and then he reversed and spread his hand out flat again. He repeated the motion one more time with her hand still on the back of his, but this time she pressed his hand tighter against her and gently tried to push downwards.
His palm was still flat on her smooth stomach as she guided him lower, and as soon as his fingertips trespassed over slightly curly hair, he exhaled sharply out of his mouth and his hand clenched into a fist again, and Uraraka gripped it tighter.
She then removed his hand from her body and turned around to face him. She looked up at him and then slid her arm around his side and leaned forward, and he laid on his back while she rested her cheek on his breast and pulled her body closer.
Deku relaxed his head against the top of hers and grazed his fingers up and down her side and her shoulder, and her warm sighs teased his chest.
"Sorry." she whispered. She could tell his breathing became heavier after feeling areas that normally stayed covered.
"It's fine. You're fine. I'm just uh, I've never um-" Deku let out an awkward chuckle as he rambled. "-you know it's funny-"
"Deku"
"Y-yes? Uraraka?" he stammered in a low tone.
'Do you want to go out with me? No, I want to go out with you. Can I be your girlriend? Would you like to go on a date? No, I want to go on a date. No LET'S go on a date! A crepe date! No that's corny.'
Ochako stirred in her head about what to say, and decided to just talk slow and hope he picks up on her social cues.
"About what you said...earlier." she began. She planned on having this conversation tomorrow, but she felt now was as good a time as any.
"Umm, Deku I want...us..."
Deku's eyebrows furrowed and he took a deep breath in his nose.
"No, Uraraka, you were right. I'm sorry I asked you out so soon. I don't want you doing anything you don't want to just because I want it, either."
"That is what I want, though. You know that right, Deku?" Uraraka smiled, and he nodded in response before pausing.
"I just don't know if I can hide how I feel from the others."
"We'll just, keep being friends. That shouldn't be too hard, right?" she said positively.
"Yeah." he exhaled unconvincingly.
"Maybe we should be honest with Iida, since..."
"He's been acting weird"
"Yeah"
"I see what you mean by it being more complicated than just deciding to um, you know. Come out with it."
She held him tighter.
"Right now I just want everything to stay the same. But with...this." she squeezed him again.
"Maybe there's a chance nobody will treat us different, if we're open and honest." Deku said optimistically.
Uraraka turned her head up to look him in the eyes in the dim moon light, and curled her eyebrows. She then pressed her lips together trying not to laugh, and Deku started chuckling. And they laughed together.
"You're right, Kacchan would probably tease me about it every day."
"Are you kidding? Ashido would be way worse. I wouldn't even be able to stand next to you without her poking me or winking."
"Isn't she your best friend?"
"You're my best friend, Deku. I'm close to Mina but she's obsessed with love even though she doesn't know a thing about it. She even tried to hook up Mr. Aizawa with Ms. Joke!"
"Those two would be a great pairing!" Deku said excitedly. "Their personalities are total opposites but they seem to get along in spite of that even though Aizawa is always grumpy but I feel like the more time they spend together she could bring him out of his shell, not to mention-"
"That's not the point, Deku." Uraraka interrupted his mumbling again."The point is she tries to romanticize people like us whether they want her to or not."
"I'm sure she's not being malicious."
"No, but she's inconsiderate."
"Wait a sec. She's already teasing you about me?!" Deku said in alarm.
"And about Iida." she said begrudgingly. "She doesn't know that I like. Um. That you're, err. The one I like." she stuttered, and they were both glad it was dark enough in the dorm to hide their red faces.
"You're really worried about how she'll react? More than I am about Kacchan?"
"No, I just...don't want that drama right now. I just want you." she ended her sentence in barely a whisper, and Deku's eyes flashed open as he heard it.
"Why me?" he said.
He wanted to ask that question ever since she was the first person to partner with him at the Sports Festival despite him being at a disadvantage. Stating that "It's better to team up with people you like." With Tokoyami and Hatsume's willingness to join him afterwards, it was the moment that convinced him that he made real friends at UA. The first time a girl truly made his heart ache.
He was going to ask her after the kiss last night, but Bakugo disrupted them.
"Oh I don't know. Maybe it's your messy hair and freckles?" she said cutely.
They laughed together.
"I just, do Deku." she admitted, and didn't let the silence linger before continuing.
"Why do you like me?"
"Cuz you've always had my back. And you're um, uhh."
"Yesssss? Pretty?" she said slowly and enticingly.
"You're...um."
"You're easy on the eyes too, Izuku Midoriya." she flirted.
"You said I was plain looking." Deku laughed.
"What? No I didn't." she retorted, and Deku decided there wouldn't be much harm in selling out All Might to tease Uraraka.
"You were in my UA acceptance video. I saw you telling Present Mic to give me some of the points you earned from the Practical Exam."
Uraraka stopped breathing and her eyes flashed wide.
"YOU WHAT?!"
This was such a creative dynamic cuz with Deku and Uraraka they are already established characters and their ship is easy. But then I got Hagakure who has basically no content and never even got a proper back story. In fact there's probably more backstory for my self-insert than Toru gets in the series. So it's been very rewarding to write about her and expand on her motivations and history. Even though I'm making most of this shit up, I'm feeling a deeper connection with her/Koda/Ojiro just by virtue of thinking about them authentically and offering that piece of the puzzle that's been vacant i.e CONTENT.
I can't wait to elaborate on and humanize more characters who deserved more content.