Note: This is…a little ahead of time in terms of story stuff. This was supposed to come after two quick arcs, but with the schedule slip, it just didn't land. I'm still publishing this because Christmas.

Christmas time was just around the corner, and UA High was winding down for the holidays. It didn't really feel like Christmas, even with the cold weather. The lack of snow just didn't add to the festive spirit.

So Kirishima and some of the other classmates had to get everyone sort of…hyped, for lack of better words.

Tired from the last day of classes and training, Ochako felt like she was going to collapse. All she wanted to do right now was take a long nap and cuddle with Ship. The dorm room was just a few steps away-

Ochako blinked as she stepped into the dorm area, and was overwhelmed by the scent of gingerbread, blinded by the Christmas lights and deafened by Christmas music.

"It's CHRISTMAS!" Kirishima yelled.

"In a few days!" Ochako countered.

"Time means nothing when it comes to Christmas!" Mina countered, "A few days, a few weeks, doesn't matter! The whole month is basically Christmas!"

"Yeah! And we've set things up accordingly!" Kirishima smirked, hi-fiving the pink hero-to-be.

Ochako made a face. Christmas wasn't really anything special to her. She had that tragic "poor family" and "born near Christmas" mix, so she (understandably) didn't get many gifts for either day, just a day where her parents pooled what cash they had and spent it on some food they'd enjoy. The meal was her Christmas gift / birthday gift.

...save for last year. That's when she got the apartment. Breaking the lease was hard, by the by.

"Got the lights, got the music, thanks to Jirou, believe it or not," Mina listed off, so excited that she didn't notice her classmate's expression, "Still no tree yet but we're working on that."

"Alright. I...guess I'll go shower and help set up the tree when it's here." Ochako said. The tree was so weird to her. House plants made sense to own. Bringing in a whole tree? Why?

"Something wrong?" Kirishima asked, having taken notice himself now.

"A-ah! Nothing, just tired from my workout. That's all." Ochako lied, heading for the stairs.

The red and pink duo shared a look, having an entire silent exchange in just a glance.

You noticed that too, right? Kirishima asked.

Didn't at first but yeah. She's not telling us everything, Mina noded.

Should we ask you to think?

Ochako made it back to her room, and sighed. Ship slithered up to her, and cuddled her leg.

"Hey, buddy." Ochako said, picking up her dog. She rocked him for a few moments, before setting him back down. Ochako's eyes went over to her bed.

Sleep... She thought, sauntering over to the bed.

She flopped down onto it, just burying her face in the pillow. Before today, it felt like she never really appreciated how soft these pillows could be. Honestly, she could doze off right now and she wouldn't be surprised.

Ochako thought back to the sights and sounds she saw down in the dorm, and hummed. Any other kid would be filled with that Christmas spirit. But she wasn't feeling it.

That's weird. Ochako thought, as her eyes fluttered shut.

...then her eyes opened WIDE. Oh, my God.

ERI.

"This is her first real Christmas!" Ochako said aloud before jumping out of bed. Sleep could wait. The realization struck her and sparked a brand new burst of energy. This had to be perfect. She needed to find Izuku.

Izuku probably had more happy Christmas experiences. He'd be more versed in the field of holly jolly vibes, right?

"Sorry to do this buddy," Ochako apologized to Ship, "but I gotta go! Gotta get this set!"

Ochako ran over to Izuku's door and quickly began knocking on it. A few moments later, Izuku opened it, and Ochako forced her way in.

"Woah, what's going on-" Izuku said.

"ERI."

Izuku's eyes widened. "ERI!"

"We have to get this right."

"I'll talk to Albedo about it! He shouldn't be busy right now!"

"I'll go help with the tree! I gotta go ask Mina and Kirishima where it is!" Ochako said, before the duo quickly threw on some coats and made their way back downstairs.

"Oh! Hey guys! What's...got you guys so energized all of a sudden?" Mina asked as she saw the two rush down the stairs.

"ERI." Izuku and Ochako said. Kirishima and Mina blinked.

"ERI!" They both gasped, before rushing back to the kitchen.

"Quick! Where's the Christmas tree? Who's handling it?" Ochako asked.

"Iida and Momo took a few people out! They should be back soon!" Mina said.

"The gingerbread! We need to make a gingerbread house with her!" Izuku said.

"PRESENTS! We all need to pitch in for something." Kirishima added.

"Someone say gingerbread house?" Toru asked, peeking around a corner.

"You're good at it?" Izuku asked.

"Duh!"

"Perfect!"

"Gonna send a text to Momo, let 'em know I'm coming to help," Ochako said, getting out her phone. Her mind only slowed down for a moment as she came to a realization. This is what holiday planning was like? This was stressful. People do this the same time every year? How has no one gone insane from this?

"Alright! When Eri gets here, we are gonna be so full of holiday spirit it's gonna blow the holliest of jollies out of the water!" Mina proclaimed. "EVERYONE IS GONNA CELEBRATE!"

"WITHIN REASON!" Kirshima added.

"WITHIN REASON!"

"Wait, Eri's coming?! Oh, we are giving that girl the BEST Christmas she's ever had!" Toru promised.

"That's what WE were just saying!" Kirishima said.

"Okay, good! We're all on the same page!" Tooru said.

Ochako watched them all rush to get prepped, while she was waiting for a response from Momo. She never had to do this much prep.

I feel like an alien right now.

Ochako blinked.

...oh, wait.

She got a quick response from Momo.

Great! Could use the extra hands! the hero-to-be texted back.

"Alrighty…let's do this." Ochako said, heading for the door.

"Think this is good enough?" Alan asked.

"Probably." Iida said, looking at the decent sized pine tree.

"…are they gonna get mad at us for cutting it down?" Shoji asked.

"The UA botanical garden was set up by teachers. They said we could take the trees they've grown for our holiday celebrations." Momo clarified. "We're in the clear."

"…still feels kind of illegal." Shoji said.

"I...won't lie, it does. Just a little," Momo admitted.

Ochako approached the group, rushing in as XLR8. "Alrighty, we gotta do this quick." She said as she reverted. "And I'm not saying that because I was XLR8. I'm saying that because we gotta prep stuff with Eri."

"Fair enough," Momo nodded.

"I guess this IS her first proper Christmas in a while." Iida hummed. "We'd need to make it absolutely perfect, since youth is the most formative-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Ochako said. "No time for the educational value and whatever. We need to RUSH here!"

"Right!" Iida said, looking to the tree. "We just need to get this tree back to the dorm!"

"We can do it, right?" Ochako asked before using the Omnitrix to transform back into SK8RGRL.

"Hmm…the two of us together, even burdened by the tree; I think it should work!" Iida said, quickly picking up the top end of the tree while Ochako quickly moved over to pick up the other end.

"Ok, ready?"

"Ready!" Iida called back after making sure no one was behind him.

"GO!"

"HOLD ON!" Momo yelled, making a stop sign and whistle to grab their attention.

"What?" Ochako asked.

Momo gave them a look.

"...I don't get why you're giving me that look."

"This tree is reasonably within your zero gravity range, wouldn't you agree?"

Ochako blinked. "...Oooooh." She realized.

"...I suppose we WERE being rash." Iida frowned, a little embarrassed.

"Ahaha…yeaaaah there's the issue when you're just going fast," Ochako said sheepishly. She transformed and tapped the tree, emitting a low pink light from her fingertips. She and Iida were easily able to move the tree back to the dorm like it was nothing without gravity pulling it down. Momo gave a sigh and a small shake of her head before following after them.

"Do we have ornaments for it?" Momo asked.

"We should!" Ochako answered.

"If not, I volunteer to make them."

"Maybe…we should all draw ideas from our own personal Christmases." Shoji suggested. "We come from all sorts of walks of life, and the same applies to our holidays."

"Good idea," Iida said. "Alan, what are your Christmases like?"

"...honestly? I'm glad I'm away from home this holiday season." Alan said.

"Huh?" Ochako asked. "I thought you had a pretty healthy relationship with your family."

Alan took a deep breath. "We're gonna be here a while, where do I start-"

What followed was a 23 minute rant about Alan's family. The highlights was Alan reenacting an entire argument between his mom and her sister about party hosting privileges, the arguments for the bathroom, the fact he had to listen to his grandfather cough like crazy throughout the night, the awkward talks with his cousin's white fiance, and...just the fucking kids. Holy shit, the kids.

"And then...they found a spider, smashed it with a hockey stick, and...a BUNCH of baby spiders came out of it." Alan huffed. "...do you wanna know the fear I felt when I heard them yell 'IT GAVE BIRTH'? At 9 PM in the night?"

The group was at a loss for words when they arrived back at the dorm.

"That…was something." Iida said.

"Good lord." Momo said.

"Yeah…not great," Alan said, "So, might sit out on making ornaments. I'll help out wherever else you need me though."

"Of..course," Iida blinked before clearing his throat, "Ah, anyone else?Uh, Tsu, how have your Christmases been?"

"Well…usually it's pretty laid back. My family doesn't really like the cold too much. Hibernation and all," Tsu explained.

"Also fair." Iida sighed. "...Ochako?"

"Well, because we didn't have enough money back then, we just watched a bunch of monster movies while underneath the old Kotatsu." Ochako recalled.

"How cozy sounding." Iida said. "And Yaoyorozu, how about-"

"Holiday parties. Extravagant designs. Horribly fancy outfits." Momo said. "This is the first Christmas I'm not in an overly frilly dress that makes it impossible to move or eat comfortably. It's refreshing, honestly."

"Sounds…fancy. And a little suffocating," Ochako said sympathetically.

"It was." Momo nodded. "But I'm happy to be celebrating with all of you this year. Better that then…"

Momo trailed off.

"Sorry."

"No need to." Iida said, as he opened the doors to the was busy inside, apparently those that weren't helping with the ornaments yet had taken the same idea of drawing inspiration from their own Christmases. They were making little activities for Eri to try out, bring some holiday joy to the girl. Tohru was setting up a light show, using her Quirk with Christmas lights was always a trick she enjoyed. Kirishima was setting up a thing where she got to choose a traditionally ugly Christmas sweater. Because what holiday season was complete without them? Even Mina had gotten involved, somehow having brought out multiple Santa-themed outfits for the whole class.

"You've all been busy…" Iida blinked in surprise.

"Considering who this is for? You bet we're gonna put 110% into it!" Tohru cheered.

"The enthusiasm to bring such joy to a single person…it could bring a tear to a man's eye," Iida sniffled a little, wiping away an actual tear.

"I think you forgot something," Bakugou chimed in.

"Oh, please don't tell me you're a Scrooge for the season," Mina sighed.

"What? No! I'm here to bring up she's just one kid and how many little side stations are you all setting up?"

"Oh. Ohhhhhh, he has a good point…" Kirishima admitted.

"I mean…still a little Scrooge-like…even if he is telling the truth," Mina pouted.

"At least he isn't angrily tearing it down, or lecturing us about commericialism." Izuku pointed out.

"I'm too good for crap like that." Bakugou scoffed.

"Then…what do we do?" Ochako asked. "I don't wanna have Eri's christmas be ruined because we couldn't figure anything out…"

"Perhaps I can help." A voice said from the doorway. Ochako spun around in surprise to see, of all people, Ben standing there, with Senna in a baby carrier, and Ruby carrying in some Christmas-y looking decorations.

"Ben!" Ochako beamed.

"Mr. Tennyson? When did you get back?" Izuku asked.

"...and where'd you get that baby from?" Kirishima asked.

"Me," Ruby said.

"...huh?"

"The heck are you doing in Japan?" Ochako asked.

"It's Christmas! And most of my friends are here." Ben said, while Senna tried reaching for Ochako. "Namely my sister in law."

"Oh, right." Ochako honestly forgot that fact. Ben looked around the dorm, and whistled.

"What holly jolly nightmare have you children wrought?" Ruby asked. "This looks a little too…gauche."

"Eh?" Ochako said.

"Sorry. Been rereading a lot of Peanuts comics. Puts me in that Christmas-y mood." Ruby admitted.

"We're…trying to setup a Christmas celebration for Eri, but, uh…we went overboard." Momo explained.

"Sorry, can we focus on the fact Ben has a kid now-?" Mina said.

"Does the public even know this?" Tooru muttered to Kaminari.

"Well, considering the internet HASN'T been going gaga about it…gonna say no." Kaminari shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah. I have a kid." Ben clapped. "Her name is Senna, she's cuter than all of you combined, and I'm keeping her out of the limelight 'till she's older. Now, Christmas."

"Cuter than all of us? That's one way to praise your kid," Mina chuckled.

"As for Christmas…well, we're trying to set up something special. See, this is Eri's first real Christmas," Ochako explained.

"First real one? Definitely gotta make it a good memory then. But that doesn't mean it has to be super flashy. Just has to be happy," Ruby nodded.

"...then we should just go…casual and normal?" Ochako asked.

"Exactly," Ben said with a nod. "Look, the best Christmas memories aren't about how big or fancy the celebration is. It's about the warmth, the joy, and being surrounded by people who care about you. Eri doesn't need a circus. She needs you guys."

Ruby nodded. "The best things in life are the simplest."

"Wow...that was really deep."

"Thanks. Learned that in Death Valley. There was this crazy Santa workshop-" Ben explained.

"Babe. No. You imagined that story when you drank some expired milk with Max's squidloaf." Ruby said.

"...I keep forgetting that."

Squidloaf? Ochako repeated mentally.

"If that's the case…" Shoto said. "Then we should get this place cleaned up. Eri'll be over at any moment."

"Can we at least keep the ugly sweaters? It's tradition for everyone," Kirishima pointed out.

"Heh, yeah, yeah. You can keep the ugly sweaters," Ben smirked.

"Sweet."

"But I wanna keep the Santa outfits…" Mina said.

"...form two groups then." Ben shrugged. "And Bakugou. I know he'll hate either."

"You're damn right," Bakugou said, angrily scarfing down a gingerbread cookie.

"You know us well." Ochako nodded.

"Also, don't curse in front of the kid." Ben said. "...I don't want her swearing as much as WE did when we were 10."

"It couldn't have been that bad." Izuku chuckled.

It was.

It really was.

"Alright, now, you remember what we talked about?" Albedo asked, kneeling down to be on eye level with Eri. The door to the dorm was right in front of them.

"'Please,' 'thank you', and wish everyone a Happy Halloween!" Eri recited.

"Two out of three," Albedo chuckled.

She's getting there. Neo commended her. At least I corrected her on the 'eggs' thing.

"Can I still give those out?" Eri asked, holding up an almost faberge looking egg.

Albedo's eyes widened. "...I suppose you can."

"Yay!" Eri beamed.

Albedo chuckled, just enjoying the smile on her face. He gave her a few headpats before opening the doors to the dorm. The decorations had been quickly yet neatly set up to give the common room a nice and festive atmosphere. The tree was decorated with several normal decorations and some special ornaments, like a small glass angel here, a pink rabbit there, and so on.

"Merry Christmas, Eri!" the assembled students announced, half being dressed in Mina's Santa outfits and the other half in Kirishima's ugly holiday sweaters.

"Happy Arbor Day!" Eri beamed.

"Arbor Day?" Tooru asked.

"She's working on it," Albedo chuckled.

"Heya," Ben said, walking forward. "Long time no see."

"Tennyson. Happy holidays to you." Albedo greeted.

Mina blinked. "...okay, what's the story here. Why do you two look alike?"
"You never questioned it?" Ochako asked.
"I didn't think I'd ever see them in the same room." Mina shrugged, before tapping her temple. "I need to update my Tennyson lore up here."

"My DNA is linked with his Ultimatrix. He's…sort of distantly related to me." Ben explained.

"A very layman version, but I've seen Mina's grades in Biology." Albedo said.

"Heyyyy…" Mina pouted.

Is this Senna? Neo asked, looking down at Ben's sling. Senna tried grabbing for her face, but was just out of reach.

"Yep. Our little bundle of joy," Ruby beamed. Neo smiled at how adorable the little baby looked, though she was looking at the girl's eyes for something specific.

Does she have your eyes? Neo asked.

"Yeah…" Ruby said, rubbing Senna's head. "Thankfully, I don't think it'll ever come up. I'll teach her if only necessary…"

Grimm are a dying breed. Neo said.

Eri tugged on Ruby's cape. "Oh! Hi!" Ruby greeted. "You must be Eri. I'm your Auntie Ruby."

"...how'd you get tricked by that wolf?"

"Huh? Oh, uh…he was very persuasive." Ruby lied.

"Is it true you kept his pelt?" Eri asked.

"...It's somewhere in the attic." Ruby joked.

"Could you show me one day?"

"What exactly did you tell her about me?" Ruby chuckled.

Plenty. Cleaned up a few things, though. We're not…rated G, per say. Neo said.

"Fair enough."

Eventually, more of the staff and family friends started to show up, with the kids getting everything arranged- a few snacks, a random animated Christmas movie on the TV, and a bunch of gifts, both for white elephant and personal gifts.

"Always love it when they get this one," Alan mentioned.

"This one show air a lot?" Mina asked.

"Of course. Watching Olive the Other Reindeer's practically tradition in my house when things are going smoothly."

"So, sorry if this is breaking immersion or something but uh…why is the flea actively gaslighting this poor dog?" Kirishima asked.

"I…huh. Never thought about it that way," Alan mused

"Yeah, the tick's the main cause of this whole thing." Ben said, leaning in. "What a guy."

Ben's eyes then glanced over to see Shinsou, boredly scrolling through his phone. He didn't wanna be at this party, but he had to be forcibly included because of white elephant. As soon as that was over, he was gonna retreat.

"Hey, you. Purple hair." Ben said, snapping his fingers. Shinsou's eyes glanced up.

"...so, you're Ben 10k." Shinsou said. "Nice ugly sweater."

"Hitoshi Shinsou, right? The general studies transfer." Ben said.

"Yeah that's…that's me? You know my name?"

"From the sports fest and Aizawa. Heard he's helping you out with a few training sessions, especially on how to use his scarf. Right?"

"That's right," Shinsou nodded.

"Nice to finally meet you. I'm, uh…kind of a supporting face around here." Ben chuckled.

"So I've heard." Shinsou said.

"Just wanted to say…kinda neat to see you on the up and up in such a short amount of time," Ben said.

"Eh. I got lucky."
"No, I'm serious." Ben said. "Your power's pretty cool. Don't let anyone tell you it's not 'flashy' enough or evil or that it doesn't fit the mold. I got a bunch of aliens with powers that could be seen as 'evil' or too dangerous, but it's all about how you use them. Powers don't define who you are—the choices you make do. A Quirk like yours? It's got potential to save lives in ways most people can't even imagine."

"Well, duh." Shinsou chuckled. "I don't need a speech from you to get that."

"Good, good. Just reiterating." Ben said. "...Now go grab a cookie or something. You're at a Christmas party. No reason to be lurking."

"I'm just…not exactly the festive sort-"

"Don't care, get a cookie."

"I…fine," Shinsou sighed before getting up to go get one. Ben had to admit, he was getting some flashbacks to the first Christmas party with Blake. She was somewhat the same, until Yang convinced her to open up. Ah, the memories.

"Why does this guy sound familiar?" Kaminari asked.

"Who, the postman?" Alan asked.

"Yeah. I swear I've heard his voice before…"

"It'll come to you," Ben said, as Ochako approached the couch, with Ship on her shoulder. He was dressed in a little elf costume. "There's my successor. Haven't seen you in a hot minute…how're you doing?"

"First time I've really done one of these things. Not used to so much…" Ochako searched for the word.

"Joyous spirit?" Ben asked. "Festivity? Togetherness?"

"Wealth." Ochako said.

"Ah. That too." Ben nodded.

"I'm used to Christmas celebrations just being a little more subdued. Just a good meal, really," Ochako admitted.

"I get it. It's weird integrating into this sort of thing. Makes you feel like a total outsider." Ben said.

"Yeah." Ochako said. "First time I've also had cash to really buy gifts for some of my friends. It's all so…"

"Alien?" Ben joked.

"That's the word." Ochako joked. "It just feels weird, comparing this Christmas to last Christmas. Everything's changed."

"Every christmas is last christmas," Ben quoted. "Even if it feels different, it's still the same at its core—time with people you care about."

"...I can live with that, then." Ochako said.

"Perfect. Now, between you and me, since I can keep a secret, who'd you get for the little gift exchange?" Ben asked in a hushed tone.

"Ah ah ah. No can do there. No one's supposed to know until the day after the exchange. Those are the rules," Ochako denied confidently.

Ochako looked around again.

"That, and…"

She leaned in close.

"I don't wanna spoil Izuku's gift."

Ben chuckled. "Did it happen?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"A while back, yeah." Ochako said. "After the play…"

"Congrats to you. No wonder you're so weird tonight," Ben glanced over at Izuku, who was asking some of the huntresses in the room a billion questions about Aura control and what not and jotting them down.

"Y-yeah. Call it 'first official couple thing jitters' if you want," Ochako explained sheepishly.

"Trust me, I completely get it. Even after it's cemented, some part of you is asking 'is that real?' But eventually that question stops being asked. Just give it time," Ben reassured.

"Yeah. It'll feel more normal soon! It'll feel normal," Ochako repeated, blushing as the idea set in a little more. It'll feel normal to be a couple with Izuku.

"You'll get used to it faster than you think." Ben smiled, looking over at Ruby. She was talking with Weiss, Kylie and Midnight, while also showing off Senna to them. This was…what, their 23rd Christmas together?

It felt just as amazing as the first time.

Aizawa tapped his glass with his fork. "Alright, alright- may I borrow all the student's attention please?"

"Aizawa? Making a speech?" Sero asked.

"It's a Christmas miracle." Jirou muttered.

"Hardy har. It's less of a speech, more of an announcement," Aizawa corrected, "Just got the word in from the principal."

"Aw what? School stuff during the Christmas party?" Kaminari sighed.

"Forgive me for bringing down the mood, but I think I should tell you as soon as possible. Principal Nezu just sent confirmation that the internships are back on."

The class all began muttering.

"Wait, for real? This soon?" Kaminari asked.

"There's gotta be a catch to the gift." Alan said.

"You're right about that. Originally, our plan was to do training over the break." Aizawa said. "Unfortunately, you'll all be working under assigned and approved hero companies. Those will be given on the 26th…and you'll be leaving on the 27th."

Most of the class groaned.

"I know we were gonna be working, but not like…WORKING working." Kaminari groaned. "At least we have a few days still here…"

"On my birthday, too?" Ochako muttered.

Ben's eyebrow went up. "...your birthday's the 27th?"
"Yeah, why?"
"...so's mine."

Ben and Ochako stared at each other.

"...ever notice how freakishly cosmic things like these get?" Ochako asked.

"I swear. I didn't give you that on purpose." Ben held up his hands.

"Maybe someone's making the stars align on purpose?" Ochako joked.

"Damn it Starbeard, we talked about this."

"Huh?" Ochako raised a brow at that name drop. Starbeard?

"Oh, uh, nothing you need to worry about," Ben reassured.

"If you say so."

"I swear you just name drop people to sound cooler, babe." Ruby said, as she walked over.

"Not true. Not all the names are cool." Ben said.

"Prove it." Ochako folded her arms.

"Cornonach, Hobble, Brannigan, Stick Doug, L.M Werfzel, Gontu, Clyde Fife, Polar and Solar Twain, Queen Griefenstein, Simon Sez and, who could forget, Sweet-Eels Sparklefunk."

"...damn, those are some…names."

"Told ya."

"That's all I wanted to say. Just thought to give you a heads-up instead of springing it on you," Aizawa nodded before he went back to taking a sip of his drink.

"Then, if all the business is out of the way, how about we do a little gift exchange for now? Get that holiday cheer back in the room!" Tooru suggested. Her plan was met with a collective cheer from the rest of the students, much to her delight.

Now this wasn't the massive exchange they had planned, more so just a smaller, more personal exchange to strengthen their bonds. Various people broke off into pairs to give their gift for their season. Momo and Jirou were, rather unsurprisingly, one such couple, with the latter gifting her girlfriend a brand new cape and the former presenting her with a new case full of guitar picks. Momo didn't reveal that this was actually a complimentary part of her main gift.

Iida presented Ochako and Izuku with two Ingenium-esqe helmets, designed to match their costumes. In return, the two gave Iida a book on the history of iconic heroes and their influence on modern hero society…including an EXTRA special section devoted to the Ingenium family.

Iida sort of cried.

Tooru happily gifted all her female friends Pokemon plushies she associated with them; Ochako got a Pikachu, Momo got a Roselia, Mina got a Goomy, Jirou got a Noibat, and Tsu (of course) got Froakie.

I wish I knew about Pokemon to appreciate this in full, Tsu thought, looking at the tiny frog.

Shoto gifted his closest friends the best thing he could give- money. About 47000 yen each to five people. (1500$ in USD)

Don't worry. It was all from Endeavor's account.

Izuku had also gotten Shoto a special gift; an action figure of All Might, from the Bronze age.

"Dad never liked having merch of him in our house," Shoto reflected. "He felt…intimidated."

"Your dad has issues." Ochako said.

"That's an understatement."

An unlikely pair was Bakugou and Kirishima. Bakugou opened his gift up- a new sleeping bag.

"Oh." Bakugou said.

"Remembered you got me out of that camping jam a while back, and you really know your stuff…so, I looked into it." Kirishima said. "This is the best sleeping bag of the bunch. High-quality insulation, weatherproof, and even has a built-in heating element for colder nights. I figured you'd appreciate something practical."

Bakugou stared at the gift for a moment, then nodded. "It's not bad, Shitty Hair. Thanks." He then pulled out something surprising- a gift of his own. "I found this while online. Thought you'd like it."

"An original Crimson Riot action figure!" Kirishima gasped, his eyes lighting up as he held the vintage, perfectly preserved collectible in his hands. The figure depicted Crimson Riot in his prime, complete with his iconic battle pose and detailed armor. Even the packaging was pristine, featuring retro-style artwork that only added to its nostalgic charm.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep it mint or I'll kill you."

A rather surprising one was Tokoyami and Mina. The dark hero-to-be actually seemed nervous as he looked down at the box in his hands. He did his best to discreetly ask around about what the recipient liked, the kind of music like they liked. Thankfully, it seemed like Kirishima and Tooru hadn't said a word to her about this. He took a deep breath and quickly and quietly walked up to Mina.

"M-merry Christmas," Tokoyami actually stammered.

"What? For me? Tokoyami…" Mina beamed, taking the present and then hugging her classmate.

Tokoyami awkwardly stood stiff for a moment before lightly patting Mina on the back. "I-I thought you might appreciate it," he said, trying to maintain his usual brooding composure, though a faint blush was evident on his face.

Mina excitedly tore open the wrapping paper to reveal a vinyl record of her favorite band—complete with a limited-edition cover. Her eyes widened. "No way! This is so cool! I didn't even know they made these anymore!"

"I did some digging." Tokoyami said, recomposing himself.

"Aw, and I didn't get you anything…" Mina pouted.

Dark Shadow popped out of Tokoyami's body. "Just gimme some headpats and I'm good!"

Mina giggled. "Alrighty~!"

Of course, we can't forget Ochako and Izuku. The two exchanged their gifts with a smile each, keeping the secret of the gifts for now.

But that was when something caught everyone's attention. Echoing out through the dorm, the sound of jingling sleigh bells reached the ears of every student. Their eyes went wide upon hearing it while Ben just smiled.

Here it comes. Ben smiled, as he leaned back in his seat.

"HOHOHO, ALL!" A voice rang out. "Merry Christmas!"

Ben's eyes shot open. That was not the Santa he hired. He looked over to see Present Mic, in an ill fitting costume, with All Might, somehow in a reindeer costume.

"...Mic, I feel silly." All Might admitted.

"COME ON, RUDOLPH! GUIDE MY SLEIGH!" Mic yelled, as he reached into his bag.

"Why does that sound…so wrong in this context?" All Might shivered.

"Mic. Why are you Santa?" Aizawa asked.

"What, I can't bring some holiday cheer to the kids? Didn't take you for such a Scrooge!" Mic shot back.

"I never said you couldn't, but you're a terrible fit for Santa. Couldn't even stuff pillows or something in the suit to make you look bigger?"

"Well that'd just be awkward!"

"...ok but he's right," All Might pointed out.

"Well, you can't be Santa! You don't…got the muscle-y form for it anymore!" Mic said.

"Hey, man. Don't body shame." All Might frowned.

"I'm just saying the obvious!" Mic yelled.

"This is a terrible comedy sketch," Aizawa huffed.

"Shush! This is going great!" Mic denied.

No, it is not. Literally everyone else in the room thought.

More sleigh bells suddenly rang out, cutting the comedy sketch short. That had to be the Santa Ben had gotten in touch with. Mic looked up the roof in surprise when he heard that and blinked.

"Did…anyone else book a second Santa?" Mic asked before the doors flew open with a gust of snow.
"Ho ho ho, hello everyone!" a second Santa announced as he walked in, much more suited to wear the red and white holiday ensemble.

There he is, Ben smiled. Ruby didn't say anything but she recognized that Santa immediately.

Eri blinked. "Why…are there two Santas?" She asked Albedo.

"Oh, um…Mic is one of his…helpers." Albedo lied. "He's a very, very GOOD helper, who will help the PRIME Santa and not ruin ANY moments."

Mic blinked. "U-uh, yeah! That's what's up."

All Might stared at the 'real' Santa. "...is that-?"
Santa winked at All Might. "In the flesh!"

"Then by all means, floor's yours!" All Might beamed, stepping aside and letting the prime Santa take center stage.

"Now then, unless the reindeer pulled me in the wrong direction, this should be Alliance Heights, home to a handful of prosperous young heroes of tomorrow," Santa beamed, "Along with a certain someone who's experiencing Christmas for the first time."

"He means me!" Eri gasped.

"That he does," Albedo chuckled.

Eri's eyes sparkled as Santa reached into his oversized sack, pulling out a beautifully wrapped present adorned with a glittering bow. He knelt down, handing it to her with a gentle smile. "This one's just for you, from the North Pole."

Eri hesitated for a moment, almost overwhelmed by the moment. She looked up at Santa, then at Albedo, who nodded encouragingly. She took the gift with trembling hands. "Th-thank you, Santa…"

The room watched in quiet anticipation as Eri carefully unwrapped the present. Inside was a handcrafted plushie—half reindeer, half unicorn, complete with a festive scarf and a small tag that read To Eri: May your days always be merry and bright.

"And, now…for the rest of you children…" Santa began to walk around, pulling out presents for the students. Each one was wrapped with care and a personalized tag, making it clear that THIS Santa had done his homework.

"Ah, let's see here…" Santa stopped in front of Midoriya, pulling out a rectangular package. "For Izuku Midoriya, a young hero with a heart as big as All Might's smile."

Midoriya's cheeks flushed red as he opened the gift. Inside was a meticulously crafted notebook titled Hero Analysis for the Next Generation. It was filled with blank sections for notes, diagrams, and much more.

"I…I…." Izuku's brain was fizzling. "...are you the real deal?"

Santa winked. "In the flesh."

"T-thank you!" Izuku stammered out, still totally stunned that this might be the St. Nick.

Santa went around passing out some more gifts to everyone. Somehow, he'd even gotten ahold of the second gift Momo had gotten for Jirou, this massive case with a very recognizable shape to it. The musically inclined student looked it over and quickly noticed the tag where it showed "From: Momo." She blushed a little at that before turning and smiling at her girlfriend.

"And of course, how could we forget Ochako Uraraka," Santa chuckled.

Santa reached into his bag, and pulled the last thing she ever expected from out of it; what looked like another Omnitrix faceplate.

"...eh?" Ochako asked, before Santa slapped it on her wrist. The faceplates connected, and there was a loud beeping for a second. "W-what did you just do?"

"You'll see." Santa chuckled, before throwing his bag back over his back.

Ochako looked over the faceplate, tinkering with the watch to figure out what this upgrade actually did. Unlock a new form, maybe?

There's no way Santa can ACTUALLY upgrade the watch. I know he's magic, but…alien? That'd be silly. Ochako thought.

(Note: Ben has a Santa-esqe alien in the Omnitrix. This is real.)

Santa let out a hearty laugh. "Well, young heroes, I think my job here is done," he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He took a step back, looking over the room of astonished students.

With a wink at Ben, Santa reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of shimmering stardust. He threw it into the air, and as it sparkled and danced, a magical wind began to fill the room. The students shielded their eyes from the dazzling light, and when they looked again, Santa was gone—his hearty "Ho ho ho!" echoing faintly in the air.

"...That might have been the real deal." Sero muttered in absolute shock.

"I mean, magic is real." Alan said.

Shinsou looked at his signed Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress vinyl, and shrugged. "I know I'm usually a skeptic, but no way that wasn't him."

The students all agreed. That was Santa. No lies about it. Ben knew a lot of people, so knowing Santa wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility.

Suffice to say, the party was a great success. Seeing Eri so happy throughout the party was easily the highlight of the night for everyone, especially those involved in the raid. Seeing her smile like that, seeing that Overhaul truly had no hold left on this girl, was satisfying. As the party round down, the students were starting to clean up around the dorm, getting the dishes ready, gathering up all the scraps of wrapping paper and so on.

After Ochako had thrown away some of the scraps she'd collected, she got tapped on the shoulder from behind by Ben. Both he and Ruby were standing behind her, looking a little tired from all the partying. Senna was asleep in her carrier.
"Spare a minute to talk?" Ben asked.

"Oh, sure!" Ochako answered.

"I wanted you to…meet someone really important to me." Ben said, clearing his throat.

"Another friend?" Ochako asked.

"Someone… a little closer than that." Ruby said, as she led the student out of the dorm.

"Hey, that thing Santa gave me…what was that?" Ochako asked.

"Just a little Omnitrix boost." Ben chuckled. "He unlocked some classics…and maybe something a little extra."

"Well, don't spoil it for me." Ochako said. "I wanna be shocked."

"You will be." Ruby said.

"Good. So, will this answer why Santa had access to alien tech?"

"Oh yeah," Ben chuckled, leading Ochako to the Santa in question- they were out in the courtyard, interacting with All Might. Not shocking that All Might also knew Santa.

"I can't believe you're here!" All Might laughed. "Thought you'd be retired by now."

"Oh, well, you know. Verdona likes me to get out of the house every now and again." 'Santa' said. "I think she also just does it so the kitchen will smell normal every once and a while. Speaking of which, you're looking thinner- how about I whip you up some of my famous Vicetopus chops?"

"U-uh, I think I'll pass on those." All Might said.

"I remember you REALLY liked them, though…" Santa said.

Truth be told, I chucked them into the stratosphere. All Might mentally admitted.

"Maybe another time," All Might deflected, "Besides, got more pressing matters. They're here."

"So, I finally get to meet the next person to wield the Omnitrix," "Santa" said, "Ben's told me a lot about you, ya know."

"You have a direct line to-?" Ochako began.

"Of course I do. North Pole Hotline is hidden in one of my desk drawers. Big red rotary phone with a peppermint colored cord," Ben joked.

"...so, this IS Santa." Ochako said.

Ruby laughed. "Nope. But it wouldn't be insane if it was."
Ochako blinked. "Then, this is…?"

The Santa took off his realistic looking beard, to reveal an older looking man; underneath, he had a beard, a slight mustache, and what looked like a Hawaiian shirt peeking through his Santa costume.

"This is my grandpa." Ben said. "Maxwell Tennyson."
Ochako's eyes widened. "W-wait, like…YOUR Grandpa Max!? The one you were with when you got the watch? The greatest Plumber ever?!"

"I wouldn't say best," Max chuckled.

Ben put an arm around his grandpa's shoulder. "Figured it was high time Max met my successor one on one."

"I hope you're not giving him any headaches. I got STORIES about Ben back in the day." Max said.

"Grandpa…" Ben whined.

"Tell her about the time he got sick because he locked himself in an ice cream truck." Ruby said.

"Babe!" Ben frowned.

Ochako chuckled. "N-no, I'm pretty clean and responsible."

"That's good to hear, then." Max said. "...but I can tell you're still carrying a lot with you."

"...you could say that." Ochako looked down at the watch. "I'm…trying to be a hero to everyone, really. That extends to civilians, heroes, villains…anyone who needs saving. But sometimes it feels like I'm stretching myself too thin. I'm trying to live up to what this watch represents…connection."

"Look, Ochako." Max's face softened, and put a hand on her shoulder. "This last year has been pretty rough. On all of us. And when things got tough, I remember Ben running for the Omnitrix for an answer."

"I...didn't really think with my head back then." Ben admitted.

"I used to tell him, 'Ben, it takes more than an Omnitrix to be a hero'. So, it's not up to you to decide if you're a hero." Max continued. "And the way they decide that is to be selfless, and give of yourself to help someone else. Sometimes that's not easy. That's the case more often than not, truth to be told. But it's still important. These last couple of months have been so hard on all of us just get through, and it's been hard to maintain your senses...and your sense of humor. It's pretty heroic."

"I've been so focused on trying to be everything for everyone. I know what a hero means...Not just the flashy moments or big rescues, but the small, quiet things too. I just..." Ochako trailed off. "I don't have all the answers."

"Course not. You're only 15. No 15 year old should have all that smarts." Max said.

"I guess I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself...more than I realize." Ochako admitted.

"From the looks of it, you've already made an impression. You're not trying to prove you're a hero, Ochako—you already are."

"You…you really think so?" Ochako asked, just to make sure she had that correctly.

"I know so." Max smiled.

That struck a chord with Ochako. It was like this warm little flame of inspiration was lit inside her heart. Hearing that she had proven herself as a hero was one thing. Hearing that sort of praise from Max Tennyson himself was on another level.

Maybe…this Christmas…

That's all Ochako really needed.

Words of encouragement.

"Thank you." Ochako said.

…there's not a real 'good' way to end this chapter for me. This chapter might have a bunch of edits that still need to be done. But I'm releasing it now. This kinda hits different now, actually. Here's why.

My grandmother passed away today, December 22nd, 2024. My grandmother was a character; stubborn, persistent, always had a heart…always needed to know what was happening…showed up early despite us telling her not to. Made the best mac and cheese. Drove me to violin lessons from ages 5 - 16 and came to every performance of mine in high school.

It feels weird referring to her in past tense.

A small anecdote with her…this happened when I was 11 or so. I was over at her place for the night, and on the next day, Saturday, Ben 10: Omniverse happened to be airing. It was Ben Again, the episode where the 11 year old Ben and 16 year old Ben swap bodies because of Eon time fuckery or something. It's not a good episode for an outsider to really watch. My nana was so confused about it, and said: "this is dumb." But yet, she continued to watch it, since Ben 10 was my favorite show. I'm sure she sat through a lot of dumb things to better understand me.

Her death was a long time coming; she never took care of herself at her old age, so she was in and out of the hospital constantly this year. 20 visits. This…was the big one. This week felt so weird to me. I had to work, and yet keep my mind off of things- it felt like I was in Severance or something. I was the only person around, too- parents went on a quick trip to the West for an early Christmas gift, and with my brother working in a state over and my sister being emotionally distant, I was the go between for everything. Thank God my aunt was there or else I would have lost it.

Monday I was hysterical. The last exchange I had with her technically, was a quick "I love you" and "you're my favorite." So, seeing her Friday night was tough. She was unconscious the entire time. I held her hand for an hour. I reflected on our 23 years of existence. Small memories, like lessons and broken promises- we were meant to have lunch with my old violin teacher at some point this year, and I'll probably have to tell her about that soon.

I told her about my boyfriend- no one else in my family knows about him. I'm a very, very private person, and I'm technically still in the closet. He's wonderful. He's the reason I write everything.

I spared no detail. Told her everything. How much we loved each other. How far apart we were, but talking about coming over to the US finally. We were planning on it this year, but things fell through. I told her…I wanted to marry him someday.

She couldn't talk. I think she could hear me. And she squeezed my hand a few times.

She understood that I'm gonna be in good hands after everything's said and done.

Grief's a weird thing. The second I let go and listened to "O Tannebaum" from A Charlie Brown Christmas, I felt it all melt away. And then what was left? Hunger.

I devoured two chicken sandwiches from Wendy's, and those cheese curds and crinkle cut fries from Culvers.

I'm weird like that.

…I love you, Nana.

I miss you.

Love, Janet.

Merry Christmas.