The end! I am so emotional about all of this. The final chapter. I am so so pleased that everyone enjoyed this story, and I'm so grateful for the overwhelming support and compliments I've had during all of this. It's been a journey and I'm so happy to have shared it with you all! Thank you, thank you! I really hope you all enjoy this conclusion - I worked hard on it and I'm really pleased with how it all ended~

Also, I went back and edited the previous chapters so if you've got time and you check them out you might find a surprise here and there~

Warm Snuggles

Ochako locked her phone and shoved it into her backpack as she gathered up her belongings quickly. She hadn't even noticed how close she was to the city when she'd heard the announcement that the train was coming to her stop – being able to talk in real-time to Izuku had been so much fun that she'd lost track of where she was. The breaks screeched loudly as Ochako scrambled out of her seat, wrestled with her heavy case, and hastily dragged it to a set of open doors.

She leaped out of the carriage just in time; the doors beeped loudly behind her as they slammed shut. She let out a little sigh as she adjusted the backpack on her shoulders, hearing the train set off again with another screech of metal on metal and feeling people push past her on either side as they rushed towards the exit. It looked like most of the train had got off here. Ochako had only spent a few days in the country, but she'd already nearly forgotten what such a crowd looked like; young, old, families, tourists, workers, shoppers…

By the time Ochako had made it outside the underground station she was wiping sweat away from under her bangs. She pulled her case to one side, out of the way of the steady stream of passengers also exiting the underground, and she took off her heavy coat to appreciate the frosty air. The city stations were always so crowded and heated so fiercely that it felt like a furnace down there. It didn't help that her old suitcase was so beaten and worn that sometimes the wheels stuck, so she'd have to drag it with both hands. A gratefully cool breeze whispered over her clammy skin. It was so cold outside that she knew she'd be putting her coat back on soon, but for now it felt wonderful.

It was good to be home.

Funny that she'd started thinking of the city as her home – but even the sour smell of drainage and the sharp tang of exhaust fumes brought back a feeling of contentment and belonging. People walked with their heads bowed over cell phones, lighting up their faces in the gloom, or chatting loudly with friends and colleagues as they went by her, and she had to resist the urge to smile. It was like a sea of anonymity; nobody cared who you were, what kind of job you'd got, or what you were doing with your life.

Back in her hometown, it had been almost cloying to have everyone want to know her business – What had she been doing since university? Where was she living? Had she got herself a boyfriend?

That last question had sure thrown her a few times. Green eyes, freckles and a warm smile had never been far from her thoughts.

Ochako slipped back into her coat with a shiver.

It had been annoying to answer personal questions over and over when kindly neighbours asked (though she knew there was more than a hint of nosiness involved in the asking too) but she was surprised to find that she wasn't embarrassed to answer. She hadn't cried over physics textbooks, had nightmares about equations, fallen asleep studying in the library, and spent hours in stuffy lecture halls for nothing – she'd earned her degree, whether she was using it or not. She was happy with where she was and what she was doing, even if it was something that she hadn't been expecting. The disconnect between her real feelings and her desire to conform and make everyone proud had left her torn for so long. It was amazing how just one person could have such an effect on her life, and how his enthusiasm and optimism were so infectious.

She got asked about her healing head wound a few times too, when she hadn't cleverly concealed it under her fringe. She always kept her explanation vague. There was an unexpectedly sharp pang of embarrassment, regret and guilt whenever someone brought it up, and she just hoped that nobody in the town would ever see that article about her accident online.

Ochako shook her head and glanced at the sky, feeling a jolt of disappointment at the hazy darkness – no stars to be seen at all. One of the best things about being in the middle of nowhere had been the lack of light pollution obscuring her view of the night sky. It had been beautiful.

Ochako turned her head to throw a wistful look at the line of taxis nearby the station, pursing her lips as she considered jumping into one to get back to the apartment… but they were always so expensive, and the bus stop was only a short walk for a fraction of the price... With a decisive huff she turned away from the line of black cars and tugged at her case to get the wheels rolling again.

The bus was busy, so she had to stand near the doors with her luggage, but she enjoyed seeing the bustle and diversity of the city again; a group of young men were shouting and whooping, an old lady sat with an enthusiastically singing child on her lap, someone on their phone was loudly discussing their grocery list, and a couple nearby were sharing headphones and singing along. The cacophony of chatter and laughter and people made Ochako want to smile again.

The journey was uneventful until a few stops in, when she jolted with a start and craned her neck to see out of the window. They were about to pass the hospital. It was always a sight; towering high over the city, lit up brightly night or day, with the words UA Hospital in huge shiny letters above the glass entryway. The place had never meant anything to her before, but she felt a rush of affection as she looked up at it through the window now, despite her ordeal there not too long ago. Ochako put a gentle hand to the white line of puckered skin on her forehead, just under her small sweeping fringe.

There was a bus stop right outside the imposing building, but nobody wanted to get on or off, so the bus sailed by and she watched the hospital disappear behind the other tall buildings nearby. Her heart lurched in her chest as she realised Izuku could be there now. Or maybe he'd already got into the ambulance and would be driving around the city?

Ochako kept her eyes peeled for the rest of the trip, hoping to see an ambulance with his recognisable mop of green hair through the window.

She didn't see any at all.

When she finally made it through her apartment door Ochako threw herself onto her couch and took a deep breath.

Home at last.

At least she was seeing him tomorrow, she conceded with a soft smile. Properly. No twisted ankles, no head wounds and not while she's in her pajamas to chew him out for his alarm clock waking her up. But… it was time to tell him the truth about their first meeting; once that was out in the open between them, she'd feel much better, even though she was sure he was going to feel intensely guilty about it. Then that would make her feel guilty, and he'd apologise for disturbing her, and she'd apologise for lying, and then they'd just be two idiots apologising.

She hoped.

A tiny voice of doubt whispered that maybe he wouldn't want anything to do with her again if he couldn't trust her. It was such a small thing to lie about, but maybe he would decide he couldn't be with someone who had lied to him the moment they'd met.

Ochako rolled from side to side on the couch and rubbed at her face, trying to push the distressing thought out of her head. She sighed in defeat as she glanced over at her luggage beside the door and jumped off the couch to pull it all into her bedroom.

She unzipped her case and sighed loudly at the haphazard appearance of the contents, stuffed and shoved inside. Her decision to leave had been so sudden that she'd kind of thrown her clothes into her case without much consideration to the amount of time and effort it was going to take to unpack it all at the other end. But then she supposed she needed something to take her mind off eagerly waiting for Izuku to finish his night shift anyway.

Ochako gulped down the rest of a bottle of water from her backpack and coughed with a frown, disappointed that it did nothing to alleviate the feeling of butterflies flapping consistently and persistently in her stomach. It was going to be a long night.

Abandoning her case Ochako impulsively shuffled into her bathroom, twisted the taps for the bath and dumped a large glug of her sweet-smelling bubble bath into the water. A relaxing hot bath seemed like the best idea before anything else, to get out of the clothes she'd been travelling all day in, if nothing else.

It was a pain that it had taken so long to get back, since there were no train routes from her hometown that could get her directly into the subway station she needed – she'd had to change three times, and one train nearly had to loop back on where she'd come from to get on the right track. But it was the only way to get back home without troubling her parents any further. They'd already done so much for her.

Ochako shed her clothes and sank into the bubbles with a long exhale, surrounded by the gentle, sweet scent of vanilla and hot water that soothed every muscle in her travel-weary body.

Her parents were always so kind and patient with her, even after they'd cut their own holiday short – it had been heart-breaking to look through their photos and see how much fun they'd been having before rushing back for her. She knew that one of the reasons she'd always strived for a high-flying well-paid job had been because she'd so often wished there was some way she could pay them back for all the times they'd taken care of her. But… she couldn't remember a time when her parents hadn't been supportive of anything she'd tried or done; whether it was pouring over physics calculations or pouring someone a coffee. They'd seemed so excited for her to just be at home with them, cooking her favourite meals, endlessly asked if she needed anything, and listening to all her stories with a smile. She'd always assumed that getting a well-paid job would allow her to finally be able to repay some of what her parents had done for her and give them the comfortable lifestyle she thought they deserved. But maybe just going to visit more often, and showing them that she was happy and doing well, was enough for them?

After all, dreams and aspirations could change.

It was time to reach for new stars.

Ochako formed some of the bubbles of her bath into a lumpy, bubbly shape that resembled a heart and blew on it gently.

Hadn't Izuku told her in one of his messages that he'd gone to visit his own mom over the last few days? She should take some inspiration from that. Maybe next time she could take Izuku with her and introduce him to her parents and the townsfolk… What would her neighbours make of that?

The thought made Ochako blush and she sank her face below the soapy bubbles, letting the hot water envelope her.

She was in a fresh pair of pajamas, blow drying her hair, when she noticed her phone buzzing on the bed. She peered over at the screen as the buzzing stopped – the notification on the screen stated that she had '4 Missed Calls'. Ochako snatched her phone from the bed immediately and fumbled to unlock it with her pin code, annoyed that her bath-wrinkled fingers wouldn't work the fingerprint sensor.

They were from Mina.

Ochako tapped to call her back and paced the room, listening to the ringing tone in her ear, while she absentmindedly rubbed the scar on her forehead. Why on earth would Mina try and ring her four times?

It connected.

"Mina?"

"Hey Ocha! Finally!"

"Mina, are you okay? I'm so sorry I didn't get your calls, I was having a bath, is everything alright? Are you alright?" Ochako tumbled out, repeating herself and clutching the phone with a tight grip.

"I'm fine, but I really need your help! It's terrible."

Ochako's heart thumped painfully. "Wh-What is it? I promise I'll try and help any way I can."

"I'm at Zero Gravity closing it down and I don't know what I'm doing."

"You're… closing… huh?" Ochako pulled a face as she felt her heartbeat finally begin to slow down, sitting heavily on the bed. "I-I thought someone had died! Why would you start the conversation like that after trying to ring me four times?"

"Someone has died," Mina wailed. "Me! Inside!"

Ochako tried not to sigh in relief, glad it was nothing serious but not wanting her friend to think she was making light of her struggles. "I didn't even think you did close downs. I thought Kurai was supposed to be covering those for me?"

"He rang in sick," Mina explained, a pout in her voice, "so I'm stuck closing, but I don't know if I've done it right. And now I can't find the key to the fridge to turn it off."

"Okay, okay, don't worry, I can talk you through it. Let's start with the key - it should still be in the fridge at the back, top left corner."

"Thanks!" Mina brightened up immediately.

Ochako could hear her the swishing of her friend's alien uniform coming through the phone as she moved. There was a pause.

"There's no key here…"

"Wh- Huh? Really? But it's always there!"

"Definitely no key," Mina said. "Can I just maybe… not turn the fridge off for tonight?"

Ochako waved a hand, despite nobody being able to see the action. "No, no, that'll make it overheat and you won't be able to use it tomorrow." She looked up at the ceiling while she thought. "Ah! It might be in the manager's office. There's a drawer she keeps spare keys in."

"Right, here I go."

There was another pause as Ochako listened to the sounds of Mina moving through the empty café; a door creaking, footsteps, a drawer opening.

"Um, Ocha, there's like a billion keys in here."

"What? Ah… okay… that could be a problem."

"What am I gonna do? It'll take all night to go through these one by one. If I ring the manager and tell her the fridge key is missing, she'll never trust me on my own again…" Mina sighed loudly.

Ochako cringed and ran a hand through her almost-dry hair, letting her bangs float back in front of her face. She'd been doing nothing but travelling all day, but her friend needed her... "Don't worry Mina." She clenched a fist in front of her and nodded. "I'm coming over. We can sort this together."

"Really? Oh, Ocha! You are the best! The best friend I've ever had!" Mina nearly yelled down the phone.

Ochako laughed lightly, turning bashful at her praise. "I suppose I do owe you one for taking this shift on at all, since it's my fault it needs covering in the first place. I'll catch the next bus straight over! I'll be- oh, I don't know- ten minutes? Fifteen tops. I'm on my way!"

"Love you babe!" Mina ended with a sing-song voice as Ochako smiled and tapped her screen to end the call.

If she wanted to catch the next bus, she was going to have to be swift. Her eyes flicked to her bedroom clock as she flung open wardrobe doors, jogging on the spot as if that would somehow make her faster. She didn't have time to get dressed again – she'd just shove on some black sweatpants and keep her pajama top on underneath her coat. Ochako threw her dark green pajama bottoms onto the bed as she left the room, still pulling up the sweatpants, and grabbed her coat from the peg beside her door. It felt strange to be putting her coat and boots back on again. A rummage through her backpack from earlier revealed her purse, and she pocketed it and her phone as she flew out the door.

Jogging down the corridor brought back memories of the morning that she'd tried to go to the gym to surprise Izuku. A bittersweet memory. She idly wondered how things would have gone differently if she'd never fallen on the ice.

Ochako burst out of the apartment building's front doors into the night. The chill made her shiver, even under her coat, as her warm skin from her bath and barely dried hair made her even colder. But she'd do just about anything for her friends. Her boots pounded on the concrete as she ran, determined to get there fast, even as a spike of fear pierced the back of her mind at the ice she could see forming in patches on the floor. She wasn't going to slip this time.

She made it to the bus stop just as it turned the corner and she raised a hand for it to stop, nearly bent over double. The old bus driver gave her a funny look as she wheezed out what ticket she wanted and handed over some change before she shuffled to a seat and dropped onto it. Mina better appreciate this, she thought, looking up at the inside of yet another vehicle of public transport. She leaned back into her seat and ran a hand through her hair, knowing the cold, damp air had frizzed it up even more to make her bob style look even thicker and bouncier.

Lights flashed by outside the window as the bus rumbled through the city. Again.

It was much emptier and far more subdued than the one from earlier.

It only took a short while for the bus to get to the stop near Zero Gravity (it felt even shorter to someone who wanted a moment to catch their breath properly) and Ochako thanked the driver as she hopped down, ready for a brisk walk.

She couldn't help the little smile that flickered onto her face as she came closer to the café, catching sight of the faded wooden spaceship propped up on the roof. It brought back the same kind of fond feeling of familiarity and home that she'd experienced when entering the city earlier.

Ochako was surprised when she tried the front door and it was locked. At least Mina had found the front door key. The blinds were all shut, but the lights were on and she knew her friend was expecting her, so she knocked on the window. Almost immediately there was a clicking sound of a key in a lock and the door flung open wide.

"Oh, I am so glad you came Ocha!" Mina swept Ochako into a hug and spun her around, so they switched places. "I know you'll be glad too."

"Eh?"

"So, don't worry – fridge is off – everything is sorted, just have a good evening." Mina winked and kissed her forehead. "It's great to see you back. Don't hate me. I love you!" She reached around the doorway to slam the lights off then skipped away before Ochako could even process what was going on.

"M-Mina?! What's- Mina!" Ochako yelled into the street, cringing as a few passers-by threw her odd looks.

But Mina was gone.

Ochako huffed angrily and puffed out her cheeks as she went back inside the café, intending to turn the lights on and just check the place over, but she stopped mid-step.

"What the…" she breathed. The whole café was covered in strings of fairy lights – even more than usual – winding and twisting over the tables and chairs, dripping over the counter and draped over the plastic planets hanging from the ceiling. Softly glowing spots of silver shone through the darkness and bright lights like stars were being projected onto every surface. Ochako lifted her hands in awe to see the spots of light on her skin. It looked like she'd just fallen into the night sky.

It was beautiful.

She looked around, mouth still open slightly, and noticed the 'stars' were being projected from a glowing ball in the centre of the room.

Ochako softly closed the front door behind her and began to walk over to the projector, wondering why Mina had set this up, when she noticed a figure standing nearby, nearly hidden in the dark shadows cast by the lights.

She yelped in surprise and grabbed a chair, brandishing it in front of her. "Who's there?"

"Ah! N-No- Wait, Ochako, it's okay- it's just me! It's just me!"

She could barely make out the figure that jolted forwards quickly and dropped down to crouch by the projector, but the voice was achingly familiar. She heard a few clicks and the starry lights illuminated the café more brightly, making it so that she could see the figure clearly as he stood up and rubbed the back of his neck.

Ochako replaced the chair slowly.

"Izuku?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was going to say something- but you looked so, um… so pretty standing there and I…"

Ochako wasn't sure who moved first. But within another beat of her heart, so loud in her ears, they had pulled each other into an embrace. She buried her face in his chest, arms tight around his middle, and gripped onto fistfuls of his soft hoodie. His strong arms squeezed her against him, and he lay his head on her shoulder.

Together at last.

It was like everything she'd been feeling for him came crashing through her in waves all at once; that initial spark, gratitude, friendship, fondness, admiration, affection… She'd missed him so much. Though they'd only been apart a few days but her longing to talk to him and be close to him had only grown with each day that passed.

She inhaled deeply and snuggled into his warm embrace. His clothes had picked up the subtle tang of coffee that permanently lingered in the café.

"I thought you had to work tonight," she eventually managed, though it still came out as barely more than a whisper into the soft material of the hoodie over his broad chest.

"I was supposed to be." He turned his head slightly so that his breath tickled the skin on her neck.

She shivered, despite her warmth, and hated that her thick winter coat felt like a barrier between them. She had to resist the urge to just throw it off.

Izuku eventually pulled back gently so that they could look at each other. Silver light kissed the flushed skin of his cheeks, and the projected stars gave him cosmic freckles.

"Someone gave me some good advice. I decided it didn't matter if the universe just kept on keeping us apart. I just needed to t-try harder." He brushed a stray flyaway piece of hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek lightly. "Last time I got you a bouquet of flowers, but this time… this time I got you the stars."

Ochako could feel tears filling her vision and she tried to say something, but her voice stuck in her throat. Something she couldn't identify passed between their shared gaze, intense and powerful, and she had the sudden incredible urge to kiss him. She might even have done it if he hadn't blinked and looked away, a vibrant red blooming strongly across his nose.

"Uh, s-sorry, that was kind of corny…"

His hand drifted away from her cheek.

Ochako shook her head violently, scattering the tear drops she had been desperately holding back, and knew they would be catching the artificial starlight as they finally trickled freely down her cheeks.

"No!" she squeaked. "Nobody has ever said anything like that to me. Ever." She took a steadying breath, hoping it would stop her voice from wobbling so much. "Nobody has ever tried this hard to get to know me and spend time with me. I-I can't believe you'd do all this just for me. All of this, it's beautiful."

Izuku stared long and hard into her eyes, a smile creasing his eyes. "I'm so glad."

He gently wiped her tears and Ochako's stomach flipped like the moment of weightlessness that she loved at the very top of a roller-coaster, just as plunges down the track. She felt like her whole body was being held together by the vibrations of the pulse through her veins.

"Although you did nearly attack me with a chair," he added playfully.

Ochako blushed as she hiccupped and clamped her hands to her mouth. "Ah! I did, didn't I? I'm sorry Izuku, I didn't know it was you." She couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out from behind her hand.

Izuku chuckled along with her. "You know, you always make me smile. I can't understand how I'm the first person who feels this way about you. I think you're… kind of amazing. And so brave." His hand moved from her cheek to ghost over the scar on her forehead. "Look I… I know I'm a bit of a mess really; I'm awkward and I stutter when I'm nervous, I work too much, I never eat properly, and I'm covered in scars… but… I… I just… I really like you Ochako. I want to spend so much more time with you, i-if you'd like to.

"I mean, you don't have to or anything. Just, if you wanted to go out somewhere for a nice meal maybe? Or, um, catch a movie together? Or we could just go to the park or something? But then I guess it's a little too cold to do that right now… Something. Anything. Together. As a couple?" His rambling voice trailed off and he looked steadfastly at the ceiling as he scratched a cheek.

Ochako couldn't even formulate a reply, filled with so many huge emotions, so she simply reached out and pulled him back into her arms. She knew her tears were soaking through the fabric of his hoodie, flowing fast and thick, but she couldn't pull away – she was terrified that she was going to wake up on her couch in her apartment, still there from where she'd thrown herself after getting back from the station.

His arms circled tightly around her.

"You're wrong," she muttered into his chest, "wrong, wrong, wrong. You're the amazing one!" Ochako pulled back and pinched her eyebrows together as she stared hard at his bright green eyes, sparkling with the reflected starlight. "You're not a mess to me. Not at all. You're so cool and sweet and kind. You don't know how much you've inspired me! I really like you! I would love to spend more time with you as a couple. Lots of time!"

Izuku blinked with a surprise so earnest it made her heart ache in her chest. "R-Really?"

He was blushing furiously, and she could feel her own cheeks burning, but she still nodded emphatically.

"Really really!"

Izuku squeezed her close and spun her around like Mina had done, but his strong arms lifted her feet off the ground effortlessly and they spun in a complete circle. She laughed loudly until he replaced her back to the floor.

There were tears in his eyes. She wasn't sure why she found it so endearing that he wore his emotions on his sleeve so much, but it just emphasised how genuine he was, and how adorable it was that he couldn't hide how he felt. Again, something intense passed between them, but again it was broken when Izuku wiped at his watery eyes with the back of his scarred hand and Ochako wiped hers with her coat sleeve.

She shook her head. "Anyway, I'm the one that's the mess. Compared to me, you're really on top of the adulting thing, I promise."

Izuku looked like he was about to disagree, but instead he paused for a moment and then shyly suggested, "Maybe we… can be two barely functioning adults that together… make a really functioning one?"

Ochak's face softened into a smile. "I-I'd like that. Very much."

Izuku beamed at her, his expression tender and almost glowing with happiness, (or maybe it was still the starlight) when he suddenly he tilted his head and held up a finger. "Oh! Just remembered, there's one more surprise."

Ochako blinked as he removed himself from their embrace and vaulted himself with ease over the serving counter. He disappeared behind it and she took the moment alone to scrub at her face with her hands. Could this really… be real? Not a dream?

Joy sang through her veins.

Izuku's head popped up again and he vaulted back over the counter to her. Under one arm was some kind of green folded-up material. He stood a few paces away and flapped the material into the air, laying it gently onto the ground, then gestured at it proudly with a hand.

"After you," Izuku said.

Ochako looked down at the blanket and up at the stars before she understood with a little gasp. The green looked just like grass. As she excitedly lay down, she noticed Izuku move towards the projector and heard a click again as the projected light grew slightly darker, like it was when she first walked in. She made a small sound of surprise as she got the full effect from her position on the blanket – it was even more beautiful than the real night sky; pinpoints of silvery starlight speckled the whole room and the soft glow of fairy-lights lit up the planets hanging from the roof, highlighting their bright colours of blue, pink and purple. It looked like something from a sci-fi movie.

She reached a hand towards the ceiling and she had the sudden dizzying sensation that she would be able to tumble up into it.

Ochako felt a shifting beside her as Izuku settled himself down. Their shoulders touched. She jumped slightly (which was ridiculous because weren't they just hugging and hadn't she kind of wanted to kiss him?) and she reached a hesitant hand over to his. Izuku threaded their fingers together. A blush continued to warm her cheeks.

"I can't believe how pretty this all is!" she said again. "Thank you so much. You must have worked so hard on all of it."

"It was worth it," Izuku whispered softly.

A thought suddenly occurred to Ochako. "Wait, does the Manager know about all this? Us being here after closing. The lights?"

"I actually asked her not long after your parents picked you up – she said it was no problem. At that point I thought I'd got a week to prepare though, and then you came home early, so I had to improvise a little."

"Oops! Sorry!" (She wasn't really.)

"No, don't worry – it worked out better because I had to rope Mina into helping me, and she's scarily efficient," Izuku said fondly. "She kicked out the poor guy already in here doing his job and finished off what he had left, while I set up all the lights. I tasked her with getting you here on short notice and I guess she succeeded."

Ochako snorted a laugh. "Oh, she certainly did."

"And since she's been in on it this time, there's no way she could… you know. So, it all kind of worked out perfectly."

Even though she'd never meant to, Mina had managed to interrupt them three times already, and Ochako knew how bad she felt about it. Izuku asking her for this favour must have seemed like the perfect way to make it up to them.

She'd have to make sure to send her a thank you message later.

"Mm-hm," Ochako hummed in belated agreement, "perfectly."

For a time, they lay in silence, soaking in the atmosphere and the joy of each other's company. Izuku's hand was warm in hers, and she hoped he wouldn't be able to feel the sweat she suspected was starting to collect on her palm. Was there a way of discreetly letting go and wiping the sweat off on her coat then holding his hand again without it being obvious that's what she was doing?... Probably not…

While her ridiculous thoughts raced in time with the beating of her heart a tiny shiver passed through Izuku's shoulder into hers, and Ochako remembered the heating in the café was set to automatically turn off when the last person finished their shift. Her winter coat was keeping her warm – Izuku was only wearing a hoodie. She bolted upright and pulled down the zipper without hesitation.

"You're probably freezing, right? Here, we can both fit under this if I lay it out."

"No, I'm fine, honestly. Don't take off your coat, it's fine- you stay warm!"

"Don't be silly, it can be like a blanket on top of us- oh!" Ochako yelped as she removed it, then immediately crushed it back to her chest. "Oh no. Not again. Not again. Can't believe I forgot."

"Ochako?" Izuku sat up in concern.

She hesitated and then finally groaned in defeat as she slowly pulled the coat away from her chest. "Y'see… I didn't have time to get changed after Mina rang and asked me to come here, so I just threw on a pair of sweatpants and stuck a coat over my pajama top… and I, um, I actually bought it in town after I got my stitches removed." Ochako fidgeted and was unable to look at him. "I saw it in a shop window and it… reminded me of you…" she confessed.

To his credit, Izuku didn't laugh. Instead, Ochako chanced a glance at him and was able to see the force of his blush darkening his cheeks further, even in the dim lowlight.

Her pajama top was a light grey t-shirt with a huge printed image of Deku the cartoon rabbit sleeping right in the centre. Dark green words printed below him read 'Some Bunny Needs Sleep'.

She flapped her hands in front of her face. "I swear I wear normal clothes!"

Izuku laughed and said softly, "You always look p-pretty Ochako, no matter what you wear. I told you before, didn't I? Besides, I think it's… cute. It suits you." His voice was barely more than a whisper.

Ochako ducked her head to hide her blush, and frantically gestured for him to lie back down, so she could cover them both with her coat.

The floor felt even harder on her back without the extra layer between herself and the floor, but feeling Izuku shuffle even closer against her to fit under the makeshift blanket was worth it.

A slightly awkward silence descended on them.

"I made up with my friend from work that I was telling you about," Izuku announced suddenly.

"Really? The one that calls you Deku?"

"Yeah. Well I mean, we kind of got into a bit of a fight first-"

"Huh!?"

"-Oh, fight's probably a bad word for it, nobody threw a punch or anything. Hm, Kacchan punched a wall I guess, and I wanted to- well anyway, it all worked out in the end. I think we could be proper friends again one day, and I even invited him for a drink sometime after work. Same with Shouto and Denki. I was so happy they agreed to it."

"That's amazing Izuku, good for you. In fact, you've told me so much about him- I'd really like to meet Denki one day! And find out who this 'Kacchan' is," she mumbled under her breath.

"I bet Denki would love to meet you too," Izuku continued, unaware of what she'd whispered, "and I know you've already met Shouto, but he's way more relaxed out of work, so that would be fun too."

"Hm," Ochako hummed in a distracted agreement, not really being able to imagine Shouto being relaxed, but added more enthusiastically, "I'm sure you'll have a great time with them."

"I'm looking forward to it. I've never really- had good friends like that. Like you do."

"Wha- But everyone I've met who knows you loves you?" The words tumbled out before she could stop them, since they were entirely true, and Izuku made a small choking sound in reply. It fizzed a joyful emotion in her chest that she wasn't expecting. Did she enjoy getting him flustered?

"Oh yeah," Ochako chirped, changing the topic of conversation for him, "I was going to tell you in our texts the other day that I've decided to ask the manager of this place if I can work towards becoming the manager myself, and maybe buy the place off her one day."

Izuku gripped her hand tightly and rolled onto his side to look at her. "W-What? Ochako that's- I'm so excited for you! That's amazing!"

"You don't think it sounds like an impossible goal?" She turned her head a little, but her body remained facing the ceiling.

Izuku shook his head. "No way! I could see you running this place no sweat. You should go for it. I'll back you up in case she needs convincing. Oh, that kind of came out wrong. I mean, like- in a character reference way. Not in a knuckle cracking way."

Ochako's laughter burst out of her. "'In case she needs convincing'," she grumbled in an artificially deep voice between her laughter.

Izuku joined in and rolled back to face the stars, letting his laughter subside with a happy sigh.

"Really though, if it's something you think the manager would even consider, and it's something you want, you should do it. I don't think anything would stop you." There was admiration in his voice and Ochako blushed at the idea that he could find her worth admiring.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "Well the good thing going for me is that she's already opened… hm- like, thirteen cafés already so-"

"Thirteen?!"

"-Yup. This one is the latest, even though it's been open a few years. All the others have been sold on, so I figure I could ask her if she'll wait for me to be able to afford it until she sells this one. I'd really like to keep it as it is- and she's already told me this one is her favourite- so I think she'll be pretty open to the idea. Plus, she kind of likes me," Ochako babbled. "I can work more hours, though my savings are already pretty good, and I could get a loan for the rest once I've got most of it. She could even rent it out to me if she didn't want to sell it. Though it gets confusing over who is paying who if she'd be paying my wages and I was giving it back in rent… hm…"

"Wow, you've, uh, really thought hard about this huh?"

Ochako shrugged (their shoulders were so close that it made his shrug too.) "There wasn't much else to do back home when everyone was busy."

"Well count me in for being behind you one hundred percent." Izuku punched the air above them with the hand not holding onto hers.

"Thank you, Izuku." Ochako punched her free one into the air too, making them both laugh again.

There was something so easy and comfortable about being around him. Like them being together was just so right.

"I even thought of a name if I did get to buy it- I'd keep everything the same except that. Since the café is called Zero Gravity right now… and my last name is Uraraka… I thought maybe the name Uravity Café would sound cool? Because y'know… combining words, and almost-rhymes. But I don't really know what's cool sounding or not if I'm honest," she finished quickly.

"I love it!" Izuku gasped. "It is cool. Uravity… It sounds like a superhero name. Although I mean, I'm not really the best judge over what's cool either."

Ochako smiled so widely her cheeks hurt. It was the best compliment he could have given her. She'd go for it.

She opened her mouth to tell him that he was cool- but she was feeling shy again and couldn't quite manage it.

The break in the conversation left a long comfortable silence, until Ochako suddenly raised an arm out from under the coat and pointed at a cluster of the lights on the ceiling. "Wow, see that there?"

Izuku jumped a little. "Huh? See what?"

"Just there." Ochako made a show of squinting and tilting her head while she moved her hand in the air. "It's a constellation, see? It's shaped like a rabbit."

For a moment there was absolutely no reaction and she wondered if he'd forgotten what he'd said to her back when she'd first told him about her job. A pang of panic shot through her and she was about to explain that she wasn't crazy, it was just something he'd mentioned to her about fairy lights and constellations, when she noticed him rubbing at his eyes again with his free hand. "I can't believe you remembered," he added, his voice thick with emotion.

"A really cool paramedic I met told me to look for them," she said softly, proud that she had been able to tell him he was cool after all, "definitely not forgettable."

Izuku cleared his throat loudly. "I-I guess that makes it my turn now… Hm- Ah! Wait, see that one little light there…"

"Where?"

"There, there. You can't miss it – it's shaped like a star."

"They're all shaped like stars!" Ochako giggled, lightly bumping her shoulder with his, warmth spreading through her.

"Okay, okay," he laughed, "how about that group of them over there- see that lumpy looking shape? That constellation looks like a spaceship," he announced proudly.

Ochako gasped. "It does!"

She turned her head a little to say something more, just as Izuku did the same, so that they were looking at each other instead of the ceiling. His nose was so close she could count his freckles. Ochako blinked and quickly looked away at the lights above them again. "Y'know, this kind of reminds me of when I was a kid and my parents bought me my first telescope. I mean, it was a bit beaten up and dented, since it was second-hand, but it worked just fine. I loved looking through that thing, but I wasn't very good at spotting real constellations."

"Well, maybe you should get another telescope. And if you can't find the ones in the textbooks, you should just make your own up and write them down. It sounds more fun that way anyway."

"I think I should too… You know what, maybe I will. I could take it up to the roof of the apartment building, I bet that would be a great spot. If I did, we could do this together again one day, but with real stars. Though I think… I'll always prefer the ones you got me." She nodded decisively, committing this night to her memory. This perfect night between the two of them.

Her stars.

Izuku squeezed her hand gently. "I-I'd love to."

Her heart fluttered.

They pointed out a few more 'constellations' to each other before Ochako began to feel the cold from the floor seeping up through her back and couldn't keep from shuffling to try and get comfy. It didn't help much. Izuku noticed and sat up with a concerned smile.

"You look cold," he apologised. "Come on, it's getting late anyway, let's go home."

He removed himself from their blanket, stood up, and held out a hand to her. She took it with a small smile and he effortlessly pulled her upright, while she clutched the coat to her chest.

"Good idea," she yawned, feeling the effects of her day spent travelling and the intense emotions she'd experienced. "But what's going to happen to all of this? Should we take it with us?"

Izuku shook his head and folded up the blanket, stuffing it under his arm again. "No, it's okay. Mina said she's opening the café up tomorrow, so if we put them all in a box, she'll take care of them. The only thing we need to take is this." He picked up the small projector globe and Ochako stifled a giggle as the lights projected strongly onto his skin that close, making him speckled all over with stars. He looked like an alien. He smiled at her and she felt that strange weightless feeling in her stomach again.

"Oh, I'll get the lights so we can see better." Ochako ran the short distance to the light switch for the café and flicked them all on, wincing at the sudden illumination.

They went about the interior, flicking off the strings of pretty fairy lights one by one and wrapping them neatly into a box Izuku had hidden behind the counter.

(She couldn't watch while he stood on a chair to pull down the extra ones from the ceiling.)

When they were finished Izuku handed her a key. "You're probably better to lock this place up than me, since you've done it before."

Ochako nodded. "Oh, many, many times," she said.

The café was in darkness once more as Izuku took the projector out to his car, the box of fairy lights stored safely in the back of the café, and Ochako took a last glance around at the room before she closed the door; remembering how it had looked when Izuku had given her the gift of the night sky itself. She worked there nearly every day, yet it had been transformed into something only they had shared, and she knew that every time she came to work from now on, she'd remember when it had been theirs alone.

The lock clicked firmly into place and she tried the handle experimentally, just to check. Satisfied, she turned back to Izuku, to see him standing beside a small red car. It was as vibrant as his boots. When she trotted over, he opened the passenger door. "Thought you might want a lift, over taking the bus."

"That would be great thanks!" Ochako slid into the car gratefully as Izuku shut the door behind her. She couldn't help but glance in the back as he walked around the car; piles of thick medical books were stacked precariously on the seats, a few crumpled up McDonalds bags among them, a stethoscope was peeking out from under a paramedic jacket, and the green blanket lay across it all as if trying to cover it. (Totally unsuccessfully.) The globe sat on top.

Izuku climbed into the driver's seat and reached over to pull the blanket down further to hide the pile of stuff. "Ah, sorry about the mess," he apologised quickly.

Ochako was amused to find he was the sort of person who abandoned stuff on the backseat of his car, meaning to organise it later and then never got around to it. It was so much fun to learn about him.

"No problem, it's your car after all. Thanks for the lift." She smiled.

Izuku blushed a little. "W-We're going to the same building, so I'm happy to give you a lift home."

For some reason hearing him say 'home' and knowing it meant the same place for them both made her heart beat a little faster. "Well we are up-door, down-door neighbours, right?" The immediate moment the words left her mouth Ochako cringed. (Gods, when was she going to learn how to flirt.)

Izuku only chuckled though. "We sure are," he agreed with feeling.

He turned the engine on and pulled the car away from the café. Ochako watched it disappear around a corner in the side mirror next to her.

She settled into her seat and noticed in her peripheral vision how a flash of light illuminated Izuku's face and then cast it in shadow again each time they drove underneath a streetlamp. He had a strong jawline, she realised as her gaze lingered on him, even though his features were so expressive and soft. His messy green hair and freckles offset the masculine line of his jaw, and he blushed so easily; the pink would dust his nose and cheeks and she'd seen the tips of his ears go pink too, that it gave him an almost boyish quality. Even though they were in their early twenties she could see echoes of the awkward teenager he'd been. She imagined he'd only get even more handsome as he got older.

Ochako didn't realise she had progressed into staring until he coughed lightly, and his eyes flicked over in her direction.

"S-Sorry! Didn't meant to make you uncomfortable – I was just thinking about how good looking you-" Ochako squeaked and waved her hands in front of her face. "-make driving. That's some good looking driving. Really correct and good looking driving."

"O-Oh, uh, thank you," Izuku replied earnestly, while Ochako flailed.

(Good looking driving?!)

Better than admitting she was admiring how good looking he was she supposed, holding in a sigh.

Or maybe that was something couples admitted to each other? … She'd have to ask Mina.

"I was thinking," he said suddenly, eyes still on the road, "that since this night shift is being covered for me tonight, and I've got another night shift tomorrow, I've actually got the day free if you wanted to go out for a coffee? Maybe you could tell me all about your hometown?"

Ochako replied immediately with a bright, "Absolutely! My repeated quest to get signal is its own story. The exciting life and times of what young people will do for signal in the middle of nowhere," she added with a dramatic voice as she wiggled her fingers in the air.

Izuku's laugh made her smile. His green eyes flicked in her direction briefly before they went back to looking at the road ahead. "I can't wait. It sounds hilarious."

"Oh, it is. I'll never forget my mom's face when I said I was going to the bathroom for the third time in half an hour and she caught me standing on the toilet lid with my phone raised above my head like that scene in the Lion King."

They both laughed then, and she never wanted the car ride to end.

She was disappointed when it did.

Izuku pulled into the parking space reserved for his room number and pulled sharply on the handbrake. (It groaned in protest and she wondered if he'd had the car a long time.) She'd not been in the resident car park before, never having owned a car, and had only ever being picked up from the visitor car park, so it provided her with a new angle to a building she had seen many times before. A different way of seeing things.

Izuku reached into the back and picked up the projector while Ochako struggled to unbuckle her seatbelt. The button stuck and she had to violently wiggle the metal clip free. Luckily, he hadn't seemed to notice, so she only jumped out of the car just after he did. (How old was this car?)

"Ready?" he asked her softly.

"Yep."

They both walked into the apartment building together, hand in hand.

Words didn't seem to be necessary anymore.

They went straight to Ochako's room, as Izuku naturally steered them there to be a gentleman and drop her off home first, even though he was only a floor away from her. She hesitated as she opened the door. It was the end of their perfect evening together.

"Oh, nearly forgot, this is for you." Izuku held out the projector to her, with a smile lighting up his face as she took it from him.

"F-For me?"

"They're your stars, right?"

Ochako no longer knew how she could say thank you-

"I'm so lucky," he continued, with a little shake of his head, "that you ended up sleep-walking outside my door that morning."

Oh.

Oh.

Something icy cold threaded through Ochako's veins and a bitter taste rested on her tongue.

She swallowed hard. "I… I…" Her eyebrows pulled together and her mouth pinched into a thin line as she stared at the gift in her hands.

Izuku leaned closer in concern, worry clouding his features instantly. "Ochako? Are you okay? You don't have to take it, I just thought…"

"N-No- that's not- I…You should come in." Ochako shifted the projector into one hand and used the other to gently tug Izuku inside her apartment. She closed the door behind him and fled into her bedroom, catching a flash of his confusion as she went. As soon as she entered her room she threw her coat off onto the bed, placed the projector beside it, and buried her arms into the mess in her still-unpacked suitcase, flinging clothing to the floor as she rummaged through it. Her hand closed onto a small box. She leapt up, her thoughts in as much chaos as her room was, clutched it tightly to her chest, and ran back to Izuku.

His face was lined with concern when she reappeared, a little breathless. He opened his mouth to say something else when she interrupted him.

"Ah, no, please- let me explain first, no interruptions. Please?" Guilt and fear twisted in her gut. They'd had the perfect evening and now she couldn't stop the feeling that she was going to ruin it.

Izuku looked ready to protest; she could see his emotions clearly battling through every micro-expression he made, but he eventually nodded, even though his eyebrows were still drawn together.

Ochako let out a long breath. "I got you a gift too. This is for you." She held out the small box to him like he had just done for her.

He hesitated and tilted his head, his eyes shining with all his unasked questions and concerns. She knew he would be wondering what was going on, but he must have remembered his promise because he simply reached out and took the box.

Ochako nodded encouragingly as he opened it, pulling out an alarm clock. It was a classic rectangular shape, with a bright screen of red numbers, encased in blue plastic. Captain America shields were printed onto the top and sides. Izuku's eyebrows shot up in surprise, clearly not expecting this.

"I got it from the same shop as my Deku pajamas, so I could replace your broken one," Ochako explained. "Because… I need to tell you something about how we met. I've been wanting to tell you for so long, but I was scared that you'd… that you'd think I was a liar. I'd only just met you and I didn't want to be mean to someone who had been so nice to me- especially since I felt like we could become friends. Then I was going to confess about it so many times after that but it just never seemed like the right time and I was falling further into the lie and I didn't want to upset you because I'd seen how kind-hearted you are… and now I can't stand the thought of losing you, but I have to tell you…" She knew she was rambling, but the words wouldn't stop tumbling out of her.

Izuku's expression was unreadable for once as he listened. It only increased her unease, and her heart thumped painfully in her chest.

"I don't sleepwalk," she continued. "I actually came to your apartment to give you a piece of my mind." Ochako thought back to that morning when she'd finally had enough and marched to his room. "Because of your alarm clock," she said quietly, stamping down on the desire to look at the floor. He deserved this to his face.

"My…?"

Despite the interruption, she didn't tell him off for it.

"Every morning at five. The alarm would go off every morning at five. I'm a light sleeper, and I don't go to bed until late, so I was getting about three hours sleep sometimes. Most times. One morning I'd decided to go tackle you about it." She took another deep breath, wringing her hands. "I could hear it as loudly as if it was in my own room – beep, beep, beep," she said softly, her voice trailing away as a lump formed in her throat and tears filled her vision at the heartbroken expression developing on his face.

Izuku looked down at the alarm clock in his hands and then back at Ochako. "That's why you looked like you'd just got out of bed that morning…" His voice was small. "Why you didn't tell me why you were there… Why you slept so long in the hospital after your concussion… Why you've come back from your hometown looking so much better, because you've been getting enough sleep… You've been carrying this around with you… You've been putting up with this because you thought I'd think…"

"I'm sorry, Izuku. I really am. I didn't mean to lie, I really didn't. It just got harder and harder to admit to. When you came up with the idea of sleepwalking I just kind of went along with it. I didn't want to hurt your feelings or make you feel bad, but I guess doing it like this was worse than if I'd have just brought it up at the beginning huh?" Ochako sniffed and clenched her fists to keep her tears from spilling over.

This was where they would part ways then. At least she'd have her stars to remind her of him.

"Ochako, no- no please don't cry. I'm the one that's sorry- you-" Izuku bit his lip and placed his free hand lightly on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't cry," he repeated, his voice cracking.

He leaned his face closer to hers, tilting his head slightly, and her eyes widened as their noses brushed and their lips met softly. Ochako closed her eyes. Her heart was pounding and the butterflies in her stomach flapped wildly. His lips were barely there for a moment before he leant back again. It was a chaste kiss; barely more than a gentle press, but his cheeks were blooming a vibrant shade of pink, and she could feel heat rushing to hers.

Ochako's heart was still beating loudly enough to hear in her own ears. She swallowed, even though her mouth was dry, and couldn't help an involuntary lick of her lips. Something jolted low in her stomach when she realised his gaze was fixed firmly there. She looked away and she heard him clear his throat awkwardly.

(Her first kiss!)

"So, you don't… think I'm a liar and never want to see me again?" Ochako asked with difficulty, hoping that her first kiss wasn't a kiss goodbye.

"O-Of course not! N-No way!"

Ochako looked back at him, hopeful.

"I just feel so bad," Izuku explained, "that you've been having such a tough time because of me. I knew my alarm had been broken for a while – the volume control won't work. But I've been ignoring it, and I never even considered until recently that it might be a problem for anyone else. Nobody has ever mentioned it to me, so I guess I just thought it was fine. I should have changed it as soon as it broke, I'm so sorry!" He waved a distressed hand.

Ochako flapped hers energetically in response. "No, I shouldn't have got to the point where I had to march down to your room and demand you do something about it! I should have just gone and told you right away like a normal person. And then I should have just explained when I got the chance!"

"But you were just trying to spare my feelings and be a nice person! I can't believe you thought I'd think you were a liar and never want to see you again, when this was all my fault to begin with."

"No, no! I knew you'd feel really bad about it, that's why I couldn't tell you about it! Please don't feel bad."

There was a tiny pause and Ochako suddenly bowed her head down and clamped a hand over her mouth to hide the smile she could feel twitching at the corners of her lips and hoped to hold in the laughter threatening to bubble out of her. She realised that she'd well and truly predicted that they were just going to end up apologising back and forth like idiots and couldn't help but find it funny.

Now was not the time for her terrible sense of humour to emerge.

Instead she heard a loud snort from Izuku and looked up to see him shaking with the force of containing his laughter.

Ochako just about managed to speak between giggles, "We are… so weird… I can't believe… we've found each other…"

Izuku burst out with a force of laughter at that and Ochako couldn't hold her own in any longer. They laughed until they were both gasping for breath. Ochako waved her hands frantically in the air as she tried to get her breath back, while Izuku clutched his stomach and wheezed, the sound was loud and raucous and full of joy and something deeper than affection and friendship.

"I-I think we might be perfect for each other," Izuku said breathlessly after their laughter had subsided.

The smile on her face was tender as she tried to pour all the warmth she felt in her chest into her expression and voice as she replied, "I think you're right." She lifted her chin playfully. "Y'know, actually, I'm actually glad your alarm clock was broken. Or we'd have never met."

"Then it was worth it, just for that." Izuku's smile echoed back to her exactly what she felt inside, and his green eyes sparkled like they were still full of the starlight from the café. "Thank you for a perfect evening- and for the new alarm clock," he added.

Ochako felt a pang at realising this was him beginning to say goodnight. It was getting late. They needed to part at some point, even though she'd had such a great evening that she didn't want to end. She struggled to remember that she'd started the morning in the countryside, travelled across the country, and she was here with Izuku now, in her apartment, having told him the truth and it was okay. She felt silly for ever thinking it would put a wedge between them. He'd felt bad, sure, but so had she. And ultimately, the way it worked out had been for the best in the end. So, what was there to feel bad about?

Ochako closed her eyes and shook her head slightly at her own thoughts, a smile still on her face.

Suddenly she felt a hand slip under her chin and angle her head up. Her heart skipped as his face inched closer to her own – she could feel his breath on her lips. They were so close, and her pulse was so loud in her head, that she barely registered the sound of the alarm clock falling from his hand to the carpet with a soft thud-

BEEP BEEP BEEP

They both yelped and sprang apart, scrambling down to the floor to turn it off – at the same time. Their heads bumped together and Ochako squeaked.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

She leaned back with an apology while Izuku slammed a hand on the Captain America shield on the top of the alarm, turning it off. They both sighed in their places on the carpet.

Izuku gave a weak, nervous laugh in the silence. "W-Well, at least we know it works, and it's not too loud at all. Sorry, you okay?"

She stood straight and patted her chest. "Mm, fine, just my poor heart racing from the surprise. I don't think Doctor Todoroki would have been impressed if I'd turned up at the hospital again with another concussion." She held out a hand for him and he took it.

"Trying to come up with an explanation for that one would have been funny," Izuku acknowledged with a smile, as she helped him up. He was clutching the alarm clock firmly in his other hand. "Just remember, if it really has knocked you about, please do go to the hospital. You did have a nasty head wound not too long ago, okay."

Ochako nodded solemnly, amused at how quickly his professional side could emerge. "Don't worry, if I need it, my down-door neighbour has these magic bags of frozen peas I can use as an ice-pack…"

Izuku gasped dramatically and groaned while Ochako chuckled.

There was a tiny moment of silence where Ochako wondered if he was going to try and kiss her again. She held her breath, about to move forward and capture his lips with her own anyway, when he mumbled about how it was getting late. She agreed with a small smile, despite the stab of disappointment ringing through her bones, and let him out of her door, following him into the corridor.

"Thank you again for this evening Izuku. It's been… so special." It was hard to sum up everything that had happened into a word, and even 'special' didn't feel like it was enough. But it would have to do.

Izuku paused again, uncertainty shining from his eyes. "It's been a… r-really amazing evening. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. Let's go somewhere nice, you pick!"

"Definitely!"

They both hesitated, then he scratched a cheek and began to walk away from her door, moving backwards so he could still see her as he went down the corridor. "Goodnight Ochako," he called softly.

"Goodnight, Izuku- see you tomorrow!" Ochako waved energetically. She was reminded strongly of the first time they'd met, though that had been in the corridor below them.

She continued to wave until he'd disappeared through the door into the stairwell.

Ochako inhaled and exhaled the biggest breath she could fit into her lungs. She didn't even know how to unpack what she was feeling. Her smile hurt her cheeks and her chest felt so overwhelmed by emotion she wondered how she could possibly contain it all. She felt giddy. Her hands went to her cheeks and she laughed to nobody.

Her door closed behind her with a click as she returned to her apartment and she leant her back against it.

What a day…

Ochako was about to retrieve her phone from her coat pocket and text Izuku to thank him again, when a knock right behind her made her jump. Was that her door?

Had Izuku forgotten something?

Ochako reopened her door to see Izuku standing with one hand braced on her doorframe, gasping for breath. He no longer had his alarm clock.

"Ah- Izuku? Are you okay?"

Without saying a word, he reached both hands to her and threaded them through her hair, closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers. He was already out of breath so he kissed her hungrily, as if he could steal hers. (He did.) Their mouths moved together in a clumsy, inexperienced rhythm, but it was frenetic and charged and passionate and it didn't matter. She tilted her head without thinking, so that they could press their bodies even closer, and wound her arms around the back of his neck. His body was so warm and firm. She pushed her fingertips into his messy hair at the base of his skull and he sucked in a sharp breath that she felt between their kisses.

Finally losing his battle over the need for oxygen, Izuku tilted her head higher with a gentle hand and kissed the soft skin between her neck and her shoulder before he rested his forehead there, breathing heavily.

Despite not running anywhere she was just as breathless.

"F-Forgot something," he whispered into her skin.

Her whole body shivered.

"G-Glad you came back for it then," she whispered back boldly, even though her cheeks and nose were warmer than she'd ever felt them, heat pulsed low in her stomach and her heart was hammering in her chest.

"I'm really going this time," he said with a smile, peeling away from her slowly, reluctantly. "Get some rest, goodnight Ochako."

(Cute that he thought she'd be getting much rest after that.)

His eyes were bright and so so green as he looked at her, pink almost obscured the freckles on his cheeks, and she could see pink on the tips of his ears. She nearly grabbed him back to her. Instead she swallowed, smiled, and said, "You too. Goodnight."

By the time she'd waved him off again and gone back into her room she threw herself onto her couch with wobbly legs and screeched into a pillow, hoping none of the neighbours would be able to hear.

He was the most amazing person she'd ever met.

And she owed it all to that infuriating broken alarm clock.

She had a new future that she was working towards now, and she knew she wouldn't be doing it alone. But she'd be there for him too, cheering him on. They'd be a team. Together.

She couldn't wait for their lunch date.

She supposed they'd maybe done their passionate kiss a little too soon if they hadn't even gone on an official date yet… She blushed strongly at the memory of his lips on hers and the feel of his body pressed tightly to her.

Though she had to admit, despite not being on an 'official date' he had seen her in various states of undress, she'd cooked him dinner, he'd cradled her bruised, unconscious body and he'd given her the literal stars as a gift before they'd 'stargazed' together.

Ochako huffed in amusement and hugged the pillow to her chest. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders in so many ways, and now she was full to the brim with an optimistic energy; something that felt like life and love.

She hoped Izuku liked his new alarm clock. She'd have to ask him over lunch. The thought made her smile.

Maybe she'd even sleep in a little tomorrow.