The air is cold in Musutafu, winter striking full force this time of year. And what time of year was it? Christmas of course!

This just so happened to be Ochako's favorite time of year. She loved everything about it, from the crisp crunch of leaves on the ground, to her warm breath mingling with the cold to create a puff of steam. But her favorite part was always seeing the smiling faces of her friends. She had always loved seeing the joy of others, but something about the holidays made the feeling so much sweeter.

At the moment, she was walking down the streets of the city with her best friends Deku and Iida. They were all dressed in their best winter wear, toboggans, mittens, even ear muffs. They're walking home, having been permitted to spend Christmas with their families, though they had still made plans to meet up with everyone and celebrate tomorrow.

They're having a pleasant conversation, talking about what they plan on doing once they reach their homes, how excited they were to see their families, what they were planning on getting their friends, and their lives in general.

"I cannot wait to see Tensei again. Mother told me his physical therapy was going slow, but he is making progress. We're hoping he'll be walking again by next year." Iida shares with his companions, his small yet optimistic smile breaking through.

"That's great Iida!" Deku says, his shining smile making Iida's grow.

"What about you Midoriya? How is your family?" Iida asks, getting Ochako"s interest.

"You know, you really don't talk about your family much Deku. How are you guys?" She inquires, also smiling.

"Me and my mom are doing well. She still worries too much but that isn't surprising. It's basically her second quirk! And dad... Mom says that dad calls sometimes to wish us a merry Christmas... but he hasn't done that in a while. I hope he calls but, I'm not getting my hopes up." Deku states in a whisper. Iida and Ochako quickly drop their smiles, and Ochako opens her mouth to say something, but he stops her. 

"Look, it was years ago. I don't really care that he doesn't have time to make a phone call. Besides, it's Christmas! Let's not ruin the mood just because of me." He states with a small smile. They don't believe him, but... it has to be hard for him, and if he doesn't want to share, then it's none of their business. He turns to Ochako.

"So how's everything for you Uraraka?" He smiles as he asks, and she smiles back, the dark cloud on their conversation momentarily dissipated. 

"It's great! Mom and Dad got a bonus for Christmas that'll last for a month at least!" She said it happily, but inside she hated it. 

She was fine without receiving a present; In fact, she rarely received gifts because of their financial problems. Her parents were still struggling, and while Ochako living at Heights Alliance helped them save a bit of money, they were still struggling to stay above water. When she became a hero, she would make sure they never live paycheck to paycheck ever again.

Looking up, they reached a familiar fork in their path. Iida's time to take the opposite path and head to his home.

"I must take my leave now friends. I shall see you both tomorrow, yes?" He asks while bowing, formal as ever.

They both respond by laughing at him for a full 15 seconds, before affirming to him they would be there. And with that, he left, leaving the 2 of them alone.

Their walk was... quiet without Iida. Deku walked robotically, with a thoughtful look on his face. Maybe he was thinking of something to say? And why wasn't she saying anything? 

Well... she really didn't know why. She was usually pretty good with conversation, but whenever it came down to just him and her, she found herself to be silent, and he was the same (minus being good at conversation.)

It continued like this for a few minutes, and in a few more minutes, they'd be approaching Deku's apartment. 

And then they were there. This wasn't the first time they had done this, but it still felt just as uncomfortable. She turned around to say goodbye when she realized he wasn't walking inside yet like he always was on days like these. Instead, he was standing just opposite of her.

"Uhh Uraraka, will you- would you mind-... man I shouldn't have waited so long." He completely fails at what he was going to say. Uraraka had a good laugh, but it was partly to give him time to prepare.

"Okay okay. Will... would you mind hanging out with me later tonight?" He asked softly. Uraraka felt cheeks warm as he finished, and now her laughter felt a bit less justified.

"Oh... sure, but why didn't you ask when Iida was with us? He probably would've loved to join." 

"...Because I only wanted to do this with you." He answered honestly. 

"O-Okay. Well still yes!" She exclaimed, not missing this chance. Deku was also clearly excited.

"That's great. Ok, c-can you meet me here at 7? I don't know where your place is." 

"Hehe, no problem. So what, is this like a date or something?" She said jokingly, but she still found herself hoping for a certain answer. It was now Deku's turn to blush.

"UHM! WELL- I MEAN ONE COULD SEE IT AS A DATE BUT - but it doesn't have to be! It can be just 2 friends enjoying the night!" He said while waving his arms.

.........

.........

Screw it. That works.

"Okay, see you at 7!" She said before taking off.

- 7 -

They met up at his place, just as they had agreed. Deku had said he wanted to take her to a place he went to a lot during his younger days. And she was happy to follow along, still unsure of the night could lead. 

They walked for a good 10 minutes, the awkward silence from the afternoon thankfully gone completely. They talked so much the walk felt like 10 seconds. And when they reached the place Deku wanted to take her, she recognized it pretty quickly.

It was a park that during Christmas, would become like a small market space, with stands for toys, snacks, games, and so much more. Not to mention the giant and beautiful Christmas tree in the center, lighting the park in a brilliant red, white, and green. Her family used to come here often, but ever since she had the dream of becoming a hero, it had been somewhat forgotten. But being here again sparked a warm feeling in her chest as the memories of concentrated joy came back.

"Deku this place is great!" She yelled to him, unable to control her volume. It was fine though, as the small crowd was still quite loud.

"You've been here?" He said looking down at her. She nodded her head lightly before looking turning to face him. 

"Yeah, I love this place! My family and I came here a lot when I was a kid. It's been a while since I've been here though."

"Same here. Well, let's go already!" He said while smiling, jogging ahead into the entrance, her following shortly behind.

For a good few hours, they did nothing but run around like cats chasing a laser pointer. Whatever piqued their curiosity, they were at it within moments. Deku had gotten a bit of money from his mother, as well as some he had saved himself, and he made it his goal to have as much fun as possible. The two played the many carnival-like games, never winning a single time, but they never cared. 

They stopped at a small food stand, and while Uraraka was a bit concerned with the amount of money they were spending, Deku assured her it was fine. Also, he bought her mochi, and that made it less worrying. How? Because it did okay?

And finally, after everything, they stood staring at the tree. A nice calm moment after the uncontrolled storm of energy they had just released. She looked at Deku, hoping to see his smiling face. Instead, she saw just how shiny his eyes were. His cheeks too, the lights bouncing off them much brighter than the rest of his face. She knew something was wrong. Deku cried a lot, but it was always a comically large amount of tears. Rarely had he been so restrained.

"You... you weren't telling the truth earlier, were you?" She asked, referring to their afternoon talk when he had spoken of his father. She had pieced it together correctly.

"N-No. I wasn't." He said as a light sob broke his voice.

"All I've wanted for a few years now was his call. To hear him again. I hope and hope and I'm always let down." He said, shoulders trembling. She had seen him in pain before, but never this much. Never this kind. She didn't know what to do, so she did what her parents did when she was sad; She reached her arm down and lightly grabbed his gloved fingers with her own. She was relieved when he curled around her slightly.

"You know, my favorite thing about Christmas is the lights. It reminds me of the last time my dad was here to celebrate it with us. I was too small to reach the tree, so he and Mom picked me up and let me string the lights. Every time I think of Dad I think of that day, and I hope we can do it again someday. I'll be a bit bigger then but still." He shared, a sad but hopeful smile gracing his features. 

She smiled back.

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The two were walking back now, and she could tell just how much lighter he was. In a few moments, they would be at the fork where she would turn off and return home, but she still had a question she had yet to ask. A burning question that needed an answer.

"Hey Deku?"

"Yeah?" 

"How did you see this?"

"Huh?"

"You said one could see this as a date but it doesn't have to be. How did you see it?" She was lightly blushing, trying her best to keep her composure. Deku on the other hand was entirely red, yet still silent, not stuttering and flailing wildly like usual.

"I... I uhhh..." He stopped to take a breath.

"I looked at it as a date." He whispered, just enough volume to be heard.

She smiled outside, but inside, she screamed in joy.

For she had too.

"Why didn't you just ask me out then?"

"It wasn't as scary when I said hang out." He admitted. She giggled at him, but she knew if the tables were turned, she would feel the same.

"Well you know what?" She asked, preparing her next statement.

"What?" He asked, still a bit red.

"...I still would've said yes." She said quietly, making them both go red and look away. And yet, neither of them could stop smiling. 

They reached the fork, standing under the light of a street lamp, and faced each other. Just before they could say their goodbye's however, they noticed a strange shadow below them. As they looked up, their eyes went wide.

Mistletoe. 

They both started waving their arms frantically. They knew what standing under the mistletoe meant, but they didn't know how the other felt. They didn't know if the night was going to end this way, but this paradoxically made it seem impossible. 

 As they calmed down, she heard the last thing he blurted out in his nervous state.

"W-We don't have to! I mean, I don't NOT want to but that's ju-" She knew what he was implying, and while she knew most girls would let him make the move, she also knew how unsure of himself Deku was. So, she decided to give him a little nudge. Stopping his sentence, she said her piece.

"Well, I don't NOT want to either." It stunned him. He didn't know how to react yet, so he just stood, mouth slightly agape. 

But he figured it out soon enough, as he started leaning in. She smiled and did the same. Just as nervous as him, she mirrored his movements. As they got closer, their eyes closed as their lips met. They were cold and almost numb, and yet it was the warmest she had ever felt. It was clumsy, neither of them used to such a thing. They held their kiss for a few moments before separating, their eyes still closed, and their distance still close to one another.

And then, he moved in and kissed her again. She did the same, her lips slowly moving in an attempt to match his. She felt his cold fingers lightly skate across her cheek before cupping it, and she instantly placed her hand over his. When had he taken his gloves off? She didn't care, as even though his hand was cold, it lit her up like a, well, Christmas tree.

And after a moment that felt far too soon, they finally separated again, this time leaning away to look at each other. They were smiling as wide as they could.

"Soooo, I'll see you tomorrow?" Deku asked shyly, not quite believing what just happened.

"Definitely." She responded simply.

And with that, they went home, already missing the warmth they had felt moments ago.

The next day came quickly and as 1-A met up... it was kinda awkward with Deku and Ochako. The class didn't pay it much mind as they decided to go somewhere to have fun, Todoroki and Momo offering to pay, for obvious reasons. And coincidentally, they ended up at the park they were at the night before. 

While everyone was gushing over the place, Deku made his way to a small bench with a view of the massive tree.

He smiled as he scrutinized it, burning every detail into his head when he noticed he wasn't alone. He turned to look beside him and saw none other than Ochako, who had also turned and smiled at him. This time he didn't feel nervous as he smiled back.

Slowly she placed her hand over his, excluding her pinky. He didn't move yet; Sitting motionlessly and staring into her eyes, searching for something. Permission, maybe? Whatever it was, he found it as he turned his hand over and locked it together with hers.

Ochako always loved Christmas.

And now, she loved the lights too.