Uraraka stood waiting for Deku to show up. It was Friday and he texted her earlier that week that he had arranged with All Might and he would be there by ten. She sat down on the blanket and looked at her phone. 21:58. She sat up straight and waited patiently. A few more minutes passed and still nothing. She picked up her phone and typed out a text asking if he was still coming, he didn't reply and she sighed standing up and walking into the room. She opened the door and walked over to Deku's room and knocked on the door. She heard some shuffling before the door swung open and a sleepy, scruffy looking Deku looked at her. He was wearing his pyjamas and the lights in his room were off. When he saw her his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
"Uraraka!" he gasped.
"Did you forget?" she asked quietly.
"I did! I'm so sorry! I was training with Iida and when I got back I was so tired and I passed out! It completely wiped from my memory!" he said his voice shaky.
"It's okay, we can reschedule for tomorrow," she smiled and started to walk away.
"Wait!" he called behind her, she turned around and looked at him. "Give me 5 minutes!" he said closing the door. She stood there unsure as to what was happening, a few minutes later Deku opened the door, dressed. "Okay, let's go," he smiled walking past her to her room.
"But-"
"I wasn't going to stand you up, and I don't want to bail on you," he grinned and grabbed her hand, leading her to her room. She blushed at his sweetness and followed without a fight. She opened the door and he walked in without saying a word. She followed and watched as he looked around. They walked to the balcony and she heard him gasp suddenly.

"You-you did all of this?" He asked not taking his eyes off the scenery in front of him. There was a large blanket on the floor of the balcony, a basket in the middle of it and flowers all around the blanket. She had placed candles around the blanket and decorated with more flowers around them. He turned to look at her, and she nodded. She looked down at her outfit bashfully. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a top that Mina lent her. It was a soft blue, with small white lines going down diagonally. He placed his forefinger and thumb under her chin and lifted her face to look at him. She looked into his green eyes and felt the involuntary blush creep up her neck onto her face. Deku's face was soft, and his eyes only looked at her. She saw his eyes flick to her lips before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled away and smiled at her.
"You truly are amazing," he whispered, causing her eyes to widen, a smile playing on her lips.
"It's nothing really Deku," she mumbled. He shook his head and reached his free hand to her cheek, both moving to cup her face.
"No, it's not nothing, it's everything, it's amazing, it's the most amazing thing in the world," he said before shrugging his shoulders. "and the picnic set up is great too," He winked, the blush engulfing her face. He placed another soft kiss on her lips before letting go of her face and grabbing her hand, leading her to the blanket. He sat down and patted the spot next to him gesturing for her to sit. She complied sitting cross-legged next to him. She leaned forward and opened the basket pulling out sandwiches, rice balls, some sushi and a few sweet pastries, one being mochi ice cream. She placed them on the blanket and gestured for him to eat. She handed him chopsticks and took her pair and picked up a piece of sushi and dipped it in some soy sauce she poured. She placed it in her mouth and ate it. It was silent between the two of them for a bit until she heard Deku moan. She whipped her head around to look at the boy. His eyes were wide and his mouth was full. He looked as if he were about to cry. He had his chopsticks I'm his hand, she tilted her head to look at him while he chewed, waiting for an answer.

"Did you make all of this??" He asked when he had finished. His eyes still wide.
"Most of it, I bought the mochi and the sushi with fish in it and a few other pastries but everything else is my own doing," she blushed.
"Marry me!" He blurted out and a blush flew over both of them. "It's just that... You're a really good cook and you make really nice food. If you were to marry me later on, I'd never let anyone else cook ever, not in a sexist way or anything..." He stuttered and fell over his words. She giggled and smiled at him.
"Try these," she picked up a cookie and handed it to him. He took a bite and his face did it again. "I made these," she grinned. "Momo helped with the recipe and Todoroki and Bakugou taste tested them since they happened to be passing by," she smiled. Deku's face changed for a split second, but it was gone before she could read it.
"It's amazing, Ochaco!" He grinned. They ate more of the food, demolishing almost all of the food in the process. And while they ate they spoke about random things and romantic things. She felt at ease around him but her heartbeat wouldn't slow down. The butterflies wouldn't stop fluttering in her stomach and her mind raced. Once they had finished they started talking about movies and manga.

"Come on, you can't say your quirk isn't super OP, you're like that one manga character who can destroy anything with one punch!" She giggled.
"I don't have a bald head or an android sidekick though!" He said, laughing along.
"Not yet you don't!" She smiled, booping his nose. He blushed at the contact but returned the gesture. She giggled at the gesture, and he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the tip of her nose causing her to blush. He leaned in, their lips a centimetre apart when his phone rang loudly. She heard him sigh and felt him move away. She opened her eyes and saw him looking down at his phone.
"Is everything okay?" she asked softly.
"Yeah everything's fine, I just got a message from a friend," he smiled looking up at her. He leaned in again and placed a soft peck on her lips. "I should probably get going, it's late," he whispered.
"You could stay?" she said. She wasn't sure what she was implying, but she would figure it out.
"We could get into trouble," he whispered, his face was close to hers and his eyes were low.
"I'll lock the door," she whispered back before closing the gap between them, the kiss got heated quickly and before she knew it, she was straddling him. He clung to her shirt and she had her fingers in his hair, their tongues fighting for dominance. He moved his hand under her thighs and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around him and he walked into the dorm room and laid her down the bed. He broke the kiss and looked at her lovingly in her eyes.

"I don't want to go too fast," he whispered. She nodded a slight pang of disappointment in her in the heart. She wiggled out from under him causing him to stand up. "I'm sorry, I just don't want it to be special is all," he said softly. She nodded sitting up on her bed.
"Well thank you for coming tonight, I'm sorry about the fight between you and Bakugou, I started it, and I hope this made up for it," she smiled. He leaned down and kissed her softly.
"I should probably get going," he said. She walked him to the door and said goodnight. She didn't stop smiling until she closed the door. Her face fell when she was alone. She felt like something was missing. She couldn't pin it, she turned her head to the side to see her calendar hung nicely on her cupboard door. The 5th of December, 20 days till Christmas, and only 22 days till her birthday. She walked over to it and struck a mark through the 5th. Another day done, and another step closer to 2021, the term was coming to a close. She'd be 18 soon, an adult. She stripped and climbed into her normal PJ's and cleaned up, blew out the candles and folded up the blankets, before climbing into bed.

~

'Hey, you done any Christmas shopping yet?'

'No, I still have time,'

'Uh no not really! You guys have exams on Friday!'

'13 days is enough to get things done,'

'Keep telling yourself that! Oh, how did the project with Katsuki go?'

'Oh we got full marks for it, the interview really helped!'

'And Katsuki's punishment essay?'

'He gave it in after I demanded to proofread it, he did pretty well,'

'That's great! I heard from a few little birdies that your birthday is coming up soon too?'

'Yep, two days after Christmas,'

'Lucky! You get extra presents!'

'Not really, since my family isn't very well off I usually only get Christmas presents, they double as birthday gifts too,'

'Oh! Okay, I guess that works anyway, but this year you'll be getting an extra one from me! And you're coming shopping with me and my idiot little brother tomorrow, with a few friends if you wish, but there's no getting out of it!'

'I guess I don't have much choice do I?'

'Nope! Make your list now cause you gotta buy gifts for people and I will help with funds, I have literally nothing else to do with the extra cash I get from the cafe,'

Ochaco sighed and giggled. She placed her phone down on the bed, getting up to get some paper and a pen from her desk. She wrote down what she needed to buy for her friends. She had been saving up to buy gifts for everyone, she even wrote down what to get Bakugou, she had one gift for every one of her friends and class members. She got up and walked out into the common room. She scanned the room for the pink haired girl. She spotted her talking to Hagakure. She walked up to the two girls.
"Hi Mina, Toru," she smiled,
"Hey!" they greeted in unison.
"Woah, calm down creepy twins!" she giggled, "you guys doing anything tomorrow?"
"No not really," Toru shrugged,
"I don't think I am either,"
"Great! Wanna come shopping with me? Kasumi invited me to go shopping with her and I don't wanna go alone,"
"I don't mind coming with," Toru said, "I've been meaning to get you-know-who a gift," she said, they could hear the blush in her voice.
"Oh right! I forgot about getting them gifts!" Mina gasped.
"Okay explain?" Ochaco asked.

"Hey what are you girls talking about?" a cheerful voice asked. They turned to see Kaminari grinning goofily at the three of them with a Santa hat on.
"Hey idiot!" a voice called behind him. "You know it's not even close to Christmas don't you?" Bakugou scoffed and grabbed the hat off his head. Kaminari and Bakugou argued about it, Kaminari wailing about something. Mina grabbed Ochaco's arm and dragged her away to a quiet spot.
"Well, since last year, since Toru turned 17 we've made this agreement with the girls, that we'd get a Christmas gift for the boys we thought were our red string and if we didn't know, for the guy we wanted it to be," Mina explained.
"Why wasn't I in on this?"
"Because you were 16 the whole of last year until after Christmas, so we didn't wanna torment you," she explained, "we all sent you a gift to make up for not telling you,"
"Oh that's where all the anonymous presents were from," she waggled her eyebrows. "So who are you guys getting gifts for?"
"Mina's giving one to Kirishima, and I'm giving one to Ojiro," Toru whispered.
"So do you want in this year?" Mina asked in the same hushed tone,
"Yeah sure," Ochaco grinned, "Who else is involved?"
"Kendo, from class 3B, Momo, Kyoka, and us, Tsyuu didn't want in, but maybe this year we can convince her!" Mina explained. "And now you," she grinned.
"Well I'll meet you here tomorrow, I'll let you know what time," Ochaco grinned.
"I'll bring Kendo and the other girls with!" Mina grinned. Ochaco spoke with them about some other girly things and eventually decided to go to bed. She walked to her calendar and crossed off the 11th. She wasn't sure if she was mentally prepared for the next day.

~

"Oh my God, that's so cute!" Kasumi squealed in the shop.
"I agree!" Ochaco gushed back. They were staring at a monster plush from a manga. They had walked into a shop dedicated to them, and since Kasumi wanted to get a gift for someone important she thought it would be the best place to get it. Ochaco looked around some more and saw a yellow plush with a lightning bolt tail and a few brown stripes everywhere, she picked it up and looked at it, it had a cute face and bunny ears.
"This one kinda reminds me of Kaminari when he short circuits," Ochaco giggled.
"Oh and wanna know what's better?" Kasumi said behind her, " it's an electric type," she giggled, causing Ochaco to burst into laughter.
"Even better!" she laughed. Kasumi took a small version of the plush, and a few others and went to pay for them. A few minutes later they were back on the streets with the group. Kyoka, Kendo and Momo were walking together looking through the windows. Mina and Toru walked next to Bakugou, they were talking to him about something and for once, he wasn't yelling. Instead, he listened intently. Tsyuu and Ochaco walked at the front with Kasumi. Almost everyone had bags with them, Kasumi had Bakugou carry half of hers. Ochaco also had a few bags.
"Okay, guys!" Kasumi said stopping at a restaurant, "If you guys need to get more gifts then you guys can go grab some, I know about this bet you guys have, and I'll meet you guys here when you're done, and I'll handle the bill here." she said and walked inside. Tsyuu and Ochaco walked away as the rest of the group scattered.

"Are you gonna be part of this bet thing that Mina and Toru suggested?" Ochaco asked.
"I am, only because I figured out who he is, ribbit" Tsyuu said shyly.
"Who?" Ochaco exclaimed.
"I think it's Fumikage,"
"No way!" she gasped.
"It's just a hunch, I don't even have any proof," she shrugged. They walked into a small ornament shop. They looked around the store until they stumbled on a unique tree ornament. It was a glass swallow. It had some glitter on its back and spread out wings. She called Tsyuu to look at it.
"Maybe this?" she said but Tsyuu had already picked it up and was walking to the counter with it. She paid for it as Ochaco looked around some more. She found a glass candle ornament with a smile on it, it had a gold flame on it and was painted white, she picked it up and bought it, for no one, in particular, she just liked it. She paid and they left, moving onto the next store, a novelty store, it had random objects and items. They looked around a bit and she wasn't sure who to get a gift for.

"You okay?" Tsyuu asked placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I just have a problem, I'm not sure who my string is,"
"Then get one for Midoriya, you like him don't you?"
"Yeah, but it's not that simple, I have a choice of three,"
"What do you mean? Ribbit," she asked.
"I had a bruise under my eye the other day when they fought, I noticed Deku, Kirishima and Bakugou had the exact same cut too, meaning its one of the three," she hung her head and sighed.
"Oh, I see, well why not get one for each of them," Tsyuu said. Ochaco jolted her head up and looked at her friend.
"But..."
"It's anonymous right? They won't know who sent it," Tsyuu shrugged.
"I guess it could work," she said sceptically. She looked around the shop and her eyes landed on a small keyring. She walked over to it and picked it up. It was a red boxing glove. She smiled at the gift and showed Tsyuu. It was perfect for Kirishima. Tsyuu smiled at her and they walked around some more. She saw a teddy bear with a green bow tie, it wasn't very big, it was relatively small for a teddy bear but it was perfect for Deku. She found a necklace with a cute pendant on it and picked it up without Tsyuu's knowledge, and they kept hunting for a gift for the bomb boy. They looked and looked but they couldn't see anything.
"I guess that's a bust," Ochaco sighed. They walked to the counter. "Hey, can you wait for me outside?"
"Sure," she smiled and Tsyuu left the shop.
"Can you please gift wrap this?" she asked the clerk and he obliged, Ochaco walked out a few minutes later with the presents in the bag. "Okay, let's go!" They started to walk to the restaurant. Once they arrived they could hear Mina squealing. They made their way to the large table and sat down, placing their bags under the table.

"What's all the commotion?"
"Bakugou joined in on our little bet, and we just saw his gift,"
"What is it?"
"I don't wanna talk about this anymore," he huffed and looked away.
"It was super cute though, really romantic,"
"I'm surprised that my little brother even has an ounce of romance in him though, maybe this girl changed you, little bro," Kasumi elbowed him. He growled a curse at her. Ochaco stifled a giggle, but it didn't work and she got a look from Bakugou. It wasn't one of anger, not really, more of bewilderment and scepticism, she didn't know what to think so she turned her eyes away. The rest of the group filled in soon after and they all ordered lunch.

"Are we putting our gifts under the dorm tree?" Ochaco asked when she had finished chewing.
"I think that's a great idea!" Momo exclaimed!
"I like it!"
"Well speaking of amazing ideas, Mina came up with a good idea earlier,"
"What idea?" Kendo asked, before taking a sip of her hot chocolate. It had started to get significantly colder lately.
"Why don't we have a Christmas ball this year, for all the third years?" Mina exclaimed.
"And how would we set it up so late in December?" Bakugou spat.
"Well that's where Kasumi said she'd step in, she's on good terms with all the third year teachers, and principle Nezu knows her well," she said
"I like the idea, we can get all the classes in on it and everyone can help with set up and then have it on Christmas eve," Momo clapped her hands. Pretty soon everyone was giving suggestions, everyone except Bakugou.
"Everyone has to dress up fancy! No half-assing it!" Ochaco chipped in.
"Then we'll get a group of students who can cook and we'll all make snacks in the dorm kitchen the night before, and we'll all pitch in on the decorating of the hall and the girls will go dress shopping!" Momo said gleefully. And it was decided that day, December 12th 2020 that the classes of the 3rd year would have a Christmas Eve ball.