"YOᑌᖇ ᐯOIᑕE Iᔕ ᑎOᗯ ᗰY ᖴᗩᐯOᖇITE ᔕOᑌᑎᗪ."

That day Ochako couldn't stop the feeling of anxiousness dictating her every move. She was always checking behind her, even though she knew it was safe in the school... but was it really?

Nightmare had managed to get past the security somehow, and almost put the entire school to sleep. She had wondered if it had taken a toll on him, but with what little information she actually knew about the villain, there was no way of telling.

Her friends noticed the way she was acting at one point, stealing worried glances when Ochako seemed out of it.

"Hey, are you okay...?" Jirou asked as the group of girls came up to her desk during math. "You're really... I don't know.. vacant today."

"Huh? What?" Uraraka was snapped back to reality and she looked up at her friends. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been acting strange lately," Momo cut in. "We've noticed it just recently. You seem anxious, is everything okay?"

Uraraka was about to answer, when Mina patted her head teasingly. "You're also staring into space a lot. Maybe thinking about a certain broccoli boy?"

Ochako narrowed her eyes as she glanced up at Mina, shooing her friend's hand away. "No, Mina. That's not it. And I'm fine," she assured the girls. "Really, so there's nothing to fuss about."

They seemed unconvinced, especially Mina, but to her relief they nodded in understanding and headed back to their seats as the class started.

Ochako fiddled with her pencil as the lesson went on, barely paying attention as her gaze drifted to Deku's green head of hair. She had been catching him sneaking concerned looks at her throughout the day, and that moment was no exception.

He jumped and looked to the front of the classroom, as if he wasn't just looking her way. Ochako let out a silent sigh.

She knew he was just worried about her, and thinking back to their interaction in the gym, he definitely wanted to know what was going on with her. But she made it clear to herself that she wasn't planning on telling anyone soon, even Deku.

No matter how much she wanted to scream and shout that she was in deep trouble, she knew couldn't bring danger to anyone else, even if it meant endangering herself. And she was fine with that, as long as she found a way to get out of her predicament soon... which was unlikely.

As the day went by at a snails pace, she hung out with her friends but avoided conversation. And finally, when the final bell rang and she walked out of the front door, she spotted Deku waiting for her at the entrance. She walked up to him cheerily.

"Hey, Deku!" She greeted in a happy tone, as though the interaction they had before was nonexistent. Izuku smiled back at her, and together they started to head to the Midoriya household.

A silence fell between them, and Ochako couldn't tell if it was comfortable or tense. But she wasn't paying any attention to it. She was more focused on her surroundings, looking around every so often to spot anything that looked suspicious.

The confrontation with the woman in the ally had shaken her up more than she already had been, and she didn't want to risk her or Deku getting hurt, or worse... taken.

The boy would've noticed her unusual behavior, but he seemed alert as well, which wasn't surprising nowadays. At first Ochako had been a little anxious about the way he was acting, but now she was grateful that Deku was being cautious.

The two of them being preoccupied with their own behaviors led to no words passing between them as they headed to Izuku's house, which neither of them seemed to mind.

But in spite of that, Ochako wanted something from him at least. Maybe some reassuring words, a joke or two to cheer her up. Somehow he was always there to lift her spirits.

However, none of that happened because she couldn't tell him what was wrong, so she allowed the silence to sit between them as they came upon the door. She felt tired hiding all of this from him, from everyone else. But it was her duty to keep them safe as a hero. And yet, it seemed lonely.

—————————————

Midoriya allowed Uraraka to enter before him, and she nodded a thank you as she walked inside. Following her, he took off his shoes and headed to the kitchen. Uraraka followed. Izuku noticed a note from his mom on the counter, saying that she would be back soon.

"Do you want snacks before we start?" He asked, and the zero-gravity user's face lit up instantly.

"Yes!" She cheered, and Deku grinned as he poured chips into a bowl. He handed it to his friend, in which she instantly started to eat them.

Watching her, Izuku genuinely wondered if she was faking her lively attitude. Although she had been acted completely normal since the end of the day, the conversation they had earlier still lingered in his mind. As well as throughout the school day, when he snuck glances at Ochako only to see her off in her own little world.

Deku turned away, fixing his own bowl of snacks. He was determined to find out what was wrong with his friend, and he planned on trying during the lesson that night. She may put it off again, no... she would put it off again, but he needed to know.

As they walked into the his room, Deku closed the door and Ochako set down the two chip bowls. They turned to face each other, both with different goals in mind. Deku to figure out what was wrong, and Ochako to avoid any questioning about her recent behavior.

"Okay," Uraraka started, clapping her palms together. "Shall we start?"

Deku was silent, causing Ochako to raise a brow. Finally he sighed, and took a step forward. "Uraraka, I hope you know that I'm not giving up."

He could see her freeze, but she instantly relaxed and smiled. "Of course you aren't, you'll get the hang of dancing soon!"

Izuku shook his head, stepping closer again. "That's not what I mean, Uraraka."

"Deku," she started, smile now gone. "I'm not doing this. We both know that I'm fine, end of story. Now-.."

"But you're not fine!" Izuku interrupted, now in front of her. Ochako tried to take a step back, but the bed behind her was in the way. "For so long now you've been acting strange, like something is going to come at you any minute. I-.."

"You're just seeing things," Ochako didn't meet his gaze. "It's okay Deku, I am okay. Why do you keep going asking me what's wrong?"

"Because there is something wrong." Midoriya blocked her way with an arm when she tried to move. "And you're going to tell me what it is."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are." Deku knew she was getting uncomfortable, and he felt guilty about it. But he couldn't ignore it any longer, because if he did, he knew that something bad would happen.

"No," Ochako started, pushing her hands against his chest. "I'm not!"

Accidentally, she activated her quirk, and Deku started to float. He flipped midair, his feet now on the ceiling as he stood upside down. He turned to confront her once again, but stopped when his eyes met hers.

No words came from his mouth as he stared, and she stared back. Once again, just like when she fell asleep, he was lured in by her beauty, only this time it was different. Because she was wide awake, meeting his gaze with her golden-brown irises.

The light from his lamp lit up her eyes, and he noticed small specs of gold around the pupil. It was captivating, and he couldn't rip his gaze away from hers. And for a moment, just a for a moment, he felt as though she couldn't either.

Both of them stayed like that for what felt like forever, until Deku spoke up. "Uraraka." It was barely more than a whisper. Uraraka nodded slowly.

"...Could you let me down now?"

The brunette jumped, looking embarrassed as a small squeak came from her mouth. She touched his shoulder, deactivating her quirk. Though, that wasn't really a good idea, because as Deku fell he didn't know how he would land.

Luckily, Ochako caught him, but that resulted in her tipping back. Both students gasped as they landed on the bed, the bottom half of their bodies dangling off of the edge.

Deku groaned, pushing himself up to stand only to halt abruptly. Uraraka was underneath him, looking up with wide, surprised eyes. Her face was red, and her hair was splayed out in all different directions. She almost looked like a portrait, an alluring one at that.

Midoriya blinked, unaware of how to handle the situation. They had never been this painfully close before, and it was clearly messing with both of their heads. But, as he stared down at her, a strong feeling of guilt overcame him, and he couldn't help but look away.

"Uraraka, I..." he whispered, shutting his eyes. "I'm sorry..."

Uraraka frowned, gazing up at him with a perplexed expression. "...Why?" She asked after a moment.

"Because," Izuku said, opening his eyes. "I kept pressing you to answer me, when you may not have an answer at all. I just..."

He paused, a small glimpse of longing flashing in his eyes. Giving into it, he let himself suddenly fall onto her. Midoriya felt Ochako stiffen with surprise, but she relaxed as he buried his nose into the crook of her neck.

"...I just care about you, Uraraka. So much. So why... why can't you tell me?"

He felt her hand start to comb through his head of hair, sending chills up his spine as her fingers occasionally grazed the nape of his neck. After a while she spoke. "I can tell you everything, Deku. I trust you," she whispered softly.

"Do you really?" Deku asked, bringing himself up to look over her again. "You trust me?"

Ochako nodded, and a still silence fell over them after that. A silence followed by Deku leaning down once again, only this time his jade irises darted to her lips.

Uraraka's eyes widened, though she didn't move as Deku grew closer still. In all honesty, Midoriya didn't know what he was doing in that moment. But as he closed his eyes, he knew that all he wanted was to feel her lips against his.

Ochako's eyes fluttered shut as well, and the two of them felt a spark course through their bodies just at the mere grazing of their lips.

They would have connected their faces fully if the door hadn't opened in that moment. Izuku pushed off of the bed hurriedly, falling to the floor with a loud thump. Ochako sat up in an alarmed state. Both students watched the door with flustered expressions as it fully opened to reveal Inko carrying a few bags of groceries.

"Izuku!" She exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"YeS," the boy said with a voice crack, followed by clearing his throat. "Uh-yes... I was just, uhm- practicing this dance move Uraraka taught me... a-and I fell."

"Oh." Inko sighed, and sent a teasing look Ochako's way. "I hope you aren't working my son too hard."

"N-no, ma'am!" the brunette answered, trying desperately to hide her flushed face. "Not at all!"

"Well then, I'll be putting these groceries away. Have fun, kids," Izuku's mother waved goodbye, shutting the door and leaving the teenagers alone in the room.

Midoriya slowly turned to look at Uraraka, eyes wide as though he couldn't just believe that happened. Ochako returned his disbelieving gaze, and it stayed like that between the two for a few moments before Ochako slapped her hands together.

"O-okay! How about those dance lessons?"