"Hmm, green or black?" Ochaco's cheeks puffed out in concentration as she shook the small glass bottles. The liquid inside sloshed quietly.

Izuku looked up from his math homework, an amused smile on his face. "I picked you for more of a pink person, honestly."

"I just felt like goin' with somethin' darker, that's all." As she studied the nail polish colors, she realized the green almost perfectly matched Izuku's hero costume. Her permanently rosy cheeks turned crimson. Would I be way too obvious if I picked that one? As she deliberated, a thought crept in her head, and she smirked at her friend.

"Hey Dekuuuuuuu~!" Ochaco called sweetly from where she was propped up against her bed.

"Hm?" The said boy looked up, blinking curiously at her eager expression.

"Let's paint your nails, too!" She grinned as his face broke out into a blush. "Come on, we can match! It'll look really cute!"

"Y-... you think so?" Izuku asked quietly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Ochaco didn't expect him to agree so quickly, and she nodded as her mind caught up with his words.

"Yeah, definitely!"

Izuku placed his books on the table and came over to sit next to her on her green rug. She smiled at him as she motioned for him to face her, hoping to ease his nerves.

"Have you ever painted your nails before?" Ochaco asked curiously, shaking the green bottle again for good measure.

At this, Izuku blushed harder. "Well, n-no. I was interested as a kid, but my mom was scared it would just get me picked on more. She was probably right..."

Ochaco bit the inside of her cheek, remembering that Izuku and Katsuki grew up together. The explosive boy would've used anything as fodder against Izuku, of that she was certain. She could almost picture the sweet, innocent child-Deku happily painting his nails red, blue, and gold to match All Might's costume, just to come home in tears the next afternoon.

She shook the depressing thought out of her head and smiled reassuringly at Izuku. "Well, at least you don't hafta' worry about that, anymore. And if anyone says anythin', they'll have to go through me first!" She gave Izuku a fierce look, and he smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Uraraka."

"Now, give me your hand!" She stuck out her left hand, her right already primed with the nail polish brush. He gently placed his large, calloused palm in hers, and she almost squeaked at how warm his grip was. Ochaco's face felt hot - they were basically holding hands! - and she tugged at the collar of her t-shirt before leaning over his hand determinedly.

I can do this. He's never had his nails painted before, and he's always wanted to! I want to do this for him.

She painted his thumb nail with careful strokes, the dark, shimmery green going on smoothly. She blew on it lightly, and she felt Izuku shiver.

"Sorry, heh."

"I-it's okay!" he squeaked, and Ochaco instantly felt guilty. I must be making him so uncomfortable, being so close to him. This isn't easy for me either, but probably for completely different reasons... His face was very red, his breathing shallow, and he seemed like he was looking anywhere in the room but at her.

She decided to get this done as quickly as possible to spare her socially-awkward friend.

As she was painting his nails, she couldn't help but notice the smell of Izuku's shampoo wafting from his dark green curls. God, he smells good. At that thought, she cringed. Way to be creepy, Ochaco. She discreetly sniffed the air again. ...But it's true.

She finished up his left hand and let out a triumphant cheer. "Okay, Deku, shake your hand like this, and... yeah, that's it! It'll help it dry faster. Other hand, please!"

She gripped his right hand, her eyes immediately going to his intense scars. Her fingertips lightly traced one line of scarring, and she didn't even realize her actions until Izuku cleared his throat. She jumped back from his hand, ready with an apology, but the sorrowful look on Izuku's face held her tongue.

"It's so ugly, isn't it?" he muttered, laughing a little bitterly. "I'm sorry you have to see this."

Ochaco, shocked, stared at Izuku for a second, before lunging forward and capturing his hand in-between both of hers, her pinkies raised.

"Deku, these hands are the hands of a hero." She looked down at the scars again, unable to look the boy in his wide, earnest eyes. "I am honored you trust me enough to see these scars up close. Honestly, though, they are nothin' to be ashamed of. These scars tell a story - a story full of bravery and self-sacrifice - and while I hate that you got hurt, I am so proud of you and the hero you are becoming."

There was a poignant silence, and Ochaco wondered if she went too far. Oh god, now I made things awkward. She finally looked up to meet his eyes, and she was met with a face full of tears.

Oh, Deku, she thought fondly, smiling softly. She felt so strongly for this boy in front of her. It wasn't often she spoke her innermost feelings, but when she did, it felt... freeing.

Suddenly, she was tugged forward, and her face hit Izuku's chest as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. She froze in surprise, and just as quickly as the hug started, it ended. Izuku leaned back and wiped at his eyes and nose, chuckling sheepishly.

"S-sorry about that. Your words... they just meant a lot to me."

Ochaco knew her face must have been five different shades of red, but she managed a weak laugh in response. "You don't hafta' apologize, Deku. If you ever need anything, from a pep talk to a hug, I'm here."

The two avoided each other's eyes for a moment, before Ochaco remembered her earlier task and gently grasped at her friend's hand again. She went back to painting his nails, trying to work around his slight shaking.

Satisfied with her handiwork, she leaned back, gesturing at Izuku to wave his hand back and forth. She checked the first set of nails with her fingertips.

"Hm, it seems dry, and it doesn't look like ya need a second coat. I'll just put a clear coat on, and you'll be good to go!"

Izuku nodded, and she focused on her work. Don't smell him again, don't smell him, don't smell him...

"There, done!" Ochaco grinned, capping the clear nail polish with a secure twist of her hand.

Izuku studied his nails with a small but genuine smile. "They look great, Uraraka. Thanks."

She offered the green bottle to him next, and he looked at her quizzically.

"Want to do mine, now?"

"Wha-but... really? I-I've never done this before," Izuku sputtered, and Ochaco chuckled.

"How else are ya going to get good at it, then, silly?" She wiggled her fingers at him, and he grinned, taking her hand.

"Okay, just don't be mad when there's more polish on your fingers than on your nails," he teased, and Ochaco felt a thrill go through her at his confident tone.

"I could never be mad at someone who is trying to learn the arts of nail painting!" Ochaco joked back, settling in to watch Izuku paint her nails.

He leaned over her proffered hand with such a serious look on his face that Ochaco would've laughed if she hadn't just then felt his breath on her hand. Goosebumps crept up and down her arms, and she shivered involuntarily. Oh. She thoughtlessly fanned her burning face with her free hand as she studied her friend. He was bent over her hand so far that Ochaco could only see a mop of green curls, and she had to actively resist the urge to run her hand through his hair. His breaths were soft, hot, and persistent against the top of her hand, and she couldn't help but admire how attractive her best friend was in that moment. She just... really liked the feeling of holding his hand.

Stop it, Ochaco. These thoughts will get you nowhere. He doesn't like you like that. And even if he did... Another thrill went through her at the thought, but she pushed the feelings down stubbornly. Even if he did, in some universe, feel the same way I do... a relationship would just get in the way of our goals. She'd been through this course of thought with herself multiple times over the past year, and it still never failed to bring a feeling of indecisive dread to her stomach.

"Okay, that should do it for that hand," Izuku muttered, letting go of her hand. She waved it in the air mindlessly, still staring at Izuku while deep in thought. He grabbed her other hand and started on it, causing another round of goosebumps.

This is ridiculous. He is Izuku, my best friend! ... But that's just it. He's Izuku, my best friend.

She scowled at her fraying rug, finally looking away from her crush. Feelings are so complicated. When did this get so complicated?

"Aha, done!" Izuku cheered, letting go of her hand. He finally looked up into her eyes with a dazzling smile, and her frustration disappeared instantly as she felt her cheeks go ablaze.

They stared at each other for a moment in silence, her hands pausing in mid-air. His smile grew soft, and he reached with a shaky hand to tuck some of her long bangs behind her ear. His hand dropped to the junction where their crossed legs met, and it felt like his touch was burning through her jeans.

"It looked like it was in your eyes, heh..." Izuku explained weakly, his green eyes making Ochaco feel very grateful she was sitting on the floor. She nodded slowly, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. Could he hear it? It felt like an electric current was running from Izuku's gaze straight to the center of her chest. It took all her concentration to breathe properly. Izuku seemed affected, too, if his growing blush was anything to go by.

"Uraraka?"

"Y-yes?" She was hopeful. So hopeful.

"Can I-?" He glanced down at her mouth for the briefest second, so quickly that she thought she might have imagined it, and she was starting to nod, ready to agree to whatever he asked of her... when a startling knock sounded at the door to Ochaco's room.

"Uraraka! Midoriya! Curfew in ten!" Tenya's voice rang out.

The two sprang apart, and Ochaco's face felt boiling as she stuttered out an "O-okay, Iida!" They sat dazedly for a moment, before Izuku seemed to come to his senses. He hurriedly sprang up and started collecting his belongings, stuffing his books in his bag so quickly she was surprised to not see his quirk's familiar glow.

"Deku..." Ochaco started, but she wasn't sure how she was going to finish. She recognized that something important had just passed between them, but what it was exactly, she wasn't sure and didn't want to assume.

"Better get going! Don't want to make Iida upset!" Izuku laughed awkwardly, his face beet red.

"Y-yeah."

Izuku practically sprinted to the door, and just as he grabbed the knob, he seemed to brace himself. He swiftly turned around.

"Uraraka-"

"Deku-"

The two smiled at the jinx, and both gestured to each other to go first. Ochaco realized this could possibly go on all night and cleared her throat to speak.

"Th-thanks for tonight. For the math help and for lettin' me paint your nails. They look good, if I say so myself," she chuckled weakly, trying to get a sense of normalcy back.

"Yeah, thanks for doing my nails. They look great. And no problem with the math." Izuku looked like he wanted to say something more, and she stared at him with bated breath, before he kind of deflated and smiled. He simply waved and then slipped out the door.

Ochaco sat on the ground in silence, before throwing her hands up to cover her eyes in confusion and embarrassment. She felt herself start to float.

What the heck was that?

The next morning, Ochaco wearily slumped into her desk chair, earlier than usual.

"What brings you here so early, kero?" Tsu asked curiously, walking over from her own desk. Mina and Momo followed with similar greetings.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to just go to class," Ochaco yawned, rubbing her eyes blearily.

"Ooh, you did your nails, Ochaco? Lemme see!" Mina giggled, reaching for Ochaco's hands.

Ochaco blushed slightly and hoped beyond all hopes she wouldn't notice -

"Nice color choice," the girl snickered, wiggling her pink eyebrows as her yellow and black eyes practically glowed.

"I-it's not what you think -" Ochaco started, stumbling over her words in her haste to come up with some explanation. She felt eyes on the back of her head and looked at the door, where Izuku was walking in. He quickly looked away from her, cheeks pink, and nodded a greeting in her direction. Ochaco looked at her desk, wondering if she should greet him as usual, before Mina called out, "Hey Midori! Did you see- ohh! Nice nails!"

Ochaco's cheeks burned as she felt Mina make the connection, if the girl's cheeky grin was anything to go by.

"It's no big deal," Ochaco tried to brush her off quietly, turning to get her books out of her bag. "We just did matching nails."

"I think it's sweet," Momo smiled gently, placing a hand on Ochaco's shoulder comfortingly.

"Besides, best friends have matching nails all the time, kero," Tsu reasoned, elbowing Mina lightly.

Mina pouted, crossing her arms. "Aw, come on, guys! Don't crush my shipping dreams!"

Ochaco grumbled, "There's nothing to ship, Mina."

Just then, Mr. Aizawa slowly entered the room, sleeping bag tossed over his shoulder, and the girls settled down in their respectful desks.

Ochaco breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at her fingernails again. It was just nails, right?

Later that evening, Ochaco was studying in the main room, her feet curled up under her on the couch as she tried to focus on her English homework. She was actually pretty good at English, but it was really hard translating when her mind was completely focused on something else.

We haven't spoken all day. I hope I didn't ruin things by letting my crush get in the way. If things don't clear up by the weekend, I'll talk to him then, she decided determinedly.

As she was staring at the book page, long past pretending to read, she felt the sofa dip next to her.

"I-is it okay that I sit here?"

Speak of the devil.

"Y-yeah, sure!" Ochaco smiled, moving her legs to give Izuku more room.

They sat in silence for a moment, and Ochaco forced her eyes to scan the page of Dracula, in vain.

"Hey, s-sorry for being so weird today."

Ochaco glanced up in surprise. "Oh! It's okay, Deku. I was sorta bein' weird, too. It's no big deal." She smiled, trying to convey a false sense of ease, if only for his sake.

He looked frustrated and confused, but still, he smiled for her. "Yeah, I guess."

They were silent for a few moments longer, before Ochaco stretched and placed her book on the coffee table in front of them.

"Okay, I haven't been able to get anythin' done in the past hour," she laughed lightly. "I'm gonna take a break outside."

"Oh! Uh, sure. Have fun," Izuku smiled again, although it didn't reach his eyes. Ochaco looked at him for a moment longer, wanting to say something but not knowing exactly what to say, before trudging outside.

It was a little chilly, and she wished she would've thrown a sweatshirt over her tank top. She didn't want to go back inside and face Deku again, though, so she stubbornly kept walking over to her favorite spot at the back of the dorm building.

She found herself beneath a large tree and sighed, her eyes gazing upwards. She automatically picked out a few constellations, but she didn't really feel like stargazing tonight. She removed her gravity and started climbing the leafless limbs, hands and feet knowing where to go in the dark from months of practice. Finally, she got to her favorite, sturdy branch, released her gravity, and sat down, cuddled against the trunk. Her eyes drifted upwards again out of habit, and she stared without seeing at the clear sky.

What changed between Deku and me? How can I fix it? Was it my stupid crush? Did he realize how I feel, and now things are awkward because he doesn't feel the same way? How do we get past this?

"Oh god," Ochaco muttered, feeling her stomach twist in knots. "I've ruined everything."

Rationally, Ochaco knew that Izuku wouldn't let a little crush come between their strong friendship, but she was too emotional to think straight. Her breaths were fast and shallow, and she gripped the cool trunk with white knuckles.

Creaaaaak.

Startled, Ochaco glanced down, squinting in the dim moonlight. Izuku was climbing the tree beneath her, carefully looking for hand- and footholds.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Ochaco's words tumbled out of her, and she placed a flustered hand to her cheek.

Izuku looked up at her, his green eyes unreadable in the dark. "I was going to come sit by you. You looked like you needed company." Izuku seemed to doubt himself, though, and went on to stammer, "I-if you want company, that is. Sorry, I should've asked if I could join you first..." His words devolved into muttering, and Ochaco giggled.

"Nah, it's fine, you can come up. I was just surprised, that's all." She patted the limb next to her, and Izuku grinned. She quietly pointed out the best limbs to support his weight, and in seemingly no time at all, Izuku was sitting besides her.

She could feel the warmth radiating from him, and she shuddered as she unconciously huddled closer.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I brought your jacket. Thought you might be cold." Izuku untied what Ochaco now noticed to be a pink cloth from around his waist and held it out to her.

"Thanks, Deku. You're always so thoughtful!" She grabbed it gratefully, smiling widely as she shrugged it on. It was still warm from his body heat, and the thought made her blush.

"So... about last night..." Izuku started, twisting his fingers in his grip. Ochaco gulped, readying herself for the smart of rejection.

"I'm really sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I've been trying to get a hold of my feelings for a while now, and sometimes I just act on them without thinking. I'd never want to do anything that risked our friendship, though," Izuku rambled nervously, his voice going higher in pitch as he stared at his fidgeting hands.

Ochaco felt her eyes grow wide, and she reached out a hand to stop his rant.

"Wait, your feelings? Deku, what are you saying?" She had an inkling, but she wanted to be sure. Her stomach was a giant mass of butterflies as she was filled with an intense longing to grab his hand.

Izuku blinked at her, face very red. "Y-yeah." He took a deep breath, before spilling out, "IhavehadamassivecrushonyouforeveritseemslikeandsometimesIjustreallywanttotouchyoubutohgodnotlikethatImeanlikeholdyourhandandtouchyourfaceandmaybeevenkissyouwaitdidIjustsaythatoutloudohmyGOD-"

"Deku!" Ochaco interrupted him again, feeling incredibly rude but also very overwhelmed by his word vomit. She was also very worried about his oxygen level. "Breathe!"

He sucked in a gasp of air, before squeaking out, "T-thanks."

They sat in awkward silence for what seemed like eternity as Ochaco tried to grasp what he had said.

"So... you're saying you like me? And that you were worried your feelings messed up our friendship," Ochaco concluded slowly, as if she still had a hard time believing the words coming out of her mouth.

"Basically," Izuku sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I-I don't expect you to return my feelings, but I felt it was time I say something." He turned to look at her, a serious yet earnest expression on his freckled face. "I don't want to lose you, Uraraka. You're the best friend I've ever had."

Ochaco gasped quietly. It was one thing to vaguely know and accept, but another thing to hear the words spoken out loud... She wiped at the tears forming in her eyes quickly.

"Aa-aah! And I made you cry!" Izuku looked around for something to use as a tissue, panic-stricken.

Ochaco giggled, placing her hand on his. He stilled, his large green eyes meeting hers.

"Deku, I was worried my feelings for you had ruined our friendship," Ochaco explained, suddenly feeling lighter than air. It was like her gravity had been removed, and she was continuously floating up into the sky.

"R-really?" Izuku asked quietly, his eyes wide.

"Yeah. I really like you, Deku." She squeezed his hand, her face feeling hot as she finally admitted her feelings out in the open.

"O-oh... Oh." Izuku looked a little stunned, and Ochaco had to fight back chuckles.

They returned to silence, but this one was more peaceful than before. Ochaco looked back up at the stars, although they were hard to see through the remnants of her joyful tears.

"So... what now?" Izuku asked, bringing her back down to earth. She looked at him, smiling.

"I don't know. I never thought I'd get this far," she giggled. She felt him twist his hand under her grip, their fingers interlacing sweetly (her pinkie up, as always).

"Well, whatever happens... I want you by my side," Izuku admitted, looking away from her shyly.

Ochaco, feeling extremely touched, leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder. She felt him freeze, and she wondered belatedly if she should've asked permission first, before she felt him gently lay his head against hers. He cautiously rubbed his thumb along the top of her hand, and she sighed contentedly. She glanced at their entwined hands, their matching nail polish dimly sparkling in the moonlight.

"I'd really like that, Deku."