The anticipation in the classroom was palpable. Mr Aizawa may have been treating it like a normal day, continuing his lecture on how to minimise property damage when out in the field in his usual dry monotone, but there was a restless mood to the class' note taking. They all knew what was coming up.

As the teacher turned his back to the students, drawing a complicated looking diagram on the board, Ochaco risked a glance over at the clock. Five more minutes! She could feel the excitement bubbling away inside of her and had to stop herself from squirming on her seat with impatience.

As she looked across the room she took in the reactions of some of the other class members. Bakugo was swinging his leg back and forth restlessly, staring intensely at their teacher as if he could bring the lesson to a close with nothing more than willpower. Tokoyami was idly scratching his beak with the end of his pen, looking deep in thought. Hagakure was… well, it was hard to tell what Hagakure was doing, what with the whole invisibility quirk and all, but judging by the occasional squeak of her chair against the floor it seemed she wasn't able to sit still either.

And almost inevitably her eyes were drawn to Deku on the far side of the room, his mess of hair sticking out from the top of the textbook his head was buried in. She couldn't see from her current angle, but Ochaco would've bet her life savings – which admittedly weren't much, but still – that his lips were moving in a non-stop pattern of mumbling to himself.

At that moment Deku's elbow knocked his pen and it rolled off his desk and onto the floor. As he went to retrieve it looked up from his desk and caught her eye, shooting her a self-conscious grin at his own clumsiness. She smiled back, amused – for all that he'd changed since she knew him, it was kind of a relief to know that he was still the same dorky, slightly skittish boy she'd first befriended.

Realising she'd been watching Deku for a few seconds longer than she'd meant to, she hastily shifted her gaze, trying to keep her face from reddening whilst at the same time forcing back any thoughts about why she was suddenly so interested in gazing at her friend. She knew why, but knowing it and admitting it were two very different things and she'd rather eat her own hero costume than admit it to anyone. Nope, to everyone else he was just Deku, her friend. Her toootally platonic friend. Her I'm-not-even-slightly-romantically-interested-in-him friend, whatever nonsense Aoyama and Mina said.

She let out a sigh. Even in her head it sounded unconvincing.

Ochaco looked around the room again in an attempt to distract herself and keep her thoughts from running away from her once more. Her eyes settled on Iida, sitting at the desk in front of her, and she couldn't help but grin – usually Iida's posture was ramrod straight, but even 1A's class rep was perched on the edge of his chair expectantly. If Iida was affected by the restlessness, there was no hope for the rest of them concentrating…

"Mineta, Sero, stop gossiping and pay attention!" barked Mr Aizawa, as if on cue. "Or would you rather stay behind at the end of the day to clean up the gym?"

The two teenagers towards the back of the class both jumped in their seats, looking guilty at being caught talking. "C'mon Mr Aizawa, you wouldn't do that…" Sero laughed weakly. "It would take hours and today is…" Sero ground to a halt at the teacher's withering look. "Um, sorry. But you wouldn't, would you?"

"Don't tempt me." With that, Mr Aizawa turned back to the board and finished off the diagram. "All of you, before you leave remember your assignment. I want a full breakdown of how you would assemble a team in each of the different disaster scenarios I gave you yesterday. Make sure to use this diagram as part of your supporting evidence."

There were a few groans and a collective flurry as everyone copied the markings on the board down, but before any of them could say anything the sound they'd all been waiting for rang out – the bell signifying the end of class. Everyone looked at the teacher expectantly.

Mr Aizawa shrugged. "That's enough from me. You heard the bell – relax and enjoy. After all you've had to go through this school year, you've earned some downtime."

With that several of the class members let out a cheer for the one thing they'd all been looking forward to and there was a mad rush for the exit. Her excitement bubbling over, Ochaco laughed and joined in the throng, nudging her way past Yaoyorozu and ducking under Shouji's arm to reach the doorway. Amongst the rabble Kirishima's voice was the loudest as he yelled to everyone who could hear, "Woo! Summer break!"

-o-o-

Emerging into the sunlight, Ochaco breathed in deeply, just enjoying the warmth on her skin. After all the stresses and obstacles she'd faced since joining UA – both schoolwork and villains – it was wonderful to take a moment to absorb the feeling of freedom. She wasn't using her quirk, but she felt like a great weight had been lifted from her.

"Uraraka, wait up!" Iida's voice called behind her. She turned and saw him jogging to catch up with her, Deku alongside him and several other classmates trailing behind.

"Hi guys!" she greeted them. "I thought we were going to be in that classroom forever – did it feel like time was going slower for you guys too or what?"

Iida nodded. "I must admit, I was eager for class to end. So many opportunities over the summer to grasp with both hands!"

Ochaco and Deku shared a grin as Iida pumped his arm into the sky – it was fun to see their normally straight-laced friend get so overly dramatic.

"So what've you got planned, Iida?" asked Deku. "Are you going to be around much, or…?"

Iida straightened his glasses proudly. "My mother and father have invited me to get more involved in the family's hero business. They have offices around the country, so I will be touring them to gain experience and see how a hero agency functions on a day to day basis."

Kirishima, listening in on the conversation, joined in. "Awesome man, that sounds like a perfect way to get the inside scoop on agency life. Hey, Todoroki, aren't you doing something similar with Endeavour?"

The ice-user sighed. "Regrettably, yes. Much as it pains me to admit it, learning from him is the best way for me to get stronger."

"Pfft, don't be so serious," Mina chipped in. "It's the summer break, live a little! We've got all next year to keep training and Mr Aizawa did say we needed to take a break. I'm gonna hit the beaches and get some sun!"

Iida bristled at her laidback attitude. "As heroes in training, we have a responsibility to –"

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy!" interrupted Hagakure, causing Iida to splutter indignantly. "We can have lives outside of being heroes. Next week I'm starting a part-time job as a waitress at this new restaurant downtown – I'm so looking forward to it!"

"A part time job, huh?" mused Kaminari. "Maybe I should look into getting one too – I'm sure my quirk would help me at a hardware store or something like that and I could do with the extra cash…"

"Yeah, but you'd probably never leave," smirked Kyoka. "We'd all go on and become pro heroes and you'd be stacking shelves in some warehouse the rest of your life."

As Kaminari glared at her and the two began to bicker, Deku glanced over his shoulder at Bakugo, walking on the edge of the group with his usual disinterested scowl. "How about you, Kacchan?" he asked nervously, trying to include his childhood friend. "Are you doing anything over the summer?"

Ochaco's first thought was that Bakugo looked like he was debating whether or not to pick a fight with Deku, but to her surprise he actually answered, albeit gruffly. "My folks are dragging me across Europe. Some stupid anniversary celebration trip. Sounds like a waste of time if you ask me – who cares about Venice, anyway?"

Ochaco had to fight back laughter as her mind conjured up the absurd image of Bakugo wearing one of those stripy gondolier outfits, serenading a romantic couple on a moonlit boat ride, but thankfully the blonde-haired hothead didn't notice her suppressed giggles and the group of students walked back to their dorm block. Bakugo left for his room with a typically coarse, "Later, nerds," and one by one most of the others dispersed as well.

Ochaco debated going back to her own room and making a start on her packing for the return home tomorrow, but other than the essentials like clothes and bedding she hadn't really brought that much with her so she decided she'd do it later. Instead she flopped down into one of the comfy armchairs scattered around the common room next to Deku, who had gotten out his notebook and was scribbling away at breakneck speed.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked curiously, trying to peer over his shoulder. "You're not starting on Mr Aizawa's homework already, are you? Or is it some other school project?"

"Huh? Oh, no, not exactly." Deku shifted across to give her more space.

"Then what is it?"

"I'm working on my training schedule over the summer. All Might has given me some advice on exercises, recovery time and that sort of thing, but he wanted me to come up with the full regime this time. I think he said…" Deku paused for a moment and contorted his face, before booming out in All Might's voice, "It's up to you, young Midoriya, to forge your own way down the path of righteousness. For it is your own decisions and dedication that will unlock your true potential as a hero!"

Ochaco cracked up laughing. "That's amazing! I never knew you could do such a good impression!"

Deku scratched the back of his head, half chuckling and half embarrassed. "When I as a kid I used to practice it in the mirror all the time. I didn't mean it to be funny though – I was trying to sound inspiring."

"Why can't it be both?" she answered impishly, giving him a playful nudge and prompting a burst of laughter from him too. After her emotions had been going so haywire around Deku recently, sometimes she had to remind herself that the reason she enjoyed spending time with him so much was that he made her warm and happy inside – it was nice to just enjoy the moment together.

As their shared laughter subsided, Ochaco took a closer look at the notes he'd started making and her eyes widened. "Jeez, this looks pretty intense. No taking it easy for Mr World's Greatest Hero, huh?"

Deku shook his head, looking serious for a moment. "I don't think I can afford to relax. Everyone else in the class is so much more experienced with their quirk than I am. Reaching the top is still so far away and I know that if I take my foot off the pedal I'll be left behind…" He looked pensively at the scars on his damaged hand, lost in his own thoughts, before shaking his head and snapping back to reality. "Um, anyway, enough about me. What about you, Uraraka? You must be looking forward to going home and seeing your family again, right?"

Ochaco felt an uncomfortable knot form at the base of her stomach, her previous lighthearted mood evaporating. If just a few short sentences he'd just put into words the same deep-rooted anxiety that she'd been struggling to articulate. Now that they'd been spoken and she'd seen Deku's training plan her heart sunk. Whilst he was planning ahead, what had she been doing? Everything had been so hectic and fast-paced throughout the semester that she'd barely even thought about reaching the end. This first year at UA had been tough, but she'd always known her goal; now that the initial euphoria of the summer break had worn off and she was confronted with the question of what to actually do with the next few months of her life, she felt more than a little bit lost.

Realising Deku was looking at her, she tried to sound positive. "Yeah, I can't wait to see my parents. And going home will be nice too – I feel like I've been here for so long, I can hardly remember what my bedroom looks like. Maybe I can meet up with some old school friends, from before UA and all that. Like Iida said earlier, so many possibilities!" She made an effort to smile, but couldn't quite manage it.

"Are… are you ok, Uraraka?" Deku asked uncertainly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she tried to reassure him. "I just…" She halted, unsure whether she should continue or not, but the honest concern in Deku's eyes made her blurt it all out. "I don't know what to do. Everyone seems to be going away or has plans… And I don't really know what I want out of this summer. Kinda funny, huh?" After hearing her words Deku looked almost as forlorn as her and she immediately felt bad. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offload all my problems onto you. I'm being selfish again."

"You're not selfish!" Deku's exclamation made her yelp in surprise and she almost fell off the chair, her arms pinwheeling madly before regaining her balance. "Sorry, sorry," he apologised hastily, "but you're one of the most selfless people I know. You always go out of your way to help others – back before we even knew each other, when we first met, you stopped me from falling flat on my face, remember?"

"That wasn't anything special," she mumbled. "Anyone could have done that…"

"But you were the one that did. I was so nervous that day and you made me feel better, just by being positive and friendly and… and yourself. That's what a hero does, right? Help the people around them?"

Ochaco swallowed thickly. How did he always know what to say to touch her heart? She dropped her head down, trying to keep her emotions in check, and managed a small but sincere, "Thank you." Instinctively she reached out to squeeze his disjointed hand in hers.

That was a bad idea. The second she touched him it felt like the room had turned into a sauna. His skin was rough against the palm of her hand and she could feel all the little ridges and scrapes from where the old wounds hadn't quite healed in perfect alignment. His hand felt so fragile and as lightly as she could she brushed the pad of her thumb across…

Their eyes met and she jerked her hand away like she'd been electrocuted.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to – umm, I wasn't –"

"Y-Yeah. No problem."

'Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I do that?!' What she'd meant to be a thankful gesture suddenly meant more and her mind was reeling. Staring intently at her shoes, Ochaco wished she could let the ground swallow her up – why couldn't her quirk have been something useful for escaping embarrassing situations, like teleporting or erasing memories? Iida's super-speed especially would have come in handy. What use was zero gravity in a mess like this?

The only saving grace out of the situation was that at least Deku looked just as panicked as her – his mouth hanging open and a 'holy crap I just touched a girl' expression written all over his face.

However, much to her eternal relief her phone chose that moment to start ringing and her mouth went into overdrive. "Oh, look at that, I'd better pick this up, thanks for the talk, see you tomorrow, byeeee!"

With that she practically sprinted out of the room, her face about a million different shades of red and leaving a speechless Deku behind her.

Dashing up the stairs to her bedroom, Ochaco silently thanked whoever had chosen to call her at that moment for getting her out of the hole she'd dug for herself. She glanced at the screen and saw it wasn't from a number she had saved on her contacts, but picked up anyway. "Hello?" She winced as her voice was at least an octave too high from her earlier self-inflicted embarrassment.

"Ochaco, sweetie, how are you? Is this a bad time?"

Her face lit up at the sound of the voice on the other end of the line. "Dad! No, now's fine. I didn't recognise the number you're calling from – is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine," her father soothed her, as she opened the door to her room and sat down on her bed. "Better than fine, in fact. Your mother and I have some great news: our construction firm got offered a big contract for building a new hotel in Hawaii! That's where we are right now, sizing up the foundations – I'm calling from my temporary office out in Honolulu."

Ochaco squealed. "Wow, that's amazing! I knew you'd get more business if you just kept at it. What's Hawaii like?"

"Well, that's exactly why I'm calling. How would you like to come and find out for yourself?"

"Wait, you mean to stay with you?! How?"

"The hotel chain who hired us are paying for our accommodation. It's just a small apartment, nothing fancy, but it's right by the beach and we're only a five minute walk from the town. If you want, I could book a flight for you and we can meet you at the airport tomorrow. What do you say?"

Ochaco bit her lip. "What about the money? I know you said the accommodation was covered, but if I come over won't you have to buy the plane tickets? And food? And –"

"You don't need to worry about that," her father cut her off gently. "Money's still tight, but I'm sure we'll get by. I know you're trying to put us first, and I'm proud of you for that, but this is about what you want. How about it? Fancy some sun and surf with us old folks?"

"You guys aren't old," Ochaco objected. "And Hawaii sounds great, y'know? But…" Her earlier conversation with Deku replayed through her head and she recalled his words. 'If I take my foot off the pedal I'll be left behind…'

"But?" her dad prompted her.

She made a snap decision. "But if I go with you guys I feel like I won't be focusing on my goal. UA has shown me just how many talented heroes in training there are and I've decided to use the summer to put in some serious training to get more control of my quirk. If I want to be a hero, I think here is where I need to be right now."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "You're sure that's your choice? You're not just saying that to save us money?"

"I'm sure," Ochaco answered, her voice quiet but determined.

"Well, ok then," her father relented. "You're old enough to make your own decisions, so if your mind's made up I won't try and convince you. But make sure you look after yourself, you hear? Don't train so hard you end up exhausting yourself. And don't just live on junk food, or skip meals."

"Daaad," she groaned. "I've been living on my own at UA, I'm sure I can cope."

"I'm sure you can, but that won't stop your mother and I from worrying about you. We just want you to be happy. Anyway, I won't pretend I know much about being a hero or quirk training, but I promise I'll bring back a souvenir, ok?"

"Ok. I know you're over there to work, but try and have some fun as well. And remember, I still want to treat you guys to a Hawaii getaway someday, like I promised."

Her father laughed. "Hawaii's old news now. Maybe you could buy us a Caribbean cruise instead?"

She rolled her eyes at his sense of humour. "Just take care, okay? And I hope you both have a great time out there."

"We will," he promised. "I have to go now, but I'll call you later in the week – I can't wait to hear all about what you've been doing at UA. I love you, Ochaco."

"I love you too, Dad. See you soon."

With a small beep the call ended. She breathed out heavily, feeling a mixture of emotions. Happy that her parents were finally getting rewarded for their hard work. Sad that she wouldn't see them again for a while. And filled with a new resolve to keep on striving to be the best. She had the whole summer ahead of her to get stronger and she wasn't going to waste another second on her own indecisiveness.

She lay back on her bed, her brow furrowed as she collected her thoughts. If she was serious about her summer plans, she had to be smart about it. When talking to her dad her initial assumption had been that she would have to go back home, but instead the seed of an idea began to sprout in her mind. She would have to do a bit of persuading, but if it worked it would give her the perfect foundation for her training.

Nodding firmly to herself, she set her alarm clock bright and early for the next day and began getting ready for bed. For the rest of the students tomorrow was the first day of the summer break, but not for her – for her it was day one of the Uravity Summer Training Camp.