IzuOcha Week 2017: Day 1

Note: Covers manga up to chapter 99

Beta read by UpDownLeftRightHenloo

Simple But Perfect

SevenRenny

It was supposed to be simple. They were simple people on a simple first date. Simple. Sure, being nervous on a first-ever date was to be expected, they just wondered why they hadn't checked the floor reservation booked by their friends. They were taking things slow; but, according to class 1-A, maybe a little too slow. Neither Izuku nor Ochaco knew what to do. Confessions were out in the open, and it was as fast as ripping off a Band-Aid, but they hadn't planned further ahead, leaving themselves open but not prepared.

They were both still young and still children at heart, so when their friends decided to 'help' pick a suitable dating place, the two clueless teens decided to let their friends lend a hand.

But as soon as they got to the Disney-themed restaurants, all Izuku and Ochaco did was look down at their laps, blushing the whole time. This was not simple… or was it? They weren't sure. Did all first dates feel like this? At any normal dinner, people wouldn't pay attention to them, mostly because food would be the main focus.

These Disney restaurants, however, were clearly intended for couples. They should've known their friends would plan something like this… Each floor served different foods, from the seafood menu at Under The Sea, to the expensive French cuisine at Be Our Guest.

They'd gotten to one of the cheaper ones upstairs; Tony's: an Italian restaurant themed after the one from Lady and The Tramp. They'd gotten one of the balcony tables outside to get a view of the waterline and the smell of fresh air. Even out here, they could still hear a classical guitar version of Bella Notte playing inside the restaurant.

Well, so much for a simple date.

Ochaco and Izuku sat facing each other, shoulders tense and faces pink. They had hardly moved since taking their seats, mostly due to nervousness. Izuku was a private, quiet person. This was all too much. Ochaco wouldn't consider herself an introvert, but this felt like shouting 'young lovers – right here. Don't mind us, just having a lovey-dovey dinner together,' for all to hear.

They peeked at one other.

He always looked good in green. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed in a failed attempt to calm himself.

Ochaco had the back of her hair tied up, leaving the long strands dangling by her cheeks.

This… was awkward. Should they say something? If the other was too nervous to do anything, then perhaps one should lead the other? Maybe that'll work.

"Eh, umm…"

"I–"

They both spoke over each other.

"Ah – s-sorry, go on," he insisted.

"Sorry, what were you–" she said at the same time.

An awkward silence stretched as one waited for the other to speak. Neither of them did. The waiter came and handed them their menus before quickly lighting the candle on the table and leaving.

Holding the menu up, Izuku tried to smile awkwardly. "S-Sorry, I'm not really good at this…"

Ohaco giggled, slightly relieved at his confession. "I'm kinda lost, too…"

"Anything in mind?"

"Well, it is Lady and the Tramp, so…"

Izuku chuckled. "Spaghetti it is, then."

…

Elsewhere, outside, dressed in hats and dark clothes as (very bad) disguise, one of the group members watched through his camera.

Eijiro lifted his hand like a flag to gain his friends' attention. "Okay, progress!"

"Seriously?" Mina perked up.

Denki and Kyoka looked up as well, though Kyoka seemed more bored than anything.

Mina scrambled for Eijiro's camera. "Let me see!"

He didn't seem to mind having the item ripped from his hands.

"Progress how? They've barely moved a muscle all night," Kyoka asked with a raised brow. Was all of this really necessary?

"Oh! They're talking!" Mina exclaimed. "Yes! Finally! God, they're slow. Snails would've fucked by now…"

"It's Midoriya and Uraraka. What'd you expect?"

"Still!" Mina whined. "I figured Ochaco might take the lead here."

"What gave you that idea?" Kyoka asked lamely. "Seemed like they're in the same boat to me." She leaned back and crossed her legs under the table, the five drinks forgotten for now.

Denki groaned miserably, throwing his head back. "How long are we gonna wait here?"

"Until we see an actual breakthrough," Mina complained.

"Why are we here again?" Denki whined, throwing his arms behind his chair as well. He gasped and startled forward when Eijiro comically clapped the back of his chair.

"Just making sure things go right," the redhead said, giving the other male a thumb's up. "Never know when they'll need another push, ya' know?"

"Don't you think they can handle themselves by now?" Kyoka crossed her arms. "I mean, we got them the table and all."

Hanta chuckled. "And leave now? Nah, what the fun in that?"

Mina suddenly squealed excitedly. "They ordered spaghetti! Photos! I need photos!"

Hanta elbowed Denki in the ribs. "C'mon, I thought you'd be into all of this," he teased.

He thought so, too. So why did it feel like he was missing something?

…

After a plate of appetizers, they twirled their forks to catch spaghetti strings. One plate was enough, considering how big the plate actually was. The yellow light from inside the restaurant was strong enough to cast pitch-black shadows of their outlines. There was a strong contrast between the golden glow, dark outlines, and the incredibly red roses planted in the railing flower boxes. It was easy to forget this wasn't supposed to be a luxurious restaurant.

"We have to thank Toru later," Ochaco reminded him. The invisible girl had been the one to recommend the place. Mina had given it the stamp of approval.

Izuku nodded, happily holding up his spaghetti decorated fork. "Yeah. I wonder how she knew we'd like this place."

"She likes cute things. Remember her room?" Ochaco asked, sticking another forkful into her mouth.

Izuku had flashbacks of the students' bedrooms, back when they first moved into the dorms. Taking a look at what they owned felt like looking into the hidden parts of their friends. Their rooms were their safety zones – their tiny sanctuaries, where they could be themselves and not give a damn about the rest of the world. Every item there was a piece of their history.

Then, Izuku remembered Ochaco's room. She didn't own much, only possessing things of basic necessities. He knew she didn't have much money, but he started to wonder just how hard living on limited supplies might've felt. Was she also depriving herself of simple things that made life complete? He had posters and action figures, extra clothes and video games. She didn't even have one plushy in her room. Realizing all of that, Izuku felt like he'd taken his life for granted.

He suddenly felt a tug on his fork.

They both stared at the spaghetti bridge connecting their forks together.

"Ah…"

"Umm…"

"Do… Do you want me to let go, or…?" He voice cracked over a million times.

At first, she seemed ready to withdraw her fork; but then swallowed down her words as she thought of something else. "Umm… if… I mean…" Her pink cheeks turned a bright red. She tilted her head down and her hair shadowed her eyes, too embarrassed to look him straight in the eye. She shifted her shoulders nervously. Izuku briefly managed to catch her quickly saying 'eat it like this' and he felt his brain explode within his skull.

"Eat – Hha… I – Gaahh–!" Was his face steaming? He must've looked ridiculous.

Ochaco squeezed her eyes shut. "Y-Y-You d-don't have t-to, though!" she quickly threw in to save them both from the embarrassment.

"It's – It's fine!" he blurted out without thinking, blushing even harder.

"Really – y-you don't have to!"

"I want to!" He stilled because of his own words. "I m-mean, I'd…" Word it carefully. Word it carefully. "Like to… try…?" Crap, was that the wrong thing to say? His free hand automatically came up to cover his eyes shamefully. "I - I mean…"

"If…" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking away shyly. "If that's… okay with you, I mean…"

He gulped loudly. "Ye – yeah…I'm okay with it."

The background music seemed to blur. He couldn't focus, not with her facing him like this. She already

seemed so close, and she was about to get even closer.

He wasn't sure if he would survive this.

They managed to lean in and slip the rolled up spaghetti and started at each other, being linked by the bridge of noodles from their lips.

Was she the one breathing so heavily, or was that him? He wasn't sure. He was, however, sure his hands were shivering. He tilted his head a bit so as to not go cross-eyed while trying to lock eyes with her. They were both as still as sculptures, too nervous to move. Her breath tickled his cheek. Not wanting her to feel ashamed for suggesting this, he took the chance and sucked in a few inches of spaghetti, keeping a gentle hold on the gentle strings trapped between his teeth.

She whimpered but inched closer as well. His heart was ramming his throat. He leaned in closer, forgetting how full his mouth was, and stood up a little when it seemed like she was ready to stand in order to reach him better.

Their eyes glazed over, as if in a trance. Their lips briefly brushed – a simple touch.

Simple, but perfect.

They withdrew, breathing heavily, taking in the moment. They realized what they'd done: spaghetti kiss.

Blushing furiously, a bubbly giggle escaped Ochaco's lips, and it continued because Izuku couldn't help but do the same, chuckling and, without realizing, leaning and gently pressing his forehead to hers. They were still children at heart.

…

Mina was ready to perform a table flip. She had dropped the camera squealing and ready to cry. When Eijiro had tried to ask 'What? What'd ya see?' Mina had grabbed him by the shoulders and, in a failed attempt to suppress her excitement, shook the redhead uncontrollably before releasing him, causing him to stumble back and knock Hanta and his chair over. The pink girl was a jittery mess, unsure whether to laugh or cry or do both.

Denki wanted to scratch his head in confusion. He felt a tap on the back of his head.

"This is kinda boring," Kyoka pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "Wanna go elsewhere?"

Denki brightened up. "Hell yeah – wanna grab something to eat?"

While the two snuck away, Eijiro managed to get a glimpse of the two in the restaurant. They had ordered dessert: a tiny cake with a ball of ice-cream topped with a cookie. The plate was decorated with a heart-shaped drizzle of cereal. While scooping at the ice cream – occasionally touching spoons – they realized the cookie had a thinner line in the middle. It was meant to be broken into two halves. Izuku pressed the tip of his spoon against it and it snapped in half easily. They spent the rest of the time talking.

Eijiro and Mina took longer than necessary to realize something wasn't right.

"They ditched us?" Mina screamed at Hanta dramatically.

He chuckled, slapping the table in front of him. "You just noticed? They left a while ago."

Mina slapped her forehead. "Great. I keep my eyes on one hopeless couple and lose the other one. What's next?"

Eijiro hissed when he looked back to check on Izuku and Ochaco. "Aaaand we lost 'em."

"Pfffft – Seriously?" Hanta barked humorously.

"They're gone," Eijiro gestured to the empty table the two had been seated at.

While they were too busy searching for those two, floors beneath Toney's restaurant, Kyoka and Denki occupied the purple and black restaurant of Nightmare Before Christmas. The place was decorated with black chairs and jack-o-lanterns. The tablecloth had spider web patterns and the plates had Jack Skellington's smiling face. The skull décor was used to hold a tiny candle holder.

"We should've done this earlier. I'm starving!" Denki looked the thick burger like he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"You could've just left, you know," she reminded him. It wasn't like he was tied up or anything.

"And leave you behind? Never!" he exclaimed dramatically. "You know what they say; 'till death do us part and all that good stuff."

She choked on her drink. "That's marriage, you dufus!"

"Oh, was wondering where I heard that." He didn't seem to notice his slip up. Idiot.

"I'm leaving you behind, next time," she threatened.

"It's no fun without you," he whined pitifully but perked up when he remembered his burger. It was the fat kind – the ones that needed to be pressed down in order to fit a normal person's mouth.

He, however, was ready to chump at the massive thing without caring if it could actually fit.

With a French-fry between her fingers, she pointed at him. "Not gonna work."

"You'll never know until you tr –aagmmmh!" His words were muffled by the fat bun.

...

Ochaco wasn't prepared for where Izuku had planned to take her after the meal. They stood in front of the stuffed toy shop nearby, the colorful plush animals bright and fluffy like cotton candy.

"I… noticed you didn't have much in your room, and I understand why, but this one's on me, so… umm, go ahead... I'll pay," he told her shyly.

She gazed at him in amazement. "Eh…" The sincerity of the situation hit her full force. "Eh? You… You mean – Deku, y-y-you don't have t-to!"

"I want to." He grinned sweetly.

It was a simple answer.

It was all simple; a simple plushy of a fluffy cheeked green rabbit. A simple date. A simple night. A simple couple.

Simple but perfect.

Notes: I'm alive! For now, at least.

Yeah, not very proud of what I have prepared for this week; but I tried, I guess.

Still not used to writing Kyoka and Denki. I need to practice writing them.

And no, I'm not dropping Where Golden Flowers Bloom. I did read your messages and I want to let you know I do intend on finishing the next chapters as soon as I... get things sorted out. Things haven't been easy lately.