The blast of fire missed Uravity's helmet by mere centimeters. She cursed under breath. She couldn't let this villain get the best of her. She was well into her career at 27 years old. She just needed to get close enough to the villain to get her hands on him. But his fire quirk was forcing her to battle from a distance.

"Uravity! We've called for backup to help evacuate!" The police dispatch sounded off inside her helmet.

"Roger! Just give me a little more time." She needed speed. The quirk restraints were banging against her hip as she ran at full throttle. With one last push, she used her quirk on herself, launching faster than she could run. She kept her feet close to the ground to release and float to change directions. Using the smoke and her momentum she was able to dart around faster than the villain could see. Finally, she reached the wall adjacent to the villain and, pushing off with both feet, flew head first toward the villain. She took his left arm, using her momentum to swing him above herself. She released herself and made him float immediately after. With her weight and gravity against the villain, Uravity slammed him into the ground ten times harder than regular combat. With the breath knocked out of the villain, Uravity restrained him easily.

"Looks like you've got things under control," a voice called out to Uravity as she lifted the villain easily with her quirk. She looked up to see another Pro-Hero walking through the smoke. She recognized the mask instantly.

"Deku? They sent you to help? Is the evacuation complete?"

"Yeah, I got the rest of the residents out and came to see if I could help you." He looked at the villain she was holding at her waist. "But I should've known you wouldn't need it."

"Tch, thanks. What are you doing here, in Mei? I thought you were in Tokyo?" Uravity asked as she reached where Deku was standing. She could only see his green eyes and the beginning of freckles through the mask. He shrugged.

"I was in the area and I responded to the call." Uravity nodded and made her way towards the police.

To say the two had met before would be putting it lightly. They had fought together so many times she knew who Deku was. Uravity liked to think they were friends. As the number one hero, Deku seemed to be everywhere and anywhere. Being the number five hero, Uravity kept her presence limited to her home prefecture, national emergencies, and the occasional international mission. Uravity, had attended the number one hero school, U.A. High. She worked hard to make a name that would help her to a position to support her parents. And while most people went to established hero schools, Deku came out of nowhere, keeping his identity hidden. There were so many secrets around Deku that led to plenty of speculation from civilians and Pro-Heros. People wondered how he was even able to apply for his provisional license as a teen. Or how he even managed to get his actual license as an adult.

According to some rumors, his family was super rich and paid off the government. Other rumors said that he probably had a mind control quirk that went up to the entire chain of government. Some even said he was secretly a villain! None of this made sense to Uravity because she knew Deku. They had fought together, trusting each other with their lives. Uravity could see that being a Hero wasn't a job for him. It was who he was at his core. Deku had helped her save her parents once. So, how he became a Hero wasn't an issue. She was just a little curious.

On the other hand, everyone knew who Uravity was. Uraraka Ochako's identity had been known since day one. People even knew where she lived. She was lucky enough that most of her fans were really considerate and never really crowded her out of uniform. She was grateful for them and her job, loved being a Hero. After she handed the villain over to the police, she turned to Deku who had been silently following her.

"Well," she started a bit awkwardly, "Thank you for helping out." She smiled and held out her hand. He took her hand and shook, maybe lingering a little longer than necessary.

"Of course, Uravity." Although she couldn't see it, she could hear the smile in his voice. She returned it with a smile of her own.

"Maybe we'll team up again soon," Uravity said if not a bit shyly. Deku nodded and took a small step back.

"Till next time," he said before turning away. Uravity watched his back before going back to her agency to write up her official report.

It was well past midnight when Ochako finally made it to her apartment. As soon as she finished her report another call came in. It was nonstop. Of course, she was happy to do her job but it left her so very tired. Shifts were 48 hours with 48 hours off in between. Heros slept whatever they could at the agency while on duty. If something major happened and more Heros were needed, those off duty would be called in. Ochako always had her name at the top of the on call list. She usually wouldn't go more than a day before being called back in. This didn't include incidents that she would just happen upon. But that night she hoped she could have both days.

She had a stack of paperwork in her left arm, holding her helmet by her fingertips. And her keys in her right hand were desperately trying to find the doorknob. She fumbled around for a few moments and lost her grip on the paperwork. Trying to catch it, she ended up dropping her keys and her helmet. She sighed and slumped her shoulders. Ochako stood there for a second thinking of reasons why sleeping in the hallway wouldn't be so bad.

"Do you need help?" A soft voice brought her out of her pros and cons list. She looked to her right to see a man in casual clothes, a few inches taller than her with a concerned look on his face. His green hair was wild and probably hadn't been brushed. Ochako only noticed his freckles. She sighed and rubbed her eyes before answering.

"Yeah, thanks. Just a bit tired." She tried to smile but her eyes took a second too long to open. The stranger took a step towards her.

"I'm Midoriya Izuku. I moved in next door yesterday." He reached out his hand. Ochako took it sleepily.

"Ah, explains why I haven't seen you," she said slowly, the fatigue coming in fast and strong. Izuku smiled before reaching down to pick up her things.

"What's your name?" He asked, standing back up. He handed her the paperwork and helmet before unlocking her door.

"Um. Uraraka Ochako," she said in shock that he had picked everything up for her. He opened the door a little before holding out her keys. Ochako took them slowly and, once she had them, he took a few steps back. Ochako was too tired to notice the bags under Izuku's eyes or his own pile of paperwork outside of his door.

"Have a good night," he said with a small smile.

"Uh, thanks. You too." Ochako quickly returned the smile before going inside. He's nice, she thought and was asleep before she reached her bed.

Izuku retrieved his own pile of paperwork before heading into his apartment. Most of his things were still in boxes. He had his bed set up and a few kitchen items unpacked but that was it. He sighed and moved a few boxes out of the way on his counter to make room for the pile of paper. Being the number one hero was incredibly exhausting. Due to his quirk being handed down from the great All Might he had decided to keep his identity a secret. After All Might's battle with All for One and his own epic battle with Shigaraki and the League of Villains, he knew he had made to right decision to protect himself, his mother, and All Might. In the last battle with the League, they had gone after family members. He remembered the relief when his mother wasn't included. But, he also remembered Uravity's initial reaction. He had been standing next to her when Shigaraki revealed he had her parents. Izuku had seen people scared before. Hell, he had even been scared himself. But the look of pure fear of Uravity's face was something he could never forget.

He shook his head and reached for his phone that he had left at the apartment. There were a few messages from his mother and All Might both wishing him a happy birthday. Izuku looked at the date and realized he had completely missed his own birthday. He couldn't believe that he was the new symbol of peace at 28 years old. Flopping onto his bed, he let out a big sigh. He had moved to the Mei prefecture knowing full well that Uravity had this place down pat. She kept the peace just as well as he did. In all honesty, he was hoping for a break. He had been fighting the most dangerous villains for almost ten years now. He hoped that taking down lesser villains and some rescue work would be a nice break from constant life-threatening situations. He knew that other Heros were more than capable of handling them. It didn't stop him from feeling guilty but, remembering a conversation with All Might brought him back to himself.

"You deserve a break, Izuku," he muttered to himself, fatigue setting in. "You're not quitting, just recuperating. Yeah, just a break…." he muttered himself to sleep.

The next day, Izuku made a cup of coffee and went to stand on his balcony. The morning air was losing its bite and the warmth of the sun told him the day was going to be hot. The smell of bacon made its way to his nose and he looked to his left. Stepping out onto her own balcony in frog slippers was Ochako with a plate of breakfast. He didn't even know he was hungry until he saw her food. Ochako didn't see him until she sat down at her small table.

"Oh," she said with a shock. "Good morning. Are you my new neighbor?" Ochako asked with a smile. Izuku smiled back realizing that she didn't remember last night. He didn't know that the number five hero would be so tired.

"Uh, yeah," Izuku started, "Looks like we both got a late start." He lifted his cup of coffee in a toast. Ochako followed his move with her glass of orange juice. It was already 10 AM.

"I'm Uraraka Ochako. You can call me Ochako, though."

"I'm Midoriya Izuku. You can call me Izuku."

"It's nice to meet you. You're a lot younger than I was expecting. Most people in this building are kinda old."

"Mm, I know. I kinda wanted a building that was pretty quiet, you know?" Ochako struggled to swallow her eggs to respond quickly.

"I do!" she choked out. "I need quiet to sleep." It was then she noticed his lack of food and stood up. "Have you eaten?" The question caught Izuku off guard.

"Um, no?" Ochako shook her head at his response.

"Do you want some breakfast? I can whip some eggs pretty easily." Izuku stared at her. If she didn't feel embarrassed at first, his stare definitely brought the blush out. "I mean obviously if you don't want to or you're not hungry that's cool," she quickly followed up, averting her eyes. Izuku broke out of his stare and shook his head. You need to make friends, Midoriya, All Might's voice reminded him. Maybe accepting her offer would be the first step in taking his break?

"Um, if it's not too much trouble," he started quietly. "I'd love some breakfast actually." Izuku has seen Uravity's eyes shine bright with a plan or a well-executed combat move. But Ochako's eyes were almost too different to be the same person. The way her eyes lit up at his acceptance was like a child on Christmas. He could've sworn he just gave her the lottery. She practically jumped out of her seat, her hands in fists that were harmless for once.

"Do you wanna come inside? Or do you wanna stay there?" Inside? Her home? Izuku wasn't there yet. His blush was worse than hers.

"Oh-! uh, I- um, out here is fine." He floundered for his words before running his hands through his hair. Ochako smiled, her cheeks calming down. She told him to wait, that it wouldn't take more than ten minutes. She took her own food inside and suddenly Izuku was left alone. I should tell her I know who she is, he thought. But then, the question of his line of work would come up. To keep people safe, no one could know about One for All. He didn't have friends because he didn't want anyone to get too close. But a Pro Hero would make a great friend, right? Someone who could protect themselves? All Might had friends who were just regular people. Izuku wondered why it was so hard for him to open up. He was lost in his thoughts when Ochako returned to her balcony with two plates in her hand. Izuku noticed that she hadn't finished her food.

"Careful, it's hot." She used her quirk on the plate of food and gently pushed it towards Izuku. "Do you have a grip on it?" At Izuku's nod, she released the plate. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Simple. It had been a long while since someone had cooked for him. He usually cooked his own food. And sometimes, it wasn't the best. Ochako waited for Izuku to take a bite before continuing her own food.

"Mm! It's good!" Ochako's blush came back though not as strong. She shrugged staring intently at her bacon.

"It's nothing, really."

"Mm-mm, it's really good. Thank you." Ochako looked up to a melancholic Izuku. "It's been a while…" Ochako knew they didn't have time to unpack all of that so she did the next best thing.

"Well, if we're up at the same time, I can make breakfast tomorrow?" Izuku swallowed before answering.

"If you don't mind… Would it be okay?"

Ochako laughed lightly. "Of course, we can be friends."

Izuku smiled, his heart swelling.

"Yeah, friends."