Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was snowing near the end of the day in Musutafu. Perfect weather for Christmas, everyone in the Heights Alliance dorms agreed, although it wasn’t the best weather to walk in. That was something Ochaco considered when the realization struck her: one of her closest friends, Midoriya Izuku, wasn’t back from visiting his mother for the day. Snow, even when light, wasn’t fun to trudge through in the dark and no matter how oddly warm he normally was (both literally and figuratively, she noted to herself), even his almost Todoroki levels of strange body heat wouldn’t do much to aid him. 

She was with the other girls in the common area, the six of them all in their comfy sleepwear and having a fun time chatting. But the worry ebbing in the back of her mind grew too much to just be ignored. “Hey, has anyone heard from Deku?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, regret flooded her. One glance at Mina told her that the pink girl immediately latched onto the fact that it was Ochaco who pointed out Izuku’s absence. “ Oooh~? Could it be ? One half of one of my favorite ships worrying about their other half?” She theatrically wiped away a faux tear, her voice choked up as she cooed, “Christmas came early this year~”

“Wh-what!?” Heat rushed to Ochaco’s cheeks. Honestly, she didn’t know why she flared up so easily at the teasing; she knew she should’ve expected the jabs at her and Izuku’s relationship being more than what it really was (what it’d always be). But, without fail, her heart leapt into her throat and took the reigns when faced with the idea of her pining for her best friend.

And her friend made sure to drive it home, never giving Ochaco the chance to catch her breath. "Awwwwww!! 'chaco babe, you're crushing on Midoriya so hard !!" 

"M-Mina!! Not so loud!!" Ochaco wailed, not wanting any of the guys still in the common area to overhear. "A-and it's not like that!! I told you!!" She calmed herself down as much as she could, her cheeks still a much darker shade than their normal pink tint. "I just… I'm a little worried! He's been gone for a long time, even if he was with his mom!" 

Momo hummed in a note of concern, looking over to the clock on the wall, "She is right… Midoriya is usually here at least an hour before dinner, either that or he calls you, Iida or Todoroki if he's going to be a little late." 

Tsu added in, "Unless he broke his phone again, ribbit. He sometimes does that if he's fighting villains and doesn't secure it…” 

The girls all had a collective sigh. That was also a possibility- actually, it was most likely exactly on point. Knowing their endearing classmate was always too selfless for his own good at times, it wasn’t too far fetched to imagine him throwing caution to the wind and acting upon a problem. He probably did get caught up in trying to stop some criminal.  

At this, Ochaco groaned as she stood up, "I'll go ask one of the guys if they've heard from him-!!" 

"WOAH, HEY !!" Kirishima's voice tore through the once peaceful atmosphere of the common room. The red-head charged through to the front door, crying out, "MIDORIYA!! ARE YOU ALRIGHT !?" 

Iida came speeding after him, even without activating his Quirk. "Kirishima!! I understand your concern for Midoriya's well-being, but please refrain from running down the stairs next time!!" 

“Says the guy running after him!” Kaminari quipped with a tired tone, jogging after the rushing boys.

At the mention of the same boy they had just been talking about, the five girls all simultaneously got up, Ochaco already ahead of them as she rushed over to the front door to see what caused Kirishima to sound so worried over. The entire class was used to Deku's habit of coming back looking worse for wear after a day of rigorous training, so it took a lot for any of them to be this shocked with their pretty reckless classmate. 

‘Oh… Deku. Please don’t be horribly hurt. You got into a fight again, didn’t you?’ Ochaco sighed to the world as she ran to see her selfless friend who sometimes suffered from a bleeding heart-

She, along with everyone who came outside, all stopped when they saw him shuffling up to the stairwell. As expected, they weren't all that surprised to see Izuku with scuffed up arms, a slight limp, and dirtied up t-shirt. What did unnerve them all, though, was how disheartened he looked, how the normal light in his eyes was dim. He looked… defeated.

Some of the other guys came rushing over to the front of the dorms too, and soon most of Class 1-A was outside and overwhelming the boy with shared concern and questioning of his well-being, to the extent that none of them noticed the particular oddity at first… 

Until Todoroki piped up, "Midoriya, what's that in your hair?"  

Izuku didn't even react to his question, outside of glancing at him for a brief moment before dropping his gaze sullenly to the floor. 

Everyone paused and looked to see what Todoroki had mentioned… and were completely dumbstruck. Poking out of Izuku's curls, were little leafy branches, small white berries hanging in little clusters on some of them, almost blending in with the white flakes of snow catching and clinging to his hair. They were all so miniscule, it was a little hard to see them, but nevertheless, they were completely recognizable. 

Almost in sync, the class collectively cried out, "MISTLETOE??"

Iida karate chopped his hand rapidly, "Midoriya, what is the meaning of this?? Why is there mistletoe in your hair??" 

Aoyama sighed, "It's so messy-"

Mineta cut the laser user off, "Is it actually growing from your skull ??" 

Izuku hid himself, his arms lifting up to tuck his face. It was involuntary, a habit he didn’t know when he developed so long ago. He couldn’t talk, he was so humiliated- ! He didn't know why, but someone's touch on his arm spooked him. He hadn't even noticed that the group all stopped their questioning when they realized how broken this made him feel. 

It was Ochaco who had gingerly reached out to see if… well, she didn't even know how he'd react, saying a soft, "Deku…?" as she placed a hand on an undamaged part of his arm. She realized she had startled him, and the urge to help him took over as her tone dipped down in a doting tone. “You okay?” She could almost ignore the plants, she was just so worried for him. 

 His eyes locked with hers… it was almost enough to make him forget how much of a total idiot he looked like. Why did everyone… why weren’t any of them laughing? ‘I bet they would if they knew how badly I messed up…’ He shook his head, his arms having dropped back down to his sides as he focused on Ochaco, “I… no, I…” he cleared his throat, feeling it tighten and his eyes start to sting with threatened tears, “I’m fine.”

She knew it was a lie- Hell, she knew everyone knew it was a lie. It was so painfully obvious in the way that he slouched, deflating in place. But she wasn’t going to fight it. Whatever had happened… she knew it was eating away at him, but he needed time to vent. She backed away, nodding her head quietly.

“I just… need time alone.”

Iida spoke up, “Alright… but please visit Recovery Girl as soon as possible. Clean up those scrapes, in the mean time.”

Izuku nodded once, before heading towards his room, thankful that the group parted out of his way as he went.

Katsuki was only mildly curious about the congregation outside, telling himself that he didn’t have enough fucks to give. His classmates were just weird. “Hey, dumbasses! You’re letting the hot air out-?” When the Shitty Nerd passed him without so much of a single peep like the idiot usually stammered out, his temper took a nosedive. The Hell ?? Deku never just walked past him without at least saying a “hey, Kacchan” or some other form of suffocatingly annoying remark! 

But before he lashed out at his rival out of almost-reflex, he acknowledged something was wrong. He wasn’t dense ; it was too fucking obvious, even before he saw the foliage on Deku's head, of all things. "Woah, what the Hell?" He watched as the nerd disappeared up the stairwell, turning to the others as they came back inside, "What the Hell's his problem?? Damn nerd ignored me!!" 

Kirishima caught onto Bakugo's concern (knowing that mentioning it would be an explosive death wish, so he stayed silent about it, of course), and he gave a brief explanation, "Something happened to him… somehow, he's got this weird mistletoe growing in his hair, of all things-" 

“ Yeah, no shit. I’m not blind .” Bakugo replayed the fast moment in his mind, "So the stupid moron's embarrassed by a little plant getting caught in his hair. No excuse for being rude as fuck." He grumbled as he looked up at the ceiling towards Izuku's general direction with an annoyed scowl.

Ochaco heard the nonchalant lilt of his voice. Did he seriously lack the empathy to at least feel even a little bit bad for someone else’s sake?? It left such a bitter taste in her mouth, the thought of ignoring him never crossed her mind before she snapped, "Bakugo! Lay off! Something’s really wrong with Deku-!”

She did not expect him to come back with a scarily serious tone, “I know, Round Face. Way to state the fucking obvious.” 

No one, not even Kirishima, knew how to properly react to Bakugo’s response. Sure, it was gruff as ever, but… no one could deny the strange presence of normal emotions on his face.

But the moment of silence didn’t last forever. Sero put a hand to his chin, thinking out loud, "You don't think… a villain used their Quirk on him?" 

Momo added in on the out loud pondering, "That's a possibility… or really the only thing that could make any sense in this situation." She looked up, "That would explain his behavior." 

Shoji formed a mouth on one of his tentacles, "Maybe he's embarrassed from failing to capture the villain and or losing in a fight? The mistletoe could be a testament to it." 

“The crushing blow only intensified by added insult from humiliation in the form of petty Quirk use.” Tokoyami muttered in disgust, feeling disgruntled for his good friend’s sake.

Shoto nodded his head, "Shoji makes a good point. It's possible that he might view himself as less of a hero if that's the case." He looked down, his tone sounding more listless than normal, "There's maybe even other effects from the Quirk that may have taken hold…” 

"Wait, everyone! Hold the phones." Before anyone could comment on Todoroki's flippantly given detail, everyone was rather surprised that Mineta, out of all of them, spoke up. "Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have ourselves a glorious opportunity." The short boy had a smooth tone, completely confident in what he was about to propose.

Iida, with his robotic and exaggerated arm movements, immediately refuted, "Mineta! I must insist you do not use Midoriya's predicament against him-!"

He held up his index finger, wagging it as he cut him off, "It's not against him! Sorta…" His smirk only became more mischievous and disconcerting, "It's the mistletoe! I think we should take advantage of one holiday tradition in particular…"

The six girls, even Toru, blushed in sync. Ochaco, and Kyoka, had the worst reactions, the two screeching in perfect unison, " WHAT?? "

“ PFFFFFFT- ” The class was stunned for a good amount of time when Katsuki started to quake with suppressed laughter at the idea of Izuku getting kissed under the mistletoe curiously growing from his head. Well, it was a bit absurd to think about, the poor boy seemingly far too innocent and almost scared of being even close to members of the opposite sex.

Tsu spoke over Bakugo’s sputtering, "Mineta, how is that going to help? Ribbit…” 

Momo grumbled, though she was too embarrassed to actually look up, “Midoriya would not receive that well…" 

Ojiro scratched at his cheek, "Yeah, the guy seems like he'd only break down worse…" Kaminari and Sero both nodded in agreement.

However, Toru cooed, "Aw, but maybe it'd actually be really sweet… and surprisingly, it doesn't sound like it's perverted, despite coming from Mineta ." 

He deadpanned, "Gee, thanks. You all seem to forget I'm trying to be a hero too." He  theatrically opened up his arms wide, trying to get them all to see the bigger picture, "Seriously! Guys, and especially you ladies, think about it! Who could resist an overload of affection?? And it's not like you have to get all lip to lip with him! It's like a guy's dream come true to get any sort of affection from a beautiful babe!" 

Tsuyu touched her index finger to her chin in an inquisitive manner, tilting her head as she thought about it, " Maybe Mineta is onto something… but I think that it'll probably overwhelm Midoriya too much. He already has a hard enough time just talking to one of us, outside of training… though he is more comfortable with Ochaco." 

Said girl squeaked when everyone in the room turned to her, be it just because she was mentioned or that they immediately thought about how the two really were rather close… Aoyama twinkling a bit more because he knew she had it deep for Midoriya. 

‘Wh-what? Why is everyone looking at me ? We’re not… he’s not that comfortable with me! Not more, at least! Gah! Tsu, why did you say that!?’

Mina giggled, not-so-subtly enjoying watching Ochaco in the process of turning into a human light bulb with how intense her flustered blushing was. "Hey, I'll be the first one to kiss him. I'll gladly be the guinea pig to see how he reacts… I also kinda want to see if he'll have a meltdown, but I also want to see him smile again." She shuddered, "Seeing him all droopy and gloomy like that…" 

Denki chuckled, though it was clearly forced, "Yeah, that was a little disturbing. He's usually so pumped up, even if he gets a little quiet at times." 

Iida sighed, shaking a little bit from frustration, "I can't condone it fully but… as long as none of you cross any lines and respect him if Midoriya rejects the affection, I will not report it to Aizawa." He straightened up, correcting his glasses, "However, I have to ask that you girls refrain from getting too intimate… I can't believe I'm even having to say this. No lip to lip contact, like Mineta said. Either cheeks or forehead, or even the back of the hand. Just… wholesome, friendly affection." He rubbed his temples, holding his other hand up as if to help aid in stopping the girls from potentially scaring the life out of his friend.

Shoto looked at Iida with an expression that could easily be mistaken for indifference as he monotoned, "I'll prepare the message for Mrs Midoriya in case her son dies tomorrow." He showed a little bit of his concern when Iida practically choked at that, casually asking his friend if he was alright.

Ochaco remained silent throughout the ordeal, something that could’ve either been steam or smoke wafting up from her as she breaked , while Kyoka rubbed her upper arms with her ear jacks raised slightly, mumbling, "This feels so awkward… it could really turn out bad…" 

Katsuki finally managed out in between fits of laughter, “He’s gonna die , you’re gonna kill him!!” He quite literally fell over laughing as his seams finally split apart.

Mineta, however, internally giggled in a maniacal tone. 'Heh heh heh… little do they know that I am using them to exact my revenge on Midoriya for throwing away my magazines… after burning them… uncool, Midoriya. You didn't rat me out to Aizawa though, so this is my way of going easy on you…'

Izuku woke up feeling like crap, even before walking over to the main school building to visit Recovery Girl. His eyes still felt sore and puffy from the angry tears he had last night as he trudged back to the dorms, trying his best not to let the awful news sink his soul even further;

“Sorry, Sonny. I can’t do anything about the effects of someone else’s Quirk. You’ll just have to wait for the effects to wear off.”

He tugged on the sides of the old, blue beanie he had on his head, desperately hoping that all the damned mistletoe was hidden. Of course he’d slip on some stupid ice and fail to stop the purse snatcher. Sure , he had grabbed the purse and returned it to the woman he had been passing by, but the crook was still ot there and probably still laughing at Izuku from afar. It was such a dumb, klutzy mistake, and the criminal just had to rub salt in his wounds by making him look so stupid ! People he passed by on the way back to UA… he heard them snicker. He was used to people ignoring him, or snicker if they knew he was Quirkless for years, not for his usually plain appearance!

Though, he’ll admit… it was downright shocking when everyone back at the dorms didn’t so much as giggle when he finally got back. He didn’t think they were just waiting for him to retreat to his room to make fun of him, either. ‘Everyone’s just… so awesome. I’ve been blessed with good friends…’  

But no one knew yet how badly he messed up. He didn’t know if he could talk about the dumb fumble yet; he was just too ashamed. He reached up when his head itched and could immediately tell that the mistletoe had grown overnight… or maybe he was just paranoid and the mistletoe actually stayed the same. Either way, it only made him feel more embarrassed.

After getting back inside Heights Alliance, quietly waving in response to Iida when he greeted him, he shuffled over towards the kitchen. He just needed something in his stomach- he darkly joked to himself, 'Oh God, am I really going to start stress eating-’  

It happened so quickly, that he almost didn't realize or process what had just happened. He was passing by Ashido, his pink classmate saying something along the lines of good morning with him automatically responding with a small good morning back, when she… wait, d-did she actually…!? Deku.exe has stopped working … 

Mina grew a little worried when not only did Deku freeze up mid-step when she kissed his cheek, but also began to glow red from head to toe. "Uh, Deku-!!" 

Izuku suddenly began to screech , worse than the time he first saw All Might deflate, unknowingly to her. He spooked her so badly, that they both began to scream in sync from their shocked reactions towards each other. 

Izuku frantically scrambled backwards, almost falling over in the process. "A-A-ASHIDO!?!? WH-WHAT DID… WHY DID… E-EEEH !?!?" He couldn't speak coherently at all, the poor boy flustered beyond belief. His hands were flailing around, having absolutely no clue as to how he was supposed to respond to being suddenly kissed !! The acknowledgement of the fact that that really just happened made him let out a sheer squeal of bewilderment. 

Ashido calmed down, though she chuckled nervously, starting to worry that maybe it wasn't a good idea after all. "U-um…" she pointed towards his head, "mistletoe?" 

"…" Izuku froze again, only not from his burning fluster, despite the heat in his face staying. His hands lowered slowly, taking the time to try and process what she had just said. "A-ah… um… o-o-oh . I… I see…”

Ashido saw how as he calmed down, a scribbly expression grew on his face; he was already looking like a normal version of himself! Immediately, she cheered up, 'Oh my gosh, Mineta's plan is actually working …' She beamed at him, catching him off guard slightly as she bounded forwards with peppy cheer, "Yeah! Gotta keep holiday traditions alive!" She chuckled, "Don't worry, I won't spook ya again like that." She put on subtle emphasis on the "I", not at all concerned with the fact that she enjoyed messing with him. He was getting better, that’s all that mattered!

"O-oh, o-o-okay…" Izuku managed to get out, looking absolutely shaken. Some of the mistletoe, along with more of his curls, started to poke out from the beanie, the boy completely disheveled from the scare.

As Mina left the broken teen alone in the common room, she took out her cell, group texting the girls that Mission Mistletoe was a go.

Izuku stumbled through the door to his room, his lungs desperately crying out for air in a burning sensation as he panted. His beanie had fallen off, lost somewhere in the hallway from his clumsy sprinting. After getting kissed repeatedly , each in a different way, he just could NOT take it anymore!!

He let his back slide down his door after having slammed it shut, sinking down onto the safe floor of his dorm room. Well, at least the girls were all being just friendly , though Jiro was rather aggressive in pinning him against the wall, her ear jacks threateningly posed to poke him if he tried to escape. “Stop moving! I don’t want to accidentally kiss you on the lips, Midoriya!” Yeah, he may have nearly fainted at the mention of it, but she had a point. After the scare from Ashido, he couldn’t stop fidgeting . Yaoyorozu had been the gentlest, having asked him permission first before kissing the back of his hand. He froze in place like a statue with his hand still up in the air, still enough that one of Koda’s birds perched on him. Hagakure had given him a verbal warning, but it was still terrifying not being able to see the invisible girl reach up to grab his cheeks (that she wouldn’t have known were terribly ticklish- Hell , not even he knew they were so sensitive!!) to lower his head down and land a smooch to his forehead. Asui, in her usual blunt manner, told him to lean down so she could chastly give him a peck on the cheek, even throwing in a quick hug and “Merry Christmas” that he couldn’t hope to return audibly. 

And it wasn’t just the girls! He also got a couple of kisses and hugs from the guys, Aoyama’s kisses to the cheeks not as surprising, due to his French upbringing. Sato kissed him on the top of the head before offering to bake him his favorite dessert later that night and for everyone to enjoy. Todoroki kissed his temple, Iida offering a near bone crushing hug that lifted him up off the floor. Kirishima threw an arm over his shoulders before rubbing his head with his knuckles in a rough but playful gesture- oooh , that’s… that’s probably why the beanie was lost.

Jiro was the last, having cornered him in the hallway, before he finally reached the sanctuary of his room. “Ah… hah… I think I might… actually pass out… from more attention-!”

A soft knock came from the other side of the door, Izuku flailing to get up on his feet and away from it. “Deku…? It’s me, Ochaco.”

His heart leapt up into his mouth, forgetting how to breathe. Right , he still hadn’t gotten… was she… why was he… so excited!? There was a different sort of buzzing in his head at the thought of his best friend, the adorably sweet and caring girl, reaching up on her tiptoes to reach his cheek, her chocolate hair and eyes with rosy cheeks close to his… his voice flew to the rafters as he squealed out, “U-URARAKA!! C… c-come in !” 

She opened the door, peeking in without opening the door all the way. At first, she let out a little giggle. It was always just so funny to her to see all of the All Might merch inside his room. He was such a fanboy… it really was just so endearing. ‘It’s just so Deku…’ She saw him and sighed, seeing how frazzled he was. She slipped inside, leaving the door only partially opened, reaching out to him with his blue beanie in hand. “I saw it on the floor… I thought you’d want it, especially if we go outside.” She quickly clarified, clearing her throat with a quick cough, “I thought you’d need a breath of fresh air… I know everyone’s been kinda…”

“Much?” 

She grinned when he finished her thought, nodding her head with a small scoff, “Yeah. They’re really going overboard with the mistletoe thing.”

Her just being there was a breath of fresh air, he thought to no one in particular. He sighed, the heat in his cheeks subsiding slightly as he calmed his nerves. “That sounds amazing, Ochaco. I’ll take you up on that.”

As he went around his room to grab his coat and other things, Ochaco broke at the realization that he had said her personal name without having noticed it himself.

Denki, Hanta, Eijiro and Katsuki were chatting while eating their lunches… well, Katsuki was just trying to eat in peace. The three morons were just lingering around him as usual. 

Pikachu suddenly laughed out, "Oh, yeah! You guys seen Midoriya yet?" 

Elbows snickered, "Oh, yeah! Dude's color is definitely back in his face, that's for sure." 

Shitty Hair wasn't as enthusiastic, but he did chuckle a little bit, "I think Hagakure spooked him the worst. I saw her basically grab Midoriya's head so that she could get a clear shot to his cheek… I think. I can't tell if it was that or his forehead."

Pikachu giggled, "Nah, man! Jiro full on went Kabedon on him! He squealed , no joke!!"

Katsuki blanked a little, “She did what ?" 

Eijiro legitimately could not tell what subtle emotion was lurking under the confused tone Bakugo used. “She, uh… pinned him against a wall?”

"WHAT!?!?" Katsuki hollered, his eyes widened from total shock. Before the others could respond to his outcry, Katsuki threw his head back and guffawed . He laughed so hard that he tipped his seat back, almost falling over, before coming back to the table and hiding his face in his arm to try and muffle his chortles that shook his entire body. He pounded the table a few times before lifting his head up, "They really are gonna kill him!! Oh my God!! This is the dumbest shit I've ever heard!!" 

Momo and Kyoka both came walking by, Jiro's eyebrows raised in amazement, "Woah. I didn't know Bakugo could even laugh… outside of cockiness." 

"Shut up, Ears!" Despite the bite in his words, the ash blonde still continued to crack up with laughter. “I can’t fucking believe it!! Ears, whyja go and do that!? You totally just scarred the idiot for life !!”

Kyoka cried out in embarrassment, “It’s not my fault, he wouldn’t stop wiggling!!”

“Why does that matter? What, afraid to accidentally kiss the weirdo on the lips?”

Her jacks lifted up as she screeched at the damned ash blond, “SHUT UP, KATSUKI!!”

His laughter died down just a little, a dark smirk on his face, “Then how ‘bout you make me? I think you wasted that boldness on pathetic Deku.”

Denki murmured to Hanta, “ Is it just me , or is there a lot of that kind of tension in the air?”

“ Kaminari… ”

“Shutting up!”

Ochaco, with Izuku in tow, chuckled when they reached the foot of the stairs. “Woah; what’s going on down here?”

“Flirt battle.” Hanta nonchalantly answered, ignoring Katsuki choking on his food and Jiro’s outcry. 

“ Fl… flirt… ?” Izuku gawked between the two, but before he could process, Ochaco grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the front door. 

Mina was already headed over to the dining area to watch the sparks fly, her shipper senses tingling, when Ochaco passed her… dragging Izuku along with her. Her black and golden eyes widened as a shrill cheer left her, “ WHAAAAAT !?” She stopped the gravity user in her tracks, poor Izuku bumping into her. “Doth my eyes deceive me!? Ochaco !?”

She dipped her head low, Izuku’s presence becoming all the more obvious from Mina’s teasing. “... I’m just going out with Deku-”

“ Oh ?”

It was too late to correct the slip of the tongue, but Ochaco cried out anyway, “NOT LIKE-”

“OchAco!!”

She turned around when Izuku squeaked her name. It was a good thing she was still holding his wrist, because he would’ve floated up to the ceiling if she had let go. “O-oh my goodness! Deku, I’m so sorry!” When did she even activate her Quirk!?

Mina grinned like a fox, poking Ochaco’s side, “You two have fuuun~”

Ochaco released her Quirk, unable to smack Mina’s hand away in time. She huffed indignantly, “C’mon, Deku, let’s go.”

“O-okay!” Izuku had no clue how else to respond to what just happened. He had a hard time understanding Mina at times, just like Kaminari and especially Mineta. ‘What was that ? Why did Mina… Ochaco’s not lying, we’re just going outsi-’ Izuku nearly tripped over his own two feet when it finally dawned on him: what Mina was teasing them about, why Ochaco was so upset about it. It was different than when everyone else kissed him or hugged him. It was Ochaco , going out of her way to make sure he was alright. He did nothing to fight the smile now scrawled on his face or the fuzzy feeling in his chest… there was nothing he could do.

And that was fine by him.

It was beautiful outside. Izuku gawked at how much the snow glittered… maybe it was just because of the company with him. He wondered if she would kiss him soon; he could see some of the mistletoe in the upper corner of his eye. As she lead him over to one of the benches under a tree and not too covered by snow, his heart thundered in his chest. What was it about her that made it different ? He hummed a quiet note when she asked if it was an okay spot to take a break, nodding his head before they sat together.

The air was brisk, a chilling breeze rushing past them and he saw her shudder. ‘Oh! I think it’d be a good time, then.’ He reached into his pocket, “Ochaco? I wanted to give you something.”

“Huh?” She tilted her head, “Deku, it’s not Christmas yet-”

He reached over her head, letting the mint green scarf drape over her shoulders. “I know, but I knew you’d enjoy wearing it now. It is pretty chilly outside.” He grinned ear to ear, “My mom made us matching scarves.”

She felt the softness of the yarn… his mom made her this. “It’s… it’s so pretty… Deku, thank you -!” She was surprised when around his neck, he had a pink scarf. She understood how they matched: “Oh! Pink and green!”

“Yeah! Like our hero suits theme colors!” 

“Was that your idea?”

‘Well, the pink one was actually supposed to be yours,’ he confessed in his head. “Haha, sorta. But I also thought they just suited us.”

She almost didn’t even need the scarf or even her coat to feel warmer. For a moment, she almost ignored the fear she had of kissing him, knowing she had to join in on Mission Mistletoe… though she’d never admit that the mission was only an afterthought, maybe even an excuse to justify her sudden desire to just pull him close. “Deku, you’re just too kind.”

The comment came off as odd to him, but he shook his head, “No, you’re the kind one. You’re the nicest, most genuine person I know.”

She was taken aback by how sincere he sounded, but chuckled, “Nah, that honor is your mother’s.”

“Hah, fair enough… how ‘bout from our peer group?”

“Okay, that’s fair.” 

They giggled a little at their own joking, bumping against each other. They both leaned back to just enjoy the atmosphere, the peaceful calm and quiet made by the snow. Even amongst the frost and cold, they both found themselves warm and cozy in the silence and peace around them. 

“Deku…”

“Yeah?”

“Why… why were you so upset about the mistletoe?”

He sighed, but he didn’t find it hard to open up, still utterly comfortable with her by his side. “A crook made a fool of me after I slipped on ice and ate shit on the pavement.”

She hissed at the thought of how painful that had to have been. “Ouch…”

“Yeah. It made me feel more like a failure, though I did manage to get the purse back.”

“Deku, you’re not a… don’t call yourself a failure!!” She turned to him, “And it’s not that bad! If anything, I think it’s kinda cute!”

He sputtered once, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised hearing that from you. I dunno, I just… I really didn’t expect you all to embrace it like… well, you know .”

“It was Mineta’s idea.” 

He blanked for a moment. A second passed… he facepalmed without warning, a crisp slap sounding off. “Oh my gosh … that explains everything!!” He stood up from his seat, his cheeks ablaze and energy spiked as he remembered those damned magazines he caught the little pervert with. “How, just how , did you let him talk you guys into doing this!? Of course he would use an innocent holiday tradition to get back at me!! I mean, knowing Ashido , it’s safe to say that the rest was taken control of by someone else-”

Ochaco seamlessly interjected into his ranting spree, trying her best not to giggle, “Iida set the boundaries!”

“ Oh , great. Mineta probably used the excuse that it’d make me happier , then-”

“Well, did it?” She bubbled with smug chuckles, waiting for him to stop in place.

And he did, jerking to a stop in his pacing as he locked eyes with her. “W-well… I mean, yeah , I guess! I… I sure didn’t expect it. I was expecting everyone to tease or make fun of me; people were snickering at me during the walk back-”

“And those people all deserve coal this year.” Ochaco stood up, poking his chest with a chastizing tone, “Don’t lump us up with everyone else , Midoriya Izuku. We are your friends. Even Bakugo is semi-decent towards you, now!”

He grimaced with a forced chuckle, “Yeah… he is, isn’t he?”

“Mm-hm.” She placed her hands on her hips, grumbling, “Jeez, you need to trust us more. We all care about you! And yeah; maybe using the mistletoe as an excuse to just shower you with affection was a dumb, goofy idea, but we also just wanted to cheer you up! We all knew something was bothering you; I’m just glad it all worked out well.” She looked up at him (gosh darn the height difference!), sighing, “I don’t like missing your smile. It hurt to see you so gloomy.”

His heart yet again tried to soar out of his body. Before he could think, the words tumbled out of his mouth, “W-well! I still haven’t gotten my kiss from you-”

Silence echoed for what felt like eternity.

Izuku spontaneously combusted into a fit of frantic squawking, “I-I MEAN, Y-YOU DON’T HAVE TO, I-I JUST THOUGHT THAT, UH, IF YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD MAKE ME HAPPIER, I WOULDN’T MIND - N-NO, THAT SOUNDED BAD, UUUH… UM; MAYBE I SHOULD… I MEANT THAT IT’S OKAY IF Y-Y-YOU WANTED TO-”

“Izuku!!”

“ Yes !” He stood rigid, unable to make any sort of eye contact.

“ No … look at me.”

She delicately demanded his attention and it was enough to make him nearly go weak-kneed. He sighed once, before sucking it up and looking into her determined eyes- 

He did not expect to see her look so unsure, nervous in how she fidgeted with her hands and puffed out her adorably pink cheeks. She finally mustered up the courage to state, “I want to kiss you!”

He gulped, both out of a nervous tick of his own and to try and swallow the rising panic he was experiencing. The most amazing person in the world , he believed, even more than All Might he decided in that very moment, just said that she wanted to kiss him. She wasn’t even asking, she was gonna do it! He silently nodded and quickly leaned down with his head turned to the side to give her the opening that she needed. 

Ochaco went wide eyed, recoiling a bit. ‘O-oh gosh, I didn’t mean now !!’ She couldn’t control her racing heart, scolding herself for allowing her nerves to get the better of herself. ‘You face terrifying villains all the time, damnit! This shouldn’t be so scary!’ She clenched her eyes shut, trying her best to control her razed breathing. ‘Okay! It’s just a quick peck to the cheek! You don’t have to confess afterwards, it’s just a friendly gesture… a very, very friendly gesture… oh God, just do it!’

His heart hammered away in his chest, the the point he thought another rib or two would break. ‘Oh my goodness, did time freeze? Did she already kiss me and I missed it? Oh my gosh, why does it feel like such a long time has gone by? I… I can’t take it!’ He turned his head slightly, his eye slowly opening up as he shyly took a glance-!!

He had turned his head all the way on instinct, his curiosity getting the better of him; he didn’t mean for her to accidentally plant a kiss on his lips . His eyes went wide as saucers, the texture of his lips making her eyes flash open in shock too. The both of them squeaked at the close proximity, but… 

Neither if them pulled away. Like snow in Spring, they melted away into each other. He let his hands drift up to hold her shoulders, leaning even further in to kiss her back in a gentle, chaste kiss. He took control, breaking it before she could pull away or take control back. He had a strong feeling the latter would’ve been what happened when he pulled away far enough to take in her expression, doing his best to read every bit of detail painted oh-so- beautifully on her face. He didn’t hesitate to envelope her in his arms when he saw how she wanted him to stay close, “I… I think I love you, Ochaco.”

“I know… I know that now.” She held him back, murmuring, “I think I loved you for awhile now, too.”

“You… you did?”

She nodded. To Hell with not confessing, ‘Stupid mistletoe.’ She whispered, “I didn’t want to get in the way of your goal. I was… okay with just staying friends. I want to see you succeed, because you’re my hero.”

“That… that’s not fair.” He rested a hand on her head, pained at the thought of her having kept that to herself, who knows for how long. “You saved me first, Ochaco-!” He pulled away a bit, thinking about it, “Actually, you saved me a lot that day, when we took the entrance exam! In front of the school, when I was falling, the rescue points…” He paused, his eyes shooting wide open, “Oh my gosh… I’ve been crushing on you since day one .”

She felt her jaw drop at the unexpected confession, before she bursted with giggles. “Oh my gosh … Deku, sit down really quick, I think you’re about to faint!” 

The two sat back down, this time closer and with him leaning more into her, his eyes closed as she played with the sprigs in his hair. His beanie had practically fallen off, but he didn’t mind the mistletoe being visible anymore.

“… I don’t think I hate the mistletoe as much anymore.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

“Well… not only has everyone been spoiling me with kindness, but I think it just got me a girlfriend.”

“Well, so did your general clumsiness.”

“ Hey- ”

“And the scarves were a nice touch. You know I like staying warm.” She grinned knowingly, “The pink one was supposed to be mine, wasn’t it?”

“… yes.”

She snickered at his muttered reply, “Well, I still think the mistletoe is kinda cute, just like your hero name and just you .” She kissed his cheek, the feeling of pure satisfaction making her beam brighter than Aoyama’s lasers.

His smile was wobbly, not at all ashamed of how she totally had power over him. “I’m so blessed.”

She nodded in agreement, humming while they enjoyed the peace and quiet.