Archive of Our Own ^beta

This.

This is what months of stalking was leading up to.

The Christmas season! Giant pine trees and striped candy canes and snowflakes! Flashing little lights everywhere! Snowmen!

If Himiko had to pick a favorite holiday, Christmas would definitely be up there. (Halloween and Valentine’s Day were both super great too!) She thought all the colorful decorations were so cute and that the holiday specials were the greatest! She’d been renting ones from last year and rewatching them ever since July as she prepared for winter. Currently, one played on the screen.

It was the beginning of the movie, the part before the couple were happy and together! The woman was doing her hair before leaving to go to the job interview her father had set up for her. Himiko knew that before the woman even clued the audience in on that. This movie was one of her favorites! Dabi had complained a lot, but he thought it was funny, so he watched it with her a lot too.

It hadn’t been the movie that’d kicked off her giant plan though! She couldn’t exactly pinpoint one movie that was responsible for that, not when all the Christmas movies worth their salt contained the scene she was looking to recreate: A sweet, spontaneous, kiss under the mistletoe.

She clutched her hands together, swooning at the thought. Himiko sighed and fell against Dabi, who sat on the couch beside her.

“What’s your problem? You don’t normally get so happy until they get to the kidnapping part.”

“It’s not the kidnapping! It’s love, Dabi! She kidnaps him and he still loves her! It’s so sweet.”

“Uh-huh.” He lifted his arm to shove her off of him. Himiko huffed as she sat upright again.

“That’s not it though!” she said. “You know how I’ve been leaving for like, a bunch of hours everyday for the past few months?”

“Sure,” Dabi said. “Tomura won’t shut up about you not being here when we’re going over plans.”

Himiko hummed, immediately disregarding the statement. “Well, I was making my own plans!”

Dabi let out a low, almost pained breath. “Yeah?”

><><><

Today was the day.

Ochako had been up since 7:00 AM… yesterday. It was 4 AM the following day, and so what if she’d only taken a twenty minute power nap? She was ready to face the world! She quickly ate breakfast—not before debating if eating in the shower would be a good time saver—then took a shower. Practically running to the door, she slipped her shoes on and reached to grab her phone from her pocket, set on checking the time.

The note she intended to leave on the kitchen table for her classmates spilled out from her jacket pocket, fluttering to the floor. Half-eaten toast in hand, Ochako backtracked to the kitchen to drop the note on the table. She really was scatterbrained this morning! It was already shaping up to be a stressful day.

With that, she was triple checking that she had her shopping list and darting back towards the front door.

As stressful as this impromptu shopping trip was, Ochako knew it would be good to get it out of the way now. There was only a week until Christmas! There’d be so many lines and crowds.. She sighed to herself as she stepped off campus. That was part of the reason she was going so early; an attempt to get there before the mall turned into a circus.

She would’ve gone earlier in the month if she had the option, but money was tight as always. Even after taking part-time jobs when her schedule would allow it, it was still tight to the point of having to wait until mid-December to knock out the remaining presents.

To make sure she wasn’t spending more than necessary, and to make sure she knew exactly where to find each present she’d planned on getting each of her classmates, Ochako had made several lists detailing all the relevant information; she’d even charted the costs of each gift over the past few months so she could swoop in at the right time!

Unfortunately, prices rose during the holidays, and she couldn’t exactly wait until January to start buying presents for them.. but maybe next year’s Christmas presents could be procured then.. No, her wallet would be empty after this ordeal. Knowing the prices would rise, Ochako had saved enough to knock out the more expensive presents around Thanksgiving, taking advantage of the Black Friday deals, but her funds were drained before she could grab the final five.

Well, that meant there were only five left! That was better than twenty!

Ochako pulled her list from her pocket and glanced over it as she began down the street, refreshing herself on the words she’d scrawled out the night before; her final plan. She paused to double check the writing, using the light from the nearby street lamp to read it. The sun was yet to come up, it only being 4:20 in the morning and all.

A breeze blew through the empty street, crinkling her paper and making the hair on her arms stand on end. Ochako pulled her jacket tighter around her and crammed her shopping list into her pocket along with her hands. She was not going to be chasing it down the road at 4 AM because the wind stole it from her. There was another feeling, one that suggested the wind might not be the only cause of her tense reaction.

She did her best to ignore the feeling, even if it was the slightest bit unpleasant at times, because she already knew nothing would come of it.

Nothing ever came of it.

Because, yeah, maybe she did know exactly who it was following her around, but part of it put her mind at ease. She wasn’t walking the streets alone so early in the morning that the sun wasn’t up yet. For the past few months, she hardly went anywhere off campus truly alone. She wondered if she should be more worried about how terrible that sounded, but found the weight of the statement reassuring. Even when she wasn’t watching her back, Himiko was.

And she always noticed when Himiko was around; could always feel the lingering stare. Sometimes, she’d catch Himiko’s shadow moving out the corner of her eye and smile softly to herself. The blonde’s gaze never felt malicious, not in the way that made Ochako feel like her life was in danger, but like Himiko was always just there. Supervising her, making sure Ochako got where she was going safely.

It was not cute though, Ochako had never thought that.

As was part of her hero training, Ochako was acutely aware of her surroundings at all times. Even now, as she adjusted her path and began towards her first destination, still waking up, she was paying attention to everything. Himiko was a jolt to her systems though, and had her feeling more awake with every step. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; a hero-in-training couldn’t afford to be half-asleep while walking around such dark streets.

Ochako supposed there were other reasons she never mentioned the stalking situation to anyone though. The biggest reason outside of safety – or so Ochako liked to pretend – was the uproar it would cause. The paperwork to file, the reports to fill out, and the testimonies to give. Ochako knew it wouldn’t ruin her career if she feigned ignorance when she filed the report—No one could blame her for the stalking if they didn’t know she’d been pointedly looking the other way on more occasions than one—but it was more work and red tape and her schedule was already jam-packed with training and working and buying gifts!

Perhaps there was a very small third reason she wasn’t informing the authorities, which would be, if such a reason even existed, Himiko herself. Ochako swore some days she’d catch little laughs and sweet words drifting on the wind. They brightened her day, if only by a smidge. There was also the fact that Ochako figured that Himiko thought herself sly. It’d be mean to call her out, and Ochako didn’t want to see her upset..

Oh! And because if she told Himiko she wasn’t sneaky, she’d probably practice. That’d make it harder for the heroes to catch her! Ochako was looking out for the heroes here! She was going to be one soon enough, and she’d like her job to not include trying to track down a spitefully sneaky Himiko if she could help it.

><><><

Himiko rounded the corner after a few moments of waiting, confirming that Ochako wasn’t just around the corner, checking her list again. The first time, she’d been so cute, with her eyebrows all scrunched in and her tongue between her teeth, but Ochako’s sudden stop had almost resulted in Himiko getting caught!

She adjusted the backpack slung over her shoulders—one that she’d taken from Dabi, and was subsequently covered in tiny burn marks and holes and decidedly nowhere near as cute as her darling Ochako—and continued after her. Himiko didn’t exactly know where they were going, since Ochako had never gone this way after leaving super early in the morning, but she suspected they were going towards the mall that Ochako and her other friends went to in the afternoons.

Himiko grinned to herself; she’d never been out shopping with a friend before! It was an experience every teenage girl should have, and now she’d finally get hers! She just hoped she wasn’t too recognizable to everyone. She hadn’t expected Ochako to go out this morning, it was just supposed to be an in and out mission..

Break into Ochako’s dorm, set up the decorations and mistletoe, and wake Ochako up. Since Ochako wouldn’t be suspecting the surprise, she’d jump up, and probably try to float Himiko with her super cool quirk, but Himiko would be faster and jump backwards. Ochako would try to chase her, but then BOOM! They’d both be under the mistletoe, so even if Ochako floated Himiko, she’d still get her kiss! (Besides, floating was fun!)

Dabi had told her a few times that Ochako wouldn’t just kiss her because the mistletoe was above them. Himiko reminded him that she was a hero, and that heroes were prone to following rules, even silly ones like kissing under mistletoe. He hadn’t said anything after that, but Himiko could tell from the way he wasn’t frowning as hard that he at least thought she was amusing.

The mall they were approaching had longer hours this time of year; she'd heard Ochako mention such when Himiko was following her and her friends around! Since it was the only thing open over here this early, Himiko was almost positive Ochako would be going there, so maybe she should run ahead and set up.. Yeah!

There was an alley on her left, one she gracefully slipped down without a sound. She’d go ahead to the mall and figure out where Ochako would be, then set up there and wait for her kiss! Easy as pie!

><><><

If, minutes later, Ochako turned around and checked behind her to make sure Himiko hadn’t gotten hurt and fallen behind, no one was there to see her. She didn’t though, because what kind of hero would be taking time out of their busy schedule to make sure their villain hadn’t accidentally tripped and fallen, or gotten approached by a bunch of hooligans? Well, maybe Himiko was actually one of those hooligans who’d do the approaching, but that hardly mattered, because Ochako didn’t actually ever look to make sure Himiko was okay.

She didn’t miss the feeling of someone watching over her either.

She took her hands from her pockets, eyes scanning the area in front of her. The streets were lit by lamplight, yet the dark patches seemed darker now. On high alert, Ochako continued down towards the mall. Once she got there, the real fun would begin!

><><><

Standing in line was not the real fun she wanted, but it was the price to pay for arriving early. Maybe she’d picked up her pace once she felt that Himiko wasn’t there anymore, but honestly, walking through the cold, dark streets alone wasn’t a great vibe. So, after getting to the mall ten minutes earlier than its opening time, Ochako was forced to stand near the front door, watching her phone trudge towards 5:00 AM.

Ochako busied herself looking over her list for the hundredth time that morning and glancing around the parking lot. A handful of cars were parked in it, and most of the people who owned them seemed to either be employees, or people who had the same idea as her. They were smart enough to wait in their cars, where it was warm and safe, rather than the sketchy, near-lampless store front. In the mall’s defense though, they normally didn’t open before the sun was fully up, and their closing time preceded the sunset.

There was a rattling noise to her right, far across the mall parking lot, as someone shifted about. Ochako peered over there, towards the lights, and spotted a figure with a backpack. They disappeared from view, yet before Ochako could investigate further—because few activities were better at killing time than being nosy, if Mina were to be believed—the mall’s door opened.

“It’s your kind that has me here at 4 in the morning, isn’t it?” the worker asked tiredly, a half-glare fixed on Ochako as they reached around the door to flip the sign. “Morning people are a different species.. Come in, we’re open.”

Ochako laughed semi-awkwardly. “Yeah, thanks. Sorry about that.” Because what else could you say in such a situation? Yeah, I did it on purpose, actually. I specifically had you in mind when I was choosing where to shop, and realized that if I shopped here, I’d ruin your day. Ochako stifled a giggle as she walked past them, not trusting the sleep-deprived worker to find her thought nearly as funny as Ochako did.

><><><

Himiko had waited around for a few minutes after she’d gotten to the mall, just to make sure this was where Ochako was going. It’d be embarrassing to set up all her nice Christmas decorations and get the mistletoe hung, only to find out that Ochako hadn’t planned to stop here.

After an obnoxiously long wait that Himiko spent walking back and forth around the side of the mall, just past the row of lamps, and casing cars—she wasn’t going to rob them, she just wanted to see which ones would be good to rob if she had been planning to! It was practice!—she finally saw Ochako approach the front doors of the mall. She was walking fast, and Himiko wondered if she was in a rush to get in. Himiko frowned; Ochako would be disappointed when she got there and realized it was still closed.

Oh well, they’d open soon, then Ochako would be able to get in!

Since Himiko wanted time to set up everything first though, she wouldn’t be taking the normal, boring entrance. She picked up her backpack and hefted it onto her shoulders again before spinning around to find her way in, accidentally kicking the dumpster in the process. It hurt, as one would expect from kicking a large metal box, but luckily, this metal box, as all others of its kind, was on wheels and slid away instead of remaining in place.

After several seconds to recover from the near-death experience that was not only kicking the dumpster but being startled by the loud noise it made, Himiko began her plan to sneak inside! It was actually really easy, since some tired worker seemed to have left the employee entrance unlocked, but that didn’t make her plan any less cool! Or fun!

Now, she just had to figure out how to get Ochako alone..

While nothing was more romantic than the big public love confession and kiss scene, Himiko didn’t want to deal with all those people who’d say mean things like “Holy shit it’s that girl from the League of Villains!” because apparently they couldn’t remember her name, even though it was cute, or “Someone call the heroes!” because that would cut their kiss too short!

Also, maybe Himiko didn’t want to put Ochako on the spot in front of such a large crowd. She didn’t think the hero had stage fright, but if she did, then that might freak her out and ruin the moment!

..Also, also, maybe Himiko just wanted Ochako to herself. That was less of a reason though!

><><><

Ah, the fabric store.

Ochako looked up at the sign, taking in its regal colors and cursive font, the way the letters sparkled with an overabundance of glitter. Not only was it truly bedazzled in the most.. interesting way, but it was her first stop on this Christmas list. She’d organized the list by seat number, just to avoid forgetting anyone. After taking herself and the fifteen people she’d already gotten gifts for off the list she was left with five people to shop for!

Since Yuuga was the first seat in class, he was the first person on the list.

Ochako hadn’t actually been sure what to get for him at first. The two had never really talked, and, in all honesty, he was a bit.. freaky. He’d stare off towards the walls, sometimes winking and smiling as if he were looking into a camera, yet there weren’t any around.. Not to mention Izuku’s horror stories of finding Yuuga on his balcony, delivering plates of cheese.

All of this was to say, Ochako was very glad he’d come into the common room sighing, arms thrown about as he draped himself over the back of the dorm’s couch. After some gentle questioning, the other students had found out that he’d simply been denied the supplies to fashion himself a non-hero cape from the hero-suit makers. Although he’d stopped sulking since then, it was clear to see he was yet to receive the funds for an all-purpose cape. Ochako was hoping to change that!

She marched into the fabric store, let her eyes drift across the tens of aisles, all stocked to the ceiling with different colors and textures and patterns, and promptly realized she had little clue what she was looking for. Were there fabrics that just wouldn’t work for a cape? This had been an oversight on her part, one she was embarrassed to admit. After all her planning and researching about different stores with good reviews, excellent prices, and a great selection, she’d neglected to look into the exact fabric itself..

Oh well, that’s what store employees were for.

“Excuse me?” Ochako asked as she approached the counter. The black-haired woman behind it appeared to be absolutely wired on coffee.

“Yes!” she said, just a bit too happy for someone working at 5-something in the morning.

“I’m getting some fabric for a friend to make a cape, uh, what exactly should I be looking for?”

The woman hummed, twirling an orange highlight around her finger. “What kind of cape?”

Ochako paused. “A cape to wear just because he wants to? His hero suit has one, so I think he just wants one to wear when he’s not in his costume.”

“Well then,” she pointed over to the far right side of the store. “That last shelf, the one furthest from the door and windows, tucked in the strange back corner—which actually happens to be a security camera blindspot—has some polyester blend fabrics, which are durable and easy to take care of. It’s right next to the wool, which absorbs a lot of the noise, so if there were a conversation over there, I don’t think I’d be any the wiser.”

Ochako nodded slowly. “Oh..kay.. So, I’m going to go grab that then..”

The woman smiled. “Alright! Happy shopping!”

As Ochako retreated from the desk, she began scanning the aisles she passed, looking for anyone who’d jump out as she tried to select the fabrics she needed. That woman had to be joking, right? That was a very strange thing to say to a customer. Like.. stranger than Ochako letting Himiko follow her around levels of weird. (And that comparison was not because Ochako found the situation involving Himiko perfectly normal, because she’d admit that it was just a little bit weird!)

When Ochako finally got to the aisle furthest from the door, she was on edge worse than she’d been walking in the dark an hour ago. There was someone in the room with her, and the store was bright.. but no normal person gave warnings like that! Wait.. was it a warning?

Ochako vaguely took note of the Christmas decorations along the shelves and the worker beside her changing them, but was more caught up by her own thoughts to fully notice. Her eyes slid over different fabric colors until she decided on royal purple, which she quickly plucked from the shelf and speedwalked from the aisle back to the front desk. The woman waited there, looking vaguely amused with Ochako’s panic.

“What?” Ochako asked, narrowing her eyes.

“We had Halloween decorations set up there still, I was hoping the giant skeleton in the corner would freak someone out,” she remarked, leaning against the counter. “Hm, purple, nice. Is that all that you need?”

Ochako sighed. “Yeah, it is. I guess your plan worked.. but I didn’t see the skeleton, just some Christmas stuff. Your coworker was changing it as I grabbed this,” she said.

“Oh, he’s here already? Sweet, guess I’ll be taking a break earlier. The fabric is on the house for being a good sport, also, our scanner broke, and I’m not typing that code out this early in the morning,” the woman said. “Thanks for shopping, catch ya later.” With that, she stepped out from behind the counter and retreated to the break room built into the back of the store like an NPC that’d fulfilled her role in the plot.

“Uhh, thanks?” Ochako said. That was certainly a way to start this ordeal off. At least she got the fabric for free!

One present down, five to go!

><><><

No, no, no, no, no.

Ochako was not supposed to do that so quickly! Heroes were rule followers, and obviously were supposed to start at aisle one and work their way through the others in sequential order! That’s why Himiko had picked the very last one to set up the mistletoe in, so she’d have time! It was hard enough getting into the backdoor of the place—something she’d probably have to do for every place Ochako was going to go—but now all her efforts were for not!

Ochako had come straight to the aisle Himiko was in, and honestly, Himiko would’ve had everything hung up had she not had to take down Halloween decorations. She loved Halloween, really! She loved the monsters and the costumes and the queer-coded movies that were so obscure you had to find them specifically in October through second hand sellers (though whether she liked them more than Christmas movies was a hard question) but she didn’t want the themes to clash!

To back-up the mistletoe, she’d brought little snowflakes to tape on the walls, and little snowmen and adorable tiny reindeer statues to sit on the shelves, but she couldn’t put any of it up until she got the Halloween stuff put away! If the themes clashed it could ruin their moment!

She decided that it would be okay to keep the giant skeleton though so long as it had a Santa hat on though! She climbed onto the nearby shelf and dropped the hat onto its head before starting to take down the rest of the decorations. She’d only put up a few snowflakes when Ochako had rounded the corner though. Himiko fumbled for the mistletoe in her bag, yet Ochako was gone when she turned around to hang it above their heads.

A disaster!

Ochako seemed to have been too busy thinking to notice Himiko, so at least she had that going for her. Next attempt would be more successful, she was sure of it! Ochako not following one rule was surely a coincidence, she must’ve just been thinking too hard about something—like why these people couldn’t take down their own Halloween decorations—and just forgot to follow it.

One failed attempt was nothing, she still had plenty more!

><><><

Ochako stood in front of her next target: GameStop.

She could tell the place was open, if not by the fact that the lights were on, the fact that at least fifty people were crammed in there. That’s probably why she hadn’t encountered any one in the other parts of the mall, despite there being so many cars in the parking lot.

Maybe she shouldn’t have organized the list by seat number when the clearest priority was here, picking up the game that was released today: MarioKart 100, their one hundredth game in the franchise. Ochako was surprised it was still going strong after so long, but that didn’t really matter.

Mina—and the BakuSquad—had a three-year long tradition of hosting game nights every weekend; they’d all take turns playing the same game, or competing in it, just to see who was the BakuChampion for the week. Ochako had raised an eyebrow at the name, but it seemed like everyone except Katsuki agreed with it.

That was neither here nor there though! Mina had mentioned wanting to pick up a copy of a MarioKart game so they could play it, but was short on funds at the time.

She’d only mentioned it last week, which had caused Ochako’s meticulous planning about getting Mina some nice streetwear to be thrown out the window in favor of getting her friend something she actually wanted, so it really wasn’t Ochako’s fault that she completely spaced on being here first. You’d think that’d been the reason she got up so early, but no, that was because she hadn’t been able to sleep all of last night because she was up planning. She was only here now because she wanted to get her Christmas shopping done before all her energy disappeared and she crashed back at the dorm.

Braving the sea of people, Ochako began walking into the GameStop.

.

.

.

Oh of course they were sold out. Why wouldn’t they be? Do you understand the community needed to keep MarioKart alive for 100 releases? They are dedicated. There are probably drugs in that game. Of course they swarmed the GameStop at 5 in the morning.

Ochako didn’t even walk through the door before she could see empty stands and sold out stickers. She cursed under her breath (“Dang it!”) and stepped away from the door to let people out of the store, wondering what she was going to do about this major issue.

><><><

Himiko waited around the corner, quietly watching Ochako as she approached the GameStop. She watched her hero reach for the door handle, only to scowl and sigh as she backed away, mumbling something as she did. Had she wanted to get the game?

First fabric.. then a game. Oh! Were they out Christmas shopping together? She grinned, slipping away from the corner to follow behind the man walking away from the store with a copy. If Ochako wanted one because she was super kind and was getting gifts for people, Himiko would get her a gift, and score a copy of the game for her!

The man kept walking, and Himiko drew closer. Slowly, she reached into his plastic bag, keeping pace with him, and delicately pulled the MarioKart case out of it. Luckily enough, he’d purchased several different games, so he wouldn’t notice the weight difference while he was walking. If everything went well, he wouldn’t notice until after he’d gotten home.

Himiko turned and began walking over to give Ochako the game, but she paused.

The crowdedness of the mall, coupled with the fact that it was so early, had prevented anyone from realizing who she was, but if she just went right up to Ochako, then she was bound to recognise Himiko! They’d fought plenty of times, which meant they were close enough for Ochako to remember her!

She’d need a disguise then.. Hmm.

><><><

Ochako normally ignored any catcalling directed at her, not that there was much.

Ochako, who was now stressed and slightly frustrated as she attempted to plan out her next course of action—maybe go back to her original idea of streetwear?—considered smacking the person who was standing off towards the side of the GameStop for attempting to catcall her.

She looked over at them, eyes already narrowed in a glare, words poised on her tongue, but she paused.

Standing there, in a long brimmed fedora and black trenchcoat, was unmistakably Himiko. Her face was a little obscured, sure, but Ochako would know her anywhere. It wasn’t like she’d watched News Reports to stare into those beautiful, golden eyes, relishing in the way they lit up when Himiko was excited, or to admire her fighting style, attempting to commit to memory every swing and step she made, or anything else super nonspecific like that. Ochako had just seen Himiko once or twice, so she remembered that stuff for normal reasons!

That wasn’t relevant though! Ochako just knew her by her voice, and by the way it felt when Himiko looked at her, and by the fact that there were bright blonde flyaways poking around from under the fedora.

So, being very normal as she approached her villain (who shouldn’t be here, in this public place) Ochako asked: “Hello?”

“Hey,” Himiko said back. “You wanted this, right?” She held out a copy of MarioKart 100. Ochako wasn’t even sure how she’d got it, and wondered if she should ask, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“..yeah. Are you giving it to me?” she asked.

“Mhm!” Himiko said excitedly. She quickly faked a cough and lowered her voice. “I mean, sure. If you want it.”

Ochako couldn’t help but smile at the other girl. Wasn’t she supposed to be a master of disguise? What was this then? Was there a reason Himiko wasn’t using her quirk instead? Not that Ochako would want someone to get hurt. In fact, she was glad Himiko wasn’t using her quirk here.

Not for the reason you might be thinking though! Ochako wasn’t excited to see Himiko herself instead of just some stranger’s face! She just didn’t want civilians to get hurt, honest! There was really no reason anyone would think otherwise though, knowing Ochako.

“That’d be great, thanks.. Do you want cash for it?” Ochako asked.

“No, nothing required. You’re a good hero, so that’s payment, right?” Himiko asked, and Ochako could hear the smile she wore. Could feel her own face redden. As Ochako reached forward to grab the game case, she wondered if reaching up more and lifting the brim of Himiko’s hat would let her see that cute smile. (BUT SHE DIDN’T! Because she was very much not thinking about that.)

“I’m glad I’m not one of the bad ones,” Ochako said. She let her hand brush Himiko’s as she accepted the case. “If you ever want to talk to a friend though, not a hero, you know where to find me. Thanks again, you’re a lifesaver.”

Before she could say anything to mess that interaction up, Ochako turned and retreated from the GameStop. She wasn’t exactly sure why she’d said that, since they weren’t friends, but this, reaching out and connecting, was the first step to becoming friends.

Ochako smiled down at the picture printed across the game case; Mario and Luigi were speeding through Coconut Mall, both trying to win the race. As she slid the game into the plastic bag she’d gotten with the fabric, she wondered if it could be Daisy and Peach together on Rainbow Road when MarioKart 101 released in a few months.

She really didn’t think Himiko was a bad person.. Ochako thought she needed a friend, and maybe that’s why she’d offered, but she also wanted to be Himiko’s friend! She wanted to be more– friendly. More friendly is how she planned on finishing that sentence from the very beginning. She wanted to be more friendly with Himiko—but not in that way—just in the way that meant they weren’t trying to kill each other every time they met!

Well, she didn’t want to give up all the fighting though. Apparently, Himiko and Katsuki were the only ones who took her seriously enough to actually fight her. Ochako was not going to give that up, especially not when there was the added bonus of seeing Himiko smile at her like that when they fought.

Hm, okay, maybe “more friendly” were not the words she was going to use at first, but Ochako wouldn’t be unpacking that until she was given reason to do so. Like, if Himiko wanted to kiss her or something. Which was not something she thought about a lot, and was not the reason she was blushing mad now as she walked from GameStop to her next location.

..who was she kidding?

It didn’t matter though! Two presents down, three to go!

><><><

That was not how it was supposed to go.

Himiko was supposed to pull out the mistletoe when Ochako was taking the game, just to ensure that she was close enough to get stuck with the effects of the magical plant, but she hadn’t.

She hadn’t had a change of heart, or decided that giving the game away without the kiss was the kind thing to do, no. Himiko had simply panicked when Ochako smiled and said they were friends. She’d freaked out in the best possible way.

As she watched Ochako walk away from the GameStop, holding the game case tenderly, Himiko felt her heart racing. She lifted one hand, pulling the brim of the fedora she’d stolen down over her face, grinning like a fool behind it. They were friends now, and that was basically one step away from kissing! And friends gave friends their blood and invited them over to hang out in their dorms, so when they have their first sleepover, Himiko would definitely get some!

With a red face and near-permanent smile, Himiko wandered after Ochako.

Distantly, she wondered if taking something from a stranger was breaking another silly hero rule.

Oh well.

The mistletoe had failed this time, but the third time’s the charm!

><><><

The manga shop was, thankfully, much less packed than the GameStop was. Ochako had made it in without getting run over by a horde of mall-goers, which was definitely helping with her experience.

The inside of the shop, while not crammed with people, was absolutely stacked with bookshelves. From floor to ceiling, the wooden shelves were filled with different manga series, the occasional comic book collection packed tightly into the shelves beside them.

At the counter stood a young man, though after Ochako’s first experience with the early morning employees of the mall, she was hesitant to ask if there was a system to this madness that enveloped the shop. Maybe he could helpfully point her towards the one Hanta had been raving about? The boy had said he was waiting for manga to finish serializing, but after a price mark-up to the boxset, he’d not-so-subtly dropped hints about wanting someone to get them for him for Christmas.

“Oh man, look at this. I’ve been eyeing this series since it started coming out, but I don’t have the cash. Hm, well, there’s a holiday coming up soon.. I wonder…” he’d said, looking down at his phone, showing the series to anyone who showed mild interest.

That worked perfectly fine for Ochako; she was friends with Hanta, but he didn’t talk about the manga he was into with her, that was Shouto’s territory. Speaking of the boy, Ochako had asked him twice if he planned on getting the series his (boy)friend had been wanting, but he declined, saying he wanted to surprise Hanta with something else entirely. After that conversation, she triple-checked with the boy that she was looking for the correct series; one about some man who was.. standing? It sounded bizarre to Ochako, but if that’s what Hanta had asked for, that’s what she’d be grabbing him!

Ochako began wandering around, deciding that this was the best way to find the manga that she was searching for. The employee behind the counter watched her dart between shelves like a snake weaving its way through tree trunks, his eyes fixed on her like a hawk might watch the aforementioned reptile. Man, people who worked with books were weird..

Cautiously, Ochako approached the counter that the man stood behind. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, he stuck out a hand, wordlessly pointing. Ochako blinked, not sure how to react. Distantly, she registered the chime of a bell signifying someone's entrance. She went to speak again, but the man shook his head, not moving his outstretched finger.

Ochako took a step away from the counter, giving the man an uneasy smile and walking in the direction he pointed. Funnily, or scarily, enough, the manga series Ochako was looking for rested directly on the shelf where he’d pointed. Hm. She had a new respect for people who worked with books. When he was staring earlier, he was probably just getting the vibe of her soul, taking into account the holiday season, and guiding her to the books her friend wanted without so much as a word... Impressive!

Well, since that was so quick and Ochako hadn’t paid for two of the five gifts she came to acquire, maybe she’d take a look around the shelves. Maybe that cool employee could point her to something she’d magically like! Ochako peaked around the corner of the shelf, but the man was nowhere to be seen, his desk abandoned. Atop it rested a small sign that read: 10 minute break, be back later.

Wha– He couldn’t even wait for her to check out?! Ochako drew closer to the desk. What, did he use up too much energy? Oh, wait, yes. It said in small print beneath the main text: “I used up too much energy doing a vibe check. I need to recover.”

Oh, well, that was understandable.. sort of. He could’ve just asked what series she was looking for though! That would’ve saved them both a headache..

Guess she’d be staying here whether she wanted to or not!

><><><

Ochako had been at the front desk when Himiko came in, so the latter was able to easily slip past her, ducking between shelves and retreating to the back of the store. After ditching her nifty disguise—because it would be just as weird if the stranger who’d given her a game was following her—Himiko had to be extra careful to not get caught before she was able to set her plan into motion!

But first came setting it up!

She’d learned from the last two failures that she needed to put the mistletoe up first, then decorate around it to make sure Ochako wouldn’t walk over too early and ruin the surprise (though Himiko did worry about Ochako wandering away and missing it altogether). So, that’s just what she did!

Himiko dropped her backpack onto the floor, pulling the plastic plant from it and looking around for a good spot to put it. The bookshelves stretched up to the ceiling, so maybe she could climb one and tape the mistletoe to it? She wanted a dramatic reveal too!

The scene would start with Himiko running out in the open, getting Ochako’s attention before running back behind the bookshelves. She’d fought Ochako plenty of times, and knew that she’d be able to keep up with Himiko as she weaved through stacks of books and imposing wooden shelves. It was impressive that she was so easily able to hold her own, to make split-second decisions and match Himiko beat for beat, swing for swing, with a smile. Himiko couldn’t help her own smile at the thought of their fights.

Himiko would lead Ochako back here, knife drawn like they were going to fight, but what’s this? Himiko would use the knife to point upwards instead, right to the mistletoe! Ochako would see it, and boom! They’d kiss!

Himiko wasn’t sure what her second plan would be after the first succeeded, but she’d think of something! True love would win, she’d get a kiss (and Ochako’s blood, if she had the chance!) and then she’d run back home to tell Dabi and Jin and Mr. Compress, since they were her and Ochako’s number one supporters!

She lifted paper snowflakes and little snowmen out of her bag, lining them along any empty spaces she saw on the nearby shelves. It was normal quick work, but doubly so with how she’d tried to do it extra fast to lessen Ochako’s chance of accidently seeing her when she was walking around looking for books.

><><><

Ochako was sure she wasn’t supposed to be seeing.. whatever it was Himiko was doing.

The blonde was tossing Christmas decorations about, the cutest smile Ochako had ever seen plastered on her face, and the occasional giggle spilling from her lips. Ochako couldn’t help but watch her bounce around, even if this was some kind of.. surprise, maybe? For her?

“Hey Himiko,” she said. Ochako had long since gotten over how easily, how sweetly, she said her name.

Himiko spun around, hand on one of the knives that rested in her holster. “Ochako! I was about to come find you,” she said, slowly drawing her knife.

Ochako took a step back, discarded her shopping bag and the book boxset on the floor beside her. Her eyes stayed trained on that knife.. Until she found them starting to drift up, and up, and up, tracing across Himiko’s face. Dang it, this was not the time to be thinking about how pretty she was!

Himiko looked to be gauging the distance between them, then her eyes shot up to the ceiling. Ochako furrowed her brow, seeing the mistletoe hung above her.

Well, that was a funny coincidence. They were a fair distance apart, so it’s not like it meant anything, but that certainly didn’t stop Ochako’s mind from.. helping itself.

“What’s wrong? You don’t wanna fight?” Himiko teased. She made a gesture for Ochako to draw closer and–

Holy.

Shit.

It wasn’t some funny coincidence.

Ochako couldn’t think of any clever retort to that, not when the only words her brain helpfully supplied were “She’s trying to kiss me”, “She actually wants to kiss me” and “I brushed my teeth this morning, right? Yeah, okay, good..”.

Himiko had been following her around.. because she wanted to kiss her. Using mistletoe. A little part of Ochako’s brain wondered why Himiko hadn’t just asked while they were fighting; a larger part of her brain told her to not open that can of worms.

“Uhm, mistletoe?” Ochako asked, pointing up to it.

Himiko looked up at it like she was seeing it for the first time. “Hm, weird. Since it’s here we should use it though, right?”

Ochako thought she was going to explode.

“Hey, are you still here? Do you still need me to check you out?” came a voice from the front of the store.

“I need to finish my Christmas shopping?” Ochako said lamely as she picked up her bag again. “..bye..?”

..three down presents, two to go?

><><><

Oh.

Himiko stood there quietly, watching Ochako walk away, leaving her behind.

Oh, wait, she just wanted to wait until later, Himiko was sure!

She said goodbye back, though Ochako was already out of the bookstore.

Well, now that Ochako knew what Himiko was trying to do, she’d surely make it easier for Himiko to set up her decorations and mistletoe! It was okay that it didn’t work this time, even if Ochako’s silence, her lack of smile, had made something in Himiko’s heart break a little. It was okay! She’d try again.

Himiko climbed up the bookshelf again, retrieving her mistletoe from the ceiling. Ochako hadn’t dismissed her, or tried to arrest her, or do anything that would indicate that she didn’t want to kiss her, but as Himiko tucked the mistletoe back into her pocket, she sure as hell felt like Ochako had.

Rejection was not very fun, she was hoping using the mistletoe would circumvent that. She’d had enough of it from everyone else; Ochako was different! She hadn’t said anything mean, or tried to stop their fights, she always smiled alongside Himiko, even when Himiko had cut her across the cheek with her knife, even when Himiko had gotten the tiniest bit of her blood, Ochako hadn’t stopped smiling right back at her.

Yeah, the third time wasn’t the charm, but Himiko wasn’t superstitious! She’d get her kiss after Ochako got her last item!

><><><

Well, that could’ve gone better.

Ochako clutched her plastic bag tightly in one hand, the boxset for Hanta tucked under her arm. She set both down in front of her as she scanned over the shelf for Shouto’s present. Ochako was looking, but she wasn’t seeing it, wasn’t seeing anything really, not when all her mind wanted to focus on was Himiko and her smile, the way it’d dropped when Ochako had turned to leave.

She hadn’t meant to upset her, truly hadn’t, but Himiko had really caught her off guard with that one. Sure, Himiko was a massive flirt constantly, but she was like that with everyone, right? And yeah, she’d always told Ochako how cute she was, and praised her form when they fought, and looked at her like she was the world.. Okay, it was obvious, but Ochako never claimed it wasn’t!

She just wasn’t expecting that today, now, when she was still grappling with the fact that the wanted villain who tried to kill her on several occasions was here, in the mall at 7 in the morning, trying to kiss Ochako, who’d only really just accepted the fact that she had a crush on said villain who tried to kill her multiple times and had been stalking her for ages, because who does that?

Well, her, apparently.

But it was Himiko’s fault, really. She was adorable, with a smile that just lit up a room. Plus she was always flirting with Ochako and telling her sweet little things! How was she not supposed to fall in love?

Whoa, okay, that was a leap. She had a crush, but was that really “falling in love”? No, probably not.

Did she still want that kiss? Perhaps, yeah.

And maybe with that thought, Ochako could feel her face burn red. Her eyes were burning too.. Was she crying?!

“Excuse me?”

Ochako turned to the voice, trying to calm her racing heart. “Yeah?”

The worker speaking to her was an older woman in a Christmas sweater. “Are you alright? You’ve been standing there, staring at the blankets, unblinking, for a few minutes..”

Oh, not blinking is probably why her eyes burned.

“I was just.. thinking is all,” Ochako said back. The woman hummed, and Ochako continued. “There’s this girl.. and well, she was trying to set us up under the mistletoe, and I was caught off-guard and kind of left. I really don’t know whether or not I want to kiss her though. I think she’s so cute, the cutest girl in the world, but.. I don’t really know her. I want to know her, I think.”

The worker nodded. “Uhm, good luck? I-I was just standing here to make sure you found what you needed?”

Ochako cleared her throat and turned back to the shelf. “Sorry! Uhm, I’m just looking for a weighted blanket for my friend. It’s his Christmas present.. Uhm, his favorite color is yellow, I think?”

“The end of the aisle,” the worker replied, pointing over towards the end. Ochako thanked her quickly and picked up her gifts before heading down the aisle. That was a little awkward.. but also insightful. Ochako was starting to understand how therapists made their money. Talking to people about this stuff was actually helpful, even if they didn’t want to listen and just happened to be there.

Like the woman had said before disappearing, the shelf beside the wall housed plenty of bundled up, colorful blankets. Ochako scanned over them, her eyes catching on a dark red one Himiko would love—she’d say the color was really pretty, plus if she split blood on it, it would be hard to notice!—before she found the yellow she was looking for.

There were two shades there, one a harsh yellow and one pale, so she chose the shade closer to Hanta’s hero suit, and pulled it from the shelf. It was heavy, as expected of a weighted blanket (it was right there in the name) so Ochako used her quirk to lighten it as she walked. It was helpful too, since she was out of hands to carry things with. She tucked the now weightless blanket under her arm and began walking for the front desk, wondering if she should’ve brought Shoji with her for extra hands.

No, wait, then she wouldn’t be able to talk to Himiko.

After the worker had rung up the blanket and she paid.. holy shit how much for a weighted blanket? ..okay, well, she’d planned for this, but that was an absurd price tag. Shouto better at least give one of those little dorkish smiles he has when he unwraps the thing.

Ochako, very much done with lugging everything around, wondered why she hadn’t brought a car or another person to help out here. Well, Shouto’s present officially finished off all of her classmates, but there was one more name on her list. Unfortunately for any argument she could make against this, it was not a last minute inclusion, but the very first name she’d penciled in.

Any onlooker might say “Oh, Ochako, how kind of you to get your teacher a present too! I’m sure Aizawa would appreciate that!” to which Ochako would reply: “Oh shoot, I forgot about him.. I wonder if he’d raise my grade if I got him a new sleeping bag..”

No, the name left on her Christmas shopping list was none other than Toga Himiko. Because what kind of a hero would she be if she hadn’t planned on getting a Christmas present for her villain?

And had she planned.

Ochako had probably convinced U.A. that she needed some sort of psychology test after how much she’d suddenly started looking into knives. What grips are best, what blades cut best, what the best ratio of grip to blade was, how the weight factored into it.

She’d done days of research before realizing that the knives Himiko already had were most likely custom-made, since she only ever had three of them—three knives that Ochako had seen very well up close, and she could say with certainty that they always had the same faint little scratches across the side of the blade—and that Ochako wouldn’t be able to get her new ones unless she knew who’d made them, the weight, dimensions, what they were made of, and everything else that played a factor.

Then, all the research went out the window when she realized Himiko would probably be just as happy to receive a little stuffed animal. So that’s what Ochako was on her way to get.

She was about to leave through the front door of the overpriced blanket establishment when a splotch of green caught her eye.

Above the door was a plastic bundle of mistletoe, displayed proudly.

><><><

Himiko was positive this one would work.

Ochako was done with her holiday shopping now (because no one goes shopping when they don’t have room to carry the rest of their stuff) so she’d be ready to kiss Himiko now!

Giddily, she’d pinned the bundle of mistletoe above the doorway of the place Ochako was in. She’d been standing off to the side, by the window, for a few minutes now, waiting for Ochako to finish paying for the nice-looking blanket.

Himiko thought the yellow was nice, but the shade of red she could see in the back was just the cutest. That didn’t matter though! She’d been standing off to the side, away from the door just in case someone else had to pass through, waiting for Ochako to leave (she didn’t wanna get stuck with someone who was totally not cute and totally not Ochako).

Ochako approached the door, and Himiko could feel her heart drumming in her ears. Her perfect Hallmark Christmas movie moment was seconds away. Ochako would open the door just as Himiko was moving into place, and they’d be under the mistletoe together. She felt a grin creeping its way up her face, higher and higher.

But Ochako stopped. She looked up at the mistletoe above the door, eyebrow raised, then peered through the window, catching Himiko’s gaze. Ochako opened the door slowly, and Himiko jumped over to it, enthusiastic.

“Himiko,” Ochako said, her name a sigh from the hero’s lips.

“Ochako,” she said back, because what else could she say? They were together, under the mistletoe, yet it wasn’t the perfect moment and it wasn’t the kiss she wanted. She thought for once this could work out, that Ochako’s shopping would be done and Himiko could get to do what she wanted. But a small part of her mind reminded her it wasn’t what Ochako wanted, that her normal and Ochako’s normal were completely different, her dreams and feelings and Ochako’s own were even further.

“I wanted to talk to you,” Ochako said lightly.

“About the mistletoe?” Himiko asked. Something hopeful was tucked beneath the exaggerated happiness she spoke with.

Ochako nodded once, the only reply she gave for a long moment. “I’ll be honest, Himiko. Right now, this,” she lifted the hand she clutched the bags in, gesturing to the mistletoe, “I don’t know. This isn’t me saying, uhm, never, because you’re really pretty and I like being around you, I think, but this is a big jump.” She stared at the mistletoe for a moment longer, before her eyes drifted back to Himiko, because they always did, one way or another. “If you want though, you can come with me? I’ve still got one last thing to buy.”

Himiko was silent, as if she was waiting for Ochako to reveal it was a trick, that she didn’t want Himiko accompanying her around, but Ochako just looked right back at her, wholly patient. “I can?”

“Yeah!” Ochako replied. “Do you want it to be a surprise?”

Himiko all but hopped closer at that. “I like surprises! Especially the cute ones!”

Ochako smiled, her cheeks just a touch pinker than normal. “You probably already know that I’m Christmas shopping. I just need to get one last gift for someone!”

“Okay!” Himiko said, her own smile growing as she grabbed the bag from Ochako’s hand and intertwining their free hands. Ochako made an amused sound at that, and Himiko quickly felt the hero’s grip tighten, one finger lifted to keep her quirk from activating.

Together, they began towards the final store.

“Oh, wait! Let me grab the mistletoe first!”

><><><

“Here we are,” Ochako said, nodding towards the brightly colored shop in front of them. Himiko eagerly peered through the windows, trying to get a glimpse of what they were there to buy.

“Stuffed animals?!” she gasped, turning to look at Ochako, her eyes wide.

Ochako let out a little laugh. “Yeah, I thought she’d really like one.”

Himiko nodded quickly. “I’ll help you pick out the perfect one for her, an extra cute one!”

“Thank you,” Ochako said. “For offering to help, and for tagging along.. I want to know more about you, y’know.”

Himiko was already rushing inside, her hand falling free from Ochako’s. She was instantly made aware of the warmth the other girl had provided, how empty her hand felt now. Ochako was sure Himiko had heard her by the way her cheeks flushed, or how she looked over her shoulder.

Ochako followed behind her, putting her gifts down nearby, where Himiko had left the bag to run around the shop. She looked over towards the blonde, who’d stopped in front of one of the many shelves in the old-arcade looking building. The carpet was clearly old, and the entire place had an almost purple lighting.

She spun around suddenly, a pink frog stuffie in her hands. “Red is my favorite color, but pink is sooo cute too! I love them both!”

Ochako smiled, felt a giggle bubbling in her throat. Her head was light with laughter, like when the air around someone, the space shared with them, was so fun and joyous that every silly comment turned into teary-eyed, breathless laughter.

“That’s not exactly what I meant.. Pink is probably my favorite color though,” Ochako replied. “Hm, favorite.. Food?”

“Pomegranates!” Himiko declared as she hugged the frog to her chest. “Blood tastes really good too! It’s always different!”

“It is?” Ochako asked, picking up a tiny gray mouse plushie to show to Himiko. Himiko dropped the frog back onto the shelf and cupped the mouse in her hands, looking down at it in awe.

“It is! Yours is really sweet, just like you!” She smiled, fangs glinting in the purple hue of the light.

Ochako smiled back at her, hoping the light did something to mask her blush. “You think so? I didn’t think you got very much of it, honestly.”

“I didn’t get enough to activate my quirk, but it was still tasty!”

Ochako hummed, wandering around to look at the selection of stuffed animals on the smaller shelf towards the middle of the floor, her back to Himiko. “If you promise to not do anything illegal with it, I’ll let you have some mor–”

Before she could finish her sentence, Himiko had barreled into her, almost sending them both to the floor. Her chin was resting on Ochako’s shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around Ochako’s waist, soft, eager breaths hitting her ear. Her face burned hotter than before, and she assumed Himiko had that giant smile across her face, the one that was so unabashed and real and pretty.

“Yeah! I promise!” Himiko said quickly. Ochako swore she felt the pressure of teeth against the collar of her shirt, and turned around, still in Himiko’s arms. She was warm, and Ochako relished the contact. Their faces were close, close enough where Ochako could count Himiko’s eyelashes and truly see the life that swirled around in her eyes. Ochako reached down and rolled up her sleeve, not breaking eye contact.

“Here,” she said quietly, lifting her arm up. Himiko’s eyes finally left Ochako’s face, drifting down to her extended arm. Ochako thought she saw tears begin to well in Himiko’s eyes as she took Ochako’s arm in her hands. The prick of fangs followed the motion, and Ochako winced. Himiko didn’t seem to care though, busy humming against Ochako’s arm.

Ochako watched on with mild interest, more so in the way Himiko was smiling so hard that Ochako’s own cheeks hurt—though that was probably also because Ochako hadn’t been able to stop smiling either—or how her eyes were closed tightly.

“Are you alright?” Ochako asked, her tone laced with amusement. She got a hum in reply before Himiko let her arm go and straightened back up.

“Yeah,” she answered, her voice light and breathy. Himiko leaned in more, just a little bit more, as they were still heart-poundingly close, and pulled Ochako into a tight hug. Ochako returned it without another thought, her arms wrapping Himiko carefully.

“So, uhm, shopping?” Ochako asked after a few moments passed. Himiko jumped backwards, taking Ochako’s hand to pull her around the shop as she used her other sleeve to wipe at her mouth.

“I forgot about that! Let’s get the best gift for your friend!” Himiko decided. “What about this one?” She picked up a brown sloth with one hand, showing it to Ochako like a cat bringing a bird home.

“Hm, maybe. We should look at all of them first,” she replied. As awkward as it was to only use one hand to grab and examine stuffies, Ochako didn’t once consider letting go of Himiko’s hand. Her grip tightened, consciously or not, as they kept walking; a squeeze was returned, and Ochako almost laughed at how much they must look like a couple now.

“Oh! What about this one!” Himiko asked, scooping up a little blue walrus plush with her free hand. She cradled it in her arm like a baby before she spotted a purple squid. Quickly, the walrus was forgotten back on the shelf in favor of the squid. She dragged Ochako over behind her, but the hero wasn’t complaining. “Look at this one!”

“What about this little guy?” Ochako asked, looking at the shelf opposite the one Himiko was facing. She lifted a little maroon bat from the shelf. Himiko’s eyes lit up at the sight of it, and Ochako couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face, and dammit, she really couldn’t quit smiling around Himiko.

“Yeah! This one!” Himiko said, dropping the squid to the floor, yet keeping her hand firmly around Ochako’s as she accepted the bat from her. “What should I name you?” she asked the bat. It, predictably, gave no answer.

“You want the bat one?” Ochako asked, reaching into her pocket for her shopping list.

Himiko hummed in affirmation, grinning at the little plush. “He’s just like me! Look, he loves red, loves blood, and loves you!” She pushed the bat forward, making its face bop Ochako on the cheek. “A kiss!”

Ochako’s dignified reply to that was: “Oh.”

As Himiko stood there, holding the bat stuffie in one hand and laughing, Ochako thought she’d never seen someone so alive and beautiful. A blush surfaced on her face along with a contagious laughter, as Himiko was quickly laughing alongside her. She felt like a grade schooler again, telling secrets and giggling on the playground. A hand came up to cover her mouth, her eyes watering, yet she wasn’t sure what was so funny, just that Himiko was laughing just as much as she was, and that Ochako was positive she wanted to see her look so happy everyday for the rest of their lives.

Their laughter subsided when they were both struggling to breathe through the giggles, when Ochako was having to wipe tears away, trying to get another glimpse of that precious smile through her watery eyes. Himiko looked over at her and started giggling all over again, losing the battle of trying to stop the laughing cycle. Ochako looked to the floor, successfully getting her breathing to even back out, leaving behind only wet streaks down her cheeks and a sore stomach. She looked back up at Himiko, who was still grinning like a lovestruck fool as she hugged the bat plush.

Ochako caught the slightest bit of green from Himiko’s cardigan pocket, and took a breath, stepping forward. Himiko was wiping at her eyes with her sleeve (hopefully not the one she’d used to wipe the blood from her mouth) in an attempt to dry them when Ochako hesitantly reached out. Her finger hooked Himiko’s pocket, and whether the blonde didn’t notice or didn’t mind, she didn’t react. Ochako pulled the plastic mistletoe branch from her pocket with one hand, then moved to hold it above their heads quickly.

She wasn’t sure how Himiko had been trying to set this up all day, not when just that simple motion filled Ochako with so much anxiety. She knew Himiko would accept it—she’d been the one who’d brought the mistletoe with her and brought the idea up—yet when Himiko looked curiously at Ochako before tilting her head to look up at her hand, Ochako felt nothing but dread.

The next thing she felt was Himiko’s lips on hers, fervent and warm and clumsy. Ochako felt the branch fall out of her hand, landing somewhere on the floor as her hand came down to rest on Himiko’s back. The other arm wrapped underneath Himiko’s arm, hooking her vertically, Ochako’s hand falling on her shoulder. She felt Himiko’s hands clutching at the back of her shirt, nails scraping against the fabric.

Ochako had shut her eyes tightly, simply basking in their graceless exchange as she held Himiko as tightly as she could manage. She could feel a little raised scar near the edge of Himiko’s lip, one she’d never noticed before, and wondered how she’d gotten it, if she’d accidently cut herself with her fangs. Ochako was yet to feel those, though that was most likely due to the fact that both of them were inexperienced highschoolers—well, highschool aged kids—who hadn’t realized opening their mouths more was an option.

Ochako leaned back a little, had to shift her hand to Himiko’s shoulder when the latter started leaning with her, following her back.

“I need to breathe, Himi,” Ochako muttered, yet she was already leaning back in to press a kiss to Himiko’s cheek as she moved to rest her chin on her shoulder. Himiko hummed, nuzzling her face into the side of Ochako’s neck and getting a content sigh in reply.

“I think this would’ve made a really cute Christmas movie,” Himiko said absentmindedly. She was carding her fingers through Ochako’s hair in steady rhythm, to which Ochako had started leaning into.

“Christmas movie?” Ochako asked, her voice boarding a laugh. “Is that what all this was about?”

“Mhm, that’s what gave me the idea.”

“I should’ve known,” Ochako replied good-naturedly. She was content to stand there in the random store with Himiko in her arms all day, but the reason they were there hit her suddenly. Those poor shop owners that were only trying to make sales, having to deal with highschoolers kissing and drinking blood in their aisles. “Oh, hey, where’d the bat go?”

“Not sure,” Himiko replied, moving off of Ochako to look around. A smirk appeared on her face. “You dropped the mistletoe though,” she teased.

“Hush, you dropped your bat too,” Ochako muttered, feeling her cheeks redden.

Himiko giggled and grabbed the bat off the floor, dusting him off. “We’re supposed to be getting something for your friend, right?”

“Kinda,” Ochako said. “I was going to show you earlier, but you distracted me by being all cute.” She fished her shopping list from her pocket and held it out to Himiko, who was quick to spot her own name.

“Aw! You were gonna get something for me?” Himiko cooed, playfully falling back onto Ochako, the bat tucked possessively in her arms.

“Yeah, I guess you get an early Christmas present. I was just going to leave it on my balcony for you, but this works too,” she said. Himiko looked over at her, eyes wide. Ochako realized her mistake as soon as she’d said it. “Not that I know that you’d be there, uh, just because I can?”

“You know?” Himiko asked. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Ochako, but a smile replaced her glare as she came to a realization. “Wait, you know that I’ve been following you and you didn’t tell any pros! You wanted me to!”

“That’s strong wording. I like not walking around in the dark alone, is all,” Ochako said, waving her hand noncommittally. “Now c’mon, did you want to get that one or not? I’m paying, so don’t worry about that.”

“I like the little bat guy!” She declared. “I want him!”

Ochako nodded. “I think the register is that way, but this place is really a mess of shelves.” She started walking, but turned when she didn’t hear Himiko walking right after her. Himiko was crouched down, grabbing the branch of mistletoe from the floor and stuffing it in her pocket.

“For later,” she said, smiling sweetly at Ochako. Her sweet smile turned to snickering when Ochako flushed red and turned away from her. Himiko picked up the pace, falling into step beside a smiling Ochako, who reached out and linked their hands.

Once the bat was purchased and the other gifts were re-collected, it was their unfortunate time to split, though not before Himiko could sweet-talk her way to a second kiss. And then Ochako smiled at her and made it a third. And then they really had to split when the mall guard came to tell them to stop loitering, but happened to recognize Himiko and attempted to call pro-heroes.

They scattered after that, going off back to their respective home-bases with flushed faces and hearts in their eyes, smiling from ear to ear.

And if perhaps the next time they ran into each other was when the League was robbing a bank to celebrate the new year.. well.. it was good luck to kiss someone as the ball dropped, right?