A/N: Hey guys! To anyone who's read my previous piece, this is the thing that I was talking about! To anyone who hasn't, hi! I hope you guys stick around and give this a shot. I promise fluffy goodness like I did last time, though this might be longer.

Chapter 1: A New Girl in Town

Izuku Midoriya sat on the floor of the backroom, a notebook in his lap, a pen laying uncapped on the page as he silently went through the books in the box before him. It was the latest set of used books the store had gathered and Toshinori had left it up to Izuku to deal with sorting them and marking down what genres they were, authors, etc. Izuku enjoyed this kind of work; it was quiet and easy and he could just spend some time flipping through books. His laptop was open and next to him too, just in case he couldn't figure out some book's genre for some reason. But he so far hadn't needed to use it, and he was almost through with the box. The notebook held a list of the books, broken down by genre. It wasn't as organized as Tenya would've liked, he knew, but it was good enough for now.

The store in front was quieting down, he noted absently as he picked up the next book. Napoleon and I: BFFs, he scribbled under "Historical Fiction". Today had been unusually busy for the staff of Plus Ultra Books. They had gotten a shipment of the new book in a big YA series, Part-Time Reaper, and thanks to Tenya's knack for negotiating, the shipment had included some signed copies. People flocked to the store to grab them before they ran out, and the day had been a blur of customers demanding books, running to the back to carry huge stacks of books only to watch a horde of people fall down upon it and leave no book behind. The high school workers they had hired looked like they were going to drop from exhaustion and Izuku felt wiped himself.

Still, it had been a good business day. Tenya seemed incredibly happy and even Toshinori had smiled. That made it all worth it.

"Izuku!" Tenya poked his head into the backroom. The twenty year-old's dark blue, almost black hair, was almost, almost, unruly looking but his eyes were shining behind his glasses. Good business always made Tenya extremely happy even if it exhausted him later.

"Yeah?" The shorter teen looked up at him, his green curly hair a bit more of a mess and his hoodie wrinkled and rumpled compared to Tenya's somehow immaculate button-up. "You need something?"

"A customer requires assistance," Tenya explained, his hands moving quickly and erratically. As was his nature, Izuku thought, smiling. "I've let Emi go on break as she seemed exhausted. Normally I would help out but she needs something in the back and I'm expecting a call from a publisher soon."

"Sure, I'll come see what she wants." Izuku got up, stretching a bit. His legs had gotten stiff from sitting there so long. Sure, they had a desk but he preferred the ground for stuff like that. Gave him more room to work and he liked the messy feel of it. "Is she just upfront?"

"She's waiting over by the graphic novel section," Tenya said as he hustled to the office off to the side. "Thank you, Izuku!"

Izuku waved a hand and watched his best friend hurry into the office. He smiled; Tenya had been stepping up as a manager and with Toshinori slowly giving more and more responsibility to the boys, Tenya had begun to thrive. And so had the bookstore, if Izuku was being honest.

Shaking himself out of his reflection he ambled over to the comic- graphic novel he corrected himself with a grin- section. The store was almost empty, with a few people browsing through the other sections. The couple of regulars that were there waved to Izuku and he gave them all a friendly smile in return. A friendly smile and pleasant talk did a lot to keep people coming back to their store rather than another's, he had learned long ago. He made it a habit to always say hi to them, even outside of work. It helped that most of them were really nice in general.

Standing in the graphic novel section was a girl who was maybe an inch or two shorter than him. She was in profile to him, but was wearing a simple brown fall jacket, faded looking jeans, and tennis shoes. Her brown hair wasn't too long, falling just to her shoulders at its longest and it seemed to frame her face. Izuku smiled as friendly as he could and stepped up. "Hey, you're the girl who needed help right? I'm Izuku, nice to meet you!" He offered a hand out; Tenya told him to always offer to shake with a new customer for whatever reason.

The girl turned and smiled. Her hair did actually frame her face, or at least the two longer locks did, with the rest in what Izuku guessed was in a bob. Her eyes were warm and brown, matching the friendly smile she gave him and adding to the faint pink of her cheeks. She was….she was pretty cute he had to admit. "Hi! Nice to meet ya, Izuku! I'm Ochako!" Her handshake was firm and vigorous, pumping his arm up and down quickly before letting go.

"So, what were you looking for?" he asked. "Anything in particular?"

She nodded and pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket, handing it to him. "It's a book an art teacher recommended to me. I couldn't find it anywhere before but I figured I'd give you guys a shot."

Izuku scanned the page, his mind searching for the book's name or the author's name. "I don't think we have any copies in the front," he said slowly, hand holding his chin. "However, I'm pretty sure we have a copy or two in the back. I'll go look for you."

"Can I come with?" He had already started to turn around to go to the back when she asked and he spun back around. Her expression was open and she was just smiling. "I'm interested in seeing how many books you got back there."

He raised an eyebrow and smiled sheepishly. "Normally I would say no, but….eh, we're pretty lax here anyways. Follow me, Ochako." He started to walk off again, nodding to Ikko who sat at the register, flipping through a thriller he had picked up. The teen raised a hand in greeting, not even looking up.

"So, you guys are named after the All Might books right?" Ochako asked as they stopped at the backroom door. "Or at least his saying? Does the author run this shop? I know he went off the grid a while back."

Izuku chuckled and opened the door, letting her in before following. Pretty much everyone asked that at first. The author of the All Might books, a series of popular illustrated novels detailing the life of the titular superhero, had always been reclusive and had straight up disappeared a few years ago. "Nah. The owner, Mr. Yagi, is close friends with the author though. He managed to get a deal so his store always got the books first, and once the books took off he renamed the store. That way, everyone would know he had a connection to the author." He had gotten good at telling that lie. It seemed like every week he had to say it now.

"Damn," Ochako groaned. "I would've liked to meet him. His drawings in the books are amazing! The action especially just pops! Though you seem to be a big fan too, huh?"

"I'll let Mr. Yagi know and maybe he'll pass it on. And yeah, you can say that," Izuku said with an awkward chuckle as he began to weave between shelves and boxes. He had forgotten he was wearing the green All Might hoodie with the 'ears' attached to the hood and Plus Ultra! written on the front. "So, do you draw then?"

"Trying to do it professionally," she said with a small laugh. "I'm hoping to be able to do my own graphic novel one day but well, it's a lot of work."

"I know the feeling," Izuku said, turning to give her a sympathetic smile. He stopped in front of a bookshelf filled to the brim with art books. Scanning the shelves he managed to find the book she was looking for in a few moments. "Ah yup, there we go. Second to last copy I think. You okay with it being used?"

"Of course," Ochako said. "I'm not picky. As long as it's readable, I'm happy." Izuku smiled and began to head back towards the front. The girl, Ochako, seemed nice enough, all things considered. He hoped she came by again; he would love to talk about her idea for a graphic novel with her.

"Are you new around here?" Izuku asked as they reached the register. Ikko had vanished, probably to help someone out or to get himself a coffee. "Sorry if I'm prying, it's just that most people in town have been in here at least once, if only to ask about the owner."

Ochako waved a hand and laughed. "You're not prying! And yeah, I moved here pretty recently. I'm going to Yuei actually."

Izuku raised an eyebrow as he rang up the book. "Twelve dollars please. And really? I have some friends who go there."

She handed him the money and took the book graciously, stuffing it into her full looking backpack. "Well, maybe I'll see you around then more often, Izuku."

"Maybe," he said, smiling. "Feel free to come by anytime, too. Especially if you're looking for some inspiration. We have some amazing graphic novels and manga here."

Ochako grinned. "Well, if I have money to drop, I might do just that. Have a nice night!"

"You, too," he said, waving as she walked out of the store, the little bell on the door chiming as she left.

"She was cute," Ikko said as he walked over, sipping a cup of coffee. A second one was in his other hand and he offered it to Izuku, who took it graciously. It was getting late and he was exhausted. There was still more to do, too.

"I guess so," Izuku said. She was cute, but no need to let Ikko know he thought that. The kid would find a way to tease him about it. "Now, you better get back to watching the register. If Tenya finds out you were gone he'll lecture you again."

Ikko groaned but gave a little salute as he took his place at the register; leaning onto the counter, paperback open in one hand, coffee at the ready. The boy seemed to relish living up to any and all stereotypes about teen boys and he played the part well.

Izuku took a gulp of the hot coffee. Ikko had remembered to put cream and a bit of honey. Bless him. He groaned and marched back to the backroom, plopping down at his place and getting back to sorting the used books. He loved his job but it was looking like a long night and he did not want to deal with that. Well, no use in stalling, he thought, grabbing his notebook and pen. Let's do it.

"That was such a loooong day," Izuku groaned as he drudged up the stairs of his apartment building. Well, their apartment, as Tenya kept up with him nimbly.

"Indeed, though we did stellar business," Tenya said, a huge grin on his face. "We need to get more deals like that one though next time I would bring in a couple more of the temp workers so we don't have to deal with as much chaos ourselves."

Izuku shook his head and looked at his dark haired friend. "How did the call go by the way? Anything good?"

Tenya sighed, his hands moving this way and that. "Of a sort. I got another publisher agree to have a shipment of signed copies of the next release by one of their bigger authors and scored an author to come to the store to do a signing within the next few months. But...the Project remains unfinished as of yet."

Izuku made a tsk sound and grimaced. The Project, as they called it, had been something Tenya had been striving for since Toshinori hired them both on as managers. It had only been the last year or so that Tenya had been pushing for it to become finalized but he had done almost everything else on his list. The Project was all that remained and the day it was finished was going to be an amazing day.

"Any closer at least?"

"Getting better at the negotiating, I think," Tenya admitted. "It's one thing to deal with publishers but this….this is something else entirely. I am beginning to think it may be impossible for the time being. We may need to be bigger."

Izuku smiled and patted his friend on his back as they reached their floor. "Eh, you can do it, Tenya. Those business classes have got to be helping somehow, right?"

Tenya laughed and opened their door. "I suppose so. Thank you for your faith, Izuku."

"You two are home late," their roommate said from the kitchen. Shoto Todoroki watched the two of them enter their shared apartment with a faint smile, a mug of tea in his hand. His mismatched eyes; one grey, the other blue, tracked them with an amused look as they made their way into the kitchen.

"It was a busy day. I had to stay behind to finish up last minute work," Izuku said with a yawn. "Tenya offered to stick behind and help out."

Shoto made an ah sound and nodded. He jerked his head to the oven, his white and red hair bouncing a bit. "There's some pizza leftover in there. Hopefully it's still warm."

"You're a lifesaver," Izuku said. His stomach was empty except for the coffee ikko had given him and pizza sounded perfect. He pulled it out and immediately grabbed a piece, tearing into it. It wasn't piping hot but it wasn't cold either. And it was food so he ate it with relish.

"How was your day, Shoto?" Tenya asked as he helped himself to the pizza as well.

Shoto rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Had classes, did some work, went to the gym. Same old, same old. Though, I did see Momo and Kyouka and we got to talking."

"You and Momo, hmm?" Izuku said, smirking at his friend. "What about?"

It had taken him a while but Izuku had mastered how to detect when his friend was blushing, like he was now. "Kyouka was there, too. And it was about Tsu's new roommate and their new friend. They want to introduce her to the 'gang'." Shoto didn't have to make the air quotes for Izuku to get that he was quoting Kyouka, but the other boy had anyways. "So naturally, I offered to host dinner for the seven of us."

"We're hosting?" Tenya asked. "I'm always happy to play host to friends but Momo and Kyouka have a much larger place."

"Yeah, Shoto," Izuku piped up, looking around their place. "It's not like our place is….big." They had been lucky to get the place, if he was being honest. It wasn't bad; two bedrooms, a decent living room, and a kitchen with an oven, stove, and fridge included. It even had a dining counter that the three of them used, leaving them with extra room with the lack of a table. They had hosted get togethers before, but usually of the "drinking soda and the rare beer and watching shitty movies" kind, not the "having a dinner" kind.

"I know but Momo asked if we could. Their place is a mess with all that's going on in their building and Tsu's place is smaller than ours."

Tenya sighed and nodded slowly. "I suppose you make a good point, Shoto. Very well. When is this dinner?"

Shoto smiled and took a drink of his tea. "They suggested Thursday and I know you two have the evening off that day. Or at least, you do, Tenya. Izuku, you're just not working right?"

Oh no. He knew where Shoto was going with this. He faced his friend and gave him a begging look, opening his eyes as wide as possible. The puppy dog eyes had worked before on Shoto but not this time. Shoto stared right back at him, as cold and as immovable as a glacier. Izuku sighed. Dammit. "Yeah, I'm free all day. I'll do the shopping."

"We both will. And the cooking. Come on, Izuku. You're the best of all of us."

"This is true," Tenya said. "Compared to you our cooking is bland."

"I get it," Izuku grumbled. "I'll figure something out for the dinner." He grabbed another piece of pizza and stuffed it into his mouth with a pout.

"Knew we could count on you," Shoto said with a grin. "Don't worry though, I'll make sure it's worth it. Momo offered to bring dessert and I know how much you love her baking. I think it'll be fine."

"Mmmmf," Izuku grumbled with pizza in his mouth. He swallowed and sighed before grinning. "I do have to admit I'm excited to meet Tsu's new roommate. I know she's been excited for a while now to meet her, too."

"I wonder what she'll think of us all," Tenya said. He opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of root beer. He gave one to Izuku and popped open his. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to wait."

Izuku grinned and opened his up as well, taking a long drink. "Yup! Here's hoping it's a new friend!"

"Indeed!" Tenya said, thrusting his bottle skyward. "To new friends in our journey through life!" Izuku laughed and thrusted his bottle up next to Tenya's and they both turned to look at Shoto.

Shoto rolled his eyes but was smiling. "Dorks," he said as he raised his mug.

"To new friends!" All three yelled out before laughing.

A/N: So, there was chapter number 1 of my new story! I hope you guys liked it or were, at the very least, intrigued enough to want to keep going. I've had this idea in my head for a while now and I'm actually really excited to write it out and have you guys along for the journey! To be honest, I just love trying to adapt characters I love to new situations and worlds and this seems like a good way to try that out. If you liked it, feel free to leave a review! Criticism or suggestion? Review it! Just be kind, that's all I ask. Thanks again everyone!