Archive of Our Own

Bruises/ hurt 

Ochako had used to think that life was just downright cruel, a real sucker punch to the gut (and those DID NOT feel good)

It has been just one thing after another. Her father losing his job, her mother her life, then their home after the funeral. 

Her father changed. Started small, forgetting dinner, putting off looking for a job. Then it went bigger with drinking and sleeping all day. 

She had tried to be the good daughter. She had tried to help him and talk to him. But he had stopped seeing reason. 

She watched from the sidelines as he became less of a man and simply existed within the walls of their home. Simply lived , but wasn't living. 

The anger in her started small, when her father first lost his job. He was a hard worker, he had a family, her, to take care of. How dare they do that? 

Then her anger at the hospital and their pathetic care of her mother. She was a mother and had a family, her, to take care of. How dare they let her die? 

Then her anger at her dad and how quickly he forgot all about her, his daughter, to care for. How dare he leave her alone? 

They both lost someone. 

Was she not important now that her mom wasn't with them anymore? 

Her anger got to be so much, she just snapped. 

Her first fight had been by her instigation with little prompting. 

Another day of pulling herself through the day, school already halfway through. Just hoping for something to change, anything, just something to make life worth something again. Her grades were slipping, hunger always present, and she heard the gossip about her around the halls. She stood outside the bookstore, not really looking at what was in the window, simply trying to do something. 

She heard quiet laughing behind her, the snickers filling her with unease, glancing over her shoulder at them. Two girls leaned against the entrance to an alleyway, and she instantly knew they were 'no good' delinquents, the ones she was always warned to stay far away from.

“Wow check her out” The shorter one scoffed, eyeing her up and down.

She spun around, hunching her shoulders. Even strangers had to nit pick her frayed uniform, and worn book bag. Her fist tightened around her strap. No thanks to her good-for nothing father.  

"Her life must be so great !" The second added, her voice increasing in pitch, disdain dripping from each word. Her eyes widened at her tone, the anger that's been stoked within her for the last three years flickered. She flexed her fingers. 

She glared at them, chest heaving as she argued with herself. These girls knew nothing about her, her pain and frustrations were hers and hers alone. 

“What?” The first girl smirked at her, “did I touch a nerve, Princess ?”

Those words were like a gust of wind, feeding her fire till it shot up, burning everything in sight. She turned towards them, both of them pushing off the wall, eyes narrowed at her. The air was charged as they stared each other down. She flung her bag at them, both of them startled, hands flying to knock the bag out of the way.  

The relief she felt when her fist connected with the girl's face, had been exhilarating. Like all the pent up energy finally had a release. The girl yelped, staging back into the alley way. She ran after her, quickly hitting her again. 

Then the girl had hit her back, snarling curses at her. The pain seemed to take the place of what was in her heart for just a moment. Then the feeling was gone and she felt like she was drowning once more. 

They stared down again, “That all you got Princess ?” 

She smiled, lunging at the girl before she could hit her again, unfortunately pausing just long enough for her to hit her again. She grabbed the front of the girls uniform, snarling in her face. 

“Try me you-” 

Pain flooded her head, head yanked back, some of her hair pulled free at the roots. The other girl shouted insults in her ear. She shot out her elbow, hoping to hit her. And hit her she did, she heard a grunt of pain, but the grip on her hair didn’t loosen. 

She felt a hard pain being driven into her stomach, the air driven out of her. She felt arms hook through her own, hands dangling at her sides. She glared at the short girl again, her smirk growing at her arm drew back. 

She quickly crouched and jumped, throwing all her weight back, feet flying into the air that she quickly thrusted out to connect to the girl's face. Her cry of pain was horrifyingly therapeutic. 

The girl holding her fell on her but, all of her weight going into her chest and stomach. She felt her head connect with her nose, the pain nothing compared to when she pulled her hair earlier. She quickly got to her feet, kicking the girl in the stomach, yelling with all the fury she had left. 

She yelled and screamed till she had no breath left, pain flooding her system. All you could hear was all three of them trying to catch their breath, herself falling in her butt, body aching. Her chest felt lighter, a weird sense of relief flooding her, almost bringing tears to her eyes. 

This was what her lied had become. Getting into cat fights and enjoying it. She already had the urge to do this again. This fight brought a symphony to her ears that was able to, just for a moment, deafen the constant buzzing that had filled her head for the last three years.  

"What's your name Princess?" The short girl groaned, leaning back against the wall. 

She wobbled to her feet, spitting blood out of her mouth, glaring at the girls. "What's it matter to you?”

"Girls like you don't throw the first punch, or enjoy a fight has much as you just did" the second adds, groaning as she squatted to the floor, "damn you got a strong kick” 

"What can I say, made me feel better" She touched her nose, wincing when did, hissing through her teeth. 

There was an unspoken understanding quickly passing between them. All three relaxed their posture, one even chuckling softly, surprisingly the one she hit first. She caught her eye, a look up understanding there. “Kyoka”

“Ochaco”

“Mina” She glanced at her, snickering at her raised hand. 

She staggered to Mina, Kyoka following her. She reached out her hand, barely making contact before, “Hey! What's going on here?” 

She jumped, her eyes meeting the man's first, his uniform second, badge reflecting the fading sunlight. 

Kyoka cursed, yanking Mina to her feet and taking off down the alleyway. “Cop!” 

She quickly snatched up her bag, taking off after them. He shouted, quickly pursuing them. She was surprised by how far they had run despite their injuries, her own adrenaline taking over as she caught up to them. 

They exited the alley way onto a crowded street, subway entrance to her left. Kyoka and Mina pushed through the people, making their way down the stairs. Deciding quickly she leapt over the railing, landing hard on the stairs next to them, leading the way down the stairs. 

She could still hear him pursuing them as they made it to the bottom, Kyokya snatched her hand, yanking her to the right instead, going with the flow of the patrons. They weaved their way through each person, their path decided with split second decisions, the crowd quickly thinning. 

Suddenly she was yanked to the right, shoulder slamming into a pillar that was quickly used to hide them from view. All three of them tried to quiet their breathing, adrenaline running through her veins. If she got caught here what would happen to her? She couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped. This was all so exciting. 

“We lost him,” Mina whispered, head leaning out from behind the pillar. Kyoka laughed. 

“Those were some fast moves there, surprised you were able to keep up” Kyoka fist bumped her shoulder, pushing herself off the wall to stretch. 

“Just finished our sports festival,” she grinned. 

“Wanna come hang out with us? You’ve kinda proved yourself at this point,”

Did she? These girls were clearly delinquents, something she shouldn’t want to be,but…the last thirty minutes have been the most fun she has had in years. She felt alive again, and they gave off a vibe that just felt like home. 

Acceptance, understanding, the promise of endless adventures. 

“I’d love to,”

“Yay!” Mina cheered, spinning out before leading the way, “let's go back to Kiri’s place,”

“Yeah sounds good,” Kyoka sounded almost disinterested, but smiled nonetheless. "He's got the best bandages anyway" 

She followed them, their trip to the other end of the subway, less hectic than before. She watched how they interacted, like they have known each other for years. Mina would invade Kyoka’s space without a second thought, poking her and Kyoka would respond with a punch to the arm. 

The girls at her school were always so proper and respectful. Quiet and polite. These two were loud, took up space, and were far more aggressive than even the boys at her school. She loved it, the energy refreshing. 

They approached a modest house, the yard neat but small, the siding a little worn. Mina marched up to the door, swinging it open forcefully and shouting loudly into the home, “Kiri, we’re home!” 

“Welcome home!” 

She was surprised by a boy's voice responding, but knew they were delinquents more than girls. She was not expecting however was a boy who was all smiles, straight black hair and a proper uniform on to descend the stairs. 

“Oh hi! I’m Kirishima Ejiro” He bowed to her, unfazed by her appearance. 

“Uraraka Ochako,” She bowed back, smiling at the formality. She slipped off her shoes, taking the offered house slippers. 

The girls started to recount their meeting, but with slightly more embellishment, as they helped clean eChothers wounds, and she wasn’t about to correct them. Rather she joined in, Kirishima enraptured by the story. 

“Isn’t it great how fighting can bring people together, so manly,” He sniffled, clapping his hands, “a cause for celebration!”

He jumped up racing out of the living room. She laughed, leaning back on her elbows, taking the time to look around the place. She could tell he had parents living here, objects scattered around the room that no teenage boy would have an interest in. 

“So Ochako, that was clearly your first fight,” Kyoka looked back at her, pulling her attention from the plaques on the wall, “what do you want from now on?”

“To be free,” She answered with no hesitation, “To feel something again, and enjoy life. That was the most fun I've had in years"

Both girls smirked at her, holding out a hand each, “Then welcome to our ittle gang, you’re a delinquent now.” 

She lay on the ground, body sore from another fight, the late afternoon sun bearing down on her, cicadas chirping in the distance. Sparse clouds drifted overhead, only big enough to block the sun for seconds at a time. 

She sighed, trying to grasp onto the fleeting feeling of…aliveness. 

Fighting and breaking rules had been a high. Addictive and delicious. Made her feel like a person again. But…that feeling had been getting harder to find. 

Why did she feel so empty again? 

She continued to accept personal fights and obviously help out her gang. She loved them and was thankful for the fateful day, and she felt so guilty that she didn’t have the drive she did two years ago. She pulled her hands down to her stomach, trying to enjoy the rest of the summer day, breathing in the fresh air and smiling as the breeze brushed against her face. 

No use dwelling on it on such a beautiful day. 

“Oh my goodness” She opened an eye at the quiet exclamation, the sun quickly blocked out. “Are you ok, miss?”

She groaned, throwing herself up, fully opening her eyes to glare at the boy. “I am perfectly fine thank you…” she drifted off meeting the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen. 

“Are you sure, I can help clean the cuts on your face and hands” He dug around his brightly colored yellow bag, withdrawing a bottle of water and a handkerchief. Her mouth refused to move, brain stalled. 

She could see him wetting the handkerchief in her peripheral, but his eyes continued to take all her attention. They were like fractured stain glass, she could see it, the genuine kindness there, but also the pain lingering in the cracks. He wrung out the handkerchief, face coming close as he dabbed at her wounds. 

Even the girls had never been this gentle. She could feel the foreign heat on her cheeks, probably pinker than they had been in years.  

“Did someone attack you? Do you want me to call the police?”

“Attack me? Those chumps wished,” She scoffed, scooting back from the boy, drawing her hands to her chest. He was too close. 

“Oh?” He smiled a smile that she knew he didn’t quite understand what she meant, his wild unkempt hair falling into his face, freckles danced across his face. 

“Yeah you should see the other guys,” She chuckled awkwardly, pushing herself to her feet, dusting off her skirt. 

“I’m glad you’re ok miss,” This she knew was his real smile, so genuine, and bright, she could never hope to feel its warmth. Yet she was drawn to it. 

It was nothing like the fire that had raged inside her for so long, it was a gentle all encompassing warmth. Made you feel safe. 

She then noticed his uniform, matching her own. Her eyes widened some more. If this kid went to her school, he had to know about her and her reputation. 

"Why aren't you scared of me?" 

She hadnt meant to be so blunt, but that has been one drawback to her new life she didn't think would bother her. Regular people running in fear of her. She loved when other delinquents learned to fear her, but the average person…they were innocent and she never started anything with them. 

They got to live their best life, and she refused to be a cause for messing that up, or making it difficult. 

"Should I be?" He stood, smile gone, only confused now. Those words about knocked her on her butt again. She narrowed her eyes at him, inspecting him. 

He looked normal enough, even if a little nerdy. His uniform didn't quite fit him right, the sleeves too long, collar loose around his neck. His hair was wild and longer than her school allowed, but nothing about him screamed delinquent.  

"Forget about it" She waved him off, stalking away. 

"Oh uh, good bye!" He shouted after her, and even that sounded sincere. 

It was all too weird and was just too far outside of her norm. No one talked to her, let alone regular boys. People moved out of her way in the halls, and girls whispered in fear. 

The sun casted an orange glow over the deserted streets, the warmth quickly fading from the air. She made her way to Kirishima's place, thoughts clouded with confusion.  

"Hey 'Chako." Mina called out, leaning against the arm of the couch, book in her hands. 

"Sup" She waved, plopping herself down on the couch. 

She couldn't get his eyes out of her mind, she's never seen someone so much like her. Not even Mina and Kyoka, they were delinquents like her, but for very different reasons, their eyes not quite as fractured. 

Kyoka because her parents were sorta delinquents themselves, encouraging their daughter to do as she pleased, and do what made her happy. But even then her grades were decent, and she had always balanced this wild yet responsible air around her. 

Mina. Mina had always been an outcast since birth, her Cuban father sharing in the experience. She mostly gave up, just wanting to enjoy her home and dish out some revenge to those few around her. 

Kirishim simply enjoyed the fighting, but never missed a day of school and was always surrounded by people from all sorts of clubs and lifestyles. He was a magnet of joy and optimism. Teachers couldn’t even stay mad at him when he dyed his hair! 

None of them had distant or neglectful parents, Kyoka and Krishima hadn’t really experienced rejection. She couldn’t help but wonder what that kid had gone through to come out so much like Mina. Mina was so genuinely bubbly, and she had seen her work through her anger over the years, choosing kindness over her previous hatred. 

“Ochako?”

“Hm?” She looked at Mina, who looked concerned, book resting in her lap.

“What’s on your mind?”

 Krishima joined them, sitting beside Mina. “Woah, rough fight today?”

“What? No, wiped the floor with them, it’s just-” She didn’t know how exactly to explain why this kid was bothering her so much. 

“What happened ‘Chako?” 

“I was enjoying the weather afterwards when this kid showed up, all I dunno, worried about me?” she scoffed, still flustered by the notion, “all offering to cleaning my cuts,” she touched her face, drifting off.

“Ok..” Mina drew out, clearly not understanding, “sounds pretty nice to me”

“Exactly! Why?” 

“Why was he nice?” Kirishima asked, tilting his head to the side, arms resting behind Mina. 

“Yeah I mean, he was wearing our uniform,” she pointed to Mina, “and wasn’t afraid of me”

“Oh!” She nodded quickly, “I get it now, that is weird”

“Very,” 

Silence filled the room, each trying to process the information. A very weird kid indeed.

“Uraraka-san, this is getting out of hand! If your grades continue to fall, you will not be advancing to the next grade”

Irritation bubbled within her. This is why she didn’t come to school, it was just lecture after lecture. 

None of them actually cared, not about her, only about their image. They hadn’t done anything to help her in middle school and had quickly written her off after her first fight at this school. Just another problem to fix, not a person to help. 

Not that she needed that anymore of course. Her new life had changed everything, and for the better…she was just in a rut right now. 

Her homeroom teacher continued to prattle on, the same old speech of being a stand up member of society, how she was ruining her future, and blah, blah, blah. 

Her parents had lived perfect lives and look how that turned out for them. She might as well enjoy herself and studying meant nothing in the long run. 

She stood up, "OK this has been annoying, later" she waved the teacher off, ignoring his shouts and quickly exited the office. 

She stepped through the halls, students still mingling, lunch having a few more minutes before ending. 

Girls quickly squeaked in fear, gathering together and moved out of the way. 'whispers' quickly fill the halls. She rolled her eyes, quickly making her way up to the roof. 

The wind wasn't as strong today, and the sky was rather cloudy. The smell of rain hung in the air. She leaned against the wall, looking up at the clouds, that empty feeling as strong as ever. 

Which made her angry. 

She hit the wall, grunting in frustration. 

Stupid teachers, stupid school, stupid dad, stupid life, stupid feelings. 

The bell rang, lunch coming and going. 

Rain fell. 

She ignored the cold, relishing in feeling something, the water running down her wave in gentle waves. She smiled, almost laughing at the image of her walking through the halls, dripping wet like Sadako . She already scared everyone, why not add a dramatic flare. 

“Oh” 

It was so quiet, she almost missed it through the sound of the rain. She quickly looked around, eyes meeting broken green for the second time. The boy stared at her, just as drench, a bento box in hand. 

“You” she said, pointing at him in bewilderment. 

“Hello again,” he smiled, giving her an awkward wave, shoulders up to his ears. 

“What in the world are you doing out in this weather?” 

He looked at the sky, mouth moving like a fish’s for several seconds before he blurted out, “Lunch?”

“Lunch?”

“Yeah, I eat up here and I just didn’t want to go back to class yet,”

She scoffed in surprise, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “Didn’t peg you as a class cutter”

“Why?” He seemed very bewildered by the statement. 

She shrugged her shoulders, looking back at the sky, “Thought you were like a goody two shoes nerd or somein’” She grinned, taken back to when she met Kyoka and Mina, laughing at how the roles have switched, “Sorry kid, that's not fair”

“Midoriya, my name is Midoriya”

“Ok Midoriya,” she glanced at him, “Uraraka,” 

“I know,” was all he said, and then he stood next to her, also looking up at the sky. 

They heard a bell ring, and then another. Hands turning bright red, and noses running. But neither made the move to go inside, so both stayed against the wall, the door only two feet to their right.  

“Why are you up here today?” 

“Stupid teacher lecture, and class is stupid”

“I like class,”

“But you’re up here, with me”

“Yup, because I also hate class,”

She giggled, glancing at him. He looked different than when they first met. Everything hung off his thin frame, his face looking different without his voluminous hair to frame it. Even in the dim lighting, his eyes still seemed to glow. He also stood shoulder to shoulder with her. 

“Me too,”

“But for different reasons.” He declares with confidence. 

“How would you know that?” 

“Because learning is fun,”

She scoffed, “no it isn’t,”

“That's because you have a bad teacher”

“Teachers are just trying to force me to be another societal puppet. I’m nothing more than a tool to them. Disposable.” 

“I could teach you,” His eyes lit up in excitement, smiling widely, “show you how learning is supposed to be done,”

She hurt her neck from how quickly she looked at him, rage bubbling up within her. “What?” she hissed. 

“I could teach you, because-”

“Did the teachers put you up to this?” She turned on him, hands shaking. 

“What? No.” He looked hurt, eyes never leaving hers, “I was only trying to help because I know that-”

“Know what? That my grades are the bottom of the classes? That I won’t advance at the end of the year?”

“Um, only the first one,” he said quietly, “I saw your name..” He shrank in on himself, leaving her to finish the statement. He saw her name listed at the very bottom of last midterms. 

“Why do you even care? It’s not like it matters anyway, especially to you.”

“I just wanted to help, I like tutoring and I need to pay-” He stopped himself, grabbing the back of his neck, breaking eye contact for the first time. He quickly turned, breaking away inside, the heavy door slamming loudly. She groaned, quickly following. 

He hadn’t even tried to go further, standing at the top of the stairs, fist shaking in time with his shoulders. Guilt plummeted from her heart, settling heavy in her stomach. She looked at the ceiling and groaned again. 

Midoriya was an innocent. Not a delinquent and her code was to do her best to leave them unaffected. She couldn’t be another crack in those eyes of his, ruining whatever was left of his, hopefully salvageable, innocent life. 

“Listen nerd, you can try to tutor me, but no promises that it works” That hurt to say, felt like she was giving those stupid teachers exactly what they wanted. 

He doesn’t say anything, but the shaking slows, sniffles and the sound of dripping water the loudest noise on the landing. 

“Why?”

Why indeed. “Dunno, because you were the first one to offer.”

“I promise I can teach you,”

“I believe it nerd”

“You have to come to school though,” He glanced at her, eyes red around the edges. She grimaces, but nods her agreement. 

“I’ll come..more often!” She points at him, “This place is still hell,” 

He turned to look at her, chuckling, then bowing slightly. She chucked at how serious his face was. “I promise you will pass your midterms”

She knocked a fist on his head, “Don’t go getting ahead of yourself now,” she pushed past him, stomping down the stairs, “See you tomorrow nerd.” 

Students filled the halls as she made it down two levels, some laughing others gasping in shock as she passed them. She spotted Mina’s pink hair at the end, quickly meeting up with her. 

“Sup Mina,”

“He- Ochako! What happened? Why are you wet?!?”

“Nothing, common, this place is giving me a headache,” 

It was weird how in just a few short weeks of attending school regularly, or rather, a few classes at a time , people grew used to her presence. There were still glances and whispers, but more out of curiosity than discomfort like before. 

“Why is she here again today?”

“I saw her talking to that boy from 2C again, do you think hes like her slave or somthign?”

She rolled her eyes, adjusting so her right foot was over her left, the edge of the desk digging into her calves. This is why they never studied where others could see them, it would just start more gossip. 

“I heard that one, I also heard he's her boyfriend.” There was a pause before the girls burst out laughing, making comments of how outrageous that one was. 

She felt heat rising, anger and embarrassment mixing into an ugly color red. She glared at the girls, each of them quickly shutting up and practically running from the room. She let out a puff of air, glancing at the clock.

She spun herself out of her chair, quickly making for the roof. She had quickly asserted that no one was allowed up there after she started coming to school more, the other students quickly agreeing. 

Midoriya was waiting for her, bento and textbooks in front of him. No pleasantries exchanged, just the simple agreement to eat and study in peace. 

He was reading a short story to her in English, fingers flowing with the words. But she honestly wasn't paying attention.  

She studied him through her lashes, trying to understand more about him and why he even wanted to make this stupid pact with her in the first place. He had been nothing but a mystery this entire time, not behaving anything like the rest of the students at this school.

He hadn't done anything except tutor her. He never asked about her injuries, or her day. He was always business and had even organized an entire crash course for her over the next three months for winter midterms. 

He was a mystery. 

There was something about him, and she would figure out what it was. And the first question was-

“Why haven’t you ever been afraid of me?” She glares at him, invading his personal space. He blinks at her, eyes wide. 

“Because there’s nothing to be afraid of” Such a simple answer that told her nothing (yet something?) about him. 

“I’m a delinquent you idiot, what makes you think I won’t beat you up and take your money, or something?”

He smiled in a way that made her feel like he knew something she didn’t. “Well that’s because I know you wouldn’t do that and my mom was-” 

They jumped at the metal door hitting the wall, and a person quickly rounded the corner. “Oi! Deku! Stop hiding from me and- what the hell are you doing up here!”

She jumped to her feet, hands flexing. “What the hell are you doing up here you delinquent wannabe!” 

The intruder, Bakugo Katsuki, snarled at her, “Just because I’m better at everything than you-”

“You wish! You didn’t win last time, that cop saved your skin”

“Ha! Scared of one little cop?” He taunted, poking her in the chest. 

“Just because I don’t have mommy and daddy’s money to get me whatever I want-” She grabbed the front of his shirt, fist raised. 

“What did you say?” He hissed, grabbing her collar, raising his fist in agreement.

“Woah! Kacchan you wouldn’t hit a girl would you?” Midoriya quickly tried to separate them, either brave or stupid she wasn’t quite sure. 

“The hell I will!” He snarled, pulling her closer. 

“Kacchan!?” She yelled in glee, Bakugo quickly taking a step back.

“What have I said about using that damn nickname Deku!” He let her go, quickly turning on Midoriya. 

“Sorry Kacchan,” But you could tell he really didn't care. 

“Yeah, sorry Kacchan ,” she grinned wolfishly, “didn’t mean to upset you Kacchan , do you need to go cry Kacchan ?” 

“Why you little Bi-”

“What did you need Kacchan?” Midoriya cut him off exasperated, “we were in the middle of studying” She glanced at him, surprised by the stern look on his face, the confidence rather attractive.

She blinked quickly. Well that came out of nowhere. 

Bakugo stopped, looking between them, quickly distracting her from unpacking that, before bursting into hysterics, doubled over, his laughter far too loud and rude. Just like he always was. He tried to calm himself looking at her. “Her!” he laughed harder, pointing at her.

“Yeah me! What’s so funny about it, Kacchan ?”  

Clearly the hilarity at her studying was far too hilarious to even get upset about her using his cutesy nickname. She crossed her arms, the urge to punch him in the face growing. However when she glanced at Midoriya, she knew it would upset him for her to do so. So she would just have to wait for later, so, she pulled out her cell phone, playing her other dirty card for now. 

“Oh my gosh! Kiri! Help Ka-I mean Bakugo is hurt, on the roof!” She quickly spit out once the call connected, Kirishima's shout on the other end heard by the boys with her. 

“Thats dirty-”

“Hurry Kiri! He’s going into shock” She looked at him, smirking. He bared his teeth at her, but didn’t move any closer. Midoriya rubbed his temples, grumbling about the noise. They continued their stare down until the door was thrown open. 

“Bakubro!” 

“Overhere Kiri!”

“Stay away from me you idiot!” Bakugo yelled

“Bakugo-san!, are you ok?” 

She stiffened in surprise at the worried, yet feminine voice. They all turned to see class president Yaoyorozu Momo, running towards them with her hands clenched in concern. 

Bakugo relaxed, rolling his eyes at her. “I’m fine, this…girl was just messing with Kirishima” Yaoyorozu sighed in relief, placing her hand on his face. 

“Thank goodness, I was extremely concerned there for a moment” 

Her mouth dropped open in shock, looking at Midoriya, unfortunately finding the same expression. She looked back at Kirishima, to find him completely relaxed. She marched over, hitting him with everything she had. 

“Ow! Ochako, what the heck!”

“You jerk, withholding such information from me about Kacchan,” She gestured to the couple, “dating the President! How could you!” 

“Stop calling me that!”

“Oh that only happened last week, it was super cute actually,” Kirishima grunted against her punch, “Yaomomo here-”

“Stop talking you idiot!” His face was crimson and Yoayorozu was giggling behind her hands. 

She stopped hitting Kirishima, grinning wickedly at him, him giving her a look of trepidation, “but no matter!” she sang, opening her phone again “I have all the blackmail I need now” 

“Oh no you don’t” Bakugo ran at her, hand reaching for her phone, she dodged him, quickly pressing call. Bakugo chased her around the rooftop, screaming for her phone. He was able to snatch it from her hands just as it connected. Bakugo cheered in victory but she simply laughed, keeping her momentum towards the stairs.

“Sucka!” 

“Damn it!” 

She jumped down the stairs quickly gaining speed, the sounds of heavy steps in pursuit spiking the adrenaline in her heart. She raced through the halls looking for Mina, quickly checking every classroom before she found her. 

She burst through, students crying out in surprise, “Mina! Quickly” she snatched her up, dragging her out of the room, before Bakugo could even get through the first door. 

“You are not going to believe this!”

“Ooh girl do tell! Hi Bakugo!” She waved, behind her, “was that the President?”

“Yeah!,” She laughed, “they are dating now!”

“No!” She squealed, matching pace beside her. 

“Yes!” 

They made their way outside, Bakugo still in pursuit, and jumped the dividing wall onto the grounds of the school. They raced past sports clubs getting some practice in, and teachers patrolling the grounds. 

“Crap!” They screamed in unison, quickly booking it for the gate. 

“You two, get back here!”

They made it to the gates, laughing, Kyoka waiting for them, phone in hand. She glanced behind them before smiling and taking off with them. She glanced at their shoes, nodding in appreciation. “Nice shoes,”

“Bakugo is dating our class president” Mina squealed, adding a little skip to her run

“No way” Kyoka grinned, “that little terror?”

“Totally insane,” She agreed, the first to slow down, catching her breath, “and there's more” she gasped, holding her sides. 

The girls oohed, leaning against the wall across from her, giving her time. 

“His childhood nickname is,” she paused, both girls eyes lighting up in excitement, “Kacchan!”

Kyoka howled, losing the ability to stand. Mina jumped up and down with shouts of excitement. “This is the best day of my life!” 

They stayed there, herself keeping lookout at the end of the alley way, enjoying themselves, Mina already setting up a hangout with Kirishima to get all the details. 

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell me,” Mina whined, “That meanie, I’ll have to teach him a lesson,”

She laughed, the sounds of footsteps quickly drawing her attention. Midoriya approached them, ladened with bags and shoes. Her and Minas shoes actually. 

“Uh here Uraraka-san, Ashido-san, your things. The teachers were waiting for you at the gates but I was able to get your things from the classrooms and lockers, and I’m really glad I was able to find you, because if you hadn’t stayed close, this would have been awkward, and I am rambling again sorry, here’s your stuff.”

“That's quite the set of lungs you have there kid,” Kyoka tilted her head at him. 

“Oh, I guess so,”

“Thank you Midoriya! I just bought these shoes and knew if I went back for them those nasty teachers would get me”

“Anytime Ashido-san”

“Mina! Common dude,” she nudged his shoulder laughing at his red face. 

A strange feeling gripped her heart at the sight. 

“Yeah thanks Midoriya”

“See here you carry the three and use this new number with the one we got earlier to plug into the formula,” Midoriya’s pencil moved across the page, carefully showing her the steps. 

She copied alongside him, focussing with all her might, trying to remember how the formula flowed from their last tutoring session. 

She had been hesitant to meet with him in his home instead of a public space this time around, but quickly relented after he made a fair argument of the increases privacy and longer study time. 

“Now you try with the next problem,” He slid the book closer to her, motioning to the one he wanted her to do. She stared at it, slowly filling it out her work, trying to pull back to the mental math she learned to do early in life. 

“Did I get it?” She glanced at him, snorting at his expression. He didn’t have a poker face to save his life. His smile was blinding and there were those signature tears in his eyes. 

“You did it! I’m so proud of you Uraraka-san” 

“Only because of your tutoring,” She looked away, face warm.

“You will be ready for the midterms in no time Uraraka-san. Lets run a few practice problems to get that muscle memory going then we can move onto Japanese, which I know that ones been tripping you up but I really think you can get it today, I mean look at all the math you have already gotten really good at in just three hours-” 

She flicked him in the forehead, “Breath nerd, I’ll just get started on these,” She picked her pencil back up, going back at the problems. 

“Right ok, I’ll go refill our water,” She hummed in response, squinting at the page. 

She heard him pull out his own work, the silence not uncomfortable, but far different from the noise that usually accompanied her gang's usual hang outs. It finally got to be too much, and she pulled out her phone. She paused, glancing at Midoriya. 

“Do you mind if I play some music?” 

“Hmm, oh not at all, whatever helps you,” his gaze locked on his book. 

She shrugged, quickly choosing one of her calmer playlists, and putting her phone on the table. They relaxed, quickly getting back to work. She glanced at him while he worked, smiling fondly as he muttered to himself, scratching his head with his pencil. 

Then his eyes caught hers, widening ever so slightly, she glared at him, quickly using her arm as a temporary block between them. She cursed quietly, getting to work on her assignment. 

“Did you need something Uraraka-san?”

“Nope,” she choked out, face flushing, “I’m good” 

“Ok” 

She had to stop staring at him. Yes, he was pretty cute, if she were being honest, but that was all. Tutor and delinquent, a pretty ridiculous relationship as is, let alone a romantic one. She groaned out more curses, hitting the table with her free hand. 

“Are you sure-”

“I’m fine, I got this!” She snapped, biting her lip hard, the pain refocusing her. Math. Do the stupid math. 

Math.

Add.

Midoriya.

Math!

Move number here.

Midoriya. 

MATH!

She was just finishing her last problem, ready to snap her pencil in frustration, pushing her paper towards him when the front door opening had her stiffening, quickly evaluating her escapes. 

“Izuku, I’m home! Oh! Is there someone here?”

“Yeah mom, the girl I’m tutoring I told you about,” Midoriya pushed himself up from the table, quickly getting the hall door. 

“Oh Uraraka-chan!” A small woman came through the door, bags on her arms. Looking at her you can tell she is Midoriya's mom. The same dark back hair, bright green eyes, and kind smile. “It is so wonderful to finally meet you, Izuku has told me so much about you,”

“Mom!” He hissed, face bright red. 

She glanced between them, “about me…” Looking at this woman, she knew that if he had actually told her about who she really was, this woman wouldn’t allow her in her home, let alone near her son. 

“Well, thank you for the help, I’ll be going now” She bolted up, quickly gathering what she could. Midoriya would return anything she forgot. 

“Don’t let me scare you off, stay for dinner”

“Uh, I really don’t want to intrude.”

Midoriya-san looked at her, smiling softly, “Dear, you are always welcome here.” 

She stopped to look at her, quickly calmed by those caring eyes, her hands resting softly on her shoulders. 

"No matter what " She winked, taking the groceries to the counter. What did she mean by that? 

"Mom, don't force her if she doesn't want to." 

"No it's…ok, if you're offering" The idea of a warm home cooked meal sounded better than another package of instant ramen anyway, especially after Midoriya-san pulled out a package of chicken. 

"Wonderful! Do you like your curry spicy?" 

"Either is fine, thank you Midoriya-san" 

"Oh call me Inko, don't let me keep distracting you now, back to studying" 

She nodded, pulling the book back out and passing it to Midoriya again, showing him her work to look over. He beamed at her, declaring every problem correct. She struggled to control her smile, feeling proud of herself for getting them all and thrilled to receive his smile. She dug her fingernails into her arm.  

She tried to focus on the rest of their study session, but between Midoriya being, well, himself, the haunting sounds of Midoriya-san, Inko, cooking behind her, set her on edge. Reminded of a time long passed, her heart aching for it again. Then the tainted memories of her dad started to be entertained in her mind. 

His smile when coming home after a long day, hugging her tightly and asking all about school. Game nights and astrology lessons. 

The smell of curry started to fill the apartment, a meal they made all the time, mixing with the bubbling of the rice cooker. Midoriya started to disappear from her vision, his voice becoming muted. She could see his mouth moving, eyes tracking her own as he talked her through the textbook, but she couldn’t understand a word. 

Their time cooking dinner together as a family, just the two of them while mom was in the hospital, the reasons why she didn't cook anymore and why she only ever ate instantly ramen-

She bolted up, cutting Midoriya off mid sentence, grabbing her bag and bolting for the door. She fumbled for her shoes, cursing as she struggled to get them on. 

Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out.

"Uraraka-chan." She froze, keeping her back to the woman. 

"I know that all of this is probably overwhelming, but I do hope you will join us for dinner sometime." 

Her heart pounded in her ears, and she always hated when it got like this, making it difficult to hear and think. Difficult to keep her walls up. She didn’t look like the tough undefeated delinquent girl like this, no she looked and felt like she was 10 again. 

"Not going to try and convince me to stay?" She whispered, hoping she sounded tough and firm. 

"No, you're not ready" 

No she wasn't. She would never be ready to share meals like that again. She would never cook again, she would never-

"I just have one more thing to say before you go," she felt her hands on her shoulder again, warm but firmer this time. She glanced over her shoulder at the woman, scared of what she would see but honestly unsurprised when she was met with a smile. 

"Parents make an awful lot of mistakes, and we try to make amends with our children, but you are your own people and we can't force things from you" 

Huh? 

"What?" 

She smiled, handing her a paper bag, running her hand over her head "just think about it and get home safe Uraraka-chan" 

She nodded mutely, taking the bag, managed to slip on her shoes and walked out the door, far slower than she had been trying for moments before. 

She put off going home, wandering around town, street lights casting an eerie glow around her. She ended up down by the river, the moon illuminating the ripples of water. She rubbed her arms, knowing as much as she didn’t want to go home, she would have to if she wanted to stay warm. 

But home was still cold. 

But Midoriya’s…very warm. His mom was everything she missed dearly. She touched her head where Inko had gently and lovingly touched her. The tears started small, her heart aching over something so small, lasting no more than a minute, heart bursting. She had thought she didn't have any more tears to cry, having long run dry.

She sat there, watching the water move along, chest heaving and face drenched. She longed for simpler days before everything went to crap, where food tasted good and her home was warm. Where she was loved and wanted.

She longed to be held, to have an attainable dream for the future, heck any dream for the future. She looked up at the night sky, wishing she could see the stars. She hadn’t done this since her dad had left her behind. Only the moon was visible, and she remembered how her mom had told her every night that she was so amazing that could walk on the moon someday.

It hit her like a truck, driving the air from her lungs, the moon glaring at her from above. 

Her mom would be so disappointed in her now. What a daughter she was. No wonder she felt so worthless no matter what she did. All her efforts to turn her life around, fix her grade, graduate on time, did they mean anything? Did she really have a chance?

Midoriya seemed to think so, the first to believe in her. The girls never asked her about school, never asked her about what she wanted except for the day they met. Midoriya though, always talking, always asking and always listening. 

She gave a wet laugh, the water rippling in return. Maybe if she had been the good daughter, with good grades, and loved by everyone, she would have a chance with someone as amazing as Midoriya, maybe even the boy himself. 

But she was a delinquent. Scum of the earth, hated and feared by all, no way out of the pit she had dug herself into. 

Midoriya could try with all his might to help her out of it, but they both knew she was just humoring him. It was foolish to think she had a chance. 

Finally the cold got to be too much for her, fingers red, and arms numb, the moon pushing her to return home. She looked up at it one last time, her resolve wavering on if she could really do this, or if Midoriya was just wasting his time. 

She made it home, the lights on, and door unlocked for her. She slipped her shoes off, not caring how much sound she made. 

“Welcome home Ochako,” Her dad called from the living room, “I left dinner in the microwave for you,” 

Normally when she would come home, she would ignore him, flip him off, curse him out, whatever. But-

"Parents make an awful lot of mistakes, and we try to make amends with our children”

She looked at her dad, for the first time in years, actually looked at him. His eyes weren’t red, though he did look tired. She could see the surprise there too, smile sad but hopeful. He looked aware. He looked like he saw her. 

She tried to grab onto her anger, but she just couldn’t. It was like staring at a ghost. 

“How was your day?”

She turned, quietly walking into the kitchen, getting her food, hand shaking when she saw the curry on the plate. She froze, trying to decide what to do. She took the plate, quickly running into her room, and slamming the door. 

She stared at the ceiling, tapping her fingers on her stomach. Midterms were around the corner, and she was ashamed to admit she was hiding from Midoriya. She wasn’t sure she could really do anything other than disappoint him. There was no way she could really pass her tests. 

It had been two weeks since she last saw him.

Two weeks of no school. 

Two weeks of no studying. 

Two weeks of not seeing him. 

Her heart ached over many different things and nothing made sense. Midoriya, his mom, her dad, her life, it all swirled together in an ugly whirlpool of emotions and gunk. 

She was pathetic. 

“Hey Ochako,” She looked at Kirishima, “are you ready for midterms, I know you have been working hard with Midoriya”

She grimaced, looking away. 

“What’s wrong Ochako?” 

“There is no way I can pass so…” She shrugged, trying to sound unbothered. But she was very much bothered. She couldn't bring herself to admit she was scared of failing Midoriya. Failing herself. 

“Don't say that! I know you can do this!” He slapped her shoulder, smiling too brightly for her current wallowing. 

“Yeah ‘Chako, you’ve worked too hard to give up now,” Mina pouted at her. 

“What's the point!” She shot up, waving her hands around, “I’m a degenerate , can’t accomplish anything . Cursed to never succeed.” 

That's what all the teachers said. She had no hopes for her future, it's too late for her. Yeah she had fun, and still kinda does, doing what she does, but look where it's gotten her. They grew quiet, looking at her in pity. She flopped back down, wallowing in her misery.

She normally wasn't this vulnerable with them. Just playing things close to the vest, and acting like everything was fine. 

“My mom would be…so disappointed”. She admits, pulling at her shirt, the admission quiet like a whisper in the wind. 

Mina ran a hand through her hair, chewing on her lip as she clearly struggled to find something to say. She and Kiri shot each other panicked looks before looking to Kyoka. 

“Hey Ochako, remember what I asked you what you wanted when we first met,”

She rolled her head over, surprised to see the rare soft look on Kyoka's face, having her full attention as she leaned towards her. 

“Yeah I said I wanted to be free to do what I wanted.”

Kyoka smiled “Then what do you want to do?”

She looked at her, mouth falling open in surprise. "Kyoka, it's not that-" 

"Simple? Yes it is." 

Kyoka got off the couch, sitting on the floor next to her, poking her fingers into her chest. 

"If you want to show those block headed, close minded, morons who's boss, then you do. Don't you dare listen to how they think about you. It doesn't matter" 

"And if I fail?"

"You still tried. And what they say still doesn't matter." 

Kyoka stared her down, her gaze stern, challenging her to argue. Normally she would, when she was younger and angrier but now, now she just wanted to prove she was something. Prove she wasn’t in the box everyone insisted on putting her in. That she had worth. 

“You’re right.”

"But?" 

She licked her lips, "I don't know what I want? I-" 

"You want to prove you can pass midterms right?" Kirishima clapped his hands loudly, causing her to jump. 

"Yeah." 

"Then start with that!" He looked excited now, "show them exactly who Uraraka Ochako is!" 

"Yeah 'Chako! I know you can do it! I know how much Midoriya has been helping you" 

A pit settled in her stomach, "oh no" 

"What, what did you do?" Kyoka narrowed her eyes at her. 

"I went over to his house a few weeks ago for a study session-" 

Mina gasped, looking scandalized, "and you put the moves on him?!" 

"What!? No!" She looked at Mina in bewilderment, face growing red. Kirishima laughs into his hand, shoulders shaking.  

"What! It's true! That boy couldn't initiate anything, it would kill him" she grumbled, crossing her arms.

She groaned as various situations where anything could happen between the two of them battled for attention in her mind, each one more outrageous than the last. 

"Will you let me finish!" She hissed, trying desperately to refocus on the seriousness of the conversation. 

"Fine" Mina flopped back, clearly no longer interested in her story. She growled in annoyance. 

She glared at her one last time before taking a deep breath, "Well I was doing really good, passed the practice math when his mom came home," 

Mina slowly sat up, suddenly interested again. Kyoka tilted her head, and Kirishima grinned. 

"She said Mirodiya talked about me, which like any parent should hate me, but she didn't, and she was cooking and…" 

She rarely talked about her mom, and bringing up her dad was a one way ticket to getting hit. Her friends only knew bits and pieces. 

"Before…she died, we would cook all the time, as a family." Her voice grew quiet, you could feel the weight settle in the room, almost like anything and everything was holding its breath. 

"And when she was in the hospital, just me and dad and after…things got bad" 

She sighed, running a shaking hand through her hair, "it was all too much and I ran out of there" 

"Woah" Kiriahima whispered. 

"And as I was trying to leave, Midoroya-san stopped me and she said something about parents making mistakes and trying to make things right" 

"Uh, ok" Kyoka said. 

"What I was thinking, and I started thinking 'bout everything, how I really messed up my life and really started thinking 'bout my mom, and what she wanted for me" 

"Oh 'Chako" 

"And then when I got home," her voice cracked, "my dad had made dinner and asked about my day, and now that I really thought about it, He's been doing that for a long time, and I was just so mad at him that I never really cared to notice" she angrily wiped some tears away. 

"He did?" Kyoka and Mina were surprised. 

"And now it's gotta be too late to fix anything, I mean," she stopped, getting too emotional for her own good. 

"I really, really want to take the tests and I really want to pass but what do I do after that? Grades are still not the end all be all." 

"You've never had a dream job?" Kirishima asked, looking surprised. 

"Well believe it or not, I wanted to be a cop when I was a kid" she snorted, the idea hilarious. There was a pause before they all started laughing, comments flying about how crazy that would be. 

Her heart felt lighter, but there was still weight to it. Things to resolve and figure out. Plans to make and dreams to create. 

"Ochako, you should really go talk to Inko." 

She looked at Kirishima, before remembering he kinda grew up with Bakugo, and Bakugo with Midoriya. He cut her off, with a raised hand, "trust me, it'll be what you need to figure things out" 

She nodded, curious about his insurance. "I have to go talk to Midoriya anyway," 

"Get a move on then," Mina winked at her, "and when you get there, with a grand apology you can kiss him too" she makes a kissy face. 

"MINA!" 

She cackled and quickly ran from the room, "You can't lie to me, I know it's true" 

"Midoriya is a cool dude, you should totally go for it Ochako." She glared at Kirishima, who only smiled innocently in return. If he was truly innocent or pretending was to be seen. She tughtenened her fist, ready to pummel him. 

"He seemed…cute" Kyoka added, "In a nerdy sort of way, not my type but totally works for you 'Chako" 

"That's it! See you losers later, see if I ever talk to you again!" 

She ignored their shouts of 'I love yous' and 'good lucks", slamming the door behind her. 

She stomped down the street, the side streets quieter for a Sunday afternoon. She followed the path only taken once, but easy to remember to the Midoriya residence. 

Then stood outside the door for 15 minutes. 

She took deep breath after deep breath, wiped her hands off on her pants over and over and still didn't ring the doorbell. 

The door swung open, making her jump, as well as Midoriya, as they both stared at each other in surprise. 

"Uh hey" she squeaked. She had never seen him out of uniform, and even then he still looked normal. His shirt was plain with odd kanji on it, and shorts. He still wore those bright red shoes though. 

She quickly looked at his face, surprised by how fit he was and didn't need Mina 2.0 in her head right now. 

"Hello…how are you?" He tilted his head, rubbing at his neck, another normal Midoriya thing about him. 

"Uh better now, because,I honestly wouldn't be here if I was still…" 

"Avoiding me" 

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that" She winced, wishing for the ground to swallow her up. 

"It's OK," He smiled brightly, "Mom said you needed some space." 

"She did?" Now she was even more curious about how talking to her would help.

"Sooo" 

"Um yeah two things I guess," She took a deep breath, "I still don't think I will pass but I am going to take the tests, and if you would still be up for helping me…" 

"Of course, we still have time to finish your Aim to Pass: Dream Plan!" 

“Please stop calling it that,” she gives a weak laugh, all of this was super uncomfortable for her, and she was ready to be anywhere but here at this moment. 

"And the second thing?" He continued to smile, unphased by her, by the last two weeks, just regular old Midoriya, ready and eager to help. 

"Uh Kiri said I should talk to your mom? Didn't say why, just that I should. So is she home?" 

"Oh yeah, that's because mom was a yankee back in the day," he says it so casually, turning to go back inside, "I'll tell her you're here" 

"She was a what?" He ignored her, kicking off his shoes and racing inside. 

That woman? Like her? No way. She was so sweet and gentle when she met her. Soft spoken, sweet, a proper house wife. She stepped inside, taking off her shoes slowly, reminded of how she had been dazed last time in this entryway. 

"Uraraka-chan, I'm so glad to see you again." Midoriya-san smiled at her gently from the open door ahead of her. She extended her arm, motioning for her to follow her. 

Midoriya popped up from behind her, waving at his mom then her. “I’ll be back soon, see you tomorrow Uraraka-san” 

“Uhh” She watched him go, even more uncomfortable now, rubbing her arms. 

“Don’t be so worried dear, let me make some tea, it is getting rather chilly outside,”

She murmured her thanks, following Midoriya-san to the kitchen, sitting at the kitchen table. She studied her as she made tea, the calm serenity she gave off just was hard to correlate with herself and others she knew. 

“Um where did Midoriya go?”

Midoriya-san smiled at her, placing the cup in front of her while taking her seat. “To the gym." Her eyes widened. "Surprised he’s active?”

“Yes, actually.”

She laughed, setting her at ease; the tea the perfect temperature. 

“So Izuku tells me you were sent here by Ejiro to talk with me, can you tell me what has happened for you to reach a point of seeking answers?” 

“First,” She leaned in, pointing a finger at her, “what's this Yankee business he just dropped on me?”

“That boy, so clueless sometimes,” she laughed fondly, “Well, when I was your age I was in a pretty big gang,” 

Midoriya-san went on to tell her all about how her parents were putting too much pressure on her, it started with skipping class then got big enough to late night fights in the park. It got bad enough she dropped out of school, too deep in to just walk away, so she stayed. 

She stopped talking to her parents, far too angry at them to even consider it. She only got angrier and angrier, fighting harder and harder. She fought too hard one night, weapons were drawn instead of fists, and the next thing she knew, she was two steps too close to death. 

But two steps closer to life. Actual life, not the angry stale existence she had been trudging through. During her stay in the hospital she met one Midoriya Hisashi. Both working through their rehab, herself being pulled from her anger by him, being given a new purpose. 

“He said something to me, we were doing our leg exercises,” Midoriya-san gave her a small smile, looking at her but also looking lost in her memories. 

"He said, Parents make an awful lot of mistakes, and they try to make amends with us, but you are your own person and they can't force things from you" 

“Wow”

She hummed, looking behind her, “I remember being so angry at first,” she laughed, “because I had been refusing visits from my parents. I didn’t want to hear the ‘I told you so’s’ and any other judgmental things they had to say about my choices.”

She drank the last of her tea, staring into the empty cup. 

“Finally he wore me down and I was met with tears, hugs and pleading for forgiveness.” 

Her eyes shot back up, her breath was sucked out of her, taken back to her dad looking so sad, but not pushing her for anything. 

“It wasn’t easy,” she gave her a look, “but it was so worth it. I’m very thankful for my husbands pushing, because not just myself but my son is able to have a relationship with them. 

The silence stretched, Midoriya-san giving her time to process everything. Her head was a confusing swirl of thoughts and questions. She felt closer to an answer now though.

“Um, what you said to me…got me thinking ‘bout my mom. She died when I was ten.”

She took her hand, squeezing it. She could feel the tears building, “He just started drinking and ignored me and-and, I’m so tired of being angry.”

“My mom would be so disappointed with me,” She struggled for air, vision nothing more than tears now, “and when I got home, that night you told me that, he wasn’t drunk and he was talking to me,”

“Shhh, deep breath,” She had gotten out of her chair, kneeling down beside her now, hugging her close. 

“How long have I been ignoring him!” She sobbed, “Why hasn’t he tried to get me out of this mess, oh my gosh I’m in such a mess” 

“Oh sweetheart, nothing is unfixable, it just takes time and maybe the cracks never go away, but you will come out of this ok,”

“How?” She clung to her, seeking out that motherly comfort she so desperately missed. 

“Time sweetheart, time, patience and effort.”

“Ugh, I’m so sick of that!”

Midoriya-san laughed, hugging her tighter, “It is pretty annoying, but man is it worth it.”

“How do I find something new I want to do,”

“Well that one took me a while to figure out. I tried different hobbies, I tried so many jobs, and I found that working at the gym was the best fit for me. It’s simple work, but I truly enjoy it.”

“That's the second time someone has told me that today,” She wiped at her eyes, sniffing harshly. 

“Well they are right. It’s best to not overthink it.” 

A box of tissues entered her vision, she gladly accepted a few. Midoriya-san leaving to get some water, reminding her to hydrate and asking her to stay for dinner. She gladly accepted this time, smiling so widely her cheeks hurt.

She stared at herself in the window, Kyoka and Mina beside her. They smiled at each other, each nervous and excited in their own way. 

"Are we ready to do this?" 

"More than ready" She answered Kyoka, taking a deep breath, leading them through the door. 

She had grown her hair out over the years. Trying to fit in around the her new crowd, fully adopting anything she could so people would look at her and know she was different. 

That was changing today, regardless of the results tomorrow. All of them were ready to step into something new, and be different than the girls who met through an alleyway cat fight. They were ready to grow up. 

"Welcome in ladies, how may we help you today?" The receptionist smiled at them, bowing slightly. 

"We are in desperate need of makeovers" Mina jumped in excitement. 

"We have appointments today," Kyoka elbowed Mina while giving the woman their names. 

"Wonderful, and what will we be doing for you ladies today?" 

"I need some recoloring done," Mina bowed her head, showing her roots, "and a trim" she bounced her curls.

"I want to try something purple today, and I'm chopping everything off" Kyoka gave a wicked grin. 

"Woah really?" Mina smacked her on the back, "way to go! Short hair club." 

The receptionist finished typing and turned to her, "and for you?" 

"I want to chop it all off. But I don't know what style I want yet" 

"We have some magazines here to look through while I get your stylists ready." 

"Thank you," and her friends quickly crowded around her, making small comments as she quickly flipped through the pages. 

She almost passed it, but quickly went back, knowing that was the style she was going get. 

"That one 'Chako?" 

"Yeah, reminds me of my mom" Her friends hugged her close, the moment small but needed. "All right let's do this" 

The reality of what she was doing hit her when she sat down in the chair, watching as her entire identity was cut away. 

As each stand fell around her it felt like she was truly a different person, at least in this moment. She was removing who she used to be, foolishly thinking she was happy as she was. 

She smiled wider with each cut, her new look framing her face much better and giving her a new glow. She looked more alive, and felt it too. It was giving her the courage to complete her other task today. 

"And we are done, how does this look to you?" 

"I love it" it was like looking into the past, and this time it wasn't painful. She would become a woman her mom would be proud of. 

They admire each others new looks, feeding each other with new energy and encouragement. Today was a big day for each of them. 

They had all agreed to leave their old lives behind, but she knew they were just finally voicing it for her. Mina had long since stopped picking and taking fights, only occasionally skipping school. Kyoka had stopped fighting years ago! Attending a good school and overall laid back between the three, sorry four counting Kiri, of them. 

They were showing their support and solidarity with her, even walking her all the way home, giving her nonverbal encouragment as she entered her house, and leaving her to handle tasting number two for the day. 

She took a deep breath, pulled down on the handle, and entered into the unknown. 

She found him sitting on the couch, newspaper in hand, and a glass of water beside him. She stared down the water, the sight encouraging as much as it was terrifying. 

She wanted her dad to be better. She wanted him back to how he was before, she moved her gaze to the back of his head, but she knew that was possible, just as it wasn't possible for her. 

She could tell her was listening to her move around behind him, his shoulders stiffening ever so slightly, head tilted towards her. 

She moved to his line of sight, her gaze glued to her feet, as she sat herself on the coffee table across from him. Old habits die hard. 

Hope and shock upon his breath that gently became her name, "Ochako" 

"Hey dad," 

"Your hair…" 

"Symbolistic ya know, I'm not living like that anymore" 

She still hasn't looked at him, all of the unsure footing and awkwardness left her grappling for some form of control. She gripped her hands together tightly, heart pounding in her chest. 

She can do this. 

She can do this. 

For herself and for her mom. 

For her dad. 

"You look just like her" 

She glanced at him then, smiling softly in return to him. They simply looked at each other, taking each other in and trying to decifer the changes from the last six years. 

"Ochako, I am sorry for how I abandon you" 

Getting right to it huh. 

"Dad I really don't-" 

"No. Please let me say this, you deserve it" 

She sighed, pursed her lips and raised her hands in surrender. Why was repairing relationships always so awkward. 

"You needed me, and I was selfish and was so stuck inside myself you were all alone and in pain just like me-" 

"Yeah, well I was selfish and angry, how long have you been sober?" She gave him a pointed look. 

"Uh 2 years," 

She groaned, guilt eating at her. "Exactly, we are both a mess, and both feel terrible. Can we just move on? Try and be a family again?" 

"I need to-" he continued to try and argue. 

"You're forgiven, I'm not angry any more, I still love you, just don't do it again or I'll punch your lights out, you dick" 

He laughed loudly, shaking his head, "OK OK, you win and watch your mouth young lady" 

She just flipped him off with a smile, heart soaring at the feel of his comforting touch again as he placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling gently, the request gentle and silent. 

She didn't jump into his arms and started crying like in the movies, but she did give him a quick hug, and a knock on the head. 

"I mean it" 

"Oh I know, so why don't you catch me up with what's been going on with you, I'm here to listen" 

She started from the beginning, meeting Kyoka and Mina. How she loved fighting a little too much, and just dove head first into it all. 

How after a few years nothing was better, if anything she felt angrier and more lost. How one boy with too big a heart and too stupid for his own good helped her and how his mother saved her. 

They made dinner together, falling into a rhythm that resembled the past but was filledher crass humor and his reserved distance. 

They would get there, it would just take time. 

"You get your results tomorrow?" 

"Yeah, I'm really nervous, because if I don't pass um repeating the grade" 

"Not the end of the world, I don't see you being a collage girl anyway" 

"Ew no" she laughed, "no more Midlriya makes me study enough" 

"Win or lose tomorrow, you got this Ochako." 

What she would have given to hear those words years ago. But now, they were nothing compared to the last three hours of just talking with her dad again. 

"Thanks dad" 

Win or lose, she's got this. 

Her leg bounced as the teachers passed back the exam papers, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she grabbed hold of hers, barely looking behind her as she passed the rest. 

She took a deep breath, hands shaking as she tries to get herself to turn the papers over. 

She shouldn't be this afraid right now. Its just a grade, they didn't mean anything. She glanced at her homeroom teacher, but the satisfaction she would get of proving that prick wrong. 

Her hands slammed into the desk as she fipped over her papers. Ignoring the cries around her her eyes took in the numbers at the top of each page. 

The numbers varied, and her lowest was 68. She had to double check. There was no way that was her lowest grade. But each time she checked joy bubbles up inside if her till she couldn't contain herself any longer. 

"Suck it you prick!" She jumped out of her desk, cackling at her teacher. He glared at her, and she could practically see the steam coming out if his ears. 

"Woah now, don't want anyone thinking you aren't happy I'm becoming a respectable citizen of Japan. Isn't this exactly what you wanted?" 

"Sit down Uraraka, we are in the middle of class" he gritted out through his teeth. 

"No, I'm good, not fully reformed just yet, I'm going to go celebrate, later sucka!" 

She laughed as she stroller out of the room, reveling in getting under his skin. 

She did it, she passed. She can't believe it. She showed them she could do it. That she wasn't a lost cause. There was hope for her yet. 

She sat on the roof, watching the clouds from above, ignoring the biting cold of the winter day. The door opened and closed, soft foot steps stopping just behind her. 

"Hello Uraraka-san," 

"Hello nerd" she grinned up at him, handing him her papers, bursting with joy as she did. 

"Uraraka-san!" She jumped to her feet, proudly placing her hands on her hips. "You did it!" 

He excitedly looked over her papers, muttering to himself about where he needed to improve her study plan and proud declarations that she did well exactly where he knew she would succeed. 

She listened to him ramble, sitting back down watching him pace, going through each question one by one with equal excitement and precise dissection. 

"Thank you Midoriya. I could not have gotten this without you" 

"Don't be silly you are plenty smart withou-ou-out" he started to stutter, losing all ability to speak as he looked her up and down. He shook his head, "Uraraka-san your hair!" 

"Oh yeah," Her face was on fire despite the cold air, pulling on the longer stands framing her face, "got it done yesterday, symbolic and all that" 

"You look really pretty," He turns around, wrapping his arms around his face, muffled words shouted into his arms. 

"I do?" She looked at him in astonishment, face growing warmer herself hiding behind her hands. 

"Yes, you do" He quickly answered, "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I do talk without thinking all the way through my mom told me that you really didn't like how I told you about her past, and now I made with worse by speaking with no thought what's so ever to your feelings, and I'm so sorry and please don't hate me" 

"Woah OK calm down," she waved her hands around, "its OK, a very nice thing for you to say, don't feel bad!" 

He looked at her wide eyed through the crack in his arms. "Really?" 

"Yeah, we are good, so don't do," she pointed to him, "that, just be you" 

"Ok, I can do that" he nodded, sitting down in front of her, quickly handing her papers back. 

"Here, we can go over them later, you should just relax today" 

"I wasn't going to let you go over it today if you tried" she deadpanned. He laughed, scratching the back of his neck. 

"Again, thank you for helping me when no one else would." 

"Of course, it was the least I could do." 

The least he could do? Like he had to help her or was just naturally kind you everyone around him. 

"Seriously, why did you want to help me?" She squinted at him, trying to understand him again, and even after all these months, she still couldn't. 

He looked off to the side, clearly thinking through her question. "Do you remember three years ago, stopping these middle school kids from beating on another kid?" 

"Uhhh, no" 

"Well there was this kid, who was about to get beat up, three kids all around him, when you showed up and kicked them and punched them so hard blood went flying." 

She really tried, really, really tried to remember this fight. But she stopped plenty of bullies and got into plenty of fights. 

He looked at her expectedly, but she just shook her head, "Dude, I've been in so many fights, I can't remember them all, especially one as regular as that" 

He chuckled, "Of course you saved more than just me" 

"Wait what?" 

"I was the kid about to get kicked into next Tuesday, and you swooped in, beat them in like 5 minutes, and barely looked at me just said "stand up for yourself" and walked away" 

She groaned, dropping her head into her hands, how embarrassing. 

"It changed everything for me." She peaked at him through her fingers, "You helped me realize I needed to be stronger for myself." 

He rubbed the back of his neck again, "And when I saw you last summer, I thought that would be my chance to help, then I noticed we went to the same school and learned your name, and about your grades. I'm not good at fighting but I'm good at being a nerd so the best way to repay you was-" 

"To help me where I was struggling"

"Yeah, but I thought you'd get mad if I ever told you the real reason I wanted to help" 

"Honestly probably would have been" she shrugged, no denying she had a and even worse temper back then.

"So thank you Uraraka-san, for helping me" 

"We helped each other, touchy feely, yada yada, moving on" she waved the topic away, hating how it was getting emotional again. 

"OK," he laughed, "what are you doing to do to celebrate?" 

"Well first I'm going to go out to eat with my friends," she looked into hia fractured green eyes, knowinf exactly how to fix them, "want to come?" 

"You're inviting me?" 

"Well, we are friends now so yeah" 

"I'd love to! Thank you" 

"Don't ruin it" she flicked his forehead, smiling as he laughed. 

"Then I'm going to go thank you mom. She saved me, and I'm really thankful for that" 

"She is pretty great" 

"Yeah she is" He smiled fondly, and she smiled in return. 

"So what did you get on your exams nerd?" 

Everything reminding her of that wet fall day, the red noses and finger tips, however the conversation was better and she was happier. 

She was happy to sit here on the roof, listening to Midoriya ramble for hours, the light in his eyes stronger than when they first met but still as beautiful as when she first saw them.

The wind blew through the free tufts of his hair, the unusual lack of traffic at this time of night favored by Ochaco as they cruised through the streets of Mustafu. He always enjoyed watching the city sites blur around them, but nothing was quite as beautiful as watching his girlfriend (he still can't believe he could say that!) enjoy driving them around each corner. Her eyes would get a fire to them, lips pulled back with glee. 

They pulled into the compass, taking the familiar path to the club room. He tightened his grip around her, expecting the fast spin she always did before slamming to a stop in her parking spot. And as he always did, he got off the bike first, holding out his hand for her, taking their helmets, then guiding her to his club room. 

He was still disappointed he couldn't share in the collage experience with her, but her rising through the ranks of MMA were just as thrilling to see as seeing her in person each day, regardless of their busy schedules. 

He flicked on the light while she pranced to the small kitchen around the corner. "When will they be here?" She asked, a small smile twitching on her perfect lips. 

"Oh I'm not sure, they all said they would be here by 7 though" He bent down to pull out his textbooks and the bag of snacks, following Ochako to the kitchen. 

Every time he came to this room, He's reminded of how Ochako had asked him out, surprisingly him like never before. He had never thought he had a chance, yet she met his eyes head on, red in the face and asked (rather politely for her) to go out with him. 

Direct as she's always been. She was just-

"Perfect" 

He looked at Ochako, a confused frown pulling at his lips. Her smile was more mischievous this time, and as quickly as a snake her arms wrapped around his neck, her weight pulling him slightly down. Her lips smashed against his before he could even process what she had in mind. 

He stared at her wide eyed, but she had long since closed her eyes to enjoy the aggressive kiss. This wasn't the first time they had kissed, and definitely not the first time she had basically attacked him to get one. 

She pulled back, grinning at him through lidded eyes. He swallows nervously, following the way her grin grew stronger the more she stared at his face. 

“O-Ocha-” She did always enjoy making him flustered and floundering for words. She pushed off her toes, a hand smacking to his hair to lead it down to her lips once more. He whimpered into the kiss. 

He loved Ochako. Loved her smile and her drive to help people. He loved being a part of her journey and he loved that she chose him. He loved her ferocity, and unabashed nature. She could get passionate and aggressive with anything. 

They pulled back once more, the glow of her face that was so close to his own, and the way she smiled into the kiss had him relaxing, wrapping his arms around her to pull her up instead of her dragging him down. 

That seemed to satisfy her as she deepened the kiss. her fingers twisted around his hair, pulling on it gently. The sound of the door opening, followed by Yaomomo's call of greeting had his eyes shooting open in a panic, pulling back quickly. 

He cursed softly, quickly taking in his and Ochacos appearance. He threw a pleading glance at Ochako when she had yet to remove her arms around his neck. 

Her hands slowly trailing down his neck and over his shoulders. He relaxed, then her face broke out into wicked glee, hands gripping into the collar of his shirt. Before dread could properly form in his stomach she had yanked him down with her deceptive strength. 

He couldn't even get her name out before her lips were back on his, her giggle vibrating through his mouth. 

"Oh my!" Yaomomo squeaked, before she quickly patterned out of the room, Kacchan following up behind her, glancing at her then back into the kitchen. Embarrassment took over his entire being as his eyes met Kacchans. 

"Oi yankee, let him go, I think you've had your fun" 

Ochaco giggles again before pulling back and smiling at him with that deceptively sweet smile of hers. He sputtered, surprised that his face could in fact get hotter than it was just a moment ago.  

"Kacchan I-" 

"Don’t care!" he waved him off with an eye roll, then glaring at his girlfriend. 

"You," he pointed at her, "not everyone wants to see you suck face" 

She pouted, "It's not my fault he's just so kissable at any moment Kacchan."

Kacchan just groaned, stomping out of the room. “Momo you can come in now, the love birds are done!” 

He shot a look at her, but his glare had never been anything compared to her. She only smirked back, standing on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “You know you loved that..and me” 

He tried to stay annoyed, he really did, but he knew she was right. He would always love her, and everything that was her, fiery spirit and all. He ran his fingers along her cheek, brushing along the scar resting just beneath her eye, bending down to give her a chase kiss.

“Forever and always”

There were few moments he could render her stunned, and he savored each one. 

“Oh for crying out loud! That's it, we’re going home!” Kacchan stompped back out the door, dragging Momo with him, passing Kyoka and Denki in the doorway. 

“Ha! Pussy!” Ochako shouted after him, cackling. 

He smiled at her watching her excitedly chat with their friends, satisfied that she was finally happy, and finally free from her anger. She smiled at him, winking before sitting down with Kyoka. He melted. He loved this woman so much.