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Chapter Text

A comfortable silence hung over Izuku and Ochako as they sat across from each other at the small table in Ochako's room. The duo was hunched over a couple study guides for Ectoplasms class. They had spent a few hours reviewing the equations in preparation for an upcoming test.

As Izuku finished up a problem, he glanced over, and Ochako's hand caught his attention. He smiled as a thought came to him, and a chuckle escaped his lips, grabbing Ochako's attention. The brunette looked up as she asked. "What are you laughing about?"

Izuku smiled as he set his pencil down. "Your hand is really small. I found it kinda funny."

Ochako gasped and looked at her gloved hand. Izuku had gotten her artist gloves for her birthday last year, and she wore them almost constantly at school. "My hands are not small."

"Yes, they are."

Ochako pouted and held her hand up. "No, they aren't. Our hands are the same size."

Izuku chuckled and held his hand up, pressing his palm against Ohcako's. "Nah, yours are smaller."

Ochako felt a heat crawling up her neck as her uncovered fingers felt the calluses on his fingers. "O-ok... I guess your hands are bigger, but that doesn't mean mine are small."

Izuku chuckled and tried to not let his creeping embarrassment override his thoughts. He chose to focus on Ochako's hand, specifically her finger pads. He'd never touched them before; sure, he'd been smacked in the face twice during their first year, but most of the time, she tapped his shoulder to take his gravity away while they were on the same team or smacked him in the chest if they were sparing.

"Your finger pads are interesting," Izuku said as he moved his fingers gently, feeling the texture of the physical mutation of her quirk.

"T-thanks," Ochako muttered as she moved her fingers as well. "Your hands are a lot rougher than I thought they'd be."

"Sorry," Izuku said quietly as he spread his fingers farther, and Ochako's fingers slipped between his.

"It's not a bad thing." Ochako's words came out softer as she slowly closed her hand as her heart started hammering in her chest. Her auburn eyes glanced up to see if he wasn't ok with this, but the soft smile on Izuku's face sent her heart into overdrive. Slowly he curled his fingers around her hand; the two sat with their fingers interlaced, resting on the table.

Izuku glanced at her seeing her blush marks grow more prominent the longer they looked at each other. After a moment passed, Izuku managed to find his voice and say. "W-we should probably get back to work."

"Y-yeah," Ochako said, and after neither attempted to release the other's hand, she bit her lip as an idea came to her. Before she could think too much, she grabbed her packet and pencil with her free hand, and without releasing Izuku's, she scooted over and sat next to him as she said. "I-I need help with this problem."

"S-sure," Izuku said as he adjusted his grip on Ohcako's hand. He made sure not to actually release it, just adjust it so they were both more comfortable.

As he helped her with her packet, he realized his dominant hand was currently occupied with Ochako's hand, and so his progress on the packet had come to a stop, but at the moment, as he enjoyed the warmth of Ochako's hand, he didn't really care.

Eventually, Tenya's voice echoed through the dorms as he announced dinner was ready. Ochako and Izuku stood up and headed down the stairs. As they reached the last few steps before they'd be visible to the common room, the duo came to a stop and looked at their hands.

Ochako's ears turned red as she said. "Mina would have a field day."

"Y-yeah... I, um, don't really think I can handle that right now." Izuku muttered as he looked at their joined hands.

"Me neither."

The two teens looked at their hands and then at each other, and after a moment, they squeezed each other's hands before releasing at the same time and going down the stairs to join their classmates for dinner.

Chapter Text

Most things in his life didn't matter. His interest in heroes and his dream of becoming one was the only thing that really meant anything to him, and even then, some days, it felt like a hobby he just kept doing to stave off boredom or bad thoughts. Even after meeting All Might and getting One for All, things still felt dull and colorless. He was grateful to the man, but almost eleven years of being beaten down and called useless weren't going to be undone by the single amazing opportunity he had gotten from Yagi.

The first time he felt a spark of something was the day of the entrance exam. She saved him from falling on his face, and he locked eyes with her auburn eyes, and it was like he was seeing the color for the first time. He was so shocked that a girl as cute as her was talking to him. He totally failed to even voice his thanks before she ran off, saying they'd be late if they didn't pick up the pace.

The first day of school brought another pop of color to him. When he turned around and saw her again, her blush marks popped out to him as she gushed about how cool he was during the entrance exam. Though it terrified him at the time, he later thanked Aizawa's sudden appearance because it kept him from reacting to her praise.

Soft pink exploded in existence for him when he saw her in her hero costume for the first time, and every time after that, he always felt the color just fit her more and more. Her praise and faith in him made the world seem just that much brighter.

When she offered to team up with him despite his ten million point value, the world brightened to a nearly blinding degree. Her kindness and friendship were so foreign to him, but every time she offered it up, he greedily took it and silently begged for more while fearing that it would be the last time. She always proved him wrong, though, and every day he felt his heart grow lighter.

He thought that if he had ever heard her cry, he would feel despair like he did before meeting her, but he was wrong. As he stood outside her prep room and heard her quiet sobs as she talked to her father, he felt the world become crystal clear as a fire was lit in his chest. He was already going to go for gold for All Might's sake, but now her encouragement earlier was quickly taking the place of All Might's desire for him to announce himself to the world as the most important driving force.

Every time he saw her smile or heard her say his name, the sky just became that much bluer; the flowers on the path to UA popped, and everything just felt better. Her presence brought the light and color back to his life, and when she confessed her love for him, it felt like every color in the spectrum exploded into existence and became as vibrant as her eyes as she desperately waited for his response.

"Hey."

A soft voice stirred Izuku from his thoughts, and he smiled as auburn eyes locked onto his green. "Hey."

Ochako smiled and sat next to him on the couch, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Hm... I guess I'm thinking about how you brought the color back into my life." Iuzku said as he wrapped an arm around her. "Everything was so dull and colorless until you saved me from face-planting."

Ochako giggled and kissed his cheek as she said. "I'm glad I could help you shine as brightly as you do. I love you, Izuku."

"I love you too," Izuku said before kissing the top of her head. "And thank you for filling my life with color and warmth."

Chapter Text

The forest was alive with the sounds of creatures. The forest was vast, and the night sky was littered with stars, and Izuku wasn't sure what any of the constellations were. A young Izuku Midoriya wandered the woods and marveled at how beautiful it all was. The constant hunger and a feeling of worry that made him think of his parents were concerning, but he could tell whoever his soulmate was, they were a good person.

A person's dreams were linked to who their soulmate was as a person, and as Izuku walked deeper into the forest, he couldn't help but smile. He felt so comfortable and safe here. When his parents had told him about the link and how his dreams would be influenced by whoever he was connected to, he had been worried about whether he'd have pleasant dreams.

In the coming years, Izuku would start being more frugal with his allowance, doing his best to save everything he could while taking up an interest in astronomy. The stars felt important to his soulmate, so he wanted to know everything he could about them, and in his dreams, he could feel their worry about their parents and money, so he'd make sure he had enough so they'd never have to worry.

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Ochako stood in a city unlike any she'd ever seen before. The buildings were massive and towered over her, causing her to feel dizzy whenever she looked up. The streets seemed to all go on forever, and the young girl nearly collapsed as she felt a sorrow and loneliness she'd never experienced before. It threatened to shatter her heart and spirit but buried underneath it all was a flicker of hope. The smoldering embers sparked, and Ochako could feel an almost unending kindness and desire to save others. Her soulmate, whoever they were, wanted to be a hero despite the sorrow they were feeling. Ochako smiled despite it all and vowed that she would show her soulmate the kindness they deserved.

The young girl wandered the city and took note of the statues of heroes dotted around the city. The plaques under the statues were full of information on the heroes. Ochako smiled wider as she realized her soulmate, whoever they were, wanted to be a hero just like her.

In the coming years, Ochako would double down on her studying and practice with her quirk more and more. She wanted to be a hero, and if the determination she felt from her dreams was any indication, there was a good chance her soulmate would try for UA, so she found even more reason to try for Japan's best hero school. As she got closer and closer to the entrance exams, Ochako thought of how she'd show her soulmate that they deserved happiness.

One night Ochako entered the city; the sky was awash with colors, and she noticed that next to the All Might statue was one of an emaciated man, and below him on the plaque, it simply read, 'You can be a hero.'

Ochako felt overwhelming relief and joy. Finally, someone had said the words she had wanted to say to her soulmate ever since she had her first dream.

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Ochako collapsed onto her bed as exhaustion seeped into her bones. The entrance exams for UA were tough, even with all her training. She felt confident with the written exam, but the practical didn't sit well with her. She lost count early on, so she had no idea what her score was, and her fumble when the zero pointer stuck out like a sore thumb. She hoped it wouldn't negatively impact her final score. As she started to drift off, she hoped the cute green-haired guy she saw there was ok. He really saved her life during the test, and he looked pretty cool doing it.

Ochako blinked as she entered her dream and started wandering the city she had grown accustomed to. As she walked the familiar streets, she realized why she had such an easy time getting to UA. The city in her dreams was the city at the bottom of the hill that was UA's property. Her soulmate lived close to her dream school. She may have even seen them today.

As the revelation came to her, Ochako started looking around. She had heard from her parents that if you met your soulmate the next time you dreamed, it would be different. Ochako ran the streets and passed statue after statue as she looked for any difference.

Ochako's feet slammed into the pavement, and she slid to a stop as she found it. The thing that had changed. There were two statues in the city center. A tall gleaming golden statue of All Might in his signature pose, flexing his muscles and smiling. Next to it was a smaller bronze statue of an emaciated man whose plaque declared that her soulmate could be a hero. Near those statues was a large blank wall. Only it wasn't blank anymore. A mosaic filled every inch of the once-gray slab of concrete.

The mosaic showed a dark forest with a dark blue sky full of stars, and standing in the center of it was the green-haired boy who had saved her. Standing there a little hunched in on himself and smiling awkwardly.

"It was him!" Ochako shouted as she looked at the frankly adorable face on the wall. "I-I talked to him! I... oh god, he didn't get any points."

Ochako felt an underlying atmosphere of sorrow and worry settle over the city. "W-well Present Mic said it would be ok... of course, he didn't say how, but he's a hero, so I'm sure it's ok. This guy saved my life. He deserves to be at UA. I- oh god, I hope we both get in."

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Izuku trudged around the forest, feeling like a failure. Even the warmth and care he felt from his dream weren't enough to assuage how defeated he was feeling. As he wandered deeper into the familiar woods, he tried not to think about how he had messed up today. First, he almost embarrassed himself in front of the school, only to be saved by a really cute girl. Then he couldn't even say thank you to her because he was so nervous about the day and about interacting with someone. The written exam was pretty easy, all things considered, and then he completely bombed the practical and broke three of his limbs.

Izuku sighed and nearly tripped over a rock. "Great, can't even walk right."

Izuku looked around and realized he had walked deeper into the forest than he had ever before. In front of him stood the largest tree he had ever seen. The bark was stripped from the side facing him, and a portrait had been carved into it. There was no doubt it was a perfect rendition of the girl who had kept him from falling on his face.

Izuku paled as he realized his first meeting with his soulmate was him making a fool of himself. As he started to spiral, he felt a feeling of warmth and love practically punch him in the chest. Izuku stumbled back and sat down. Izuku looked up at the portrait, and the soft smile on her lips seemed to put him at ease. After taking a breath, Izuku smiled a little and spent his dream admiring the carving. She was a very cute girl which made him nervous, but he could feel that she was a good person.

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"AH!"

Izuku jumped and turned around quickly as he stopped his search for his classroom. His heart nearly stopped as he saw his soulmate standing at the other end of the hall, pointing at him with the widest grin he'd ever seen. "I found you!"

“Ah- uh- I’m... wha-”

The girl bounded up to him and nearly slammed into him before saying. “I’m Ochako Uraraka.”

Her blush marks grew darker as she said. "And I'm your soulmate. It's nice to finally meet you."

"I-I I'm... uh." Izuku swallowed and stared at her auburn eyes and the happy smile on her face. He remembered her portrait in his dreams and felt a wave of confidence surge up from his heart. He knew she was a good person. "I'm Izuku Midoriya... I-I-I'm your soulmate, a-and it's nice to finally meet you as well."

Ochako chuckled and grinned wider as she gripped the straps of her bag. She had finally found him, and now she could get to know him and show him that there were people who cared about him.

"As touching as this is, if you two don't want today to be your last day, you better get to class."

The two students both froze and looked down to see a scraggly man in a yellow sleeping bag staring up at them from the floor. The man slowly pulled a jelly pouch from his sleeping bag and sucked down half of it before saying. "Clock's ticking, and my patience is running out."

The two teens sprinted away from the strange man, and Ochako couldn't help but laugh as she grabbed Izuku's hand. "What class are you in?"

"A." Izuku managed to say as he almost tripped.

"Me too," Ochako said with a huge grin.

"No running in the halls!"

Neither teen paid the strange man much attention as they laughed and booked it for their classroom. They were already excited for UA, now knowing that the one person they could trust more than anyone else was going to be in their class made everything just that much better.

Chapter Text

"Hey, Ochako," Izuku said as he stepped aside and let her into the apartment.

"Heyo. Ready to study for finals?" Ochako asked as she entered the apartment.

"Yeah, I got everything set up in the living room. It's pretty cold today, isn't it?" Izuku stated as he glanced at the gray clouds rolling in before shutting the door.

Ochako shivered as she took her coat off and nodded. "Yeah, it's freezing out there."

As they settled in and started pulling out their various study guides and books, Izuku felt like he was going to explode. A couple days ago, he had suggested a study group with his friends only for every single one of them except Ochako to conveniently have plans that day, and being unable to deny her any time she asked him if he wanted to do something he agreed to just have a study session between the two of them.

Izuku figured that he would be fine. Sure, he still got nervous whenever it was just the two of them, but he was good at hiding it, and besides, his mother would be home today, so it wasn't like he'd really be alone with Ochako. That was until his mother decided at the last minute to go visit Mitsuki and Masaru, and so here he sat alone in his apartment with his best friend slash, the girl he was pretty sure he had developed a huge crush on.

Ochako did her best to focus on the math problems in front of her and not the fact that she was at Izuku's place alone with him. This had not been the plan. The group study session was the plan, but then suddenly, all her friends were busy, and for some reason, she found a surge of confidence and asked Izuku if they could just study together. He had agreed, and then as she was about to show up, she learned they'd be alone for an indeterminate amount of time, and that idea was making her stomach explode into butterflies.

As they worked, both teens felt their nerves start to settle as they became engrossed in their work. After some time, Izuku stood up as he asked. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Just some water is fine," Ochako said as she looked up from the math equations she was steadily grinding through.

Izuku nodded and headed into the kitchen; as he came back with a couple of glasses, Ochako grumbled to herself. "Stupid math."

"Are you stuck?" Izuku asked as he set the glasses down and sat next to her.

Ochako tensed and looked at him out of the corner of her eye as she said. "Y-yeah, this one. I keep messing them up."

"Oh yeah, those are a little complicated," Izuku said as he leaned over a little to see what she was working on.

Ochako did her best to pay attention to him as he went over the problems. Neither teen noticed the rapidly darkening sky outside. As time ticked on, the snow started to fall faster and faster, and as the two were considering taking a break, Izuku's phone buzzed, and after looking at he quickly turned around and looked out the window. "Oh no."

"What's wrong?" Ochako asked as she turned around and saw the quickly building snow raining down on the city. "Oh, crud."

"Yeah," Izuku said as he got up. "I just got a notification that the train lines are down."

"Hopefully, it clears up," Ochako muttered as worry started to settle into her gut.

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Hours later and it was clear that the snow was not going to let up and that Ochako was stuck. The two teens put away their notes, and Izuku stood up as he said. "H-how about I make some dinner?"

"I can help you out," Ochako said as she got up.

"No, you don't have to-"

"Izuku." The firmness in Ohcako's voice caused Izuku to shut his mouth. "I'm gonna help you make dinner."

"Sounds good," Izuku muttered as he nodded and walked over to the kitchen with Ochako right behind him.

"So what are we making?"

Izuku opened the fridge, and after some looking around, the two teens decided to make some stir fry out of the veggies and chicken that they had found in the fridge, along with a box of noodles in the pantry.

Izuku smiled as he listened to Ochako, who started to hum as she chopped up the veggies into smaller pieces. As he cooked, Izuku did his best to not think about the fact that Ochako was almost definitely going to be staying here until tomorrow.

"All done," Ochako said as she slid over a bowl full of chopped vegetables.

"Th-thanks," Izuku said as he shook off the thoughts.

Ochako hummed and stared at the slight blush on Izuku's cheeks as he continued working.  'He's probably embarrassed about me having to stay here... oh god, I'm gonna have to stay here. Where am I gonna sleep? W-what am I gonna wear?'

"-Chako."

"H-huh?" Ohcako jumped and looked at Izuku's eyes. They seemed greener than usual.

"Can you hand me the soy sauce?"

"Right yeah, here you go," Ochako said quickly as she grabbed the bottle and passed it to him.

Izuku thanked her, and soon enough, dinner was done, and they sat in the living room and ate in a slightly tense silence. Once the food was gone and the dishes were cleaned, Izuku broke the silence. "We've got a futon if you're ok with that, or you could take my room or my mom's. I, uh, just got a message saying she was stuck at the Bakugo's house."

"I'll take the futon," Ochako said quickly. "I don't wanna kick you out of your room, and it'd feel weird to use your mom's room."

Izuku nodded quickly. "Sounds good. Um, if you want, you can use the shower, I-I can get you some clothes, a-and you can um wash your outfit if you want."

"That sounds good. T-thanks, Izuku." Ochako said before following Izuku to the bathroom and thanking him again before going in.

As she submerged herself in the bath, Ochako let out a deep sigh as her mind started to go crazy. She was taking a bath in Izuku's house. She was going to be sleeping in the living room and probably wearing his clothes. Ochako sank deeper into the bath as her face started to heat up.

"H-here's some clothes for you, Ochako," Izuku called out.

Ochako nearly slipped entirely under the water before shooting up. 'U-um, thank you."

Izuku hummed, and the door shut quickly, leaving her to her hammering heart and fluttering emotions.

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Ochako stared at herself in the mirror. She was in a pair of black gym shorts and a dark green shirt that had pajamas written across the chest. The clothes were all very much too big for her, and it was hammering home the size difference between her and Izuku, which was certainly doing things to her head. Ochako clutched at the shirt and, without really thinking, pulled the collar up to her face. She could smell Izuku so clearly.

Another knock at the door made the girl tense, and as Izuku spoke up, her face slowly grew hotter and hotter. "Futon is all ready for you whenever... um, if you need anything else, I'll be in my room."

“O-o-ok.” Ochako said quickly as her head snapped to the door. "Th-thank you, Izuku."

"No problem. Goodnight, Ochako."

"Goodnight."

Once she had some time to calm down, Ochako left the bathroom and fell face-first onto the futon in the living room. She felt like sleep was not going to come easy to her tonight.

Hours later, Ochako stirred and woke up. As she sat up, she spotted Izuku walking to the kitchen. The boy heard her shuffling about and stopped to look at her. "O-oh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"S'okay," Ochako said as she rubbed her eyes. "Need water anyways."

Izuku nodded and pulled two glasses out, and filled them up. Ochako shuffled up next to him and took the offered glass. The two downed their drinks, and Ochako asked. "What time is it?"

"Three-thirty in the morning," Izuku muttered as he set the glass in the sink.

Ochako finished her glass and walked back to her futon but stopped from getting under when she saw Izuku standing by the window. She walked over and looked out at the dark sky and the snow-covered city.

The two teens stood in the quiet and watched the snow slowly drift down. Ochako felt a strange sense of calm wash over her, and before she knew it, she was leaning a little farther to the right than she meant to, and her head landed on Izuku's shoulder. The boy didn't move or make a sound; he simply leaned his head over to rest on Ochako.

As they watched the city slowly come alive, both the teens thought that not having their friends around and getting stuck because of the snow wasn't such a bad thing.

Chapter Text

Ochako's breaths came in heavy and slow as she watched the villains she, along with Ryukyu, Nejire, and Tsu, took down, get loaded into the iron maidens, and taken off to prison. The raid on the Shie Hassaikai had been rougher than anyone thought it would be. It seems the yakuza had somehow found out about the raid and hired extra help.

The ground shook, and everyone braced themselves until the tremor passed. Ochako looked up and saw Nighteye and several others come staggering out, dragging restrained villains.

"What's happening down there?" Ryukyu asked as Nighteye and a bleeding Aizawa came over.

"There is much more resistance than we thought. We've got injured, but  we also took out a lot of their forces." Nighteye said as medics ran up to the Aizawa.

"I need to get back down there. We still have students-"

"We will take care of that," Nighteye said, cutting him off. "You are too injured to go back down there, so stand down, Eraser."

Nighteye and Erasure had a stare-off, but the latter relented, and Nighteye turned back to Ryukyu. "Ryukyu, you and your interns will continue to hold the perimeter and secure any villains we route to you. Everyone else, we're going back down there, so get ready."

Every hero looked at the front entrance as Mirio sprinted out of the door with a crying Eri wrapped up in his cape. The blonde boy was bleeding from a cut on his forehead. "Sir! We have a problem!"

"Mirio!" Nighteye shouted as he met the boy halfway. "What happened? How did you secure Eri?"

"Midoriya and I caught up to Overhaul, and we were winning until one of his lackeys shot at Eri. I thought it was going to be a normal bullet or a quirk-erasing one we knew they had, but... I was too slow to get to her because of Chisaki."

Ocahko felt her stomach plunge as Mirio said. "Midoirya intercepted the shot... it was a Trigger bullet. He's out of control down there attacking anything that moves."

People were shouting. Ochako realized later that they were all yelling at her because she had sprinted past all of the pros and ran straight for the secret entrance to the basement. Ochako's heart hammered in her chest as she ran deeper and deeper into the maze-like basement.

As Ochako followed the sounds of combat, she thought about the boy she loved. He had told her about how much he had suffered due to people being scared of his quirk, and she had done everything she could to help him.

Ochako rounded the corner and stopped as she saw it. A towering beast of dense musculature cloaked in a thick veil of dark green fur. The massive six-legged creature stood in the middle of an enormous ruined room with bodies of villains strewn about. Most looked to merely be unconscious, while others...

Ochako looked away from the twisted body of Overhaul and focused on the beast before her. Its two sets of shining emerald eyes locked onto her the moment she stepped foot into the room. The creature's dog-like snout opened, showing off several rows of teeth as saliva flooded out of his mouth.

"Izuku."

A deep growl seemed to cause the entire building to vibrate, and anyone else would have felt fear crawling under their skin, but Ochako simply smiled and took another slow step forward. "It's ok, Izuku; I'm here now."

The beast towered over her, and Ochako noted that he was bigger than usual. Typically when Izuku transformed and was on all sixs, he stood at around three feet. He was large enough for one person to ride on his back. Ohcako knew this because she had sat up there several times. Now though, he looked to be at least double his size.

Ochako smiled as Izuku stalked forward. He had a dangerous look in his eyes, but she was confident that her friend wouldn't hurt her. "You know Eri is safe now, and then villains are all taken care of. Why don't you change back and let's go see her? You can introduce me to her."

Izuku growled and lowered himself. Ochako kept her posture as relaxed as she could as she said. "Oh, I know; how about the three of us going for a run? I bet Eri would love getting to ride on your back. It's so much fun."

Izuku approached her slowly, but the growls grew quieter and quieter with every moment. He still looked on edge, but he wasn't rampaging. She just needed to get him to change back, and then they could get him to-.

"Uravity, get back!" Nighteye yelled as he and several others appeared at the entrance.

Ochako bit back a curse as Izuku's focus immediately turned to them, and he lunged for the pros. She didn't even have time to think. She simply moved, and as Izuku's teeth sank into her bicep, she cried out in pain.

Izuku landed, and his mouth opened, releasing Ochako, who fell onto her back, and as the pros started to move, she shouted. "Don't move! Go back and let me handle this!"

"But-"

"No buts, get out now!" Ochako yelled as anger bubbled up in her chest. She knew it was stupid to be mad at them. The only people here who had a good understanding of Izuku and his quirk were her and Aizawa. She just hoped that once he was back to his senses that Izuku wouldn't beat himself up about injuring her.

Ochako winced and looked over as Izuku dipped his head down and his tongue licked at her wounds. "Hehe, thanks, Izuku... why don't you change back, and we can go to the hospital."

Ochako watched as the somewhat crazed look in Izuku's eyes faded completely, and slowly the beast shifted and shrank down into the cute boy she had fallen for.

Izuku collapsed next to her, and as his consciousness was slipping, he muttered. "I-I'm sorry, Ochako. I'm... sorry..."

Ochako reached over and ran a hand through his curly hair. "It's ok, Izu. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. I still trust you."

Chapter Text

Ochako grunted as she pulled herself out from under the chassis of the Mk. X Harvester Drone. As the young woman wiped the grease off her hands, she said. "Alright, Hirooki, start her up."

The farm's AI assistant chimed and responded chipperly. "Right away, miss. Start-up sequence initiating."

Ochako crossed her fingers as the robot slowly whirred to life. As the sensors came to life and the indicator lights all flashed green across the robot's chassis, Ochako jumped and pumped her fist. "Yes! Oh, I just saved so much money!"

Alarms suddenly blared as red lights lit up around the farm. Hirooki's voice chimed in, "Ma'am unidentified object has entered the atmosphere. The projected trajectory puts the main house in danger. Shall I activate the defensive cannons?"

"Hold on, bring it up on the monitor, and show me the projections," Ochako said as she rushed over to the control panel in the barn.

The main screen lit up, showing an object falling toward the farm. Ochako zoomed in as much as she could as she looked at the projected paths it could take. Everywhere it could possibly land would cause huge damage to her farm. "It's a ship."

"Scanning... pulse beacon detected." Hirooki's voice said. "Ranger-class Exploration cruiser. Mainly used by the Yaoyorozu conglomerate for long term-"

"Not the time Hirooki," Ochako said as she tapped away. "Any life signs?"

"One life sign detected. It's weak... ma'am, we are running out of time. If I do not shoot-"

"I know!" Ochako snapped as she debated the options. If she obliterated the craft, her farm would be safe, but someone would die, but Hirooki said their life signs were weak. They probably wouldn't survive the crash anyway."

"Ma'am!"

Ochako's head snapped up as she watched the starboard engine of the craft explode. "What's the new trajectory?!"

"The craft is expected to crash several kilometers away from the farm's edge."

Ochako shuddered and clutched her chest as she felt the weight lifting. "Keep tracking the craft and start up the truck. I'll be going to investigate."

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Alarms blared, and angry red light filled the cabin as Izuku quickly applied bandaging to his arm and winced at the feeling of his ribs rubbing against themselves. They were definitely broken.

"Computer... pull up impact data!"

The cracked screen in front of Izuku lit up, showing what had hit them. Izuku scanned the screen and cursed his luck. The wormhole had collapsed as he was traversing it and slung him into an asteroid field. "Show nav data! I need to see where we're going!"

Izuku cursed again as he saw he was in the sticks. There wasn't a federation outpost or conglomerate planet anywhere near him. "Anti-air cannons detected. Locking onto our position. Unable to deploy countermeasures."

"Fuck!" Izuku shouted as he tapped away and pulled up the location of the cannons. "There's a farm on the moon... along with a few others and a town."

"Cannons are charging, sir."

Izuku groaned and started tapping away rapidly as he looked for a solution. He was rapidly approaching the moon and running out of time to do something. Something caught his attention, and an insane plan bubbled up past the panic and fear.

"Computer funnel fuel to the starboard engine and cover the thrusters."

"Sir, that would-"

"I know. Safety override code Creati forty-seven ninety. Cover the thrusters and funnel fuel!"

"Override accepted. Please brace for the coming explosion, and good luck, sir."

Izuku strapped himself in as best he could as he said. "I hope you survive the crash as well."

The starboard engine exploded as they entered the atmosphere, and the last thing Izuku saw was the farm he had avoided hitting before his craft slammed into the ground, and his vision went black.

______________________________________________________________________

A dull throb of pain pulled Izuku back to the conscious world. His eyes opened slowly as a groan escaped his lips. Soft light filled the room, and Izuku's eyes adjusted easily. The room he was in was lightly furnished with old wooden structures. Old tech was strewn about, and the room smelled like dust.  'Where the hell am I?'

A beep pulled Izuku's attention to the ceiling, where a sensor was built into a ceiling fan. "Hello, my name is Hirooki. Please stay in bed as you are very injured. The owner of the house will be up momentarily."

Izuku laid back in bed and waited for his rescuer to show up. He really hoped that his ship could be repaired, but he had this sinking feeling that it was probably scrap.

The door opened, and Izuku's breath caught as he watched a woman with short brunette hair dressed in a pair of overalls and a dark shirt entered. She smiled, and Izuku admired her auburn eyes and her rosy cheeks.

"I'm glad to see you're awake. I'm Ochako, and you're on the farm."

"The farm I was gonna crash into?" Izuku asked, his voice sounding hoarse.

"Y-yeah," Ochako said as she poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the nightstand that Izuku hadn't noticed. "Your engine blew, and you flew right over us instead of crashing into my house. It was a stroke of luck for both of us."

"No," Izuku said as he sat up and accepted the glass. "I blew the engine up so I wouldn't crash into you or get shot by your cannons."

Ochako blushed and cleared her throat. "Oh, you uh... you knew the cannons were pointed at you?"

"I'm a scout," Izuku said before taking a few sips. "My job is to scout systems for the Yaoyorozu conglomerate." Izuku handed the glass back as he looked her in the eyes. "My ship is equipped with weapon sensors."

"Wow... sounds like it was a real fancy piece of tech. Yaoyorozu is some high-quality gear."

"Was?" Izuku said as worry started to bloom in his chest.

"Yeah... it's, um. I don't know if you can salvage it." Ochako said. "Once the fires were out, I managed to get it into my barn, but yeah, it's um... not looking good."

Izuku groaned as he tried to get up, but Ochako quickly pushed him back down. "Wow, now, mister, you can't just get up like that. You got broken ribs, your arm is fractured, and your knee got dislocated. You need to stay in bed and rest."

Izuku wanted to protest, but his body throbbed with pain and the memory of his boss Momo chewing him out for his reckless behavior on missions. "Fine. I'm Izuku, by the way. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner."

"It's ok. You did suffer a spaceship crash, so I think I can forgive ya for being a little rude." Ochako said as she smiled. "You rest up, and I'll go work on dinner. Give Hirooki a holler if you need me."

Izuku nodded. "Thank you, Ochako. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"It's quite alright. Folks gotta help each other out, especially this far from federation space."

Izuku hummed and watched Ochako leave. Once she was gone, he sighed and adjusted himself as best he could. He may have suffered a terrible accident, but at least his savior was kind and cute.

____________________________________________________________________

A few days of bedrest had Izuku starting to go stir crazy, but luckily for him, his knee had healed up quickly due to a rejuvenation salve Ochako had been using sparingly. He figured it made sense. The salve was fairly common and affordable in federation space, but out here in the sticks, it was a hot commodity.

With his arm in a sling and his best effort to keep a straight face despite the pain in his ribs, he headed downstairs and admired the craftsmanship of the old farmhouse. "This place is beautiful."

Ochako's cheeks warmed as she chuckled. "Thanks, my ma, and pa built it when they landed here with the original colonizers. I took over after they uh... well, they headed off-world to try and bring some business back to the moon, and they never made it back."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Izuku said as they headed out of the farmhouse. "It's rough being out here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I make due. I've got Hirooki, and the town's folks are nice enough."

Izuku hummed and followed the brunette to the large barn a few meters from the house. Ochako grunted as she pushed the barn doors open, and Izuku asked. "Not automated?"

"Broke a few months back. I got it to the point where I can push them open, but I don't have time to sit around and try to fix it."

Once the door was opened and the lights were on, Ochako motioned to the burnt, twisted scrap that was Izuku's ship. "Here ya go."

Izuku sighed as he looked at the burned husk. "Did you check the computers?"

"All fried, and since you weren't dead, I didn't go rooting around for your black box."

"It's under the pilot's seat. You just gotta remove the chair, and it should be pretty easy to open it up." Izuku said as he placed his hand on the craft. "Does the town have a spaceport?"

"No, there are a few folks with ships who do supply runs when we need them to, but this moon is fairly self-sufficient," Ochako said as she stepped onto the ship. "I'll introduce you to em tomorrow if that's alright with you."

"I would appreciate that greatly," Izuku said as he watched her enter his ship.

A few minutes later, she came out with a black cube the size of the palm of her hand. "This is kinda small. It didn't break, did it?"

"No, that's it," Izuku said as he took the cube. "The latest in Yaoyorozu black box technology. It's nigh indestructible and holds an exact copy of the ship's computer."

"Nice. Pretty sure the black boxes for all my bots are three times the size of that thing."

Izuku chuckled as he set the box down on a workbench. "Too bad I don't have the tech to open this up here. I'd like to know why I almost died."

"Well, in the meantime, how about I get some lunch put together. You can stew over your near-death experience after a good meal."

Izuku smiled, and Ochako admired the softness of his features. "That sounds good. I wish I could help, though."

"Nope, an injured person's only responsibility is to rest and heal. Once you're done with that, then you can pay me back if you feel so inclined." Ochako said as she held a hand out to stop him.

Izuku relented and simply followed the woman back to the main house, where he sat in the kitchen and asked her about the moon she lived on while she cooked lunch.

_____________________________________________________________________

The next day was fruitful and aggravating as Izuku was driven around by Ochako to the few people who owned spaceships. Of them, only one could spare the time to fly him back to federation space. Though he would still need to wait two weeks. Izuku smiled politely and thanked the man before going back to Ochako's farm.

As Izuku recovered and waited for when he'd be able to leave the planet, he watched the beautiful woman who had saved his life. She was clever and resourceful. She didn't waver, and he hadn't seen many people put in the amount of effort she did into their daily life.

Eventually, through a combination of time and conservative usage of the rejuvenation salve Ochako had on hand, Izuku was mostly healed and able to move around and help Ochako. She refused to let him help with maintenance, but after cooking dinner while she was out in the barn, she relented and allowed him to take over meal time for the remaining four days he was here.

Ochako sighed as she headed out towards the barn. Izuku would be leaving tomorrow and as the day grew closer, she felt herself start to get anxious. Ever since he woke up, he had been kind and fun to be around. He was a change of pace from the usual monotony of the moon she called home, and his stories about the planets he'd seen and the adventures he'd gone out on sounded like they came from fiction, and yet she could tell he wasn't lying. He was to kind of a person to lie.

Ochako sighed again as she approached the doors. There was no point in dwelling. Izuku would leave soon, and she'd never see him again. The brunette jumped back as the doors to the barn suddenly jerked and slid open automatically.

"What the-"

"I hope you don't mind, but while you were out in the fields, I fixed the doors for you," Izuku said as he exited the main house.

"I- wha-" Ochako looked back at his soft smile and sighed loudly. "Your ribs aren't fully healed."

"It's ok. I didn't strain myself, I promise." Izuku said as he walked up. "Think of it as my parting gift and a thank you for taking care of me."

Ochako felt her cheeks heating up as he stood next to her. "You don't have to thank me for that. Anyone here would have done it."

Izuku shrugged. "Maybe, but you're the one who did it, so thank you, Ochako."

Ochako felt her heart do a little pitter-patter, and she quickly stamped it out. "You're welcome, Izuku. Now come on, since you're out here, I guess you can help me with one of the bots."

Izuku chuckled as he followed her into the barn while she talked about what was wrong with the robot.

_____________________________________________________________________

"Guess you're heading out today," Ochako said as she stood in the kitchen.

Izuku nodded, and Ochako could almost trick herself into thinking he seemed hesitant. "Yeah... gotta get back to the boss and tell her what happened."

The two settled into a tense silence that followed them into the truck and through the drive to the other farmer who would be taking Izuku off world. As Ochako pulled to a stop and waved to the farmer, Izuku cleared his throat.

Ochako looked over his green eyes and felt herself getting lost. There was a bit of fear and sadness in them that she didn't like seeing. "I uh... thank you again for everything."

"You're welcome... I hope you get back home safe." Ochako said as she looked away.

"Yeah. I uh... this is gonna sound weird, but I'm glad if I had to crash somewhere, it was near your farm. You're a wonderful person Ochako and..." Izuku took a deep breath and sighed before saying. "I hope I can find an excuse to come back here."

Ochako blinked, and after a moment, she looked at him. "What?"

"I, uh, I hope I can find an excuse to come back here and... see you again," Izuku said as his cheeks and ears started to redden.

Ochako's own face started to match his as she quickly tucked some hair behind her ear. "I... hope so too. Hopefully, you won't crash this time."

Izuku smiled and laughed for a moment before saying. "Stay safe, Ochako."

"You too, Izuku... I hope I get to see you again."

The two lingered in the truck for a moment longer before Izuku got out and boarded the spaceship that would take him back home. As the craft left the atmosphere, Ochako let out a deep sigh and drove back home. She had a lot of work to do on a farm that felt a little too quiet now.

Chapter Text

“Damn, it... damn, it... damn it.” Ochako muttered over and over as she shoved more gauze over the gaping hole. Tears stung her eyes, and she cursed as the color drained from Izuku’s face and seeped between her fingers.

“I-It’s ok,” Izuku muttered as his eyes struggled to stay open. “I’ll be fine.”

“Shut up.” Ochako snapped. “Don’t talk or say anything. Don’t lie to me right now.”

“Not lying,” Izuku said as his hand shook and he attempted to grab her wrist. His hand missed, and he didn’t try to reach for her again. “I promise I’ll be ok. We have to visit Mom next week. P-promised I’d tell her about the wedding plans.”

Ochako clenched her jaw as tears spilled past her eyes. “Gotta keep it small. I-If we can save money on it, then we’ll have more for later.”

“Wh-what about the honeymoon? C-can we both afford to take time off?”

“I want to take a week off and go somewhere outside Japan,” Ochako said as she applied the last of her gauze to the still bleeding wound. “I-I want it to be you and me somewhere where no one will recognize us.”

“S-sounds good...”

“Izuku... Izuku!” Ochako screamed as Izuku’s eyes fluttered shut and his body relaxed.

____________________________________________________________________

Consciousness came back slowly, and as his eyes fluttered open, he quickly shut them again as the bright lights of the hospital room blinded him. After attempting again, Izuku managed to open his eyes and let them adjust to the lighting.

His head felt fuzzy and like his body was floating. The only thing that felt like it was tying him to consciousness was the steady beep of the heartbeat monitor. A groan pulled Izuku’s hazy mind to the side of the room where another bed was.

Ochako rolled over, and Izuku frowned. He loved getting to see her sleeping face, but now it was twisted in discomfort and full of anxiety. Her body was tense, and he could see the bags under her eyes. Izuku’s stomach churned as he realized he may have been out for more than a day.

Ochako groaned again, and her eyes fluttered open and locked onto Izuku. Her voice came out hoarse and full of desperation. “Izuku...”

Izuku held a hand out as he smiled weakly and said. “Hey, sweetie. You doing ok?”

Ochako was off her bed and by his bedside in an instant. “I-I... stupid, dumbass, I swear if you do this to me again, I’ll call off the wedding.”

Izuku’s eyes widened as he said. “That’s not good; my mom would be devastated.”

Ochako sniffled. “What about you, dummy?”

“Well, you said you’d call it off, not that you’d break up with me, so I’m ok with that.”

“I’d hit you right now if you weren’t in the hospital.”

Izuku chuckled weakly and smiled as he said. “I love you, Ochako.”

“I love you too, Izuku.”