Chapter Text
Ochako woke up for the last time that night, on her knees in a dark office.
She saw a man standing above her, shadows and inky darkness swirling around him, but the shadows were blowing away. She turned her head slowly and saw Izuku kneeling as the shadows receded from his face. He slumped over and hit the ground gently and she turned her gaze back to the villain.
The villain turned to her as well and she saw that he was feeling true fear for probably the first time in his life.
“Impossible! How did you…?” He said, stunned, and Ochako reached out and grabbed the desk to steady herself as she prepared to get up.
“You mother fucker!” She said under her breath, and there was murder in her heart.
The villain took one step back. There was a pink glow from her hands. Then, in one smooth motion, she stood up and brained him with an entire office desk, which sent him flying across the room. She heard him hit the ground but she was already moving; she cleared two rows of cubicles in one quirk-assisted jump. Uravity landed right in front of him and punched him in the face.
“You’re going to wish the cops had arrested you,” she said in a low voice full of venom.
She put her hand forward and twirled her cables around the villain’s upper body. He screeched in terror, then she launched him in an arcing, cable-assisted judo flip across half the room. He crashed into the ground, then she grabbed the cables with her other hand and yanked them up. He hit the ceiling, then he crashed back into the ground, out like a light.
Uravity waived her arm and the cables retracted back into her suit. She was breathing hard and, after a moment of centering herself, she ran back to Deku. She checked and he was breathing normally and… he was smiling softly, despite being unconscious.
She leaned over and picked him up in a bridal carry, surveying her surroundings. The civilian was gone. She theorized that the villain could probably only hold one or two people at a time with his quirk, so the civilian probably ran away while he was busy. She jiggled Deku a bit and his watch turned on; they had only been out for fifteen minutes?
(fuck if that wasn't the worst fifteen minutes anybody ever had, she decided with absolute finality)
Uravity sighed and looked up as Eraserhead slid into the doorway, his hands on his capture scarf and his body coiled and poised for battle. He looked to the unconscious villain, then back to her, and she figured she must still have looked like she was ready to bring about the end of the fucking world based on the look of pure horror he had on his face.
“Uh… I think you’ve got it covered, Uravity,” he said, and she frowned.
“Eraserhead, Deku is going to need to go to the hospital. We experienced emotionally and mentally traumatic imagery from the villain's quirk but he’s physically fine. Can you, uh… take out the trash?” She gestured with her toe to the villain. Eraserhead nodded tersely.
“Of course. Looks like you did a good job tonight,” he said matter-of-factly. Uravity narrowed her eyes at him and even he shrank.
“You have literally no idea, nor will you ever.”
Then she calmly marched out of the room with Deku in her arms, barking into her earpiece for an ambulance.
It was six weeks later now.
Both Ochako and Izuku had to go in for psychological evaluations after that night and Izuku was - predictably, to her - found to be in need of some serious therapy. She also agreed to go to therapy, mostly to deal with the confused feelings of guilt and loss she felt.
Izuku, as she had theorized, didn’t remember much of what happened. It was like he really just had a series of nightmares; he remembered snippets and glances and, for him, it was really like he dreamed they were just watching horror movies together one night and got trapped into a series of films as a terrible, half-formed dream. He woke up the next day at the hospital and had no idea how he had gotten there or what had happened.
Pieces of it seemed to be coming back to him over time but she felt so… She had found the courage to confess to him and not just that she loved him. She poured her heart out to him in those nightmares and told him so much she wanted him to hear. But now in reality, when they were safe? She didn’t think she could do it again.
Ochako was in her apartment on her day off. She was making herself a simple sandwich and planning to watch some melodramatic comedy television and crash on her couch today. Going out was overrated and she sure as shit didn’t want to watch any horror movies right now.
She had gotten over to her couch and set her plate and glass of water down when there was a knock at her door.
I’m not expecting any visitors, she thought distrustfully. She inched her way over to her front door and checked through the door viewer.
There, distorted by the tiny lens, was Izuku - and he was holding a bouquet? What in the world? He had a dark green polo shirt and black jeans on and he looked very nice if she was being honest. She was also just a bit suspicious he might melt into Toga at any moment, so she cautiously opened her door.
“Uh… hey, Deku?” She said with the door half opened. He smiled brightly at her and waved shyly with his right, free hand.
“Hi, Uraraka! Sorry to drop by unannounced, I just, uh… wanted to talk to you, if you have some time?”
She blinked twice in confusion and stepped to the side, opening the door all the way so he could walk in. He walked in with purpose but not too fast, then turned to her so she could shut the door behind him. She must’ve had a funny look on her face because he frowned slightly at her.
“Did I do something wrong?” He asked, legitimately concerned, and Ochako sighed.
“No, I… Part of me is a bit afraid I’m having a nightmare," she admitted in a small voice. Izuku seemed taken aback but not offended. He thought very hard for a moment, then she saw soft green lightning crackle around him.
“Can’t be because that’s working,” he said cheerfully, and Ochako snorted.
“So I take it you remember that part?” She asked, though Izuku just looked at her very solemnly all of a sudden and held out the bouquet to her.
“I, uh… I remember all of it, Uraraka.”
Ochako took in a sharp breath and felt like she might start crying but she wasn’t sure if it was because she was elated or mortified.
“I… see. And what are the flowers for, then?” She asked, not even daring to hope. She didn't know for sure how he felt. Maybe it was part of the dream.
Izuku smiled softly but it didn’t make it halfway up his face.
“I remember that I… confessed to you in the dream, thinking you weren’t real. You told me that, when we woke up, you’d confess to me in reality, too. But… I wanted to come to you first and tell you that I’m sorry I didn’t say anything for so long.”
Now Ochako was crying as she reached out and accepted the bouquet.
“I was… afraid you’d never remember. I didn’t think I’d find the courage to do it again…”
Izuku’s smile became brighter now and he tilted his head and closed his eyes. He was gorgeous and Ochako wanted to drop the flowers and crush him in a hug. She restrained herself and he took on a more neutral expression after a moment.
“Hey… Ochako? Can I… have a glass of water? I think I’m gonna need it?” He asked, and Ochako nodded dumbly. She realized that he was about to come into her apartment and she was a mess and suddenly her legs felt like jelly.
“I think if I try to move from this spot, I’m gonna fall over, so I think you should get it for yourself," she squeaked out. He looked just a touch concerned at that but she knew that he knew where the cups were, so he walked over to the kitchen without protest.
She breathed in deeply and composed herself, closed her door behind him, then walked over to the coffee table and set the flowers down gently. There would be time to put them in a vase later. She was feeling wave after wave of pent up emotions and love and affection and… other things crashing over her for Izuku. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to hold him and cry or tear off all his clothes.
Ochako settled on the latter, with a sly grin on her face. He was at the sink, reaching up for a cup, and his shirt was riding up. She saw a glimpse of his muscles, between his shirt and his pants, and decided that she was going to have him forever and that she had fought too damn hard for anything else.
She strode up behind him and planted her arms to either side of him on the counter that met the sink. He froze as she leaned into him and she smiled as she rubbed her face against his back.
“I cannot stress how long I’ve wished I could do this,” she whispered matter-of-factly. She looked up and saw his neck was beet red. She moved her hands to his hips under his shirt and held him like that.
“I-I… uh… Ochako… y’know that, uh… w-when people have sex in horror movies, they usually die, right?”
In spite of herself, Ochako snorted at that. That’s what he was worried about? He really was too pure for his own good.
“Deku, I killed a lot of monsters for you to be here today and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to enjoy it.”
Izuku didn’t say anything else in response to that as Ochako attacked him affectionately from behind.