Chapter Text
After the cruise, two days later
1:30 p.m.
Aomori Hospital
Uraraka blinked as sunlight streamed through the open blinds covering the windows. Her body was sore, and her mind was foggy, but she was immediately surprised that she was waking up at all. She was alive, and she had made it. How, she didn’t know, but now she found herself laying in a hospital bed, an IV inserted into her arm, her parents talking with a medical professional near the door.
The doctor noticed Uraraka awakened and notified them, Uraraka watching as her parents turned to face her immediately. She was quickly swarmed, but they were careful of her, hugging her gently, both of them crying tears of relief. Uraraka embraced her parents warmly with a smile, finding tears pricking her own eyes. When they pulled back from the hug her father gave her a kiss to her forehead, before giving her some space and sitting in chairs beside her bed as she propped herself up, noticing the way her muscles ached.
“What… happened?” She asked hesitantly, noticing the way their smiles wavered. “After I… killed that thing.”
“Well…” Her mother swallowed. “Four of your classmates found you bleeding out. You were barely conscious. There was a nurse on the boat, luckily, who was able to heal you a little, get your open wound closed up. You had quite the damage.”
“As soon as they could, they pulled the boat in, and now you’re here,” her father finished, reaching out and grabbing her hand. “Ochako, honey, we are so proud of you.”
She glanced between them, confused, before her mother spoke again. “You’re a true hero. You were alone, and you saved at least twenty people personally last night. You saved the entire ship. Ochako, you’ve been granted the title of a national hero. The government wants to give you a medal.”
Her eyes went wide, jaw going slack as she listened to her mother’s words. A national hero? How did they recognize her for that? She was just a kid. But maybe that was the point. A kid had gotten the courage no adult had and saved every single life on that ship. She didn’t fully realize how big of a deal it was, because she felt that it had been her responsibility to save those lives, but to an outsider, she was a true hero.
“Woah…” She breathed out, dumbstruck. That was a lot of information to process.
“Well, we know you have a lot to think about, but your friends were wondering if it’s okay if they visit you,” her mother said, smiling gently, running a thumb over Uraraka’s knuckles.
“Oh, uh, yeah, sure,” she said, smiling at the thought of seeing her friends.
“Alright, we’ll send them in.” Both of her parents stood, kissed her on the head, and made their way out of the room.
In a minute or two, the door opened again, and Uraraka was immediately met with the eyes of Iida, her best friend, looking worried, but relieved once their eyes met and she gave him a smile. Behind him rushed in Midoriya, Todoroki, Tsuyu, Mina and Momo. Others would be in to visit later. Mina was the first to bound over and capture Uraraka in a hug, who laughed and hugged her back, wincing slightly at the throbbing pain in her ribs.
“Careful, Mina, she’s in pain,” Iida told the pink girl, who pulled away and met Uraraka’s eyes, alarmed.
“Oh, it’s okay. Just be a little gentle,” she told Mina, smiling softly. “I’m okay, just sore is all.”
Mina smiled. “I’m so glad you’re okay. You scared all of us…” Mina’s eyes teared up and Uraraka faltered, bringing her friend back into a hug.
“Hey, I’m here and I’m alright. All those people are safe, and that’s what matters,” she said, before pulling back slightly and squishing her cheeks, smiling. “I’ll be alright.”
After letting her go, she was approached by Iida, who seemed nervous to touch her at all. But she reached up for him and he immediately caved, wrapping her in a gentle but warm hug. His arms were secure around her, and she rested her head in the crook of his neck before he pulled back, not completely, meeting her eyes as his glasses slipped slightly down her nose, watching as she reached up to fix them.
“I thought I might never see you alive again,” he said honestly. “Not that I doubted your capabilities for a second, I-I just…”
“I’m not offended, Tenya,” she said softly, smiling. “I know. What I did was dangerous. That thing was… crazy. I barely beat it. You had every right to be terrified I would die. Unfortunately, that comes with the job.” She held his hands in hers, tracing over some of the scars. “But I’m alright now, and I’ll be completely healed in no time. Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he repeated, moving some hair out of her face, before getting up and letting the others see her.
Uraraka was happy to see everyone else, but her eyes kept trailing back to Iida. He was watching her fondly, arms crossed over his chest as he watched her interact with her friends. They had all been worried, and were gentle with her, which she appreciated, but their hugs didn’t feel as safe as his did. Eventually. They decided to give her a little time to rest, walking out, but Uraraka stopped Iida, who turned to look at her as the door shut behind the rest of them.
“Iida…” She trailed off, meeting his eyes once again.
“What happened to calling me Tenya?” He asked, offering her a smile, to which she grinned back.
“Stay with me?” She asked, giving him her best pleading eyes.
“You sure you want me to?” He asked, brows furrowed in confusion. “You don’t want me to get Midoriya, or maybe Mina?”
“I wouldn’t rather have anyone else,” she admitted, scooting over in the bed and outstretching her arms to him.
He was quick to cave in, walking over and sitting beside her carefully. He accepted her embrace, resting her head against his chest as she snuggled into him. When Uraraka’s parents returned, they found her sleeping in his arms, a content smile on her face even as she slept.
Three days later
12:00 p.m.
Yuuei High School
A few days later, Uraraka found herself walking back into Yuuei, Iida at her side. It was the weekend, but she had a meeting with the faculty, who wanted to discuss what had happened. She was nervous, although knowing only good things would come of this meeting. That knowledge didn’t make her nerves go down anymore.
She felt a strong hand wrap around hers and found Iida looking down at her, smiling gently. “Hey, it’s going to be alright. Alright? I’ll be just outside.”
She nodded and gave him a quick hug, before pulling away. “Alright, I’ll see you later.” With a smile, she departed from him, making her way into the school and into the meeting room where she had been instructed to go.
She knocked on the door to the room, and when a voice told her to enter, she opened it. She found a few members of the faculty, most notably Principal Nezu, Aizawa, All Might, and a few other pro heroes she’d been taught by. There were also some people she didn’t recognize, in suits, looking at her expectantly with bright smiles.
“Go ahead and take a seat, Miss Uraraka,” Principal Nezu said.
Uraraka took a seat at the opposite end of the table, which had been the only one available, wringing her hands together nervously as she scanned the table. “Good afternoon.”
“Alright, let’s get started,” Principal Nezu said, clasping his hands together. “Now, Uraraka, you know why we’re here today. And don’t worry, you're not in any sort of trouble, we wanted to talk about what the government has to say.” He looked towards the people she didn’t recognize. “Miss Uraraka, these are some people from the Japanese government.”
“My name is Mr. Takeda, I’m the head of the hero department,” a man spoke up, bright red hair flattened against his head, soft brown eyes. “The prime minister wanted to come himself, but he’s been quite busy.”
Uraraka’s eyes widened at his words, and he continued. “We’ve come here to discuss with you the acts of heroism we saw displayed that night on The Diamond. There was security footage, and we reviewed all of it. Miss Uraraka, your hero work was remarkable. You kept everyone safe, handled yourself well, and even took care of a small child the entire time you were attempting to save other people and yourself. In the end, you killed the nomu that had killed twenty-five people, and saved every other person on that ship. You, young lady, are a hero, and we want to reward you as such.”
“But it’s my duty as a hero-in-training to save people,” she spoke up, catching their attention. “I didn’t do it for recognition. I did it because someone had to. I had to save them.”
Mr. Takeda’s eyes widened, before he smiled brightly. “The true heart of a hero. I admire you a lot, Miss Uraraka. Your bravery rivals that of your mentor All Might’s.”
That made her blush, meeting All Might’s eyes, who smiled. “Nah, she’s much braver than I’ve ever been.”
A smile grew on her face, blinking back tears. “Thank you, teacher.”
“Well, seeing as you’re a true hero, we wanted to offer you a spot to train in the top private school in the country,” Mr. Takeda spoke up, getting her attention again. “You've proven to have the rawest potential of everyone here. We know there are a few with flashier quirks, like the boy with green hair, or the explosive blonde, but they aren’t on your level of heroism. Your willpower alone outranks anyone here, which is why we’re offering this spot to you.”
Her eyes widened, and her breath hitched. The top private school? That would be incredible. But she was happy where she was. She was growing every day, and she wanted to keep training with her friends.
“Honestly, sir? The opportunity sounds incredible… But I can’t accept it.” She smiled as she watched everyone’s faces go shocked. “I want to keep training with my friends and become a hero with them. I have too much to learn here, and I don’t want to give it up, regardless of any better training I may or may not receive. I’m happy where I am.”
Mr. Takeda recovered quickly. “You are more intelligent than you receive credit for. I appreciate your time, Miss Uraraka.” He stood and handed her a card. “If you ever change your mind, contact me. We’ll be getting in touch about the honor ceremony, the prime minister is looking forward to meeting you in person.”
“I can’t wait.” She stood and shook their hands, before they left. Turning back to her teachers, she smiled.
“It’s okay if you want to switch schools, Miss Uraraka. We understand,” Principal Nezu spoke up.
“No thanks, Principal Nezu,” she responded. “As I said, I’m happy where I am. I have too much more to learn here to throw it away.”