Work Text:
“Detroit Smash!! ” Izuku cried as he threw a deafening punch, his fist colliding with the villain’s face. A resounding crack shattered the sky, and the villain known as Lay-Waste crashed to the ground in a broken heap, the concrete exploding around him to form a single crater where he laid, unconscious. Izuku landed on the ground. His arm was a little sore from the amount of force from his previous attack.
I really need to work on putting in sixty-five percent of my Full Cowling, Izuku thought as he examined his new gauntlet. The additional armor covering his forearms worked perfectly. Looked like he owed Mei again for the upgrade. The gloves snuggly fit his arm as a secondary layer of protection to keep his arm from further damage. He could still feel the pain from all the times he broke his arm, from every punch, from every bruise. Every attempt pushed him forward to being a better hero, to being someone who could- no, who would save everyone.
He looked up, glancing around the city block that he and Lay-Waste wrecked in their battle. Cars and buildings let out the putrid smell of smoke that rolled out of every broken window. He stood in the rubble, trying his best to not get distracted by the flashing camera lights from the numerous reporters and journalists photographing the aftermath of Deku’s battle. Izuku looked down, Lay-Waste’s body lay broken inside the crater, paramedics checking his condition before placing restraints on his wrists and ankles and loading him on a gurney to put him in an escorted ambulance.
Hmm, maybe I punched him a little bit too hard. Izuku grimaced as he watched the ambulance drive away. He stumbled down the pile of rubble so he could get himself examined when he heard a familiar voice.
“Get the medical team here! Quickly!” Ochako waved her hand in the direction of an injured teenager, a team of paramedics and heroes hurrying to her aid as she pulled out the gauze out of her belt. Her voice filled with authority, patting sidekicks on the shoulder and giving thumbs up to paramedics to keep morale high. Ochako knelt by the civilian’s side, asking questions and listening to the teenager as she made sure that the injuries weren’t fatal. Upon the arrival of an ambulance, she oversaw that the teen was secured, her smile determined and bright as she saw the paramedics off before leading the other heroes to the continuing search and rescue effort.
She's amazing. As usual. Izuku smiled proudly, taking pride in how much Ochako had grown to become a leader and a hero. It brought him back to when they were just kids in high school. They were young heroes with dreams they would eventually reach. But they couldn’t anticipate getting into the relationship they have now.
Izuku’s mind began thinking back to when they first met, how she saved him from falling to his death after destroying that giant Zero-point robot, even going as far as offering to sacrifice her points to give him a chance to get in. Then she rescued him by being his first friend after joining UA. He then thought back to the Joint Training Battle, how she tried to save him when he discovered the use of Blackwhip, and how he put her in danger. The memories began flooding through his mind, overwhelming him as he dived deeper and deeper, going from moment to moment until something crept into his mind. A sickening feeling of shame.
He tried to think back to every time he saved her, other than the time he took out that Zero-point robot, but he found himself still stumped. He couldn’t think of a moment where he saved her. A moment in their relationship where he did something to repay her, where he did something for her out of all the countless times she saved him, supported him, and gave him the drive to be where he is now. But he hadn’t done anything to help her in return. Sure, he made her happy a few times while they were dating, but he never really did anything to support her as she supported him.
After all that she’s done for me, I haven’t done anything for her. What if I’m holding her back? What if I’m… His heart twisted and tightened from the heavy guilt seeping into his mind. The guilt sickened his stomach, the pain so great that it made the soreness and stinging from his injuries go numb.
“Deku-kun, you're injured!” Ochako jogged over to him, her eyes wide with worry after telling the search and rescue heroes to move on and help the paramedics with aiding the victims. Right as she reached out to bandage his arm, Izuku cast his gaze down towards his shoes, slowly pulling his arm away while gripping his elbow. It hurt him to keep himself away from her. All he wanted to do was let her hold him, but he couldn’t even look at her. Not like this.
“Deku-kun? Is something wrong?” Ochako asked.
“Ochako… I… I think you should focus on the civilians first." Izuku kept looking away, glancing towards the rubble. He snuck glimpses at his girlfriend’s worried smile, making his chest constrict even greater. He loved that look from her. It reminded him of when they were first going to the Quirk Training camp, how she looked up at him with her bright eyes, the kindness inside as pure and true as a guiding star.
“Deku, what’s the matter? You’re worrying me.” Ochako said. Izuku sighed as she took ahold of his face, feeling the pads on her fingers caress the grime on his freckled cheeks. She began inspecting his head for injuries till she held his face close to hers, her strong, calloused hands still soft and gentle. But his guilt kept him from looking at her. The thought of it made his chest ache. How has she never been mad at him? How could she stand him while he was like this?
“Ochako. Do you-? A-am I a burden to you?” He faltered with a shaky sigh, his throat tight as a lump formed with a painful swallow. The question crushed his ribs, his lungs trembling as he did his best to keep his tears in check.
“Deku-kun! Wha- How can you say that?” Ochako said, her startled voice made him flinch as she let go of his head. She and Izuku were always supportive of each other. From becoming friends in UA to experiencing the beginning of their relationship in their third year together, and now becoming pro heroes.
He never liked keeping secrets from her. When they started dating Izuku made sure to tell her everything about his past. From how he got his Quirk, to his past as a kid and how Katsuki used to bully him. She knew that Izuku had problems when it came to his insecurity, and she had always been doing her best to reassure him. Now but she couldn’t find an answer for him, all she wanted to hug him, tell him everything was alright.
Izuku stood there, his face held in her warm hands while his shame ate at him from the inside. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back his welled up sorrows as he looked away. His breath quivered as he tried began to stammer an explanation.
“Ochako… You're always caring about others. I love you for that. But...” Izuku stopped himself as Ochako gripped his arm. She looked down at his scratched up arm, gently rolling up his sleeve, took a few medical supplies from her belt, and began treating the scratches on his arm. Ochako remained focused on his injuries, not allowing him to escape, wrapping his arm in gauze. While Ochako treated his injuries, Izuku thought again and again about what he should say. But before he could open his mouth, Ochako took a breath and looked up with a smile.
“Izuku, you promised that we’d have each other’s backs. Do you think I would break our promise?” Ochako asked. This took him back to the beginning of her medical training as a hero. Izuku would volunteer himself to get treatment from her. Ochako needed the practice, but Izuku liked being her patient as long as he could get attention from her. The memory made him want to giggle, but he remained quiet as he watched her smile dwindle to a small grin.
“Ochako... We're both heroes, but I don't want to hold you back. If I- no, if someone needed your help, but I was in the way… I just… I can’t… I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. Not over being that selfish.” Izuku’s breath still quivered as he did his best to explain. He wanted to help Ochako in any way he could. Ochako had her own goals: she wanted to give her parents an easy life, to become a hero that can save people, and to be with him. He loved her more than anything. But how could he want to be with her if he got in the way of her goals? What would he be if he did that?
“Izuku? Look at me.” Ochako let go of his bandaged arm and tenderly his face.
“I will never think of you as anything close to what you just said. Hey. Remember that day in UA? When I told you that I wanted to be a hero for money? You know… How I want to give my parents an easy life.” Ochako said with a voice softer than falling rain. Izuku stood there, his hunched shoulders trembling with his quiet weeping. He reached up and grasped her hands, squeezing them tight.
“Yes... Yes, I remember.” Izuku managed to squeeze out the words as he hiccuped while crying. He kept looking at her, tears flowing from his eyes as it washed the smut off his cheeks.
“Izuku, watching you work so hard… Goodness, Izuku. You care so much about everyone around you, about saving people… You inspire everyone around you. You inspire me.” When Ochako smiled, his weeping slowed to faint sniffles.
“Izuku, when you were saving Eri from Overhaul… That raid to save Eri. You made me wonder. When a hero is in pain, who will protect them? Did you know that?” Ochako said, her spirits lifted a little higher when Izuku looked up at her in surprise.
“No… No, I didn’t.” Izuku’s breath slowed to steady sighs. He never knew that Ochako thought about him that way. He knew that he needed to be a hero for others who couldn’t defend themselves, but he never really thought of what would happen if he needed saving.
Ochako looked at Izuku with a sad smile, tears started welling up in her eyes. Izuku still held her hands while he stared into those deep brown eyes. Looking at her sad smile made his heart ache so much that all he wanted was to pull her in close and hold her tight. But he stood there and listened, his face still cradled like a newborn babe.
“You need someone to watch out for you. And I need you too... Because the person I want to repay is you.” Ochako’s sad smile brightened as she blinked out her tears. Izuku’s expression allayed a warm smile, still holding her hands onto his cheek.
“Izuku. I will always want to protect you. Because I was the first person you broke yourself for. So please… Don’t say anything like that. Alright?” Ochako smiled Izuku, not being able to hold his feelings back any longer, pulled Ochako in for a hug.
“Okay. I’ll do my best.” Izuku promised as his mind was relieved of all doubt. All that mattered was how much he loved her and how he could be a better hero for her. His chin rested on her shoulder as she pats his head and back.
Shortly afterward, they both cleaned their faces, addressed the restless onslaught of reporters, and checked on the other heroes. Izuku worked with Ochako to finish the search and rescue effort, going from hero to civilian, showing the people that the New Symbol of Peace was here to help. Izuku stood tall, his bright smile illuminating everyone around him as he helped Ochako reassure a bunch of schoolchildren that the villain was gone. Izuku then turned to find a bunch of fellow heroes and their sidekicks congratulate him on his big victory with complementary slaps on the back and kind words.
Izuku and Ochako turned to the convoy of ambulances and police cars, a few hands were shaken cordially as they told them that they did well today before seeing them off. All the while, Izuku kept a corner of his eye on Ochako. Loving the way she spoke to the people with her cheerful tone, telling them how well they did during the mission and how many people they saved today. Upon realizing that she noticed that he was staring at her, his glance darted away, his freckles becoming hot with blush.
“Hehehe. Is there something you want to tell me, Izuku?” Ochako teased playfully, her grin becoming a flippant smile as she put her arms around his neck, his flushed face pulled close to hers. Devising what to say, he grinned after breaking free of the excruciating few seconds of hiding his shyness. His flush faded away and he gazed down at Ochako with a calm smile while confidently hugging Ochako’s waist.
“Actually? I do.” Izuku said before pressing his lips against hers. Ochako’s lips were dry but still supple and sweet, he could still kiss her all day. He felt the corner of her mouth curl into a smile as his kiss became more assertive, his lips now invigorated. Ochako giggled to herself, her weight almost dropped as Izuku kept his gentle grasp on her. After they broke away for air, Izuku’s soft gaze looked down at her. Their foreheads rested against each other’s while their embrace remained strong.
“Thank you, Ochako.” Izuku nuzzled her forehead, their noses touching and his eyes closed.
“For what?” Ochako looked up at his calm smile, his carefree face just like when they wake up together every morning.
“For saving me… For always saving me. Thank you so much.” He whispered as he shifted his arms up to securely hold her shoulders in a hug, his sturdy hands patting her head. Ochako smirked gleefully as Izuku placed another kiss on her forehead. After Izuku’s kiss left its mark, Ochako smiled and took his hand as they both returned to their agency, their afternoon spent hand in hand.