Work Text:
Working any job on your birthday is rarely anyone’s first choice. Working as a Pro Hero meant the day could bring all manner of stress and danger. Fortunately for Uraraka, the day had been filled with paperwork and uneventful patrols. Still, dull as it was, the tedium of the forms and her heightened publicity mode had taken it out of her.
Ochako had spent Christmas day with her parents in their new home. They had given her a mini birthday celebration the following morning, but she couldn’t justify having her actual birthday off this year. In her mind, three months into being an independent hero in a new area wasn’t long enough for her to take such a long break. Maybe next year, once she was a bit more settled.
Trudging through the city with her bag over her shoulder, her gaze wandered the streets. Ancient concrete barriers and patches of bushes stood out against the patchwork of tarmac and paint. The occasional car lit shopfronts and houses as they passed. A few people wandered along the path, and a tortoiseshell cat streaked across the road, all illuminated by the streetlights that shone like artificial stars against the dusk sky, poking out between the buildings.
Soon enough, her apartment building loomed into view. The familiar sight and the prospect of warmth and comfort reenforced the cold and tiredness that dragged through her bones. Each step closer ground her worn out legs and twinged her aching feet. The frigid air brought frozen daggers into her lungs with each breath.
Dragging herself through the door, Ochako allowed herself to sigh at the relative warmth. It was by no means hot, but the little lobby was a comfortable mediator between the December weather and the cosy abodes.
Gathering herself, she stopped by the mailboxes to see if she had any post. Her keys jingled and clattered off the metal as she reached for the lock. The stiff lock put up its usual fight. If she had company or more energy, she would’ve joked about villains with adhesive quirks conspiring against her.
Finally, the little door opened. Inside sat around a dozen envelopes. She pulled them out and flicked through them. Half of them were plain white, bulky, standard sized envelopes with clear slits for her address, or with return addresses on the other side. To her pleasant surprise, the rest were obviously cards. She wasn’t sure how many people knew her new address, given how rushed her move had been. Although most were also in white envelopes, the single card that stood out caught her eye. It was a soft pink colour and was almost a perfect square. She pulled it out and flipped it round. Her address was written in a franticly neat scrawl that tickled in the back of her mind. ’Who’s writing is that? I know it.’
Ochako was so preoccupied with her post that she didn’t notice the box on the floor until she tripped over it. She flailed as she tottered on the edge of her balance, avoiding an undignified tumble. Her post went flying, scattering all over the floor. The solitary pink envelope floated just above her eye level. Sighing, she plucked it from the air.
Thanking whatever higher power there was that she was alone, Ochako bent down and gathered up the post once more. As she did, she inspected the trip hazard. It wasn’t massive, but it wasn’t exactly small either. Too big to fit in the post box, but just the perfect size to be missed if you weren’t paying attention. A label was stuck to the top.
It was addressed to flat 323.
Her flat.
Envelopes in hand again, she tapped the box with five fingers, feeling the weight shifting to her through that familiar intangible tether as it floated off the floor. Mentally grasping the tether, she held the box above her hand and began the walk upstairs. She wondered what it contained. The contents weren’t strenuously heavy, but it still had some weight to it. As the momentum of her ascent shifted it, nothing shifted freely. All manner of possibilities of what it could be crossed her mind.
Before too long, Ochako reached her front door. Tucking the envelopes under her arm, she slipped her key into the lock, and it clicked open. The door was more compliant than the letterbox. A sigh of relief left her as she wandered into her humble home. Quickly kicking off her shoes and shimmying out of her coat, she felt the excited urgency of her post. Depositing her bag on the countertop as she covered the short distance of her kitchen, Uraraka wandered into the living space.
It was larger than her initial flat in Musutafa, longer and slightly thinner but not too thin. She had space for more than just a bed and a desk now, with room for a futon if she had one. Her trusty old table now sat in the middle of the living space, between a couple of green, comfy chairs, and the decoration looked slightly more mature. Slightly.
Releasing the box over the table, it landed with a thump at the same moment Ochako dropped into one of the chairs. She sunk snuggly into the seat with a contented sigh and placed the small pile of letters on the table.
She got the serious post over first. Utility bills, rent for her single office, and doctor’s appointments. Being a hero results in a build-up of injuries, but who sends bills so close to Christmas? Frustratedly, Ochako put the letters down on the table with the most urgent on top. She’d deal with them later.
With the boring stuff out the way, she turned to the cards. Something in her mind told her to save the colourful one till last.
Starting with a long, thin one, she delicately pried the flap open. She was greeted by a similarly tall and thin card. A teddy bear holding a bunch of balloons occupied the upper third, with a birthday greeting following beneath it. The central balloon had a number 2 on it, which had been joined by a number 1, handwritten in permanent marker. Ochako laughed as she opened the card. The message inside was a simple one from Nejire.
Gradually, she made her way through the cards. Ryukyu’s card was sparkly and on brand, while her fellow former sidekick’s card had a frog sitting on a cat’s head on the front. Iida’s was a candid comedy card containing a very wordy greeting that Ochako could practically hear him gush in his proud father mode. Each one kept her smiling. They may have been simple gestures, but they were sincere, making her grateful for the people she knew.
Finally, there was just one left. With a bittersweet sense of finality, she reached for the enticing pink envelope. Too tired to care, she tore it open, pulling out one last card. It had a simple, cutesy depiction of a woman in a kimono standing in front of a market stall. The kimono held a striking resemblance to one Ochako had fond memories.
In their final year at UA, Class 3-A had all agreed to go as a group to a nearby festival. Everyone had dressed up for it, with the girls spending a day in the run up to get their outfits together. Going for a more traditional dress, Ochako had gone in a pink, flowery Kimono with a soft, fluffy, white trim that hugged her neck. She still had fond memories of the good times she spent with friends that day, and the gorgeous little sweets stand she found with Deku, Iida, and Tsu.
A nostalgic warmth bubbled up in her chest, fuelling her soft smile as she looked down at the card now. The little woman in her flowery pink, white trimmed kimono gazed back. Hers had more hints of greens and oranges mixed in, but the essence was strong enough that the intention was obvious. Gently, she opened the card. The message inside was entirely handwritten.
To Uraraka
Happy Birthday. I hope you have a wonderful day.
Congratulations once again on striking out on your own as an independent hero.
I’ll Being a hero is tiring work, so I hope the gift helps you relax.
lo Your friend
Mi Izu
Deku
The simple message tugged at her aching heartstrings, stirring up a swell of emotions. Trust Deku to pull a sweet little gesture like that. His mind picked up details that others would miss and held onto them without him even realising. Yet he was busy off in Yokohama while she was miles away in Kaigonjin, unable to show him how much she appreciated him.
His card also answered one of the questions she had about the box. If it came from Deku then it would be a thoughtful gift, right? If he’d found a way to help himself unwind from the stresses of hero life, the first thing he would do was share it with his friends. Maybe it was a foot massager? ’Surely Deku wouldn’t get some expensive tat like that, right? Would he?’
Realising that thinking about it would get her nowhere, Ochako bit the bullet and reached for the box. Picking it up, she gave it a curious shake. The contents rustled indistinctly. She frowned. Plonking it on her lap, she tried to open the box. The packing tape squealed in protest, putting up more of a fight than some villains. Faintly, she wondered if Deku had asked Sero to seal it.
Finally, with a satisfying tearing sound, the tape gave way. Ochako prized the flaps open. Her eyes were greeted by dark coloured lump wrapped in a plastic bag that sat snuggly within the box. As she reached in to pull the item out, it squished beneath her hands. She gasped as she realised what it was.
A gorgeous, dark blue and purple blanket, adorned with little white stars. Quickly finding the opening of the bag, she reached in. Her fingers were met with the softest, fluffiest material she had ever laid her hands on. She breathed out in awe.
Eagerly, she took it out, discarding the bag and the box unceremoniously on the floor. Standing up, she unfurled the blanket to take in the full design. It was the spitting image of a sci fi nebula in quilt form. She sat down again, draping her new blanket over herself. Once she’d found her phone, she would take a selfie with it to send to Deku with a thank you, but right now, she was far to comfy to see where she’d dumped her bag.
She'd have to send thank yous to all of them really. Their thoughtful acts had warmed her spirits despite the cold December day. It may be her first birthday alone, but thanks to them, it sure didn't feel like it.