Chapter Text
She’d never had a friend like him before. He was kind, and tender, and endlessly selfless. He remembered all the little details she’d only mentioned once or twice, and even though sometimes his smile was slightly forced, even though his bright eyes were distant and unfocused some days, he always managed to find some form of comfort for her when she needed it. It was almost unfair how bright he was. She was constantly thinking about how lucky she was to have him as a friend, how she didn’t deserve him, how his radiance seemed to cast her in shadow until he looked back and extended a hand to her, bringing her into the glory his vibrance creates. All that gentle compassion encased within his strong, determined form. And determined he was, as well. When he set his mind to something, that was that. Particularly where other lives were involved. She thought of those bright eyes of his as they blazed with a fierceness that was unrivalled among their peers, a determination so strong it was a force of nature in and of itself. But when it came to himself, that same fiery protectiveness suddenly flickered and died, and she was sometimes left wondering if it had been there at all. But then she’d think back, and remember—and there was no way she could be looking at someone else, despite how he made himself look smaller at the slightest criticism. She could not for the life of her understand why he didn’t stand up for himself the same way he stood up for his friends.
It was meant to be a simple grocery run—something the two of them had done numerous times since moving into the dorms. Normally, they would be joined by Iida or Todoroki, but the former had been preoccupied trying to help Yaomomo with a study session and the latter was visiting his mother. So Ochako walked with Deku, the two of them enjoying the warmth of early summer and the chance to be off campus, even for only an hour or so. He was rambling, as he was wont to do, and she couldn’t help but smile as she listened.
“…and so Edgeshot stopped to talk to the kid, and the kid asked him for a picture, but then his hair changed color and it matched Edgeshot’s costume, which is so cool, and the applications of such a Quirk would be impressive, especially considering underground operations where a disguise would be necessary. Even just hiding your identity in the public if you’re super popular, or I wonder if he can change the colors fast enough to confuse or disorient, maybe even hypnotize an opponent...if diet changes the number of times he can change his hair color or…even be useful as an actor—”
Ochako laughed and poked his cheek before he could dissolve even further into mumbling. “I’m sure it was fun to watch, but you’re gettin’ off topic. What did Edgeshot do?”
He squeaked a “Right! Sorry!” and she laughed again at the strawberry flush to his cheeks.
“You don’t need to apologize. Just tell me what happens next!” she said, purposefully running into his shoulder.
He grinned sheepishly at her, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah…uh, well, he changed his hair color to match Edgeshot’s costume, and Edgeshot was actually really fascinated—”
“Is that who I think it is?” a loud voice interrupted. Ochako turned to see three boys and one girl around their age approaching. She didn’t recognize any of them, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw her best friend shrink into himself slightly. The sight sent alarm bells ringing through her mind.
“It is the nerd,” one of the boys said. “We haven’t seen you since middle school. Still creeping on the heroes, are you?”
She watched in stunned awe as her friend, so bright and powerful, curled impossibly further into himself. It was like watching the light go out. His resulting mumbles were too small to be heard as his face simultaneously reddened and became ghostly pale.
“Dumb nerd still can’t make himself heard,” the girl remarked scathingly, popping a bubble of her gum with a loud smack. “Still useless, isn’t he?”
“He probably didn’t even make it to high school,” another boy jeered. “Who would accept a quirkless freak like him anyway?”
Ochako had opened her mouth to protest, but the shock of that last statement slammed her jaws shut, and her thoughts all screeched to a halt. Quirkless? That didn’t make any sense. She’d seen what he did at the entrance exam. He’d quite possibly saved her life doing it, and it wasn’t something she was just going to forget anytime soon. And then there was the mock battle, and USJ, and the sports festival, and classes after their work studies, and the summer camp, and the licensing exam, and the battle with Overhaul, and a thousand other times she’d seen him lit up with green lightning crackling around his body, too much energy to be contained even within his powerful frame. There was no doubt to her: Izuku Midoriya had a Quirk. These decidedly not-friendly kids had the wrong data.
Just as she had lost her voice, however, Deku seemed to have found his own. “W-well, actually I’m going to UA…” he tried timidly.
“Bet you cheated your way in there, too, Deku,” the girl hissed. “Bakugou probably put you in your place right away, huh, you useless sewer rat!”
Ochako’s temper was quickly fraying, and she had to fight to keep her volume under control. “Actually, Deku and I beat Bakugou on the first day of classes. Deku deserves his place at UA.”
“And who are you? Some delusional prostitute he’s tricked into following him? Is he cheating on you too?”
Deku bristled. “Uraraka is my friend!”
“Pssh, sure. And cats can fly. Quirkless losers don’t get friends. Your own father didn’t even want to be around some garbage like you. You should do the world a favor and off yourself,” the ringleader said.
Ochako’s temper snapped. She stepped in front of Deku and jabbed a finger into the other boy’s chest. “Now, you listen here, dirtbag. You weren’t there at the entrance exam, when he saved my life no matter the consequences to himself. You didn’t see the aftermath of the USJ attack which injured three of our teachers—pro heroes fighting dozens of villains to keep us safe. Our teacher got his face smashed in. You must have been blind to miss the sports festival—”
“Yeah, well, must have been some sort of trick for that—” the boy sulked, and her temper flared brighter.
“I’m not done,” she said, threatening in the way she used when facing down a villain. The line was drawing dangerously thin for this kid anyway. “You weren’t at the summer camp, where we were attacked again and Bakugou was kidnapped. Deku fought an S-ranked villain to save a kid and won before racing through the forest with two broken arms to help the rest of us. Deku saved Bakugou at Kamino Ward. You didn’t see the raid against the Shie Hassaikai, where Deku saved a little girl from an abusive man who tore her to pieces in order to use her. You. Weren’t. There.” She accentuated that point with further jabs to his sternum, strong enough to force him back a step. She advanced on him. Her finger stayed on his chest. “You weren’t there for any of that. But I was there for all of it. Deku has worked so, so hard to get to where he is, and he’s saved people. He’s been saving people since the day I met him. And if it weren’t for Deku, so many people would be dead by now. And that’s not even scratching the surface of who he is as a person. Deku is the kindest, most selfless, most determined person I have ever met. He inspires me. And the rest of our class. Even our teachers! He’s earnest, and thoughtful, and so much better than I could hope to be. And, personally? I think he’s a better person than all four of you combined. This world, and especially people like you, don’t deserve people like Deku.” She paused long enough to cross her arms, allowing all her certainty to pour into her next words. “He’s the most heroic person I’ve ever met. And he doesn’t need a quirk to save people. He’d be a great hero even without one. I know he is to me.” Glancing back, she saw tears running freely down his freckled cheeks. “You can’t call someone like that worthless. He’s already worth so much more than you.”
The other boy floundered, stuttering out parts of words but nothing coherent. Shakily, one of his companions tried, “But you call him Deku, too. You’re calling him worthless just like everyone else.”
“No. She reclaimed that name for me.” The strength had returned to Deku’s voice, his posture straightening again into something proud. “Deku is the name of a hero who can do anything!”
In that moment, seeing him, it was like a glimpse into the future. She believed him wholeheartedly. In that moment, she felt surety, and safety, and strength. She saw him as the hero he would become, the beacon of light not just to herself, but to the world. His green eyes were lit with a fire of conviction so bright that even the tear tracks on his freckled cheeks did nothing to dampen that passion.
There was a stunned silence from the others, stretching so long it began to become uncomfortable. Then there was a tiny voice—Ochako didn’t know who it was—that said, “So he hasn’t told you?”
She shook her head, ignoring the spark of curiosity that question gave her. It was probably nothing good anyway. “Deku doesn’t need to tell me anything. And for that matter, he doesn’t need to answer to you, either. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have classmates waiting on us.”
Turning on her heel, she grabbed Deku’s wrist and marched away, inwardly seething at the interaction. They had dared to call her best friend useless in front of her, even suicide baited him-! She had never wanted to punt someone into the sun more.
“Ur-Uraraka!” Deku stuttered behind her, drawing her sharply out of her thoughts. It was only then that she noticed her frown, and her anger and lack of attention meant that her friend was now weightless and being dragged like an oversized balloon.
“Oh! Sorry Deku!” she apologized, helping him back to his feet and cancelling her quirk. “I was just so angry with them that I forgot to pay attention—”
“Ah, it’s—it’s alright. Thank you, you know, for—for standing up to them like that. You didn’t have to—”
“I wanted to, Deku. You’re my best friend,” Ochako said gently, sincerely. She hated this side of him, this timidness and uncertainty, but she was beginning to see why it was there. It was certainly not his fault. Especially not now, since she had felt him trembling under her hands as she helped him back to the ground. Mindful of her quirk this time, she rested her hands on top of his, feeling that the trembling was still there but hoping to keep him from spiraling through the gentle contact. “Wanna go sit down somewhere quiet for a bit?”
He nodded, a bit jerky and with slightly uneven breaths. “Y-yeah. Please.”
She nodded. Thankfully there was a park not too far away, with a nice quiet bench to sit on and a peaceful view. She led him there, keeping a hand resting on his forearm as a bit of comfort. He didn’t pull away from it. Before long, they were both seated on the bench, and she hesitantly sat so that their shoulders were brushing. Deku leaned forward so that he could rest his head in his hands, trying to gather himself. A thought struck Ochako, and she pulled out her phone to send a quick message to Aizawa-sensei to let him know what had happened. She made sure to tell him that they weren’t hurt. Knowing him, he’d come swinging into town with his capture weapon ready if she didn’t. Honestly, their grumpy homeroom teacher was so soft and caring under that hard exterior. Plus, with the amount of trouble her friend managed to find himself in, the nickname of Problem Child was there for a reason. He’d be extra worried for Midoriya.
There was a faltered breath beside her, and she put her phone away to see those vibrant green eyes fixed on her, something haunted and shadowed in their depths, but mixed with hope. “Did—did you really mean what you said? About being a hero?”
This was something important to him, Ochako could see. She paused to remember, wanting to be as honest and straightforward as she could. “That you already are a hero?”
He shook his head. “That—that I c-could’ve been a hero with-without a quirk,” he said, voice getting smaller and smaller as he spoke. It broke her heart to see him so fragile. However, there was really only one answer to that question.
“Deku, you are the smartest, kindest, bravest person I have ever met. If anyone could do the impossible, it would be you. And I wasn’t lying when I said you were already a hero. You’ve got the heart of one, no matter what quirk you do or don’t have.”
The tears came down in earnest then. He didn’t even bother to hide them as they came streaming down his cheeks. But these were happy tears. She could see the life in his emerald eyes, the relief her answer seemed to have brought him. It was like he hadn’t been told that before. There was so much raw gratefulness in his posture and expression that it almost hurt. But then he smiled, bright and hopeful, and it was like the sun bursting forth from behind the clouds.
Ochako smiled back. They didn’t speak. No words were needed. But she reached out and rubbed a hand in circles on his back until the tears slowed to a stop, and he leaned into the simple affection. It had warmth blooming in her chest that he would accept such a small comfort, especially after watching him flinch from her touch from time to time.
They sat for a while after he regained his composure. She was about to mention finishing their errand, but he spoke up before she could.
“Hey, Uraraka?”
“Yeah, Deku?”
“I-I know you said that I didn’t have to tell you anything…” he started, then looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. Hesitant. She hummed, encouraging him to continue. “But…I think I trust you enough to tell you. Ah, about…well, can we talk somewhere private?” he asked.
Somewhat surprised, and more than a little curious, Ochako tilted her head and studied him briefly. “Sure, Deku. It sounds like something important. Are you sure you’re ready to tell me? I mean, I don’t wanna force you just ‘cause of what those bullies said…”
But he shook his head fervently. “You deserve to know.”
Her phone pinged with a message from Aizawa—an acknowledgement, and a simple reminder to be back on campus before curfew. A follow-up message asked if he was needed, but Ochako replied that they were doing alright and they just needed some time to talk it out. With that taken care of, she accepted the hand offered to help her up, leading her to a walkway that connected to an old, trash covered beach.
Which is why, when the sand and gentle waves came into view, she stopped abruptly. “Wait. Is this Dagoba? I thought it was a dumping spot.”
“It was. I—ah, I actually…cleaned it,” he admitted with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head. “I figured this was a good spot to explain everything to you. This is kind of where my journey to UA started, about ten months before the entrance exam, when I met All Might—well, actually I met him before on my walk home…”
And so he spoke, and she listened, only interjecting to ask a question or to let out a shocked exclamation. She felt her mouth drop open more than once and had to take a moment when she learned he got his quirk on the day of the entrance exam!? He saved her with a quirk manifestation!!
Silence came eventually, and she took a moment to process. He let her, despite fidgeting nervously. Her mind was stuck on one thought, though, and she let him know what it was. “You really are amazing, Deku.”
It was like watching a record scratch. He froze, his face blank in utter confusion as he made a sort of strangled, “Huh?”
She couldn’t help it; she laughed brightly and clutched his upper arm. His rapidly reddening face flushed even brighter.
“You’re amazing! You’ve done so much in such a short time!” She laughed again. “You know, I think Aizawa-sensei might be right. I think you are a trouble magnet!”
“W-wait, Uraraka, I don’t—I mean, it’s never on purpose—not really, I just, I can’t just stand by, you know, and—”
She squeezed his arm to pull his attention back. “It’s okay, Deku. I’m just teasing you!”
“O-oh.” He sagged a bit in relief before turning to her with another sheepish grin. “Well, I guess you’re partially right, at least.”
“Uh-huh, and we all love you for it,” she replied. Then another thought struck. “Wait—speaking of Aizawa-sensei and everyone else, who else knows about this?”
Deku gave a small shrug. “Not many people. All Might wanted it to be kept a secret. Principal Nezu knows, and so does Recovery Girl. All Might, of course, and Gran Torino, the hero I interned with, and I think Detective Tsukauchi knows too. Oh, and Kacchan. He found out mostly by himself, but I couldn’t really hide it from him, since we grew up together.”
Ochako blinked. “That’s a short list. Wait—you haven’t told Aizawa-sensei?”
“No.” He winced. “I…haven’t had the best relationship with teachers in the past. I didn’t really think he liked me that much at first.”
Ochako punched him lightly in the shoulder. “You know he’s just a big grumpy teddy bear! He really cares a lot about us.”
Deku nodded in agreement. “I know that now, yeah. I guess…I’m just kinda scared. What if he thinks less of me? I kept it a secret from him for so long. Would he feel like—well, he might. I did kinda lie to him about it a bit. Not intentionally!” He waved his hands around, as if warding something away from his face. “I never really meant to mislead him! I just didn’t feel like it was my secret to share, and I didn’t think he’d believe me or think I was worth keeping in his classanymoreandIwasscaredhe’dexpellme—”
“Deku.” Ochako laid her other hand on his wildly waving forearm. “It’s okay. I get it. But I think you should let him know now. He wants to help you, and you deserve it. If you want, I could come with you to talk to him.”
His eyes grew glassy with tears again. “You’d do that for me?”
“Of course!” Ochako exclaimed. “You’re my best friend! I’ll always be willing to help you. With anything.”
His hand went to his chin, and he leaned subtly against her shoulder as his brows furrowed into his thinking face. She went silent and still, allowing him to process and consider like he was so good at doing. A shaky resolve appeared on his face, and he looked at her and nodded. The fire was back in his eyes.
“Alright. I’ll tell him, if you’ll come with me.”
“Of course!”
Then he smiled at her, big and bright. “Thank you, Uraraka. You’re a good friend.”
She smiled back at him and, in a moment of boldness, laid her head on his shoulder. It was only for a second, but she hoped it could convey all the feelings of fondness that she couldn’t put into words. Then her brain caught up with her actions, and she straightened in a rush and tugged on his wrist again. “Come on, Deku. We almost forgot to get the groceries!”
He laughed freely. “Oh, right. Lead the way!”