Chapter Text
༶ ⋆. · ༶ ❀ ༶ · .⋆ ༶
There were mornings that were always going to be worse than others. There were work shifts that were always going to be worse than others. There were just things that were always going to just be worse. It was the worst, that's just the way things were. No use in getting worked up about it.
That's what Ochaco told herself everyday. She had to. It kept her sane, to an extent. Her office job kept food on the table, when she had time to go out to buy groceries, and people respected her there and always went to her for help. It felt good to be relied on… except for the part about being asked to work overtime almost everyday-
Okay, not almost. It was everyday.
She couldn’t even remember when the last time was she could actually say she had a day off. On Sundays, despite it being her official day off during the week, she was regularly called in by panicking interns and higher-ups because no one else was apparently reliable or skilled enough to do the work. That wasn't pride talking either, that was what her boss said. Reasonably so, she was given a hefty raise, not that it made things better for her at home.
She lived alone. Nothing ever got done at home. She'd get laundry done, but that was out of necessity.
Gloom seemed to loom around her like a depressed, shadowy ghost, and it made the other people around her feel down as well. She regretted taking the train because that always seemed to happen when she was around. She internally apologized, the gloom only becoming thicker, weighing heavily on her shoulders, and figuratively on her heart.
Yeah, today was getting pretty close to being one of those worst days…
༶ ⋆. · ༶ ❀ ༶ · .⋆ ༶
The spirit beamed once he found his ward's apartment. A nice small one that saved money and was the perfect size for two people to live comfortably, if they didn't mind one another. His white-tipped, fluffy green tail wagged in a gentle sway and his dark ears matching his green curls twitched as he grinned. 'Hope she'll get used to being around me… after all, I'm gonna be pampering her and softening that stubborn heart of hers! Speaking of which… time to get started!'
And with that, the fox pushed up the sleeves of his haori and leapt through the door, an easy feat for a spiritual being-!! He gagged a bit at the stuffiness, too used to constant fresh air. He immediately knew just by a glance that things needed to get dusted and vacuumed ASAP.
His ears flattened back as he mused out loud, "H-ho boy… this might be a bit more challenging than I thought…"
༶ ⋆. · ༶ ❀ ༶ · .⋆ ༶
Ochaco had to ride the late train that night. She was held up again to help finish a project that was messed up last second. 'I missed dinner again … I don't know how long I can keep this up…' She swayed with exhaustion as she trudged home, not even brightening up when she saw her thankfully close apartment complex in sight.
She climbed up the outdoor stairwell, her stomach growling loudly at her for not filling it, even if just with junk food. She mumbled bitterly to herself, "At least I'm hydrated…?"
A heavenly scent wafted through the air.
It wasn't just her hunger talking either; whoever was having dinner right now knew how to freaking cook!! The mouthwatering smell only became stronger once she reached the second floor walkway, feeling herself practically floating along after the scent. "Man, that smells delicious… I'm a little jealous-" Her stomach growled more loudly, and she grimaced, "Okay, really jealous-?"
She had unlocked her door and began to push it open, when she noticed light coming from inside. "That's funny… normally I'm really good about turning everything off before leaving…" She felt dread seep into her being, "So I’ve started losing it after a-"
"Oh, good! You're finally home, Uraraka-san! Welcome!"
Ochaco froze, gawking at the tall man (she was a little short, but this guy was at least 180 centimeters!!) standing in the mini kitchen leading into her apartment- wait, was it her place!?!? She cried out, "S-SORRY!! W-WRONG APARTMENT!!" She slammed the door shut-
That’s when it finally hit: not only had her key worked, but her name plaque was right there next to the door!! 'What the Hell!?'
She slowly reopened the door with a creak, just to be greeted jovially by the man yet again. He giggled with a smile as he spoke, "You're back! I was wondering why you suddenly left again! This is your apartment, silly!"
This time, she got a good look at him… and the massive tail swishing behind him as he wagged it, with black tipped ears to match. He wore a beautiful, teal haori with sakura petals blowing in the wind and bamboo shoots in the design, tanzaku of different pastel colors hanging on the branches like during Tanabata. The obi and hakama were both grey and the kimono itself was a creamy white; simple, yet beautifully constructed. Red strings that had a hint of a metallic shimmer to them hung loosely around as decorative ornaments, tied together in a loose bow that seemed to defy gravity as it held shape like that of a clover.
He was like a viridian-eyed prince standing before her, wearing the finest, ornamental clothing, with fox ears and a tail. Even with his unruly mess of curly green locks on his head, he seemed so…
‘Angelic…’ Ochaco squeaked a bit, muttering to herself, "I-I must be dreaming… o-or hallucinating, or something…!!"
The man came bounding over with energy that rivaled a small child's, matching the brightness in his eyes that somehow seemed to glow harlequin green with his excitement. He beamed as he took her heavy work bag right from out of her hands, "Here! You're completely exhausted! It's a good thing that I finished making dinner just nOW-!!" He yelped when she snatched the bag back from him and shoved him outside.
Ochaco quickly slammed the door shut, her breathing a bit labored, since it was unsurprisingly hard to shove the much larger stranger outside- honestly, she was still amazed she’d been able to touch the man at all! The very instant his fingers brushed against her own had been the strike of lightning she needed in order to act. She grimaced, refusing to fully accept what just happened, that he was real and tangible, as she locked the door, "I'm gonna have to make sure the lock on my window isn't broken…” she chuckled darkly, turning away towards the main room, “or maybe I'm just losing my mind and this is all just some crazy dream-!!"
"Okay, that was a little rude… but I guess I can understand why you’d react like-" The man's ears flattened when Ochaco let out a screech. "… that."
Well, he was doing something rather startling by phasing through the door part way, so her freaking out was understandable too. "Sorry… I forget sometimes that this isn't normal. Everyone else does it so much at home…" He fully stepped through the door so he was no longer a disembodied head from her perspective. "You should have seen me when I first became a fox spirit! I used to stumble right through walls all the time by accident!"
His melodious chortles rang out, Ochaco somehow catching that, without any indication, his seemingly good natured (yet suspiciously mischievous) merriment brightened the room. She couldn't help but calm down within his overwhelmingly warm presence, disarmed even despite the scare from his head popping through the door. She gulped, still clinging onto her anxiety like a shield for a semblance of willpower. "S-so, what even are you? A-are you… like a-a ghost or somethin’??"
He paused, blinking a little bit as he tilted his head, his ears following the direction of the tilt just like some of his dark green curls. He pondered on it for a moment, before chuckling, "Yeah! ‘guess I kinda am! A-although, I never…” he shuddered, “I-I'm not a spirit in that sense." He waved his hands to diffuse the situation, before clapping them together, "But enough of that, just for now! I’m here because you need my help-! Oh! Case in point, I made you dinner because you need to eat!" He pointed directly at her stomach that, right on cue, rumbled loudly with another, angry growl, one that she had to clench at her belly.
However, Ochaco wasn't concerned about herself in this situation; not in the slightest. This stranger, who made clear that he was indeed a magical being, was still invading her home!! Regaining control of herself, not allowing his radiance to ease her any further, she bristled at being told what to do by him, "L-look!! I don't know or care who you are, or if you're even real !! I can't just have some random person in my home!! You need to-"
She stopped mid-demand when she saw how utterly dejected the fox-man looked, his ears and tail drooping, even the red strings of his garments losing their aloft placement. It was as if she were looking upon the epitome of sadness.
He mumbled softly as tears pricked at the sides of his eyes that became clouded, no longer aglow, "S-so… you don't want the dinner that I made for you? Even though I poured my heart and soul into making it?" Before she could say anything, he walked over to the pot that was filled with stewing broth, getting ready to dump it. He looked up at her with pain in his eyes as a tear rolled down his freckled cheek, whimpering softly as he looked back and forth at her and the pot, a pleading look that was just so freaking painful to look at…
"OKAY!!" Ochaco cried out, gripping locks of her hair with both of her hands, "Okay, you win!! D-don’t waste it!! J-just stop whining, already!! Please!! It's killing me…”
Having won the battle with the back-handed use of emotional warfare, the fox grinned with a coy glint in his eyes and his returned, ethereal glow… though, the tears were apparently one hundred percent real. He sniffled a bit as he wiped them away with a palm, "I think I would have actually keeled over if I really had to waste all of this precious food. Again, I made it special just for you." He corrected the pot in its original place on the stove top, before turning to her, "Now please, Uraraka-san; go sit at the table! I’ve already set up for us both!"
She didn't know why, but again she felt compelled to obey his gently (if not eagerly) given order. It wasn't that he was directly controlling her (well, ignoring him being manipulative, since he knew she was already a total sucker for that cute act; damn it all), but she felt that it was okay to do what he wanted. It didn’t seem like he had genuinely malicious intent, and if he wanted to do something, she knew now there was no stopping him…
‘Might as well go along for the ride,’ She internally mumbled, allowing the savory scent of the meal to win her over; not his charming her, only the food. And it would be nice, having a home cooked meal for once. 'I can't even remember the last time I actually sat down for a meal…!!'
On the table sat a beautiful, traditional pot that most likely had freshly steamed rice inside. There were two sets of bowls with ornamental designs and carved chopsticks that she knew for a fact were made with a master carver’s expertise, since the broader ends had the tiniest designs etched into the wood she could see even at a glance. "W-woah…!"
The fox spirit chuckled from behind, "Hey now, I need to bring the stew over to the table!"
"O-oh! Sorry…" She went over to her spot and knelt down on the cushion. She watched as he set the pot down on its own designated stone-rest, before kneeling not across from her, but to her right. There was a comfortable space between them, but she didn’t miss the fact that he was keeping her just outside of his reach…
And his intentions were made perfectly clear, when without any hesitation, he took up her bowl before she even had a chance to serve herself. She was about to stop him, but he spoke up first, "Please! Allow me to serve you!" His fluffy tail gently thumped on the floor repeatedly as he lifted the rice pot’s lid, "It's my pleasure to be of service to you; you needn’t worry!" As if his statement wasn’t as profound as it truly was, he started chattering away about the rice being brown, wild rice instead, as it had other health benefits she currently needed, trailing off about the other herbs he used in the stew itself to help her regain her strength.
She was rendered dumbfounded. 'Be of service… wh-what?? To me!? Why is he treating me so well!? What could he possibly get out of-!!' "W-woah! Easy on the rice mountain, there!! I can't eat all of that !!" She gawked at the huge portion of rice he gave her.
He frowned with his eyebrows drawn in, but his expression turned nonchalant as he shrugged, "You need to try and eat as much as you can. You've been seriously hurting your body by not eating anything healthy all those nights in a row, if you even ate at all! I need to make sure I get you back on track!" He flicked his tail in an annoyed fashion, his ears folded back as his eyes locked with hers, which she noticed had white pupils like stars set in green gems, "So don't question my given portions! Just eat what you can, and don't leave this table until you're stuffed!"
Ochaco winced, feeling a tad embarrassed that he was right on the money. She felt her cheeks heat up as she grumpily accepted his terms in silence. When he set down her bowl of the stewed meal, it suddenly dawned on her that she still had no idea who he even was! "W-who are you? Why are you even doing this??"
The fox paused his process of serving himself food, when he answered happily without a single ounce of his previous stern demeanor, "Oh! That was pretty stupid of me to forget!" He placed a palm over his chest, "I just go by Deku. I'm a fox spirit who serves under God, and now I serve you! I was chosen to protect you, like a guardian angel, if you want to call me that-!!" His breath hitched, clearing his throat before nervously chuckling, "Th-though I'm hardly deserving of that title."
His shy tone faltered, a rather somber expression left behind as he set down his own bowl. Humming with a melancholic tone, he asked her, "You've noticed it, haven't you? That grim feeling that seems to linger around you?"
Ochaco felt herself shrink back. Yeah… she knew exactly what he was talking abou-?
She perked up in place, even patting her chest down when the sudden realization something was missing rushed over her, "Wait a… f-for once, I-I can't feel it! It feels like… I can breathe again-!!" She looked up at him and immediately knew her hunch was correct the whole time when she saw his smile return, visibly filled with more pride than before, "You!! You really are doing that!!"
"Mhm. You caught me." He held up his hands in mock surrender, giggling as he went back to serving his own food. "It's my job to take care of you now, so that nothing bad happens to you again." He looked up again at her once he finished, "Okay! Enough talk; let's eat while it’s hot!" He clapped his hands together and thanked God for the meal.
Ochaco did the same, before looking down at the beautifully cooked food that smelled so good… she hummed in delight at the first bite, awestruck by the deliciousness. "Wow… yummy~" She did her best not to look like a slob, but she couldn't help herself from digging in.
Deku beamed as he watched her chow down, beginning to eat as well. He was thrilled it turned out so delicious, proud that he could make her feel better already. As he ate, Ochaco looked up to see literal sparkles form in the air around them, motes of light fluttering around him in the form of gentle shimmering. He was an ethereal being, no doubt about it as he sat there shining like a star.
One that was set on making her happier.
Okay… maybe today wasn't the worst day ever.
༶ ⋆. · ༶ ❀ ༶ · .⋆ ༶