Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Easy Bakugo," Ochako said to her horse as she pulled on the reins. 

The horse stubbornly refused at first, but eventually relented, stopping at the top of the hill. Easing her grip on the reins, Ochako took the chance to survey the valley below.

"Tatooin Station," Ochako mumbled to herself. "Feels like a storm's coming, and I'd rather not get caught out in it." She let out a resigned sigh. "Well 'Human Disaster,' let's see if you can hold off for one more day."

Kicking the sides of her mount, she descended into the outpost.

The bar fell silent as Ochako opened the door. She'd like to think it was because she cut an imposing figure. Wearing a black leather jacket and knee-high black boots helped her give off an aura of menace, but the pink dress shirt and leather pants she was wearing would ruin that image.

It was probably the minigun strapped to her back, she decided. It was always the minigun. Especially since it always felt larger than it was strapped to her small frame.

Once everyone decided she wasn't here for them, they relaxed and went back to their drinks and conversation. Ochako smirked and shook her head. While there were probably bounties in the crowd, none were worth her time.

No, right now she was after a much larger bounty.

Crossing the space, she found the innkeeper to rent a room and order food before she retired from the main floor. She'd rather not cause any trouble. Another time perhaps, but she knew that a bounty hunter's presence was tolerated at best in the outposts and waystations. So for now, she'd play by the unspoken rules and keep her head down.

After getting settled in she pulled out her minicomp and reviewed the information Toru had sent her.

Izuku Midoriya. Nicknamed the 'Human Disaster,' his appearance always spelled trouble. Within a few days of his arrival, some major disaster inevitably befell the town. Sometimes a massive sinkhole opens up, sometimes an earthquake brings buildings down, and in one case a massive electrical storm tore through the city's industrial district. While human casualties were often minimal, the damage to the town was always catastrophic. Afterward, he always came out of hiding. He claimed that he wanted to 'help,' only to be chased off. And then he disappeared until the cycle repeats.

Because of that, his bounty has currently reached one billion credits. More than enough to save her town from the effects of desertification.

"And now you popped up in Mustafu," Ochako mumbled to herself as she reviewed the report Toru had sent her. "As much as I'd like to make it tonight…" She looked out the window as the sand and dust swirled outside. "Nobody wants to get caught out in a storm."

Turning her minicomp off, Ochako set it down on the nightstand. "Hopefully even you won't do something dumb in this storm, and have the good sense to wait until morning."

Crawling into bed, Ochako gripped the locket around her neck, she opened it and smiled at the picture contained within.

"Don't worry Ma, don't worry Pa. I'll help save the town."

The noontime sun was bearing down on the town of Mustafu, causing many to seek shelter indoors. That was perfect for the man currently sitting in the corner of Takoba Diner, enjoying his fried pork bowl. Despite his fluffy green hair, bright red shoes, and green duster giving him a distinct appearance, the other patrons minded their own business. Not even his prosthetic left arm caused people to give him more than a second look. Despite being larger than his arm, looking oversized on his lanky frame it had a sleek design of shifting black metal with green energy lines tracing along it.

And so he enjoyed the few moments of peace before he had to go to work.

Unfortunately, not everyone was content to ignore him.

A hush fell over the diner as the door slammed open, grabbing everyone's attention. The petite silhouette in the doorway stepped through, and Ochako began to search the diner for her target.

"Human Disaster, I'm taking you in."

Suddenly Izuku felt a dozen eyes on him. Of course it wouldn't last. Slowly pushing his chair back, he stood up and turned around. At the sight of Ochako he felt himself blushing.

"Who are you?" Izuku asked slowly.

"Ochako Uraraka," the woman smirked. "A-Rank Bounty Hunter."

Why is it always the cute ones?

"I-I don't want to fight you!" Izuku threw up his hands defensively. "Can't we talk about this instead?"

"And let you cause another disaster?" Ochako frowned and shook her head. "We can talk on the way back to the Commission."

Raising her right hand, Izuku's eyes went wide as he saw the white bubble-shaped gauntlet aimed right at him. He dove to the floor as he saw her fire four grapple cables from the device, the attack flying harmlessly over his head.

"You're willing to fight me in here?!" Izuku exclaimed from his position on the floor.

"What do you think I am, some kind of amateur?" Ochako sounded insulted as she stepped into the tavern and retracted her cables.

Looking around frantically, Izuku's face lit up when he found an escape route. Scrambling across the floor, he slipped under the counter before he stood up and dashed toward the door to the kitchen.

"Excuse me!" Izuku shouted as he shoved the door open. Dashing through, he turned around to close the door, only to see Ochako leaping over the counter to follow him.

Rather than wait around, he turned around and dashed through the kitchen, hearing the shouts from the two cooks as he searched for the exit. He found it just as he heard the door slam open a second time, Ochako's voice calling for him to stop. Not planning to listen, he grabbed the door with his prosthetic hand.

Locked.

Frowning, Izuku pushed harder. The lines of green energy briefly flared as extra power flowed into his arm until the lock gave way under the force and shattered.

"I'll pay for that later!" Izuku threw the apology over his shoulder before he stepped out into the alleyway and continued running.

"You get back here!" Ochako demanded as she chased him onto the street. As she watched him running away from her, shooting the occasional glance over his shoulder, she let out a resigned sigh. "Guess you want to do this the hard way, then."

Unhooking the minigun from her back, she gripped it in both hands. Quietly thankful that she remembered to load it with nonlethal rounds this morning, she pulled the trigger and felt the gun spin up in her hands before she unleashed a hail of bullets.

As he heard the distinct sounds of gunfire, Izuku dared a quick glance over his shoulder, his eyes going wide at the sight. "What do you think you're doing?!" He exclaimed. His left eye flared with a green light, bright enough to be noticed in the bright sun as he began dodging the hail of gunfire. "This is dangerous!"

"You're dangerous!" Ochako retorted, refusing to let up her assault.

"Someone could get hurt!" Izuku shot back.

"The whole town's gonna get hurt if I don't stop you."

"The town…" Izuku's eyes went wide as he spun around and slid to a stop. "You've got it all wrong!"

"That's funny coming from you," Ochako released the trigger, feeling the barrel winding down as she raised her left hand. "You're not exactly doing a great job of proving your innocence, ya know!"

Izuku saw his opponent aiming her cable launcher at him. "I don't have time for this…" He muttered to himself as he drew his gun.

Eye flaring a second time, he aimed his gun and fired just as Ochako launched her cables. Projectiles sailed past each other, but Izuku's bullet was faster, striking the gauntlet and destroying it.

"What– how?!" Ochako grimaced as she watched one of her gauntlets shatter, the remains falling harmlessly to the ground. Grimacing, she shifted her grip on her weapon. "I'm not done yet!"

Izuku stared in disbelief as she wound up and threw her minigun at him like it was some sort of baseball. With an undignified squeak, he jumped out of the way, listening to the gun as it hit the ground and clattered away from him.

"Got you!" Ochako yelled as she grabbed his arm.

"How did you–" Izuku started before he felt her twist his arm and slam him to the ground.

"I'm not an A-Rank for nothing," Ochako said with a smirk as she pressed her knee to the small of his back. "And electromagnetic accelerators in my boots. They're really useful when I need a quick burst of speed."

Izuku squirmed in an attempt to escape, only to find Ochako's grip tightening on him. "You've gotta let me go!"

"Not happening," Ochako said as she shifted her weight to pin him more firmly. "I'm not letting you bring disaster to another town!"

"No! You've got it all wrong!" Izuku protested. "If you don't let me go, everyone's gonna be in danger!"

"Just like all the other places you've been to?" Ochako said accusingly.

"If you'd just let me explain–" Izuku started only for his arm to emit an angry beeping as a holographic projector activated. "Oh no. It's too late."

"Too late for–" Ochako's words were cut off as she felt a rumbling underneath them, much like the start of an earthquake. Glaring, she looked down at Izuku. "What'd you do!"

"I didn't do anything!" Izuku said. "I've been trying to tell you that I'm here to stop this!"

"Stop it?" Ochako blinked in confusion.

Taking the opportunity, Izuku's arm flared in green light as he pushed himself off the ground, casually throwing Ochako off of him. She landed on her butt with an undignified squawk. Looking sheepishly down at her, he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, but I don't have any time to explain. A Nomu's activated." He began scanning the surrounding town. "I've gotta stop it."

"A Nomu?" Ochako asked as she pushed herself upright, trying to salvage what was left of her dignity. "What's that?"

"An ancient bioweapon," Izuku grimaced as he looked at the hologram that was currently hovering over his arm. "Without instructions, it will just rampage uncontrollably until it's stopped." Walking over to his gun he picked it up, shooting her an apologetic look. "Sorry, but I need to do this."

"Hey–" Ochako protested as she took a step towards him.

"You go help the townsfolk evacuate!" Izuku said before he took off down the street.

Ochako blinked in surprise. "Why me?!"

"I saw what you can do," Izuku had the nerve to send her a warm smile over his shoulder. "I know you can keep them safe!"

Ochako stared in disbelief as he ran down the street until the side of a building exploded. She raised her arms to shield her face, feeling the dust and wind from the force of the blow even from over a hundred feet away. Lowering her arms and opening her eyes, she gasped at the sight.

Standing in the middle of the street was a literal monster. A hulking monstrosity that stood about twelve feet tall, its massive muscular form covered in shimmering black skin that seemed to absorb sunlight. And its face… a massive metallic beak sat where its nose and mouth should be, its wide eyes glowing with a menacing red light. At the top of its head, she saw another ring of metal that gave way to a glass dome that glowed with a similarly menacing red light.

Raising his gun, Ochako watched as Izuku rapidly fired seven more shots with deadly accuracy. If he was facing a normal person, any one of those bullets would have been enough to disable them. But it seemed to do little more than annoy the Nomu. It turned its deadly gaze toward the green-haired man and opened its mouth to let out a challenging inhuman roar.

Ochako felt herself gasp as she watched it charge Izuku. Moving almost faster than her trained eye could keep up with, she watched it close the distance in a heartbeat, throwing a meaty punch at the man. Izuku responded by raising his prosthetic arm, once again glowing bright green as it intercepted the attack. The mechanical arm absorbed the brunt of the force. But it wasn't enough and as she watched he was sent flying, the sound of wood splintering filling the air as he crashed into a nearby building.

Move!

Ordering her body to act, Ochako pushed herself forward, retrieving her minigun. She was about to use it when something caught her attention.

The sound of a little girl crying.

Head whipping around, she found the source of the cry. In a nearby alleyway, he saw a little girl who had tripped and fell, kneeling on the ground with skinned knees. At the other end, she saw what must be the woman's mother looking on in terror.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only person who heard the noise. Ice filled her veins as she saw the Nomu turn its attention to the girl. Not wasting any time, Ochako activated the electromagnetic accelerators in her boots. A fancy device she picked up from the infamous Mei Hatsume, the system consisted of a series of disks in the soles of her boots that, when activated, make her as light as a feather, allowing her to move considerably faster.

Of course, being from Mei meant she could only use the disks for a few seconds at a time, lest she risk them exploding on her. But it was more than enough time to save the child. Suddenly feeling lighter, she dashed toward the girl, reaching her first as she scooped her up in a free hand.

"I've got you!" Ochako promised.

And not a moment too soon. She mentally appended as she heard the rush of wind behind her from the onrushing Nomu.

"How is something so big this fast?" Ochako exclaimed in disbelief as she continued forward. She only had another second before she had to turn off her boots. After that…

Her worries were abated as she heard a crash behind her - and Izuku's voice.

"I'll hold it off, you keep going!"

Not bothering to look back, Ochako grabbed the mother and continued forward. Even as her boots cut off she used the momentum to carry her forward out of the alley. There she saw a handful of people on the streets wondering what the commotion was.

Carrying them several more yards to where the others were congregating, Ochako finally set the two down. "Tell everyone to get to safety," Ochako ordered. "You saw that thing. Stay off the streets and get as far away from here as you can."

"What are you going to do?" The mother asked Ochako.

Looking behind her, Ochako watched as Izuku was thrown out of the alleyway and slammed into another building. Grimacing, she unholstered her minigun and removed the drum.

"I'm going to deal with the disaster," She said definitively.

Grabbing a different drum from her belt, she slammed it into place and leveled the gun at the Nomu. She dared a glance behind her to ensure that the people were fleeing before she once again pulled the trigger of the weapon. Unlike Izuku, the creature didn't dodge and she watched as dozens of her anti-armor rounds pierced the blackened hide of the creature before they exploded inside of it, causing its shell to bubble and burst outward, exposing damaged circuitry.

It seemed to do the trick and the creature slowed before grinding to a halt. With a grin on her face, she let go of the trigger before cautiously making her way to where Izuku was pulling himself out of the debris.

"This is your so-called town destroyer?"

"Look again," Izuku mumbled as he reloaded his weapon and aimed it at the creature.

Ochako turned and felt the smile wipe itself off of her face at the sight. The creature was already regenerating! The circuitry was rebuilding itself and she saw its armored hide slowly contracting and reforming. Some parts didn't even look like she damaged them at all!

Bringing her minigun back up, she opened fire only for the creature to roar defiantly and stare at her with those murderous red eyes. Before she could react she felt the impact as the creature slammed into her, sending her flying. The wind was knocked out of her lungs as she slammed into a building, thankful that she just heard the sound of wood groaning and splintering and not anything else.

Falling to the ground, she was lucky to land on her hands and knees, and not in an inglorious mess of limbs. Time seemed to slow down as she took unsteady breaths. As she looked up, she saw Izuku, now unconstrained by having to protect people, locked in a deadly dance with the Nomu.

His eye, blazing with green fire as he landed a precision shot, the shell causing a small eruption underneath its armored skin.

A meaty obsidian fist trying to strike a blow, only to be blocked by his oversized hand canon.

Izuku, his arm ablaze in green light as he punched the creature, nearly severing its arm.

The creature took another swing, only for Izuku to nimbly dodge out of the way.

And with every blow traded, the circle of destruction grew wider.

No wonder catastrophe followed Izuku everywhere. Ochako thought sluggishly to herself as she closed her eyes. If this is what he's been fighting…

She was forced to admit that maybe she was wrong about him.

Opening her eyes, she finally pushed herself onto unsteady feet. Taking a couple of shaky steps forward, she noticed a glint of light reflecting off a nearby roof. Looking up, she saw an elderly man hunkered behind a sign, watching in terror. Frowning, she knew she had to rescue him - if the fighting reached where he was hiding…

Pushing aside her thought, she raised her remaining gauntlet and fired her capture cables at the man. She smiled as they landed true and wrapped around him. Silently apologizing to him, she tried to reel him in as gently as she could, pulling him off of the roof. As he fell she rushed underneath him, using the retracting cables to ensure that he landed in her arms.

"Let's get you out of here," She said quietly, before ducking into a nearby alleyway. She felt her legs burning as she carried the man several blocks to a member of the town's militia. "Get him out of here."

"What's going on?"

"It's under control," Ochako gave him a reassuring smile. Or she hoped it was reassuring. Given what she thought her current appearance was she couldn't be so sure. "I'm going back to help finish it off."

The man tried to protest, but Ochako ignored it as she turned around and ran back toward Izuku and that creature, already reloading her minigun while rushing back toward the sound of the fighting. She already felt herself slowing down and cursed her body - these people were counting on her! She could rest once the town was safe.

She returned to the scene of battle just in time to see the monster wrap a massive claw around Izuku's prosthetic arm. A look of surprise flashed across his face just before he was thrown into a building, practically bringing a wall down in the process. She felt a pit growing in her stomach as she scanned the debris, looking for some sign that he was okay.

A moment later she saw movement, and then Izuku staggered out of the ruins. His unruly hair was matted and clung to his face and he was covered in dirt and grime.

But he wasn't alone.

In his arms, he held an unconscious woman.

The Nomu sensed his vulnerability, its eyes narrowing as it prepared to charge. Izuku seemed to understand this as well, closing his eyes and turning around, ready to use himself as a human shield to protect her.

"No!" Ochako shouted.

Without thinking she activated her acceleration system as she charged forward, her gun blazing as she positioned herself between Izuku and the Nomu. Holding her ground, she kept the trigger depressed as she fired round after round into the advancing creature, hoping to stop it.

She felt a brief moment of elation as the creature seemed to pause right in front of her, only for it to quickly be replaced by terror as the creature grabbed her and lifted her as if she weighed nothing. Panicking, she tried to swing her gun around in an attempt to get a shot. She pulled the trigger, feeling the barrels spinning up when the creature grabbed her wrist with a free hand.

Ochako cried out in pain as she felt the monster's grip tighten, her gun slipping from her grasp and clattering to the ground right before she felt the monster snap her wrist.

But he wasn't done. As she thrashed about trying to free herself, she felt the Nomu pulling on her arm, fully extending it out despite her best efforts.

And then she saw its mouth open.

"No! Nononono–" Ochako repeated the words helplessly as she watched his beak close in on her shoulder.

She never knew she could scream this loud as one second she felt its metallic beak on her arm, a brief moment of pain, and then – nothing. She stared in horror as the creature tossed her limp arm aside before tossing her away like a broken doll. She felt herself bouncing helplessly along the ground before she finally skidded to a stop.

"My… my arm…"

With irregular breathing, she looked down at the bloody stump where her arm used to be. She could feel herself getting colder, but her brain was laser-focused on the empty space where her arm should be.

A loud cracking sound finally broke her out of the cycle. Whipping her head around, she saw Izuku as he approached the Nomu.

And he looked angry.

Darkness was clawing at the edge of her vision, and Ochako tried to stay awake - she knew how bad it would be if she fell unconscious. Using Izuku like a lifeline, she tried her hardest to watch as she saw his eye and left arm were ablaze in green light before that light slowly spread across the rest of his body.

"Who… are… you?" Ochako asked weakly.

She feared she would never get the answer as her eyelids grew heavier. Despite her best efforts, she found herself losing the battle as darkness consumed her vision, blurring out the battle. Finally giving in, she allowed her eyes to close, voicing her final regrets.

"...sorry …Ma …sorry …Pa…"

Ochako dreamed of many things. Her parents as they slowly fell victim to the harsh desert conditions. Of the many bounties she had brought in over the last five years of her meteoric career.

Of a black demon consuming her arm.

And a green-haired angel as he gently wrapped her up and carried her off.

Chapter Text

Eventually, she started to hear the sound of beeping. Like if she was in a hospital. As time passed more and more sensations started to come back, and she felt stiff and sore - especially her right arm, which felt strange and heavy.

Soon enough, she tried to open her eyes, only to snap them shut immediately as she saw a too-bright light overhead.

"You're awake!" Izuku said in relief.

Hearing the voice of her latest bounty caused her eyes to snap open again. Bolting upright, she saw Izuku sitting next to her in a swivel chair, his face far too close for her liking. "You!" She exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at him only to freeze.

She was pointing with her right hand.

Her very prosthetic right hand.

"Sorry, I didn't have a chance to ask you," Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "But I um, maybe sorta-kinda brought you back to my ship to give you a prosthetic arm?"

"You WHAT?!" Ochako exclaimed.

"I promise I was respectful!" Izuku's face turned bright red as he spun around and looked away.

Ochako felt her face burning as she looked down. Sure enough, her shirt and pants had been replaced with a loose-fitting tank top and a pair of comfortable shorts. Looking down at her arm and legs she saw numerous scrapes and bruises - nothing she hadn't dealt with before. Then, after working up her courage she finally forced her eyes to her right shoulder. There she saw the upper part of her shoulder – well, what was left of it, at least - was covered in a dark metallic plating that served as a connector to her new arm.

Her new prosthetic arm.

Her eyes drifted down it as she examined her new limb. It didn't quite feel right, but as she flexed and twisted her arm and hand it responded just as she expected it to. Its design was similar to the one Izuku wore on his left side, with two significant differences: First, the plates and energy lines that covered her limb were pink, instead of green. And second was its size. Now that Izuku had removed his trenchcoat and sat there in a form-fitting tee shirt, she noticed that his arm was bulkier than his right arm - like it was a size or two too big for his lanky form. Her prosthetic, on the other hand, was a perfect match for her left arm. If she wore sleeves and gloves nobody would ever know it was fake.

"After seeing what you did I couldn't just let you die," Izuku said softly, his head half-turned in her direction. "So I brought you back to my ship to help you. Once you were stable I gave you a prosthetic as a way of saying sorry… and thanks."

"Sorry for what?" Ochako asked in confusion.

"Sorry for dragging you into my mess," Izuku said softly.

"The Nomu?"

"Yeah…" Izuku stood up and walked over to a small computer terminal.

As he typed she saw a panel slide away to reveal a monitor. He then pulled up a map with various locations marked on it. Ochako's brows furrowed as she tried to figure out why it felt so familiar until it hit her.

"Those are all the towns that suffered disasters! Disasters attributed to you!"

Izuku winced at the accusation. "I tried my best to avoid damaging the towns! But well… you saw what happened today."

Ochako's brows furrowed as she tried to put everything together. The towns… the Nomu… This… ship?! Whatever technology Izuku had access to, it was far more advanced than what a normal person could get ahold of… Finally giving up she let out a resigned sigh.

Guess I don't have a choice if I want answers.

Reluctantly, she turned her head toward Izuku. "What's really going on?"

"I thought you'd like to know," Izuku turned toward her and gave a gentle smile that was the furthest thing from what she expected given his reputation. "This story dates back to the colonization of Tythe itself." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Five hundred years ago, when our ancestors discovered the planet it appeared to be a paradise. The colonists thought it was perfect! However, the opinion wasn't universal - several surveyors and researchers thought it was too perfect. And well… they were right"

"The Great Desert," Ochako whispered, all too aware of the desertification that has gripped the primary continent and threatens to engulf so many of the planet's cities and towns."

Izuku nodded somberly. "Have you ever heard of the Ancient Ruins?"

"Of course!" Ochako said, before recalling her history lessons. "The ancient race who lived here before moving on for unknown reasons. Their technology is so advanced it can almost feel like magic, and working pieces are worth so much that hundreds of people go exploring these ruins regularly, despite the dangers contained within."

"Exactly," Izuku smiled at her. "They are full of tech but the creatures guarding the ruins…"

Ochako's eyes went wide. "You mean that Nomu?"

"Mhm," Izuku bobbed his head. "The one we fought today, and many others like it - there are several traits common to all of them. But beyond that, there's countless variants as far as I can tell."

Turning his attention back to the computer he brought up an image of eight people. "This group was known as the 'Gang of Eight,' the original group who were skeptical about the planet's long-term viability. Of course, they were outvoted and the colonization effort was approved. Worried that things were being rushed, they went independent and began researching the ruins themselves, trying to convince themselves that they were being paranoid. Or trying to prevent any future calamity.

"What happened to them?" Ochako asked quietly.

"It took almost two hundred years, but one by one they all died with their work incomplete. Eventually, the original group dwindled to one lone scientist - Yoichi Shigaraki. He found a successor who assembled their own team to continue their work. For the next three hundred years their mission and research continued across multiple generations until…" Izuku looked down at his prosthetic hand, an unsubtle reminder of the price he had already paid for the mission.

Ochako's eyes quickly found her own arm. "Is that why you gave me this arm?" Ochako asked bitterly. Clenching her prosthetic into a fist, she glared at Izuku "Because you wanted me to join you in this… whatever it is?"

"No!" Izuku held his hands up defensively, and even in her state it wasn't hard to see the genuine look of hurt in his eyes. "I swear I didn't!"

"Then why tell me all of this?" Ochako whispered, her anger abating as Izuku's reaction hit her like a splash of cold water.

"Because," Izuku rubbed the back of his head, "you don't seem like the type of person who'd sit by idly. Not after you've seen firsthand what those Nomu are capable of."

Ochako closed her eyes and shuddered, the feelings of pain and fear as the Nomu bit into her flesh still fresh in her mind. If one of those creatures was capable of that, how many people would it take to bring one down?

Opening her eyes she looked down at the locket still hanging around her neck. She made a note to ask Izuku why he left it on later. But for now, she gently lifted it and opened it. Tracing her finger along the pictures of her parents, she asked the question that had been growing in her mind over the last few minutes.

"Do you think there's a way to reverse the desertification? To make things green again for everyone?"

Izuku turned away and looked at the screen, examining the image of the original eight people in charge of that project. Eventually, he let out a weary sigh. "I don't know," Izuku admitted as he slowly turned back toward Ochako. "My predecessor… Toshinori Yagi and his partner David Shield thought they had an answer. After giving me full control of the ship they left on a mission, heading toward the ruins at the center of the Great Desert." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "They never came back."

Ochako examined Izuku's face as she felt a growing sense of pity for him. "You… weren't meant to be in charge yet, were you?"

"No, I wasn't," Izuku asked, his words laced with sorrow. "And the truth is I don't know how much longer I can keep going."

"Whadya mean?"

"I've been at this for five years and well…" Izuku gave her a sheepish look "You've seen what's been happening. I've been trying to dive into ruins, to stop these Nomu from hurting people and keep the towns safe but…" He let out a frustrated sigh.

"You've failed enough times, there's enough disasters tied to you that you have a billion-credit bounty on your head," Ochako whispered guiltily. "And you've got people like me chasing after it."

"Yeah," Izuku said softly. "I try my best…" From her vantage point, Ochako swore she saw him trying to fight back tears. "But I'm afraid it's not gonna be good enough. And unless I find someone to continue after I'm gone…"

"The planet is doomed to become a desert," Ochako whispered.

Ochako felt a storm of emotions as she looked at the man in front of her. From guilt and shame to pity and admiration. She didn't know how long the two of them looked at each other in silence, both trapped in their heads before she finally looked down at the picture of her parents.

Ma… Pa…

Izuku was right about one thing. Now that she knew the truth, she wasn't gonna sit idly by. The question is how.

You already know the answer. A stray thought replied. It sounded like her dad.

You're such a strong girl. I know you can help us. Her mother joined the chorus, repeating the words she said before Ochako left to take on her first bounty.

Ochako then looked up at the man standing in front of her. The man who was her current target. He looked so fragile, standing there as if awaiting her judgment. It was a far cry from the man on the streets who fought that Nomu.

Trusting her memories of her parents, she nodded to herself as she came to a decision. Closing the locket, she attempted to push herself out of bed. She felt a little weak and unsteady, but her legs held her as she stood up and padded over to Izuku. Without warning, she grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, ignoring his startled yelp of surprise.

"I can't even imagine you living this way… being okay with the world hunting you down while you're trying to help everyone…"

"It's hard," Izuku admitted. "But if I can make one more person happy, then it'll be worth it."

Ochako balled her hands into fists, feeling Izuku flinch as she pulled at the fabric of his shirt. She felt a flash of guilt and pulled back, looking up at his face.

"Sorry! I just– That's such a sad way to live!" She protested.

It's– how can he be okay with this?

"Weren't you the one who wanted to take me into the Commission?" Izuku said lightly as a faint grin and blush appeared on his face.

Ochako let him go and stepped back, guilt etched into her features as she crossed her arms. "That's before I knew all of this!"

"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" Izuku asked helplessly.

Her gaze once again softened as Ochako relaxed her arms. "Well…" She offered him her prosthetic hand. "For starters… what if you had a partner?"

"I thought you didn't want to be a part of this?" Izuku asked hesitantly.

"I…" Ochako closed her eyes as her hand began to fall. "The reason I'm a bounty hunter is to save my town," Ochako admitted. "Twenty years ago, when I was still a little girl, it was swallowed by the desert. I can't even remember what it was like before then, but every day the folks are struggling to do their best despite it. Despite normal getting further and further away from us every year. The money helps them buy equipment, but if there was a way to help them. To really help them…"

Izuku stepped forward and grasped her hand. "This has been going on for five hundred years already," Izuku said softly. "Even if we're close, it's gonna be a long journey." He closed his eyes and sighed. "If we don't get ourselves killed first, that is. Are you really okay signing up for that?"

"I don't care if it takes a hundred years or a thousand," Ochako said adamantly, her fist clenching at her side. "If there's some way to help push back the desert… to save everyone, not just a single town… I'll do it!"

As she said that she felt the fingers on her prosthetic twitch involuntarily. She felt a strange energy as it surged through her arm, both flowing into and out of her at the same time. Both of their eyes went wide as they watched the pink light increase in intensity, much like Izuku's did during the battle with the Nomu. Before either of them could respond, Izuku briefly became wrapped in a glowing pink light. As he did so he suddenly felt his stomach lurch as if he was in freefall, and then he suddenly found himself weightless!

"Ochako!" Izuku exclaimed. He reflexively let go of her hand and, free from the restraint, found himself floating toward the ceiling.

"Izuku!" Ochako yelped in panic. "Wha-what happened? What's going on?!"

"Your arm activated!"

"My… what?" Ochako asked in disbelief.

"You-" Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly from his position on the ceiling. "Both of our arms are built out of Ancient Technology. But I didn't think you'd be able to link yourself to the power core I installed!"

"You WHAT?!" Ochako asked as she felt a brief wave of panic wash over her.

"Why do you think our prosthetics look different from anything you can find on the commercial market?" Izuku asked awkwardly. "It's not like I had many options! But it was just supposed to power a better arm than anything else you'd find on Tythe as an apology! You weren't supposed to be able to do– this!"

Ochako closed her eyes and took several steadying breaths. Opening them, she looked up at her companion. "Well you can interface with the core in your arm, can't you?" Ochako asked pointedly as she crossed her arms. She realized her mistake immediately as her skin crawled at the feeling of metal against her skin and she just as quickly uncrossed her arms.

"It took lots of training," Izuku admitted.

Ochako sighed. "Ok questions later, how do I get you down?"

"It should respond to your commands through a mental link," Izuku explained. "Try um… I feel weightless right now, so try thinking about giving me my weight back?"

Nodding, Ochako looked at her prosthetic, only to feel a creeping sense of wrongness at the limb. Not wanting to dwell on those thoughts, she closed her eyes and took a calming breath to shove them aside. She had to focus! It took a moment, but she finally was able to clear her head enough to look for the right mental command.

Give Izuku his weight back?... no… Restore… no… Release?

Ochako's eyes snapped open as she heard a startled yelp, just in time to see Izuku crash into the floor unceremoniously. Rushing over, she knelt next to him.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't think about getting you down before–"

"It's okay," Izuku said as he pushed himself to a sitting position and rubbed the side of his head. "I've had worse."

"I saw today," Ochako laughed nervously as she started blushing. Standing up she offered him a hand. "You really are a human disaster, aren't you?"

"H-hey," Izuku protested. Despite the pout on his face, he still grabbed her hand and used the leverage to pull himself upright.

"Sorry," Ochako let go of his hand and offered him a coy smile. Sure it probably was mean to tease him like this, but it gave her something to focus on.

"It's okay," Izuku said as he brushed himself off before he looked at her. As Ochako watched, the anxiety seemed to fade from his face, as if he wasn't the one who had just crashed onto the floor.

"So did you put any more surprises in me?" Ochako asked as she looked at her arm. She pointedly ignored the queasy feeling in her stomach as she anxiously waited for an answer.

"N-no," Izuku said as his face morphed into one of assurance. "Everything else was just normal medical procedures."

"So how do we figure out how this works?" Ochako raised her arm toward the ceiling and wiggled her fingers as she examined it. Seeing the light filtering through the mechanical fingers made it feel better… somehow.

"Trial and error," Izuku admitted. "I have the file which details the power core I put in the arm but… using it is a different story."

"I see…" Ochako said thoughtfully before she shot Izuku a broken grin. "I guess that means you're stuck with me until we figure it out!"

"Stuck with you?" Izuku asked. "You say that like it's a bad thing…"

"I mean, I did try and shoot you back there," Ochako giggled.

"It wouldn't have worked," Izuku said. "...probably." He quickly added. "But I don't see a problem with having someone as talented, determined, and pretty as you for company."

"...pretty?" Ochako blinked.

Izuku's face was ablaze as he realized what he said. "I- you- Nomu-"

"...oh," Ochako seemed to understand as she felt her permanent blush spreading. "A-Anyway! Is there someplace I can um… change?" She looked down at the makeshift outfit she wore, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious.

"C-change?" Izuku stammered out, thankful for the distraction.

"Y-yeah!" Ochako nodded fervently. "There's a lot to talk about and I'd… rather do it someplace else?"

"That– yeah!" Izuku agreed. "I actually managed to rescue your bag!"

"Wait!" Ochako shouted. "You did?!"

"The town was still a mess in the aftermath, so once you were stable I may have snuck back in and stolen it," Izuku admitted. He winced as he held up his hands defensively "I-I promise I didn't look through it! I wasn't able to get your horse though… sorry."

Ochako closed her eyes and sighed. "Don't worry, that stubborn ass will do just fine without me." She opened them and gave the man in front of her a grateful smile. "You got the important parts, at least!"

"Follow me," he said, seemingly recovered from his mortification.

He led her out of the medical suite into a narrow hallway with another door on the other side – the research lab, he explained. Continuing onward, they walked down the corridor and up a half-flight of stairs to a surprisingly spacious lounge.

"How big is this ship?!" Ochako exclaimed as she looked around the room. While she hadn't been off-world her entire life, she had been on a few ships as she crossed the planet in search of bounties, and they were usually cramped affairs.

"It's a diamond shape about thirty-five meters wide by forty-five meters long," Izuku explained. "Since it was originally designed as a long-range reconnaissance vessel, crew comfort was a high priority." He paused before his face fell as if he recalled a distant memory. "At least, that's what David told me."

"Oh," Ochako paused, wrapping her arms around herself in guilt. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay!" Izuku insisted as he turned towards her. "Come on. I put your stuff in one of the spare quarters." He paused. "I guess they're your quarters now, huh? N-not that you have to stay there! There's three empty ones, after all!"

"Whatever you picked is fine," Ochako smirked at him. "I'm sure they're all the same anyway."

Turning around, they ascended another partial flight of stairs to another narrow hallway with four identical doors running along its length, and a door at the end of the hallway.

"That's the cockpit," Izuku explained as he pointed at the final door, before pointing to the second door on the right. "And that's my room."

"And which one's mine?"

"That one," Izuku indicated the first door on the right.

"Next-door neighbors huh?"

"I-yeah," Izuku rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he felt it heating up. "Everything's on the bed. I um, hope everything's there."

"I'm sure it is," Ochako gave him a reassuring look as she walked up to the door.

Pressing the panel she saw it slide open and she gasped - the room was huge! About twelve cubic meters by her estimate. That's larger than most of the rooms she rented while traveling!

"There's a communal shower off the lounge to the left," Izuku explained from behind her. "I-if you want to clean up as well!"

Ochako looked down at her arm and legs, noticing the thin layer of film and grime on them. She had to admit, a shower did sound really good right about now.

"I'd like that," She looked over her shoulder at Izuku. "You'll give me privacy, right?" He responded by making a sound Ochako could best describe as 'trying not to choke on air.'

"O-of course! What do you take me for?!" He exclaimed.

"Sorry," Ochako giggled. "I know how you criminals are." Composing herself, she gave him an amused look. "Talk more afterward?"

"Y-yeah, that sounds great!" Izuku said as he backed into the wall. "I-I'll clean up the infirmary and then I'll wait for you in the lounge!"

Izuku took back off down the stairs, causing her to shake her head. She had to admit, he was pretty cute, despite being every bit the disaster his moniker implied. Just… not in the way the public expected.

Turning her attention back to the room, she saw a small desk as well as a stool propped up against a wall, and a pair of bunk beds against the back wall. Or well, what would be a pair of beds, if the top one wasn't folded into the wall. And on the bed was a familiar bag with a small pile of folded clothes on top.

Pressing the button to lock the door, Ochako heard it slam into place behind her as she approached the bag almost reverently. There, sitting on top was her jacket.

The very same jacket that she wore when…

Feeling her heart race speeding up, she carefully picked up the jacket. She barely noticed the left sleeve unfold because her attention was on the ragged right shoulder of the jacket.

She watched in horror as she was helplessly pulled toward the creature, time feeling as if it slowed down to ensure she felt every bit of pain…

Breathing heavily, she threw the jacket away with a grunt, not even realizing she had made it float as it collided with the wall in a soft thud. Clutching her prosthetic, she closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing.

In… out… in… out…

It took far longer than she would have liked, but finally she felt herself calming down. Slowly detaching her left hand from the metallic surface it was wrapped around, she cracked a single eye open to see the shirt sitting there next, another unsubtle reminder of what happened.

Taking a deep breath she grabbed it and quickly tossed it away, not even bothering to look at where it landed - she'd have to throw those out later, but right now she just wanted them out of her sight. Fortunately, her pants were the next thing on the pile, and when she lifted them they unfolded to reveal they were still intact.

"At least I can salvage something," Ochako said with a shaky smile.

Tossing them back onto the bed she finally revealed her bag. Opening it she quickly went through its contents, verifying everything was still there. She gave the bag a tight smile when she was done, thankful that she wouldn't have to replace everything after that fight. It was always a pain, and far too expensive for her liking, when she had to.

Silently she picked up a set of travel clothes, one of the four – now three – outfits she carried with her on business. Returning to the door, she pushed the button to unlock and open it, watching it slide away. Poking her head out to ensure Izuku wasn't around, she quietly padded down the stairs back to the lounge and then onto the washroom. Closing and sealing the door, she walked over to the sink and set her clothes down.

And then she was shaken to her very core when she looked into the mirror.

She barely recognized the woman staring at her in the mirror. Her tan skin was gone, replaced by a deathly pale tone. Even her normally prominent blush marks appeared muted. The only noticeable color on her face, really, were the scars and the deep purple bags under her eyes. As her eyes trailed down to her shoulder and arm, she saw the full extent of cuts and bruises she would be healing from, and then there was her other arm–

She felt the tears building as pulled off the shirt, letting it fall to the ground in front of her and exposing her torso fully. Even though Izuku did a good job, she still saw the massive plate of metal attached to her shoulder like some sort of pauldron.

A loud sob tore from her throat as she grabbed her right arm. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as her fingernails throbbed, trying to dig into the metallic shape, only to find the hard material refused to budge. It remained solid and unyielding, a stark contrast to the soft flesh she was so used to - flesh that she had lost less than a week ago.

Her knees gave out and she slid to the floor, her sobs filling the confined air of the room as the full reality of the situation came crashing down. Facing that Nomu was in many ways her worst fear made manifest - that someday she would face an opponent who completely outclassed her, and that she was helpless against. But the ending was far worse than she had imagined it to be. Rather than simply put a bullet in her, like she expected a human to do, it crippled her before discarding her. It was as if the creature knew she was no match for it, merely an annoyance to be dealt with.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but eventually a faint metallic clinking helped her escape her thoughts. Cracking open her eyes, she saw she was nearly doubled over on the floor. As a result, her neck hung low enough that her locket danced along the floor. It must have been bouncing up and down from her sobbing. Desperately grabbing it as if it were a lifeline, she grasped it with her left hand. As she felt the cool metal between her fingers, she felt her sobs begin to slow.

"That's right Ochako," She began unsteadily. "You knew how dangerous this was. But you did it anyway."

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and forced herself upright. Cracking them open, she looked at her prosthetic limb again. "And it's just like Pa said. Every ordeal you survive makes you stronger. I just don't think this is what he meant by that." She closed her eyes again as she gave a wet chuckle. "But I'm not dead…" Her voice fell to barely a whisper. "Izuku he… even after everything, he saved me."

Releasing the locket and letting it settle against her chest, she stared at the sink in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed it and pushed herself upright. She giggled at the sight she found in the mirror. The dirty tear streaks and puffy red eyes now completed her look, she thought to herself.

"And now you might be able to save the village – save the whole damned world. You're not gonna back down, are you?"

No. She thought to herself. I'm not.

With a heavy sigh, she took off her bra and underwear before walking into one of the two showers. Turning the water on, she turned it up until it was as hot as she could stand before she closed her eyes and let the liquid wash over her, carrying away the dirt, grime, and bad memories.

Feeling better after the hot shower, Ochako changed into her comfortable travel clothes before looking at herself in the mirror again. She was still a mess, but she looked and felt a little better and right now she'll take what she can get.

Plus, she thought as she looked down at her right arm. Something about having a sleeve over my shoulder makes it feel better. Less unnatural.

With a quiet sigh, she finally unlocked the door and stepped out, only to see Izuku sitting at the table off to one side. His head jerked up at the sound. Even at the distance, she could see the guilt written across his features. Sliding out of his chair, he quickly closed the distance between them, stopping a meter in front of her.

"Are…" Izuku rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" Ochako lied.

He pointed to the washroom behind her. "You were crying. I didn't mean to hear it but…" He looked guilty and sad and Ochako didn't know why, but she hated knowing that it was her fault. "...it was so loud that I heard it down in the infirmary."

"Oh," Ochako said softly.

"I know it's a lot and you just woke up so it's okay to back out," Izuku began. "I mean it was a spur-of-the-moment decision and now that you've had time to think about it–"

"Izuku!" Ochako held up her hand to interrupt him. "It's… not that."

"Then what's the problem?" Izuku asked, concern laced in his words.

"It's…" Ochako fidgeted with her prosthetic, unable to say the words.

"You feel like you've lost a part of yourself, don't you?"

"Yeah," Ochako said quietly. "I… it's hard."

"I know," Izuku assured her.

Ochako's eyes drifted over to Izuku's prosthetic arm. "How long did it take for you to…"

"Weeks," Izuku admitted. "And that's with the help of Toshinori." He gave her a rueful look. "Sorry, but you've only got me."

"'Only' you?" Ochako asked with a raised eyebrow. "You've– you've done so much!" She insisted, before shoving her arm in his face. "You– you gave me this! You saved my life! That's… it's incredible!"

"It was the least I could do," Izuku said softly. "You were so brave and strong, jumping right into a fight that wasn't your own to help others. When I saw the Nomu attack you, I–" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I thought you were done for. So when I found out that you were still alive, I knew what I had to do."

Raising his prosthetic, Izuku hooked his thumb and index finger around Ochako's wrist. She felt a brief surge of electricity shoot through her prosthetic limb, far beyond the sensations she felt when he laid his real hand overtop her prosthetic one.

"Izuku…" Ochako breathed as she closed her eyes. "Thank you."

Twisting her wrist, she freed herself from Izuku's grasp before her fingers found his metallic fingers and entwined themselves, the surge of electricity increasing as she did so. Eyes darting between their hands and Izuku's face, she gave her partner a confused look. "Are they… supposed to do that?"

"I… sometimes?" Izuku said hesitantly as he looked down.

Ochako rolled her eyes. "I'm really going to have to read everything you have to understand what you put into me, aren't I?"

"I didn't put anything in you!" Izuku protested.

"Put into, attached, same difference," Ochako closed her eyes and savored the sensation. "This is… nice though."

"Nice?"

"Mhm. Like… it doesn't feel like I've lost something." She opened her eyes and gave him a broken smile. "But maybe… just maybe… I've gained something."

"I mean…" Izuku's eyes found the floor as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "...these arms are stronger than anything we're capable of with normal arms."

"That's not what I meant!" Ochako rolled her eyes. "But thank you for trying."

As she looked at him, she once again couldn't help but notice how cute he was, standing there awkwardly.

Why was he so cute? It's unfair.

Her brain tried to warn her about getting too close. That he had the largest bounty on the planet on his head.

And yet…

He was such a far cry from the hardened individual she was used to finding behind a wanted poster. It was unfair to make those comparisons.

"Like I said, I'm not very good at this…"

She wanted to let him know that she cared. That he wasn't alone anymore.

"I dunno, I think you're doing a pretty good job."

And she's always been a little reckless.

Squeezing his hand, she felt a thrill run down her spine as she felt a new burst of energy. Holding Izuku in place, she leaned forward and closed her eyes as she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"O-Ocha…" Izuku said in a far-too-high-pitched tone.

Opening her eyes, she saw Izuku standing there, his face bright red and his eyes wide. Realizing that maybe she went a bit too far, Ochako felt her face igniting. She released Izuku's hand as if it burned and stumbled back a step.

"S-sorry! Was that too much? I just–"

As Ochako desperately flailed in search of a distraction, her body obliged by letting out a loud rumble. She looked down at her shirt, reminded of the fact that she hadn't eaten anything solid in several days.

"F-food!" Izuku exclaimed. "You must be starving!"

"Yes!" Ochako replied just as loudly. "I should eat something!"

"Let me…" Izuku swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'll go make you something!"

Turning around stiffly, Izuku retreated to the kitchen, leaving Ochako temporarily as she tried to wrestle with her emotions.

An hour later Ochako collapsed onto her new bed. Even though she'd been asleep for several days already, she was still exhausted and ready to call it a night. Especially because… her eyes drifted over to her right hand before she screwed her eyes shut.

Izuku said it took him several weeks. It's okay to take your time.

Counting to ten, she opened her eyes again and let out a weary groan.

Unfortunately, she still had business to deal with before she could go to bed.

With far more effort than she cared to admit, she rolled over and grabbed her portacomp off of the table she shoved next to her bed. Popping it open, she typed out a quick email to Toru, explaining that rumors of her death had been greatly exaggerated. She then went on to say that the Human Disaster got away in the chaos of an Ancient Technomonstrostiy attacking the town, and she's been lying low recovering in a hospital. She ended it with a promise to send a full report in the next couple of days, before hitting send.

Just in time, too, she realized as a loud yawn escaped her lips. With a couple of keystrokes, her portacomp went into sleep mode as she gently laid it back down on the table. Business done, she lay down, quickly making herself comfortable in her new, permanent bed. Closing her eyes, her exhaustion overtook her as she drifted into unconsciousness.

She just hoped that her dreams were more pleasant than the last ones.

Izuku sat in the lounge, cradling a data slate in his hand as he desperately tried to think of anything but the feel of Ochako's lips on his cheek.

Sure, she tried to shoot him! But she felt bad about it afterward!

And more importantly… the moment the Nomu arrived, she didn't hesitate to jump in and help. She helped the townsfolk evacuate, and she even managed to land some solid hits on the Nomu! But then he caught her and…

Izuku closed his eyes and shuddered at the memory of her being discarded like a broken doll. His heart sank at the sight. Sure it was enough to let him temporarily unlock the limiter on his prosthetics and destroy the Nomu, leaving nothing but a smashed core and twisted metal in its wake, but it shouldn't have come to that!

He cried when he found out she was alive, and carried her to the ship to nurse her back to health.

That was as far as his planning went. Izuku expected her to leave at the next town, maybe with a promise not to chase him anymore, and then he'd be alone again.

Instead, he had a new partner, and…

His face heated up as his thoughts once again returned to the feeling of that kiss.

It had only been a few hours, but Ochako's presence already made the ship brighter. He took a leap of faith when he asked her to fight with him in town, and she proved him right. And she continued to prove it ever since she woke up. She had a warmth around her, even as she braved her newest battle. The way she was so quick to jump to his defense, almost on reflex… It makes him wish he met her under different circumstances.

And yet… A traitorous thought reminded him.

"Am I really that lonely?" Izuku said out loud. Hearing silence in response, he let out a loud groan as he slid the pad away from him and buried his head in his arms.

It felt so, so very selfish of him, but he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to feel her lips on his.

Chapter Text

Ochako woke up to the sound of her portacomp going off. Cracking an annoyed eye at the device, she saw that it was already 9 AM. Cursing her past self for being diligent enough to set her 'you really should get up' reminder, she reached out only to freeze at the sight of her arm.

"Right," Ochako sighed and closed her eyes. Without opening them she flexed her prosthetic, opening and closing it several times to confirm it was real.

As much as she wanted to review everything that's happened to her recently, the incessant beeping continued relentlessly. Cracking an annoyed eye open, she unclenched her fist and reached out to finally press the power button and silence the device. Rolling onto her back she stared at the ceiling and wondered if she should just go back to bed. Since it wasn't a bad dream, that meant she was still recovering. That was really all the excuse she needed.

Unfortunately, her guilt won out and with a pained groan she pushed herself upright. As she hooked her legs off her bed and stood up she was thankful that she passed out in her travel clothes and didn't have to change. It was one less nuisance to do this morning. Stretching, she unsealed the door to the cabin and walked with unsteady steps down to the lounge area.

As soon as she descended her nose was assaulted with a very familiar – and welcome – scent.

"Coffee?" Ochako blearily blinked.

"I make it every morning," Izuku said from the table.

Ochako flinched and bit her tongue to avoid letting out a yelp, before shooting her new partner a withering glare. Sure it wasn't his fault that she didn't notice him, but he should have been more obvious, damn it!

"I made enough for both of us!" Izuku said quickly. "I didn't know if you drank it but given how late it is…"

Ochako wasn't sure if she should be thankful or annoyed that he misunderstood her glare, but that line of thought required more caffeine than she had in her system, which was none.

Deciding to rectify that problem, Ochako took off toward the kitchen. There, sitting on the counter, she found the carafe containing the dark liquid. She fumbled around in the cabinets until she found the mugs and set one on the counter. Thankfully, Izuku was kind enough to leave out the sugar (or what she hoped was sugar) and she scooped an unhealthy amount into her cup before she added the coffee. Not bothering to get a new spoon, she used the same one to stir the mixture together, watching the sugar dissolve before she tossed the spoon haphazardly into the sink.

Grabbing the mug with both hands, she cradled the precious liquid in her grasp. Raising the mug to her face, she took a deep breath, filling her nostrils with its welcoming scent before raising the cup to her lips and taking a sip.

"Mmmm," Ochako said happily as she finally opened her eyes fully. Stepping out of the kitchen she saw Izuku as he stared toward the kitchen awkwardly from his position at the table. "You have good taste."

"Thanks, I think?" Izuku said as he took another sip of his mug.

"No, thank you," Ochako said as she moved to the table and sat down at the large circular table that dominated one corner of the lounge. "I don't know how to function without this in the morning, no matter how foul it is. Having good coffee is very important."

As she took another long sip she saw Izuku give her a nervous smile before he drank a large gulp of coffee. He paid for his mistake immediately as he began choking on the liquid. Ochako partially rose from her seat in alarm but he held out a hand to assure her he was fine. Without saying a word he decided to salvage what little dignity he had left by burying his face in the data slate in front of him. Ochako couldn't help but give him a smirk, but the effect was lost due to her droopy eyes.

Feeling slightly disappointed Izuku didn't take the bait, Ochako turned her attention back to her coffee and took a long sip. As she drained the contents of the mug and felt the caffeine work its magic she dared another glance toward her partner. He had seemingly gotten over his embarrassment and was now deeply focused on the data slate. She could see words reflected off of his eyes as he read, only to occasionally pause and take another sip from his mug.

It was much like yesterday. When his guard was down, this Izuku was a completely different person from the one she faced in town. Or the one who faced down that Nomu.

And as she was taking a sip of coffee a traitorous thought reminded her of how cute he looked.

Ochako let out an undignified squeak, almost spitting a mouthful of coffee back into her cup as she caught herself. Izuku's head jerked up at the sight, his eyes full of concern.

"Ochako? Are you err… okay?"

Feeling her cheeks on fire, Ochako quickly choked down the mouthful of black liquid before speaking. "Y-yep! Sorry! You were just so focused and lost in thought and I…"

Izuku's face began to turn a bright red as he realized she had been staring. "Oh! I-it's okay!" Izuku insisted, raising his hands defensively as his face began to burn just as brightly. "I just– I'm so used to being alone that I'm a bad host and…"

"No no, you're fine!" Ochako insisted before tearing her eyes away from Izuku and looking down at her near-empty mug. Deciding it was her turn to salvage her dignity she practically jumped out of her chair. "I'm… gonna go make something for breakfast now."

"Oh, okay," Izuku said.

Even though Ochako quickly fled, she could feel his eyes follow her all the way to the kitchen, until she disappeared

Once there she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she opened the refrigeration unit, only to find it practically empty! There were a couple of preserved meal packets, the kind she would find in terminals before taking a long train or ship ride to heat up during the trip, as well as a bottle of milk. But that was it!

Closing the unit, she began to scan around until she laid eyes on the pantry. Stalking over, she tore it open, only to reveal nothing but preserved foods: ramen packets, rice, beans, oatmeal. Easily stored, easily cooked, and would last forever.

"What kind of diet has he been living on?!" Ochako whisper-shouted to herself. "That can't be good for him."

With a frustrated sigh, she grabbed a box of oatmeal and pulled out a couple of packets. After a quick search, she found a bowl and spoon before she quickly prepared the meal for herself.

Impatiently, Ochako pulled the hot bowl out of the microwave with her prosthetic. A useful bonus, Ochako mused darkly as she focused on her limb as it held the hot bowl for far too long. She realized it must have some sort of variable sensitivity, since she barely registered the heat, and wondered if that was a good thing or bad thing.

She decided that wasn't something she wanted to think about right now and shook her head to clear it. With her free hand, she scooped up her spoon and mug before her gaze drifted back to the door. Taking a deep breath, she stomped out of the kitchen.

Izuku waited until Ochako disappeared from view before he let out a soft sigh.

"Why are people so hard?" Izuku whined. "It was so much easier being alone."

Not that you'd want to be alone after yesterday.

Izuku felt his cheeks reignite as he glanced toward the kitchen a second time. Despite the mocking tone of the voice in his head, he knew it was right. When he woke up earlier he was almost disappointed Ochako wasn't up already and found himself looking forward to the company when she finally woke up.

At least until he realized she wasn't a morning person.

That was okay though! Izuku could work with that! He's already used to spending most of his time alone, having the mornings to himself would give him time to take care of his regular tasks – that would give him more time to spend with Ochako when she woke up.

Izuku froze at the traitorous line of thought before he shook his head. He really was lonely. Turning his attention back to the data slate, he tried to continue reading David's notes on power cores when he heard a soft thud padding towards him. Jerking his head up, he saw Ochako stalking towards him, trying to look menacing as she stomped forward, but the thick pink socks on her feet weren't doing her any favors as they muffled her approach.

"Izuku," Ochako placed the bowl and spoon down before shooting a glare at her partner. "Your kitchen sucks!"

"I- what?!" Izuku squeaked out.

Ochako pointed down to the bowl of oatmeal. "You've got nothing but dried goods! I didn't notice last night because I was starving but the bowl of noodles you served me was waystation food!"

"S-sorry," Izuku rubbed the back of his head as he gave her an apologetic look. "I… every time I try and buy fresh food it always seems to go bad by the time I remember to eat it, so it's just… easier to buy things that last."

"Izu…" Ochako's gaze softened as she once again sat down. "I'm not mad I'm just…" Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. "When can we visit a town?"

Izuku's brows furrowed as he recalled the estimate from the autopilot and subtracted the time he spent in the lounge. Coming up with the answer he looked at Ochako. "In a couple more hours. I… didn't get a chance to resupply before we had to flee Takoba, so I am taking a quick detour to Mustafu."

He was shocked at the guilt that filled her face. Why was she upset? It wasn't her fault! If he didn't screw up when calculating the Nomu activation time–

Coherent thought fled as he felt Ochako's hand on top of his.

"When we get there, I want to go shopping and buy fresh supplies. If we really want to save the world, we should be eating better than… just surviving on this." She gestured toward the bowl of oatmeal.

Izuku blinked lamely at her as he processed her words far more slowly than he should have. "Okay."

"Okay? That's all you have to say?"

Returning his attention to Ochako, he stared at her brown eyes. Soft, caring eyes that threatened to pull him in if he wasn't careful. And honestly? He wasn't sure if he did want to be careful.

Not after last night.

But that was a thought for another time, and Ochako was expecting an answer. Looking down, he placed his free hand on top of hers.

"Thank you. For caring about me."

As Izuku pressed the button to lower the ramp, Ochako felt the familiar heat of the desert as the wind hit her face.

"Sorry," Izuku apologized. "I should have warned you."

"It's okay," Ochako assured him as she grimaced. "I'm used to it."

As the pair descended the ramp Ochako saw the town in the distance, maybe a kilometer away. When they reached the bottom of the ramp Izuku held out his arm and she stopped. Following his lead, the pair turned around to look at the ship – or more specifically, the ramp.

"I know you said the ship's got camouflage, but I can barely see it!" Ochako squinted to try and pick out the ship. Even knowing what to look for, the edges of the ship were still difficult to spot. If you weren't expecting to find it, it would be passed off as desert heat.

"Yep!" Izuku said proudly. "So don't lose your band, or you'll have trouble finding it again."

"I won't!" Ochako promised as she looked at the small band currently magnetically sealed to the wrist of her right arm. "I think the only way I'm gonna lose this is if I'm dead."

Or if I lose my arm again. Ochako felt herself snaking her left arm behind her back to latch onto the wrist of her prosthetic, giving it a hard squeeze to remind her of what she had lost. But I think I'd rather be dead. Ochako thought darkly.

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Izuku laughed nervously. "Now why don't you try closing the ramp like I explained?"

Nodding, Ochako freed her wrist and raised it to examine the armband. With her free hand, she pressed a button to activate a small holographic display. She punched one of the symbols with her finger, and suddenly heard the whirring of motors as the ramp closed, erasing almost all traces of the ship's presence.

"Glad it still works," Izuku muttered to himself before turning toward Ochako. "Ready to visit the town?"

"Yep!" Ochako gave Izuku a coy look. "Gotta keep an eye out for trouble. I hear the Human Disaster's lurking around."

"O-oh really?" Izuku looked like he wanted to be swallowed by the desert as he answered her.

"Yep!" Ochako smirked at her companion. "Good thing you've got a bounty hunter on the lookout for trouble."

"I'll… remember to stay close to you then," Izuku said, his pose slowly correcting itself as they began walking.

"That's the spirit!" Ochako said with a smile. "Gotta joke while we can, right?"

Gotta keep moving forward, for Ma and Pa. Ochako desperately thought to herself.

"I… you're right," Izuku offered her a faint smile in return.

As Izuku relaxed their banter grew more comfortable, and the trip passed quickly. Before they knew it, they were out of the desert and walking down the main thoroughfare into the heart of the town. The pair grew quiet as they examined the buildings on the main street in search of the cluster of shops that made up the market in every town.

"There's the supply depot," Izuku pointed down an intersection. "I can get most of the supplies for the ship there."

"I think I see the market up ahead," Ochako nodded in another direction. "I just hope they can cover my grocery list, we need a lot."

"Ehe." Izuku gave her a nervous smile. "Good luck! I'll see you back at the ship?"

"Yep!" Ochako tried to give him an assuring smile back, but she wasn't sure if it worked. "See you in a few hours!"

Ochako watched as Izuku walked off before she shook her head. "No wonder nobody catches him, he doesn't act like you'd expect."

Turning, she continued onward toward the colorful buildings advertising food, entertainment, and various goods for the locals. As Ochako scanned the buildings looking for the grocer, another building caught her eye.

"This town's got a tailor, huh?" She asked no one in particular. Looking down at the black-and-pink of her hand, she felt a crooked smile tug at her lips. "I'm never wearing the old outfit again. Maybe it's time for a new look." Maybe that'll make it easier to pretend. "Besides, if I'm gonna live on a ship, I probably need a few more clothes anyway."

Making up her mind, she decided that she could afford a little detour.

With a weary sigh, Izuku lowered the crates to the ground. Even with the extra strength from his prosthetic limb, the sheer bulk of the crates combined with the desert heat was enough to drain him. Raising his control band, he activated it and lowered the ramp. When it touched the ground in front of him, he began to ascend the ramp in search of a cart.

Or at least, that was his plan. As he reached the ship's interior, he caught a whiff of something burning. On high alert, his arm flared green as he called upon his core's energy and rushed deeper into the ship. Reaching the lounge, he saw thick black smoke pouring out of the kitchen, followed by Ochako's frustrated cries.

"Why is this so hard?!" Ochako complained.

Izuku relaxed slightly before he dismissed his power and cautiously approached the kitchen. "Ochako? Is everything alright?"

"No!" Ochako yelled in frustration.

Entering the confined space, Izuku realized what was going on. Ochako stood there, looking flustered and off-balance as she stared at a pot on one of the burners. The pot currently had a lid on it, but that didn't stop the smoke from billowing out.

"What happened?" Izuku asked as he felt the adrenaline draining out of him.

"Don't wanna talk about it," Ochako said, folding her arms and pouting like a child who was just caught stealing cookies.

"Ochako," Izuku said softly as he looked at the woman. "I promise I won't laugh."

"You sure?" She asked.

"Mhm," Izuku nodded and tried to give her an assuring look.

"I…" Ochako glared at the pot "...was trying to make lunch for the two of us, but when I tried to boil water it ended up catching on fire instead."

"You… burned water?"

"I'm sorry!" Ochako exclaimed. "I'm a good cook, I promise! I've just been on the road for the last five years. My skills are a little rusty, that's all!"

"You were going to do this for me…" Izuku repeated in disbelief as he looked at the counter. There he saw a package of sliced meat, a carton of eggs as well as one of the bags of rice from the pantry. Further down he saw a selection of seasonings and a bottle of brown liquid, no doubt from Ochako's shopping trip.

"I just… wanted to say thank you," Ochako raised her arm. "For this and… saving me. You need to eat better and this is a simple dish Ma used to make for us when we were doing construction around town to keep our energy up. I know it's not much but–"

Izuku felt a surge of pure gratitude welling up at the explanation. Dashing forward, he pulled the woman into a hug, cutting her off with a surprised squeak. "Thank you!" He exclaimed, fighting back tears.

"W-what're you thanking me for?" Ochako asked as she felt her face burning in surprise.

"For caring about me," Izuku admitted sheepishly as he pulled back enough to look at her, his face heating up as he realized what he had done.

"We're partners, right?" Ochako said as she adjusted herself in his grip so that she could properly return the gesture. "That means we look out for each other. Besides–" She let out a short, high-pitched giggle. "How can I stop the desert if you collapse on me in the middle of a fight?"

"G-good point," Izuku said awkwardly. "Why don't I help?"

"Help? But I was supposed to do this for you!"

"True, but…" Izuku detached himself from her. Reaching out with his prosthetic arm, he grabbed the pot and pulled it off the burner, moving it to the sink. "I can't eat if there's nothing to eat. I'm pretty rusty too, but maybe together we can figure this out?"

"You're right…" Ochako let out a frustrated sigh as her permanent blush spread out to fill her cheeks. Balling her hands into fists, she spun around to face the stove. "We're not gonna let you stop us!"

Izuku quickly put out the fire and cleaned out the pot. Setting it back on the stove, he had Ochako explain what she wanted to do. Realizing her mistake - since it was one he had done before, although he would rather die than let her know that - he told her the unique quirks of the appliances in the kitchen. Small measures were made to make cooking more convenient, supposedly, but in reality they just complicated matters.

Dividing up the tasks, the two of them set about trying again. There were a few close calls where they nearly bumped into each other, but they eventually figured things out, and soon enough the acrid smell of smoke was replaced by the much more pleasant scent of sizzling meat. When everything was ready Izuku watched as Ochako produced two bowls from the cabinet and filled them with rice before carefully placing the meat on top and finally adding the boiled eggs and seasoning.

"Tada!" Ochako said with a flourish as she presented the finished meals on the counter.

Izuku could already feel himself salivating as he looked at the bowls, tears once again threatening to spill.

"Ocha… Those look great!"

"I'm glad," Ochako folded her hands behind her back as she gave him a nervous smile. "C'mon, let's go eat!"

Grabbing a bowl, Izuku led her out to the lounge where they sat down. He withered under her gaze as she watched him in anticipation, worried that he would disappoint her. Carefully taking his fork, he broke the yolk of the egg open, letting its contents spill out before he twirled his fork through the contents of the bowl, mixing them together. Grabbing a large forkful, he closed his eyes and shoved it into his mouth.

Delicious!

"This is amazing!" Izuku exclaimed as his eyes snapped open.

He watched as Ochako's cheeks turned a cute pink. Rather than respond she grabbed her fork and shoveled a bite of food into her mouth. A moment later her eyes went wide. "I always thought of this as kind of plain but…"

"You've been living on prepared meals too, haven't you?" Izuku asked.

"Sorta… kinda… yeah," Ochako admitted. "At least I had more variety than you!" She added quickly before shoveling another bite of food in her mouth, crossing her arms and pouting as she chewed her food.

Izuku laughed nervously, trying not to think at how adorable her pout was. Following her lead, he took another bite of food himself, trying to shove away the traitorous thoughts.

She's recovering from a traumatic experience, that's all! You shouldn't read too much into it!

Despite his inner turmoil, Izuku felt a comfortable silence settle between them as the pair enjoyed their meal together.

Once they ate and cleaned up, the pair left to pick up the next round of supplies.

Since Ochako wasn't the one with a bounty on her head, and the one who uses a bullet-hungry minigun, she volunteered to restock their ammunition. Which led to her current situation standing in the middle of the local armory.

"This is a pretty hefty request. You looking for trouble?" The clerk asked as he scanned the quantity and types of ammo she wanted.

Most of the bullets were for her, of course. But when she discovered how little ammunition Izuku had to spare, she insisted that she buy more for him as well. After all, what's a few extra bullets on top of her already large order?

She just hoped the clerk wouldn't question it too much.

"Already found it," Ochako said with a grimace, trying very hard to keep her eyes on the clerk and not on her arm. "That's why I need a major restock."

The clerk's eyes darted to her prosthetic arm, causing her to flinch anyway. She hid it behind her back as she instinctively clutched it, feeling the unyielding metal between her soft fingers. She watched as the clerk's eyes drifted to her face, and hated the pitying look he gave her as he set down the list. "I've got the ammo in stock, but it'll cost ya."

"I know," Ochako sighed as she pulled out a credit chip and slapped it down on the counter. "Don't worry, I'm not an A-ranked hunter for nothin'."

The clerk picked up the chip and scanned it with a data slate. Seemingly satisfied with the answer he was given, he placed it back down on the counter. "Alright, give me a bit to gather it all up. Is there anything else you're interested in? Grenades? Knives? More guns?"

"Actually there is one thing I need replaced…" Ochako began as her eyes drifted to a pair of wrist-mounted grapple launchers.

Ochako found herself extremely thankful for the gravity-reducing power of the prosthetic as she hauled several hundred pounds of ammo out of the store like it weighed nothing. She could see the intimidation in the clerk's face as she grabbed the massive crate and subtly reduced its weight, and she responded with a playful smirk.

At least this arm's good for something, she thought. If people are a little intimidated by me that'll help my reputation if I ever come back.

After a quick look around to orient herself, Ochako once again made her way to the grocer. After talking with Izuku she now had a much clearer idea of what to purchase and wanted to pick up a second round of supplies for their kitchen.

Even if it's gonna be expensive. Ochako internally groaned as she added up the expenses of food and ammunition along with her special purchase. I'm already cutting into the money I wanted to send Ma and Pa this month. At this rate, I'll need to take on a couple extra bounties at the next town to cover the gap.

Reaching the grocer, she shook her head to clear her thoughts. She'd worry about that later - right now she had supplies to get.

"Izuku, I'm back!" Ochako called out as the ramp closed behind her.

She listened intently but silence was her only reply.

"Guess he's not back yet," She mumbled to herself with a shrug. "Oh well, not like I don't have plenty to do in the meantime."

After putting the food and ammo away, she returned to her cabin. As she stood in the doorway and inspected it, she took a mental inventory of the furniture in the room. A single table and chair, as well as a small nightstand. Simple, but functional. However, she decided she could do better – especially if this was her new home away from home.

Opening the other two empty cabins, Ochako took stock of the available furniture. With the options she had, she managed to rearrange her room to something closer to her liking. She added a workbench, exchanged the nightstand for a better one, and finally replaced the chair with a wheeled stool instead. Satisfied with the result, she unpacked everything in her travel bag. Taking her time, she arranged her equipment to her liking and carefully placed her few trinkets and mementos around the room to try and make it feel like the room was hers.

When she was done she sat in the middle of the room and spun around in a circle on the wheeled stool, taking it all in.

It's not much, but it's a damn sight better than most of the places I've stayed these past five years. Ochako thought with a satisfied smile. And in time, I hope this feels like a proper home.

And that Izuku's right about savin' the planet.

Wheeling over to the desk, she booted up her portacomp. First things first, she sent a long message to her parents catching them up on everything that had happened to her. At least as well as she could without telling them Izuku was the same Human Disaster she had been hunting. After that, she opened the lengthy, and worried, message from Toru. With a sad smile on her face, she assured her contact she was safe. Finally, she turned her attention to the many forms she was expected to fill out and send to the Commission. With a weary sigh, she got to work.

"Finally!" Ochako exclaimed as she hit the Send button.

Wheeling away from her desk, she stretched her arms and arched her back, hearing a satisfying pop. Pulling herself forward, she checked the time on her device.

"It's been almost five hours and Izuku's not back yet?" Ochako asked in concern. "Or did he decide to stay in town and leave me alone?"

Well, there was only one way to find out, she thought. Time to search the ship!

She stood up and started with a knock on his door and a visit to the cockpit before she moved on to the living areas and the cargo hold.

"Still nothing," Ochako said as she returned to the central lounge. "Just one place left to look…"

She gazed with trepidation down the small stairwell that led to the medical bay and the research lab. Trying her best to ignore her queasy stomach, she took a deep breath and descended the stairs. Deciding she'd rather check the lab first, she reached out and pressed the button to open the door.

A moment later she heard the pressurized whirr of the motors as the door slid aside to reveal the lab. And there, hunched over a terminal, was Izuku. His head jerked up at the sound of the door, and Ochako watched him blinking in surprise as his eyes refocused on her.

"You're back."

"I'm back?" Ochako asked incredulously. "Izuku, I've been back for hours!"

"Oh."

"Oh?" Ochako sighed as she stepped into the room. "How long have you been in here?"

"Ever since I got back," Izuku admitted. Reaching out, he placed his hand on the terminal and spun the monitor around, revealing the image of a glowing pink device that looked almost like a teacup. "I've been looking into your core for you and I…" He looked at the clock on the wall and winced. "...guess I lost track of the time."

"You… When was the last time you left?"

"I'm uh…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "...used to spending all day in here without leaving, really."

"Not even to eat?" Ochako asked, her mind already reviewing their morning conversation as more pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

Izuku turned the terminal back around and stared at the screen. "It's been so long since I had someone worry about me…"

"Izuku…" Ochako said softly. Crossing her arms, she shook her head sadly. "It's different now. You need to remember that."

"I'll… try," Izuku promised as he gave her a nervous look, almost like she was threatening to shoot him again.

Ochako didn't like the implications - taking care of himself is important, damn it!

"Do you want to see what I found?" He asked in an attempt to prevent her from getting too angry with him.

Ochako walked over and placed her hands on his shoulders, peeking over his unruly hair to see the information about her core. She only read a few lines before her eyes drifted to the clock in the corner of the screen.

"Oh, you almost got me," She smirked but looked down at the back of his head. Activating her arm, she rendered Izuku weightless before tightening her grip to haul him upright."Food first!" She insisted. "I still owe you a meal."

"Technically you cooked the last one," Izuku said as he waited for her to restore his gravity before tugging out of her grasp and spinning around. "It's my turn."

"I–" Ochako sputtered. "I embarrassed myself in front of you! I need a chance to redeem myself!."

"That's not how it works. If we're partners that means we take turns…"

"Izuku," Ochako growled darkly, causing him to step back in fear. She blinked as she saw him bump into the table and realized what she was doing. It was so absurd, that she could only laugh. "We're hopeless aren't we?"

"I– yeah," Izuku agreed as he joined her in laughter. "So should we make dinner together?"

"Yeah," Ochako smiled at him. "That's probably the only way we'll actually agree."

"But I'm going to pick the meal!" Izuku insisted. "Since you chose those rice bowls!"

"Fine," Ochako conceded. "What do you want then?"

"Did you get that pork I asked for?" Izuku asked as he pressed a button and secured the terminal.

"Of course!"

"Then I want to make fried pork. It's something my mom used to make me back when…"

"Back when?" Ochako asked curiously.

"Nevermind." Izuku shook his head. Spinning around he gave his partner a faint smile, but she could spot the insincerity from kilometers away. "Let's go, I'm sure you'll like it!"

Not bothering to wait for an answer, Izuku rushed out of the room, leaving Ochako alone amongst the ancient technology. She stood there and slowly turned around to face the doorway as her brain replayed the final moments before Izuku brushed past her. She was sure he didn't want her to notice, but it was her job to spot these details.

And to her, the haunted look in Izuku's eyes may as well have been painted on the side of a building.

"Izuku…"

After dinner, Izuku retreated to the cockpit to check on the ship's latest scans. Alone and with nothing else to do, Ochako retrieved her portacomp and hooked it up to a projector she had discovered in the lounge. Leaning back in a chair, she was distracting herself by playing a game until she heard Izuku descending the stairs. Pausing, she looked over to greet him.

"Hey Izuuuuu…." Ochako's words trailed off as she saw the state of his dress.

Izuku stood there shirtless, clad in only a pair of shorts with a change of clothes balled up in his hands. He had frozen mid-step, his eyes going wide as he realized he wasn't as alone as he thought.

"O-Ochako!" His hands flew up defensively, sending clothes flying everywhere. "I'm so sorry! I'm just used to being alone and not having to–"

"Izuku," Ochako breathed. "Your body."

"My…" Izuku looked down and examined himself. "Oh."

Ochako nodded wordlessly, her eyes going wide as she took in all of the sordid details. Unlike her, it wasn't just his prosthetic arm and shoulder. They were merely the start of the story. His torso was a messy patchwork of scar tissue. There was a pair of plates attached to his lower right torso, and smaller plates on his left side. And then there were the countless smaller scars, from tiny starbursts to large ragged lines.

"This was all from the last five years?" Ochako whispered.

"Yeah," Izuku said softly as he hung his head. "It's… doing this alone is hard."

Standing up, Ochako walked over to him. Her fingers felt like they were being drawn to a ragged scar that ran down the center of his torso before she realized what she was doing. Blinking, she looked up into his bright green eyes. "May I?"

Izuku blinked back, surprise flashing through his eyes as he stared back at her. She watched a wide range of emotions quickly pass through his eyes before he finally nodded at her.

"Yes."

Silently thanking him, Ochako's gaze drifted down to his body as her index finger touched the scarred flesh. She felt Izuku instinctively shudder at the touch, but he didn't pull away. Gently, she traced her finger along the scar. "Even after all of this, you're still so… bright." Ochako closed her eyes and took a breath. "I don't know if I would have been that strong."

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked.

Ochako opened them and looked at Izuku. "Your body! These…" She found a scar in the shape of a starburst and placed her thumb in the middle of it, gently massaging the area. Glancing up, she saw Izuku close his eyes at her touch. "To keep going after all of that…"

Izuku reached out with his prosthetic and touched the back of Ochako's robotic hand, causing her to gasp at the surge of energy. "I'm sure you'd have found a way. Look at how quickly you bounced back after waking up."

Ochako gave her partner a rueful smile. "I'm not sure you can really call this bouncing back. It's more like… trying to ignore the problem."

"When Toshi and David vanished and left me alone…" Izuku closed his eyes.

"You don't feel like you had a choice," Ochako said. "You never had a choice. No matter how bad this…" She placed her thumb on a thin line on his breast and slid it upward until it stopped near his neck. "Got."

"Nope," Izuku confirmed.

"That's… sad… and it must have been so lonely."

"It was," Izuku agreed. "Until yesterday."

"Oh?" Ochako suddenly perked up. "What happened?"

"I happened to run across the most amazing bounty hunter," Izuku said. "And it didn't take long for her presence to start filling the ship. And now…" He licked his lips, suddenly wondering why they were so dry. "I don't feel so alone anymore."

"Me neither," Ochako whispered as she directed her attention to his prosthetic arm. "Bounty hunting. It's… lonely business." She gently reached out with her index finger, feeling the now-familiar thrill of electricity as she placed it on the back of his hand. "But then I discovered that one of my targets wasn't who I thought he would be."

"O-oh?"

Closing her eyes she began to trace her way up his arm. "Turns out the Human Disaster's smart enough to save my life and generous enough to build this prosthetic for me. And then…" Her finger paused in its journey as she let out a soft sigh. "Then he told me his goal. His desire to help everyone around him. It's… inspiring." Her finger continued upward until it found his shoulder, where she lazily traced an infinity pattern. "It doesn't help that you're cute too."

Reaching out with his free hand, Izuku placed it over Ochako's, pausing her tracing. "I'm not sure what I'm doing. I never… never thought someone as amazing as you would crash into my life."

"Even if I tried to shoot at you?" Ochako asked playfully. Her eyes shot open and Izuku saw they were filled with mirth.

"Ehe," Izuku's smile became broken. "It wasn't going to work? Probably?"

"I'm sure I'd have found a way," Ochako giggled before her eyes narrowed. "But I'll let you in on a secret. I don't know what I'm doing either."

"R-really? You don't? You… seemed to have an idea last night."

"Oh," Ochako felt her cheeks burning as he mentioned her kiss.

"Unless you really didn't mean any–"

"No!" Ochako protested loudly, before lowering her voice. "No. I did. I just…"

"Didn't know how to say what you wanted to?"

"Yeah…" Ochako had a sad look on her face. "I… wanted to let you know that you matter. That this is important. But I've never really had time to think about… anything like this. Been too busy trying to send money back to my town."

"Well…" Izuku's smile transformed into something warm. "I um… wouldn't mind figuring it out with you…"

"Dork," Ochako giggled. Shaking her head, she returned her gaze to Izuku. "I'd like that too."

"So, where do we start?" Izuku asked, his eyes darting down to Ochako's lips.

"Don't think I didn't see that." Ochako's smile never left her face as she inched closer to Izuku's. "How about we start here?" Ochako whispered, her lips close enough that he felt her breath on his as she spoke.

Pushing herself up on her toes, Ochako's lips found Izuku's as they shared their first kiss. Ochako's grip shifted quickly as she latched onto Izuku's left arm with her right, the energy coursing through their side as their kisses deepened, promising that they'll be there for each other. That no matter how uncertain things felt now, they'd figure it out - together.

"I…" Izuku looked at Ochako and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Ochako replied, gently cupping Izuku's face in her hand. "I'm glad I decided to chase after you."

"Me too," Izuku agreed.

When they finally broke apart and Izuku disappeared into the washroom, Ochako returned to her comp, all thoughts of her game gone as she thought about the patchwork of scars… and the feeling of Izuku's lips. She reached down to turn the device off, but when she did so she saw the message notification flashing. Curious, she pushed the icon and watched the message come up. It was from the tailor - her clothing order was ready!

"Just in time," Ochako said with a smile on her face. Eyes darting over to the washroom, she decided that Izuku's done this enough that it was probably safe if she left him alone for a while.

Hopefully.

Closing her comp, Ochako dashed toward the ramp and slammed the button to lower it.

When Izuku exited the washroom, he had expected Ochako to be waiting for him. So when she wasn't there, he was surprised and a little disappointed. Even though they had just kissed moments ago, he found he missed her already.

With a sad sigh, he shrugged and turned around, toweling off his hair before throwing the towel with practiced ease back onto the hook.

"Sorry, I left!" Ochako shouted from the direction of the ramp.

Izuku stiffened and whirled around to see Ochako entering the lounge, a pair of large bags in her hand. "You went back to town? This late?"

"Yep!" She beamed at him.

"What'd you get?"

"It's a surprise!" She said coyly.

"O-oh," Izuku said.

"Don't worry, it's a good one!" She continued, folding her hands behind her back, her bags dangling behind her.

"Okay!" Izuku said a little too loudly. "I- um, are you done with your business here? Or are there more er… surprises?"

"Nope! I'm done. There weren't any bounties worth my time and I didn't think we were staying long anyway… were we?"

"No," Izuku confirmed. "In fact, I was thinking of taking off soon?"

"Really?"

"I saw some strange readings that lined up with growing activity in Ruins. Maybe with two people, we can actually stop it this time?"

"No rest for us huh?" Ochako threw him a broken smile. "I'll meet you in the cockpit?"

Even her broken smile was enough to inspire confidence, Izuku realized as he gave her a hopeful look in return. "Yeah. See you there."

Izuku's attention was focused on the readings displayed on the terminal when he heard the door open. Spinning around in his chair, he saw Ochako and his jaw dropped.

"Surprise! I decided I needed a new look," Ochako said. Giving him a playful smile, she slowly twirled to show off her outfit. "Whadya think?"

Now she wore a long-sleeved white dress shirt and a long black skirt that had some sort of starry pattern on it. Her boots had been replaced with new, slightly thicker black knee-high boots. To top it all off was a black trenchcoat, very similar in design to Izuku's with one significant difference. Unlike his, she didn't remove her sleeve.

"You're wearing a skirt and trench coat?"

Ochako rolled her eyes. "That's what you noticed? Unlike some of us, I don't go around wearing my coat indoors."

"Sorry," Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "You look amazing."

"Good enough to get you to freeze up?" Ochako smirked as she leaned forward for a kiss, which Izuku gladly reciprocated. "Maybe you're not such a good partner after all."

"Are you rethinking things so quickly?" Izuku squeaked out.

"Maybe," Ochako replied coyly before she plopped herself into the copilot's seat and gestured to the control panels. "But then I'd be all alone again."

"That sounds kind of sad," Izuku admitted.

"I guess that means I'm stuck with you." Ochako laughed, although it came out far more high-pitched than intended. "So where to next?"

"The computer detected activity in the ruins under Hosu…" Izuku said as he returned his attention to the terminal. With the push of a few buttons, a projection appeared in front of them, obscuring the canopy.

"Hosu huh?" Ochako replied thoughtfully. "I bet Marshall Tenya's gonna be unhappy seeing your face around town."

"Well it's a good thing that an A-Rank bounty hunter's gonna be rolling into town then," Izuku said with a shaky smile. "Maybe she'll get lucky this time."

"We'll see," Ochako smirked as she looked at him. "I've got all these fancy new gravity manipulation tricks to try!"

Dismissing the screen, Izuku turned his attention to the controls while Ochako watched and learned. Soon enough, the ship's engine engaged and the two felt the soft rumbling as the ship lifted off, carrying them into the sunset toward their next destination.

And with tomorrow's dawn, they will begin their first adventure together.