Chapter Text
Humming to himself, the man rewound the video that was playing on screen once more. He had been contacted by an associate, one believed to have perished or gone into hiding with the rest of them. He could never understand that group, such small minded individuals focused on the small fry. Color him intrigued when one of his long forgotten contacts had sent him the video file.
Playing the video again showed three boys getting blown back by a massive gust of wind, one that wouldn’t have been accomplished by just any Wind quirk. He could remember how those winds felt to be on the receiving end of them, with multiple other elements. Once the video had ended, he picked up his phone and dialed a number that he never thought he’d use again.
“Hello?” The male voice spoke from the other end of the line.
“Dragon of the West.” He responded in a calm voice. From the sounds through the line, he could only guess that the man on the other end almost dropped his phone. He hummed to himself unamused, knowing right away that it wasn’t the same person he had dealt with before. His old contact might have feared his wrath, but hadn’t reacted the last time they had spoken.
“DK.” The man on the other end cleared his throat. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon.”
“There is no time to waste when a situation like this arises.” He confirmed, drumming his fingers along his chair. “Where was this video taken from?”
“Our source says the video was taken in Musutafu.” The man replied. “It was taken a few months ago, but it was only found recently.”
Humming, the man rewound the video again before playing it once more. “These boys seem to be young, no more than fifteen or sixteen.” He paused the video, seeing the red shoes in the one frame. “Quirkless Reds.”
“Sir?”
“It’s time for the Dragon in the West to come home.” The man said, closing the video. “We have much work that needs to be done.”
“Very well, Sir. I will finish up what I have started over here and make my way home.” The call went dead, indicating that the line had been disconnected.
“You won’t get away from me again, Avatar.” The man chuckled to himself. “Doctor! I want records of all quirkless kids in Musutafu!”
“Of course, All for One.”
“Have you heard anything from Nezu about the dragon?” Ochako asked during one of their breaks from training one day. It had been about a month since finding the dragon on the beach, and Nezu had informed Izuku that he would be updated as soon as there was some good news.
“No.” Izuku said sadly. “Nezu said we made it in time, but I’m worried that the dragon was already far too gone to recover fully.” Izuku looked away, thinking about what he could have done to help that dragon. Maybe he could have used fire bending to keep it warm when he found it and when he transported it?
“Stop that.” Ochako said, giving the side of his head a flick. “Stop thinking about how you could have changed what you’ve done.”
Izuku rubbed the side of his head, looking towards Ochako to see her smiling. “I was mumbling, wasn’t I?”
“Oh, totally.” Ochako laughed, bumping her shoulder against Izuku's, causing him to smile back. “You gotta stop worrying, Izuku. Nezu said he would call when he had an update.”
“I know you’re right, but I still can't help but worry.” Izuku admitted, slumping his shoulders.
“Well, why don’t you call him?” Ochako offered, seeing how down he was as he thought about the dragon. “I mean, it wouldn’t hurt, and he did say you could contact him if you had any questions.”
A little light returned to Izuku as he fished out his phone. “You’re right!” Izuku quickly went through his phone, before dialing Nezu’s number.
“Am I a mouse, a dog, or a bear? It doesn’t matter because I’m Nezu, UA’s principal!”
“Nezu-”
“Hello, Izuku!” Nezu cut off Izuku before he could even greet the mammal. “I take it you’re calling about the dragon?”
“How did you…? Forget it.” Izuku let out a huff, before continuing. “How is it?”
“I have some good news, and some strange news.” Nezu started off, and Izuku and Ochako could hear him typing away. “The good news is that he seems to be making good progress on recovery.”
Izuku let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Oh, thank goodness.” Izuku said quietly, feeling Ochako throw an arm around him and give him a side hug. “What’s the strange news?”
“Well, I had Chiyo, you may know her as Recovery Girl, check over the dragon to see if her quirk could work on it. She confirmed that the dragon was too weak and injured for it to be effective without killing it.” Izuku nodded slowly, knowing that Recovery Girl’s quirk used the stamina of said person to recover faster. “While she was here, I had her check the dragon for quirk factors. Having never seen one of these in person, I wanted to see if the fire breath would come up as a quirk.” Nezu hummed a second, and the two students could hear some more typing. “Fire breath doesn’t come up as a quirk, but we found two unknown quirk factors within him.”
“What does that mean?” Izuku questioned, looking at Ochako and getting a shrug in response.
“Dragons were normally heard to not have any other abilities other than their fire breath and their flight, but after running some tests, we have a quirk that is similar to Mount Lady’s quirk, but also an unknown quirk that seems to be constantly changing.” Nezu hummed again, and they could hear him tapping his desk in thought. “We believe it’s a shapeshifting quirk, but it’s unlike any we’ve ever seen. Both quirk factors seem to be damaged somehow.”
“Quirk factors can be damaged?” Izuku questioned, still looking at Ochako as the color drained from both of their faces. “Does that hurt the user?”
“Not exactly.” Nezu confirmed. “Or not in this case.” Nezu hummed. “We still need to do more research on why he has quirks in the first place, before we can understand why they are damaged.”
“That makes sense.” Izuku said quietly, humming in thought. “Can Ochako and I come see the dragon?” Izuku questioned.
“I don’t believe that’s a good idea right now.” Nezu confirmed, while two students' shoulders fell. “I think it’s best we let it recover a bit more, before anybody is allowed to see it. We don’t want it straining itself and getting hurt again.”
“We understand, Nezu.” Izuku said sadly. “Thank you for letting us know.”
“You’re welcome, Izuku, Ochako!” Nezu said a bit more cheerily. “Now, I need to get back to work preparing for the new semester. I’ll be in touch soon!” Before Izuku or Ochako could respond, the phone line disconnected, the screen on Izuku’s phone changing to black.
“It’s not the news we were hoping for, but it’s better than the news we were expecting!” Ochako said with a little more cheeriness. “Izuku, you saved that dragon’s life. If you didn’t act like you did, it probably would have died here on the beach.”
Izuku looked back at Ochako and gave her a small smile. “Thank you, Ochako.”
“Anytime, Izuku!” Ochako said, getting back to her feet. “Come on, let’s get back to training so we can get done quicker! I feel like I can smell your Mom’s cooking already!”
Izuku chuckled, following Ochako as they made their way back down to the beach. The dragon was going to survive, thanks to his quick thinking of getting it to UA. He thought about what it would be like to fly on the back of a dragon, one the size of Fang, Roku’s dragon.
“Come on, Slowpoke! The day isn’t getting any younger!” Ochako called out from in front of him. Izuku chuckled before jogging towards her. Even though their training was different from each other, they had found themselves working closer together, encouraging and pushing each other as often as they could.
Another dinner was over, and Izuku and Ochako had retreated back to Izuku’s room for the night. Inko smiled to herself as she watched them, knowing how close they were getting in such a short time. It could have been that they were training together, or Izuku had someone that knew his secret and that he could confide in, or Ochako just really enjoyed Izuku’s company. It also probably helped that Izuku loved to use his healing on her, though he would never tell anybody.
“What’re you smiling about?” Kaina said, sitting beside Inko on the couch. She held out a teacup towards Inko, who gratefully accepted it, taking a sip.
“Just thinking about Izuku and Ochako and how close they are getting.” Inko confirmed, sitting back on the couch a bit, a smile still on her lips. “Izuku never had many friends when they thought he was quirkless.”
“Yeah.” Kaina said quietly, looking down into her teacup. “He told me that kids used to bully him, until I started walking with him.” Kaina scoffed. “I can’t believe kids are so mean to others. Their quirks shouldn’t matter!”
Inko reached over and put her hand on Kaina’s, causing her to look up at her. “You’re right, they shouldn’t, but Nezu told me your story.” Kaina's eyes dropped a bit, looking away. “Do you think they would have scouted you out if you didn’t have your quirk?” Kaina slowly shook her head. “Probably not. I mean, look at mine.” Inko summoned her quirk around a coaster on the coffee table in front of them, pulling it towards her. “I never would have been considered, but I never had a situation as bad as Izuku’s was.” Inko looked away and let out a sigh. “I just wish I could have done more for him.”
“But Inko, you’ve done plenty!” Kaina said, grabbing Inko’s hand and causing her to look at Kaina. “You’ve raised an amazing young man, who is destined to save the world one day.” Kaina let out a sigh, thinking back to when she first told Izuku her past. “He accepted me, even knowing my past, knowing that I could be better.” Kaina looked back towards Inko with a small smile. “The kid offered me a hug, after I told him I’ve killed people, like it was nothing.”
Inko chuckled quietly. “That sounds like Izuku. Saving everyone he can, even from themselves.” Inko let a smile grace her face as she took another sip of tea. “It fills me with intense joy and happiness that he is finally getting a chance to be the hero he’s always wanted to be.” Inko looked towards Kaina, finding her watching Inko. “I should be thanking you for helping train him. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“I think you would have figured it out.” Kaina smiled back, taking another sip of her tea.
Silence fell over the duo as they enjoyed their tea. They could hear muffled voices through Izuku’s door, sometimes getting louder as one laughed, bringing smiles to both their faces. Kaina thought back to what Izuku had said, before taking a quick glance towards Inko, seeing how peaceful and beautiful she looked sitting there. Checking her watch for the date, she noticed that it had been over a month since Izuku had told her, causing her to mentally sigh.
Kaina reached forward, placing her teacup down, before mentally hyping herself up, before turning towards the woman beside her. “Inko?” Kaina questioned quietly, waiting until Inko turned towards her. “Can I ask you something?”
“You just did.” Inko said with a smile, causing Kaina to let out a huff, before smiling back. “Of course, Kaina.”
“Canitakeyouonadate?” Kaina vomited out words, before a blush covered her face.
Inko blinked a few times towards Kaina in confusion, trying to think what she had just been asked.
Kaina let out a sigh, before facing away slightly. “Sorry…” Kaina said quietly, before looking back towards Inko with hope in her eyes. “I’m not good at this, but…” Kaina let out another sigh, moving to face her whole body towards Inko. “…can I take you on a date?” Inko looked at Kaina, processing the words she was just asked, seeing the hope behind Kaina’s eyes slowly fading as it took Inko so long to respond, before she blinked and looked away. “I shouldn’t have asked, it's just with Izuku encouraging me, I thought-”
“Yes.” Inko cut off Kaina, causing her to whip her head around so quickly, Inko was surprised she didn’t get whiplash from the movement.
“Yes?” Kaina asked quietly, hope returning to her purple eyes as they looked into the kind green ones.
“Yes.” Inko said again, smiling, before placing her teacup down beside Kaina’s before turning to fully face the woman beside her. “I’ve been hoping you’d ask, because I didn’t know if you were seeing anybody, or if you were even interested…”
Kaina snorted, causing Inko to look at her curiously. “I can see where Izuku gets it from.” Kaina smiled towards Inko, causing her to blush.
Inko chuckled as well. “I thought they would have been together already, but Izuku takes after me, too shy to ask.”
Kaina looked away. “Yeah… I’ve already lost the bet.”
“Bet?” Inko questioned, causing Kaina to look back towards her. “What bet?”
“Yagi and I both had a bet on when they’d get together.” Kaina admitted, hanging her head a bit. “I bet they’d be together within a month, while Yagi bet within three months.”
Inko smiled and shook her head. “Please tell me the bet wasn’t for anything important.”
Kaina chuckled awkwardly, looking away as her cheeks heated up with embarrassment. “It’s possibly, a very likely, most definite, chance that it was five hundred thousand yen…”
“Kaina…” Inko said quietly but fondly. “I could have told you it’d be longer than a month.”
Kaina looked back to Inko, to see that she had a small smile on her face. “Wait, you’re not mad?”
“Gods, no!” Inko chuckled, rocking back a bit. “I just wish you two would have involved me in the bet.”
“That sounds almost like cheating…” Kaina narrowed her eyes.
Inko just smiled, before grabbing Kaina’s hand. “Did you have a plan for the date?” Inko looked away in thought, before looking back at Kaina. “Are you allowed to leave Izuku alone for our date?”
Kaina hummed in thought for a moment. “I’m sure I can figure something out.” Kaina smiled. “Plus, I heard there is this nice little cafe close by, by the name of Leblanc.” Kaina looked away and chuckled awkwardly. “Not that Izuku mentioned it or anything.”
Inko let out a giggle, causing Kaina to look back towards her, matching her smile. “Of course he would.” Inko let out a sigh, looking towards where Izuku and Ochako were currently in Izuku’s room. “I couldn’t have asked for a better son.”
“We’re only a few months away from UA’s entrance exam.” Ochako said, lying on Izuku’s bed, holding a book above her. “These past months have flown by.”
“Tell me about it.” Izuku said, sitting on the floor with a book in his hand, resting against his bed. “It feels like just yesterday I learned I was the Avatar and you were All Might’s successor.” Ochako let out an annoyed huff, causing Izuku to smile. “Still don’t like being called his successor?”
“I still don’t think I deserve it!” Ochako said, sitting up and dangling her legs off the bed beside Izuku. “I mean, there has to be someone more worthy than someone who saved a man from getting crushed by a car.”
“Didn’t All Might tell you why he thinks you’re the best choice?” Izuku questioned, leaning his head back on the bed and looking at Ochako.
Ochako smiled down towards Izuku, thinking about how cute he appeared looking up at her, causing him to return the smile. “He mentioned something about moving before I could think.”
Izuku hummed, thinking about it for a second. “I think I remember an interview about All Might mentioning something about that.” Izuku lifted his head, pulled out his phone, and did a quick search. “Ah, here it is. ‘Some of the greatest heroes in time had shown signs of greatness, even as children. Whether it was saving a cat in a tree, to protecting another child from another, to risking their lives for the sake of others. They all said the same thing, Their body moved before their mind could even have a chance to think. That is my definition of a hero, one that moves without even thinking about it.’ Maybe that’s why he offered to make you his successor?” Izuku questioned, leaning his head back and looking up towards Ochako once more. “I mean, you saved someone from being crushed by a car, before any of the other heroes on scene could even react.” Izuku smiled. “That falls under the definition of a hero in All Might’s book.”
Ochako looked away from Izuku. “All I wanted to do was save that man. I never expected that all of this would come out of it.”
“Do you regret it?” Izuku questioned quietly.
Ochako whipped her head back to look at Izuku, shock and horror on her face. “Gosh, no!” Ochako said quickly. “He was about to be crushed, and I knew I could do something! I just had to save him!” Izuku smiled up at Ochako, as she let out a huff and looked away. “Okay, maybe I see why he chose me, but I still think there are other people out there that could be better.”
“There probably are.” Izuku said honestly, causing Ochako to look back down towards him. “But they didn’t prove to All Might that they were worthy.” Izuku poked Ochako’s leg, causing her to giggle a bit. “All Might chose you, and for good reason. I know you’ll be a good hero, Ochako.”
“Thank you, Izuku.” Ochako smiled back down towards Izuku.
“You’re welcome, Ochako.” Izuku said before lifting his head. “We should get this mock UA exam done, so you can get home. Don’t want to be tired for training tomorrow.”
Ochako moved her legs back on the bed, picking up her book again, but no matter how hard she tried, her mind couldn’t focus. She looked back towards Izuku, who seemed so focused on the mock exam, that she didn’t want to bother him. Looking back at the book, the words seem to blur together, before frustration overtook her and she put the book down.
“Izuku?” Ochako questioned, getting a hum in acknowledgement as he continued to read. “Do you want to go on a date?”
“I’d love to go on a date.” Izuku said, still reading the book in front of him. Ochako looked at him gobsmacked that he just answered that so casually. She was about to respond, before Izuku slammed his book shut, standing up to look at Ochako. “D-D-D-Date?” Izuku stuttered out, a blush rushing up his face.
“That was a delayed reaction.” Ochako responded, smiling up at Izuku as her blush marks deepened in color, never taking her eyes off Izuku. “You know what a date is, correct?”
“No! Yes! I mean, I know what a date is, but I’ve never been on one!” Izuku brought his hands up to his face, groaning into them. “But I never thought I’d be asked on one!”
“Is it really that unbelievable?” Ochako questioned, her smile falling a bit.
“With someone as amazing as you? Yes!” Izuku said without thinking, before bringing his hands up to cover his mouth, his eyes wide.
“You think I’m amazing?” Ochako questioned quietly. Izuku nodded his head slowly, never removing his hands from his mouth. Ochako smiled, her blush returning in full force. “I mean, I think you’re pretty amazing too…”
“You do?” Izuku whispered out behind his hands, still not believing the conversation they were having.
Ochako nodded, before she coughed, a smile never leaving her face. “Would you like to? A date, I mean.”
Izuku nodded quickly. “Yes!” He said quickly, causing Ochako to giggle at him.
Ochako moved to the edge of the bed, getting up and standing beside Izuku. “Well, you better start planning.” Ochako moved and gave Izuku a small kiss on the cheek, causing his knees to go weak. “And it better have mochi for dessert.” Izuku nodded again, before Ochako moved around him, and left the room.
“I have a date…” Izuku said quietly, slowly lowering himself to the ground before his legs gave out. “I have a date… with Ochako.” He quickly pinched himself, yelping in pain a bit, before he rubbed his thigh. “It’s not a dream…” Izuku continued quietly. “I need to start planning!”
“So how’d you get Tsutsumi to stop following us?” Ochako asked as they walked towards the street vendors. Izuku had decided to do something on the cheaper side, remembering that Ochako had mentioned her parent’s financial status in the past.
Izuku looked up towards a rooftop, Ochako following his look to see someone hidden in the shadows. “I don’t think Kaina will ever stop following us.” Izuku leaned closer to Ochako, lowering his voice. “I really don’t mind. She gives us enough privacy so we can do our own thing.”
Ochako nodded, before turning back towards Izuku, seeing how close he was, before he moved back. “So what did you have planned for our date?” Both of their cheeks went a little rosy at that, small smiles dancing on their lips.
“Mom mentioned that the street vendors were hosting a craft market this week.” Izuku pointed ahead, indicating said vendors. “Everything is supposed to be handmade.”
“Oh!” Ochako exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. “How did you know I love handmade crafts?” Ochako asked, looking at Izuku with stars in her eyes, causing Izuku to smile.
“You’ve mentioned in the past how you enjoy making things yourself, so I thought, what better place to find inspiration than a craft show?”
“Back home, when the vendors would be passing through, I always begged Mama and Papa to go.” Ochako said, looking down towards the vendors as her mood fell a bit. “It’s been a while since we were able to go, and I think I missed this year’s because of training.”
Izuku looked at Ochako, before reaching over and pulling her into a side hug. “You miss them.” It wasn’t meant as a question, but Ochako nodded, throwing her arm around Izuku and moving into the hug a bit more. “Have you heard from them recently?”
“Yeah.” Ochako said quietly, still embracing the hug. “I try to call them every night when I get home, but they’ve been working longer hours since I’ve been gone.” Ochako let out a breath. “I’m worried they’re overworking themselves. The last time we talked was early last week.”
“Have you considered going to see them?” Izuku asked, rubbing his hand up and down Ochako’s back in comfort.
“Izuku, we only have a couple of months before the entrance exam, and Yagi still says I’m not ready.” Ochako looked up towards Izuku, seeing him look down at her in concern. “I need to be ready.”
“But what difference would a day or two make?” Izuku questioned, not really understanding Toshinori’s thought process. “Did he say when you will be ready?”
“Based on the schedule he gave me, he has me working until the day before the entrance exam.” Ochako confirmed, letting out a sigh.
Izuku shook his head. “So if that’s the case, he plans you to be ready the night before the entrance exam, or the day of.” Izuku looked up into the shadows, air bending his next few words. ‘We need to have a talk with Yagi about Ochako.’ Kaina looked down towards Izuku, catching his eyes, before giving him a curt nod, which Izuku returned.
“What did you just do?” Ochako asked Izuku, looking up at him curiously. “I saw your lips moving, but no sound came out?”
Izuku looked down towards Ochako and smiled. “A new technique I’ve been practicing. Sound waves are technically air particles, which means that I can do something like…” Izuku spoke again, before the sound hit Ochako from the other side. “…this.”
Ochako whipped her head around, before looking back towards Izuku. “So you’re basically throwing your voice?” She tilted her head curiously, causing Izuku’s heart to soar with how cute she looked.
“Technically.” Izuku confirmed. “I told Kaina that we needed to talk with Yagi about your… situation.”
“But what good-” Ochako couldn’t finish her question before disaster struck.
Izuku, not focusing on where they were walking, accidentally bumped into a stall, causing it to fall over. He quickly let go of Ochako as he fell with the stall, ending up surrounded by cabbages. Ochako covered her mouth with her hands, gasping at the sight of Izuku lying in a mess of cabbages.
“MY CABBAGES!” The stall vendor ran over and fell to his knees, picking up a cabbage.
“Sorry!” Izuku said apologetically, before pushing himself up into a standing position. “I wasn’t watching where I was going!”
The stall vendor turned around towards Izuku, pointing a finger at him. “You! My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather warned me about people like you!” The stall vendor stood up, still cradling a cabbage while continuing to point. “This better be a one time deal, you hear!”
“Of course! Sorry, Sir!” Izuku sputtered out, before bowing at a perfect ninety degree angle. “I will pay for any of the ruined cabbages.”
The vendor huffed out a breath, before turning around. “You’re lucky those were already day old cabbages. I’ll let it slide…” The vendor looked over his shoulder, giving the two teenagers a glare. “…this time.”
As the vendor walked away, Ochako moved closer to Izuku. “He was really passionate about his cabbages.”
“Yeah… I wonder what his family members warned him about?” Izuku looked towards Ochako. “There’s no way he was actually warned about me, right?” Ochako shrugged, to which Izuku shrugged in return. “Come on, there’s a few stalls I’d really like to check out!” Ochako nodded, as Izuku grabbed her hand and pulled her along, deeper into the sea of vendors.
The two teenagers walked side by side as they left the craft market, mochi in hand, as they ate in silence. Izuku looked over towards Ochako to see how much she was enjoying the mochi he had bought her, and he could see nothing but bliss across her face.
“Ohhhhh, I haven’t had mochi in months.” Ochako exclaimed as she finished off her mochi bun, licking her fingers, causing Izuku to giggle at her. She looked over towards Izuku with wide eyes, as if she just remembered that she was with him, before she looked away with rosy cheeks. “It was-” Ochako coughed into her hand, still looking away. “-really good.” She finished quietly.
Izuku giggled at her again, before pulling out another mochi bun, holding it out towards her. She quickly looked at the bun, before looking at Izuku. She swiped her hand forward, grabbing the bun and quickly taking a bite, causing Izuku to giggle again. “You really love mochi.” Ochako nodded, taking another bite. “You got a little something…” Izuku pointed out, before leaning forward and kissing her check.
Ochako froze mid-spot, slowly turning towards Izuku as the blush rushed across his face. “Did you?” Izuku nodded, confirming that he just used that little trick to give her a kiss. “Was there?” Izuku shook his head no, while Ochako’s blush grew in size. She raised her hand up, taking another bite, before swallowing slowly. “Wow…”
“Anyways…” Izuku trailed off, looking away from Ochako, their blushes still full force as they continued to walk. “Did you like the craft market?”
Ochako quickly finished her mochi bun, licking her fingers as she nodded. “I saw so many ideas!” Ochako happily exclaimed, her blush receding. “I really liked that woodburned sketchbook!” Ochako looked over towards Izuku, to find him watching her, his blush also receding. “I’m surprised you didn’t buy one! I’ve seen your drawings on heroes, it would have been perfect for you!”
“I had my eyes on other things…” Izuku admitted, looking away.
“Like what?” Ochako asked with a smirk. “The subject you talk about most is heroes!”
“Well…” Izuku turned back towards Ochako, holding something in his hands. Ochako looked at what was dangling from his hand, finding a pink planet that looked oddly similar to saturn. She looked up at Izuku to see that he was smiling, still holding the planet charm between them. “When I saw you pick it up, I thought it would be perfect for you, and when you put it down, I was questioning why.”
“It was so expensive…” Ochako said quietly, looking back down at the charm like she never saw it before.
“I was surprised at the price, but when I saw how much you really wanted it, I knew that it was more important than getting a simple sketchbook. I can draw in anything, but this charm? Who knows if we’d ever see it again.” Izuku said quietly, still holding the charm. “So I bought it, for you.”
Ochako’s eyes went wide, snapping to look at Izuku who was still smiling. “For me…?” She said quietly. He held it closer towards her, dangling it by the small string, before she reached up and grabbed it with two hands. “But…” She looked back up into Izuku’s eyes to see nothing but affection for her.
“No buts.” Izuku said, dropping his hand. “I wanted to buy you something special, and what better than something that represents who you are?” Izuku looked down towards the charm once more. “I was hoping it would bring you good luck in the future.”
“Izuku…” Ochako trailed off, closing her hand over the handmade charm, before moving forward, reaching around Izuku, and pulling him into a very tight hug. “Thank you so much.” She whispered out quietly, while Izuku’s hands snuck around her back and hugged back tightly.
“You’re welcome, Ochako.” Izuku responded, holding the hug as long as Ochako wanted.
When Ochako finally pulled back, Izuku could see her tear stained cheeks, while she wore a beaming smile on her face. Izuku was worried for half a second, before he realized that she was crying happy tears. She reached up and wiped some of the tears away, before looking at the charm once more. “I love it.” She said quietly, before pulling out her phone, and attaching it to her case. “It’s absolutely perfect.”
Ochako put her phone away, before reaching over and grabbing Izuku’s hand, pulling him close to her. Izuku, not expecting the strength from Ochako, yelped in surprise before feeling a strong arm circle around his arm while a hand slipped into his own. “Come on.” Ochako said, starting to walk back towards the Midoriya apartment. “We better get back so Tsutsumi can have some time with your Mom tonight.”
Izuku chuckled, walking hand in hand with Ochako. “Did you know she finally asked Mom out?”
“She didn’t!” Ochako exclaimed, looking at Izuku with happiness on her face.
“She did!” Izuku confirmed. “It was the same night you asked me out on a date, actually.”
“Wow.” Ochako giggled. “Talk about timing.”
“Right?!” Izuku exclaimed. “Mom told me the next day. Said Kaina is gonna take her to Leblanc.”
“Oh, that little cafe that you’ve mentioned before?” Ochako questioned, looking up at Izuku.
Izuku nodded, looking down towards her. “Yeah. It’s something simple, and I think Kaina would rather start out with something simple.”
“When are you taking me to Leblanc?” Ochako asked with a smirk, still looking at Izuku.
“Well, we would have to see when Kaina would be able to let us again.” Izuku let out a sigh, before looking away. “It kind of sucks that we have to have her watching me almost every single minute of the day…”
“You know how dangerous it could be otherwise.” Ochako said, leaning her head on Izuku’s shoulder as they continued to walk. “Plus, I don’t think Kaina minds. She really cares for you.”
Izuku hummed in thought. “She really does.” He looked up towards the shadows, finding Kaina watching them still. She seemed to know where they were going, skipping from building to building, always watching them. “Did you know that Yagi and Kaina placed bets on when we’d get together?”
Ochako lifted her head to look at Izuku in surprise. “They did what?”
“They placed bets on when we’d get together.” Izuku repeated, allowing Ochako to process what he just said. “Five hundred thousand yen.”
“WHAT?!” Ochako exclaimed, her eyes going even wider than before. “Do you know how much I could do with five hundred thousand yen!?” Ochako let out a huff of annoyance, before placing her head back on Izuku’s shoulder. “I’m gonna have a talk with Yagi the next time I see him.” She let out a sigh. “What was the bet anyways?”
“Kaina bet we’d get together by the first month, while Yagi bet that it would take us three months.” Izuku confirmed.
“When was this?”
“Back when I first helped relax your muscles, the day on the steps.”
“Wow…” Ochako exclaimed. “That was months ago.” Ochako looked up towards Izuku. “So who won?”
“Well, technically, we haven’t confirmed we’re dating.” Izuku sheepishly said, scratching the back of his head, looking away awkwardly. “But I don’t think anybody? It’s been over three months since that happened.”
“Huh. I guess we haven’t.” Ochako said, before pulling Izuku to a stop and turning towards him. She reached forward with her hand that wasn’t holding Izuku’s, guiding Izuku’s face towards her, before she reached up and gave him a chaste kiss. “Does that confirm we’re dating?” Ochako questioned, while a blush rushed up both their faces.
“Y-Y-Yes!” Izuku stuttered out, causing Ochako to giggle.