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Chapter Text

Many people claimed the Whispering Woods of Musutafu was haunted, and every time Ochako Uraraka heard that, she giggled.

Sure, like most of the forests of the lands, it had a few spirits, and sometimes the fae made their appearances to weary travelers on the road that wrapped around the forest, but that was a standard in these parts. Every habitat had similar encounters, but not all of them had the same reputation as her home.

She supposed part of it was because it bordered the Shivering Lake, which resulted in pockets of mist often pooling between trees, and frequent winds that whistled through the canopies. But most likely, it was because it had stronger concentrations of magical energy than many other habitats – enough that it sometimes raised the hairs on people's skin, and gave way to some unusual phenomena. That was part of the reason she moved to this place, after all. As a druid, this was a place to protect, and a place where she could get a lot of magical components.

It was the middle of the night, and the druid in question was making her way through the forest, eyes skimming the dark surroundings. The full moon chased shadows, offering its aid, although it was unnecessary. She could see just fine in the dark.

She moved silently across the forest floor, bare feet pressing into the plush moss, and the tip of her gnarled staff digging into rich soil with each forward step. She was of modest height, with an asymmetrical skirt made of natural fibers, and a cropped bodice made of supple leather. A belt laden with several satchels and baubles hugged her hips. A Cloak of Seasons sat on her shoulders, and given that it was late Spring, the cloak had taken the form of cascading violet flowers down her back. Long, honey-brown hair was piled atop of her head, held together by a cage of roots. Two locks fell to frame her face, bouncing with each step. A pair of ram horns curled out from the sides of her head, decorated with bands made of copper and raw stone.

Although her appearance was atypical, none of the nearby townsfolk feared their resident druid, happy for her assistance with all things nature related. Of course, tonight, she was out and about for personal reasons. Shimmering Silvercap mushrooms only appeared during full moons, and they were excellent for a variety of potions. Ochako was eager to refill her stock, given how popular her modest potions were becoming. Who knew so many people were interested in sleeping draughts and calming elixirs?

Tsuyu did, and Ochako had a letter with 'told you so' from her druidic sister to prove it.

She moved through the shadows with ease, eyes skimming the area for the soft glow of the mushroom caps. It didn't take her long to find her first cluster, and with a bright smile she crouched down to harvest the valuable fungi.

It was as she was on the third cluster and carefully placing the caps in a bag that the forest fell quiet in a way it shouldn't have. Ochako frowned, brow furrowing as she listened to what the world around her was saying in its silence.

The night owls had stopped hooting. The crickets were no longer chirping. The deer had stopped calling. The wind rustled, and as it died down, she heard an ominous growl to her left that sent goosebumps erupting across her skin.

The rumble was from something large, and she stayed still, trying to assess what it could be. Of the natural inhabitants, bears left her alone and wolves rarely came down this way, preferring to stick closer to the base of the mountains. A lost dog? Unlikely. And this area wasn't known for large cats.

The creature growled again, and the sound was closer. This time, she could taste the dark magic the sound brought with it. Whatever this was, it wasn't natural. It didn't smell undead, at least, but it certainly wasn't interested in being friendly.

She gently put down her bag of mushroom caps, and just as she rose up out of her crouch, the growling turned into a vicious snarl, and it charged.

It was fast, but so was she, and she dove to the side as a large black shape crashed into the fallen log she had been in front of, sending splinters flying as the wood shattered. Ochako rolled smoothly to her feet, eyes on the creature as it whirled to find her. It was a large canine, as big as a workhorse, with shaggy black fur and brilliant glowing green eyes. Black tendrils of shadow rolled up off of its form, and truly, Ochako didn't realize lycanthropes could get this big.

It lunged for her again, but its teeth met air as she shapeshifted into an owl and flew up into the trees. Honestly, she could just fly away and leave it there, but this creature was dangerous, and it could easily find its way to the nearby town.

It howled at her, its eyes following her movements as she landed in a tree. Aggressively, it slammed into the trunk, sending leaves and twigs falling, and Ochako started to understand that this creature was beyond logical thinking.

She considered her options. Taking a life was something she would never do, and besides, most lycanthropes did not become so voluntarily. This person was likely just as much a victim as was anyone else. Despite that, she also had no interest in playing tag with it until morning, either.

But while she wasn't up for killing, a little tough love wasn't beyond her. Making up her mind, she shifted her energy and threw herself down to the ground. The werewolf charged at her, only to come to a skidding halt as her form expanded, larger and larger, until what had been a moderate sized owl was now a full sized moose. Despite the lycanthrope's notable size, the moose was much bigger, and with a guttural roar, Ochako charged forward, using her antlers to toss the large wolf across the small clearing, much like a ragdoll.

The creature tumbled to the ground, where it scrambled to its feet, ears flattened against its skull. It clearly didn't like that, but it also wasn't enough to make it stand down, and Ochako watched as it tensed, then darted forward, fangs and claws ready to tear her down.

Clearly, this werewolf had never encountered a moose.

For all its might, it was simply met with a meaty shoulder, and the wolf yelped as it was body-slammed into a tree. It hit the trunk with a sharp crack, and Ochako internally winced, hoping she hadn't broken too many bones. Healing magic wasn't exactly her forté.

She stomped the ground, ready to charge again, but the wolf did not get back up, staying in a slump beside the tree.

Oh gods had she killed it?!

In a whirl of natural energy, she returned to her true form, stumbling forward and dropping to her knees, staff in tow. Pressing a hand to its chest, she breathed a sigh of relief at feeling the rise and fall of its chest, although the soft wheezes implied that, yes, she had broken some ribs.

She sighed, green and gold energy coming to life around her as she formed the beginnings of a recovery spell.

Idly, as she healed this pitiful creature, she couldn't help but think its glowing green eyes reminded her of someone she once knew.

XX

The first thing Izuku Midoriya became aware of was that birds were damn loud. Too many of them were singing at the top of their lungs, and they were all too close, and it was far too early for–

Wait, how early was it?

Wait… this wasn't his bed.

Wait…

Last night was a  full moon , and this was not the cage he'd locked himself in.

He must have broken out! Did he hurt someone? Oh gods, what if he'd killed someone?! He raked his brain for memories of the night before, and when vague flashes of him approaching a woman crouched in the woods surfaced, his blood ran cold. 'Oh no. Oh, no no no no–'

With a sharp intake of breath, he opened his eyes and threw himself into an upright position, terrified and expecting to find himself covered in someone else's blood and–

He stopped, staring at his surroundings. The room he was in was round, with peachy wooden walls that rose high up into a domed center. The walls were a little uneven and knobby, and it took him several seconds to realize it was because the room was actually inside a giant, hollowed tree. Bright sunlight filtered in through several round windows, highlighting the hanging plants from the ceiling and the vines wrapped around the tall, oddly shaped bookcases. Shelves stuck out from various spots on the walls, full of vials, stones, and magical reagents.

To his left was a large door leading outside and a fireplace made of smooth stone, with an opening leading into a small cluttered kitchen between them. And directly in front of him was a staircase that spiraled up and out of sight, presumably to a higher floor.

'Where am I?'

He shifted to look around again, then realized he couldn't move his feet. His eyes fell down to the gnarled roots shackling his ankles to the floor. That was slightly concerning, but not nearly as much as the fact that he was–

The sound of wood creaking made his eyes snap up to the stairs, and he panicked as he realized someone was coming down them. Quickly, he looked around, trying to find something, anything to–

"Good morning, my lycanthropic friend. Are you awake, yet–"

Izuku yelped, loudly, and as the person came into view, he finally found what he was looking for, dragging the folded blanket over his lap just in time to prevent his modesty from being immodest.

The relief he felt from not being butt naked in front of a stranger was quickly overshadowed by the realization that the voice that spoke was startlingly familiar.

He slowly lifted his eyes up to the young woman who came into view, and she came to a stop at the foot of the stairs, staring back at him.

They stayed like that for several seconds, and then…

"Midori?!"

"Miss Ochako?!"

XX

Ochako had expected to find a person when she came downstairs this morning. They would probably be disoriented, maybe even frightened. Perhaps a bit bruised (it was hard to find injuries under all that fur!), and probably in need of some calorie-dense food and a hearty bath.

She had not expected to find Izuku Midoriya, her childhood friend who she had not seen in almost two years.

She gaped at him, blinking rapidly as if questioning her eyesight. There before her was a young man with the same boyish face, the same tanned freckled skin, and the same big, green eyes that she always loved looking into. Now she understood why the lycanthrope's glowing eyes were so familiar - they were the exact same shade of green.

His hair was still a mess of green curls, although it was in dire need of detangling and probably had enough twigs in it to build a birdhouse. It'd also grown longer. She could see the beginnings of a ponytail tied at the base of his neck, but she had no idea how far down his back those green curls tumbled. He'd accumulated a few scars over the years, silver dotting tanned skin, with one notable splotch on his right shoulder. She didn't quite remember him being this toned before, probably thanks to the paladin training, but she'd also never quite…seen him this naked, either.

She felt color touch her cheeks, noting he'd failed to see the bath towel she had folded behind him. It wasn't really clothes, per se, but it was better than the folded blanket he was using to cover his… lap.

"There's, um," Ochako swallowed, eyes moving to look at anything that wasn't him, "a towel behind you. If you'd like to, you know, cover up…"

"Oh!" He twisted, and Ochako spun on heel to both give him a moment of privacy and hide the blush sprawling across her face. Waving her hand, she willed the roots around his ankles to retreat, allowing him the freedom to stand.

There was a rustle of fabric, before she heard him stutter out, "T-thanks". She turned to find him on his feet, securing the towel at his waist, his back to her. Now she could see that his hair went down mid-back, but more importantly, he was quite bruised below his shoulders, probably from the impact of the tree. She must have missed it while trying to heal him.

"Do you hurt?" she asked.

Izuku rolled his shoulders experimentally and winced, more or less answering her question even before he spoke. "Head's pounding, and my back feels like someone dropped a mountain on it." He paused, swallowing. "Did I… do you know if I…"

"I saw no evidence of blood on you," Ochako said softly, walking past him. "I don't think you hurt anyone. But, let's first get you some pain relief, and maybe some food in you. Then we can talk."

She paused at the entryway to her kitchen, looking over her shoulder at him. "This isn't how I wanted to see you again, Midori, but gods, I'm still happy to see you."

The pitiful puppy look he gave her made her stomach do a flip that she pointedly ignored.

XX

Izuku stood awkwardly under the arch that led into the kitchen, a hand nervously holding onto the towel around his waist in case it tried to do anything funny.

Quietly, he watched as Ochako bustled about, setting a kettle to heat and preparing food. This wasn't what he ever expected to wake up to, not in a million lifetimes.

He hadn't seen her in almost two years. So much of her had changed, but so much was still heart wrenchingly the same.

Even at 19, she still had those cute round cheeks, rosy and endearing. She'd always had shorter hair in the past, but he had to admire the way the honey-colored tresses piled atop her of her head added such an air of grace. She was still shorter than him, but the horns were new. Honestly, they looked… really cute on her. He never thought horns on a druid would look cute, but…

He shook his head. Right. She had horns. Strong druids often had animal or plant-like attributes to their appearance. She must have gotten much stronger.

Her wardrobe was definitely different. What used to be leggings and flowy tunics was now, uh, not that. His eyes lingered on the toned arms and the tanned skin of her belly before he snapped out of his stare with some measure of embarrassment. Here he was being an utter disaster, standing in her kitchen in a bath towel admiring her glow-up, instead of trying to figure out just how much he'd fucked up last night. Truly, his priorities were astounding.

He sighed, trying to organize his thoughts, eyes drifting over the kitchen, taking in the shelf of mismatched and oddly shaped tableware, the drying herbs hanging from a rack, and the jars of preserved food in the pantry in the corner. It was all… so quaint. Natural. Pragmatic.

It was very Ochako Uraraka.

His eyes moved back to the young woman as she pulled some food out of the icebox. Truthfully, there wasn't a day that went by that he hadn't thought of her, but he also didn't think he'd ever get to see her again.

This wasn't how he wanted to see her again, either. Once she found out what happened, would she even still want to talk to him? But she'd probably already figured out some of it, given that he woke up shackled to her living room floor after a full moon night. Was she the woman he remembered lunging at last night? Was she upset? She'd never been one to hide her emotions, but things could change in two years. After all, he was nothing like what he used to be…

He swallowed the lump in his throat as she turned and gestured for him to take a seat at a small wooden table with two chairs by the window. He did so, watching as she placed a plate in front of him with some herbed bread, smoked cheese, and cured meats.

"T-thanks," He said, voice barely audible as he began to pick at the contents. She nodded, pouring two cups of tea. He watched as she mixed some sort of white powder into one of the cups before placing it in front of him.

"This will help with the pain. I can… heal your bruises after, if you're comfortable with that."

Izuku swallowed the piece of cheese in his mouth and tilted his head. "You can do healing magic now?"

She flushed a little, sliding into the chair across from him. "Yeah. Not as proficient as Tsu. I'm sure you remember she was just gifted in everything, but I figured it out in the end. I'm average with it, more or less."

He nodded, picking up the teacup and sampling its contents. It was kind of bitter from the medicine, but he ignored it, taking a small sip. "That's still impressive. I remember you telling me most druids specialized in only one or two branches of magic, and you were already gifted in two, so that's still… really awesome."

He hadn't expected his comment to make her turn pink, and she tucked one of those long, shiny locks of hair behind her ear, shyly glancing out the window. A tiny smile touched her lips. "Thank you. You've always been full of compliments. Guess that hasn't changed, huh?"

He felt his own cheeks heat up in response, and he found himself unsure of what to say, although the last part reminded him once again of the elephant in the room, and he glanced back down at his food, quietly picking at a piece of bread.

Ochako seemed to realize the same. She sighed, resting her forearms on the table and clasping her hands together. "Your paladin training was supposed to end a year ago. You stopped writing letters, and when Tenya returned, he refused to say anything other than you had something you needed to do, and he wished you good luck. Was this the reason you never came back?"

Izuku stiffened, staring down at the cup in his hands. Despite knowing the question was coming, he still felt cold at the words. It took him several seconds to find his voice. "Yeah. I…" He sighed, closing his eyes. Might as well get it over with. "It was my last month of training. We responded to an urgent request up in the Azure Mountains. It was me and Tenya, and a couple of our seniors. Villagers claimed something had come in through the night and killed several families. We didn't realize at first. Missed the full moon because of the bad weather. We stayed for the day, and the snow storm lifted right before nightfall – Tenya saw the moon and made the connection right before they attacked."

"It was a pack?" Ochako asked.

Izuku nodded, not looking at her. "Six of them. I–I'd never seen werewolves look like this. They were huge and–" he paused, sighing, "–well, I mean, you saw me last night. A-anyway, there were four of us, panicked villagers, and six gigantic, frenzied werewolves. The details don't really matter, except we had no silver, and it was a difficult fight. One of them lunged for a woman fleeing with her baby. I… didn't let that happen."

"You were bitten," Ochako said simply.

Izuku nodded and pointed to the jagged scar on his shoulder. "It was messy, but superficial. I managed to kill it before it could do worse, but the damage was done. It was still the middle of the night under a full moon, and I started transforming."

He watched the druid before him suck in a breath through her teeth, and he shook his head. "I didn't kill anyone. Realized what was happening and, uh… made sure I wasn't a threat."

Ochako went still at that, and he could tell she was going over the possibilities of what that meant. And he knew she knew him well enough to –

She narrowed her eyes. "Did you throw yourself off the mountain?"

He swallowed nervously. "M-maybe."

She stared at him. Harshly. "...You idiot."

He shrunk in on himself. "I– I wasn't sure what else to do! I figured if I broke a leg, I'd be too slow to attack anything!"

She groaned and buried her face in her hands in a manner he had seen far too many times when they were younger.

He wasn't about to tell her he broke both legs, either.

XX

Man, he sucked at lying.

Ochako rubbed her hands over her face, grimacing at Izuku's story. "So…let me repeat all of this to you, not to make sure I got it right, but to make sure you understand how stupid it sounds. You jumped off the side of a mountain, breaking both of your legs in the fall, before finally landing in a snowbank where Tenya found you hours later, hypothermic and weak from blood loss."

Izuku gave a singular, stiff nod, finding the rind from a piece of cheese utterly fascinating to look at.

Ochako continued. "Then, after you got back to the outpost and patched up by a cleric, you decided that instead of telling anyone you got bitten so you could get help, you made Tenya swear an oath of secrecy, packed up your things, and …disappeared into the night."

Another nod. That rind was really fascinating. Was that a stray piece of cheesecloth stuck to it?

"And… because you didn't tell anyone, you were kicked out of the Order because they thought you abandoned them, and you've spent the last 11 months hiding from everyone out of fear you might hurt them, only going into towns when necessary, even though you're only a threat for three days out of every lunar cycle. And you spend those three days locked in an abandoned prison tower you found, except last night you finally escaped."

Izuku sighed, lowering his eyes to his lap. "I didn't know what to do. I was scared. I didn't… want to cause what I saw in that village."

He heard the chair drag across the floor as Ochako stood up, moving past him. He didn't lift his head, expecting her to leave the room. Probably frustrated. After all, he knew very well how many stupid mistakes he'd made, but it wasn't like he could just–

He sucked in a breath when he felt her small, calloused hands rest on his shoulders in a gentle, but firm touch. He sat up straight, eyes flying open as he saw green light erupt out of the corners of his vision. A sweet, cooling sensation followed, trickling down his back where everything hurt, and he exhaled softly as she sent the regeneration spell deep into his body.

She said nothing, and Izuku chewed on his lip, trying not to think too hard about the feel of her fingers on his shoulders, and how long it had been since he'd had any kind of human touch.

After a moment, the green light faded, and his back felt worlds better. The medicine from his tea was also starting to kick in, and his headache was beginning to ebb away. He sighed, closing his eyes. "That feels a lot better… T-thanks. I–" He swallowed, opening his eyes to look out the window. "I need to go soon. There's still two more nights of the full moon, and I gotta find another cell in the tower that I can use. I…I don't want to repeat last night."

"What exactly happened last night that you don't want to repeat?" Ochako asked.

He blinked rapidly, turning his head slightly, although he still couldn't see her. "I attacked you!"

She snorted. "If you can call it an attack… you never touched me."

He paused, realizing he hadn't actually asked what happened. "I… what happened, then?"

"You lunged, missed, and I turned into a moose and slammed you into a tree."

Izuku sat there for several seconds, processing that sentence. "A moose."

"A moose."

"Like… a full sized… moose?"

"Uh huh."

"With antlers?"

"Yup. Wanna see?"

"N-no, I believe you," Izuku replied in a voice slightly too high pitched.

He heard her chuckle, and he jumped slightly when she squeezed his shoulders. He forgot she was still touching him. She let go of him, walking around so that they could see each other. He found himself looking up at her and was surprised to find her giving him a gentle smile. "Let me help you."

He blinked, unsure of what she could even offer. It wasn't curable, and he couldn't expect her to guard him the entire night. But… he kept making all the wrong decisions around this. Maybe it was time to stop trying to do it all on his own.

He sighed, shoulders slumping. "How?"

"Well… there's a few options. Easiest to do in the short term is to drug you. There's a few written accounts of successfully sleeping through frenzy-based curses with powerful sedatives. You'll wake up feeling like shit, but you'll also wake up knowing you didn't harm anyone."

"I'll do it–" He stopped short when she wagged a finger at him, giving him a look.

"Well, hold up, silly, that's not your only option. There's also the Equilibrium Enchantment. It's… a bit difficult to make, but long-term it might be better. In fact, that's what I'd recommend."

Izuku blinked, unfamiliar with the name. "The what?"

Ochako sat on the edge of the small table, folding her arms. "It's… well, a permanent enchantment usually applied through a potion or, in some rare cases, an implant. But essentially, it balances out curse effects or spell effects. It doesn't cancel them, but it redistributes their properties. Generally, it's used to make unremovable curses more tolerable."

"More… tolerable?" Izuku asked, feeling a spark of hope ignite.

"Well… in the documented cases of using it on lycanthropy, it allowed the person to be able to fight back against the bloodlust during transformation, generally keeping some sense of humanity through those nights. It does so by taking some of the wolf-like effects and making them persist outside of full moons."

"I…had no idea this was a thing," Izuku admitted, dumbfounded.

"Well, of course not. Instead of getting help, you ran off and hid from everyone who would want to help you," Ochako replied softly.

He groaned at his own stupidity, dropping his head on the table with a thunk, barely missing his plate. He felt Ochako pat his head affectionately, and he let the gentle pressure of her fingers against his hair ground him.

Again, she said, "Let me help you, Midori." She paused, then added, "I want to help you."

Something about her saying it that way made his stomach tighten into a weird knot, and he lifted his head to look up at her. "Even after running away?"

"Yeah, dummy. Guess I'm just that fond of you."

The statement brought tears to his eyes and he reached up, wiping them away with a knuckle. He couldn't remember the last time he felt… hopeful.

"Thank you, Miss Ochako."

"Oh, don't thank me," Ochako said with a glint in her eye that made Izuku suddenly very nervous. "You're going to make up for every blunder you've made through this so far. First, you're going to get a bath, because you smell like a dog and your hair looks like a rat's nest. Then we're going to partake in the arduous task of untangling all the leaves and twigs in that hair. Not even elder druids look that rough."

He flushed, reaching up and feeling around his head.

Ochako continued, ticking things off on her fingers. "Then, once we find you something to wear that isn't a towel, you're going to go retrieve your things and bring them back here, because I'll be damned if I keep letting you live in the old Axiom prison tower."

"H-how'd you know which tower?" Izuku asked, alarmed.

The druid rolled her eyes. "There are only two towers close enough to my woods that you'd end up in them last night, and one of them is beside a town, while the other isn't. Pretty obvious where you holed up at."

Izuku sighed, nodding. "Yeah, okay, that was a dumb question." Then his brain caught up with the rest of what she said. "W-wait, you want me to live with you?!"

"Yes, Midori, I want you to stop living in a decrepit tower," Ochako replied dryly. "I've got a spare room you can have. I'll even fortify it with my magic, because I know you're going to panic about the sedatives not being strong enough to contain you."

"Are you su–"

"Finish that sentence and I will turn you into a field mouse."

"W-wait, can you do that?!"

"Want to find out?"

Izuku swallowed, shaking his head nervously. "N-no thank you."

"Then it's settled! Anyway, once you're back here, you're going to write letters to everyone you ghosted, explain what happened, and that you're working to fix it. I'll have one of my owls deliver them. And when this full moon cycle is done, you're going to go visit your friends and family, apologize in person, then help me collect the ingredients necessary for this enchantment."

Izuku whined in the back of his throat, and he hated how dog-like it sounded. "I'm gonna make Mom cry…"

"You already did," Ochako reminded, and although she said it softly, the harshness of the truth still made him wince. "This is a step towards making up for that."

He nodded, feeling tears return to his eyes. "Yeah… I know. I wish I could undo what I did."

"You can't, but you can make strides to repair the damage. This curse doesn't have to define you, Midori. We'll make sure of that."

He sighed, wiping at his eyes. "Y-yeah. I'm gonna be forever in your debt."

"Friends don't carry debts."

He paused, slowly looking up at her. "Are… we still friends, then?"

"We never stopped," she replied softly, and before he could really absorb that statement, she pushed off the table and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a half-hug. His head hit her torso, and he sighed, a few tears slipping down his cheeks.

"I missed you, Miss Ochako."

"I missed you, too, Midori."

Chapter Text

A short while later, Ochako had ushered Izuku outside. He blinked owlishly as he was given a wooden clip to keep his towel on and led to the small garden behind the giant tree she lived in. The tree's canopy towered above them, with thick golden leaves that covered the immediate area in shade.

The sound of a faucet squeaking drew his attention, and he saw Ochako standing by some copper plumbing. Water began to trickle out of the showerhead beside her, splashing down on a flat, slightly slanted rock that stood over a drain. A bath barrel was stationed beside it, and with another twist of a faucet, it began to fill as well.

"The water will be warm, but not hot. The reservoir's enchanted to soak up ambient heat," Ochako explained. "I'll go get you another towel, and I'll see if I have something that will fit you until we can get you better clothes. This handle controls the shower, and this one the bath spigot."

"Thanks," Izuku said softly, and Ochako gave him a bright smile before leaving him alone to clean up. He rinsed off quickly, not bothering to remove the towel in case she came back faster than expected. It had already been an embarrassing morning. He wasn't keen to add to it.

His eyes fell to the bar of soap within reach, and he grabbed it, lathering it up in his hands before attacking his body with suds. It smelled like sandalwood and pine, and more importantly, like Ochako.

With that thought, he ran the bar through his hair several times and began trying to work loose the thorns and leaves stuck in his matted curls.

The dirty soapy water ran down the drain, and a bit of his stormy thoughts left with it.

XX

When Ochako returned to the garden, she found Izuku sitting in the bath, tongue sticking out as he concentrated on untangling a particularly difficult looking knot in his hair. On one hand, he managed to look kind of cute doing it. On the other hand, he also looked ridiculous. Although the two weren't mutually exclusive, she knew well enough she had a bias.

He was cute no matter what he did.

With a smile, she put down the towel and clothes on a stump and grabbed the comb and knife that was atop them. "Want some help?"

He jumped, apparently too focused on his task to realize she'd returned, and whirled around, splashing water out of the barrel. Wide eyes stared at her, before he glanced at the wet towel hanging beside the shower, then down at himself. "Um. I'm kinda… naked?"

"Gee, I didn't notice," Ochako replied dryly, waving the comb at him. "I only need the back of your head, silly."

"R-right," Izuku replied, shoulders slumping. She felt a twinge of pity as he flushed a little. He probably had lost a lot of his social resilience, holing up for the last year. But he turned his back to her, letting his hair hang over the edge of the tub.

She pulled up a stool and sat down behind him, inspecting his hair. Carefully, she began to go through the tangled locks, tugging loose twigs and leaves he'd missed or not yet gotten to. There were quite a few snags she needed to take care of, and of course, the giant knot he'd been messing with when she arrived.

She frowned, fingers feeling the texture of his hair. "You didn't use the conditioner, did you?"

"The what?"

Ochako sighed, walking up to the shower and grabbing the small jar next to the shampoo and the soap. She blinked. Twice.

"Did you wash your hair with just soap?"

She turned to look at him, bewildered, to find him blinking at her with wide, innocent eyes that clearly stated he did, and didn't know why that was a bad thing.

Ugh, his guileless expression was going to be the death of her.

XX

Izuku had never been so happy to see the decaying tower he'd been living in for the last year. It wasn't the tower itself, so much as the knowledge it had clothes. Clothes that were not a sleeveless druid robe that was too tight, too small, and ridiculous looking on his much larger frame. It restricted his movements, and he was entirely grateful that most of this walk back to the tower could be done off the main roads, because he didn't want anyone seeing him like this.

Ochako had to leave the room after she saw him, hands over her mouth. He still heard the 'pfft' from around the corner, and gave her a half-hearted glare when she came back in to help him make some tweed sandals to wear.

At least his hair looked… nicer. Ochako mentioned it needed a bit of extra care to not tangle again so easily, but she had been able to get through all the snags without having to cut off much of the length. His head was a bit tender though, even if she had tried to be gentle.

And he was clean now. That was nice. It did a little bit to improve his mood, but it was also a drop in the bucket compared to everything else weighing down on him.

He sighed, climbing into the tower and making his way down abandoned halls, using the low ambient light to avoid tripping over scattered debris and rubble. He still stubbed his toe once, and ran into a broken table that he knew was there. When he finally got to the cage he had locked himself in the night before, he pursed his lips at the door that was half ripped off its rusted hinges. The metal was bent, with tufts of fur clinging to parts of the frame. A new set of claw marks decorated the aged stone.

Would a sedative actually be strong enough? Would this Equilibrium Enchantment actually be able to ward off the urges to just attack everything?

Worry ate at him as he collected his things. He knew by now that in that form, he was so big he barely had room to turn around in the cell. Enough fractured memories had painted the picture. And yes, Ochako had stopped him this time, but…

What if she thought the sedative had taken effect and it hadn't? What if he hurt her? What if he bit her? He swallowed, shucking the clothes she lent him as he changed into a dark green shirt and leather trousers that better fit him. He sighed, tucking in the shirt and securing the belt, before trading out the make-shift sandals he wore for his boots.

Part of him wanted to not go back. That part was loud and afraid, reminding him that he would never forgive himself if he hurt Ochako. That loud part cited the many other cells he could use in the prison; surely another was in better condition? Or maybe he could take the sedative here and take it while locked in a cell, just in case?

He shook his head, chasing away the fear as he grabbed a satchel and filled it with his personal effects. Ochako would just come after him and drag him back if he tried, and furthermore, she was strong and capable. She had successfully taken him down, without harming herself, and got him back to her house, while he was still transformed. He needed help. He couldn't do this alone.

Quietly, he repeated that part out loud.

"I need help. I can't do this alone."

With shaky hands, he picked up his old shield and sword, securing them on his person. He hadn't used them since he left the Order. The weight felt foreign now, but he just didn't want to leave them behind. It felt disrespectful.

Pursing his lips, he pulled on his old, tattered cloak and grabbed his hunting bow and quiver. He did a cursory sweep of the area. Satisfied he had everything he owned, he pulled out the unusual compass Ochako gave him and followed its needle back to her tree.

XX

The beating of wings informed Shoto Todoroki of his visitor well before he saw her. Turning from his desk, he watched the owl fly in through the open door and land in the center of his shop, Shoto's Enchantments and Magical Reagents. In a swirl of energy, the owl became his human friend in all her glory, from her horns to her flowered cloak. He smiled slightly, getting up off of his stool to greet her. "You must have had a successful mushroom harvest if you're already here after the first night."

She blinked for a moment, before giving him a faint smile in return. "I actually only found a few caps. I ran into issues. Issues I need your help with."

Shoto tilted his head, mismatched eyes falling to the folded paper in her hands. She noticed, nodding and holding it out. "This is for you. From someone you haven't seen in a while."

The enchanter blinked, brows furrowing as he took the parchment from her, carefully unfolding it. The scrawl on it was messy, decorated by a couple of blotches of ink, a few crossed out lines as sentences were started over, and a slight tilt where the author hadn't kept a straight line.

As his brain tried to work out who he hadn't seen in a while with such abysmal penmanship, a singular name came to mind just as his eyes started absorbing the words addressed to him.

"Izuku…?" he asked, half to himself, and half to the druid standing in front of him. She said nothing, clasping her hands in front of her as she waited for him to finish reading. The letter wasn't too long, but the contents were still … a lot.

"He's a werewolf? That's why he disappeared?" Shoto wondered aloud, shaking his head as he looked up at his friend. She nodded, fidgeting slightly. "How long have you known?"

Ochako smiled faintly, shaking her head. "Only since this morning. He attacked me last night while I was harvesting the Silvercaps. Didn't know it was him though. Ended up knocking him out and dragging him back to my place, and when I woke up this morning, my new pet werewolf was actually Midori."

Shoto nodded, before he paused and did a double-take. "You knocked out a werewolf? How? Did you hit him with a tree?"

She scratched her cheek, looking up at the ceiling. "I suppose technically? I threw him into a tree… as a moose."

Shoto's mouth fell open. "I thought you were joking when you said you could shapeshift into a moose."

"The one time you finally take something I say as a joke, and it's the one time it isn't a joke," Ochako replied flatly.

Shoto didn't know what that meant, but he waved a hand, folding the letter. "There's still two nights left of the full moon. Is this why you need my help?"

She nodded, glancing behind to make sure no one was hanging by the shop's entrance. "Remember when we talked about the Equilibrium Enchantment and its uses? I want to see if that will help him through the full moons."

Shoto nodded, pursing his lips. "It's… worth a try, but I can't get that ready for you before this cycle ends. I have only about half of the components in my shop. Will need to acquire the rest, which might take a couple of days."

"If you give me a list, I can help," Ochako replied. "As for the rest of this cycle, I think we can try a really powerful sleeping elixir. I've… admittedly never made one potent enough to take down a large, cursed, angry werewolf, but it's better than him trying to just lock himself in another abandoned prison cell."

Shoto stared at his friend. "He did what now?"

"Oh, he didn't put that in the letter?" Ochako mused, shaking her head. "Dummy figured that was the 'safest' thing he could do to keep himself from hurting others. I guess the cell's door gave way last night, and that's how he ended up in my forest. Who knew he was that close this entire time? I pass by that prison once every few weeks, but I'd never realized he was hiding out there."

"Well…" Shoto sighed, shaking his head. "Izuku has always had an … unorthodox approach to protecting others. Didn't you two meet by him tackling you out of the way of 'danger' except you weren't in danger?"

He watched the druid's eyes lit up. "Yeah. He saw my mentor in panther form and assumed the worst. I think the combination of realizing he'd tackled a thirteen year old girl and seeing a panther roll onto its back and laugh broke him for a few days. I'm surprised he came back to talk to me after that."

"I'm not," Shoto admitted, but chose not to elaborate. They all knew that for all his awkwardness, Izuku was kind and friendly. He doubted that had changed over the last two years. "I think I can help with your sleeping elixir, by the way."

He walked to a set of overburdened shelves, eyes skimming around for something in particular. Reaching up, he grabbed a small vial with a cork. He twisted it to find the label and nodded to himself. "This dust makes potions more potent. I'd say for each sleeping elixir, you need half a gram to triple the potency. Mix it in at the simmering stage, right before you take it off the heat and let it cool."

He held the vial out to her, and she took it, eyes falling to the blue powder. "How much do I owe you?"

Shoto smiled. "You don't, but I'd like to meet up for lunch again soon. I want to tell you about the new book I'm reading."

"We are overdue," Ochako agreed warmly, pocketing the vial. "Let me get through this first, and I'll follow up. And, well, expect Midori to visit you once he's not an utter mess."

"Is it… that bad?" Shoto asked, concerned. Truthfully, he wasn't very upset with Izuku for what he'd done, as he understood why he'd make those decisions. But he did wonder just how bad his mental health was, considering it all. Getting a prognosis of 'werewolf' was often career ending and a knife to one's social life.

Ochako sighed. "He's holding it together by threads, I think. You can see it in his posture and mannerisms. He's got dark circles under his eyes, and his body is perpetually tense from the constant stress and fear he'll hurt someone. I think…if we can get him past this and a solution that at least makes his curse tolerable, he can start to heal. Probably can't become a paladin again, but there's plenty of other things he can do."

"And he has help," Shoto said, smiling. "Let me write the list of things I need, and we can keep in touch as we acquire them. If we're lucky, we can have this enchantment prepared in a week."

"Thank you, Shoto."

"Of course. He's an idiot, but he's a lovable idiot."

XX

Two hours later, Ochako had just put the brew to a simmer when she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find Izuku standing on the other side, and she blinked. He was wearing a tattered cloak that went down to his knees, and leather boots that were a huge upgrade from the sandals she helped him fashion before he left. His sword hung at his waist, and his shield was on his back. He had a satchel slung over one shoulder, a quiver of arrows at his waist, and a bow in his hand.

He also, somehow, had brought back a deer he'd killed and field-dressed, on top of the weight of everything else. Ochako stared. "Did you… carry that here?"

"Huh? Yeah, how else would I have gotten it here?" Izuku asked, tilting his head.

"I mean… that had to be heavy, especially with everything else you're holding."

"Not really," he admitted, shrugging a little. "Mostly just bulky, ya know? And a little messy. But since I got bitten, I've needed, um, a lot more meat in my diet, and I figured I should at least try to take care of that on my own. You're already doing so much for me…"

Ochako shook her head, waving a hand. "It's fine. Here, let me show you your room so you can put away your things, then I'll get you a knife."

"S-sure."

She led him up the stairs to a tiny landing with three doors. The one to his room was open, and she walked through it, waving him in. It was small, with a single bed against one wall, and the round window above it was open to allow in fresh air. She'd managed to find a pillow and blankets that weren't musty to throw on the bed. The desk had been cleared off, although she left a stack of parchment, ink and a quill for him to write the rest of his apology letters. The bookshelf by the door was mostly empty, although she needed to still go through the bottom shelf and clear it out. There was a crate of jars she'd have to move later, but they weren't in the way.

"This is your room. Feel free to decorate it or move things around if you want; I mostly use it for storage. I'll get the rest of the stuff cleared out in a couple of days. If, uh, the bed's too hard, I can see about getting some down next time I'm in town."

Izuku walked in after her, putting down his things. "I've been sleeping on a stone prison bed for months. This looks like a luxury spa."

Ochako wasn't sure whether to laugh or wince at such a statement. Izuku didn't make her choose, looking around with a concerned expression. "Um, you said you could fortify this room with your magic, right?"

"Yup. It's part of the tree. I can do a lot with trees," she replied with a smile. He gave her an uneasy one in return, unhooking the clasp on his cloak. It slid off, threadbare and in dire need of replacing, but she paid that no mind, watching as he hung it on the hook on the wall. Her eyes fell to the clothes he now wore, which suited him far better than her old training robe.

She paused, admiring the way the forest green shirt was partially open in the front, and the snug fit of his dark leather pants.

Yeah, that suited him way better.

Oblivious as he was ever, he turned to her, brushing some of his hair out of his face. "Did you have any luck with the elixir?"

Ochako nodded, folding her arms across her chest. "Yeah. I'm making three just in case. They're almost done, just simmering. Once the sun starts setting, you can take one and come up here. I'll lay some furs on the floor so you don't, uh, break the bed under your weight."

"Yeah…" Izuku grimaced. "Are you sure they'll work?"

"Shoto gave me something to enhance their potency, so yeah, I think it'll be fine. I'm actually more worried you'll have a hangover in the morning," Ochako admitted, giving Izuku an apologetic look.

"That's fine," Izuku said softly. "Um… was Shoto…?"

She could hear the nervousness in his voice, and she gave him a kind smile. "I gave him your letter. He was surprised, but he's not angry. A little sad you didn't reach out for help, I think." She watched Izuku's face fall, guilt crossing over his features. "However, he thinks he can have the enchantment ready in about a week."

She watched Izuku's eyes light up as he looked up at her. "Really?"

"Yup! He gave me a list of the ingredients we need to acquire. He's going to see which ones he can get from his suppliers, and I'll help procure the rest."

Izuku sighed, brushing back his hair from his face. "I… really don't deserve this."

"You didn't deserve to get bitten," Ochako said firmly, reaching up to touch his arm. He looked over at her, and she felt like she could get lost in his eyes, wide and vulnerable. He was wounded, and while part of it was his own doing, a lot of it was unfortunate circumstance. "We want to help you. It's what friends do. Here, let me put it this way: if you were me, and you came across me like this, would you turn me away?"

"No!" Izuku said with conviction, brows shooting up. He then realized the double standard of his stance, expression softening. "You'd never do what I did anyway."

"That's beside the point, dummy," Ochako replied, reaching up to pat his cheek affectionately. "You'd do it because you care for me, just as I'm doing this because I care for you. As does Shoto, and I think everyone else you left behind still feels the same."

She watched his eyes shimmer as he tried very hard to hold back tears. He wasn't exactly the most successful, as a couple slid down his cheeks. "Thank you."

She offered him a smile. "Things are going to get better. I promise. And I'll be here the whole time."

He offered her a heartfelt, albeit wobbly smile in return. "Can I… give you a hug?"

She responded by opening her arms in invitation, allowing him to swoop in and pull her close.

The way he desperately clung to her made her heart ache.

XX

The sun was close to setting. Izuku kept checking every thirty seconds to make sure it hadn't suddenly disappeared.

A small nap earlier had done a bit to help calm his nerves. An empty plate from dinner sat on the desk to his left, and a couple of newly written letters were stacked to his right. Ochako had been by once to take the first set and send them out while he finished the rest. Now, he pursed his lips, working on the last and most difficult one: the one to his mother.

He grimaced, staring at the ten or so words he'd written. It shouldn't be this hard. Apologize, explain, give next steps. It's what he'd done for Shoto, and in his letter to Tsuyu. Tenya's had just been an apology, since he already knew what had happened. And yet… the words wouldn't come this time. The pen wouldn't move. His hand trembled. He groaned, dragging his free hand over his face. Why was this so hard? His mother was the most kind, loving, compassionate person he knew. She wouldn't hold this against him.

Maybe that was it. She wouldn't, and she should, because he'd fucked up. He could only speculate how many times she cried, wondering what happened to her son.

Glaring down at the paper, he pressed the pen tip against it with more force than necessary, messy ink scrawling across the pages. He forced the words out. First, the apology. Then the story, the explanation. He added details about Ochako finding him and helping him. He followed up by promising he would be visiting soon, and to please wait a little longer. He ended it with another apology, cursing under his breath as a tear hit the paper and made the wet ink bleed.

A knock at the door startled him, and he barely avoided sending a stray line of black across his signature as he jumped.

"Sorry," Ochako said from behind him. "I didn't mean to startle you."

He shook his head, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Just wasn't paying attention. Is it time?"

"Yeah. A normal strength potion takes half an hour, but I don't know how long this will take. So we should be cautious and start now." She came up beside him, putting a small vial on the desk, along with a cup of water. The liquid in the vial was an opaque, shimmery silver that looked like it came from the moon itself. He took it, drinking the contents. It was fairly tasteless, although the thickness felt weird. That must have been what the water was for, so he used that to wash the rest of it down.

He turned around in his chair to see Ochako adding a towel and blanket beside the stack of furs she'd set up in the room earlier. "The towel's so you don't, uh, ruin your clothes during the transformation."

He felt his cheeks heat up. He supposed his method of just staying in the cell naked wasn't really going to work here, not with her having to keep an eye on him. "T-thanks."

She nodded, walking to the door. "I'll come back in a few minutes. Just want to get my staff in case something unexpected happens."

With that, she closed the door behind her. A few minutes later, Izuku found himself in nothing but a towel for the second time that day.

XX

The sleeping draught took effect much quicker than either were expecting. Ochako had just returned to find Izuku sitting on the furs, towel cinched around his waist, and his eyes glazed over. A minute later, he was asleep, curled up on his side. Several shoulder shakes did nothing, nor did pinching his arm or toes. Satisfied he was thoroughly unconscious, the druid sat down against the wall, staff in her arms, and waited.

The moon came, and with it, dark shadows started billowing up from his form. She'd never seen a transformation like this, so she watched raptly as the tendrils of black smoke hissed as the curse came to life. He convulsed, body contorting as he transformed. She winced at the sound of bones popping as his structure was rearranged, and despite being unconscious, his face was pulled into a painful grimace. Black fur erupted across his form, feet and hands changed to paws, and in what felt like only seconds, Izuku Midoriya now slept before her as a giant, ethereal wolf. His body was so big that his muzzle touched one wall and his back legs pressed up against the other.

She saw a flash of glowing green eyes and snapped to attention, hopping to her feet with her staff in hand. Fear that the potion had not been strong enough surged through her, however that fear started to settle down when she realized he couldn't even lift his head. His tongue rolled out, and his eyes closed. He was out once again, snoring.

Ochako leaned against her staff, exhaling shakily. She stayed like that for several minutes, watching Izuku to see if he moved. He didn't, dead to the world around him, his massive chest rising and falling with his breaths.

Now more confident he was down for the night, she sighed, pondering her options. Staying up all night to monitor him wasn't an ideal situation, but she could do the next best thing. With a tap of her staff, her treehouse responded to her command, branches rising up from the floor and caging around Izuku like an organic kennel. She let her magic surge through the wood, fortifying it and making it highly resistant to impact. It still wouldn't stop him if he fully woke up, but it would give her enough time to react.

Satisfied with her work, she crossed the room to his bed and plopped down on it, staff in hand. She'd probably not sleep well, but she'd manage.

XX

The wind whipped at Tsuyu's feathers as she flew across the lands. Although birds were not her favorite form to take, they were the most efficient for travel. The sun was rising behind her, waking up the world below, and the wind carried her with ease towards her destination.

She had expected a letter from Ochako soon, but what she had not expected was Ochako's messenger bird to arrive with a letter from Izuku. She was happy to hear he was alive and well, but she was admittedly concerned. Lycanthropy was a difficult thing to live with, and although he indicated Ochako was helping him with some solutions, Tsuyu still felt on edge. One wrong step, and someone could get hurt.

Ochako was a talented druid, and Tsuyu trusted her to be careful and to know what she was doing. It didn't mean that she couldn't just check in and make sure things were okay, though. After all, last night was a full moon, and if Izuku was staying with Ochako, that meant her druidic sister was having to keep him under control.

She spotted the great tree with golden leaves from her position in the sky and swooped down, landing at the front door. In a whirl of green magic, she had taken on her human form, although over the years she had acquired quite a few frog-like traits. She knocked lightly on the door.

No answer.

Frowning, Tsuyu glanced through the kitchen window, seeing no evidence Ochako had been in there this morning. Weighing her options, the dark-haired druid sighed and pulled the key out from its hiding place, opening the door and stepping aside.

It was eerily quiet, and Tsuyu did not like that at all. Seeing no movement, she quickly made her way upstairs. The door to Ochako's room was closed, but the one beside it - the spare room, was open. Pursing her lips, she peeked in, and lifted her brows at what she saw.

Ochako was sitting atop a pile of furs, her back to the wall and eyes closed. Izuku lay beside her, a blanket draped over his otherwise naked body. His head was in her lap, curls splayed out around him, and Ochako's fingers were lightly stroking his head.

Tsuyu folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe, feeling her concern melt away to be replaced by fond amusement. Ochako must have sensed her, because the brunette opened her eyes and looked up, only to be startled at seeing her standing there. She hissed out a curse, jumping, which caused Izuku to grunt and roll onto his side, burying his face into her stomach.

Ochako exhaled through her nose, closing her eyes. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I noticed," Tsuyu replied flatly. "I must admit, when Izuku mentioned in his letter that you were taking care of him, I didn't think this is what he meant."

"It's not," Ochako denied, pointedly not looking at her. "He's under the effects of a sleeping elixir. I wanted to make sure it didn't slow his heart rate down too much."

"I see. That's a clever way to do it. Can you feel his heart with his head in your lap like that?"

The other druid growled at her, and it was moderately impressive given she wasn't in any sort of predator form.

Tsuyu sighed softly, pushing off the door frame to step in and take a seat in the chair by the desk. "I apologize for coming unannounced. When I got Izuku's letter, I was concerned. Lycanthropy isn't a simple matter."

"No, it's not," Ochako agreed softly, hand coming back to rest atop Izuku's head. "But… the elixir worked, and Shoto is helping me get the components for an Equilibrium Enchantment."

Tsuyu put a finger to her chin. "Interesting. Do you think it would help?"

"I think so. A while back, Shoto was showing me a book he read that was essentially a record of different ways to use certain enchantments. There was a section on the Equilibrium Enchantment, and how in lycanthropy, it balanced out the bloodlust of the curse by giving the holder wolf-like features outside of the full moon. Based on the notes, it sounded like you could permanently take on a few wolf traits in exchange for having a less violent transformation with hopefully less bloodlust. Midori is keen to try."

Tsuyu was quiet for a moment, processing that. "I am curious to see the results. What do you do if it does not have the desired effect?"

Ochako shrugged helplessly, looking down at the man asleep on her. "Stick with super sedatives, I guess. This kept him down all night, so as long as he wakes up okay, that's also a viable option, though he'll probably feel drunk for most of the day. He's willing to do anything as long as it means he won't hurt people."

"Yes. Voluntarily exiling himself for a year was probably a bit extreme, though," Tsuyu hummed, eyes falling to him. "It's good to know he is okay. I was worried when Tenya would not talk."

"Yeah," Ochako agreed softly, brushing his hair out of his face. "We'll help him get through this."

"Of course," Tsuyu replied, folding her arm over the back of the chair. "And will you also confess to him?"

She watched as the brunette sat up straight, her face turning a light shade of pink. "Tsu!"

"Please, Ochako," Tsuyu replied at her friend's protest. "You were so smitten with him before he went off to training, and I can see right now that hasn't changed. You still adore him."

The other druid didn't look at her, staring down at the floor with her lips pressed together and her face aflame. After a few seconds, she stuttered out, "I–ugh, yes, I still like him. A lot. But, no, I'm not going to say anything. He was never interested before, and right now, a confession is the last thing he needs. He's a mess!"

Tsu held up a finger, giving her friend a pointed look. "I agree that you should wait, but I disagree about his lack of interest. Have you ever asked him?"

"I mean… I made it pretty obvious I liked him. I was kinda… a silly teenage girl with a crush," Ochako replied, embarrassed. "...Everyone knew."

"He didn't."

"Tsu, c'mon–"

"Ochako," Tsuyu interrupted. "Izuku cannot read women to save his life. I doubt paladin training and getting a lycanthropy curse cured that."

"Oh, c'mon, he's not that–..." Ochako paused, looking down at the sleeping man in her lap. "He's probably not that dense! I was really obvious!"

Tsuyu gave her a flat stare that said exactly what she thought of that statement. "And he is really oblivious. Ochako, I cannot tell you what to do, but I do think you are giving him too much credit in his social aptitude, of which has probably gotten worse over the last year."

She watched the brunette purse her lips, dropping her head back against the wall with a soft 'thunk'. "Maybe. But not right now. He needs support. Friends. My feelings can wait."

Tsuyu shrugged. "That's fair. Just don't let your feelings wait forever."

"Ugh, I thought you came to make sure we were okay, not give me advice on my lack of love life," Ochako groaned.

"I can do both. But, I do have other things I must see to. I'll come by in a few days. I would like to catch up with him." Tsuyu's eyes fell back down on the sleeping man who was oblivious to the conversation at hand. "Please be careful, Ochako. He will never forgive himself if you get hurt."

"I know," Ochako replied. "And thank you."

Chapter Text

When Izuku first woke up, he was far too dizzy to do anything other than acknowledge he was dizzy. By the time the after-effects of the sleeping potion wore off, he'd fallen back to sleep at least twice.

Finally, at some point, he opened his eyes and found the world wasn't spinning, and the haze in his mind had cleared. He wasn't exactly sure what time it was, but he did note he was in his bed, with the blanket pulled up around him. A glass of water was on the table beside the bed, and a rich, hearty scent was floating in from downstairs, making his stomach rumble.

He sniffed, recognizing the scent of meat. And more importantly, he realized that things must have been okay if Ochako was making food.

Both that fact and the smell dragged him out of bed. He downed the glass of water, hastily threw on his clothes, and stumbled down the stairs, cursing his slight lack of coordination from the potion's lingering effects. He found Ochako in the kitchen, moving pieces of fried meat off of a skillet and onto a plate.

She looked up at him, offering a bright smile. "Hey there, sleepyhead!"

The warm welcome made him smile back, and he moved to take a seat at the small table. "H-hey. Did I–?"

"You slept like a rock," Ochako answered, bringing the plate of cutlets over for him to eat. "Didn't move, snored most of the night, and no dangerous werewolf antics."

He sucked in a breath, looking up at her with wide eyes. "Really?"

She tapped his nose in response, making him go cross-eyed momentarily as he followed her finger. "Really. Tonight should be fine as well."

Relief flooded him, and without even thinking, he rose up and pulled Ochako into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He realized what he did a moment later and started to pull back, mouth open to apologize for just swooping in like that. However, the moment he loosened his grip, she tightened hers, pulling him against her and not letting go. He paused, feeling the way her head tucked up under his chin so perfectly, and how her small, but strong arms clung to his torso. The scent of her shampoo invaded his nostrils, and, suddenly, all the emotions he kept skillfully buried came rushing to the forefront of his mind. Words that he wanted to say but never did threatened to tumble out, and he bit his tongue, quite literally, pressing his face into her hair.

Was it always so soft?

He needed to pull away, but Ochako made it worse by giving him another squeeze and saying things that made his heart pound. "Seeing you happy again is more than enough thanks, Midori."

He exhaled shakily, blinking away tears. She was such a good friend. A wonderful, kind friend. A friend he cared for so deeply.

A friend he wished held the same romantic feelings for him as he did for her. She didn't, and it was fine, but in moments like these, it was very, very hard to compartmentalize.

When she did pull back, she smiled up at him, and Izuku was struck with the urge to kiss her.

He skillfully commented on the weather instead.

XX

The next night was the same, with Izuku passing out rather quickly. He felt slightly less paranoid, now knowing the sleeping potion was potent enough to keep him down.

Earlier that day, Shoto had sent an update of what reagents he had for the enchantment, and what was still missing. Luck was on their side, as most of his suppliers were able to fill in the gaps, save two missing components that Ochako was certain she could collect within a couple of days.

When morning came, Izuku awoke groggily, but still with more excitement than he'd had in months. He had gone two nights of a full moon, sedated. Harmless! Soon, they would have this enchantment made, and things might even be easier!

He could restart his life again.

He got to his feet, pulling on his pants and tossing his shirt over his shoulder. He could hear Ochako in the kitchen, but went outside first so he could clean up. He remembered to use the shampoo and conditioner this time, enjoying the way the scent that was distinctly 'Ochako' was now on him as well. Once he was done, he made his way inside, clad in only his pants, a towel slung over his shoulders and his shirt draped over his arm. His hair was loose, splayed out over the towel so it would dry.

Ochako looked up from her tea when he walked into her kitchen. She blinked, staring at him mutely over her teacup, eyes lingering on his form. He blinked back, glancing down at himself, then behind, worrying he might be trailing in water from outside. He didn't see more than a couple of drops from his hair, and he frowned, looking back at her. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope," Ochako said in a tone that he did not know how to interpret. "Definitely not. How do you feel?"

And like that, the strange expression was gone, and she was smiling down into her teacup.

Izuku tilted his head, unsure of what just happened, but decided it wasn't anything bad. "Less tired than yesterday when I got up. But… I feel really… good. Excited, even. Like things have a positive outlook."

That got him a bright smile in response as Ochako gestured to the seat in front of her, and a plate of pastries. "Well, let's celebrate. I picked these up in town this morning on my way back from getting the Peak's Grace."

Izuku's mouth formed an 'o' as he took a seat across from her. "That's the flower that grows on mountain peaks, right? One of the two missing reagents?"

She nodded, grabbing a small pastry with icing atop of it. "Yup! In flight form, it's not that long of a trip to get to the mountains. So I flew up there, found a cluster of the flowers, and dropped them off to Shoto. The bakery next door smelled so good that I figured I'd treat us to some fun snacks. I just got back right before you woke up, actually!"

He nodded, grabbing something that looked like it might have been filled with a lemon custard and bit down into it. It tasted decadent. It was also a sore reminder that he'd been surviving off of game and wild plants for the last year.

They ate in silence for a bit, slowly devouring the food between them, and it was as Izuku sat back in his chair with a delighted sigh that Ochako giggled.

"You, um. Have jam on your nose. Somehow."

He blinked, quickly wiping at the tip of his nose with his thumb. "S-sorry. I swear I haven't forgotten all of my table manners."

Ochako said nothing, but her grin made his neck feel hot.

XX

"The last piece we need for the enchantment is a little tricky to get," Ochako explained as they walked down the road together. They had made a detour into one of the nearby towns to grab a few extra things for Izuku, such as more clothes and some extra toiletries. He wanted to insist it could wait until he could pull in his own income, but Ochako scoffed, and that was that.

She was too good to him.

"Yeah, you mentioned it was a deceiver stone. That's the stone you can only identify underwater, because when it's dry, it looks like any ordinary rock, right?" Izuku asked.

"That's the one!" Ochako replied, giving him a grin. "I've been told they can be found in the Shimmering Lake, which means we don't have to go far, though it could be a tedious search. Even in aquatic form, the lake's huge. That's why I asked Tsu to meet us. Aquatic form is one of her many specialties."

Izuku nodded, picking at some imaginary lint on his sleeve. "You sure she doesn't mind helping?"

"Positive. She's eager to see you again, and was a little disappointed you were still drugged up when she stopped by after the first night–ah! There she is!"

Izuku's head snapped up to see a petite form sitting on a rock by the edge of the lake. She hadn't changed too much since the last time he saw her. Her hair was longer, and she looked a little more… frog-like. He didn't know how else to describe her, honestly.

Before he could have any doubts about her reception, she hopped off the rock and greeted him with a big hug. "It is good to see you, Izuku."

Izuku smiled, hugging her back. Her head only came up to his chest, but he made it work. "You, too, Miss Tsuyu–"

"It's Tsu."

"R-right. Ts-Tsu–"

She pulled back, looking up at him with a froggy smile. "I've missed you. Be sure you never do anything this stupid ever again."

Izuku gulped, nodding. "I–I won't. I don't think Miss Ochako would let me–"

He stopped when Tsu leaned to the side to look behind him at Ochako. "You're still letting him call you that?"

The other druid cleared her throat, moving past them. "Midori can call me whatever he wants."

Izuku blinked, watching Ochako stop at the water's edge. Was that supposed to mean Ochako didn't like how he addressed her? He tilted his head, then asked, "Um… what do you want me to call you?"

She turned, shrugging cutely at him. "I'll tell you if you can keep up with me in a swim."

And with that she shapeshifted into an otter and slid into the water.

Izuku sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get an answer; however, his eyes crossed when a webbed hand held up a vial in front of his face. He blinked, plucking the small container of blue liquid from Tsuyu's fingers. The druid walked past him towards the water's edge, a knowing smile on her face. "Water breathing potion. Good for an hour. Go catch her, Izuku."

He blinked, tilting his head like a curious puppy. And then he grinned.

XX

Ochako had been teasing when she jumped into the water, knowing he wouldn't really be able to keep up with her in aquatic form. She didn't even expect for him to get into the water anyway. So, once she dove in, she immediately put her attention into looking for a deceiver stone. Motion beside her let her know Tsuyu had joined as well, and she saw the large frog take off in another direction to scour the bottom of the lake.

Underwater, the stone would appear a deep yellow, kind of like sulfur. It wouldn't be easy to see at a distance, but if she kept close to the lakebed, she'd be able to spy it once she was upon it.

A shadow passed overhead, and she flipped onto her back to see what was swimming above her, only to find Izuku grinning at her. He'd put on the pair of shorts they'd bought earlier, light enough they wouldn't drag him down while he swam, and the bubble around his head said everything she needed to know of how he was so far deep underwater. There was only one way he got his hands on such a potion.

Ochako was going to have words with Tsuyu.

Any further thoughts on her druidic sister were interrupted when Izuku playfully booped her otter nose with his finger before swimming off to search for the stone.

Well, shit. Now she had to tell him what to call her, didn't she?

XX

"I'm impressed that you found a deceiver stone before either of us," Tsuyu commented as they exited the lake. Izuku was beaming, holding the stone in his fist as he climbed out after her. Ochako came out last, shapeshifting back into her human form once she was on land.

"Guess I got lucky," Izuku said happily, handing the stone to Ochako so that he could wring the water out of his hair. She took it, pocketing it in one of her little belt pouches while he disappeared behind some trees to change clothes.

The moment he was out of earshot, Ochako leveled Tsuyu with a look. "You didn't tell me you were bringing a breathing potion."

"To be fair, I didn't think it mattered, but that was too good of an opportunity to let pass," Tsuyu said simply, putting a finger to her chin. "What will you tell him to call you? Honey?"

"No."

"Darling?"

"Ugh, Tsu."

"Lamb chop?"

"...What?"

"I don't know. I read it in a romance novel once."

XX

Shoto heard the bell ring to the door of his store, and he walked in from his backroom to see who it was. His brows lifted at seeing Ochako and Tsuyu walk in, but most importantly was the green-haired man stepping in behind them.

"Izuku!" Shoto said with quiet excitement, walking past his counter.

Izuku looked up, giving him a nervous smile. "H-hey, Shoto. S-sorry it's been a while–"

Shoto didn't let him finish, placing his hands on the other man's shoulders. "Just promise to never do something like that again, and that's more than enough."

He watched Izuku blink back tears, before he nodded happily. "Y-yeah. I've learned my lesson. Thank you."

"Of course," Shoto said, squeezing his shoulders fondly. "It's interesting that you stop by now, because–"

"IZUKU!"

The booming voice made everyone except Shoto jump, and he smiled slightly as he heard the heavy clank of metal armor behind him. Izuku's eyes widened. "Tenya?"

Shoto moved out of the way as the towering paladin stalked up and pulled the shorter man into a fierce hug. "There was no one at Miss Ochako's tree, so I came to ask Shoto if he knew where you were! I am so pleased you finally are embracing your friends' desire to help you!"

Izuku wheezed, awkwardly trying to hug Tenya back through his death grip. "Y-yeah, sorry. We were trying to get ingredients."

"Ah, were you successful?" Shoto asked, looking from Izuku to the two druids.

Ochako smiled, pulling an innocuous-looking rock from a pouch at her hip. "Midori found it, actually. Didn't realize how good of a swimmer he was!"

The man in question laughed awkwardly, still trapped in Tenya's steel grip. Literally. "Y-yeah. Had to keep in shape after I left the Order. Spent a lot of time climbing trees and swimming in the river."

Tenya finally let go of Izuku, and Shoto took the rock from Ochako's hand, dipping it in a bowl of water to see its true form. He nodded to himself. "It will take me a few days to make the enchantment. I will bring it by your tree once it's complete."

Ochako nodded, and Izuku smiled warmly at Shoto. "Thank you. I really am so grateful for all of your support and help."

Shoto smiled, putting the stone away with the other ingredients. "Well… since we're all here. Anyone fancy a lunch reunion?"

Izuku's face lit up brighter than the sun itself.

XX

Izuku wasn't sure if he could be happier right now. Several empty bowls sat on the table, and there was laughter and joy as he caught up with his friends. No one was angry at him. They certainly were holding him accountable for his actions, but they did so lovingly.

At one point, Ochako caught his eye and gave him a satisfied grin. "Told ya."

She did. She was right. He was so grateful. He might have shed a tear or two or six of happiness.

After they were done eating, the waitress came by to see if they wanted dessert. It was strange, because she kept looking at him even as she talked to everyone else, and she was hiding a smile behind the stack of menus in her hands. Come to think of it, she'd been by the table several times, even though they really didn't need anything.

It was a little strange, but she was really polite! Always had nice things to say, like how it'd be a great day for a walk after her shift. Izuku agreed, telling her there was a nice path by the lake. When she asked if he would show her, he told her she couldn't miss it if she followed the main road down and took a left. He didn't know why his instructions made Ochako snort. He was right!

He blinked out of his thoughts when she turned to him expectantly, having finished taking Tsuyu's dessert order.

He hummed, looking at the chalkboard. "Um… not sure I want a whole dessert since we had those pastries for breakfast. Miss Ochako, if I got the crepe, would you eat half of it?"

He turned to look at her, to find her blinking at him in surprise. "Uh, sure?"

He nodded, and turned back to the waitress. "The strawberry crepe, please. With two spoons?"

He didn't know why the waitress was sulking when she left the table, or why half of the table was hiding smiles and giving him looks. "What?"

"Poor girl's been flirting with you, and you completely shut her down by asking Ochako to share your dessert," Shoto said, shaking his head. "That's ruthless."

"What?!" Izuku all but shouted, aghast. "Flirting how?"

Tenya put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, she has been checking on our table a lot, and she always stands beside Izuku."

"And she technically asked you out after her shift," Tsuyu helpfully supplied.

"She asked for directions!" Izuku protested, looking around the table. "How was that a date?!"

He watched as Ochako and Tsuyu shared a look, and he didn't even want to know what that meant.

XX

By the time they wrapped up from their reunion, the sun was starting its steady walk to the horizon. Izuku was carrying his newly bought things, but his expression was pensive. His eyes were focused on nothing, mouth moving silently.

Ochako watched out of the corner of her eye for a moment before asking, "Are you still panicking about the waitress?"

Izuku blinked out of his thoughts, looking over at her, and it took him a moment before his brain to catch up with her words. He sighed. "Kinda. Just… I've got a history of this kind of thing."

Ochako's brows lifted, and she was grateful no one else had walked back with them as she gently teased, "What, you repeatedly get hit on by women and don't realize it?"

Izuku gave her a pitiful look. "Yes. Exactly that."

Oh. She had been half joking, figuring he was speaking more generally about social cues. Now she had to know. Purely for science. "How so?"

Izuku flushed very slightly, turning his gaze to the road as he seemed to gather his thoughts. "So… I'm sure I don't know about every time it's happened, but shortly after I left for training, I was in this town with Tenya. We were just doing social service kind of things. Helping people out. You know. Paladin stuff. There was this girl, maybe a little younger than me? Asked for help picking peaches. So I followed her back to this orchard and spent some time picking peaches. Seemed like a weird thing to need help with, but I mean, who was I to judge? So I filled two baskets and carried them back for her. She held my arm as we walked. Thought it was weird, but didn't question it. After I put them down, she held up a peach and asked me to try it, but she wanted to hold it. I thought she was just kinda possessive over her peaches," Izuku admitted with an awkward shrug. "Anyway, I guess I finally realized what was going on when she leaned in and kissed me."

Ochako covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her smile. Yeah, that should have been obvious before the kiss, but she could tell Izuku already knew. "Did you go on a second date with her?"

Izuku glanced over her with wide eyes and shook his head. "N-no. Uh. I panicked and ran."

She couldn't help the snort that escaped her. "Actually, that's fair. She seemed a touch pushy."

"Yeah. Great first kiss story, huh?" Izuku lamented wryly.

Ochako reached over and patted his shoulder. "If it helps, mine wasn't all that memorable. My second kiss was better."

He blinked, looking over at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "First kiss was a guy I thought was kinda cool, but he immediately assumed the kiss needed to go places it was not going to go. I pushed him into a ditch when he wouldn't let up. Second kiss…" Ochako paused, debating on what parts she wanted to tell. "Someone wanted to thank me for saving her life. I didn't realize she meant a kiss till she gave me a chaste one on the lips then ran off. I guess it was just… really sincere, so it sticks in my head even if I wasn't interested in her like that."

Not entirely true. The girl had long curly hair that reminded her of Izuku. She was definitely not admitting that, though. "But yeah. Didn't pick up she was kinda attracted to me, so I do understand how it happens. Even though your story's a bit more… extreme?"

Izuku laughed awkwardly. "Yeah. And I just keep missing the signals. Had a girl run up and shove homemade chocolate into my hands. Mirio–err, my senior, told me she'd been flirting with me for a solid week, and I just thought she really liked hearing about how swords are forged."

Ochako laughed. "Yeah, uh, probably not. Any others? This is quality entertainment."

He pouted at her, scrunching up his shoulders. Still, he admitted, "Was about to leave a restaurant when it started raining. Had my umbrella with me since it looked like it was going to be a bad weather day. There was a girl who lamented about not having an umbrella, and well, she was in a pretty dress, and I didn't want it to get ruined, so I gave her mine. She told me it was big enough to share, and I told her that it would be a tight fit, and I'd just do better running back to camp. She insisted, and so I ended up walking her back to her house, with her hugging my arm. She then told me her parents weren't home and invited me inside. I thought she was really insecure, so I promised her she'd be fine till her parents got back because this was a really safe town. And then I left. When I asked my senior if there was a reason she was paranoid about wanting to be alone in her house, he laughed so hard he fell out of his chair."

Ochako failed to contain her giggles. "You literally got propositioned and told the girl she was paranoid. Midori, I am… impressed."

Izuku whined, not looking at her. "I didn't know! I'm just… kinda socially dumb."

Well, at least she now understood what Tsuyu was talking about. It was impressive she never realized how bad he was at this, but then again, she was probably crushing on him too hard to see it. "Communication's hard," she said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "Women are generally taught to be demure and indirect. Men are usually taught the opposite. Some of us have an easier time bridging those gaps than others."

He sighed, eyes lifting up to the tree as it came into view. "Yeah. Just… makes me wonder sometimes, what other things have I missed?"

Ochako swallowed, knowing now was not the time to say what she wanted to say. So instead, she tried something else. "Maybe… focus less on what you might have missed, and more on what you might have waiting for you?"

He blinked, looking over at her, and damn did it look adorable. She smiled. "You're out of hiding, with a partial solution to your curse problem. Your friends still love you, and you have a mother very interested in reuniting with her son. You have a place to live that isn't an abandoned prison, and you still have plenty of skills that you could use to build a career. To me, this is a chance to restart your life, and that also means social connections, and however you want to form them."

His eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face. "Yeah. Maybe you're right."

Maybe he wasn't interested in her romantically, oblivious or not. But she would still tell him when the time was right. She–

"Oh, um. So… since I caught up with you during swimming… what do you want me to call you?"

Urk. Damnit, Tsu.

Ochako gave a laugh that sounded a touch more nervous than she wanted. "Oh… I was teasing you. Call me whatever you want!"

He tilted his head as she approached the door to her tree and unlocked it. "What do you want me to call you?"

She sighed, turning to him with a smile. "Do you know why I call you 'Midori'?"

"Uh… because you like the color green?"

"Because I like the color of your eyes. They're beautiful to me, so I wanted to address you in a way that reminded me of them, even when you weren't around."

He stared at her, standing there with bags in his hands and his mouth hanging open. She shrugged. "So… when I say 'call me what you want' I mean what you want. No sense of etiquette or obligation. Choose a name for me that makes you happy. If it's 'Miss Ochako', then fine. If it's just 'Ochako', like everyone else does, great! And… if there's something different, then I invite you to use it without reservation."

And with that, she stepped inside, leaving the door open for him to follow.

XX

The farm had both changed, and not changed at all. Izuku craned his neck, counting horses in the fields to see which ones he still recognized. The door to the old barn had finally been repaired, and new flowers had been planted in front of his family's house. But the house still looked the same, with its twin chimneys and lattice windows. The tree with the old swing swayed happily in the breeze.

And there, tending to the garden, was the person he loved most in the world. He swallowed nervously, glancing back towards the fence where an owl was perched, watching him intently. Ochako told him she didn't plan to do more than be emotional support at a distance, but he was grateful nonetheless.

His mother stood, wiping sweat off her brow, and it was then she saw him. She gasped, pulling off her work gloves before dashing to close the distance between them. "Izuku?!"

He put down the bag he was holding and ran the rest of the way to meet her, gathering her into a crushing hug. "Mom!"

He wasn't sure who started crying first, but he knew by the time she was in his arms, they both were. "I got your letter! Oh sweetie - how terrified you must have been!"

Of course, that's what she focused on first. Him and his feelings. Not hers. He shook his head, burying his face in her graying hair. "I was dumb. I didn't want to hurt people, but the choices I made still did. Just in different ways. I'm so sorry, Mom!"

He felt her cling to him, and the scent of home came with her. A touch of cinnamon from the kitchen. A hint of earth from the gardens, and the smell of leather polish from the stables. It made his heart ache. He tried very hard to not start sobbing.

"I'm just so happy you're okay! There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't worry about what happened to you, baby!"

"I know. I'm sorry," Izuku repeated, and oops, he was definitely crying hard now. "I should have just come home. I should have gotten help."

She pulled back to look up at him, taking his freckled cheeks in her callused hands. "You're here now. And… and you got help. M-miss Ochako's helping you, right? You said so in your letter."

He nodded, letting her wipe the tears from his cheeks. He didn't want to let go of her long enough to do the same. "And Shoto. And T-tsuyu. And Tenya. Everyone's helping me. Everyone's making sure I know I never need to hide again."

"Good," his mother said with conviction. "Don't you ever forget again."

"I won't," he said between sniffles.

She hugged him again, and it was the best feeling in the whole wide world.

XX

The next few days were a blur. Izuku was nervous, waiting for the enchantment to be ready, so he did his best to keep himself occupied. He visited his mother twice, spending most of the day catching up. He met up with Tenya for a jog in full armor. He no longer had full armor, so he did the next best thing, stacking some heavy sacks on his shoulders and matching Tenya's pace. Tsuyu came by to visit again, and they had a long conversation while he crafted more arrows for his bow. Even Shoto took a little time between waiting points in the enchantment's creation process to have a chat with him, and they talked over some peppermint green tea, which was Shoto's favorite.

Ochako moved the remaining storage items out of his room and helped him decorate it. He hung his sword and shield on the wall and got himself a couple of books to put on the shelf. She insisted on a wall mirror so that he could see to brush his hair. She also got him a brush made for curls, and he had to admit it made a world of difference.

As a precaution, she made a couple more werewolf-strength sleeping potions to keep on hand, and to distract himself from the wait, he started taking over in the kitchen, insisting he should be cooking at least half the meals.

The day Shoto knocked at the front door, Izuku felt both elated and terrified.

What kind of traits would he end up with? Would they alter his day-to-day life? Would it signal to the whole world he was a werewolf somehow? Would it change his personality? What if Ochako found him more difficult to live with?

But… what if he could go through full moons without being a threat? What if he didn't need to be heavily drugged, but instead just lightly drugged? What if he could remember those nights? Could he think through the haze of aggression and the frenzy?

He swallowed, realizing he was half paying attention as Shoto pulled out a vial, larger than most of the potions Izuku had consumed. The contents were thin compared to the sleeping draught, shimmering in pretty purples. It almost…glowed.

Ochako pressed a finger to her chin. "So he has to drink the entire thing in one go, correct?"

"Yes. It needs to be consumed as soon as you start. So don't pause it or take a break. Chug it all down," Shoto said, placing the container on the table. "Changes happen pretty quickly. It's very fast-acting, from what I've read in books. Most written accounts say it starts within one to five minutes, and finishes within five to ten, upwards of half an hour in one extreme case, but that wasn't for lycanthropy."

Izuku nodded, feeling a tremor in his hands. "A-anything else?"

Mismatched eyes leveled on him. "It should go without saying, but this is a permanent enchantment. Technically, it can be changed with another enchantment, but that is equally tedious to make, and it's fairly taxing on the body. So you need to be sure this is what you want to do."

Izuku nodded, curls bouncing. "Y-yeah. Didn't think it was temporary. But… my curse is also permanent, so that makes it an easier decision."

Shoto nodded, folding his arms in the sleeves of his robes. "I know it's a bit of a private event, but if you're comfortable with it, I'd prefer to be here in case something goes awry."

"That's fine," Izuku said softly. "I kinda wanna get it over with anyway? I think the anxiety will make me puke otherwise."

"Ah, please don't vomit this," Shoto replied, giving him a worried look. "If you regurgitate it before the transformation is complete, I don't know what will happen."

Izuku balked, sharing a look with Ochako who sighed and got up, walking into the pantry. "Getting you some ginger to chew on before we start this."

"T-thanks."

XX

They were crowded in Izuku's room, with Shoto leaning against the wall, Izuku standing in front of his mirror, and Ochako sitting on his bed. The potion tasted… not great. Kind of like talc powder in liquid form, with a strange aftertaste of floral and licorice. It also felt like the liquid clung to the corners of his mouth, even as he swallowed a few times to try and get the taste to go away.

"For the record, that is gross," Izuku said, clearing his throat. "If you ever sell it, you need to market everything but the flavor."

Shoto snorted in amusement. "Noted. I hear it's supposed to taste like licorice candy."

"'Candy' is a stretch," Izuku replied flatly.

They all went silent at that, eyes moving between the three. Shoto had a pocket watch and was loosely monitoring the time. Ochako was nervously fidgeting with the hem of her layered skirt. Izuku was dangerously dancing with a promising anxiety attack.

He felt itchy first. His skin crawled, and it took a split second to realize that it wasn't just his nerves. He blinked, looking down at forearms as goosebumps erupted across the skin. With wide-eyed fascination, he watched the way the thin hair on his arms thickened into a very soft, green fuzz. He touched it, marveling how soft it was. "Uhhh, I think it's starting? Oh, Light, am I going to end up furry all over?"

The giggle-snort from Ochako made him flush. "It's a valid fear!"

That only made her laugh harder and he sulked, glaring at his arms. The fur didn't seem to propagate down to his hands, but he did notice the nails elongated into blunt claws. He squinted at them nervously, but honestly, he'd take claws over furry hands.

That made him pause, and he pulled open the front of his shirt to see if he'd erupted in chest hair as well. So far, none was forthcoming, and he rather hoped it'd stay that way. He could barely keep up with his head hair. It'd be disastrous if he had to do hair care for his entire body!

That thought almost made him miss the weird shift in his mouth. He ran his tongue over his teeth, feeling the abnormal way they now aligned. Pulling his lips back, he stared at the slightly longer canines he now had. They weren't scarily sharp, but they certainly felt weird. Who knew how such a subtle shift in one's teeth could make your entire mouth feel 'wrong'?

"Fangs?" Shoto asked, and Izuku turned, pulling his lip up with a finger. "Ah. That's not so bad. You can still close your mouth, it looks like."

"Was it a possibility I might not be able to?!" Izuku asked, horrified.

Shoto shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe? Teeth are weird."

"You are not helping," Izuku hissed, exasperated. He turned back to the mirror, and then not able to handle the anxiety of watching himself, chose to inspect his claws instead.

He felt like bugs were crawling in his hair next. He stiffened, staring down at his clawed fingers as he resisted the urge to swipe at the sides of his heads. Slowly, carefully, he looked up to the mirror to see his ears had relocated. Also changed.

He stared at the wolf ears now sitting higher on his head, poking up through his curls. They were black with green fuzz on the tips. He reached up, poking one with a clawed finger, and it flicked in response.

"Aww!" Ochako squealed, and the sound made him jump, ears flattening against his skull. He whirled around to see her holding his pillow to her chest with the biggest grin on her face. He flushed, and it only got worse when she said, "They're adorable!"

He turned to Shoto for help, but the enchanter shrugged. "They are pretty cute. Every kid who's ever wanted a puppy is going to want to be your new best friend."

Izuku groaned, tilting his head to the ceiling. "Ugh, could it get worse?"

"Well, you could grow a tail," Ochako supplied helpfully, before smothering her giggles with his pillow.

He froze in wide-eyed horror, before twisting around to try and see his backside. "I don't think–"

"You're wearing tight leather pants," Shoto said suddenly, brows furrowing. "If you are going to grow a tail, it's going to become very uncomfortable, very fast."

Izuku stared at Shoto. Then at Ochako. There was a moment where he processed exactly what this meant before he grabbed a knife from his desk and stalked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

When he came back into the room two minutes later, he was scowling. "Not. A. Word."

Shoto politely remained quiet, while Ochako squealed once again at the wispy, black-furred tail now sticking out from a new hole in his pants.

At least it wasn't bushy.

"Midori, I can't take this. You're too stinkin' cute."

He blushed furiously, but fortunately, he wasn't facing her for her to see–

His tail wagged. She gave an utterly delighted noise in response.

He buried his face in his hands and groaned.

Chapter Text

After Shouto was convinced Izuku wasn't having unexpected side effects, he took his leave. Quite frankly, Izuku was grateful, because this was kind of embarrassing. He hadn't really fully comprehended just how much he was going to change until he suddenly had ears and a tail, and had to listen to Ochako's gushing. The amount of delighted giggling the druid had done kept him red in the face for several minutes, but at least that meant she wasn't put off by his appearance. Right?

Once things were done, he excused himself to spend some time out in the woods and just get used to the new body. Things were… definitely different. His senses were heightened. He could hear things he couldn't hear before, and scents were easy to pick up and track.

He was also stronger and faster. The world became almost a blur as he sprinted through the forest, leaping over fallen trees and ducking under low hanging branches. He rushed up inclines with ease and flipped over puddles to land with more grace than he'd ever had before.

It was invigorating. He pulled his lips back, baring his fangs, and took off in another direction, letting this new feeling fuel him. Eventually though, the sun was starting to set, and he was surprised to realize he'd spent all afternoon out running.

Hopefully Ochako wasn't worried.

He turned his head towards the direction of her home – he didn't quite feel comfortable calling it his home yet, and he smiled slightly. He still had to see how he did with the next full moon, but he no longer felt the sincere dread he had before.

He wasn't alone. He had support. He had options.

He wiped a tear from his eye and took off back towards the tree. It didn't take long before the familiar scent of Ochako's shampoo, mixed with her own unique aroma caught his attention, and he perked up, sprinting the rest of the way back.

He could see her in the kitchen through the window, probably working on dinner. When he got inside, she stepped out of the kitchen, wiping off her hands. "I just put dinner in the oven. It'll be ready in maybe half an hour. How are you feeling?"

Izuku beamed at her, feeling his tail wag. A faint blush touched his cheeks when her eyes fell to it, a grin touching her lips. "I take it that means you're feeling good."

"I–" Izuku started, looking anywhere but at her, "-am going to resent this tail, I just know it."

"Nah," Ochako replied, walking around him to look. "I like it."

"R-really?" It wagged harder, and he blushed harder, doing his best to will it to stop. It didn't.

"Mhm. But, you've already managed to get burs and leaves stuck in it," she commented. "We'll have to be on top of brushing it to keep the fur from getting matted."

"R-right," Izuku said, looking over his shoulder to see what she was talking about. She moved past him and up the stairs while he busied himself with trying to pull some of the debris out of his tail. It was a bit hard to reach, and the damned thing had a mind of its own. He almost missed her returning a moment later, and his eyes fell to the brush in her hands. "Uh…"

She smiled at him, although he noted her cheeks were a little pinker than usual. Had something embarrassed her? "Can I brush it for you?"

Oh.

He rubbed the back of his neck. It felt hot to the touch. Much like his face. "S-sure. Um. How should we–" Oh gods, this was embarrassing.

At least it was just Ochako.

…But it was also Ochako. The person whose attention and respect he wanted the most. Was she pink in the face because she thought him ridiculous? Or she was embarrassed to help him? But then, why would she offer? Did she feel bad for him?

"Here," Ochako said, moving past him to grab a stool and put it beside her arm chair. "Sit with your back to me?"

He obeyed wordlessly, taking a seat and nervously wiping his hands on his pants. Gently, he felt Ochako hold his tail and began to pull out the burs and twigs that had caught in the dark fur. She was patient and gentle, like she had been with his hair, and it wasn't long before he felt the long, pleasant strokes of a brush going down through the fur.

That was… really nice.

He slumped a little, eyes falling half closed. Over, and over, she dragged the brush through his fur, and it wasn't long before it was just a soothing caress, without a single snag or catch. He made a pleased noise deep in his throat, and that noise only picked up when he felt her fingernails lightly scratch the base of his tail.

"Didn't know werewolves purred," Ochako teased softly, and Izuku made an incoherent sound, half paying attention to her. His lack of actual response got a chuckle from her, and he almost whined when she did pull away.

He turned, giving her a pout, and Ochako put a hand to her lips in response, her eyes full of amusement. "Sorry - I need to check on dinner. But hey, it's all untangled now."

"Y-yeah," Izuku said, shaking his head. "That, uh, that felt really nice."

"I could tell," she replied, standing up and ruffling his hair.

He winced in embarrassment. "S-sorry to make you do that, though."

The druid, who had started towards the kitchen, turned and lifted a brow. "Not sure why you're apologizing for something I wanted to do, and enjoyed, Midori. I'm hoping you'll let me do it again. Regularly."

With that she walked off into the kitchen, leaving Izuku's heart pounding and ears burning.

XX

Over the next week, Ochako watched Izuku settle into his new features, and with that started to creep in a confidence she wasn't sure if she'd ever seen before. It was subtle, for sure, but given how she found him practically an anxious wreck, it was still noticeable.

Little by little, he started picking up aspects of his former life again. He began hunting daily, much like he had before he decided to be a paladin. What they couldn't use, he traded to the butcher and tanners, earning himself coin in return. One of the traders asked if he was a new member of the hunter's guild, to which Izuku said he wasn't. The guy insisted he should join.

Izuku bounced the idea off of Ochako, and she asked him, "Is it what you want to do?"

She expected him to be unsure, to hesitate. To doubt himself. Instead he hummed, ears twitching, before he said, "Yeah, actually. I'm decent with a bow, good at tracking now," he gestured to his nose, "and it's solo-work, so it's pretty easy to just make my own schedule around the full moon."

And that was that.

No one had really questioned his appearance too much. Some thought he was a druid. Others assumed it was a mild curse or he was part fay. Instead of fumbling through a lie, he would smile sheepishly, shrug, and say "I'm just me."

It was very hard to not kiss him, the first time she heard him say it. She managed to hug him instead, and delighted when he squeezed her back and laughed happily.

Of course, he still seemed to be oblivious to her flirting. Now that he was reforging his life, she didn't feel too bad about teasing him, but he certainly wasn't picking up there was any meaning behind what she said or did. Even the otherwise intimate moments, like how she brushed his tail every night, was met with him just utterly clueless she meant anything by it.

She told Tsuyu that she'd tell him, but now she wanted to see just how much she had to push for him to pick up the hint. She'd waited this long, after all, what was a bit longer?

It was a clear night with a sliver of moonlight, and Izuku had just returned from his nightly run. He'd gotten into a habit of doing a run through the forest right after sundown, burning off some energy after dinner.

Ochako heard him come in from the back garden, and she looked up to see him walk in, shirt off and towel over his shoulders. His ears flicked in her direction and he smiled at her. "What'cha reading?"

She shrugged, folding the book closed without allowing him to see the title. "A Druid's Guide to Befriending Wolves. Just finished the chapter on tail scratches and belly rubs."

He blinked, before giving her a dry look. "Funny."

She giggled. "It's just some field notes on herbology. Far less exciting than reading about cute wolf boys, I'm sure."

"C-cute?" Izuku echoed, cheeks pink.

Ochako's lips curved upward slightly. "I mean. The ears do add a certain kind of charm. I've been meaning to ask if they're as soft as they look."

He stared at her, before reaching up to feel one of them. "I…guess they're pretty soft. Fuzzy, for sure. Um… do you… want to touch them?"

Her eyes lit up, and she watched him swallow in response, knowing he caught her interest. "Can I?"

He nodded, dropping his boots by the door and padded over to her, taking a seat on the floor in front of her chair. His tail wagged slightly, but not quite its usual cadence when he was happy. He was nervous.

To be fair, she kinda was, too.

Carefully, she reached up and ran a finger along the edge of his ear, and it flicked in response. She smiled slightly, before her fingers lightly grazed across the pinna, admiring the peachy fuzz that covered the delicate skin. "It's definitely soft," she agreed, and Izuku hummed in response.

Part of her wondered if he'd like the same kind of attention on his ears that she gave his tail. After a moment of hesitation, her fingers slid to the base of one ear and lightly began to rub right there.

Immediately, Izuku pressed his head up into her hand, much like a pet wanting more attention. Delighted, Ochako obliged, continuing to scratch behind his ear, and she quickly found herself with his head in her lap, and his upper body pressed against her knees. Izuku nuzzled his face into her leg, the claws of his fingers scraping against the wooden floor as he tried to get 'closer' to her hand.

"I take it that feels good?" Ochako asked, and the lack of coherent response was probably answer enough. She chuckled, continuing for a minute before finally relenting, and he all but sagged against her, panting softly.

After a moment, he looked up at her, slightly dazed. She grinned, and that seemed to snap him out of his stupor. He blinked up at her, face turning a bright shade of red, and it only got worse when she leaned in and said, "I will not use this new knowledge responsibly."

"I'm gonna die," he said weakly, but his expression indicated he didn't mind in the least.

Ochako took that as a win.

XX

Izuku was starting to notice something different with Ochako. He honestly wasn't sure if it was because he was more observant with his enhanced senses, or if something had changed, but something was different.

While he wasn't quite sure what was going on, he liked it. Maybe it was a combination of things, such as him settling into living with her, and settling into his new wolf traits. They had a routine, for example. Every evening after his nightly run, she'd brush his tail out, then his hair, and finally tug his head to her lap so that she could scratch behind his ears. Although he was still slightly embarrassed by how such a simple touch could turn him into a puddle of goo, he couldn't deny he loved it. Not just because it felt good, but it was because it came from her.

If he thought he had it bad for her before, it'd definitely gotten worse over this last week. So many times he found himself zoned out, daydreaming about what-if's while he was delivering some hides, or thinking about the scent of her shampoo while he was tracking something. More than once, he found himself just watching her as she came in from doing her own work, and he wondered what it would be like to greet her with a sweeping hug and a kiss.

The more he thought about such things, the more he realized he was getting in too deep. He was going to end up saying something stupid, or worse, doing something stupid, then things would get awkward. She was his best friend. She obviously cared about him, but it was definitely platonic.

… Wasn't it?

He plucked at his bottom lip, sitting in the tree thinking, no longer focused on hunting game. That nameless thing that had changed over the last week… the increased attention, the routines, and the teasing… they were things she only did with him. The amount of physical contact between them had definitely increased. She could call his name to get his attention, but she usually touched his shoulder, or his elbow. She often booped his nose when she was teasing him. Sometimes, he'd look up at her, and she'd meet his gaze in a way she didn't do with anyone else, holding it for a long time until he got flustered and looked away.

He blinked, thinking back over the course of their history. This was way more than anything she'd done when they were younger. She was playful. Intent. Focused on him.

Wait.

No way.

Was she… was she actually flirting with him?

So shocked by the revelation, he almost dropped his bow, fumbling for it. Had… this transformation made her interested in him? Was that it?

He shook his head. It was only speculation. But he couldn't just ask.

XX

He didn't need to ask.

He was outside in the garden, sharpening one of his knives when Ochako walked up to the faucet, rinsing off the contents in her wicker basket. He looked up when he approached, eyes falling to the strawberries inside.

She smiled at him. "Want some?"

Izuku's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

She took a seat next to him, putting the basket between them, and he put aside the whetstone and knife. They were as juicy as they were sweet, and Izuku's tail did not hesitate to show how happy he was.

Ochako half turned, watching it sway back and forth. "You're adorable."

He jumped, looking over at her, strawberry held up to his lips. "W-what?"

She smiled at him, eyes twinkling. "I said you're adorable."

He pouted, shifting to face her, trying to hide his tail from her view. "I can't help that it just does its own thing."

She laughed, brushing her hair from her face. "It's not just your tail, but that is definitely cute. I mean in general. Little things make you happy, like fresh strawberries, or the snoring puppies the tanner had in their shop. I've watched you grin widely when a butterfly landed on your nose. You don't ever hide your joy. It's written all over your face. You smile, you laugh. It's just… there aren't many people who just let their emotions show, unfiltered. It's one of the things I really respect and admire about you, Midori. Most people feel like they have to put up a wall or put on a certain face to interact with others, but… I've never seen you do that. Even when you're upset or sad, you don't hide it."

She shrugged, tilting her head up to look at the tree canopy. "I dunno. I just really like it."

He stared at her, strawberries forgotten and a pink blush dusting his freckled cheeks. His ears twitched, and he found himself speechless, caught in the sincerity of her words and how the sunlight filtering in from the treetops was painting her in golden dappled light, highlighting her tanned skin and glossy hair.

How was she just so perfect?

At his silence, she looked over at him and added, "Honestly, though. I am really surprised by how little you pick up when people are flirting with you."

He straightened up, blinking at her. "W-what? Wait, did it happen again?" He tried to think back of the last few encounters he had with people. Nothing stood out, but ugh, when did they ever?

Ochako was staring at him with an unreadable expression. However, she was close enough that he could pick up the subtle changes - like how her heart was beating faster, and her breath was a touch shallow. Why would she be nervous to tell him this? She was just pointing out what he missed, so why was there a tiny change in her scent, like adrenaline?

"Yup."

He swallowed, inhaling her scent, which did not help his own pounding heart, because he could smell how it changed. How it screamed she was excited. Or nervous. Or both. "W-when?"

Her voice was surprisingly nonchalant. "Oh, I dunno. The last two weeks?"

"What?!" Izuku almost fell off the bench, flailing for a minute. "Who have I seen over the last two weeks?!"

She lifted a brow at him, and he stared back at her, utterly confused. Who had he–

Who…

His mouth fell open. Her's twitched, trying to hide her smile. "W-wait. You're saying – you've been flirting with me?"

Had he been right?

Ochako nodded, leaning back on her hands. "Honestly, I didn't believe Tsu when she said you'd not pick up on it. Then, after your stories of your past experiences, I still had some doubts. But damn, I've tried very hard to get you to see it without me just coming out and saying it, but the most I got out of you was a shy smile and a cute blush. Which, of course, I enjoyed, but not the win I was hoping for."

Izuku swallowed, nails biting into the wood of the bench. Shock had momentarily been replaced by elation, but now dread was seeping in. "Are you…doing it as a game?"

Ochako hummed, standing up and stretching her arms over her head. He briefly caught a tremor in the motion, something he wondered if he'd be able to pick up before the enchantment. "I suppose, yes? But it's a game I was hoping you'd give me a prize for, if I won. I've been waiting for years, Midori."

She walked off, and Izuku stared after her.

It was a game. She was doing it to have fun. She didn't mean–

Wait. Years? She said it was just two weeks.

Wait. Prize? What did she mean by prize–

Oh. Oh.

Suddenly, the changes in her scent made sense. The nervousness. The adrenaline.

She meant it. It was a confession.

He stared after her, mouth hanging open, and brain furiously trying to figure out what he was supposed to do with this information. Ochako was flirting with him. On purpose. With intent. And she admitted it to him. She liked him. More than a childhood friend. And apparently had for a long time.

And she wanted…

She wanted him to act on that knowledge.

He bolted, crossing the distance she'd put between them with three large strides. She started to turn at the sound of him approaching, and he used that opportunity to grab her wrist and drag her to him, his other arm capturing her by the waist. She looked up at him, and he paused only to make sure he hadn't made a mistake.

He hadn't. Her expression said it all. She wanted this.

She wanted him.

The feel of her lips against his registered in his brain before he realized he'd actually leaned in and kissed her. He wasn't exactly experienced in this, but when she grabbed the back of his head with her free hand and tugged him harder against her mouth, he decided that was utterly unimportant.

He let go of her wrist, wrapping both arms around her, holding her tightly to his chest as they kissed, noses bumping and hearts pounding. Her hands were in his hair, and he loved it, just as he loved how she still tasted slightly of strawberries, and how her tongue kept tracing his lips, and how her shampoo kept invading his senses.

He loved it all. He loved her. Gods, he loved her.

When they finally pulled away, he nuzzled her forehead and ghosted his lips over her brow. Quietly, as if scared he might wake up from a dream, he asked, "Is this the prize you were looking for?"

Her response was to pull him back down for another kiss.

XX

"Midori… you're digging a trench in my garden," Ochako said, a hint of exasperation leaking into her tone.

Izuku paused in his pacing, looking up at the druid staring at him, arms folded across her chest. It was the evening of the next full moon, and he was nervous. So, so, nervous.

What if it didn't work? What if he still went into a bloodlust frenzy? Sure, he could just go back to sleeping potions, but what if he hurt Ochako?

He could never forgive himself if he–

Cool hands gently grasped his wrists, tugging him out of his thoughts. "Hey…" she started, thumbs rubbing over his pulse points. "Do you trust me?"

"It's not you I don't trust," Izuku said softly, leaning in to nuzzle her forehead with his nose.

He sighed as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him to her. He reciprocated the hug, clinging to her tightly. "I won't forgive myself if something happens to you– if I do something to you."

"Well, trust me to kick your ass again if you give me any funny looks," Ochako replied, voice muffled against his chest. "I took your furry ass down without the enchantment last time."

"Y-yeah," Izuku agreed, exhaling shakily into her hair. "S-sorry, I just–"

"I know. I know," she replied soothingly, leaning back to look up at him. Her hands found his face a moment later, and he sighed, closing his eyes as her small palms tugged him down for a gentle, reassuring kiss. He could tell, despite her reassurance, that she was also nervous. She just wasn't… his level of nervous. Still, he appreciated it.

He appreciated her.

She pulled back, thumbs brushing his cheeks. "You need to get ready. I definitely don't want those leather pants of yours ruined."

Despite his nerves, he snorted, opening his eyes to look at her. "Is that your priority?"

"They make your ass look really good," Ochako replied emphatically.

He rolled his eyes, pulling away. "All right. Going to get changed. Be right back."

XX

The moon rose, and the curse rose with it. Izuku grimaced as he felt the familiar shift in his body. His skin crawled. His blood boiled. Bones creaked, and joints popped. He transformed, feeling everything around him grow smaller as he grew larger.

That familiar desire started clawing at the back of his mind.

Hunt. Chase. Kill.

He growled, shaking his head. No.

And to his surprise, the pressure didn't increase. It was there. A constant force wanting him to give in. To attack everything in sight. But it wasn't drowning him.

He opened his eyes, staring up at Ochako, who stood before him, staff in hands and eyes hard. Their gazes locked, and knowing he couldn't speak, he did the one thing he could to signal to her that he seemed to be okay.

He wagged his tail.

She blinked, eyes moving to the appendage swaying behind him. Carefully, as if scared she might break a spell, she whispered, "Midori?"

He nodded his head, tongue lolling out. Relief flooded through her. He could smell it on her.

But now what?

The pressure was still clawing at the back of his head. He needed a distraction. He needed to sate the call, without giving in to the blood lust. He turned his head back out toward the force, then looked back at her. He whined, nodding his head towards the forest.

Ochako stared at him, then lifted her eyes behind him, trying to decipher his message. "You… do you need to run?"

He nodded his head, pawing the ground.

"I can't leave you out of my sight, though," she said thoughtfully. "I'll have to go with you."

That was fine. It was better if she was there, in case something went wrong. He paced in front of her, waiting.

"All right, all right," Ochako said, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Hope you can keep up."

He watched as the petite woman he adored transformed into a sleek mountain lion, stretching her front paws. She wasn't even half his size, given how monstrous he was, but Izuku suspected she'd keep up just fine.

He took off, darting into the darkness, and she pounced after him, bounding with graceful leaps.

The wind roared in his ears, as he dashed through the forest, tongue out and senses alert. He could smell everything, hear everything, see everything, and it all drew his focus in different directions, drowning out that constant drum beating in his head to attack something.

Ochako moved with him, hardly making a sound, bouncing right behind him and to his left. He knew she was there; he didn't have to look behind him.

Just as he entered a clearing, a deer spooked, darting out in front of him. In the dark, he could see the white of its tail. At this distance, he could smell its fear. It was so sudden that for a moment, he forgot to press back against the burning rage simmering in the back of his mind, and he saw red.

He bolted after it, a snarl tearing from him. However, there was a strange roar right in his ears and something slammed into him, knocking the wind from his lungs.

In an instant, Izuku found himself pinned and breathless, staring up at the towering form of a moose. Ochako snorted, holding him down with a hoof, antlers pointed at him threateningly.

The impact returned the clarity to his mind and he went limp under her, baring his throat. She snorted again, then let him up.

It happened twice more that night, where something would trigger the bloodlust to a point he couldn't control, and Ochako had to react. Each time, he ended up pinned by a moose. He was certain he was going to be bruised as all hell in the morning.

When the first rays of light came up, Izuku turned his head towards them, and immediately, the pounding rage in the back of his head began to pull back. He yipped at Ochako, turning back towards the tree. She followed him in predator form, her sleek feline body moving swiftly beside him.

They made it back to the tree just as he began to transform, and in less than a minute, he was on his hands and knees, gasping for breath.

Ochako crouched down in front of him, a hand on his shoulder, and the other gently brushing his bangs from his face. She said nothing, patiently waiting for his body to get over the shock of the transformation. After a minute, he took in a shaky breath and lifted his eyes up to her. "H-hey…"

"Hey," she replied softly, thumb brushing his temple. "You okay?"

"Sore," Izuku admitted, giving her a look. "You stomp hard."

"Told ya," she said, flashing him a grin.

He smiled slightly before his expression sobered. "I lost control three times…"

"You expected perfection from the start?" Ochako replied, lifting a brow. "Each time you lost control, it's because something distracted you. Things you weren't expecting. And I was right there to snap you out of it."

"Y-yeah, but–" He stopped when she pressed a finger to his lips.

"Those three times were maybe ten minutes out of the entire night, Midori," Ochako said pointedly. "Give yourself some credit."

He sighed, nodding. "Y-yeah. I'm… beating myself up again, aren't I?"

"Yes, and I did that already, so cut it out."

He laughed softly, letting her pull him to his feet. She handed him a towel to cover himself, and he did so, tucking it around his waist. "You know… you asked me a while back to call you what I wanted."

"Mm, I did," Ochako agreed, reaching up to play with a lock of his hair. "You stuttered over the 'Miss' for a few days, then stuck with 'Ochako'."

He flushed, glancing up towards the sunrise. "I had to think about it. I mean, for starters, I wasn't ready to confess how important you were to me."

She giggled, and he rolled his eyes, stepping forward to hold her around her waist. "And then…?"

"And then… I thought about it," Izuku said slowly, looking back down at her. "I hated the dark for a year. Dreaded the rise of the moon, even on nights it wasn't full. Each time the sun rose, it was a relief. In a way, that year was a constant, unending night. Torturous. Then you appeared, and suddenly the sun started rising on my endless nightmare."

She bit her lip, smiling up at him with rosy cheeks. She was lovely, and he reached up to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear, smiling back at her. "So I realize now, after you knocked some sense into me, what I should be calling you."

"And… what's that?" Ochako asked, standing on her tiptoes, lips hovering near his.

He leaned closer, green eyes twinkling. "You're my Moose."

She had been about to kiss him. She stopped. "What."

He laughed, leaning in to press a kiss to her ear, lips moving briefly in a whisper before he walked off towards the tree house to go find his clothes.

She turned to look after him, shaking her head.

"You are my Sunlight. I love you."

"I love you, too, you big puppy."