With dirt on your knees and blood in your teeth
You want life to lead you to believe in something, but it's coming
The numbing
So we dive on into the deeper end
For a blissful kiss from Judas's lips, but it's coming
Oh yeah, the numbing
The next morning Ochako and Tsuyu awoke to a surprising sight. An entirely too exhausted and old looking Shota Aizawa and his long time husband Hizashi who were both seated quietly talking to each other in low voices which was odd for the loud dj hero. All Might, pacing in his frail form seeming even more sunken, noticed the two girls' confused expressions and poofed into his large form for only seconds. He couldn't hold it longer anymore with "one for all" being "ashes", still there but no longer able to use, as he describes it to the top heroes two of his nineteen beloved trusted pro pupils. His first and last class before his promotion to principal. The girls think they see tears in his eyes but his deep bow hides them, his voice still booming tinged with sadness.
"Young heroine's! My entire being is filled with regret over not being there to help you! My deepest apologies!"
"All Might..." Ochako inhaled fighting her tears as Tsuyu shot her an unseen look of concern before grimacing and averting her inky eyes.
"Ah, Asui-san, Uraraka-san..." Shota looked up his sharp eyes soft with his normally outgoing dramatic husband quiet in civilian clothes as they stood to join All Might still bowing to the two women at the end of their beds.
"I know we're no longer your teachers, but we took liberty and contacted your firms while you both were...asleep." Shota looked to Tsuyu who was avoiding everyone's eyes unlike what was usual steady if not awkward sometimes eye contact from the frog-woman. He sighed sadly seeing the famous heroes out of character, Hizashi squeezed his hand giving him power to finish this hard task. All Might rose from his bow still looking conflicted as he listened. "Asui-san, Captain Selkie wishes you well and he said to take as long as you need to recover, you have many vacation days."
Hizashi encouraged him as he turned to Uraraka, one of his most improved students, for a moment he felt his will drain at her naturally curious face seeing that unsure fifteen year old girl again in her numbed expression but continued regardless just as numbly.
"Uravity...Uraraka-san...we all thank you for your service." Shota bowed deeply along with his husband and the retired legendary number 1 hero once more. They rose at once, Mic and All Might avoiding her crushed eyes as she realized what was happening. Ochako heard a sob from her left, too numb to look over at Tsuyu, away from her former teachers.
"Your firm has sent in your injury retirement forms and you will be getting a large sum of money back for your selfless years of service. I-I'm truly sorry..." Shota sighed again forlornly.
And like that. Ochako knew her life had ended for the third time in two years.
The teachers said their goodbyes, Hizashi sliding his former student he and Shota's home number encouragingly before turning with tears in his eyes, still quiet locking arms with Shota. They left and she and Tsuyu were alone again. Uravity pulled her pillow over her face with her single arm and wailed her anguish into the soft material. Thirty minutes after she finally calms, Tsuyu is still not looking at her, and all the dear women from their former class arrive. Even the bubbly ones of the group were solemnly silent. Mina handed an emotionless Ochako a soft green frog plush with a sniffle and smile and Tooru "floated" a brown stuffed puppy with fluffy ears into Tsuyu's subdued hand, Tooru's invisible expression impossible to see but sniffles heard.
"W-We learned of your….situation, Ochako...We're sorry we couldn't help you...Y-You as well Tsuyu! Sorry!" Momo wasn't one to cry, not anymore, but her eyes still welled up and Kyoka patted her wife's head as she leaned down to cry into her shoulder. Kyoka wasn't good with words, but her look said all that Ochako didn't want to hear.
Uravity swallowed her sorrow and flashed a smile not nearly matching her usual enthusiasm. She thanked her friends looking them in the eyes and Tsuyu quietly said her thanks as well still not looking at anyone. The other women, not knowing what to say anymore, looked between Tsuyu and Ochako sadly and knowingly before saying their goodbyes. They could hear Mina and Tooru's wails as they walked away from their now involuntarily retired colleague and their silent frog-friend's room.
"Why does the universe love torturing me..." Ochako whispered, not thinking her injured ex-best friend and former(?) crush would hear the mumbled words.
"I-I don't think the universe cares about you..." Tsuyu cringed inwardly at the hurt look on Ochako's face, her words were too blunt, again. "I didn't mean it like that! I m-meant, kero, everything happens randomly...It's nature. We can't control it but we can learn to adapt to whatever is thrown at us as specks on a rock in infinite space. Also we're not alone, not truly. Kero. There's always someone to help, it's just a matter of finding those who care and I think we're blessed with at least sixteen wonderful friends, minus Bakugou, and multiple mentors who will always help us out in hard times. Kero."
"...How do you always know what to say?" Ochako says unable to hide the wonder and slight amusement in her tired voice at the other woman's ability to say something to always ease her panicked scared heart even a little. At least that's how it used to be between them...She shouldn't get her hopes up again. If she scared Tsu, she'd disappear into the ocean like a frog-mermaid, leaving her alone like before...Surely.
"I-I can never say what I want to...It just sort of bubbles out sometimes, I guess...Kero." Tsuyu blushed only slightly her inner shame still strong enough to quell her hopeful thoughts of the other hero-...former hero.
She had to be strong in front of Ochako at least. The brunette with stylish shaved spots on either side of her scalp, round head of poofy soft locks were still like her hairstyle from high school, but the dulled galaxy in her eyes was new. She needed someone to be strong for her until she could recover and though Froppy had her doubts in her ability a small unsure smile from the former zero-gravity hero aimed directly at her gave her strength.
"O-Ochako, I'm so sorr-" Interrupted again by a tentative knock on the door frame and new visitors. It was probably for the better as she waved to the group weakly ribbiting.
The boys had arrived now, a short scruffy looking Izuku and his tall more composed fiance entered clearly concerned look also on his scarred face both in the lead. Shoto's face was covered with frost much like his fiance's patchy five o' clock shadow indicating their likely lack of sleep to the injured women. Tenya and Fumikage rushed to their best-friends' beds at a respectful pace now in front of the large group taking their good hands gently into theirs. Ochako showed pain on her face for a split second but still smiled at all the awkward men crowded into the room. Not one of the pro heroes missed it.
"Oi, round face..." Katsuki was oddly reserved and gentle when addressing his regular sparring/workout partner. He yelled but his booming raspy voice just didn't have the same bite as Eijirou grabbed his large calloused hand and squeezed. "You better not miss our fucking sparring sessions even though your arms off!"
Ochako blinked. She didn't feel the same rush to meet his challenge head on as usual and nodded smiling unsure at the muscular man she had bested in a spar only days ago to his annoyance at the time. She felt completely numb. Katsuki's face dropped momentarily, expecting a witty retort like usual, but he huffed and left the room as Eijirou profusely apologized and wished them the best scratching his red beard nervously following quickly after his husband.
"How are you doing, Asui-I mean, Tsu?" Fumikage squeezed her hand almost feeling the sorrow rush over his frog-like friend himself as Mezo put a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled at Tsuyu with a couple of his odd mouths. Tsu used her shaky injured hand to give a silent thumbs up hiding her wince of pain well from years of practice. Koji hadn't made it but he showed his concern and wished them well in a small video sent to Rikido to show his injured friends.
Tenya cleared his throat.
"I have ordered you both get-well gifts! They're spa kits, and they're waiting at each of your homes! I'm very sorry they weren't sent here like planned. Though the items wouldn't do any good here would they?" The asexual man wasn't good at showing his emotions but his eager yet sad smile was comforting to Ochako and Tsuyu thanks to years of his loyal honest reign as class president experienced in helping any of his friends in trouble in his own slightly awkward way.
"Thanks, Tenya, I appreciate it." Ochako squeezed his hand as Tsuyu also said her thanks quietly.
Hanta, Denki, Mashirao, and Sato didn't quite know the right words to say but they still took turns walking over and quietly saying their best to try and lift their friends' spirits. It helped a bit having their sweet guys who were normally mostly quite hopeless with feelings coming to visit them like their fellow friends of the woman variety who were equally cherished.
Ochako remembered what Tsuyu said to her earlier and felt a little warmer, but the sudden ache in her arm quickly chased that away. It felt horrible, like she still had her arm and all her nerves were on fire but she couldn't shake the pain away. She bit her lip looking away from the guys' questioning worried gazes as a small whimper leaves her lips. Only Mezo heard it judging by the multiple concerned frowns thrown her way. She bite's back the pain sending her friends a crooked smile trying to hide her quiet suffering as everyone was ushered out by the concerned fanboy nurse arriving with their lunch used to seeing the hidden pain of injured heroes fighting to uphold their image.
"Oh, hun, I'll get you a couple pain pills. Fight on Uravity!" The slightly younger pink quaffed haired man quickly served their food and rushed out to get help.
"Are you okay, Ochako? Kero." Tsuyu was looking at her with those same beautiful damn concerned swirling inkwell eyes she'd fallen for and had bi panic for in high school. She wasn't okay and the silent tears she hadn't noticed streaking her cheeks gave her away even as she gave a shaky left handed thumbs up.
She felt nauseous, like she used to when she overused her quirk in the early days, but it was worse rending her unable to respond verbally for fear of losing the sparse contents in her stomach. The pain was a hundred times worse than any fractured or broken bone she'd received in the past. Her vision was going fuzzy as the nurses ran in hurriedly feeding her the pills as the clenched the blanket in her powerful singular fist knuckles white. It would still take a while for them to work, or so the kind female nurse with ram horns said. The concerned nurses left minutes later leaving Ochako growling to herself in agony as Tsuyu watched helpless. It takes ten grueling minutes, but when they kicked in the former zero gravity hero felt like she was floating and powerful again as she and Tsuyu didn't touch their rapidly warming food sitting in that cursed silence until her stomach calmed.
They didn't really speak after that, eating in awkward clumsy silence as they accepted that these missing limbs were the new norm using their normally less used hands. Tsuyu was cursing herself internally for being selfish and Ochako, numbed, tried to not focus on the pain she had felt and the fear of feeling it again. Her fears were realized later though as the pink haired male nurse, Hana, solemnly explained "phantom limb pain" to a slightly out of it Uravity as he gathered their neatly stacked empty bowls and such and left with an apology.
Tsuyu's heart was breaking all over again, Ochako would now have to expect to feel and go through immense pain occasionally, most likely alone most of the time and there was nothing she could do about it. She'd probably feel it too at some point, to a lesser degree, though she brushed the thought away quickly all of her quiet concern going toward Uravity. At least they nervously exchanged new phone numbers as Froppy was discharged to go home. She looked back only once when leaving the room they shared and regretted it as she saw the absolutely defeated crushed and conflicted look on Ochako's face as she stared out the window with foggy eyes at the darkening sky and fluffy white orange clouds.
The queen of the sky was grounded and it was all her fault.
Tsuyu rides the train in subdued silence, having escaped the surprise rush of press waiting outside the hospital for one of the two famous injured pros, and sank into her seat absently smiling and taking pictures with the occasional fan keeping up her heroic public image as she died inside. She scrolled through her phone sending short responses to her inquiring friends, some she only talked to maybe once a month bombarding her with cute frog pictures and funny memes she sometimes didn't quite get. They honestly relieved some of the aching stress she felt and dull pain in her wrapped hand.
She absently squeezed the light brown plush puppy under one arm as her breath caught and the train lurched with her heart to a stop at her rural station outside the city a small ways from her home. Tsuyu re-read the short text over and over trying not to get her hopes up.
Ochako -hey tsu hope you got home safe-
Ended a hesitant second later with a cute familiar pair, a frog and dog emoji side by side. The long missed gesture making her eyes tear and a vivid memory come to mind:
+They were laying on a blanket on Ochako's dorm balcony anti-gravity sixteen year old pointing out the stars with excited yips as she remembered one after another. Well, she wasn't yipping, but her shrill sounds of excitement as she squeezed her large left hand in her right were really cute and puppy like as her big brown eyes sparkled. Tsuyu found herself staring at her best friend instead of the sky and spoke in her blunt way.
"You remind me of a puppy. It's cute."
Ochako literally yelps and covers her tomato red face with her own hands, plus one of Tsuyu's seeing as she hadn't let go yet. Tsuyu blushed herself feeling the warmth in the pudgier girl's round cheeks. They quickly separated by a foot, still thinking of the moment, as they continued to point out constellations as they fought off their blushes. They said awkward goodbyes at curfew, and both of them went to bed questioning lots of things late into the morning. Luckily it had been a Friday.
The next morning Tsuyu had awoken to Ochako's chosen ringtone for herself, the chorus of "Rocket Man" by Elton John, played loudly waking her out of her maybe three hours of sleep. Wiping said traces of sleep out of her eyes, Tsuyu looked at the message and smiled with a fond blush.
Ochako -Waffles?-
Ended with a trio of emoji's, a cute frog and dog with a pink heart between them.+
Shaking her head of the old cherished memory, Tsuyu calmed herself the best she could, and with her large normally graceful hands shaking she carefully typed and re-typed her response.
-I'm not quite there yet, but thanks, rest well.-
Ended with her favorite gif of the day, Mina sent to her, of a small green frog climbing on the head of an unperturbed brown dog and settling down.
Ochako - 3 -
She croaked in surprise blushing and almost tripping as she walked down the overgrown dirt road lined by rice fields full of similarly croaking frogs and loud crickets in the early spring evening light. Maybe...Maybe she and Ochako could start over. It felt like she was in high school again confused by her bubbly floating heart palpitations brought on by the then aspiring zero gravity hero. Tsuyu allowed a minuscule smile to cross her face the rest of her walk up a narrow path into the woods lining the fields toward the really nice home she rarely ever lived in left to her by her grandparents when she graduated. Swallowing her shame and riding the high she sent a final text before unlocking the door, with her cherished brown puppy on a cloud key chain dangling from her keys, and entering her dark traditional style home surrounded by a large beautiful pond full of giant and tiny lily pads.
- 3 -
Ochako's expression was blank as she stared at the messages. Sure, they made her heart skip a beat and hope swell in her chest, but they still had to talk this out and not over the phone. This...mess, they'd both been avoiding for two long years needed to be solved. She silently thanked Hana, her favorite nurse she decided, for the pain medicine because as the moon rose and her dinner went uneaten at least she was uncomfortably numb all over and not in pain as she put her phone on the bed stand with her unsure hand. She wouldn't notice it fell and shattered until the next morning thanks to her dulling senses.
Ochako caught the cute stuffed frog that almost fell off the bed even with her slowed reflexes and single hand, ignoring but certainly noticing the fact that her stump had jerked as well, as she turned carefully over to face the empty bed next to her. She mentally ached. Now fully remembering what it was like to be with her once most trusted friend she missed her calming presence deeply. The former anti-gravity hero on top of the world quietly cried herself to sleep alone again, body numb, clutching the stuffed frog in her large left arm tightly as she drifted off like a scared teen just like when she had now long resolved nightmares of Himiko Toga, or of her parents dying in that dreaded accident all over again. Though scared and unsure of the future, she at least knew her crush was talking to her after whatever she did to chase the rank five rescue hero away what feels like an eternity ago.
So you meditate or medicate
To maintain, what a getaway
But it's coming
Oh yeah the numbing
Super Novacaine
(You're dead as dead can be)
You won't feel a thing
"Novacaine" - 10 Years