Romance and Heroics
Spoilers for the Current Arc!
Friday: 11:30 PM
Ochako could feel dark bags begin to take form under her eyes. Her mind had been racing ever since she ran out of Deku's hospital room. Her brain was desperately trying to correct itself, to alleviate the confusion it was being forced to experience. But her heart was much, much worse. The cage she kept her heart locked up in cried out for release, while twisting and contorting itself in an attempt to escape. She tried again to close her eyes, and think about something else. But, the only color she could see was green. Ochako tried desperately to shift her thoughts to something else, but she'd always find herself gravitating back towards him. Clutching her chest, breathing deeply, and slamming her eyelids down, Ochako begged for sleep to come.
But it never did.
At least, not yet. She couldn't possibly drift off to sleep while her heart and brain were waging an all out war on eachother. She tried to dismiss and excuse her feelings for Izuku with thoughts.
'There's no way someone as amazing as Deku would ever have feelings for someone like me…'
'It's impossible for Love and Hero-work to co-exist. There's no way that it could!'
'I don't even know it's love. I could just have a small little crush… it will pass!'
Her heart immediately called her out on her lie.
'No… I do have feelings for him. Very strong feelings… I've never cared for someone so much.'
'I can't stop thinking about him! Everything reminds me of him.'
'Every time I see his goofy smile, his messy green hair, his emerald green eyes, my mind goes blank and my heart just goes crazy…'
'And the way he gets so determined and masculine when he's in a fight, or when someone's in danger… he's the greatest person I've ever met.'
She couldn't take it anymore. She had no idea what to do with these feelings, but she HAD to know. She couldn't bear the thought of keeping her heart confined like this for the rest of her academic career anymore. She can't focus on anything else whenever he's around. These feelings are starting to threaten her hero work, so she has to rid herself of this burden one way or another. She may be a hero in training, but she's still a teenage girl. However, Ochako had no idea how to set these feelings aside, or how to confess to Midoriya.
'If only he didn't look at me like that! Then I would've been able to keep these feelings hidden… but now I know there's a chance he could like me too! Oh, what should I do? I don't know for sure if he does, and I don't even know if I can balance a relationship with hero work…'
It was late, so she couldn't go see the person she knew could answer the part about the mingling of Romance and Heroics, but who could she confess her feelings to? Someone she could trust enough to keep her secret and give her good advice.
'Tsuyu. I could tell Tsuyu! She's my best friend! Next to Deku of course. Though, I doubt she's awake. I'd really hate to bother her at this hour, so maybe I should wait until tomorrow. Yeah! I can get through tonight now! I'll tell her tomorrow and ask for advice!'
Ochako's mind and heart were still active with thoughts of her best friend, but she felt like she could get through the night knowing that her burden will be lightened tomorrow. Feeling like her struggle is almost over, Ochako decided to get a glass of water from downstairs to refresh herself, hopefully being the last push she needed to fall asleep.
Ochako made sure to tip-toe down the stairs, through the hallways, and in the kitchen to make sure she didn't wake any of the other girls up. Feeling her way through the kitchen, since she left the lights off, she stumbled her way over to the glass cabinet. She fumbled around for the handle, but she suddenly noticed that the TV in the girl's living room was on with the volume set extremely low. Ochako poked her head into the doorframe to see who else could be up this late, only to see Tsuyu lying on the couch watching a nature documentary about African bull-frogs.
"Asui?"
Tsuyu's head perked up from the couch, and looked towards the clearly tired, but troubled voice.
"Ochako? What are you doing up this late? Ribbit."
"I could ask you the same thing!"
Both girls started to giggle, and Ochako sat next to her friend.
"I see you're really into these frogs. I mean, it makes sense." Ochako let out a small giggle.
"Yeah, ribbit. Whenever I can't sleep well, I come down here and watch something frog related. That usually calms me down enough to go back to sleep."
Tsuyu looked towards Uraraka. She could tell her friend was deeply troubled by something. And she had a pretty good idea of what that was.
"But seriously Ochako, you don't usually stay up this late. Is something bothering you?"
'I was going to wait until tomorrow, but this seems better. Nobody's listening, and everyone's asleep, so now's probably the best time.'
Ochako took a deep breath, and prepared herself to finally show her heart to someone. It wasn't Deku, the person she really wanted to show it to, but it was still a huge relief.
"It's about Midoriya, isn't it?"
Ochako's face flared, and she looked down to her lap and buried her head in her hands. She couldn't manage to form words, so all she could do was slowly nod her head.
"I figured. It's not like it isn't obvious, you know."
Tsuyu knew exactly what was going on. She knew she had feelings for Deku, and that she was trying her best to keep those feelings bottled up so she wouldn't endanger their careers, and something happened while she was visiting Izuku in the hospital to awaken these feelings again. However, Tsuyu knew it would be best for Ochako to confess these things herself instead Tsuyu telling her she already knows.
"So, what about him? Ribbit."
"W-Well, I actually really wanted to talk to you about it. You're r-really the only person besides him and Iida that I can trust."
She braced herself one last time before finally revealing the truth to someone.
"I… I have feelings for Deku. Really, really strong feelings for him. Not a crush, but something more. A-And I've been trying to keep them locked up because… I don't want to distract him from being a hero. He's going to be one of the greatest heroes ever, if not the best. I'd feel horrible if I took that dream away from him just because of something so selfish."
Ochako felt a great weight lift off of her shoulders. Yet, something told her that she wasn't done. There was another reason for her keeping her feelings to herself. Something a lot more personal.
"A-And also… I'm scared of being rejected by him. Horrified, even. W-What if he doesn't want to be my friend anymore after I confess to him?"
She was so busy confessing that she didn't notice the stream of tears that began staining her shirt. Her mind went blank, and without thinking, blurted out the rest of her feelings.
"He's just so amazing and kind and brave and strong and passionate and… I don't know what I'd do without him. I wouldn't be this strong or determined if it wasn't for him constantly inspiring me to be the best that I can be. How could I not fall for him?"
That last sentence hit her like a truck. She didn't just have normal romantic feelings for Midoriya.
She loved him.
"Ochako, it's pretty obvious what you have to do."
"H-Huh?" Uraraka said while wiping her tears from her cheeks.
"You have to tell him, ribbit. It's clear that you've been hiding all of that for a long time, and it hurts you a lot just to keep it locked away. You might be a U.A student, but you're still a girl."
"B-But what if he rejects me? What if I can't balance our relationship with my studies? What if-"
"Ochako, stop it. It's unhealthy for you to ignore these feelings. About him rejecting you, I HIGHLY doubt that would happen. It's painfully obvious that he has a crush on you too."
"E-Eh?!" Ochako's face was threatening to become purple.
"Just the way he acts around you gives it away. Sure, he stutters a lot around girls, but it's especially bad when it's with you. Not to mention, I always notice that he glances at you every now and then during class when you're focused on something. Whenever he does this, he gets a look in his eye that I've never seen before. I wouldn't be scared about rejection at all, Ochako. Ribbit Ribbit."
Uraraka just looked at Tsuyu in shock. Her cheeks dimmed a little, and she felt her heart flutter like never before.
'He… he looks at me during class too? With that same look in his eye that I noticed in the hospital?'
"But with the whole balancing love and school thing, I can't be sure. I don't know if there's an actual rule against it, but I've never heard of one. I'd recommend going to a pro about that and see what they have to say about it."
"Y-Yeah, I guess it would be best to ask a pro about that. But… Thank you Asui. Thank you so much. It feels great to finally tell someone. I think I'm starting to understand what I need to do."
"You're welcome, Ochako. We're friends, aren't we? It's what friends do. Now if you plan on going to visit Midoriya again tomorrow, you should probably go to bed. Ribbit."
"Y-Yeah, you're right. I'm exhausted. I'm going to try to go back to bed. Thanks again, Asui. You're the best."
Tsuyu brought her friend into a hug.
"If you need any more help, don't hesitate to ask. Ribbit. We're friends, after all."
"I will, Asui. Thank you."
Ochako got up from the couch, got her glass of water, and headed back up to bed.
'My head feels a lot better, but my heart still feels all… messed up. I guess it won't stop until I… actually tell Deku how I feel.'
However, with her mind finally at ease, Ochako was finally able to relax enough to find that one perfect comfort spot, and at long last, fall asleep.
Fast forward to the following day, around noon…
Ochako found herself in front of a solid door with a nameplate screwed onto the front. She recognized this door quite easily, as she spent a week as an intern here. She knocked on the door, and after she heard his adorable "Yes! Come on in!" she let herself in.
"Oh! Uravity! What a pleasant surprise! Long time no see!" Said the rather large man, sat behind a large office desk.
"Gunhead! It's so nice to see you! How are things?"
"Oh, you know, more paperwork than saving people these days. But what about you? How's class going?"
"It's been going good! I passed my final exam, went on a school trip, and did another internship with the pro hero Ryukyu."
"Ah, I heard all about that school trip. I'm sorry you and your friends had to go through that. But, I'm glad that our time together helped you get out alive!"
"Y-Yeah, it was an… experience to say the least."
"I bet. Now, I take it you're not here just to socialize. Is something troubling you?"
"Actually, I came here to ask you a question about being a student at a Hero University like U.A."
Ochako took a deep breath.
"Is there… any room in hero work for… romance?"
Gunhead looked surprised. Then, Gunhead remembered that phone call his intern had with a boy right before their combat training one day.
"Oho! Is your boyfriend I heard over the phone while you were here giving you trouble?"
Ochako's face erupted like a volcano.
"N-No! It's nothing l-like that! That's n-not it! I swear!"
She knew she somewhat lying, but she couldn't just outright tell someone like Gunhead that she was indeed having boy trouble. She'd die from embarrassment on the spot.
"Hoho, if you say so. But to answer your question, yes. There absolutely is room in heroics for love to blossom! Why, if it wasn't for heroics in the first place, I would have never met my beloved wife!"
Ochako couldn't help but gasp. Gunhead never wears a ring, and he's never stated before that he's in a relationship, let alone married. Gunhead noticed her shock.
"I don't wear my ring because if it gets caught on anything while I'm working, my finger will come off with it! Wearing jewelry during hero work is dangerous. Plus, I like to keep my professional life separate from my private life."
Gunhead opened his desk drawer, and pulled out a picture framed in a beautiful stainless steel frame. He handed it to Uraraka, who was taken aback by the image of Gunhead without his mask.
"This is my beloved! Isn't she stunning? I met her while we were both in the same class. She seemed to think I was cute for whatever reason, so she decided to ask me out one weekend after training. We've been together ever since!"
'H-He met his wife through hero school? That's so cute! Highschool sweethearts!'
"So, to answer your question Uravity, there's all the room in the world for romance in the workplace. As long as you're careful, it can actually be quite beneficial for the two partners. Just take me and my beloved as an example! After we became a couple, our cooperation and teamwork skills skyrocketed! We became inseparable, and became the perfect team!"
Ochako was near tears. She was almost positive that his answer would immediately be no. The relief she felt when she heard this was indescribable.
"If you choose the right person, and you promise to make things work no matter what, relationships can be just as important and beneficial to a hero as friendships. Let me ask you this, Uravity. If friendships are not only recommended, but borderline required to a hero, why can't relationships?"
Ochako felt as if her brain had finally returned to how it was before she developed feelings for Midoriya. Clear of all the fog, she finally understood what she had to do.
Gunhead saw the tears forming in her eyes. Gunhead smiled underneath his mask, and got up from his desk. He walked around to where Uraraka was, and brought her into a hug.
"Just follow your heart, Uravity. Being a hero isn't worth giving up your humanity."
"T-Thank you, Gunhead. Really. You've helped me more than you know." She said while letting go of Gunhead's surprisingly tender embrace.
"Do you know what you have to do now, Uraraka?"
"I think I already knew, but now I know for sure! I just have to follow my heart! Thank you, Gunhead.." Ochako said, quickly rising from her seat.
"Anytime, Uravity. My door's always open. Oh, and tell Deku I said hi, would you?"
Uraraka wanted to blush and get upset with Gunhead for teasing her so much, but she was already halfway out of the door.
'Izuku should still be in the hospital. We'll all go into his room together as planned, but I'll wait for him to be alone to ask him to go to that beach park with me tomorrow.'
Uraraka pranced out to the street, outside of Gunhead's hero division, and set off to meet everyone in the hospital lobby, to finalize the plan of surprising Deku.
Author's Notes
Thank you for reading! I apologize if this chapter seems a little bit different from the others, but with all that's been happening to me lately I've been feeling very drained. I know this isn't a very valid excuse, but you all deserve to know why this chapter may seem a bit off. Or not, It could just be me. Thanks again for viewing! I'll see you next chapter!