I love how the formatting on my version of this story is pretty much different every time? I usually type a different note up here to the AO3 version too. (Please consider reading the AO3 version for a more consistent format of author's notes! I usually type more up here there too aha)
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this story - thank you all so so much for the support and for your reviews, faves and follows! They mean so much to me.
This chapter is in part dedicated to my cat that sadly passed away last week, and partly to the kind people on tumblr who sent such lovely supportive messages to me while I was so heartbroken. (My tumblr is Izupie if you'd like to join me there, I sometimes post sneak peaks and bits of trivia about the story)
(Strengths and) Weaknesses
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...
Ochako scrunched her eyes shut tighter.
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...
Why wasn't the alarm switching off? He never usually let it run for this long.
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...
Ochako slowly opened her eyes, wincing at the bright, white light that dazzled her vision. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted and felt a strange sense of disconnect from what she saw around her; thin white bed sheets, a plastic chair beside her bed, and blue curtains drawn shut. This… wasn't her room? It smelt strongly of the tang of disinfectant. Her eyebrows drew together as she looked at her surroundings again in disbelief. The last thing she remembered was going to the gym to meet Izuku...
Ochako's head tilted against the flat pillow beneath her, her attention shifting to the source of the beeping sound - a screen with different coloured lines dancing across it, in time with the beeps. The rhythm of her heartbeat. It was surprisingly steady for someone that had just woken up in a hospital bed, she thought with a dark kind of humour. All things considered.
She yelped as she tried to sit up and cringed with the pain that lanced at her from different directions; a dull ache from her head, a sharp sting from her ribs and a throb from her shoulder. She hissed in a breath and with careful movements Ochako managed to prop herself upright, using her pillow as a support for her back. (Even though it was kind of flat and lumpy.) A tube was connected to the back of her hand, covered over with white tape, and it tugged oddly against her skin when she moved. She shuddered.
Now that some sense of awareness had trickled back, Ochako began to recall hazy details from the blank spot in her memory; a dazzling flash of headlights and something that sounded a bit like the screeching of tyres. Had she been run over? She turned her palms over and back again, but they looked fine. She flexed her toes and fingers and bent both her knees inside the bed, but it didn't seem like she'd broken anything. She gingerly touched the left side of her ribcage and winced at the pain, though it didn't feel like she'd broken anything, and she couldn't feel any bandages beneath her hospital gown. Her left shoulder was very stiff though and there was an intense burning sensation that lit up in the joint as she tried to rotate it, Ochako bit her lip to stop from yelping again, but she could still move it, so that was a good sign, right? She carefully reached up and touched her head, feeling the rough texture of stitches beneath her fingertips.
Oh, a head injury...
That explained her inability to recall what had happened to her, and the headache that was creeping through her skull.
She let out a small breath and laid her hand back down beside her.
Izuku had probably gone to the gym completely unaware that she'd been going there herself to surprise him. It would have been such a fun moment for them... She'd been so excited to see his expression. And he didn't even get to eat his sandwich! For some reason, that last thought hurt most of all. She was so lame.
Unless... He'd already heard she was in the hospital from his friends who worked there? (She kind of hoped not, she really didn't want him to see her like this.)
Ochako rubbed her hands over her face, careful to avoid her stitches, and heaved a huge sigh in and out. She really needed to find out what had happened, see if she could get a glass of water, and maybe get a snack for her growling stomach too. Her mom used to say that if she was feeling hungry that was the best sign that she wasn't too sick. But thinking of her mom tapped into childhood memories of get-better-kisses and it's-okay-hugs in a way that made tears sting the backs of her eyes, so she turned her attention to finding a way to sorting out her own problems. Usually there was a little button you could use to call for a nurse or something - she was sure she'd seen that on a television show once. Ochako shifted slightly and frowned at the wires hanging next to her bed, tracing them down with her fingers, and felt her mood brighten as she discovered a small control pad. Those cheesy hospital dramas on television had taught her something at least. A click of what she hoped was the correct button made the bed whirr as the back raised up and she could finally lean back more comfortably without having to use the hospital pillow as support (since it didn't offer any anyway).
It might not have been the button she was after, but at least she was more comfortable.
Doing something positive had improved her mood considerably, and she desperately tried to silence the whispering doubts in the back of her mind, wishing she knew what had happened to her. Fear trickled down her veins and she willed her body to stop shaking.
What if she'd got some kind of huge brain injury?
What if she'd been asleep for a week or something?
She supposed they wouldn't have just left her to wake up naturally in a ward if there was something seriously wrong with her... would they? It didn't feel like a week later… But then, how would a week later really feel any different?... Ochako shook her head slightly to dislodge her spiralling thoughts and brought a hand up to her forehead with a cringe as the action set off a flare of pain in her skull.
The curtain surrounding her bed was pulled open slightly as a head poked into the gap and Ochako jumped with a squeak, cringing again at the twinge of pain the motion caused.
"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to make you jump," a calm, quiet voice said as a figure walked in and pulled the curtain shut behind himself.
He put his hands inside his long white coat as he approached her bed, and Ochako couldn't help her eyes straying to the large red scar across one side of his face. It had obviously been done some time ago, as it was faded and as healed as it would ever get, but it was still a stark contrast to the rest of his pale skin. His hair was white all over, in a fashionably floppy kind of style, with one red streak dyed into it just above the scar – almost as if he wanted emphasis to be drawn to it. Even his eyes were two-tone; one was grey, and one was a piercing aqua blue.
"No problem, I'm having a weird kind of day, so I'm probably a little jumpier than usual," she replied with a sad smile.
"Yes, I imagine so," he agreed, his voice almost at the tone of being considered flat. "I'm Doctor Todoroki, Izuku is a good friend of mine and he asked me to check in on you while he's on shift. He's got a meeting with the Director as soon as he gets back so it might be a while before he can come to you himself."
So he did know she was here. The thought was both alarming and comforting all at once. But he wanted to come and see her, and that warmed her inside. He'd even asked one of his doctor friends to check in on her. At least now she had time to make herself look more human before he arrived at her bedside; once she'd had some water, some food, and some pain killers she'd look and feel much better. Though there wasn't much she could do about the hospital gown, she lamented. That would make it the third time they'd met face-to-face and in only one of those meetings had she been wearing normal clothing…
She pushed down the sigh that threatened to spill out of her.
"Thank you for checking up on me," Ochako finally said, remembering her manners, "but I don't suppose you could tell me what happened to me? And what's wrong with me? And can I get some water? And maybe a snack please? I'm not going to die, am I?" she added in a panic.
Doctor Todoroki smiled crookedly, the corners of his mouth twitching up on his scarred side. "I can see why you and Izuku get along so well, you've got his same earnest spirit."
Ochako's blush deepened.
His smile faded. "I'm not actually your doctor, so I haven't been involved in your care while you've been here. Protocol is that I'm supposed to have you wait for your doctor before your condition is discussed with you, but he's currently in a meeting with the Director himself and I don't think he's going to be in a good mood afterwards, so I'll just tell you what I know anyway, as a favour to Izuku. Your other requests can be easily sorted out for you."
"Really? That would be so great, thank you!"
The doctor leaned down and examined her stitches. "Hm, these are very well done." He straightened and checked her heart monitor, still beeping away to itself, though he was seemingly satisfied by what he saw because he made a light humming sound of approval. He took a few steps to bottom of the bed and lifted a clipboard, flipped over the sheets, and finally nodded. "You've had a mild concussion. Head wounds tend to bleed a lot, so even though your laceration wasn't too deep it still needed stitching, but it's been done up neatly so it looks like it will heal cleanly without much scarring. You've been quite lucky as far as I know – your shoulder and your ribs took some of the force of your fall so that by the time your head hit the concrete the impact was minimal."
"Oh," she squeaked, taking in what she could as he spoke.
"Your shoulder has been quite badly bruised, as have your ribs, but there's no fractures. The scans on your brain came back negative for any internal bleeds and it doesn't look like there's any other internal damage in that respect. You lost consciousness for a while because of the impact, but you've been sleeping the last few hours. Looked like your body needed the rest, regardless of your injuries." There was something a little like judgement in his tone as he replaced the clipboard, and his pretty eyes flashed a sharp look at her, like he could tell she was sleep deprived and exhausted most of the time, which was ridiculous because how would he know that? But her sheepish smile all but confirmed his suspicions. He seemed like a very astute doctor. Though maybe he liked to jump to his own conclusions too quickly.
"It seems likely that you'll be able to go home soon. You'll need to go to your local GP to get the stitches removed though, but the receptionist will give you some advice for when to book the appointment. You might have some lasting effects, in the form of headaches and possible vertigo, but your injuries were so mild they will most likely be temporary. If it continues beyond three months, you'll need to come back and be checked out again," he advised, his hands returning to his pockets. He finally paused, turned his mismatched eyes back to her and nodded. "In short- you're not going to die, and I'll get a nurse to bring you what you requested."
With that he turned to leave.
"Th-Thank you!" Ochako managed to squeak out just as he disappeared behind the curtain.
She sighed with relief. She was going to be okay!
After a small moment processing everything he'd said, Ochako scrunched her nose - what a strange doctor! The only time his professional mask had slipped was when he talked about Izuku. The freckled, green eyed paramedic seemed to have that kind of effect on everyone it seemed... Maybe he was just so good-hearted that he treated everyone the way he'd treated her, and she wasn't really special to him at all...
A sharp, sad pang ran through her chest.
Ochako was running her hands through her hair, to brush out the tangles with her fingers, by the time a nurse came in to her a few minutes later. The nurse was pushing a small trolley that was nearly the same height as her, though she would probably look a little bit taller if she stood up without hunching as much as she did. Her grey hair was scraped into a tidy bun and she had a friendly expression on her face as she looked over at Ochako.
"Ah, you're awake," she croaked, her voice cracked with age, though it was warm in tone.
Ochako was about to nod just as she remembered her head injury and instead smiled and said, "Yes, awake and ready to go home I think."
"Good, good, yes – home is a great healer." The nurse pushed the trolley closer and Ochako could see a pitcher of water, a cup beside it, and a plate of hot buttered toast and two pills.
"Mm, I know I've been asleep already, but I can't wait to get home and make a blanket burrito and just stay there. Only emerging for food. Or maybe I'll just take the whole blanket into the kitchen with me," Ochako said wistfully. For some reason waking up in a hospital had started to make her feel embarrassed. She didn't like to be fussed over and couldn't wait to be in her apartment again.
"That sounds like a good plan, you'll be needing your rest. It looks like you're going to be okay, at least Doctor Todoroki thinks so, and you can trust him. Though… It was odd to see the Chief of Surgery asking me to bring a patient some water and food," the nurse said curiously, with a sharp sideways glance at Ochako as she fit a wooden tray onto the side of her bed.
"The Chief of… Eh?" Ochako burst out. That young doctor had been the Chief of Surgery? "No way... But he was so young!"
"Yes, yes, he's nepotism personified you see," the nurse said with a sigh, as she placed the toast and a cup of water on the tray she'd attached to the bed.
Ochako tilted her head.
"It means 'giving a job to friends or relatives by someone in power, regardless of whether or not they deserve it'," the nurse clarified. "His father put him in that position as soon as he passed his exams and joined the staff, and the poor boy seemed to do nothing but hate his extremely unusual promotion."
"Really? That sounds rough. He did seem a bit…" She didn't quite know how to describe the air of melancholy surrounding the surgeon. "But then… why not move hospitals?" Ochako took a big bite of her toast, crunching into it gratefully, and gulped down a mouthful of water.
"Ah, now there's a question. I suspect there's only three people in this hospital who know the reason - Izuku, Shouto and his father Enji Todoroki, the Director."
Ochako waved her toast in the air. "His father's the Director of the hospital?! You're kidding. This all sounds like a drama on television, y'know? Hard to believe this sort of stuff actually happens."
The nurse laughed heartily, hunching over even more. "Where do you think they get their inspiration from? Art imitates life, dear." She leaned heavily on the trolley and Ochako wondered if she was using it to hold herself up. "He's a very good surgeon, and this hospital has a high reputation. Maybe he just wants to be in the best place to hone his skills, regardless of who got him there. I think his friendship with Izuku did a lot for his decision to stay here too."
Ochako looked away from the nurse as a familiar bubble of anxiety settled in her gut; the feeling that she should be dissatisfied with what she'd done in her life, even though she enjoyed where she was and the friends it had led her to make. She'd worked hard to get earn her degree and she worked hard at the café in every shift she had. The way she'd got there didn't matter, what mattered was how she felt about the destination she'd arrived at, and right now she was content with it. The pride she had in her hard work was real and hers, and she shouldn't deny them, even if it was just pouring coffees, serving cake and laughing with Mina. Izuku had inspired that kind of feeling in her, she just had to accept it. (She should be looking for the constellations in the fairy lights.) Maybe that was what he'd inspired in the surgeon too.
The thought of Izuku made her want to see him badly. "They're good friends then?" she asked as she crunched another bite of toast. "He did say he was checking up on me as a favour to Izuku."
"Oh, well now, that certainly makes more sense - it's not every day that I get the Chief of Surgery asking me for small favours like this, but he'd do anything for Izuku."
"Yeah, I… I get the impression he has that kind of effect on lots of people," she whispered.
"Well, once Todoroki started talking to Izuku he became much friendlier and seemed to smile a little more. I tell you- that boy can save people even from themselves."
Ochako smiled, even though doubt niggled in her heart. She was happy to know him and happy to call him a friend, so even if he didn't think of her in a special way, she thought he was. "He's so kind," she breathed, "and generous, like a real-life superhero. But he's also kind of awkward in a cute way and a bit of a geek, and he makes me smile."
"Ah, I see," the old nurse croaked warmly with a chuckle, "well, you look after him dear, he's precious to many people but he's got a bit of a self-sacrificing nature – he'd do anything to help anyone, even if it hurt himself in some way. You look like you'll be able to keep him in line though, he'll look after himself better if it's to come back to you, I'm sure."
Ochako nearly choked on the pain killers she was trying to swallow. "I-I don't- It's not- It's not l-like that! He doesn't-"
The nurse chuckled again as she put the empty cup and plate back on the trolley, ignoring Ochako's protests. She wheeled them away but looked back as she got to the curtain. "You've got colour in your cheeks again, that's good. I'll get started with your paperwork so you can go home, and I'll be back soon."
Ochako almost deflated as silence descended once more.
Well, this officially took the trophy of the weirdest day she'd ever had (and she didn't think anything would ever beat the day she'd first met Izuku.)
If the nurse came back too soon though, she wouldn't be able to see Izuku after his meeting. But then she would be able to see him back at the apartment, where she would be showered and in her own clothes… so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
She blinked as she realised she still didn't know exactly how she'd been injured. Had she been hit by a car? There was still a blank spot in her memory after setting off on her jog to the gym.
At least she got to go home soon.
"Ochako? Can I come in?" Izuku's unmistakable voice was muffled from outside the curtain, making her jump again.
She beamed - he'd made it! - and replied instantly with a, "Yes!" before she remembered her hospital gown. Ah well, too late to worry about it now.
A hesitant Izuku entered through the curtain and shut it again behind him. He stayed far away from her bed and that puzzled her. She really really wanted to jump out of bed and throw her arms around him but she was still connected to various monitors and she knew it would make her head throb. It's not like she really knew him well enough to do that anyway, she thought sadly, and he seemed to be purposely hanging back for some reason?
"Izuku," she breathed, full of emotion at seeing a familiar and welcome face at such a scary time, "I-I'm so happy to see you." She clapped her hands together, resting her fingertips against each other, trying desperately not to cry.
He gulped visibly and cleared his throat loudly as he turned away from her. Was he wiping his eyes? But he didn't say anything.
Ochako continued in an overly-cheerful voice, getting increasingly worried at his distance and strange demeanour, "The doctor- I mean, the Chief of Surgery, told me you had a meeting to go to, and that you wouldn't be able to see me for a while."
"I- I do have a meeting, I kind of got in trouble for standing up to that friend I told you about, but…" Izuku sniffed and took a deep breath. "But they can wait." He finally made his way over to the bed. "I was so worried, Ochako. I thought I was going to lose you… I thought…"
Oh, there were tears in his eyes.
Izuku sat down in the chair beside her bed and pulled it closer, making it screech loudly on the shiny floor. The sudden absurdity of it made her giggle. He smiled with her and reached slowly, slowly to the hand closest to him, taking it in his calloused one. She stopped laughing, surprise widening her eyes, while he averted his green gaze from her, and a blush bloomed behind his freckles.
He threaded his fingers through hers as he spoke again in a soft voice, "I'm happy to see you too."
His skin was rough - working hands. But they held hers oh so gently.
Her heartbeat monitor began to increase the frequency of its beeping and Ochako felt her face flushing as she realised he would be able to hear the effect he had on her. She gave a couple of strained, high-pitched laughs as she fought with the desire to rip all the tubes and wires off. Izuku noticed her distress and subtly reached up to press some buttons on it until it muted, even though she could still see the lines dancing across the screen.
She twined her fingers with his firmly, as a thank you, and bit her lip, feeling her heart race even faster.
"H-How-," his voice broke slightly, and he cleared his throat, "-how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine really. Except the headache… and the pain in my shoulders… and my ribs. But, y'know, not dead or in a coma and I've got all my limbs, so I can't really complain!" It sounded like she was trying too hard to be cheerful, even to her own ears.
Izuku frowned, concern shining in his eyes. "I could suggest you stay in the hospital longer?"
"Oh no, no. I'm alright, honestly. The worst thing is the embarrassment that not only have you seen me in my old pyjamas but now here I am in a fashionable hospital gown too," she sighed overdramatically with a shrug, trying to play it off as humour.
Izuku reached up with his other hand, almost as if he was going to touch her cheek, but he left it suspended in the air between them and then let it fall back down slowly. He finally smiled and something tight relaxed in her chest at the sight, like he was making everything better just by being there. His voice was soft and almost lost in a breath as he said, "And you've looked pretty every time."
Ochako's heart thumped in her chest, making her intensely grateful that he was no longer able to hear her heartbeat out loud.
"But I still haven't seen you in your uniform yet," he added playfully, the redness in his cheeks extending over his nose and the tips of ears.
A laugh hissed out from her lips. "No! I'll die of embarrassment – just the thought might make me stay here forever!"
His grip tightened, and pain flashed over his face. "B-But then we couldn't go on a da-" He stopped and looked away.
He was quiet for long enough that Ochako felt the need to fill the odd silence he'd left. "Doctor Todoroki told me I'm okay to go home soon, and the nurse is getting everything ready so I can go."
"O-Oh yeah." He perked up at the change of subject. "Shouto said he'd talked to you. I wish I could take you home myself, but I've still got the rest of my shift left. But I'll ring a taxi for you. I'll pay."
"That's okay, really, I can get the bus – it won't be too expensive. They're pretty regular from this part of the city and- what?"
"Ochako, you've had a mild concussion. You've been in hospital all morning. You can't catch a bus home. As a medical professional I can't let you do that, let me order you a taxi. Please."
Ochako shivered at the intensity of his gaze and the emotion in his voice. "…Okay. But I really do feel fine."
Izuku visibly relaxed, but his hand remained entwined with hers. "You do look much better than when I saw you lying on the ground. Until I saw your eyelids moving I thought you were-"
Ochako snatched her hand away from his, and only briefly registered his wide eyes, before she hid her face behind her palms and pulled up her knees, so she could rest her forehead on them, hiding further. "No-o," she groaned into her hands, ignoring the burning from her ribs and shoulder and the throbbing in her head.
"W-What!? Ochako, are you okay?"
"I can't believe you've seen me unconscious on the floor too," she moaned. She was such a mess!
"Don't be embarrassed! You'd had an accident! You were unconscious- just lying there… and I was just panicking, I was so useless, I didn't really do anything, I-I just froze at the sight of you - some paramedic I was - and it-it really doesn't matter what you looked like," he rambled, as he waved his hands in a fluster. "I was just so happy you weren't… Gods, you were so pale, and I was so scared you were… A-Anyway, now that you're awake again and okay I can relax."
He sounded so sad…
She peeked at him from between her fingers. "Really?"
She hadn't seen him look that vulnerable and raw before.
Izuku nodded, a smile pinching up his cheeks, tears shining in his eyes. His voice regained some of its usual cheer as he said, "Besides, you did wake up for a minute or two."
"I did…?"
"Yeah, you mentioned something about you needing to tell me about an alarm?"
"I-I did?" she squeaked as her whole body went rigid, the colour draining from her face. "Did I say why?"
"No, you just said you needed to tell me about it, and then you told me you'd made me a sandwich."
"Wow!" she laughed a little too loudly, but Izuku didn't seem to notice. "Sure do say some weird things when you're concussed!"
"The alarm didn't make any sense, but since you told me there was a sandwich for me in your bag, I really hope you don't mind that I looked for it, because it was so good."
Ochako pushed away the weird sense of relief she had that she hadn't revealed that their friendship had begun as being built on a lie, but her face lit up at him liking her lunch she made him. It was only a simple sandwich, he was too nice. She finally laid her legs flat in the bed again and removed her hands from her face, folding them in her lap. "No, no, I'm glad you looked for it, I was kind of upset when I woke up and thought you wouldn't be able to try it – how silly is that?"
"Well I wasn't going to eat it at first because I couldn't bring myself to do it. I thought if I ate the last thing you'd made it might jinx you or something – that's silly. But Denki told me if I didn't eat it, he would."
She laughed. "No, I'm… I'm so happy you enjoyed it. It fulfilled its delicious lunch-y purpose," she added dramatically with a wave of her hands.
She loved it when Izuku smiled. Everything just felt warmer and better somehow. She only wished she had the courage to ask if they could be more than friends, but there was still the tiniest trickle of doubt in the back of her mind that he was just a very kind person and didn't consider her differently than he did everyone else he was friendly with. But he'd held her hand, hadn't he? And he continued to persist in being in her life, even after all the bizarre situations he'd seen her in, and despite her inability to flirt successfully. Sometimes, she even thought that maybe he was flirting with her…
Deciding that she could blame her actions on her lingering concussion if she had to, Ochako reached out a hand to gently hold his again. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she gripped it tightly.
His green eyes were full of emotion when she glanced up and gave him a shy, hesitant smile, but then he cleared his throat and looked away. "Ochako, now that you're awake I really wanted to- to, uh, ask you something- Would you... like to go on a da-"
The curtain at the foot of her bed was suddenly ripped aside, the metal rings screeched in protest on the curtain pole, and both Ochako and Izuku jumped, his hand pulling out of hers instantly as he leaped up from the chair. A girl with pink messy hair launched herself at her bedside. "Ocha!"
"M-Mina!?"
"Us too," Tsu croaked as she calmly entered behind Mina.
"Oh, Ochako, are you okay?" Momo moved to her other side and stroked her hair carefully.
"How are you?" Kyouka's usually stoic expression was full of concern.
Her group of friends amassed themselves around her, looking at her with worried faces. They were all in their work clothes, shouldn't they be working?
She was about to respond when she noticed Tsu tilt her head and place a finger to her chin, looking at Izuku, who had naturally taken a few paces back when the girls had entered. "Sorry," she said in her uniquely croaky voice, "we didn't know Ochako already had a visitor."
The other girls turned to look at him and Mina shot a look back at Ochako; her eyebrows wiggling above her eyes.
Ochako felt heat rising up her neck while Izuku looked terribly uncomfortable.
"Uh. Hi, I'm Izuku, I'm a... friend of Ochako's from her building." He looked down at his uniform. "Oh, I'm also a paramedic that works in the hospital. I bumped into Ochako one day in the corridor of our building. I also jog to the gym every day, including this morning when I saw her on my way to the gym because she'd had an accident- but I guess you know that already- and since I work here and she's also my friend I thought I'd visit her between jobs," he mumbled rapidly, completely losing the others who couldn't keep up with disjointed storytelling.
"I should be going anyway, I have a meeting I should have been at a while ago. I'll see you at the apartment building later Ochako." His gaze softened. "I'll come 'round after my shift, okay? I'll be able to finish my question then. I'm glad you're feeling better. Uh, bye ladies," he added awkwardly as he swiftly made his exit.
"I'll be there," she promised, even though he'd already gone.
All eyes returned to her.
Ochako waved her hands wildly in front of her flushed face. "I-It's not what you think!"
"Oh? What do we think, Ochako? You've been hiding a boyfriend from us? That's the paramedic who helped me at the school the other day, you know! I can't believe it." Momo clasped her hands to her chest. "You fell in love and you didn't tell us?"
"No, no! Nothing like that!" Ochako protested, though it was weak, and she knew it. She had fallen in love with him.
"It's okay if you don't want to tell us about him, but Mina will probably tell us all later anyway," Tsu pointed out, tilting her head towards the girl who was grinning so widely and so desperate to talk that she was nearly vibrating on the spot.
"Ah-!" Mina burst out, unable to contain her excitement any longer. "Ocha, I can't believe you two! He looks at you like you're his world! That's so cute!" She fanned her face with her hands.
"H-He does?! N-No, you can't have been looking properly, he just thinks we're friends," Ochako said, though hope sang through her veins. Did he?
Her friends exchanged bemused expressions. Tsu even shook her head with a smile.
"So how come you know about this mystery man, Mina?" Kyouka rested a hand on her hip.
"It's a long story," Mina replied diplomatically with a shrug. "I'll tell you all about it in the car," she couldn't help but add.
Ochako sighed heavily, but she was smiling. She loved her friends so much!
"But- wait, what are you all doing here anyway? How did you know I was here?"
"How...?" Kyouka echoed.
"Yeah." Ochako looked around at them, confusion making her voice high, "I mean, I only had my accident this morning and I- Oh! My accident! I still don't know what happened to me! I keep forgetting to ask." She rubbed her forehead, careful of her stitches.
"Why we're here, and what happened to you - you mean you don't know?" Momo looked at her sadly, and it made her skin crawl with dread.
"I'm not sure I like where this is going... Did Izuku get in touch with you?"
Mina shook her head, making her pink hair bounce cutely, and passed over her phone. (She had one of those pretty phone cases that was filled with a sparkly gel, and it always made Ochako feel self-conscious of her old scuffed phone.) With a sinking feeling she looked down at the page Mina had left it on. She gasped in horror.
"No, no, no, no! I can't believe this!" she wailed, gripping the phone so tightly her knuckles went white. There was an article on the screen with the title of 'Supermodel Saves Girl' in huge text above two photos, one of a lady with golden eyes holding onto a fluffy dog, and one that was a slightly blurry picture of herself lying unconscious on the ground with a coat over her, there were two female paramedics beside her and... Izuku. It was hard to see his expression on the dark photo, but he was there, holding her hand. She scrolled down, but she couldn't bring herself to read the text.
"Mina sent us this article as soon as she saw it this morning, and we all came as quickly as we could. People are kind and offered to cover us at work while we were gone," Tsu said warmly, even though her eyes looked teary. "I hated seeing you like that Ochako, just from a photo. It must have been very hard for your paramedic friend being there."
Ochako bit her lip, feeling a tug of sadness in her gut. She was torn between feeling mortified that she was on the internet, and probably the papers tomorrow, lying on the floor like a loser, and sad that Izuku had seen her like that in person. She could only imagine how she would feel if their roles were reversed. That must have been so horrible for him.
"It says you nearly got ran over, Ocha!" Mina explained as she took back her phone gently. "The grape juice truck-"
"-Grape juice truck?!"
"-just missed you, but then you slipped on the ice-"
"-I slipped?!"
"-and fell and hit your head."
Ochako wanted to curl up under the covers and never emerge into society again. That was the worst story of how someone ended up in hospital ever, and it was on the public domain! She could only pray that nobody else knew it was her in the article, since it thankfully didn't include her name.
Momo laid a hand on Ochako's shoulder softly in a motherly gesture. "You're lucky that Uwabami found you while she was walking her dog - she's the one that called the ambulance. It was just an unfortunate accident honey, it couldn't be helped, don't worry."
"We're just glad you're okay," Tsu added with a wide smile.
Ochako looked around at her best friends while warmth bloomed in her chest, and returned Tsu's smile, hoping they could hear the sincerity in her voice when she replied thickly, "Thanks everyone." There was a small pause before she spoke again, scratching the side of her cheek. "Just a question though, who's Uwabami?"
The friends all dissolved into laughter and Ochako soon joined in, wondering why such a simple question had brought such good humour to them all. She guessed it was just a release of tension. Worry, concern and fear for her had clearly affected them all, and now they knew she was okay they were able to release all those emotions that had been built up. She remembered seeing a crease above Izuku's nose for most of their time together, where his eyebrows were pushing together. He'd still seemed tense, and she wondered if that would go away if he saw her in her own apartment looking well in her own clothes. She wondered how many times Izuku had been at a patient's bedside wondering if he would ever see them awake again. It must have been scary for him.
"Uwabami is only one of the most famous actress-turned-supermodels there is, Ocha. You been living under a rock?" Mina managed through her subsiding giggles. "She's got one of those cool stage names that's just one word."
"And nobody knows her real name," Kyouka added, with an air of admiration.
"The article said she's gifted you her coat for being a brave fan of hers, isn't that kind of her?" Tsu's eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Really?" Ochako blinked. "Hm, I don't know if I'd want to keep a reminder of this actually."
"I'll have it if you don't want it!" Mina gasped.
They all laughed again and Ochako felt her cheeks hurt with how much she'd been smiling. Her friends were the perfect medicine to feel better.
"Here's your paperwork, dear, all ready for- What's going on here?" The unmistakable croak of the old nurse from before exclaimed in horror as she emerged from the other side of the curtain to see three girls surrounding Ochako's bed. "How did you girls get in here? Out! Come on now." She made shooing motions with the hand not holding her up with a walking stick.
"Ah yeah, we kind of dodged past the reception," Mina admitted to Ochako as she was herded out by the small old nurse.
"I drove us here, and we're going to take you home too Ochako, so meet us at the entrance!" Momo threw over her shoulder as they left. She could hear the others giggling as they went.
The nurse huffed as silence and order descended once more, but when she turned around Ochako could see the good-natured smile on her wrinkled face.
"That was more excitement than a recovering patient needs just after she woke up," she reprimanded gently, "but they look like a good group of friends."
"They really are. I'm super lucky."
The nurse placed a bundle of clothes, with a few pieces of paper on top, on the chair beside the bed. "Here's everything you need. Be sure to stop by the desk on your way out, and in the nicest possible way I hope we don't see each other again, dear. Be careful and look after yourself. Oh, and here - have a candy."
Ochako's hand was pulled up and a small candy block was deposited in it from one of those odd little plastic dispensers.
"Thank you for everything," Ochako chirped, popping the candy into her mouth (it was sweet peach, one of her favourite flavours). "Oh, wait! Could you please take a message to Izuku? He said he was going to phone for a taxi to take me home, but my friends are going to take me instead - could you tell him for me? I don't want him to spend money unnecessarily, and I don't want him to worry. And could you please tell him... um... that I'll be waiting for him after his shift, so please come see me!" She grinned, her cheeks pink.
The nurse shook her head and muttered something that sounded like 'kids' but gave Ochako one last wrinkly smile as she said, "Of course I'll tell him. Now you go home and get some rest."
"Thank you, I will."
Alone once more Ochako heaved a huge breath in and out before swinging her legs over the side of the bed, ready to get dressed and go.
She was sick of all the weaknesses inside herself - it was time to replace them with strengths. She'd danced around thinking Izuku had feelings for her then thinking he didn't, and she wasn't going to let it stop her anymore. She was sure he had been going to ask her on a date when he'd been interrupted and she wasn't going to let her own doubt talk herself out of it - whether he had feelings for her or not, or whether he was going to ask her out on a date or not, she only had one life and she intended on living it. No more dreams and stars that she couldn't reach that only served to make herself unhappy. She was already living among them. She was going to stand on her own two feet, proud of what she'd achieved and happy to see what else she could do without judging herself by other peoples' standards.
When he came to visit her later she'd be the one to ask him on a date.
And she was going to confess to him about his alarm.
