For Ochako Uraraka, most of her high school life revolved around proving herself. It was a rather tiring feat, she couldn't blame her generation for being sexist as most of her peers were feminists, her female classmates saw to that. However Ochako dealt with something she felt was just as frustrating which has been dealing with even before arriving at UA, hell even before middle school:
Being underestimated.
Her appearance never really helped her look as badass as she wanted to. Her height was below average at 156cm, her rosy cheeks resembled squishy mochi and, in her opinion, her quirk was pretty average when it came to fighting bad guys, and she wasn't some genius student either.
So where did that leave her? A small cute rescue sidekick in the making…
Not to mention she was dealing with a… distraction.
A green-haired, freckled distraction.
For a long time she harbored feelings for one of her best friends but she wished that wasn't the case. Her classmates knew of her feelings for Izuku (Deku) Midoriya and loved the idea of the sweet girl and the next 'All Might to-be' becoming a couple. While she wanted that too, the stereotype still hurt.
For three years she tried to prove herself over and over, yet she still had to deal with the same comments.
'Tell Deku how you feel! You guys would be so cute together!'
She huffed at her desk as she remembered one of her girlfriends telling her those familiar words.
"Oi Round-Face, stop huffing and pay attention," a gruff voice said above her.
She looked up to see her blonde-haired classmate Katsuki Bakugo holding out a printout to her. Right, she was in class right now and her mind got away from her again.
"Oh uh, sorry…" she apologised with reddening cheeks as she grabbed the printout.
'He is the last person I want to see me like this!' she thought.
For some bizarre reason she felt like he had a tiny ounce of respect for her as she's probably one of the people he's threatened the least.
The school chime echoed in the class and she noticed Deku talking to Todoroki excitedly about something as they walked out the door. The All Might fanboy stopped in his tracks and smiled as he spotted her.
"Uraraka-san let's go to lunch! I have some good news to share with you and Iida-kun!"
Why did his words leave a knot in her stomach? And not the good kind.
Ochako had been feeling a distance growing between her and Deku, but she saw that coming in the long run. He was always doing his best to try and close the gap between himself and the prodigies of Class 3A. It wasn't an easy feat since he couldn't control his quirk (and it was highly dangerous to use) for most of his childhood leading up to the first few months of entering UA.
He really put in the effort and managed to use a small percentage of his full strength and worked his way up. Internships and work studies came and the chances to work in the field with pros became more frequent.
The gap had closed and he could stand proudly next to the top students like Todoroki and Bakugo.
When she eventually sat down after the lunch rush the knot in her stomach appeared again when Deku arrived. Iida, who was walking beside him, was animatedly going on about some project he wanted to do before graduation.
'Does Deku have news about after graduation?'
The knot was starting to make her nauseous now.
She heard Deku take a deep breath in, "Guys, I'm going to America."
There it was.
Her twisted gut was always right yet she wanted it to be wrong for once. She didn't know how to reply in the moment, so she really hoped Iida had the right words to say that she could lean on.
"Midoriya what excellent news! Fill us in on your success!" Iida basically yelled making a chopping motion in the air with his arm.
"That's great news Deku!" she tried to sound joyful and hoped it didn't sound feigned.
She felt pretty broken to be honest. She had no intention of confessing to Deku, she had hoped he might develop feelings for her and be the first to say something. In hindsight it was a naïve thought.
Maybe he didn't even see her in a romantic way, or maybe he did but he couldn't tell her if he had big goals in mind after graduation? Her selfish, nagging mind was reeling, and she wanted the sting in her eyes to stop now or she'd ruin this moment for him.
"Uraraka-san are you alright?" Iida asked which alarmed Deku as well.
"I'm fine! I'm fine, just surprised is all. Tell us more about it Deku." She smiled.
Deku returned her smile brightly, "Actually, last month Melissa Shield emailed me. She's partnered with a big-time agency in Texas and asked if I would like to join straight away as a sidekick to a big Hero.
"She said this would be a great benefit for me as she is leading a support team for hard-to-handle quirks like mine. I'll be leaving straight after graduation," said Deku excitedly.
Her smile was deceptive as she was feeling a completely different emotion swirling in her chest. The green-eyed monster never warned it victims of its arrival, but it sure did its job well. She knew she shouldn't feel jealous, Melissa Shield was a brilliant and amazing girl, but her name held something within Deku that made her more sad than envious.
The rest of the school day felt like a blur to her. Only when Deku was mentioned did her attention spike. He eventually informed the whole class about his America trip which didn't mean anything good for Ochako since the girls crowded her either to try and cheer her up or motivate her to confess before he left.
She didn't want to be cheered up, and she had absolutely no intention of confessing.
Tsuyu at least understood her feelings enough to not make an input, she was too perceptive for her own good, but her observant eyes looked sad for her friend and held pity for her. That look hurt more then the words shared by the other girls.
Ochako couldn't sleep, her eyes fluttered in the darkness; refusing to close. She felt tired, no doubt she had bad rings developing around her eyes.
She looked over to her analog clock and the red numbers flashed 2:30 am.
"Crap," she cursed.
'Maybe I can make a Ponyo* drink?' she thought as she crawled out of bed.
She walked past her mirror and noticed her hair was sticking out in multiple directions, but her melancholy and lack of sleep simply made her not care.
It was dead quiet in the dorm-house; all she could hear were the loud snores of Kirishima as she walked down the 4th floor past the boy's rooms, Kaminari was somehow louder on the 3rd floor below.
She opted to take the stairs, afraid the sound of the elevator would wake someone with sensitive ears.
She reached the kitchen in peace and made the warm milk drink which would hopefully help her fall asleep. She sighed as she sat down on the comfiest couch in the lounge and closed her eyes to relax in the silence.
Her mind didn't feel any less restless as it kept getting flooded with images of Deku.
'I wish I could at least call him by his first name to his face' she lamented.
If she did, at least she had something to show how close they were, but today she never felt further away from him. He was like a bright sun that would relentlessly blind her and every time she thought she got closer she would realised that she hadn't moved at all… he just got brighter.
Tears began to form in her eyes without warning. She made a small when they started to fall and hiccupped while trying to wipe them away.
"Oh Jeez…" a gruff voice called out in the dark room.
She froze and blinked through her teary vision to see a silhouette with spiky hair walking towards her.
"Shit," she muttered.
In the moonlight she could see Bakugo's face a bit more clearly, but the tears weren't letting up just because she had a visitor.
He looked upset, but not the usual rage he often displayed. He almost looked frustrated or offended.
"Baku-"
"What the hell are you crying for round-face?" he questioned in a dangerously low tone which sent a shiver up her spine.
She managed to wipe away her tears and to slow them down for a bit. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with," she said trying to sound tough.
His face didn't falter but it did feel more intense the longer he looked at her.
"Fine, be that way, you wouldn't like what I have to say anyway," he said as he walked to the kitchen.
Wounded pride and annoyance shot though her immediately.
'What the hell is his problem?!'
She angrily put her drink down and stomped to him in the kitchen.
"Excuse me? 'I won't like what you have to say'? Do you want to start a fight at 3 in the morning with someone who is already frustrated?" she questioned angrily.
She was surprised at how fast her melancholy dissipated and was replaced with anger.
The blonde leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms, looking disgruntled.
"You know I'm always up for a fight Cheeks. Although your sappy feelings might get in the way," he jeered.
"If this is your way to make me stop crying congratulations, you did it, but now you have my anger to deal with Bakugo," she warned in a dangerous low tone.
"I'd rather deal with you when you're angry than feeling pathetic," he taunted again.
His words made her see red and she marched to stand in front of him, "What the hell is your problem?!"
She didn't care if anyone woke up after hearing her, although the kitchen did have good sound absorption.
They were inches apart staring at each other with harsh glares, neither backing down. Bakugo was the first to break the silence.
"My problem, is that I find your mushy feelings for the nerd appalling. I thought you were more than some side character who pines after a stupid love interest. Forgive me for expecting more," he said arrogantly.
Bakugo knew she was crying over Deku? And he just had to sting her with his words. She never thought words would hurt her more than an actual kick to the gut. Did he really perceive her like that? Was she that transparent?
"I am not a side character," she sneered.
"Prove it," he taunted with a menacing smile.
"How exactly do I prove something like that?" she questioned as she folded her arms and took a step back.
They stood and stared at each other in silence again and once again he was the first to break it as he chuckling deeply.
"You've done it before, but you keep losing your progress as soon as that nerd gets involved. He's going to move away cheeks, and when you manage to prove yourself again you better not let him demolish what you built. Or else you'll answer to me," Bakugo warned.
She's never really heard him speak sincerely before. He's always been brash, loud, obnoxious and rude. She also knew that what he was telling her was true, his perception was better than most people.
He was known for being brutally honest so his words seemed to have a deep impact on her, more so than her own negative mind.
"Is it so wrong to like someone Bakugo?" she asked with hurt in her voice.
He looked at her with a blank expression, "If you want to be the love interest in Deku's love little story, go for it," he said emotionlessly.
He walked out of the kitchen with the snack he came for but stopped for a second, his back still facing her.
He turned slightly over his shoulder, "But you are so much more than that."
And then he left. Leaving her feeling… weird.
Her sadness was forgotten, and her ambition was renewed. All it took was a few words she never thought she would hear from him.
Bakugo Katsuki didn't underestimate her. That alone meant more to her that any of the sadness she had been feeling earlier.
Graduation left Ochako feeling hollow. She wasn't sure how to feel as soon as she held her high-school diploma in her hands, but most of her classmates were excitedly bouncing around the school courtyard, it was hard not to feel happy considering the occasion.
You could say that Ochako felt bittersweet.
She had been in this school for three years, gone through good to great times and bad to depressing times. This school became her home. It was a place where she knew she would grow despite her nagging self-doubt. This is the place people will talk about when she makes it big. People will wonder where the next great female Hero came from and they won't be surprised to hear it was UA.
The tighter she held onto the diploma, the more her confidence grew.
She just hoped it would last.
"Ochako, we're going to see Midoriya off." Tsuyu informed her, interrupting her daydreaming.
"Right… I'll be right there," she said with a smile.
It was weird, she didn't feel as sad as she did a few weeks ago. She couldn't believe Bakugo's words of all people's helped. There was no doubt she was a bit sad, but the piercing pain she had before was non-existent now.
Everyone stood outside the dorm house as Midoriya stood with his carryon and roller-bag. All of his belongings were already sent to his new agency in Texas. He looked emotional; trying to hold back his own tears.
"Thank you all. I couldn't have gotten here without having friends like you," he said sincerely.
"Of course. We can say the same," Todoroki replied.
"Make sure to mention us in your biography when you make it big!" Kaminari cheered.
"And send us your first set of hero merch! We can get rich off those!" Mina followed.
Midoriya laughed at their ridiculous requests, the sentiments warmed his heart.
Iida stuck out his hand for a handshake
"See you soon," he said.
Midoriya grabbed his hand firmly, "Yeah".
Ochako was standing in front it seemed Deku left his last goodbye for her.
"Uraraka-san, you were the first friend I made here, thank you so much for your support! We'll stay in contact right," it wasn't a question; she knew what kind of friend he was.
She hadn't realized she was his first friend here, she felt bittersweet sadness wash over her.
She jumped forward and pulled him into a crushing hug feeling her voice break, "Yeah, we'll chat soon."
After she let go the green-haired boys face was tinged with red but his smile was as soft and kind as ever.
The class watched his car drive off-campus as he waving frantically until they couldn't see it anymore. Once the crowd started dispersing, she noticed Bakugo and Kirishima were already by the door.
She had no doubt that Bakugo was softly grumbling over everyone's attention over Deku. She knew they were on better terms, but they were rivals.
"So you didn't confess in the end," she heard Mina note as she came next to her.
"Perhaps it wasn't the right time," Momo said on her other side.
"It wouldn't be the smartest thing to do as Midoriya-san is leaving anyway." Tsuyu reasoned as always.
"I wanted a confession too!" Toru whined.
Ochako pulled away from the group of girls to look at them cheerfully.
"Nope! The next few years won't be about love or confessions. I'm aiming to be the number one Rescue Hero after all!"
"That's very ambitious Ochako," Jiro complimented.
"Okay everyone, I think it's time we start packing. We only have three days to leave campus," Iida called from the front doors.
A few collective sighs escaped the girls and the started walking back inside.
Ochako wasn't sure if it was her words that pumped herself up or if Bakugo's words were still echoing in her head, but she couldn't contain her excitement of what was to come next. She couldn't help but whisper similar words the explosive boy said the other night:
"I am so much more than that."
* A Ponyo drink is a milk drink made with honey and cinnamon. It's basically a weeb drink.
Woooooow that went fast! Writing this first chapter was a breeze! Thank you to those on my twitter for motivating me and helping me get here!
An extra shoutout for my Beta Jellybeanbubbles, she's an absolute saint for assisting me all the time when I need writing help. Thank you Twin!
This story will probably be 5 chapters. We'll see how it goes!