Wow, I use a lot of dialogue :/

A little shorter chapter, but I hope you still enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia.

Chapter 2 - Late Night

His mouth still slightly agape from the shock, Izuku held the brunette in his arms. He couldn't help but notice the distressed expression on her face. He watched as her chest rose slowly, then fell back down, signaling that the woman was indeed still breathing. A huge wave of relief washed over him. She must have blacked out somehow.

Why was she here? Was she visiting a family member? Friend? Significant other?

Izuku's breathing hitched slightly as he thought about the last term. He quickly chose to ignore it, as there were much more important things at hand.

He shifted his position to pull Ochako closer to him. He turned and as carefully as he could, pulled Ochako onto his back. His cheeks flushed as he felt her chest place itself onto his back muscles. He held his hands on the back of her thighs and stood up slowly. As he started to make his way back to his room, he took a glance at the cardboard box on the floor. He would have to come back for it later.

As he walked up the stairs, he tried his best not to jostle her too much. Ochako's head rested up near his shoulder, and every now and then, he felt the slightest breath tickle the back of his neck. He opened the door to his room and stepped into the living room area, slowly transferring Ochako to the couch.

As her body hit the cushion, her eyelids twitch. She slowly opened her eyes to see Izuku staring at her with concern. He smiled in relief. Before he could open his mouth, Ochako let out a loud shriek and landed a surprisingly strong kick into his stomach. The smile quickly left his face, as he stumbled onto the carpet. Now getting a better look at the man, Ochako's face softened, now showing pure confusion.

"Izuku?"

"W-wow. You sure know how to kick.." Izuku held his stomach, his expression trying to hide how much pain he was really in.

"What are you doing in my ro-" Ochako was about to say before she looked around to see all of the superhero merchandise, hanging on walls and placed on shelves.

Oh.

This wasn't her room. Her face flushed in embarrassment.

"THEN WHAT AM I DOING IN YOUR ROOM?"

"S-sorry. But, I found you passed out in the stairwell. I wasn't sure where else to take you." Izuku finally stood back up. Ochako's eyes widened in surprise. She...passed out?

"So, y-you carried, me here?" Her pink cheeks darkened slightly. Izuku's freckled cheeks were dusted pink as his eyes quickly darted away for her.

"Y-yeah. Kinda. Sorry." Suddenly, light giggles escaped Ochako's lips, and she gave him a warm smile.

"You don't have to keep apologizing for helping me, y'know. Thank goodness you found me. I really appreciate it." Izuku returned her smile with one of his own.

"No problem, but what were you doing in the apartment complex?"

"Oh, I'm moving in! What a coincidence, right?" Izuku blinked as he processed what she said.

"I ended up staying at the school longer than I'd hoped, then I had to work on packing up most of my stuff from my old place and bringing it here. I must have been super drained after all of it, and passed out right there." Ochako rubbed the back of her head.

"Actually, now that I think about it, the box I was carrying earlier was the last one. Argh, if I had just held out a little longer I wouldn't have caused you so much trouble!" Ochako gritted her teeth in frustration.

"No no, it's not your fault! You never could've known this would happen, and besides I'm happy to help!" Izuku waved his hands in front of him.

"You stay here. I'll go down and get your stuff." He turned around to go back downstairs.

"Wait!" Izuku looked back as Ochako called out.

"Why are you doing all of this for me? I mean, we barely know each other." Ochako quietly said, looking slightly guilty. Izuku showed her a genuine smile.

"Well, because, you're a good person. I could tell that as soon as I met you." Ochako's brown eyes grew bigger, and her cheeks reddened slightly. A sheepish grin crept its way onto her face.

"Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I'll be right back." He exited and closed the door. Ochako laid back on the couch, staring at the ceiling as she waited for his return.

Arriving back at the area where he found Ochako, Izuku picked the box off the ground and started to gather the items that had fallen out.

Besides getting kicked in the gut, he had to admit that being with Ochako felt good. Refreshing in a way. He couldn't figure out why, but for now he knew that he enjoyed feeling this way.

Everything back inside the box, he made his way back to his room. Using his shoulder to push open the door, Izuku stepped inside.

"Alright, here's everythi-" Izuku stopped his sentence midway, as he saw Ochako fast asleep on the couch. She curled up slightly, strands of her brown hair falling over her face. Izuku smiled, placing the box on the table.

He took an extra blanket from the closet and placed it over her. He could hear her soft breathing as he went closer to her.

He supposed he'd be fine with her spending the night tonight.

The blaring "beep" of his alarm clock made Izuku squirm underneath his sheets, a subtle groan escaping his mouth. He rubbed the drowsiness from his eyes as he sat up in his bed. He walked out to see that the cardboard box wasn't on the table, and Ochako was no longer laying on the couch. A note with unfamiliar handwriting was left on the counter. Izuku picked up the piece of paper and looked it over.

I'm sooo sorry for staying here overnight like that. I guess I was a lot more tired than I thought. But, thank you again for all your help. I don't know what would've happened without you. My room is actually directly below yours. Here's my number in case you ever need anything. I'm gonna have to pay you back somehow!

From, Ochako

A crooked smile was plastered on Izuku's face.

"What's that, Daddy?" Izuku jumped up slightly, and turned around to see his daughter innocently staring at him. His cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment.

"O-oh, it's just, uh.."

"Wait, why are you even awake right now!? Back to bed!"

Izuku slipped on his jacket, as he got ready to leave work early. Business at Ingenium Roasts was good, but not overwhelming, so it didn't seem like it would be a problem. He was already running late, so he figured he should leave soon.

"Okay guys, I'm heading out now!" Izuku shouted to his coworkers.

"Try not to miss us too much!" Denki shouted back, leaning against the counter.

"Try to reel in some more customers while you're out. Tell them the macarons are half-off and delicious!" Tenya exclaimed with his signature hand motions, startling some unexpecting customers. Izuku smiled with a nod, and left the shop.

He arrived at the school to see Eri with Ochako in the main lobby. Upon seeing her father, Eri ran to him and gave him a hug.

"Sorry I'm always the last one here." Izuku said, looking up at Ochako. Ochako immediately shook her head.

"No no, it's fine! I'm sure you have a lot on your plate."

"I know I said it last night...a-and in the note, but thank you so much again, seriously!" Ochako bowed slightly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ochako noticed Tsuyu with her jacket on, closing a door behind her. The brunette called her over.

"Oh, hey Tsu! Come here for a sec!" The green-haired woman held a finger to her chin, as she turned and started walking over to the two. Her big eyes landed on Izuku.

"I'd like to introduce you to Izuku Midoriya. He's Eri's father."

"I-it's nice to meet you." Izuku reached his hand out to meet with Tsuyu's.

"Same to you. I'm Tsuyu Asui, but you can call me Tsu if you'd like."

"Tsu, listen to this. Izuku here, just so happens to live in the same apartment that I moved in! Isn't that crazy?" Ochako exclaimed, laughter hidden in her voice. Tsuyu stared at the brunette, waiting for her to continue.

"Hehe...a-and I, kinda passed out on the floor and Izuku had to carry me up the stairs…" Ochako nervously rubbed the back of her head, deeply blushing. Tsuyu simply nodded, fully expecting something like that coming along.

"I knew you'd get yourself in trouble somehow. Thank you very much, Izuku." Tsuyu sighed, then looked at the green-haired man with gratitude.

"O-oh, it was no problem at all, seriously! I'm happy I could help." Eri held her father's hand, staring at the adults with a blank expression on her face.

"Anyways, I should be going." Tsuyu said, almost walking away. Before she took a step away, she moved closer to Ochako's ear to whisper something.

"He seems like a really good guy."

Ochako's cheeks reddened slightly and her shoulders perked up. Tsuyu walked away, waving goodbye to Eri and Izuku as she left.

"Well! I guess I'll go straight home, I've got nothing else to do after all!" Ochako announced, a little louder than she probably should've. Izuku nervously scratched his freckled cheek.

"Hey.."

"Do you like macarons?"

"Mmmmm, der shooo good!" Ochako held her cheek in the hand, a large smile on her face as she chewed the sweet pastry in her mouth. Izuku grinned at her across the table as she experienced true bliss.

'She's just like Eri.' Izuku thought.

"It's great that you like them. I'm, uh, a-actually the one who made them." Ochako quickly swallowed, taking Izuku by surprise. Her eyes glistened as her face drew slightly closer to his.

"No way! I didn't know you could bake!" Ochako, being an enthusiast of all things sweet, couldn't help but be ecstatic at the realization. Izuku flushed and rubbed his hand through his messy hair.

"W-well, not exactly. Macarons are my mom's favorite dessert, so I learned how to make them for her. Other than that, all I really know how to bake is bread." He waved his hands in front of him.

"Ah! I hope that you're enjoying everything!" Izuku and Ochako both turned to see Tenya standing at their table, hands on his hips. He turned and smiled at Ochako.

"My name is Tenya Iida, the owner of this establishment! May I just say, I'm extremely grateful you decided to join us today!" His erratic hand movements throwing Ochako off.

"And I'm Denki Kaminari!" Denki popped up from behind Tenya with a huge grin on his face.

"What the-! Aren't you supposed to be working!?" Tenya shouted as he looked at the blonde. Denki held his arms up behind his head.

"You're the one who told me I needed to go and greet the customers more."

"Why would you choose the same one as me!?" Denki pouted as he turned his head. The banter caused Ochako and Eri to giggle slightly.

"Whatever. Come on, Eri! The new marshmallows we got for the hot cocoa are TRIPLE SIZED!" Denki exclaimed.

"YAAYYY!" Eri shouted, following Denki to the kitchen. While he was still in eyesight, Denki winked at Izuku, causing the man to blush slightly.

"THOSE ARE FOR THE CUSTOMERS!" Ochako giggled louder this time, as she watched Tenya run after the two.

"Wow, you're friends with some interesting people, Izuku." Izuku chuckled sheepishly as he looked down.

"Plus, I think it's great that they take the time to be with Eri!" Ochako clapped her hands together cheerfully. Izuku forced a weak smile, however it was gone just as fast as it appeared.

Feelings suddenly began to overwhelm him. Feelings of events that he thought about every single day, and everytime they made him angry.

"Um, about that. There's, something I should tell you..about Eri." His eyes suddenly grew darker. Ochako's expression changed, and she prepared herself for what she was about to hear.

"You could probably guess this already, but Eri's not my biological daughter. I adopted her. But even before that, her life was extremely traumatizing for her."

Izuku's eyes stared into Ochako's, the lump in her throat growing bigger as the anticipation crept over her.

"Her actual biological father was a drug dealer. For years, Eri was used against her will and had to be in extremely dangerous conditions. I believe they took advantage of her since she was small and wouldn't be noticed easily. And when she didn't obey, her father would hit her, leaving marks and bruises all over her body. I was even told she witnessed people die directly in front of her."

Ochako was speechless. Her hand moving to cover her mouth in shock.

"The police eventually took him in of course and Eri was rescued, but she had to go through a lot of therapy. Even now, she still has nightmares from time to time." Izuku squeezed his eyes closed.

"It's just...the reason I'm telling you all this is because.."

"Adopting Eri is the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I'll never let her feel any pain like that again. I'm grateful for people like you, y'know. The ones who try to see Eri for who she truly is. So..I, just thought you should know." Izuku finished his statement with a warm, yet sad smile.

"Izuku, I really appreciate you telling me. But, I don't know why you're giving me most of the credit." She softly stared into his eyes with her hands on the table.

"You're her hero, Izuku. You're the one who gave her a home in the first place. You're the one who showed her love for the first time. Eri's probably the luckiest little girl in the world to have a father like you." Izuku's held his mouth slightly agape, before a small smile formed on his face.

"Thank you." Ochako perked up, her hair bouncing.

Taking some extra macarons with her, Ochako left the coffee shop and started making her way home. Eri was reunited with her father, and he gave the little girl's hand a small squeeze and he held it. Denki soon came strolling back out, casually whistling.

"Sooo, did you get her number?"

"Oh, I have it already. From when she spent the night at my apartment." Izuku calmly responded.

"Haha, nice man!" Denki enthusiastically smacked him on the back.

"WAIT, WHEN SHE DID WHAT!?"

Izuku laid in his bed, arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He picked it up to see a text from Ochako.

Ochako: I can't get over how delicious these macarons are! If you ever try another dessert let me know! I wanna be the first one to taste it! :D

A smile stretched across his face, bringing warmth to his cheeks. He quickly typed out a reply.

Izuku: You have my word.