Three days earlier

Ochako was sitting in her favorite armchair in the common room when Izuku walked in, but she was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped when he asked, "Uraraka, can I ask you for something?"

In a heartbeat, Ochako sat up, turning to smile brightly at her best friend. She replied, "Of course, Deku! What did you need?"

As Ochako spoke, though, her mind remained distant, occupied by a fond examination of the green-haired boy who'd tripped over his own shoelaces that day, and the man he had become. If it wasn't for the familiar sheepish kindness glimmering in his eyes, Ochako might not have recognized him; he was tall and strong where he'd been slightly skinny before, smiling easily where he'd been timid and stammering. Most of all, though, the way he carried himself was different, filled with steady confidence and comfort in his own skin. It was a good look on him; he seemed happier than she'd ever seen him.

Ochako had a pretty good theory about why; after all, the blinding grin on his face was awfully familiar to anyone who had ever met Nana Shimura.

Apologetically, Izuku said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but, well...I'm planning to take Nana on a date, and I wanted to get a second opinion, just to make sure I don't come up with something stupid."

Ochako smiled evenly, but braced herself for the tiny, barely-there stab at her heart that always came when she saw or heard anything about Izuku's girlfriend. It may have been over a year since she realized that her heart had stopped fluttering every time Izuku walked into the room, but old wounds linger.

To her surprise, there was nothing, no lingering regret that it wasn't her Izuku was planning a date for, no jealousy. Instead, there was only happiness, and amusement at her best friend for looking so sheepish about asking for help.

Dryly, but not unkindly, Ochako asked, "Are you asking me because I'm a girl, so I clearly know what all women secretly want?"

Izuku snorted, then shook his head. "No," he assured her, his voice soft and warm, "I'm asking you because you're my best friend, and I trust you to tell me if I'm doing something stupid."

Ochako couldn't explain the surge of warmth in her chest then, as she was reminded again just how fortunate she was, to count Izuku Midoriya as a friend. For all that she'd envisioned another future with him once, she knew that this, the quiet trust of two people who could always rely on each other, was not lesser or weaker in any way than what Izuku had with Nana.

Easily, Ochako responded, "Couldn't you just talk with her about it? That way, you don't have to worry that she won't enjoy it."

Izuku shook his head as he explained, "I'm trying to keep this secret from her. I want it to be a surprise."

Ochako grinned again as she thought about the black-haired girl who she was proud to call her friend, of the way she and Izuku seemed to always be in sync, twin suns spinning around each other in harmony. "I bet she's hard to keep secrets from, huh?" she mused.

Izuku looked at her strangely for a second, then chuckled, "You have no idea."

Ochako just smiled at him. After a moment, she asked, "So, what were you thinking for this date?"

Izuku's expression mixed worry and eagerness in equal measure as he replied, "Well, honestly, right now I just know what it shouldn't be. Anything where she has to dress up, for example."

Ochako recalled the dress-ripping conversation, and couldn't suppress her snort. "I don't know, Deku," she said teasingly, "didn't she say that she wouldn't mind wearing a dress, as long as you-"

With a groan, Izuku interrupted, "Please don't remind me of that whole fiasco. I still haven't been able to make eye contact with Ashido or Jirou."

Ochako laughed, "Deku, Jirou hasn't been able to meet your eyes for a while."

Izuku looked at her in confusion, so Ochako rushed to explain, "Deku. You and Shimura both have super strength, and you've been fucking like rabbits. Is it any surprise that Jirou can hear things she really wished she didn't?"

The speed that Izuku's face turned bright red was almost comical, as was his weak reply of "Oh."

Raising her eyebrow, Ochako agreed, "Yeah, I doubt that the dress comment is why Jirou stares at the opposite wall whenever you and your girlfriend are talking. But that's not why you're here, is it?"

Gathering himself, Izuku nodded in embarrassment as some semblance of normal color was restored to his face. At last, he admitted, "Honestly, I'm not really sure what to do for the date."

"You know that she'll love it, whatever it is, because it's you doing it, right?" Ochako pointed out.

Izuku nodded, but insisted, "I know that, but still…I want to do something special for her, you know? She deserves it."

Ochako couldn't help the sad smile that spread over her face then; it was heartwarming to hear her best friend so obviously and disgustingly in love, with a woman that impressed and awed Ochako in equal measure. But at the same time…

In another world, in another life, Izuku might have been talking about her. And as much as Ochako had never felt a single bit of jealousy or resentment of Nana Shimura-she'd gotten over her own feelings long before Shimura arrived, and holding feelings she didn't have anymore against someone was just stupid-neither could Ochako get rid of that knowledge, the memory of once wishing that she could call Izuku hers. She'd carry that what-if for the rest of her life.

"Uraraka?" Izuku asked gently, jolting Ochako from her thoughts, "are you okay?"

Ochako jumped a little as she refocused on the present, saying apologetically, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that, just got lost in my head for a second."

Izuku waved it off, the look in his eyes endlessly patient, then asked, "So, any ideas on how I can make this date special for Nana?"

Ochako pursed her lips in thought, determined to throw herself into making her friends happy. Eventually, she began, "You know Shimura better than I do, obviously-"

"Although the fact that you two get along terrifies the living hell out of me-" Izuku interjected playfully, making Ochako mock glare at him until he shut up again. She couldn't help the smug feeling in her chest at the sight. After all, he should be afraid of what she and Shimura were capable of when they worked together, as training exercise after training exercise had shown.

Smiling sweetly, Ochako continued, "Anyway, you may know her better, but I still think that I agree; Shimura isn't really a fancy date kind of girl. She tends to keep things simple, and I feel like doing something big and complicated would leave her feeling like it's all getting in the way of what she really wants."

"Which is?" Izuku prompted, the smile on his face somewhere between indulgent and appreciative.

Ochako grinned sharply. "You, obviously," she replied, letting her vague smirk supply whatever implications Izuku chose to take from that. Judging by his wince and embarrassed shifting, he'd gotten a rather juicy one.

When she had sufficiently teased her friend, Ochako explained, "Deku, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Shimura loves you. Like, really, really loves you. I'm pretty sure that if she could get away with it, she'd kidnap you from UA, find somewhere quiet, and just curl up there with you until the end of time. All you have to do on any date is give the two of you somewhere quiet, somewhere personal and important for both of you, and just…be. I think that she'd prefer that over a thousand fancy dinners."

Izuku looked as though he'd barely heard her finish; his eyes were distant, his mouth moving soundlessly as his thoughts raced. Ochako just smiled patiently, familiar with the speed of her friend's mind.

After a minute or so, Izuku's head shot up, an enormous grin on his face. He bolted upright, the lines of his body vibrating with eagerness and excitement.

"I have it," he announced, "I know what I'm going to do."

Ochako nodded once, pride shining through her features. "There you go," she told him, "oh, and don't tell me what it is; I'm sure I'll find out from Shimura after the fact."

Izuku flashed her a thumbs-up, and then turned to leave, practically skipping with how much energy seemed to flow from him.

He was halfway to the stairs by the time Ochako called after him, "Oh, Deku…one more thing, if it's okay."

Izuku turned, an enormous smile on his face; anyone in the world could have seen it and instantly known he was a man hopelessly in love. Ochako felt an answering warmth in her chest, but she knew that that smile wasn't just for her. She was fine with that, more than fine with it, actually.

Softly, as though her own words might choke her, Ochako said, "Treat that girl right, Deku. People like her don't just fall into your lap, and they don't come around very often."

Of all the responses Ochako could have gotten, she hadn't expected Izuku to throw his head back and laugh, a soft, bright sound like the peal of a bell. He looked at her with eyes that glistened with every kind of hope that Ochako could name, and a few she couldn't.

"I know," Izuku replied to his first and oldest friend, "and I will. But you're not quite right about her, Uraraka."

Ochako tilted her head, curious. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Izuku smiled, and told her, "There are no people like Nana. She's one of a kind."

With that, he turned and bounded up the stairs, filled with energy and excitement and plans for the future. Ochako watched Izuku go, a smile on her lips and certainty, at last, in her heart.

Maybe she had missed her chance for something more with him, but she didn't need that. At the end of the day, her life was more than romance-and she would root for her first crush and the love of his life all the way.

She wouldn't give up the friendship she had with Deku for anything, and she had never been happier. Why did she need to grieve something she'd never had?

What reason did she have to be sad, when she had everything she needed right here?

Present

As much as Nana wanted to drive off right then and there, she did need to get back to UA first, probably. They'd had a medic on site for the test, but she was still pretty beat up, and she didn't want to bleed all over Izuku while they were on their date. So, she contented herself with keeping up a running commentary of all the things she wanted to do to him on the ride back.

One visit with Recovery Girl, a shower, and a change of clothes later, Nana was finally ready for her date. She would have been lying if she said she wasn't just a tiny, miniscule bit nervous; fuck being a teenager again, seriously.

When she found Izuku again, he was standing in the common room, waiting for her. Nana couldn't help but pause and admire him; even wearing shorts and a t-shirt, he was just so fucking hot. Not for the first time, Nana reflected on just how lucky she had been, to find herself in love with someone like him.

Izuku's voice slipped into her consciousness, light and tender. "Nana, you're drooling," he teased as she came up to him.

Nana shrugged, unashamed. "What can I say? You're the sexiest man I've ever seen. Sue me for enjoying the view," she replied.

Izuku just smiled easily, looking amused at Nana's hungry gaze. At last, he said, "Well, let's get going. We've only got a couple hours before-"
"Before what?" Nana interrupted eagerly, trying once again to sneak into Izuku's mind and learn exactly what he had in store for her. As he had before, Izuku gently nudged her away from that information, his grin never changing as she pouted slightly.

"You'll see," he promised, "I think you're gonna love it."
As she took Izuku's hand, Nana assured him, "If it's with you, I know I will."
Then, they finally left, disappearing out the door in perfect harmony.

Even as they rode the train through Musutafu, Nana continued trying to figure out what Izuku's plans were.

"Are we going to see a movie?" she asked, snuggling into his arms as she spoke. Nana wasn't about to admit it, but getting to rest her head on Izuku's shoulder while his arm drew her closer was amazing. She'd say it was the thing she loved most about dating him, but, well, the sex kinda stole that prize.

An indulgent grin on his face at Nana's antics, Izuku replied, "No, it's not a movie."
"An amusement park?" Nana tried. Izuku just shook his head.

Nana racked her brain for other ideas, but eventually, another thought struck her. She asked, "Hang on, you have to get permission to leave campus like this, right?"
"Yep," Izuku confirmed, "I asked All Might, he was more than happy to give us permission."
Nana's head shot up at that. Confused, she responded, "Hang on, doesn't he…not know about us? Wouldn't asking permission for the two of us to go on a date kind of reveal the truth?"
Izuku's face turned slightly red. He admitted, "I…might not have told him about that part."

Nana stared at her boyfriend for a second, then chuckled, her grin turning sharp and teasing. She told him, "And here I thought you were being the perfect gentleman, asking a father for permission to take his daughter out for a date. Instead, you lied, to All Might, no less, and snuck out with me. I knew you had it in you."

Looking even more embarrassed, Izuku stammered, "I-I didn't actually lie to him, Nana. I just…told him we were going to go meet somebody, and we are. I just…didn't mention that we were going somewhere else after that."

Nana snickered a little at Izuku's justification, but then, his words sank in. "Going to meet someone?" she repeated curiously, "who are we meeting?"

Izuku was quiet for a second, as if weighing his thoughts. Nana waited patiently, knowing he would share with her, like he always did. It wasn't like they had much of a choice, after all, when they were linked so closely. They couldn't have secrets like this, not really.

At last, Izuku turned to her and asked, "Nana, do you love me?"

Without hesitation, Nana replied, "You know the answer, Izuku. You knew it before I ever said the words."

Her hand stole into his, and Izuku let out a breath as Nana's conviction washed over him. Once someone had her love, it never went away; it was always there, worn on her sleeve with pride.

Izuku smiled gently, and told her, "If we're going to do this, be there for each other…forever, then there's someone I want you to meet."
Nana was more than willing to accept that, to trust Izuku with this. "Who is it?" she asked again.

Izuku's eyes were filled with steady warmth as he answered, "My mom. You'll love her."
Nana nodded, basking in Izuku's love and eagerness. A grin danced across her face as she told him, "I can't wait."

Once they got off the train, it was only a short walk to a little café that faced a park; in a chair in front of the place, there was a woman waiting, with green hair tied up in a spiky bun and the kindest eyes Nana had ever seen. When she saw them, those eyes lit up with joy; she bore such a strong resemblance to Izuku like that, Nana could have recognized her even if Izuku's memories meant that she knew Inko Midoriya's face as well as Izuku did.

Izuku and Nana walked up to the table, slipping easily into chairs as Inko said, "It's good to see you, Izuku."

Izuku smiled, more at ease than Nana had ever seen him. Quietly, he replied, "Hey, Mom. This is Nana."

Inko turned her steady, warm gaze onto Nana, and for a second, Nana felt something spark in the back of her mind, a hole where memories should have been flaring up for a second, producing ghostly images and words she couldn't quite hear. Something about Inko's green eyes was heart-stoppingly familiar, and it wasn't the look of easy and infinite kindness she had passed down to her son.

Izuku saw Nana tense, rubbing her forehead to rid herself of a sudden spike of pain, and he quickly asked, "Nana, are you okay?"

Gritting her teeth as the pain faded, Nana replied, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that, Mrs.-"

"Call me Inko," the green-haired woman told her gently, her smile warm and accepting. Nana could have basked in her aura forever, as full of love as it was.

Eventually, Nana nodded, then coughed and began, "Sorry about that, I just have a headache. It's nice to meet you."

Her cheeks slightly red, as though embarrassed by something, Inko said, "It's nice to meet you too, Maver-I mean, Nana."

Confused, Nana raised an eyebrow; she could feel Izuku beside her, radiating an equal lack of understanding. This confusion quickly turned to panic as she realized that if Inko knew her hero name, there could only be one way. Inko knew who she was, and who she had been.

Shit.

As her heart began racing, Nana stammered, "W-wait a second, how do you-"

Inko looked sheepish, like a child caught in a lie. "Me and my big mouth," she sighed ruefully, "sorry about that, Nana. I just…well, even if Izuku hadn't already explained everything, I'd have known your face anywhere. I used to have a big poster of you over my bed, after all."

Nana blinked, not sure which part of Inko's statement to be confused by first. Eventually, she settled on asking, "Wait, Izuku, you told her about…"

Izuku rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment; his pink cheeks only increased how similar he and his mother looked at that moment. "Yeah, I did," he admitted, "it only seemed fair to give her a warning about, well, you. But she didn't mention the fact that she was a fan of yours!"

Coolly, Inko replied, "You had to get it from somewhere, Izuku."

Izuku sounded so hurt by the revelation, Nana couldn't help but laugh. Sure, none of this made any goddamn sense, but the look of betrayal on his face was hilarious.

Inko turned to her again, and Nana saw something that might have been lingering admiration in her eyes. She added, "I also know about One For All, so don't worry about that, either."

Nana's confusion must have been obvious, because Izuku rushed to explain, "All Might and I told her everything…almost a year ago now, if I remember correctly. We couldn't really keep it from her any longer, not when I started sprouting multiple quirks and fighting supervillains bent on reducing all of Japan to dust."

Nana heard the ghost of Shigaraki in Izuku's voice, and winced. Something in Inko's smile shifted, and Nana wondered how such a gentle woman could have possibly handled knowing her child was in danger. Any mother would do anything to protect their children; Nana couldn't imagine feeling so helpless while your child risked death.

Evenly, Inko said, "I think I handled that little revelation as well as I possibly could have, all things considered."

Izuku looked at her incredulously. "You threatened to hit All Might over the head with a cast-iron frying pan if I ever got hurt again!" he pointed out. The image had Nana shaking with barely-restrained laughter in seconds, as she imagined her protégé quivering in fear at the sight of a woman who barely broke five feet in height.

"Like I said," Inko repeated with the barest hint of a grin, "I handled it well."

Fighting desperately to stay in her chair, Nana hooted, "You sure did! Toshi must have been shaking in his boots!"

When the laughter had calmed down again, Inko's eyes grew somber again. She told Nana, "Normally, if my son brought a girl home, I'd be grilling them, or at least trying to get to know them. But…you barely remember anything about who you were before, don't you?"

Numbly, Nana nodded. It crashed in all at once, sometimes, the holes and gaps in her memory, the aches that sometimes tore through her when something that wasn't there anymore clamored for attention. It didn't help that…that the hurting memories were getting worse, and more common; it felt like the more she tried to build herself a new life, the more her old one tried to pull her back.

Softly, Inko said, "I don't need to wonder about whether or not you love my son; I know that you two share more than I could ever imagine, and that he loves you with all his heart. So instead of the shovel talk, I want to do something else. Two things, actually."

Inko reached across the table, covering one of Nana's hands; Nana hadn't even realized her fingers had clenched together into a rough, white-knuckled fist, or that Izuku was staring at her with growing worry.

"First," Inko said, her voice strong and gentle all at once, unyielding in the kindest way, "I can't imagine what it's been like for you, coming back to life after thirty years. The world must feel awfully strange and lonely."

Nana let out a breath, shakier than she'd expected. Part of her wanted to snatch her hand away, yell that she didn't need Inko's pity, that she was strong enough to handle anything the world could throw at her. But Inko wasn't looking at her with pity.

Inko continued, "If you ever feel overwhelmed, I'm here. Izuku is the most supportive person I've ever known, but if you need more, well…I taught him everything he knows. You don't have to do anything with that, just know that I'll help if you ever need it."

Nana smiled at that, nodding quietly. She hoped that her gratitude shone on her face; she felt something in her chest sting just a little less with Inko's words.

Inko smiled one last time, then withdrew her hand. As she did so, she said, "I doubt you remember, Nana, but…we've met before."

Nana's eyes went wide, and she searched her torn and broken memories for any fragment of Inko. At last, she shook her head, admitting, "No, I don't remember."

With a nostalgic sigh, Inko explained, "I was…oh, four or five when it happened. I'd lost my favorite hairband, and I was searching for it with my quirk, but I couldn't find it. I was about to start crying, when you came walking down the street, this skinny blonde boy by your side. I think it was…your son, at least from what the two of you said. You asked me what was wrong, and I told you."

Nana couldn't remember the scene, but she didn't need to; she knew what she would have done, how she would have done anything she could to make one little girl smile again. That thought…was comforting, like a reminder that her soul was not changed by thirty years, or death, or rebirth. But even so, something about Inko's words sent her missing memories into a screeching spiral, the feeling of missing something getting stronger and stronger.

Inko continued, "You gave me your hairband; you told me it was your favorite one, but you wanted me to have it. That was it. Maybe it wasn't much…but to a little girl, that kindness meant the world. Because of that moment, I grew up thinking that you were the best hero in the world. And when I learned about One For All, and what that skinny blonde boy grew up to become, and what you gave up to preserve hope for us all…now, I know you are."

Nana felt waves of emotion surging through her; she could only cling to Izuku's steady reassurance as a lifeline. Then, Inko pulled something from her hair, opened her hand, and Nana understood.

"I want you to have this," Inko finished, a black hairband sparkling in her palm, "I know it doesn't seem like much, but I can't help but wonder if this is the only physical thing left from who you were, before. I've held onto it all this time because of the hero it came from. It's only fitting I got to return it some day."

Knowing that protest was pointless, Nana reached out before she was even aware she'd done so. Delicately, as though she was afraid it would fall apart, she picked the hairband up out of Inko's palm, rubbing her fingers over the surface. There was no flash of insight, no new memories suddenly unlocked, no Eureka moment…but somehow, she knew Inko's words were true. She thought of what was happening as if from a hundred miles away. Somehow, she'd found a real, physical link to her past, proof that she'd lived, and died, and saved people in another place, another time. Once, she had held this hairband in her hand, and offered it to a little girl; now, it had found its way back into her hands, through a coincidence so unimaginable it seemed impossible…or like fate.

Nana whispered, "Thank you."

Inko nodded once, and then asked, "Now, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

How could Nana refuse?

They talked for hours before Izuku finally said that they needed to get going, since they had…somewhere…to be soon. As frustratingly good as he was keeping this secret, Nana at last managed to tear herself away from sharing embarrassing stories about Toshi with Inko in exchange for equally embarrassing stories about Izuku to get ready to leave. (Nana couldn't help but wonder if Izuku's real motive for escaping that table was to make sure Nana didn't get any more blackmail material. Unfortunately for him, she had access to every embarrassing thing he'd ever done.)

Waving back at Inko as they walked back towards the train station once more, hands intertwined in the sappiest display of public affection Nana had actively enjoyed since her resurrection, Nana asked, "So, assuming that your idea of a nice date isn't teaching me that being stupidly kind and welcoming is in fact genetic, what's next?"

Izuku grinned as he replied, "It's a secret, remember?"

Nana stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk, making Izuku yelp as he found himself yanked around to stare down into Nana's eyes, which practically sparked with intensity. She hissed, "You have kept this hidden from me for a week, Izuku. Come on, just tell me."
Izuku faltered for a second, but soon replied, "No. You'll find out soon, anyway."

Realizing that Izuku wasn't going to break, Nana decided to switch tactics. "Come on, just a hint, please?" she wheedled, smirking as she watched Izuku's mind suddenly shift.

"Okay, fine, just a hint," he sighed, making Nana grin and release him.

Drawing himself back up to his full height, Izuku's lips twitched into a smile, slow and sure. He asked, "How do you feel about heights?"

Oh, Nana knew she made the right choice, dating Izuku.