Swan Lake

It was already disappointing enough to land in a place that wasn't the school library. Ochako thought for sure that they had completed whatever narrative this messed up book was trying to accomplish. But clearly not, because not only was she separated from Bakugo, again, she wasn't even human this time.

In place of her arms were wings, covered in white feathers that fanned out with their tips blackened like they had been dipped in soot. They folded against her buoyant body, bobbing along the ripples of the lake as the sky bled from orange to purple to a blue so deep and endless, one could almost swim in it.

A rustle in the leaves at the edge of the water accompanied by heavy footsteps shattered the idyllic scene, causing Ochako to paddle across the water anxiously to find appropriate vegetation to hide her in case she was in danger.

She only just made it, slipping behind the reeds and peering through their bending stems as a familiar blonde shoved the overhanging branches away from his line of sight and stomped into the clearing.

Wearing a velvet long-sleeve and tights that stretched taut over the ridges of his leg muscles, Ochako would've squeaked if she were able.

Instead, an embarrassingly loud honk escaped her.

Already feeling like dying on the spot, Ochako swam away in a panic when his bewildered eyes landed on her hiding spot. It wasn't like he'd know who she was in bird form, but she couldn't chance it, cutting through the clear water and reaching the moon's reflection just as it unveiled itself through the wispy clouds.

Suddenly, she was caught in a whorl of feathers, spiraling around her and dissipating before she could completely register the fact that it was her arms, her actual human arms, swatting at them from entering her mouth.

When she finally stopped flailing, she was no longer a swan, but some kind of ballerina. Her leotard was paneled with a transparent layer of tulle by her breastbone, leaving a triangle space by her heart exposed while the rest was covered in twinkling tear-drop jewels. A feathered tutu encircled her hips, fluttering at the ends where the tips were exposed to the chilling wind. Though it had nothing on the freezing cold water that came up to her bare knees.

Teeth chattering, Ochako waded through the water and gratefully took his hand, letting him pull her out the last few feet when her legs stopped moving from the cold.

"Thanks, Bakugo." She massaged her calves to get the blood flow to return.

"We're back to that now?" He grumbled, using his sleeves to wipe at the water droplets despite her insistence to not get his nice clothes dirty and barking back "You're gonna get a fucking cold!"

"Huh?" Ochako asked absent-mindedly, trying not to stare at his pecs as he continued to pat up and down her tense legs.

"You're not gonna… call me by name?"

She had called him Katsuki out of necessity, to get out of an unwanted arranged marriage in the previous story. It never crossed her mind that it could become a permanent thing. She had imagined what it would be like, of course, but it was only ever an indulgent fantasy.

"You want me t-" No, he would never outright admit that was something he'd want her to do. That wasn't the right question.

Ochako crouched and held his arm still, stopping him from furiously wiping at the same spot of her ankle with manic intensity to avoid this conversation.

"Would it be ok for me to keep calling you Katsuki?"

He looked away from her, but wasn't able to hide the blush as he nodded petulantly.

Just as Ochako was about to extend the same to him, an owl swooped down next to them. But as its sharp talons pierced the soft grass, they turned into human feet. In the place of the owl stood a bearded man with bushy eyebrows and amber eyes. Hanging from his arms were blue and black feathers, a cloak unfurling into a 6-feet wingspan as he stretched into his full form.

"Oh, you poor thing." He crooned at Ochako, making Katsuki glare and pull her back. Not to save her, he knew she didn't need saving, but in support.

"Who are you?" She asked cautiously.

"A glimpse of your future! A fellow human who turned curse into blessing." He motioned to the feathers along her skirt, wiggling his fingers to catch the closest ones. "Would you like to learn how?"

"You mean for me to control being a swan?" Though she didn't quite trust the man, his offer was genuinely intriguing.

"Precisely. For now, you are doomed to bird form until the moon releases you. But I know of a way for you to take control of this power."

For one, it seemed like the man knew what he was talking about- he seemed to be able to change between forms by will. And for another, Ochako really doubted she was supposed to spend the most of her time in this world as a bird.

"Ok." She approached reluctantly. "Teach me."

"Ah. If only it were that simple." The owl man turned his attention to Katsuki with an unsettling grin. "Will you help her?"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes with suspicion, but gave an affirmative nod anyway.

"Then declare your love for her before the night ends! The spell will be broken and she shall be freed!"

And before they had the chance to respond to his instructions, he swept an arm over his body with a flourish, turning back into an owl to fly towards the towers of a nearby castle peaking over the treetops.

Ochako gaped into the empty air, the clouds having long vacated the star-studded canvas to let the faraway satellites and celestial bodies shine in the dead of the night. The moon was a luminous sliver, like a golden orange peel hanging low enough for someone to pluck it out of the sky.

They were deep into the night now, but there was no telling how long they had before it would end and she were to turn back into a swan.

"You don't… you don't have to do any of that." Ochako reassured Katsuki, his jaw set hard in silent concentration. "We can just ride out this story. It won't kill me to turn back into a bird."

"But it will for me to tell people how I feel?"

"H-how you feel?" Was he really willing to put it in such clear terms?

"I like you. You think I give a fuck what other people think about me for it? Hell no. I'm not ashamed of it, I just didn't want you to find out."

Ochako almost crumpled at his declaration, her knees going soft as her heart wobbled in her chest. "But this isn't just that. You have to announce that you… love me."

And she didn't quite know what happened next. Whether it was the unwavering gaze piercing through her or the way his hand seemed to twitch like a beckoning call. Or maybe it was the way he so resolutely said the one-syllable word "Fine." as if he had long ago given in to whatever they were becoming.

Whatever it was, it sent her straight into his arms, practically tackling him and sending them both down onto the grass. She giggled out an apology, but didn't let go. Not even when he pulled her away just to bring her back into a kiss.

And though she knew, logically, that kissing on a forest floor only a few feet away from muddy waters couldn't have been all that comfortable or romantic, all Ochako was aware of was the warmth of Katsuki's body under hers and the prickling trail his fingers were leaving from the small hairs at the nape of her neck to her corseted waist.

She smiled even bigger into him when he shuddered under her touch, hands roaming across his torso to brush across the exposed skin of his stomach, yearning to find a way, any way, to get closer.

When they pulled away, some dozen kisses later, her hair had fallen out of the tightly pinned bun and his lips had become deliciously flushed. Almost irresistible if it weren't for their time constraint.

"Let's, uh-" Katsuki cleared his throat and sat up carefully, shifting her off and away from his lap. "Let's hurry to the castle."

"Ok." She squeaked and swallowed down the burning ball of desire with difficulty.

Even with their extensive training, the journey through the woods left them panting and sticky with sweat by the end. It hardly mattered to them, but supposedly the owl man had a problem with it.

"We must make you more presentable for the royal court." He ushered Ochako away before she could protest and turned his attention to Katsuki. "Hurry in, they will be awaiting your return."

Of course Katsuki was a prince in this realm too.

But then why didn't he have to straighten out first? If they cared so much about appearance, wouldn't they have preferred he change as well?

In the flurry of being hurried up the stairs, shushed all the way by the man digging his nails into her back, Ochako was unable to ask these questions. In fact, they were replaced with all new ones as she was shoved into a room overlooking the ballroom and locked in with a gleeful snicker.

"Wha- let me out!" Disoriented and utterly confused, Ochako alternated between pulling at the fixed door and knocking at the window, hoping to catch the attention of any of the people milling around on the lower floor.

She would've smashed out the glass if she weren't so shocked by what she saw next.

It was her, clothed in a black replica of the same ballerina outfit, confidently strolling across the ballroom floor towards Katsuki. Ochako didn't know how it could be possible, but the person now holding Katsuki's hand looked, even laughed, just as she did.

And it was this shock that kept her from crying out at what happened next.

"Listen up everybody!"

"No, no, no…" Ochako whispered to herself, sinking helplessly as Katsuki gathered the crowd around him.

"I lo…" She shouldn't have been able to hear the break in his voice from that distance, but it struck her all the same. "I love Ochako Uraraka, damnit!"

This was supposed to be their moment. The confession that finally brought them together, validating all the crazy they had to endure throughout this messed up story.

Ochako could pinpoint the exact moment when Katsuki realized he had made a mistake. It was when he watched the imposter's face twist into a cruel smile, marring her borrowed face with a look so malicious and bone-chilling, the only explanation remaining was that it wasn't her.

He looked so betrayed, so hurt, that Ochako hardly noticed the stinging cuts that streaked along her arm as she elbowed through the window.

"Katsuki! I'm here!" She ran down amongst the chaos of screaming attendees and cackling owl man, only focused on remedying the pain on Katsuki's face as he staggered away from the fake version of her.

"I-I-" His lost frown turned into a remorseful one as he connected what had transpired. "I was tricked! I didn't mean to!"

"I know, I know." Ochako cupped his face, reassuring him that he had done no wrong in her eyes. "But we need to get out of here. We were set up!"

"Why would they care whether you stay a bird or not?" Katsuki thought out loud as he pushed past the masses to try and get them out of the castle.

"I don't know! But it doesn't matter. I don't care if I go back to being a swan."

"Oh, but it's much worse than that, dearie!"

The man was powerful, but he wasn't quite fast enough to evade the hand that came for his throat. If it weren't for the fact that he could shape shift, he would've been choked out for the way he played them.

Unfortunately for Katsuki, the owl slipped out of his hold, grabbing Ochako with his talons and dragging her off the balcony as he revealed her fate.

"This was your one and only chance! For your failure, you shall perish!"

As her body tipped over the railing, Ochako realized that during their time inside, the sky had begun to awake. The midnight blue had retreated to make room for a breath-taking magenta and the faintest of orange right along the horizon. She could see the sun casting its rays onto the land, creeping upon them as the moon hid from its brilliance.

One last vision before her eyes closed for good.

"Ochako!"

Her name was faint, whipping past her like a desperate wish lost in the wind. And then she could feel him. Katsuki. Grabbing her hard enough to root her to life a little longer and then pressing her close so that all she could feel was him.

Him and the sensation of falling.