Thank you all much for the support and love on this story! I'm so glad you all like my self/indulgent fluff fic! For those of you who prefer ao3, this fic is on there under my other user name Strings_and_Keys_97! I hope you all enjoy!

Izuku had always loved analyzing quirks.

As a child, it was just a fun hobby to have when he would watch the heroes on tv. Eventually, it became a way of thinking up battle strategies and ways to immobilize his opponents.

Quirks were an amazing gift and when used correctly, great assets to the community. His friends and classmates shared such a wide variety of amazing quirks, that Izuku could probably fill out more than a dozen notebooks about his class. Some of his classmates, upon seeing his notebooks, would even ask him for suggestions on how to improve their powers!

None more than Ochaco, who was always willing to improve her quirk and abilities as a hero. She was just amazing like that.

Anytime he got to witness a new quirk in action, it was a chance for Midoriya to learn and grow as a hero and become better prepared for what the world could throw at him.

It was a shame he would never be prepared for a quirk like Tanaka's.

That's how Izuku found himself staring at the hospital floor, trying to process everything that he was being told by Mr. Aizawa and Detective Tsukauchi.

His mind had apparently been previously altered and then Tanaka's quirk essentially acts as a counter by uncovering the altered memories.

There were so many questions Izuku wanted to ask. Why were the memories changed in the first place? What parts of his life were altered and when were they altered? Who wanted their memories changed? But most importantly, why him and Ochaco?

Midoriya stole a glance at his best friend. Ochaco was fiddling with her fingers, a nervous habit of hers, and looking like she wanted to disappear.

The One for All user felt the urge to grab her hand and squeeze it tight to let her know he was there for her.

That urge was overpowered by the desire to hear what else his teacher and the detective had on Tanaka.

"Despite the information we have, we were unable to capture the assailant. A civilian was walking past the alleyway you two were in when he fled the scene and told the police what she could. We could only find his quirk and name in our database," Detective Tsukauchi handed Mr. Aizawa the envelope in his hands. "In here is everything we have on Tanaka's quirk. It looks like it takes a week before all the memories can resurface so that's why neither of you feels like you were affected."

Izuku's headache made more sense now, as did his dreams. Were those memories he was gaining back from his childhood? The more he thought about it, his dreams were much more vivid than some of his (actual?) memories were.

After passing out from Tanaka's quirk, Izuku dreamed of his family. Him running around with his father playing heroes as they saved his mom pretending to be a hostage. There was so much laughter and joy in their home. When Izuku wasn't with his parents, he would be playing with his friends, though it was usually just one other person. They would run through hallways and hide in long curtains trying to scare people as they walked by.

His dreams brought his heart warmth and comfort. A feeling he wished he could keep forever.

"So what do we do now?" Ochaco asked, bringing Izuku out of his thoughts. "Do we just sit and wait for the quirk to take effect?"

Mr. Aizawa's frown grew deeper. "The police are still trying to figure out why you and Midoriya were targeted. With the appearance of another quirk being used on you, it's safe to assume that this was not a chance encounter. While they're trying to find Tanaka and what other quirk was, the two of you will attempt to live as normally as possible. You will be notified about any new information immediately, but without knowing what memories you'll regain, there isn't much we can do. This brings me to my next question."

Both teenagers stared at the erasing hero expectantly.

"Do you want the rest of class 1-A to know?"

Izuku wanted to say yes at first. His classmates were always looking out for one another and he would feel guilty keeping something like this from them after all they've done for him, but what would he say? It was already hard enough to wrap his brain around the situation that Izuku doubted he could effectively explain it.

"I don't want to tell them," Ochaco said suddenly. Her voice was a little shaky, but she spoke with a sense of finality. "At least not yet. There'll be so many questions that no one will know how to answer and until we can give proper answers, I think it would be safer to keep this quiet for now."

Mr. Aizawa then looked to Izuku, awaiting the green-haired teen's answer. "Midoriya?"

"I agree. There's no point worrying anyone else over this until we know the full story. Besides, I think it would just make everything more stressful." Izuku added.

"Alright then. But I cannot keep this information from the staff; they'll need to know what's going on so they can keep an eye on the two of you. Memory quirks are rare and while we have a prediction of what's happening to you, it could be false. Besides, if you two are indeed regaining lost memories, there may be some changes to your character. Experience is a huge factor when it comes to someone's personality." their teacher explained.

Izuku thought that was the worst part of all this. Would his resurfaced memories completely overpower the new ones or would he be able to remember to separate lives? But that was also dependent on how much his mind was altered. Was Izuku a different person than he thought himself to be? Was there a limit on how many memories that quirk could change?

So caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice that Mr. Aizawa and the detective had already left to go fetch the nurse.

Nor did he notice Ochaco's hand gently taking his own and giving it a light squeeze.

"We're already exhausted from today, I don't think you want to tire yourself out more with all this mumbling, Izuku," the brunette giggled, trying her best to lighten the tension.

Hearing Ochaco use his given name made his heart soar once again. Funny how easy it was for his heart to get stirred up around her.

"Thanks, Ochaco," Izuku gave a small smile to his best friend.

The gravity-defying girl offered her own, squeezing his hand that much tighter.

Izuku was reminded just how caring and loving she was. Whether it was helping out a friend or being an amazing hero, Ochaco was always giving it her all. She never gave up, (a trait he greatly admired), and was all-around amazing. Not to mention her bubbly personality was downright infectious.

It was no wonder Izuku fell for her.

"You're welcome." Ochaco's face began to fall again. "Though, all of this is still pretty weird. What if everything I knew or what you knew in the past is different than it actually is?"

Izuku squeezed her hand back.

"I don't know. All of this is kind of scary and downright terrifying the more I think about it. Our whole lives could be different." His green eyes met brown and Izuku brought their intertwined hands up in between them. "But I know that it won't be too bad because I have you as support, just like you have me. This situation isn't ideal, but we have each other to count on, right?"

Uraraka's face quickly lit up with renewed determination. "Right!"

In an attempt to get their minds off of the day while they waited for Mr. Aizawa, Izuku suggested coming up with different combo moves they could use with their classmates as well as their own new moves.

They spent about ten minutes brainstorming before their teacher walked back into the hospital room, an approving look on his face.

"I'm glad to see the both of you working hard outside of school. You two are cleared to head back to the dorms but have been advised to drink water in case those headaches are due to dehydration. Now let's go, I've been in this hospital enough times because of you Problem Child."

Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Guilty as charged?"

Uraraka snorted while Aizawa glared, guiding his students through the door.

The walk back to the dorms was a welcome change of scenery. The sun was beginning to set, letting its last rays shine down on the concrete path that led up to the doors of Heights Alliance. Izuku was also grateful for the conversation that he, Ochaco, and Mr. Aizawa had. It took his mind off of the memory quirk, at least for a little while.

He and Ochaco were discussing more ideas for combo moves while their teacher would chime in with occasional 'that won't work' and one or two hums of approval. Izuku had just finished describing a move they had dubbed Gravity Smash when the three finally made it up to the large doors of the dorms.

"This is where we part ways. I have to go discuss the incident with staff members. Because this is a high-stress situation, I advise you two to talk to Hound Dog or a teacher you trust if any of this becomes too much," Mr. Aizawa encouraged.

The scarf-clad hero began walking away from his students, but not before he yelled over his shoulder. "Be wary of Bakugou. He seemed a little too excited to head back to the dorms after you were found unconscious. I also heard something about a picture. Just thought I'd let you know."

"That's weird. Do you know anything about a picture?" Ochaco made her way up the stairs that led to the dorms.

Izuku shook his head. "No idea, but it can't be good if Kacchan of all people is really excited about it."

"True that."

Walking into Height Alliance, Midoriya expected a couple of people milling about the common room, but was surprised to find the majority of their class out and about.

Sato, Tokoyami, and Ojiro were all in the kitchen preparing dinner while most of the other students were lounging on the couches watching tv or doing homework. Even Kacchan was mingling, though it was mostly just with Kirishima and Kaminari.

Ashido, who had been watching a movie with Sero and Hagakure, was the first to notice Izuku and Ochaco.

"Look who's here guys!" she announced, bouncing up to them, bouncing up to them. "The lovebirds are back!"

Izuku felt his face heat up. "Lovebirds?!"

"Of course! Bakugou showed everyone the picture! I was wondering how long it was gonna take before you two got together," the pink teen squealed before frowning, "Too bad Sero won the bet though."

There was a small 'Yes!' by the couches.

Ochaco, who was just as red and embarrassed as Izuku, attempted to correct their classmate.

"We're not together, Mina!"

"Don't try to convince us otherwise, Uraraka!" Hagakure cheered, "I've seen the proof! Now come on, we're gonna have some girl talk~!"

"Wait, but I-"

It was too late. Izuku watched with slight bewilderment as Ochaco was whisked away from the common room at the hands of her friends.

That left Izuku alone to face the onslaught of comments and questions from his classmates.

"Didn't know you had it in you Midoribro!"

"How long have you two been going out?"

"Did you know Bakugou took that picture?"

"Such acts are inappropriate among future heroes!"

It was all becoming a bit too much for him. His day had already been exhausting and with all of the embarrassment that ensued since walking through the door, Izuku thought he was going to collapse into a pile of mush.

"What is this picture you all keep talking about?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

Kaminari looked confused before pulling out his phone and scrolling to the aforementioned picture.

"This one! Kacchan took it and sent it to our squad chat and then Mina shared with the girls' chat and now most of the class knows you two were cuddling on patrol."

Izuku practically snatched the phone out of the electric blonde's hand.

In the picture was him and Ochaco, presumably after Tanaka had fled the scene. But in the photo, he was lying on the ground with Ochaco, his friend and crush, on top of him with her head on his chest.

The picture was more than likely taken after the visions started happening because both Izuku and Ochaco had contented expressions on their faces. From the time and angle of the picture, it did indeed look like he and Ochaco were snuggling.

Izuku could feel his heart pounding and face flush. Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! He had to correct this immediately before even more people saw this photo. Poor Ochaco was probably going to be mortified when she saw this picture.

"Kacchan! Why would you take this!"

His rival cackled and pointed at his face. "So I could see your expression when you found out you two fell asleep on each other."

"But we were unconscious!" Izuku desperately protested only for Kacchan to cackle louder. "Neither one of us knew what was going on! The villain's quirk made us pass out! We didn't do that on purpose!"

"I don't know," Sero piped up, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Even if the picture was a fluke, are you positive nothing happened with you and Uraraka?

The question was enough to remind Izuku of everything that happened in the hospital, including the fact that he dipped Ochaco (even if it was to keep her from falling).

He didn't think he could blush any harder.

"Hah! I knew-"

"That's enough you guys." Todoroki interrupted from where he stood by Iida. "Midoriya and Uraraka just got back from the hospital. We were supposed to make them feel welcomed back with their favorites for dinner, not make them flustered for something they had no control over."

Izuku silently thanked his duel-haired friend.

"That's right, sorry Midoribro!" Kirishima apologized. "Is everything okay with you two? Was there any damage?"

"I didn't break any bones if that's what you're wondering," Izuku chuckled, hoping they didn't ask for any specifics on the attack. Other than the fact that he and Ochaco agreed not to tell them, it was a long day, and he didn't want to dive into the fact that his memories were going to be changed.

"That's good. My apologies for insinuating that you two would do indecent acts in a public setting. But I am glad you and Uraraka are all right," Iida announced, setting a steady hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Now, I believe dinner is almost ready. Asui, would you be willing to help me gather the rest of our class?"

The frog-themed hero nodded and took off with Iida to go grab the rest of Class 1-A. It was then that Izuku noticed the smell of pork and eggs and he remembered that they were making his favorite: katsudon.

His mouth began to water. A nice home-cooked meal sounded amazing after the day he had. Izuku also caught the scent of mochi and mused that that was probably for Uraraka considering it was her favorite treat.

Eventually, the rest of their class came down to eat dinner. The second they stepped on the elevator, joyous laughter could be heard from their resident invisible girl and alien queen. Ochaco, however, was doing her best to be silent and stared at the ground, her already rosy cheeks ablaze.

Izuku wanted to check up on his friend but ventured that anything he did or said would only serve to rile up Ashido and Hagakure.

Soon enough, the class began to eat. After a multitude of compliments and 'thank yous' to the cooks of the evening, 1-A began to settle into a comfortable dinner. The clinks of silverware against dishes and the chatter from all of his classmates made Izuku feel at ease.

Through all the conversation happening, he couldn't help but let his eyes drift to Ochaco.

She seemed to be in better spirits enjoying the company of her friends. She was laughing at something Jirou said from across the table and Izuku found himself wondering what he could do to see her laugh like that again. It was nice seeing her so happy after the day she had.

He didn't realize he was staring until Kaminari nudged a shoulder against his.

"You know, you're making it super obvious you like her, dude," the blonde whispered to him, a well-meaning smile on his face. "I'd say go for it."

Izuku nearly choked on his bite of katsudon.

He wanted to immediately retort. After all, he was just making sure his friend was okay. They were attacked by a villain and received some pretty big news, (not that anyone else in the class knew), so it should be natural that he wanted to check up on Ochaco.

However, it was no surprise to Izuku that Kaminari was the one to clue him in on his behavior. The two were paired up together for a presentation for their English class with Present Mic and had bonded over time. Though they weren't as close as they were with their main friend groups, Izuku thought Kaminari was still a good friend.

Kaminari, fortunately, did not push the subject further and continued to eat his own meal, though that didn't deter him from wiggling his eyebrows towards Izuku when he and Ochaco would accidentally meet eyes.

But dinner ended swiftly and while Izuku wanted to stay behind and help with clean-up, Sato and Tokoyami shooed him out of the kitchen so he could rest up. The sentiment was appreciated and the One for All user began to make his way to his dorm room. After such a nice dinner, going to sleep in a warm bed was the perfect way to end his day. But as he was about to enter his room he paused.

Izuku had the strangest urge to go to the roof.

Whether it was instincts or the simple want to look at the stars, he found himself taking the elevator to the rooftop.

Curfew wasn't for another hour so he would have time to lounge about. As the elevator came to stop and the doors opened to reveal an isolated rooftop, Izuku saw stars.

There was a bit of light pollution from the lamps that lined the sidewalks of the dorm buildings, but that didn't bother Izuku. A majority of the constellations he knew were out in the sky and he thought the view was gorgeous.

He went to go find a spot to sit down when he caught something brown in the corner of his eye.

Strange. As far as Izuku knew, everyone else had stayed in the dorms. He turned to his left and he saw Ochaco.

The brunette was sitting up against an air vent, snuggled in a light pink hoodie. Her gaze was focused on the stars above her and she had a content smile on his face. She didn't seem to notice that Izuku was there and he wondered if he should just head back down and leave her be.

Ochaco had always loved space, as evidenced by the star charts in her room and adoration for a certain rescue hero. So while Izuku wasn't expecting anyone else on the roof, he wasn't surprised that Ochaco would be the one to be up there.

She seemed so engrossed with the decorated sky that Izuku felt like he was intruding on something private. He especially didn't want to make her any more embarrassed than he already did that day.

Making up his mind, Izuku began to make his way back to the elevator. There was no need to ruin her evening.

"Deku?" Ochaco suddenly called out, making the greenette pause. "What are you doing up here?"

"Oh, uh, nothing. I just, ah, accidentally pressed on the wrong elevator is all," he stammered.

Ochaco raised an eyebrow. "You're a really bad liar. Did you want to sit with me?"

"I, uh, I really shouldn't. It's been a long day and you probably want your space and I wouldn't want to intrude so-"

"Izuku."

Hearing his given name brought him out of his stupor. Even though he and Ochaco had used their first names for most of the day, it was still strange for Izuku to hear it from a friend. He couldn't remember the last time someone outside of his family called him by his given name.

But Ochaco, one of his closest friends, smiled warmly at him and patted the space next to her.

"I know the whole picture thing was a little embarrassing earlier, but I really wouldn't mind if you sat with me. I actually think it would be kind of nice," she said with a small blush dusting her cheeks.

"If you're alright with it, then sure." Izuku made his way to the gravity girl.

He sat down where Ochaco had patted, their knees grazing, and looked to the night sky. Some of the lights around the dorms seemed to dim and his eyes caught glimpses of galaxies and constellations he had never noticed before. The moon illuminated more of the sky and Izuku thought it made a lovely night.

He looked to Ochaco. She was still gazing up with wonder. Moonlight made her auburn hair shine and her chestnut eyes reflected back the sky, glittering just as brightly as the stars that shone above. Izuku thought he might be able to see a whole galaxy if he looked closer.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ochaco asked, not willing to tear her eyes away from the heavens.

"Yes, it is."

The two stayed like that for what seemed to be a lifetime. Just the two of them looking up at the wonders the world could offer. Ochaco would gush about different stars and the stories behind them. Her enthusiasm was infectious and Izuku listened with rapt attention. They both found themselves joking and laughing about anything and everything. It all felt so familiar to Izuku.

"Sorry if this is gonna spoil our fun, but what brought you up to the roof?" Ochaco asked.

Izuku shrugged. He really didn't know why he went up to go to the roof, it just felt like something he should do at the time, and after everything that has happened to them that year, Izuku learned to trust his instincts.

"I'm not sure," he gave an awkward laugh. "I guess I just wanted to get away from it all. What about you?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry if I'm prying! But you were up here before I was and was just curious."

Ochaco sheepishly smiled and focused her gaze back on the stars. "Same thing as you. Star-gazing was something I used to do back home a lot whenever I got stressed. My parents would take me out to watch them a lot when I was little and I guess it became a habit. At least I think we used to do that. Ugh, this whole 'altered memory'' thing really is really starting to get to me already."

Izuku chuckled. "That makes two of us."

"You know," Ochaco started, her tone suddenly somber, "I'm still scared. After everything we learned at the hospital, I'm scared of how fast everything is going to change already. I thought we finally settled into some normalcy here at the dorms and starting up our work studies, but now I…"

She looked to Izuku and he noticed a few tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes.

"I'm afraid to find out what's going to be different. What if my whole life isn't what I thought it was? What if I'm a completely different person? I like the way things are now. I can't say that the prospect of remembering my actual memories isn't tempting, but I also don't want to lose any of the good ones I have now."

Izuku's body moved on its own.

Without wasting a beat, he tentatively pulled Ochaco into a tight hug. It was different than the one at the hospital where he was just relieved to see her okay. This one was about providing comfort and doing whatever he could to chase away her worries, even if just temporarily.

Izuku felt Ochaco hug him back just as tightly. They stayed like that for a few minutes; both wrapped up in each other's warm embrace, taking refuge in the comfort the other brought.

But eventually, Ochaco pulled away, a teary-eyed smile on her face.

"Thanks, Izuku," she said wiping at her eyes. "I didn't realize how much I needed that."

"Of course. We're in this together, right?" Izuku out a fist, tears threatening to spill from his own eyes.

Ochaco lightly knocked her fist against his. "Forever and always. We should do this more often."

"Cry and hug?"

His best friend playfully punched him in the arm. "No. Watch the stars, you goof. I haven't had someone join me for a while and I'm glad it was you. Would you, uh, want to do this more often?"

Izuku felt his face heat up. She wanted to stargaze with him again? He thought he was just lucky being up here at the same time as her, but now she was actually inviting him to do it again. It would also be a good way for both of them to talk about all the changes that were going to happen that week. Maybe he could bring some pillows and blankets in case it got too cold and so they had something soft to sit on.

"Izuku? Are you good?" Ochaco poked his shoulder.

Oh, right. He was supposed to answer her question.

"I'm fine," he sheepishly smiled. "I would also be glad to do this again. Would tomorrow night work?"

Ochaco nodded, her face beaming. "Yeah, that works perfectly."

There was a small buzz emitting from Izuku's phone and looking at the device found a message from Iida. The greenette glanced at the time.

"Shoot! Curfew! We should probably head back down."

"Yeah," Ochaco glanced at the elevator before a smirk settled on her face. "Race you down?"

Izuku grinned, green sparks already emitting from his form. "You're on!"

He had already made a dash for the elevator before Ochaco yelled at him for cheating.

But as they both raced back to the dorms, Izuku mused that he wouldn't mind more nights like this.

Hot.

'Get out of the way you loser! We're trying to play a game here.'

'You're not playing a game! You're bullying my friend! Let her go!'

'So? What are you gonna do about it?'

'I'm going to stop you.'

'And how are you going to do that? My quirk lets me freeze anything I touch so you can't do anything!'

His whole body was on fire.

'Remember, Izuku. Your power not only comes from your body, it comes from your heart. You have to learn to utilize both if you want to be successful.'

It felt exhilarating.

'You've worked so hard, my boy. All that training must have paid off if you could best me in a fight. I'm so proud of you.'

Izuku sat up in his bed with a gasp.

His breathing was heavy and his eyes were wide with wonder and fear. His body was drenched in sweat and pumped with adrenaline.

He felt different. He felt complete.

On instinct, Izuku held out his palm.

When bright orange flames began to lick the skin of his hand, he felt as if a long-lost possession had been returned to him. His green eyes stared in wonder as the fire still clung to him, but didn't burn. As he watched the flames dance on his palm, he knew what this was.

His body was accustomed to this feeling and it felt more natural than One for All did at times. There was no foreign pull in his gut like every time he activated his passed-down power.

This was his own quirk.