A great, lasting friendship formed, Ochako and Izuku continue living lives that they find exceedingly empty and frustrating when the other is not present. Expecting the worst to be behind you doesn't make it so.
Today was not going smoothly for Uravity.
"What do you mean you don't know how to fill out an incident report? Just how long have you been a Pro-Hero again?" asked an increasingly incensed Ochako.
It had been two weeks since the fateful day a certain green-eyed window washer had knocked on her window. Deku had continued to show up outside her apartment a few times a week, and Ochako was in no rush for their little meetings to end anytime soon. Deku was a breath of fresh air; a break from the incessant bureaucracy in this Superhuman society of theirs. She looked forward to seeing him more and more each time, and he was gonna come again tomorrow, in fact!
Others might find it odd that they still conversed via sign language and hadn't exchanged numbers even, but who cared? She was enjoying their little get-togethers! She did wonder sometimes what he sounded like, but it wasn't like there was any kind of rush or anything, they'd only just met!
…Granted, most people meeting for the first time would immediately know what the other person sounded like, so she was a little behind in that regard– but still! She doubted Deku was worried about not knowing what she sounded like, so she should just leave it alone for now.
And besides, she couldn't just ask for his number out of the blue like that, what kind of impression would that give? For some reason, the very idea brought an even stronger blush to her cheeks than usual.
Thankfully, yet still, unfortunately, Ochako was brought out of her green-eyed daydream by a microcosm of the very same Superhuman society she had been trying to escape, if only momentarily.
An annoying intern from a neighboring Agency.
As Ochako stood on the sidewalk outside yet another defaced property in the sweltering heat, she could feel a headache coming on, and it wasn't from the Sun's harsh rays.
It was rush hour, so the crowds on either side of the police tape were as bustling as ever; some were annoyed at the interruption the crime scene brought to their commute, and some were just standing there, watching, waiting for something to happen.
She'd been up to her nose in skirmishes on her patrol route today, from petty theft to even yet another attempted bank robbery— at the same bank as last time!
"Umm, technically I'm still a sidekick and… six months, Uravity." Came the reply of an admonished sidekick of a Hero Agency neighboring Ryuuku's.
Right eyebrow raised so far it pushed into her hairline, one could mistake Ochako for undergoing some sort of spasm. "And in six months, has no one gone through it with you?"
"Well, they have. It's just- just that I haven't actually done it yet since another sidekick always offers to do it and I … do other stuff?" The sidekick tried his best, but his feeble excuse missed the mark and turned into a question somehow.
Right. That translated to, 'Me-macho-man too good for paperwork, me leave it to feeble-minded people.'
It was after the twelfth incident of vandalism in almost as many days when Ochako's repeated insistence of a problem brewing in her district— and neighboring ones— finally earned her the approval of a support request she'd sent her higher-ups. Ochako didn't have the time to investigate something like this on top of regular patrols and more serious cases, at least not by herself. After nearly two weeks of broken windows and defaced property, lo and behold, her backup had finally arrived— in the form of a rookie sidekick she'd never heard of, and from another agency on top of that.
Now, she was grateful for the support and all, but what on God's green earth gave her supervisors the idea that this string of graffiti-vandalism warranted an inter-agency investigation? There was no way Ryuukyu would sign off on something like this, but then again, it wasn't probably she was even directly involved since it wasn't considered a serious case– which was part of the problem, in Ochako's opinion. Every case should be an important one, why was something worth-less attention from Heroes just because it wasn't a big villain attack? Wasn't all of this their job? Was someone trying to score some overtime for "easy work" or something‽
Oh, how joint investigations stilled her beating heart.
"You know, you could explain all the intricacies of inter-agency cooperation to me later after both our shifts are up. Maybe over dinner? I know this great spot near my agency. Take girls— er, people there all the time!"
…Speaking of stilled hearts…
Ochako allowed no outside reaction at what she'd just heard to show. She was a tried-and-true Pro-Hero, it'd take a lot more than this to get a rise out of her.
But inside, Ochako was slack-jawed. 'Is this guy for real? Did he actually just ask me out?! UGHHHH.'
What- in anything she'd said to him the whole day— gave him the idea she'd be even remotely interested in that? Was she not just telling him off for neglecting to do his job properly? Was he even listening?
G O D.
Ochako took a deep breath, steeling herself. They had work to get on with, and so she just side-stepped it entirely.
"You know, it's just. Graffiti. The Ryukyu Agency can handle it ourselves if you'd prefer not coming out here," Ochako offered, hoping the sidekick would take her up on it and leave her alone to actually get some work done. Lord knew she'd rather suffer on her own than suffer this fool.
The sidekick's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, no! I could never just walk away from an important case like this! It might just be graffiti and simple vandalism for now, but who knows how far it could escalate if we leave it unchecked? An inter-agency investigation ensures that this case will get the attention it deserves, and we'll be able to track down and beat up this Villain no problem. Plus, working more hours is always good— if you know what I mean."
For an iota of a moment, Ochako hoped that he actually believed in the PR bullshit he was spewing from his mouth. But then he had to mention overtime. Of course, she'd been right about him.
Find Villain. Fight. Defeat. Find Villain. Fight. Defeat. That's all she ever did these days.
Ochako could just feel the lethargy creep up on her. Was that all there was in this job? Fighting? Taking down Villains to earn a paycheck?
Her eye twitched. "Uh-huh. So, I suppose you expect me to fill out this inter-agency cooperation report and send it over to you guys, despite it being an inter-agency thing?"
The sidekick perked up at that. "Oh, that'd be terrific, Uravity! I'm much more comfortable out in the field, and you probably like being comfy in the office more anyway, since it's easier on you, being a lady and all. "
She swore she was on the verge of bursting a blood vessel. What did he just say?
She could deal with unwanted attention from men. She was used to that. But this?
Years. Years, and countless long hours of grueling, laborious, and draining work to train herself; body, mind, and Quirk. Busting her ass studying to get to one of the top Hero Schools in the country– so what if it wasn't UA? Shiketsu wasn't easy to get into either!– and having to put up with so many people telling her that she wasn't cut out for Hero work. That she should leave it to the "more capable ones" and find herself one to settle down with.
Ochako Uraraka did not bust her ass to become a Pro-Hero well within her own right—and one who was leagues better at what she does than some of those so-called heroes people said were better "suited" for the job— for this rookie to tell her she was better off in an office lazing about somewhere.
So, she took a step towards the boy. Her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head, sizing him up like a predator considering her prey before pouncing. Waning as it was, the afternoon sun still partially cast a shadow over her face, giving her a rather intimidating presence. "Listen here, kid. "
At this, the aforementioned man-child gazed upon the righteous fury of a very, very pissed off Pro– and promptly cowered in fear, eyes widened and sweat pooling on his brow like a boy who knew full well he was in for a world of hurt if he said a single thing she didn't want to hear. "U-uh y-yes, Ms. Uravity, Ma'am?" he did his best to stammer out in reply.
Unfortunately for him, Ochako was well beyond the point of being placated by Ma'am .
In as polite a tone as possible, Ochako leaned closer, so he would know exactly what she wanted him to do. "I am not going back to my Agency to 'relax and do the paperwork' . In fact; neither are you. No. Yer gonna come with me an' watch me solve this clusterfuck of a case while you stand there quiet as a mouse and take notes on how ta' actually do ya' job. We clear?"
Some satisfaction stirred within her as his knees began to shake and he literally seemed to shrink in front of her, and she stood to her full height, heels and all. She wasn't done, either—
And yet, still, he opened his mouth. "B-but we'd be done by now if you had j-just filled out the paperwork as I asked! W-what are you getting mad at me for?"
Did this idiot actually still not understand what upset her? Why wasn't she surprised? "If you had just known how to do your job properly instead of trying to shove it off onto anyone within earshot, we would be done by now, you're right," she growled, continuing to advance as he backed away, "but no; I had to stand here and explain to you what anyone shoulda picked up in a first-year internship! And– "
Ochako would've continued to lay into him, but suddenly someone spoke up from the other side of the police tape. A civilian. One who'd interrupted her disciplinary lecture. "Excuse me, Uravity, but he did ask you to go over it with him over dinner. You should've respected your junior's request and helped him out, not berated him over such a minor task!"
Ochako's glare dropped, taken aback. Someone was actually taking up for this bumbling sidekick?
No way… He wasn't the only one.
"Yeah, leave the kid alone!"
"I didn't do anything, he's– "
"He's doing his best!"
"He should already– "
"He was gonna treat you to dinner even!"
"That's not– "
"Why are you being such a bitch?"
"I– "
She couldn't respond fast enough. Not with so many speaking up.
Not on her own, like she always was.
A couple more spoke out, but she'd stopped responding. What was the point? They weren't listening, immediately jumping to the sidekick's defense.
Ochako was saved by the proverbial bell as her– and the sidekick's– communicators went off. An incident nearby was underway, and they were being requested, as closest Heroes to the scene.
Blocking out her surroundings, Ochako pushed her way to the Officer assigned to the vandalism case, and informed him of their departure. As she turned to face the sidekick, she found that he'd already wandered off, profile shrinking in the distance as the crowd parted for him, then filed back together after.
Ochako could do nothing but seethe in silence as she activated her Quirk to move over the crowd. She knew better than to expect the same kindness as he'd received. As she followed after him, she tried to focus on what she had to do. But all she felt was anger and hopelessness.
Today was not going smoothly for Ochako Uraraka.
In-Between II
Izuku Midoriya was… having an average day.
That is to say, it wasn't really that bad. But it wasn't really that great either. Which he should expect by now, honestly. It's not like things ever went right for him anyway.
Although, recent events had shaken things up a bit and even landed him an actual new friend! And she even knew he was Quirkless and didn't care! Oh right, the friend was of the female variety– which was also a first for him! So, things were good right? Even though he'd still yet to hear what she sounded like— surely that didn't matter. Izuku didn't want to find out through some video, it felt like cheating somehow. He wanted to find out in person— or at least over the phone (not that he had her number), because they were friends, and that's how friends did it- right?
Well, there was only so much said friend could do to cheer him up when she wasn't around.
"Midoriya, quit sulking and have some fun already, will ya! We don't even get to hang out much now that you changed shifts on me permanently."
Okay, so that wasn't totally true. He did have one other friend he could sometimes maybe count on.
If the stars aligned perfectly.
"Come ooooon, enjoy yourself! Do you know how hard it was to track down a place that fit all your requirements?" whined one Minoru Mineta.
They'd met a little over a year ago, while Mineta was washing windows at a building Izuku had… gained entry to in a unique fashion. But it was for a good cause! There was this huge villain fight nearby and the rooftop of that building had a perfect line of sight to the whole thing. The pictures and footage he got that day were really something.
Izuku had to raise an eyebrow at that. "You mean, 'not a strip club?'"
"Exactly!"
The duo was currently spending their lunch break at a nice ramen place Mineta had proposed after several suggestions Izuku had denied. He had to give Mineta some credit; when he was absolutely forced to show it, his coworker had good taste. It was a nice restaurant with really friendly staff and good smelling food, what more could he ask for?
Rolling his eyes, Izuku bluntly stated, "Mineta, please. We both know you don't just always frequent strip clubs. I don't get why you insist that you do."
Mineta made a face like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, although for the life of him Izuku couldn't figure out why. "Wha-?! Y-you're imagining things, Midoriya," Stumbling for a second, Mineta chuckled as if trying to move the conversation away. "I think the low Oxygen up on those tall skyscrapers is messing with your noggin."
"So, you're saying you really spend all of your free time at strip clubs?" said Izuku in disbelief.
"…Yes?"
Was he answering or asking?
"…Right." Deciding it best to drop it, Izuku busied himself on his phone while they waited for their meals. Izuku wasn't sure of the reason exactly, but he'd found himself tuning in to the local news channels and forums more and more like when he first started his blog. It didn't feel pointless anymore, not while there were Heroes like her around. He'd been working on new posts a bit more, too.
Still wasn't going near the DMs though. He did not need that negativity.
Putting down his phone for a second to shake away the tension, Izuku pandiculated. He would've returned to browsing, had his phone not started ringing with a name that slightly panicked him upon seeing.
`Mom Calling`
Quickly slamming his hand down and cutting the call, Izuku hoped he'd gotten to it before Mineta had seen it.
No such luck.
"Hanging up on your mom. Midoriya? That's low." He said it whilst shaking his head.
Disapproval from Mineta— what was the world coming to‽ "W-we talked this morning, it's fine! We're fine! She's just— been really insisting on something I'd rather not do, so… A-and you're one to talk! When was the last time you spoke to your mom?"
Raising his head smugly, he replied, "Me and Ma talk first thing every day without fail, thank you very much."
"Seriously‽"
Humming to himself and placing his head on the table between them, Mineta eyed him suspiciously. "You know, you have been acting kinda weird lately."
Izuku could only anticipate the worst, coming from Mineta, and braced himself accordingly. "Weird how?" he asked, hesitantly.
"You actually seem almost happy every now and then. That's new!"
"H-hey! I'm plenty happy! And— " at Mineta's raised eyebrow he was forced to adjust his statement, "well, I'm not unhappy and— " At the second raised eyebrow, Izuku was started to get flustered. "Okay, fine! I've been feeling better lately! So what?"
Maybe he had been in a slightly better mood these days, but it didn't mean anything. His lot in life hadn't changed. His dream hadn't been miraculously un shattered. Izuku still wasn't sure if he wanted to keep going with the blog long-term, but he had also been putting more time into it— so what did he want?
He wished he knew.
Mineta brought him out of his soliloquy as easily as he sent him into it. "It's 'cause of the cute girl on floor thirty in that place Downtown, isn't it?"
Ah, yup. Izuku was definitely blushing now. 'Why am I blushing, so what if he's technically maybe right?'
"I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yeah, you do. You've never asked to change shifts before, let alone insisting on taking the same ones week after week. That only started when you called me that one time after you covered for me— which I am grateful for by the way— so c'mon. Spill the beans. " Mineta slid onto the little booster seat the staff had provided, his elbows thumped against the desk, chin dropping into his hands and elation coloring his features. "Oooh," he sang. "What's her name ?"
Izuku was not handling being in the spotlight very well. "I-I-I itdoesn'tmattershe'sjustanewfriendthat'sall!"
"Is she hot?"
"miNETA!" Izuku looked scandalized. He couldn't just say that in public! What if someone overheard them?!
"That's a yes," he caught on fast, the self-satisfied bastard. "Does she have a roommate? Hook a brother up, will you? I need a lady friend too, you know."
"I-it's not like that! She's just a friend. A-and no, she doesn't have a roommate so stop asking!" said Izuku, scowling all the while.
He only thought of her as a friend. That's all they were. That's… all he wanted. He was... sure of that. He couldn't afford to lose one of the best things to happen to him in a long time over such a… an untrue thought? 'She's way too good for me anyway, so it's not like anything could happen. What could someone as amazing as her possibly see in someone like me?'
"She won't see anything with that attitude!"
Izuku really needed to grow out of his muttering already. And when did Mineta get so good at rooting things out?
Thankfully, the arrival of their food stemmed any further momentary judgment.
After quite the fulfilling lunch, Izuku relaxed in his seat, continuing to browse to see if anything of note was happening today.
But upon scrolling to a recently added video, Izuku's lunch churned in his stomach.
It wasn't the first time he'd seen her in the news. She was an active Pro-Hero— a good Pro-Hero. Of course, she'd be in the news or the odd video here and there.
But not like this. No one should ever have to go through this.
The video in question had just been uploaded minutes ago, and depicted Uraraka and some other Hero in some kind of argument. The crowd was too loud for him to make out what they were saying, but it was clear that the guy had earned Uraraka's ire somehow. Izuku might have only known her for a short time, but he'd seen enough to know that she wasn't one to lose her temper over something minor.
He would've thought that the crowd would side with the seasoned pro. But they didn't. He would've thought that they'd give her the benefit of the doubt before resorting to such horrid accusations and insults. But they didn't. He would've liked to think that the same thing would've happened if Uraraka and the man's positions were reversed. But it wouldn't.
Izuku could now make out a few choice phrases the crowd was muttering. Phrases like, "moody" and "bitchy" and "annoying".
And that alone was enough to make him want to throw up his lunch. This wasn't right. She didn't deserve this. Uraraka had stopped trying to reply at a certain point, but he could see that it had gotten to her. He wanted to race off to her apartment right this second, but what good would that do? It wouldn't change anything, even if he did manage to make her feel a bit better.
But maybe, there was something that could change things. Maybe for once, there was something he could do.
Reading the comments gave Izuku an idea of what had occurred, but he couldn't 100% trust the onlookers' accounts. Izuku was going to find out exactly who this guy was and see what else he'd done. Because this wasn't a real Pro-Hero. This was exactly the kind of Hero he hated. The kind he knew exactly how to deal with.
No one hurts Ochako Uraraka on his watch.
In-Between III
Legs folded up to her chest, head resting on her knees, Ochako hadn't left her office chair since getting home.
To say she was feeling demotivated was putting it lightly.
After she'd managed to escape the crowd and clean up the incident, Ochako reported back to the Agency for the end of her shift and of course, word had already spread. Ochako wasn't sure why she expected to find support, the video probably wasn't all that flattering, considering it only showed the second half of their conversation. She was used to getting looks.
Looks of contempt, for getting farther than others who "deserved it more." Looks of pity, when people think of her as the diversity hire.
Ryukyu was nowhere to be seen, probably still out in the field. Steely-eyed, Ochako filled out her reports for the day and marched home. She couldn't think of anything to say.
There was nothing to say. This was nothing new.
Which is why she was startled at the knocking on her door. Who could it be at this hour?
Carefully, hesitantly, she sidled up to the door. She grabbed a large chair meant for the table she still hadn't assembled and activated her Quirk on it. She swallowed, aiming for the peephole. Her parents had called earlier to ask about what had happened. She'd been waving off the girls' messages, and they were all busy with patrol tonight, so surely it wasn't one of them. Could one of those civilians have decided to play a prank? Or worse, had that stupid sidekick tracked her to her apartment?
She didn't see anything through the warped glass. Just an empty hallway. With a glare as intimidating as she could manage, she twisted one hand around the door handle and positioned the chair in front of her with the other.
And then, she opened the door.
Shoving the chair out, she closed her eyes, ready to release it upon impact. But there was none. Confused, she poked her head out, looking away to either side. The hallway was completely empty.
Well, not completely.
Below, on her doormat, lay a thinly-wrapped square package- she saw a tag sticking out. Ochako was so transfixed by the mysterious delivery that she let go of her makeshift shield completely. It floated up until it touched the high, tiled ceiling.
The tag had her name on it. In quick, blocky ink she could make out the kanji.
She ran her fingers over the name. Ochako Uraraka.
Not Uravity. Ochako.
She could count on less than two fingers the amount of people who knew the difference.
She almost missed it, but as she flipped over the tag to start unwrapping the box, Ochako saw the handwritten note that managed to look neat and messy at the same time.
'Inside this package should be everything you need and then some. Show them who you are, Ochako.'
There was no name attached, but Ochako had a feeling she knew exactly who had left this, and after a cursory look inside, she couldn't be more grateful. She would tell Izuku exactly that, later. Right now, she had some trash to take out.
Today didn't work out so well, but perhaps tomorrow would go smoothly for Ochako Uraraka.