AN:

Thank you to the kind people from the IzuOcha discord for betaing my fic. Specifically, thank you EdouRanSan and Mal. Their help was instrumental in cleaning this fic up and I'm eternally grateful.

She sat there, her legs dangling from the edge and her auburn hair blowing softly in the gentle wind. The setting sun faintly illuminated the sky above her, and Ochako was confident that Aldera Junior High's rooftop was one of the best views in the area for such an occasion. The celestial ball of fire barely overlooked the other buildings in view, which really accentuated the otherwise normal daily occasion. She reminisced of her old school and friends, but her parents moved as it was better for their construction business evidently. She sighed deeply. Thoughts of her friend flooded her consciousness. Memories that consisted of fun and adventure flashed before her eyes as she watched the sun inevitably set. But, alas, it was not meant to be as that event transpired and soon after, she moved to a new school with her parents. It was here, though, that she eagerly awaited the stars to make themselves visible. It was her favorite pastime. She figured that if she hadn't decided to become a Pro Hero, perhaps she would've studied to become an astronomer instead. She still resolved to find a better area in regards to light pollution; though, for the time being, this was more than okay.

"She would've loved this place…" Ochako said aloud. Her mind drifted to her friend once again, and her face fell. Ochako and her were close, but unbeknownst to Ochako, she suffered extensive bullying, and eventually took her own life, jumping off of the school rooftop. She nearly gagged at the thought. Ever since her death, Ochako resolved that as part of her being a hero, she would put an end to bullying. At least, as much as she possibly could. Her fists clenched. No one should ever have to go through it, she reasoned. The tragedy of her friend shook her to her core when she heard the news. It was then she likened bullies to in reality be villains.

A gust of wind blew, and Ochako was forced to brush her hair back. The sun was only going to be visible for a couple more moments, all of which she absorbed as she thought on and on. She fondly clutched the necklace that she wore on her neck. A purple sphere with countless bright spots representing the many stars in the universe, with a silver shooting star that swirled around until it gradually settled into the middle of the stone. A final memento of a time she'd forever cherish.

As she gazed upon the setting sun, she heard a door open and slam behind her, immediately drawing her attention. She noted a green-haired boy that stood not 20 feet from her. He appeared out of breath, like he was running. Sweat, no, tears stained his face. She realized that this was one of her fellow students, though one she hadn't spoken to before. Concern took hold of her as she looked upon him more, and for some reason, she was reminded of her friend. Without realizing it, Ochako found herself standing up from her spot on the edge and slowly walking towards the frightened boy.

"Are you okay?" she asked slowly, stopping her movements about 10 feet from him.

The boy clutched his arms, hugging himself tightly as he turned his head away from her.

"I…" he started, but never finished. Pain somehow oozed out of his voice despite him hardly uttering a word.

Ochako gulped, dread filling her gut. Her instincts were screaming at her to do something, but her mind drew a blank. This boy in front of her was in a state of incredible distress; that much was obvious. She didn't want to jump to conclusions but… She had a feeling she knew exactly what he came up here this late at night to do.

"It's okay, you know…" she found herself saying. "I don't know what's wrong but… I'm sure that it's okay, that it'll work out," she pleaded. Ochako hoped her words reached him, but that remained to be seen.

The boy shook his head again, a couple stray tears being flung to the side.

"I can't… It won't… I'm sorry!" he finally half-shouted before running to the side, to the edge of the rooftop.

Ochako's eyes widened before she screamed, "No!"

She thought of her friend for a moment, and realized she was sprinting. It wasn't a huge distance to sprint by any means- some people could probably jump it in a single bound- but she went as fast as she possibly could. He was only a few feet away from the edge when Ochako tackled him, knocking him down onto the hard surface. Her heart was racing a thousand miles an hour she realized, but she had done it. He was secured. As she pinned him down, she regained her posture, sitting up as the boy underneath her wailed. Her heart ached, and she wondered what could have caused him such pain.

He struggled pathetically, his strength seemingly gone entirely. Finally, the green-haired boy went limp as the girl thought of what in the heck to say. As she scrunched her face in thought and concern, he spoke.

"Please let me go…"

Ochako's heart broke once again hearing him plead like that, but she didn't release the grip she had on him. She realized that if someone else saw them right now they may get the wrong idea since she was on top of him and holding him down. She breathed, trying to collect herself. Her situation had certainly changed drastically in the past couple of minutes. Focusing on the distraught boy, she steeled herself.

"No."

The boy had a range of emotions flash across his face, finally settling on a cross between anger and anguish, but he didn't say anything.

"It's okay… I don't know why you're doing this but…" she breathed again. "I know someone loves you; you're worth it. Someone would be very, very sad if you were gone. I lost a friend because of… this… and not a day goes by that I don't think of them. And not just me, but their family, too! Losing her destroyed me, all of us! So please!"

She saw that his gaze softened, but his crying remained just as intense as it was before.

"Whatever is wrong, I'm sure you can get through it, but if you do this, there's no take backs!" She unknowingly got louder and louder as moisture pooled in her own auburn eyes. "This is a permanent solution to a temporary problem!" She grabbed the collar of his shirt with both of her hands and she proceeded to yell at him, her emotions pouring out of control as her own tears fell onto his own shocked expression. "If you do this, you're gone forever!" She let go of his shirt and pulled away, however, she remained on top of him. She proceeded to wipe her eyes, doing her best to control her emotions and failing miserably. Seeing the stunned face of the boy under him, she closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath before opening them again.

Ochako was surprised, though she admitted that maybe she didn't know what to expect. She saw anger, and perhaps resentment.

"This isn't a temporary problem…" he said slowly, gritting his teeth together.

Confusion spread across her expression. "What's the problem then?"

He shifted uncomfortably, and she realized that this was due to their position, but she was unwilling to relent just yet.

His face scrunched up in agony yet again before he spoke. "I'm quirkless."

Oh.

Her heart went out to him at that moment. She realized that must be incredibly difficult in today's age where nearly everyone has a quirk. She opened her mouth to respond, but was immediately silenced by the green-haired boys continued rumination.

"I can't be a hero if I don't have a quirk!" he shouted in obvious emotional pain. She turned his head to the side, hiding his eyes from the girl. "K-Kacchan said that if I jump off…" Her eyes narrowed viciously. "...maybe I could get r-reborn in the next life w-with a q-q-quirk…" he stuttered badly, but she understood.

This poor, innocent boy was being bullied.

Bullied because he didn't have a quirk.

Bullied over something he had no control over.

And said bullying drove him to try and take his own life.

A deep seated rage rose within her.

In a move totally uncharacteristic of her, she screamed.

"Fuck them! Fuck bullies, and FUCK anything they have to say!" She rose up from the boy whose name she still didn't know and continued to yell angrily. "They're monsters! They're villains and they get away with murder! I hate them! I hate them so much!" She stood by the edge, with the boy getting up to a sitting position as he watched her in awe. She turned around, focusing her auburn eyes at his green. "Please! Don't let them win!" She dove back at him, stopping just in front of him as he sat down, and she proceeded to beg him on her knees. "I-I had a friend kill herself because of bullying…" she said solemnly. "It's okay… It's okay…" She wiped her eyes dry again. "I'm trying to be a hero too, y'know? Maybe we can both become heroes…" she said slowly, her emotions spiraling out of control.

Izuku sat there with an absolutely shocked expression. She was becoming more emotional than he seemed to be. He shook his head sadly though, lips trembling.

"I can't be a hero without a quirk…"

Ochako clutched her necklace close to her chest, thinking of her friend. Then she raised her head back up and stared into his eyes, not caring if she made the boy uncomfortable with her intensity. Tears flowed and spilled over, wetting the boy's shirt.

UASNS

"I think you can be a hero."

She said it with conviction, staring into his eyes. Almost like she really believed that. Like she really believed in him. Just some student he didn't know, believing that he can be a hero. Without a quirk. His eyes widened more than before and he felt so vulnerable at that moment.

"Y-y-you do?!" he asked, panicked. A feeling he had forgotten rushed within him: hope. He was so hopeful that someone believed in him. It almost seemed like a light he hadn't been able to see. Even his own mother didn't believe in him. "You really do?!" he asked again, more desperate than before.

She smiled happily, despite her tears. "Yeah, I think you can be a real hero someday." Her eyes stopped watering as much, her emotions seemingly being brought under control. He on the other hand was a different story. He started crying again, but out of joy. She closed the distance again and enveloped him in a warm hug, which he didn't contest. He trembled in her arms, but he definitely wasn't going anywhere.

"Thank you… thank you thank you thank you thank you!" he kept saying as he hugged her back. She simply smiled and let him express his intense emotions. Eventually, after a couple of moments, they separated and Ochako looked up at the stars, finally visible to the naked eye. Night was upon them and she would soon have to head home, but she looked back at him, and he shyly returned the look. She took in a calming breath before continuing.

"My name is Ochako Uraraka; what's yours?" she asked in a friendly manner, despite both of them looking like a mess.

Izuku immediately became quite shy, realizing he hadn't even introduced himself yet in the chaos of what had recently transpired. "I'm I-Izuku Midoriya," he gulped. "It's nice to meet you!" he said happily, yet also nervously. She laughed, and he wondered if he had done anything wrong.

"It's nice to meet you too, Izuku." She looked up at the stars longingly for a moment. "Hey, Izuku?" she asked while bringing her gaze back to focus on him.

"Yeah?"

"Let's become heroes!"

He gasped slightly, before smiling and eagerly nodding. He took notice of Ochako's grinning as well. He thought briefly about what had just happened. Honestly, he never imagined things would play out the way they just did. But he was okay with the result, ultimately.

"Awesome! I guess we should figure out a time to train then, huh?" she pointed out.

"Y-yeah!"

"You have a phone number?"

"O-o-oh, yeah I do," he fumbled.

"May I have it, silly?" she smiled at his awkwardness.

Izuku's face burned. The only girl that had his phone number was his mom, and now he was giving it to a girl he had just met. He reached for his phone and frowned when he saw the text message he had been about to send to his mom that was saved as a draft. A suicide note. He quickly deleted it, shaking his head. Ochako stayed silent but he feared that she may have seen it. They exchanged numbers with Ochako pulling her phone out.

"Y'know, I'm actually new here," she mentioned, putting her phone away.

Izuku looked at her curiously. It was true, surely. He hadn't actually seen her around before. He realized that she must've moved soon after her friend had… Izuku shook his head. Bad thoughts.

"S-so I was just, well… Hmm, let me start over." She took a breath before briskly asking, "Hey, so what are you doing tomorrow after school?"

"...I have nothing planned…"

"Wanna hangout or something?"

"...Sure…"

"Awesome!" she cheered. "Maybe we can go to the park and train or something!" She was bubbling with exuberance and excitement, emotions that Izuku noted he hadn't been experiencing much of lately.

Just as Izuku was about to respond, he felt a text go off in his pocket. Checking it, he saw that it was his mother asking where in the world he was at this hour and gulped. Of course, there were also the previous messages and missed calls. This would be fun to deal with, he thought.

"Hey, Ochako?"

She turned her head as she was gazing at the stars again, of which he made sure to mentally note down.

"Yes, Izuku?"

He frowned, not wanting this moment with his new friend to come to an end.

"I g-got to go home; it's getting late…" he spoke softly, the disappointment tangible in his voice.

She frowned, but nodded in understanding. "Okay, I should probably get home too…"

They both stood up and made their way down the stairs. There was a special path to the roof that remained open even when school was closed, much to Izuku's surprise. He would've figured there'd be more people there, perhaps experimenting with drugs or other such nonsense. Nevertheless, it was typically abandoned. Well, with today's exception he noted as he glanced toward the auburn-haired girl. He hadn't expected to make a new friend tonight, much less one that would stop him from committing suicide, but it all worked out it seemed. Plus, they were even going to train to be heroes! How exciting! He didn't have any friends at the moment, so he was definitely rather excited to meet Ochako in that regard.

Finally on the sidewalk by the school exit, Ochako turned to Izuku and asked, "So which way're you going?"

Izuku blushed and pointed left, eliciting a smile from the girl.

"I'm going that way too!"

Izuku smiled, happy to have a little more time with his new friend. They continued on, and as they walked they asked each other about the classes they had. Sadly, they didn't share any- probably due to her joining halfway through the year. Izuku was curious about her old school, and she spoke highly of it, but mentioned how they had left due to her family's business being better in this area. They also learned they lived only a few blocks from each other.

Izuku was becoming more and more comfortable. Once he opened up, he kept asking question after question, which Ochako seemed happy to answer. Having been a while since he was able to talk like he was, he didn't want this moment to end.

Eventually arriving at Ochako's house, they stopped.

"This is my house; it's not the best but-"

"I t-think it's quite nice, actually!" he interrupted, causing Ochako to smile awkwardly. She did mention that part of the reason for her moving here was due to her family's financial situation, but in the end, Izuku sympathized, having elaborated that it's just been him and his mom so he understands how that can be. Though he didn't get into it, the child support his mother received usually meant they had plenty to spare.

"Thank you… I'll see you tomorrow, Izuku!" she said, starting to walk backwards toward the house and waving before turning around entirely.

Izuku's heart clenched at the prospect of departure with his friend, but he resolved that he'd see her tomorrow.

"S-See you, Ochako!" he said, waving back. Suddenly, though, a thought crossed his mind and he chased her a little bit to her house, trying to get her attention.

"W-wait!" he half-shouted.

Ochako stopped and turned around, curious.

Izuku realized what he was doing and blushed madly- thinking perhaps this to be a horrible idea- but he already put himself in this situation so he may as well follow through with it.

"M-maybe we could meet up here and walk to school tomorrow?" he said impossibly quickly.

There.

He said it.

He saw the gears turning in Ochako's head, translating what Izuku told her, taking a moment, presumably due to the speed at which it was said. He worried he may have done something wrong, but his worries were dispelled when he saw her smile and reply.

"Okay! I'll be outside at 7:20! Bye!" she told him before waving and running inside.

Izuku stood there, waving back at her, a smile stretching wide across his face. He eventually, after a moment or several, turned around and walked home.

Entering his home, his mom greeted him at the door, worry and panic evident on her face. There, Izuku realized that Ochako was right, someone did love him, his dear old mother. He could've never imagined the grief she would've had to endure if he disappeared. He gulped at the thought and shook his head.

"Hi Mom, sorry I'm late…" he said slowly.

His mom fell to her knees and hugged him tightly, and he could see that she had been crying, which made Izuku realize the evidence of his own emotions had mostly disappeared, besides the top part of his shirt perhaps. Izuku stayed there, surprised, but in the end, accepted it.

"Where have you been?! You weren't answering my calls or texts! I was so worried about you! Are you okay? Are you hurt?!" she rambled, customary to her personality, as well as his own. Izuku shook his head.

"No Mom, I'm sorry…" he thought back to Ochako. "I was h-hanging out with a new friend and I accidently had my phone turned off." A half truth, similar to the ones he'd told her before regarding any bruises he may have or why he needed extra school uniforms.

She hugged him again, more tightly, before backing up slightly. "Izuku, if anything is bothering you please, please tell me!"

It was almost like she knew…

"O-okay…" he said quietly. He didn't want to bring up the immediate past, well, at least the bad parts.

"Alright… Alright… Well dinner is ready if you want some." Inko said, her voice evening out. Izuku tilted his head slightly.

"Okay! I wouldn't m-mind some food right now; I'm kind of hungry." He did indeed have an appetite, perhaps from the fact he was in a better mood, maybe.

She smiled hearing that.

They both went inside and shut the door behind them. Izuku went to his room briefly to change while Inko prepared the food. It wasn't Katsudon, but nevertheless, the scent was quite compelling.

When Izuku came to the dinner table, they got to eating. "So you made a new friend today? You meet them at school?" Inko asked, breaking the silence as they ate.

Izuku stopped for a moment as he thought about his reply.

"Yeah, her n-name is Ochako Uraraka; she's really nice."

"That sounds like a pretty name! How'd you guys meet exactly?"

Izuku thought carefully about this one, as he got the feeling that 'she selflessly stopped me from killing myself' wasn't exactly the best thing to say to his dear old mother.

"She… we met on the rooftop of the school and we were looking at the stars and just started… talking I guess?"

They proceeded to talk about what he and this Ochako girl discussed, and he kept it for the most part true. He revealed they sadly didn't have any classes together, but had plans on hanging out and such. He omitted the part about hero training, though, not wanting to worry his mom. Eventually they finished their meal and Izuku headed off for bed.

"T-thank you for the food, Mom," he said, leaving the table.

"Goodnight, Izuku!" Inko smiled, waving at him as she grabbed the dishes.

He opened the door to his bedroom, turned the lights off, and plopped on the bed. He glanced over to one of his collector's edition All Might posters. He sighed and repeated the famed mantra.

"Plus Ultra…"

He rolled over to grab his phone, and looked over various news articles, many related to heroism and such. Just as he was setting his alarms though, he got a text message from Ochako and he wasn't oblivious to the rush it gave his heart. Hitting the notification, he read the message.

'It was awesome meeting you tonight, Izuku, see you tomorrow~!'

Izuku noted that following the message was a smiley face. He smiled to himself and crafted his response. He made a couple different iterations, deleting them each time because he felt they were lacking or just weren't good enough to convey the feelings he had. Eventually, he formulated what he felt was the correct order of words.

'Thank you so much for tonight, it really meant a lot to me. I'll be at your place at 7:20. Goodnight!'

He hoped that was okay. As he was putting the phone down, he felt another vibration and checked his messages.

'Awesome! Goodnight!'

His heart swelled. She was so nice. It really made him happy.

He put the phone down at last and closed his eyes, and all he seemed to think about was her.

How would their new friendship turn out? Would they stay friends? Would they really become heroes together? Only time would tell, he thought as he fell into a restful sleep.

AN:

I'm going to shamelessly recommend the IzuOcha discord for anyone who finds themselves to be big fans of the ship, there's an incredible amount of content as well as like-minded people there: r9YqRFT is the invite code. Again, big thanks to EdouRanSan and Mal from the editors_beta_chamber.

I made this story with a couple key points in mind, of which will become clear but primarily I wondered, "What if Ochako met up with Izuku early on?" There's many more themes but, that's the primary one, I suppose.

I sure do love reviews, as well as answering any questions someone may have.

Won't you review? ;-;