I've Been Stuck Now So Long; We Just Got the Start Wrong (One More Last Try; Imma Get the Ending Right)

"Testing, testing, I'm just suggesting: you and I might not be the best thing. Exit, exit, somehow I guessed it right - right - but I still want you, want you. Don't mean to taunt you; if you leave now I'll come back and haunt you. You'll remember, return to sender now, now…"

('Haven't Had Enough' by 'Marianas Trench')

Izuku was thinking really hard.

Specifically, he was thinking about home. He was also thinking about Ochako, but mostly in relation to home, as a general idea.

Mostly.

Really, he was focusing on two things. One was how he was supposed to get Ochako home to her parents and if he could find a witch's broomstick to perform the spell described in the literature from the library. It did say that only 'wicked' witches could create them, which meant asking the 'good' witches for help was out of the question, and Himiko didn't have the slightest clue how to start.

The other thing was whether or not he wanted to go home with her. Well, that was twisting the truth. He didn't want to go home. But he did kind of want to go with Ochako and there was an inherent tension to those thoughts that Izuku wasn't sure how to resolve-

"I cannot understand a word you are muttering," Katsuki said flatly, and Izuku jumped a bit. Izuku turned to Katsuki with an awkward smile and scratched the back of his head.

They were at the back of the group, trailing along. A fair bit ahead, Himiko walked between Ochako and Tsuyu, and Izuku noted that Himiko and Tsuyu were holding hands and gently swinging their hands forwards and backwards as they walked, which was nice. Ochako was currently rather red in the face and Himiko and Tsuyu were both giving her funny looks, though Izuku didn't understand that part.

Farther along, Eijiro chatted with Shouto as they led the group. They were discussing the merits of their respective body forms when it came to fighting, in the wake of what happened with Himiko. Izuku had walked with them for a while and listened intently, but eventually got lost in his own thoughts and trailed back to the back of the group.

"I still cannot understand a goddamn word you are muttering, please," Katsuki said, and Izuku frowned as he dropped his right hand from his chin. He didn't even realize he'd done that; it was a habitual thing, so Izuku cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Sorry, I'm just thinking a lot right now," Izuku said quietly. He turned back to Katsuki to find the boy-lion with a very intense expression on his face.

"I want you to answer a question," Katsuki said. His statement was not a request, so Izuku shrugged and nodded. "You keep talking about 'Ochako going home' this and 'how we're gonna send Ochako home' that, but you never talk about you going home." Katsuki brought up an index finger to point at Izuku. "You're not just gonna send her home on her own, are you?"

Izuku swallowed nervously and turned back to look at Himiko, Ochako, and Tsuyu.

"I had sort of assumed Himiko was going to go home with Ochako but… she seems happy as the Wicked Witch of the West now that she's mostly in control of the magic." Izuku turned back to Katsuki with a frown. "I don't think Ochako really needs me to go with her, though, and I don't have much of anything to go home to."

Katsuki looked at Izuku with utter disbelief for several moments, slowly dropping his index finger. Izuku watched what looked like recognition cross Katsuki's face, followed promptly by a scowl.

"You like her, don't you?" Katsuki said flatly. He gestured with his face and chin towards the girls, and Izuku assumed he meant Ochako specifically.

"I, uh, well… Maybe…" Izuku mumbled, turning a bit pink as he did so. Katsuki scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Better say something while she's still here, dipshit. What're you gonna do when she's gone?"

"I'm not going to do anything," Izuku admitted frankly. "You said it yourself the other day, I'm not good enough for her, and it's true."

Katsuki slowly blinked at Izuku as they walked. He looked away briefly to step over a thick root that was on the path before turning back to Izuku with another growing scowl.

"Look, I was joking. And I acknowledge that I am an asshole, that's how I deal with things." Katsuki narrowed his eyes a bit. "But you shouldn't just let people say whatever to you and act like you deserve it, what the fuck is that shit?"

"It's what's normal to me," Izuku responded calmly.

"Yeah, well, Ochako's gonna go home and you're gonna spend the rest of your life thinking about what you should've said to her. Is that what you want?" Katsuki said, and Izuku couldn't help but slowly raise his eyebrow as he looked at Katsuki.

"Is that how you feel about Eijiro?" Izuku blurted out reflexively, before immediately clamping a hand over his mouth in horror. Katsuki went white as a sheet under his fur. He quickly recovered, though, and surprised Izuku by looking very pensive rather than angry.

"Maybe. But he's still here. Ochako might not be. So whatcha gonna do, keep feeling sorry for yourself or man up and go talk to her?"

"What, like now?" Izuku said disbelievingly. Now it was his turn to step over a big root. He was in his suit again, which was kind of a mistake. At least it was clean, thanks to his magic, but he'd worn it because Ochako had idly mentioned it looked nice, not because it was practical. Izuku really was a dork.

"No, not like now, when we get back idiot. But you better do it, or else."

"Or else what?" Izuku asked cautiously as Katsuki stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Or else I'm gonna lock you two in a closet until you talk about it," Katsuki said gruffly. Izuku sputtered indignantly, but Katsuki just grinned maniacally and ran ahead to catch back up with Eijiro and Shouto. That left Izuku alone to take up the rear, and after he regained his composure, he went back to thinking hard.

He didn't really want to leave Oz. He felt… like he belonged there. Maybe not as the Wizard of Oz, but just in the general sense. Himiko definitely looked like she belonged there, but maybe not so much Ochako.

Izuku wasn't so sure about that. Ochako had confessed that she liked Oz much more than Kansas, on balance, but unlike Izuku, she had family to go home to, and unlike Himiko, she mostly kind of fit in back home as well. Izuku missed his mom but he had made peace with the idea he might not see her again a long time ago, when he left to pursue traveling show business. Himiko had mentioned that she missed her parents but she liked fitting in too much to ever consider leaving. Izuku could respect that and maybe, he considered, that was part of growing up.

Maybe leaving home was part of growing up. But he couldn't force that kind of decision on Ochako, and suddenly, Izuku was struck by an errant, though powerful, thought:

Would I be willing to go home for Ochako?

He wasn't sure what the answer was. Instinctively, he figured the answer should be no. He didn't know Ochako that well yet, despite how much time they'd spent together recently, and he had no idea how she felt about him or if a relationship between them would work out. Her feeling ('aura,' perhaps, was a good word for it) was strange and hard to read for him. He would call it conflicted, but also distant, as if she wasn't wholly in Oz compared to the rest of their friends, and that was an unusual thought all on its own.

Izuku kept on thinking - and, unknowingly, muttering - until Himiko turned and called for him to keep up.

Then he ran right into a tree.

The trip back to the Emerald City was less arduous than the trip to Himiko's giant spooky castle.

That was mostly because Ochako and Katsuki came up with the idea of having Shouto use his metal fingers to dig symbols into specific trees so they could follow the path home. Still, it took them more than a week of messing around and walking through the forest and Ochako was…

Very tired.

At the very least, Izuku and Himiko figured out how to use their magic to create food, and that was cool. The food they created was delicious, too, and Himiko discovered that, since she became a witch, she didn't have to eat food anymore. She didn't get hungry at any rate, although she did determine she could eat if she wanted to and it would go through just fine.

Unfortunately, that meant that Ochako and Izuku ended up eating on their own most nights, since everyone else went off and did their own thing and hung out while they did so. And that was fine - really it was. Ochako really liked spending time with Izuku while they would sit next to the fire and chat and brainstorm about getting home and share the food that Izuku and Himiko came up with.

Izuku, it turned out, was really good at cooking, and that translated well to creating food with magic. Himiko was more of an average cook, though her magic was strong and the food still came out well. Ochako had managed to make food a grand total of once, and what she produced didn't really turn out very tasty. She was a little bit bitter about that, especially since she was actually a good cook at home.

No, the problem with spending a bunch of time with Izuku was that Tsuyu and Himiko teased Ochako mercilessly when they were alone as a trio about liking Izuku, which in turn made spending time with him awkward for her. Ochako was comfortable, by this point, admitting that she did like Izuku to the girls, but things were… complicated.

Izuku admitted to her the previous night - their last night on the road before returning to the Emerald City - that he didn't think he really wanted to go home at all.

Ochako had almost wanted to cry but she was able to preserve her dignity. She had really wanted to believe that he would come back with her and… well, she wasn't sure what. Live with her? That was preposterous, though she suspected her parents might accept him. Izuku was kind and would work hard, and they could always use more help on the farm.

She just… wanted to believe that she wouldn't have to say goodbye to go back home to her parents.

The worst part was that she didn't even want to go back to Kansas - not really, anyway. She just wanted to go home to her parents. Ochako also recognized that Izuku had ties to Oz now, between how he had been accepted as a friend by Eijiro, Katsuki, and Shouto, as well as Eri, too. Izuku had reasons to stay that were stronger than hers and so did Himiko, for that matter.

For as much as Himiko teased Ochako, Ochako was not blind to how Himiko kept casting shy glances and sharing intimate moments with Tsuyu, either. Himiko admitted that she didn't know what she had with Tsuyu - they were bound by actual magic as much as they were a personal relationship - but she said that whatever it was… she didn't want to let go.

As they approached the gates to the Emerald City, Ochako realized that she didn't know what to do at all. She felt like no matter what direction she went, she'd be heartbroken. She wanted to believe she could have some kind of future with her friends - and not just Izuku, though he was at the forefront of her mind - but she also wanted to be there for her parents. They needed her, too. And even though her parents had always asked her to live for herself, Ochako couldn't imagine a life without them.

She couldn't imagine letting go.

Izuku stepped into the main building of the Emerald City feeling pretty good and focused.

He was allowed to lead the group, as his friends fell in line with him. Ochako was on his left, then Himiko and Tsuyu were behind them, then Eijiro, Katsuki, and Shouto were at the rear. Ochako looked… nervous, and Izuku frowned as he looked at her from the corner of his eye. She hadn't said much since he admitted to her his doubts about going home and he felt bad about it. But he was sure he would have felt worse if he wasn't honest with her.

"Welcome back, Izuku!" Izuku stopped and blinked in confusion. Slowly, recognition began to come over him as he observed the man speaking to him.

He had long blue hair done up with a variety of braids and ribbons and flowers and he was wearing quite a bit of makeup. He also wore plate armor and it had been painted light pink as a base and a variety of other bright pastel colors over top of that. Izuku made out what looked like an image of himself, a little girl, and what he assumed was Ochako - they were stick figures and one was green, one was black, and one was brown - and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, Tenya. How did babysitting work out for you?" Izuku asked, and Tenya promptly stood stock straight and gave a flawless military salute.

"It went very well! Inasa and I took shifts and allowed Eri to decorate us and your Wizard rooms as she saw fit. Her toys are organized and put away and she ate three meals and went to bed on time every single day while you were gone, sir!" He replied, and Izuku chuckled, amused and glad.

"Did you want me to fix your outfit, Tenya?" Izuku asked. Tenya leaned forward a bit to whisper.

"Could you just fix my hair? I was going to keep this set of armor as it is, so Eri can remember it later!"

"That's very kind of you! And sure, let me just…" Izuku stuck his tongue out a bit and concentrated as he reached forward to gently poke Tenya right in the nose. Ochako giggled as she watched and she tilted forward a bit and her bangs jumped up and down with the motion. Green, crackling lightning sparked across Izuku's arm, then Tenya's hair was short again and the make up was gone, while his armor was still a pretty little art project.

"Wonderful! Thank you, sir!" Tenya exclaimed. Then he slowly leaned over to look behind Izuku, and Izuku turned to find Himiko looking slightly awkward as she clutched her bike-turned-broomstick. "Er, sir, is that the Wicked Witch of the West?"

"It sure is, Tenya. We found a solution that did not require murder," Izuku said with a smile. Tenya straightened and looked slightly perplexed, then he shrugged.

"You are the Wizard of Oz. I will trust your judgement. What will happen now?"

"Well, I'm going to go and clean up after Eri, then help my friends here with some stuff. And then I am going to announce myself as the Wizard of Oz to the Emerald City and we're going to be changing some things around here for the better!" Izuku said with genuine cheer, and Tenya smiled and nodded. Then he gave another salute and walked off to change into more appropriate attire once more. Izuku and Ochako smiled and waved after him, then the two exchanged a glance before Izuku squared his shoulders and walked into the Wizard's chamber.

It took them about half an hour to help Inasa clean up, say their hellos to Eri - who was immensely excited - and organize some things before the chamber was relatively speaking 'normal' again. Eri had decorated the edge of the stage with little crayon drawings on paper and she used magic to turn all the curtains that made up the walls a mixture of all the colors of the rainbow. Izuku couldn't help but smile at the sight; the room was much less green than it had been and he liked it.

Once they got everything situated, Izuku walked up to where the stage was and calmly regarded it. He thought about how the projection machine could make Toshinori appear like he'd never left and… how Izuku was going to miss that. But it was time for him to be a real Wizard in his own right, and he hoped that Toshinori was proud of him.

Eri stood at his side, holding his hand and also looking at the stage. She turned to Izuku and he looked down at her to smile brightly. She smiled back, just as brightly, and it was perfect.

"I had fun with Tenya and Inasa, Izuku. I hope they have more time to play later."

"I'll make sure to ask them," Izuku replied. Then he slowly turned and Eri briefly let go of his hand to accommodate that, before recapturing it with her other hand as they faced their friends.

Himiko and Tsuyu had gone off on their own to explore the city and Tenya and Inasa relayed to the Gale Force that the pair of girls were honored guests. Izuku also promoted Tenya and Inasa to captain, and they became the new leaders of the Emerald City's guard. The previous captain had been a rather unkind, severe man named Rikiya who did not think much of those were at the bottom rungs of Oz society, and Izuku did not see any need for his services anymore.

Shouto, Eijiro, and Katsuki were standing in a line, looking slightly awkward as they did. Katsuki shifted on his feet and looked very bored. Eijiro was smiling at Eri, and gave her a little wave, which she returned with a grin. Shouto was staring into space, though Izuku knew Shouto was waiting for Izuku to speak. Ochako stood off to the side, looking very intently at the scene.

Izuku turned to her with a small smile, then back to the boys.

"Ochako and I talked a bit about you guys and she told me you wanted to see the Wizard about some problems you had with yourselves. So, here we are," Izuku began. He looked down at Eri and she released his hand willingly, offering him a beaming smile as he walked over to Katsuki first. Izuku eyed Katsuki for a few moments, up and down, and Katsuki looked slightly annoyed at him.

"Katsuki, you think you need courage. But I've seen you always be brave since I've known you, and you never seem to hesitate to step up for your friends. I think your lack of courage is in sharing how you really feel about people and how much you love your friends." Izuku smiled at Katsuki, who scowled in turn. "I can empathize with that, so I hope you'll believe me when I tell you that you're already brave."

Izuku held out his hand, not entirely sure if his spell was going to work, and closed his eyes. The idea had come from one of the books and was built around 'showing others their true selves.' He felt and heard the lightning crackle, then he heard Shouto, Eijiro, and Ochako gasp. When Izuku opened his eyes, he'd had the intended effect.

Katsuki was no longer a boy-lion and instead was simply a boy with ash-blonde hair and severe red eyes. He had on a beige dress shirt now and a dark orange dress vest to go with his dark green pants, which were now nicer. He also had black dress shoes and, all in all, he looked quite dashing, if Izuku did say so himself. He hoped so anyway, since he made the clothes.

"I've been thinking a lot about this spell. It is supposed to make you see how I see you and see how you're not lacking anything. How you really are. I hope it worked out satisfactorily."

Eri made a mirror appear and handed it to Katsuki, who was increasingly befuddled as he stared into it. Izuku turned and saw that Shouto was rather confused, but Eijiro had both hands on his face as he looked absolutely awestruck. Izuku smiled, then he stepped over to Eijiro.

"Eijiro, you think you're not smart. But I think you're one of the smartest people I've ever met and more importantly, you understand people. You understand what people really need and what really makes them tick." Izuku smiled again, while Eijiro looked stunned. "I wish I understood people like you did, Eijiro. You know how to make us happy."

Then Izuku held out his hand and closed his eyes and the green lightning did its work. He opened his eyes when he heard Katsuki drop the mirror and it shattered on the ground.

"Oh no!" Eri cried, but Izuku was slightly distracted by the outcome of his spell.

Eijiro had also become a boy, rather than a scarecrow. He had blood red hair, down and long on his head, and he had gained a black dress shirt and bright red dress vest to go with his new black pants and shoes. Izuku and Eijiro both turned to Katsuki, only to find Katsuki with his jaw on the floor. Both he and Eijiro turned scarlet, and Izuku chuckled as he moved on to Shouto.

Meanwhile, Eri moved over and used magic to fix the mirror, which she then handed to a very dumbfounded Eijiro so he could inspect himself.

"Shouto, you think you don't have a heart. But you've been with all of us through thick and thin and you didn't even hesitate to go the distance for your friends. I think you've been living with your pain for a long time, and you think you don't deserve friends - not that you can't make them." Izuku reached out his hand as he continued. "But I'm proud to be your friend, and I'm glad I met you."

Izuku closed his eyes and the green lightning crackled. When he opened his eyes, even he was kind of shocked at the results.

Shouto was a boy now but he had by far the most striking appearance of the three. His hair was straight and still two-toned red and white, and his eyes were still mismatched colors. He had gained a white dress shirt and a navy blue dress vest, as well as black pants and black shoes to go with it.

Izuku frowned a bit when he realized that Shouto still had the scar. Shouto, instinctively following Izuku's gaze, reached up to touch his own face experimentally.

"I'm sorry, Shouto, I… don't know if I can fix that," Izuku admitted.

"That's okay," Shouto said quickly, surprising Izuku. "I think… I've moved on. But I don't mind a reminder, too." Shouto turned to look at Eijiro and Katsuki, who had mostly recovered from the sight of how attractive they found each other. "It's good to know where I've been," Shouto elaborated, and he smiled. It was a good smile, and Izuku smiled, too.

"I think… that's probably all the magic I'm gonna do for a good while here," Izuku admitted calmly. "But I wanted to thank you guys for being my friends, and Ochako's friends, too. I hope you find your new bodies satisfactory and if not, maybe I can try something different later."

"We look really fuckin' cool," Katsuki blurted out, and Eijiro began to cackle along with him.

"I agree, actually," Shouto said, then all five of the older kids began to laugh.

Izuku turned as he stopped laughing and found Eri playing with Sero. He smiled at the sight, and Sero looked quite content as Eri chased him around. Sero barked happily and Izuku chuckled as he turned back to look at Ochako and ask her a question. His question died on his lips when he saw that she was also watching Eri and Sero, but she looked really sad.

"Hey, Ochako, you okay over there?" Eijiro asked, breaking the moment. Ochako was startled, then she plastered what was undoubtedly a fake smile on her face. Izuku had noted she was good at those and it made him feel terrible for her.

"I'm fine, yeah! What is the plan now, though?" Ochako asked, her tone a bit flat.

"Well… I'm going to throw a party to celebrate the fact that the Wizard of Oz isn't a secret anymore and that there won't be any more conflict with the Wicked Witches, I hope," Izuku said. "Then, Himiko and I will figure out how to send you home, Ochako."

Ochako frowned at Izuku for a moment, her fake smile slipping, but then she readopted it just as quickly.

"Right. That sounds fun. Let's go!" She pumped her fist and tried her best to be enthusiastic. Izuku felt bad but… he promised he'd help get her home, so he would do his best.

Even if it hurt.

"Okay, so I just sit like this…?" Momo said, and both Ochako and Himiko began to giggle.

They were together in a courtyard of the Emerald City and Himiko had offered to try and teach Momo and Ochako how to ride broomsticks. Tsuyu sat happily on Himiko's shoulder and, theoretically, Nana was somewhere nearby supervising. Momo had turned her umbrella into a broom, while Himiko had found a rake in a closet in one of the gardens to turn into a broom for Ochako.

Apparently, true witch broomsticks were very rare, and enchanting a broom outright to fly was very difficult and could only be done by a 'wicked' witch. Transforming another random object into a broomstick was much easier but it didn't count for spells that needed the real thing, much to Izuku's chagrin.

He was currently buried in about three different piles of books in the library, trying to work out spells, while Eri drew with crayon next to him. Or at least, he had been the last time Ochako checked on him and brought him food.

"Hey, are you gonna try, too, Ochako?" Himiko said, and Ochako jumped a bit.

"Right, yeah!" Ochako said.

She was glad at least that the girls had found pants to change into. Ochako wore some black pants and a pink shirt she found in the magical infinite closet that Izuku showed her, while Momo had made herself some black pants and a royal red shirt to wear. Himiko still wore her witch outfit; she claimed that it helped her get into 'the mindset' for flying, whatever that meant. Ochako suspected Himiko was just really enamored with dressing as a witch and, to be fair, she wore the look well.

"Ready to try again?" Himiko said enthusiastically. Momo and Ochako looked at each other with encouragement and nodded with determination at Himiko.

They practiced it for about half an hour. By the end of it, Momo was doing pretty well for herself; she could hover a few feet off the ground and she wasn't wobbly anymore. She couldn't really move, but it was still progress. Ochako, meanwhile, gave up, because her butt was very sore from falling on it repeatedly. She did not have the greatest sense of balance in the air and she wasn't a natural at it like Himiko had been. She also suspected that the same reasons that were preventing her from doing magic well were also preventing her from riding the broom well, which was… frustrating.

Ochako gave the girls a wave as they continued practicing, then walked over to a bench to sit.

Maybe she was sulking. Just a little bit.

"Hello, little Ochako." Ochako jumped a bit on the bench and turned to find Nana, looking as angelic as ever in her glittering white and yellow outfit. She had a fancy white sunhat today and Ochako noted that she had changed the color of the dress on her body to black. Ochako looked the witch up and down a few times before responding.

"New look?"

"I hear we'll be having a party soon and I wanted to look… more the part, if you will," Nana said with a smile. Ochako raised an eyebrow at that but didn't immediately reply. A few moments of calm silence passed between the two as they watched Himiko and Momo mess around with the brooms, Tsuyu still happily on Himiko's shoulder as a frog.

"Nana, do you have a familiar?" Ochako asked as she looked at Tsuyu.

"I do," Nana said matter-of-factly. Ochako turned to look at the witch and saw a golden eagle appear on her shoulder. Nana reached up and gently scratched it's head, then as she dropped her hand, it disappeared again in a poof of smoke. "Momo doesn't have one yet because she is still an apprentice. Most witches don't get to choose their successors but I wanted to try and get a head-start on things."

Ochako nodded, thinking she understood, then turned to watch the girls as they messed around with the broomsticks. A companionable silence of several moments passed before Ochako thought of another question to ask the Good Witch of the North.

"Hey Nana… Why can't you just send me home?" Ochako asked, and Nana hummed neutrally as Ochako turned to look at her again. Nana was still watching the girls' antics on the brooms, as Ochako had been.

"Are you sure you're ready to go home, little Ochako?" Nana asked in a slightly challenging tone, and Ochako wilted a bit.

"That's not fair…" Ochako said, feeling silly. That was when Nana turned to her, with a smaller smile this time. Nana gestured with her white wand to the glittering pink shoes Ochako was still wearing.

"When you know the answer to that question, come talk to me, and we'll chat about those shoes."

Ochako slowly blinked at Nana. She'd been wearing those shoes basically the entire time since she got them; they never got dirty, they were shockingly comfortable for their appearance, and they didn't weigh anything at all. Ochako only took them off to sleep. Ochako looked down at her shoes, then back at Nana, who was still smiling, though she looked a bit smug. Then Ochako blurted out the first two questions that came to mind.

"How come your voice doesn't sound funny, Nana? And how come you seem like you already know Izuku?"

Nana's smile sharpened and for a single moment, there was a flare of amethyst behind her gray eyes like lightning. Ochako felt more so than saw the way the air crackled, and she was almost startled right off the bench.

"You shouldn't judge things by their appearance alone, little Ochako. And the answer is, little Izuku was important, and I needed him… and I rather think you needed him, too."

Then Nana winked at Ochako and the effect went away. Ochako swallowed nervously, pondering that answer. She looked back at Momo and Himiko then and frowned.

"Oz would've made it so that Himiko and Momo could never have been friends. Doesn't that… Doesn't that bother you? If you're so powerful, why didn't you fix it?" Ochako asked, and in the corner of her eye Nana turned to look at Himiko and Momo as well.

"That's a funny question, little Ochako. Little Izuku is the Wizard of Oz now, isn't he? And he's going to change the way things are run around here, no?" Nana turned back to Ochako, who nodded cautiously. "Then I think I did fix it, didn't I?"

Ochako was entirely unsure of how to answer that at all, while Nana laughed. The sound was beautiful and Ochako couldn't help but giggle along. Maybe Nana was a powerful witch that Ochako didn't understand… but she seemed nice and like she looked out for Ochako and Izuku both.

Ochako was glad for that, and it made her feel… safe.

Maybe throwing a big party was a mistake.

It had been four days since they returned from the black forest and now all of the Emerald City had been set up for a giant party. The animal people and Munchkins were all invited as well as the more human-like citizens of Oz. There was some grumbling and complaining about that but Izuku may have used the Toshinori projection to scare the Mayor of Emerald City into following the new rules for fair treatment.

So now Izuku stood there, wearing his fancy clothes. He was next to Katsuki on one side and Shouto on the other side, near the table with the snacks and drinks. Out in the crowd, Eijiro was dancing up a storm; he had already danced with an enthusiastic pink girl and now he was dancing with a taller girl that had fiery reddish-orange hair tied back in a ponytail. Ochako was dancing with Tenya, looking very awkward since she had admitted to Izuku she had no idea how to formally dance, though Tenya looked rather capable.

Himiko was dancing with Momo and they looked like they were having a whole bunch of fun as witches-in-training. Tsuyu was in her frog form, sitting on Himiko's shoulders and bobbing to the music.

"We're doomed," Katsuki grumbled under his breath. Both Izuku and Shouto turned to look at him.

"I don't feel very doomed," Shouto said evenly. "I just don't know how to dance." Katsuki turned to look in disbelief at Shouto. "What, you're surprised that I never learned?"

"No, Tin Stuff, I'm surprised you're lettin' that stop you," Katsuki replied flatly.

He, Izuku, and Shouto all wore their fancy formal wear, though Izuku had shed his green jacket so that he was only wearing his black dress vest over his dress shirt. Izuku had danced with three different people so far and each time he ended up making a fool of himself or stepping on toes. He'd apologized profusely and retreated to the snack bar, where he found Katsuki and Shouto already lightly sulking in their own perceived inadequacy.

Izuku was fine with that; he just joined the club.

"You can't call me Tin Stuff anymore, I'm not made of tin," Shouto retorted. Katsuki responded by aggressively downing his punch in a single gulp before looking Shouto right in the eyes.

"Sure I can, because you're still stiff as fuck, half-and-half. Go ask the pretty witch lady to dance already, for fuck's sake."

"Which one?" Shouto demurred, and Izuku couldn't help but laugh before taking a sip of his own punch.

"The one you already knew that you've got a thing for, dipshit," Katsuki grumbled. Then he turned away and crossed his arms, pretending to be indignant.

"Are you going to ask Eijiro to dance?" Izuku whispered, and Katsuki made a sound like he had choked on his own spit.

"He's already got dance partners and besides, I don't know shit about dancing," Katsuki said, clearly not sounding very convinced by his own argument; he was also lying about that last part, Izuku realized from the time he'd spent around Katsuki, but Izuku wasn't about to press that issue.

"Do you think Eijiro does?" Izuku replied, and he gestured to where Eijiro was doing a dance that looked more like it was suited to a jazz club than the formal atmosphere of the party.

The redheaded girl was having fun though, and the pink-haired girl had returned with another girl who had green hair and pointy teeth, so now all four were dancing together. Izuku smiled, then turned to find Katsuki slightly grimacing.

"You said I was brave but I'm over here too much of a chickenshit to go ask him to dance," Katsuki grumbled under his breath.

"You took a fireball for the guy, what's the worst that could happen?" Shouto supplied from behind Izuku.

"He could say no," Katsuki replied flatly. Both Izuku and Shouto smacked their foreheads in unison. Katsuki proceeded to flip them off. Izuku didn't get to verbally reply, however, as Himiko abruptly appeared in his vision, sans Tsuyu.

"Hey, Wizard, come dance with me!" Himiko said happily, and Izuku only got off an incoherent 'bwuh' before he was dragged onto the dance floor by the Wicked Witch of the West.

Ochako was dancing with Tenya and feeling entirely mortified by it.

Not because of anything Tenya did. He was the perfect gentleman, and indeed it was refreshing to be learning something new in Oz and actually taking to it rather well. Ochako had never danced formally before, but Tenya was a natural and he was a pretty good teacher, too. No, Ochako was mortified because she felt like everyone was watching her - even though she knew that was nonsense - and because… she kind of wished she was dancing with someone else.

"Everything alright, Ochako?" Tenya asked, as the song began to transition.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, er…" Ochako trailed off, knowing it would be rude to say what was on her mind.

"Would you like to know why I asked you to dance?" Tenya asked, slightly conspiratorially. Ochako nodded and he leaned slightly forward, so that his glasses shadowed his eyes. "Eri said that you wanted to dance with the Wizard of Oz and she made me promise to make it happen."

Ochako made a small 'eep' of mortified surprise, then she smiled and chuckled nervously. Of course Eri did; the little girl was perceptive of others. She kind of had to be, with how Kai had been and how she felt like she needed to understand what other people wanted from her at all times, which made Ochako sad. But Eri was going to grow up to be a terror and Ochako could already tell. Maybe that wasn't the worst thing in the world, though.

"Well… I would like to dance with Izuku but… I don't feel like I should," Ochako admittedly quietly as Tenya helped her execute a twirl.

"And why is that?" Tenya asked, only a tiny bit of challenge in his voice.

"Because… I can't decide what I want. And I don't want to hurt him," Ochako replied. Tenya frowned, then the next song ended and he let her go.

"Well, I won't attempt to make you ask him, but I suggest you try asking!" Tenya said, his frown turning into a small smile. Ochako smiled, too, then she turned to walk towards the last place she had seen Izuku: near where the punch and snacks were.

Once she got there, she found the most hilarious thing she'd seen in weeks: namely, Momo standing awkwardly at one end of the table and Shouto at the other, trying very hard not to look at each other and pretending like their respective cups of punch were the most interesting things in the world.

"Where'd Izuku go?" Ochako asked Shouto, who jumped almost enough for his punch to slosh over the edge of his cup. Almost, but his formal wear was spared for now.

"Um, Himiko asked him to dance," Shouto said awkwardly, and Ochako sighed.

Of course she did, she's probably planning something.

"Would, uh… Did Tenya teach you how to dance?" Shouto asked, interrupting Ochako's irritation. Ochako nodded and smiled. "Could you teach me?" Shouto blurted out, and he side-eyed Momo as he did so. Momo had briefly looked away to talk to a pair of girls - one with orangish-red hair, and one with dark green hair.

"Why don't you just go ask her?" Ochako replied, and Shouto grimaced. It was funny, now that his face was different, how much easier it was to read him.

"I don't think she wants to dance with me," Shouto admitted cautiously. Ochako sighed heavily.

"Shouto, you are now the prettiest boy I have ever seen in my life, I guarantee you that Momo wants to dance with you," Ochako deadpanned. Shouto looked like he was processing her statement at about the pace of a horse with a wagon twice as heavy as it should be for it.

"Boys can be pretty?" He blurted out, and Ochako raised an eyebrow and snorted in amusement.

"Apparently so," she said, and she gestured up and down at Shouto for good measure. "C'mon, I'll teach ya if you want but then ya gotta ask her, okay?"

Shouto nodded like a dweeb, then Ochako dragged him onto the dance floor, too.

"So… Why did you want to dance with me?" Izuku asked as Himiko's golden eyes roved over the crowd. Her eyes were more cat-like now that she was a witch and they looked pretty neat. She turned back to Izuku and smiled brightly, showing off her new pointy teeth.

"Maybe the idea of the Wicked Witch of the West dancing with the Wizard of Oz in front of all these snobby people just amuses me!" Himiko said, and Izuku laughed a little bit.

"It is pretty funny. They weren't very nice but I hope… I can make things better," Izuku admitted.

"I'm sure you will! I was talking to Nana earlier and she has a lot of faith in you. Magical witch stuff, it's cool even if I don't entirely understand yet," Himiko said, and Izuku frowned in turn.

"I haven't had a chance to meet Nana yet… What's she like?" He asked as he tried to keep time with the music. Himiko hummed, deep in her chest, and her lips pursed.

"Nana is interesting. I'm sure you'll see her soon. She said she was waiting for… something, before coming to chat with you. But that's not why I actually wanted to dance with ya!" Izuku tilted his head in curiosity, inviting Himiko to continue. "I want ya to ask Ochako to dance!" Himiko said mischievously, and Izuku turned pink and looked away. "And, I wanna dance with Tsuyu, but I wanted to work my nerves out first!"

"I think Ochako is having enough fun dancing with Shouto, Himiko," Izuku said, feeling a bit glum. He gestured with his chin over to where Ochako and Shouto were laughing and dancing. Well, Ochako was laughing and dancing. Shouto looked very confused and rather stiff. He was smiling, though.

"Oh please, do you think she doesn't want to dance with you more?"

"Himiko, have you seen Shouto recently?" Izuku replied in a disbelieving tone. "I am the most boring guy I've ever met and that was before I left Kansas and came to a place with real magic."

"And yet, Ochako still likes ya," Himiko said calmly. Izuku went from pink to red at that. "C'mon, I need you to say something to her before she makes up her mind on going home. I want…" Himiko paused and looked away for a moment, staring intently at something behind Izuku. "I want her to stay, both for her, and for you. And maybe for me, too. It's so much better here than Kansas and I think she'd see that if she was open to it."

"I don't think it's right to try and force something like that on her, Himiko," Izuku replied. He noted that Himiko had gotten pretty good at the whole 'dancing' thing, and he hadn't even stepped on her toes once so far. That was pretty impressive, considering she was dancing in a long black dress and witch outfit and Izuku was clumsy as all Hell.

Himiko gestured with her chin and Izuku turned and smiled when he saw Eijiro walking towards them.

"Hey, Izuku! Wanna dance while Himiko here goes and gets her girl?" Eijiro asked, then Izuku turned back and found Himiko's jaw proverbially on the floor as Eijiro looked utterly remorseless.

"I've had the tables turned on me!" Himiko cried as the song ended around them. Himiko fake pouted at Eijiro and threw her hands into the air, then she smiled and gave him a hug. Eijiro hugged her back, then Himiko walked briskly off in the direction of the snack table, which was where Izuku assumed Tsuyu was waiting. Then Eijiro took Himiko's position in front of Izuku and looked very determined.

"Ready to learn extremely manly and energetic dances?!" Eijiro said enthusiastically, and Izuku couldn't help but smile.

"Of course!" Izuku replied. Then they began doing a preposterous, almost flapper-like dance, and Izuku was having a blast.

"Ochako, I don't think I'm very good at this…" Shouto admitted as Ochako tried to help him get the movements down. Silently, she was thankful at how much she had retained from dancing with Tenya, because Shouto might actually have been hopeless otherwise.

"You're not, but that's okay! You won't be good at it if you don't practice," Ochako replied happily. Shouto was stiff as a board but Ochako was having fun at least. She chuckled when Shouto almost slipped on his own feet, but she held him. He looked very bemused, but then he smiled, too.

"Are you going to ask Izuku to dance after this?" Shouto asked as the song changed and they slowed down a bit.

"I dunno Shouto, but if you ask again I'm going to step on your toes on purpose," Ochako replied with a perfectly straight face. Shouto stared blankly at her for a few moments, then he began to chuckle. He looked… happier, and that made Ochako happy, too.

The new song was starting, but Shouto stepped away and stretched his arms out.

"I'm gonna do it," he said with immense determination.

"Just focus on being normal, Shouto, and I promise it'll work out," Ochako said with a smile. Shouto, however, looked very sullen.

"Do you think I know how to be normal?" Shouto asked, and Ochako couldn't help but giggle.

"No, not yet I don't. But you want to dance with a witch's apprentice. Normal is a relative thing," she said observationally. Shouto squinted at her but did not retort. Instead, he gave a little wave and walked off. Ochako had half a mind to go find Izuku and just swallow her pride but before she could, her vision was filled by Katsuki.

"I'm bored and Eijiro is too cool to dance with me, please distract me," Katsuki blurted out. Ochako looked him up and down and narrowed her eyes.

"Do you need to learn how to dance…?"

"No! Well, not formal dancing anyway, I learned that shit before you came to Oz." Ochako's eyebrow slowly crept up at Katsuki as they adopted the proper dancing position. "For a while, Eijiro and I just hung out at the Emerald City. But they didn't really like us and we didn't really fit in. I learned a bunch of stuff while I was here but Eijiro just went off and did his own thing." Katsuki frowned and looked away for a moment. "I wish I was as carefree as him, damn."

Ochako followed Katsuki's gaze and found Izuku and Eijiro doing the most preposterous-looking dance she had ever seen in her life. They looked like silly chickens and everyone around them was watching in horror. But they were both smiling and laughing and looked like they didn't care at all.

"Y'know, Katsuki, I'm sure once you get over yourself and go ask Eijiro to dance, he'll show you how to be carefree," Ochako said. She turned to Katsuki as she spoke and he turned back to her and scowled.

"Fuck you, Ochako," Katsuki said simply, and Ochako snorted in amusement.

"Come on, Katsuki. You're the bravest kid I've met in a long time. Be 'manly' like Eijiro says and go ask him!" Katsuki twirled Ochako as she spoke and she had to admit, he did have the dancing part down pat.

"Says you, Miss 'I'm too afraid of the truth to go ask the damn nerd to dance,' huh?" Katsuki retorted as the song began to end.

"Fine. You said that you'd admit you like Eijiro when I admit that I like Izuku, right?" Ochako smirked as all the color drained out of Katsuki's face. "Well, I'm going to go claim Izuku now for a dance, and you're going to claim Eijiro, and if you don't, I'm going to hang you upside down from the top of the Emerald City tower until you cry."

Katsuki opened and closed his mouth a few times but all that came out was a wheeze of air. Ochako just smiled and twiddled her fingers dismissively at him. Then she spun on her glittering pink heel and started marching right over to Izuku.

"This is really fun, Eijiro!" Izuku said between laughs as they jumped around and 'danced.' Eijiro had zero care for formal dance technique or the beat of the music but that didn't matter with how much of a good time Izuku was having with him.

"Isn't it, though? All these people are all 'you gotta dance like this' or 'you can't do it like that,' but I say dance to your own tune!" Eijiro said, and he smiled brightly as he finished. Izuku noted that he still had pointy teeth and wondered idly if maybe Eijiro could do magic now. He'd have to test that another day, along with Katsuki and Shouto.

The song came to an end and Izuku stopped moving to catch his breath. He'd worked up a halfway decent sweat, so he straightened and arched his back to stretch.

"Oi, Eijiro, c'mere!" Izuku and Eijiro both stopped mid-motion and turned to find Katsuki, looking completely red in the face and like he was about to die. He reached out and snatched Eijiro's hand, and Eijiro turned scarlet in response. Then Katsuki carried Eijiro off into the crowd without another word, and Eijiro made no motion to resist or stop him.

Izuku realized he was still mid-stretch as he smiled, so he slowly dropped his hands. Then he turned to also find Ochako, who also looked red in the face and like she was about to die.

"Er… Hey, Ochako, sorry, were you hoping to dance with Eijiro?" Izuku asked sheepishly. Ochako's expression shifted for just a moment to absolute disbelief, then she fixed it into an easy-going smile.

"No, silly, I was hoping to dance with you, if you're free now?"

Izuku felt his face heat up like it was on fire but he still nodded like an idiot. Then he made a little yelp of surprise as Ochako took up the appropriate position, then they were dancing. Ochako wore her fancy sky blue dress over her white blouse and she looked absolutely lovely. Izuku noted she had makeup on, and he assumed Himiko and Tsuyu probably helped with that; Ochako had pink lipstick, specifically, and Izuku tried not to stare there.

He had his right hand on her hip and his left hand out so she could hold it and he was positive he was going to step on her toes.

"Relax, Izuku, I got some practice beforehand. Just let me lead, okay?" Ochako said kindly, and Izuku screwed his eyes shut and did exactly that.

The music got really slow all of a sudden, so Izuku opened his eyes and looked over where the band was. There, he saw them: a girl with purple hair, a boy with purple hair, and a boy with yellow hair, along with the pink girl that Izuku had seen Eijiro dancing with before. The purple haired girl caught his gaze and gave a little wave as the band got into the music. The pink girl looked remorseless and thrilled with herself, and Izuku swallowed nervously before turning away.

He scanned the room, letting himself get lost in Ochako's movements. She really was pretty good at this now, and he trusted her. He trusted her a lot, he realized.

Izuku saw that Shouto finally worked up the nerve to ask Momo to dance, and both were pink in the face even if they also were dancing flawlessly. Izuku idly wondered if Momo was using magic to accomplish that or if Shouto had simply found his rhythm. Himiko and Tsuyu were also dancing, and Izuku smiled as he watched Himiko lean forward and plant a gentle kiss on Tsuyu's lips, much to the frog-girl's surprise and delight.

"Everybody found where they wanted to be, huh?" Ochako asked quietly, and Izuku turned his gaze to her again and nodded sheepishly.

"I guess so. It's nice. I hope… I hope you're having fun tonight, Ochako?" Izuku asked cautiously. They hadn't talked one-on-one since he admitted he didn't want to go home yet and he was afraid she was upset with him.

"I'm having fun now," Ochako admitted quietly, and she smiled softly at him. Izuku breathed in sharply as she took a half step forward, then he felt like he was gonna die, too. Maybe in a good way… but still gonna die.

"I… I'm sorry I made you sad, Ochako," Izuku said. He didn't have to speak so loudly now that she was closer, as she looked very intently at the buttons on his vest.

"It's not your fault," Ochako said simply. "I… I really like you, Izuku. As more than a friend." She looked up to him again and her eyes were glassy. "I just… I don't know how to make a choice like this. I wish I didn't have to."

"I wish you didn't either, Ochako. But… I'm needed here and… I really like you, too. I would be really happy if you stayed, but you have more to go… home to."

The song continued on but Izuku wasn't really hearing it anymore. Ochako let go of his left hand and brought her hand up to his shoulder. In the meantime, Izuku let his other hand drift to her other hip, and he felt entirely foolish. He had never really attended a formal event before as someone of age; the last time he'd gone to one, he'd been about eleven, along with Toshinori and Tomura.

Izuku went a bit cross eyed when Ochako leaned up towards him slowly.

"What if… What if I regret it?" She whispered, and he felt the breath from her words on his lips.

"I would regret it… if you left. But I care about you and I want… I want you to be happy, wherever and whoever that's… with." Izuku was having trouble with keeping his thoughts straight and Ochako's eyes were huge this close. She slowly leaned around his face and kissed his cheek gently. Then she pulled away with a frown on her face.

"I know… I think that makes things harder. It wouldn't be so hard if you weren't so kind, Izuku." Izuku blinked slowly but didn't say anything immediately. He had no idea what to say to that. "Katsuki told me you don't think you're good enough for me. And… I think that's a bit preposterous, honestly," Ochako said, still frowning. "If you weren't good enough for me, my decision to stay or go would be easy."

"That's… really nice of you to say, Ochako," Izuku said sadly. She squeezed his shoulder encouragingly as the song ended.

"How about, after I go talk to the others, we go and chat about it, just the two of us? Okay?" She said, and Izuku nodded, feeling a bit bad about things and unsure of how to make them better. Ochako just smiled, then she reached up to gently brush her thumbs against his lips.

"You're very handsome, Izuku. Thank you for dancing with me," she said. Then she slowly turned and walked away, giving a little wave as she did. Izuku followed her retreating form until she was lost in the crowd, then he turned to walk towards the edge of the dance floor.

He was intent on finding a space to stand in where there weren't any people, and he saw one soon enough near a doorway. He stepped towards it and ran his fingers through his hair, sighing as he did so. He just wished he could figure out a solution for Ochako that would make her happy and not break his heart.

It felt like all the magic in the world wouldn't help him.

"Having fun, you useless lump?"

Izuku jumped and looked up, only to gasp when he found Tomura standing in the doorway. His eyes were glowing red, and crimson lightning crackled gently across his skin periodically. Tomura's gaze on Izuku was intense and his grin was maniacal and cruel. On his shoulder, there was a pitch black raven with crimson eyes, and it eyed Izuku with just as much intensity as Tomura.

"Come here, I wanna chat with you," Tomura said, gesturing to the door behind him. Izuku scowled, crossing his arms at his older stepbrother.

"I'm the Wizard of Oz, Tomura, why would I want to do what you tell me anymore?"

Tomura gave a toothy grin and it was more than a little frightening.

"Because, you'll do as you're told when you address the Wicked Witch of the East."