When I woke up, I was alone.

It wasn't my first time waking in a hospital and I was used to the overwhelming soreness and disorienting lights. I was used to the pain medication wearing off and feeling the ache of my recovering injuries or exhaustion from being healed. But this was the first time I'd ever woken up and I had nobody beside me.

I didn't move for several moments. Because when I awoke I remembered everything in clear detail of what happened and I had so many questions that I didn't know if I was prepared to hear the answer to.

Had I stopped him? Did we win?

Was everyone okay?

Was Ochako…alive?

Those questions paralyzed me until a nurse came into my room and started asking me questions, telling me she was going to call my mother to let her know I was awake. So I asked her nothing while she changed my bandages and gave me more pain medication. She told me I had severely damaged my limbs, my arms being the most worrisome. Like my hand, my arms would be scarred from the repeated damage. But that was fine.

"Do you need anything while I'm here?" The nurse asked.

I took a deep breath before answering. "Would it be okay if I went to someone else's room for a bit? I have a friend who lives here and I'd like to see them."

"Well you definitely can't walk and since both your arms are still bandaged up I can take you in a wheelchair if you'd like," she said.

I smiled, bowing my head slightly. "That would be wonderful, thank you so much."

She helped me into the chair and I told her Ochako's room number. I was grateful to be unplugged from all the monitors. I was fairly certain that my heart was beating far too fast to be healthy but each bit closer to her room the more anxious I was becoming.

When we got to her room number, my heart sank as I looked at her door. Next to the room number where it used to say Uraraka there was nothing.

"Are you sure this is the right room number, sweetie?" She asked.

My voice cracked as I spoke. "It is. Can you pull me up just a little further?"

The nurse smiled with a nervous look as she complied. Ochako's room was completely empty. No picture frames, no thrown sweater, none of the memorabilia she once had.

My hand flew to my mouth. It hurt from the movement but I couldn't do anything else. I couldn't think or breathe. I didn't know if I was crying or hyperventilating. My entire world had been flipped upside down and I couldn't make sense of anything around me.

"Izuku!"

My head snapped up in an instant, looking down the hall only to find Ochako, rolling suitcase in hand running toward me. And for a moment I wondered if I was dreaming.

She was fuller, her body filling out her t-shirt and jeans. Her skin was glowing and vibrant. Ochako looked rested for the first time in months. She looked…just like when we'd met. No, better. She looked healthy.

"Ochako!" I said once she was next to me. She leaned down to wrap her arms gently around me, likely trying to avoid hurting me but I could care less. "Are you really…okay?"

Her face leaned into the crook of my neck and I felt her smile. "I'm really okay. And so are you."

The nurse excused herself and Ochako stood and moved to my wheelchair, trailing her suitcase behind her. "This is pretty different, huh? Me being the one pushing you around now."

I nodded, laughing slightly. Still in complete disbelief of what was going on. She started me back toward my room so we could talk while she explained what all I'd missed. "I was just discharged today. Your mom called and told me you were awake so I rushed back. I'm not…cured, per say. Yet. It took Eri and the doctors a while for her to rewind me to the right time. But while you were out I had surgery to remove all the cancerous cells while they were small and more manageable. Before it spread. It should be gone but they're just going to do some extra tests to confirm it."

I nodded, not protesting when she got me back to the room and used her quirk to help float me into my bed. "You look amazing."

Her cheeks flushed and I couldn't find it within myself to be embarrassed at the moment. She looked so…alive.

"Thanks, wish I could say the same about you but you're looking pretty rough right now," she said, causing us both to laugh. "Eri really is amazing. Her quirk can save a lot of lives. She's been by to see you a bunch too."

"I'll have to thank her the next time I see her," I said before taking a deep breath. "Hey, Ochako…can you tell me what happened that day?"

Her smile morphed into a frown but she nodded and sat on my bed beside me. "As soon as you landed your final attack, Bakugou rushed me to the hospital and you passed out. Shigaraki was down and Miro showed up shortly after Bakugou was trying to call about you. He said that you were pretty out of it.

I wasn't…in good shape but Eri was waiting for me and she had already talked with my parents and they gave the okay for her to rewind me while I was unconscious too. Bakugou had a few injuries but he's fine and he's also been visiting you everyday.

As for everyone else…things are kind of weird right now. There was a lot of damage to the city from the attack so that's being rebuilt and several of the pros and some of your classmates got caught up in their own battles with the Liberation Army. But thanks to you taking down Shigaraki, the heroes were able to pull through."

I nodded, trying to take it all in even if it felt like there was so much I was missing. For now, I would take what I could.

"I'm just so happy that you're okay," I told her.

She smiled at me, reaching forward and taking my cheeks in her hands. "I am too. And that you're okay. It's still so crazy that we did it. I had kind of accepted that I wasn't going to make it and now…I just feel so free."

I placed my bandaged hands on her arms as I nodded. "You can be a hero, you can travel, you can do anything you want."

"And this time…I'm going to make my life count, not hold back for anything," she said. Her cheeks reddened as she looked down at the ground. "Speaking of not holding back…Izuku, I kind of already implied this but you need to hear it directly: I love you. I have for an embarrassingly long time but I didn't want you to feel pressured or anything just because I was sick so I didn't want to say anything. And then when I found out I was dying I—"

I leaned forward and put my forehead on hers, causing her to trail off as she looked at me. I was grinning from ear to ear as I processed her words. My lips were moving before my brain could process what I was doing.

My lips found hers, melting at the familiar warmth. Heat spread throughout my entire body as she returned my kiss with the same amount of gentle pressure. Our lips moved softly, slowly. Because now we were no longer running out of time. We fought our battles and came out on top.

Her hands moved from my cheeks to my hair, making me sigh in content. My bandaged hands came to rest at her back. This kiss was less tentative, less fumbling. We were still inexperienced but now we knew we had time to learn and perfect it. We kissed until we were both flushed and breathless.

"I already said it but not directly to you: I love you too, Ochako. For everything that you are. And I want…to be with you. While you live your life and do the things you love," I told her.

She leaned her forehead back onto mine. "I would really like that too. Besides, you already promised you'd help me catch up on hero training."

I chuckled. "Then you better get ready. As soon as I get out of the hospital we're going to start your training. I need to make a plan and a nutrition guide and…"

Her lips pressed to mine in a soft peck. "One day at a time."

Life started to feel somewhat normal again. Ochako worked hard during her training with me, surpassing all my expectations. While she still passed her online studies from last year, UA debated on whether she should be in Class 1-A instead of 2-A, ultimately deciding that she would test into it in a group exercise. Aizawa would decide for himself if she was worthy to be in our class.

Needless to say, as tough as Aizawa makes himself out to be, he has a soft spot for his students. Ochako in her current state could definitely keep up with our class. She knew what it meant to fight with everything she had.

The day of the exam, I walked in with her hand in hand.

"Don't let me fall on my face," I winked.

Kacchan scoffed as he walked past us. "If she's facing you today and may throw you on your face."

I cringed as I realized that was very likely to happen.

Ochako smirked. "Yours too if you're not careful."

"We'll see," he said as he walked off.

"Even if I don't get into your class…I'll be okay with that. I want to be a hero and I don't mind waiting a little longer for it. But I'm going to show everyone what I've got today," she said with a determined look. "Then we can get mochi, right?"

I smiled as we walked through the doors. "Of course. Let's do our best!"

The End