AN: First time writing for BNHA. I have a huge love for cute, fluffy pairings like IzuOcha, femmes being badass, and cool action stories in general, so that combination led to the birth of this idea. A few important notes about this story, before you dive in:
- The primary pairing of this story is Izuku/Ochako. The secondary pairing is Bakugou / Insulting Everyone. Although this story is to be an action story, I do intend to focus heavily on IzuOcha, so consider yourself warned. I also tend to be bad at creating chemistry with other characters and doing jack shit about it. Sorry.
- There will be lots of awkward blushing, fluff, and if I can make it work out, lots of cool badassery.
- Ochako's Quirk is different than in canon. I'm sorry if this bothers purists.
- Chapters on average will be much longer than the prologue/intro.
- I am in the process of grieving someone's death, and I don't have a beta. Any mistakes and rough sentences are entirely my fault; call 'em out and I'll fix 'em.
- I thrive on comments/feedback. I seek dopamine, so sue me.
Prologue
He was born Quirkless. His mother cried in relief, not because she hated those with Quirks, but because she did not want a child of hers to ever go through life being hated for existing.
He would be able to enter and exit stores as he pleased. He would not need to be registered to a database. No threats of harm or imprisonment for accidentally using his Quirk. No bullying or judgment cast his way because of an unusual Quirk appearance.
Simply. Normal.
It was ironic, really. Midoriya Izuku may have been Quirkless, but he still went to Quirk Equality protests as soon as he was old enough. He volunteered at shelters, paying extra care to those with obvious Quirks they could not hide. He helped strangers, even if they had been locally branded as a Quirk holder.
Never at any point in his life did he think anyone deserved to be treated like a monster for simply existing.
By the time he was in his teenage years, many local Quirk users called him a hero. The Quirkless boy who fought just as hard for their rights and safety stood out amongst the crowd of Quirkless people who turned a blind eye to the injustices.
He had a heart of gold, they said. And it was true. His stomach would twist when he heard of people being arrested because they could not control their Quirks. He cried when the news reported the latest hate crimes against Quirk users. And his heart sank anytime someone with a Quirk committed a crime, because it reinforced all the fear and hate from the Quirkless.
Despite the fear that people might start targeting her son for his benevolence, Izuku's mother swelled with pride in knowing what kind of person he was growing up to be.
He wished he could do more than what he did. They needed a hero, a real hero to help them. Someone, or many, who could change the status quo for the better. He just simply lacked that kind of power. A Quirkless boy with a heart of gold could only do so much.
If only he knew what the future had in store for him.
XX
Toshinori Yagi pressed his lips into a thin line, worry eating away at his resolve as he stared at the young man before him. Never, ever, in his entire life, had he suspected he would be in this situation - to have someone Quirkless willingly agree to accept a Quirk. His Quirk. He thought he was the only insane man out there, but lo, and behold, there were at least two.
Taking in a slow, controlled breath, he spoke. "...My boy, are you sure you want to do this?"
The boy in question, head full of unruly green hair and cheeks specked with freckles, looked up at the gaunt man before him. His big, round eyes glimmered with a light so bright, so determined , that Yagi thought it could never be extinguished.
"Yes. "
XX
Years later…
"In other news, the Plus Ultra Heroes rescued seventeen people from a burning building last night. With their intervention, there were no casualties, although three people had to be rushed to the hospital, with one in critical condition. Despite their courageous work, this morning saw another protest from anti-Quirk activists calling for the disbanding of the Heroes. The group's stance is that Quirk users should not be granted a license to perform 'acts of heroism' to 'cover up' the 'criminal acts' of other Quirk users. They also claim the government is using the Heroes as a means to subjugate the population…"
Izuku looked away from the screen as he heard the barista call his name, and he smiled, taking his coffee off the counter, murmuring his thanks. The television droned on in the background as he secured a lid on his to-go cup before walking out the door, past a sign that hung on the glass saying in bold, red letters, "No Quirks."
He did not regret the choices he made, but damn if it was an uphill battle all day, every day. The news commentary was another reminder of that.
His wrist buzzed, and he glanced at the watch before pulling out his phone to read the encrypted message that came from his superiors.
"Location confirmed. Briefing at 20:00."
Reaching up to scratch his cheek, he pondered the message before locking his phone and putting it away. He supposed that settled his evening plans, which, while he was happy to be put to use to stop criminal activities, he was kind of hoping to have a relaxing evening of sitting on his balcony reading his new comics and maybe catching a glimpse of–
His breath hitched as his eyes honed in on a familiar figure walking down the sidewalk. Her brown hair bobbed as she moved, a reusable bag of groceries on one shoulder and a sports duffel bag on the other. She seemed lost in her thoughts, looking out towards the street before she turned her attention to the man who had stopped walking, staring at her as she approached.
Her face lit up in recognition, and she beamed at Izuku, changing trajectory to walk up to him. Unable to meet her gaze, his eyes instead flickered over every other part of her as she drew closer, from her rosy red cheeks, to the comfy pink and white jacket, to how she was still a bit shorter than him, despite his oh-so-towering height of 5'7. (But it was 5'9 with the hair, and that counted, damnit!)
"Hey there, neighbor!"
"Oh! Hi, Uraraka," He replied, amazed he somehow managed to not stutter. At the same time, he was already mentally berating himself for getting so flustered in the first place. Uraraka Ochako was his neighbor . His very cute neighbor who lived in an apartment catty-corner to his unit, who danced in the kitchen when she cooked and enjoyed doing her morning stretches on her balcony.
He had to remind himself repeatedly that it was not creepy if she did all of this in plain view. Her balcony faced his, after all, and he had a clear view of her kitchen because she never bothered to pull the blinds closed on the windows.
Maybe he had started to read his comics outside more, but that was purely coincidence.
Her eyes fell to the cup in his hand and her brows lifted. "Wow, evening coffee? You're hardcore!"
He blinked, glancing down at the drink, then remembered that it was almost six in the evening. Reaching up with his free hand, he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ahaha… yeah. I guess I like the pick-me-up?"
In reality, he knew he needed the caffeine for the long night ahead, but it was not like he could say that without it leading to questions, and he was a terrible liar. How he had managed this far given half of his life was a lie was anyone's guess.
If his response sounded weak, she did not comment on it, instead shaking her head in amusement. The longer pieces of her hair swayed against her cheeks with the movement. "I mean, I see you up early every morning. You must be one of those guys who never gets punched in the gut by caffeine. I'm almost envious!"
He felt a flush sprawl across his face as he realized that she was aware of his morning habits, which meant she probably knew he was watching her stretch on her balcony. He wished he had a Quirk that let him melt into the pavement right now.
"Anyway, sorry to interrupt your evening coffee. Just wanted to say hi, oh, and that I saw you at that food drive event the other day. You really are awesome for all the volunteer work you do, you know that?"
If his blush was bad a moment ago, it was even worse now. He could feel the heat radiating off of his face as he stumbled over his words. "Th-thanks! But I mean. It's just…it feels like the r-right thing to do!" The words left him in a rush, before he took in a shuddering breath and added softly, with a little more confidence, "I like helping people. Really. Especially Quirk users, because they have it so rough. Anytime I can help it… it makes me very happy."
Her smile softened, and she shifted the bags on her shoulders, glancing away. It was hard to tell but her cheeks looked a little more pink than usual. "Yeah, I can tell. You're a cool guy, Midoriya. If I was a Quirk user, I would definitely feel safer knowing you were around."
They stood there in silence for a moment, before she glanced at her phone. "Oh, gosh, I need to go. I got called in for a late work shift, and I still need to drop my workout gear at my apartment. I'll catch you later, okay?"
"Oh, of course. Have a good evening, Uraraka!"
They waved, and she trotted off, crossing the street towards their apartment complex in the very near distance. He watched her go, taking in a few steadying breaths to calm his nerves, his hand dropping to his side like a dead weight.
'She thinks I'm cool.'
He was pretty sure he could die happy now.
XX
For the third time that night, he went over the data presented to him at the briefing as he silently bounced between rooftops, doing his best to stay within the shadows.
Their objective was simple, but the execution itself was tricky and would– "Deku, where the fuck are you?"
Izuku huffed softly at the voice in his earpiece, landing quietly on a nearby derelict building. "The rooftop northwest of the entrance. Beside the water tower."
Green eyes skimmed the darkness, before he saw a brief flash of light from the top of another building. He raised his hand, flashing a crackle of green lightning from his palm in response. "I see you, Dynamight."
"Of course you fuckin' see me," Came the annoyed response. "Icyhot, we're in position."
"That's… not my codename. It's–"
"Well, you answered, so who the fuck cares?"
As the exchange continued over comms, Izuku wondered how they could be so successful as a team when half of their communication was Bakugou Katsuki firing off insults without a filter. Maybe it was because he was used to it, having known him since they were kids, and maybe also because Todoroki was too aloof to really let anything Bakugou say get under his skin.
Or maybe that combination just enabled their teammate. Hard to say, really.
He snapped out of his thoughts to focus on the people walking below. This sector of the city was fairly rundown, which made it a prime location for illegal activity, but also a haven for Quirk users. It was an unfortunate combination, but it was not specifically why they were there tonight. No, if anything, what they did tonight would make it a little safer for all, Quirk and Quirkless alike.
Holding up his binoculars, he raked his eyes across the individuals, before one caught his eye. "Hey, I think I see our lead. Two o'clock from Dynamight's position."
There was a pause, before Bakugou's voice came through. "Got a visual. It's our guy. He just went in. Pretty safe to assume this is the place."
"Great. Let's move on to phase two."
XX
Izuku hopped down after making sure the alleyway was clear, feet touching the concrete silently. He turned, watching as someone bled out of the shadows. Bakugou took a few steps towards him and stopped, shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, a scowl on his features. He wore a cloth mask over the top half of his head, hiding his spiky blond hair and enough of his face to conceal his identity.
Izuku nodded at him, before murmuring quietly, "Kelvin?"
"I'm here," The voice responded, both in his ear piece and from his left. He turned, seeing another figure emerge from the shadows. Behind him, Bakugou muffled his laughter. "You look so fuckin' weird in that lame-ass getup. But hey, it matches your equally lame-ass code name."
Todoroki Shouto sighed softly. A black wig covered his normal two-toned hair, and the burn scar over his eye had been washed away with a clever application of makeup. He no longer looked like the Shouto everyone would recognize from the Plus Ultra Heroes. And that was the point.
Ignoring his teammate's attempts to insult the other, Izuku reached up, pulling a mask over his face, similar to Bakugou's. It effectively hid his hair and facial features from view. "All right. Let's hope the intel was right about the mask thing, or this is gonna get ugly real fast."
Bakugou grunted. "It's already ugly with that shitty wig. Let's go already."
Without waiting for a response, the blond stalked off towards their destination, with Shouto and Izuku following in tow.
XX
Ochako narrowed her eyes, surveying the small line of people ahead of her. Most looked like they were to be spectators, judging by the way they were dressed. Many were wearing accessories to hide their faces, making her feel better about her own discretion with her identity.
Idly, she wished she had not worn a cropped jacket, feeling the cold air embrace her midriff, but she knew it would be much warmer once she was inside. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she glanced down at herself, eyes taking in the pink and gray camo pants and the high-top sneakers. She kind of felt like she was in the wrong decade, but whatever. It worked.
Beside her, her partner shifted, tugging the heavy coat around her more snugly. For however chilly it felt to Ochako, she was certain Tsuyu felt it much worse. She glanced over to her companion, but the other merely shifted her head, not wanting to draw too much attention to the action.
To hide her own identity, Tsuyu wore a cloth medical mask over her lower face, and her eyes were obscured by a tinted visor. Her hair was tucked under a beanie, a few strands falling loose and framing her face. She was there solely for backup, in case things went awry, but it was still crucial that no one recognize her. Especially given it was much harder to hide she had a Quirk. Ochako appreciated her far more than she felt she could express in words.
Before she could dwell on such things any longer, it was her turn to step up to the metal door. The bouncers eyed her before one of them grunted, "Watching or fighting?"
Rocking back on her heels, she took a deep breath and steeled herself for the night to come. "Fighting."