Chapter 10

To the Future

"The kid's doing pretty damn good, if ya ask me!"

"Hn… decent enough, I suppose. But he'll have to do a lot more for what's ahead of him."

"Hey, go easy on him. He's new to it. We all were once. Just watch, I'm sure he'll surprise all of us. For now, I'm enjoying the show. This is gonna get fun once he wakes up."

"Ugh, Nana, are you seriously already shipping them?"

Izuku wakes with a groan, head spinning as he stares up at the ceiling of UA High's infirmary. "Huh… Well, at least I'm not confused this time."

"Of course you're not." Katsuki huffs. "Pain in my ass."

"Deku!" Ochako jumps to Izuku's side. "Y-You're awake! How do you feel?"

"Um… tired still." He grumbles and slowly sits up. "Recovery Girl already used her quirk on me, didn't she?"

"You know it, walking prune." Izuku jumps and looks across the room at Toga cleaning a few tools. "Way you looked when we got to you. Whole arm bruised and steamed into a wrinkled mess."

Katsuki bursts into hysteric laughter. "Shit, how did I not come up with that one myself?!"

Izuku slumps and pouts for just a moment as Toga joins his laughter, but smirks with his response. "Because you don't have a creative bone in your body."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, DEKU!"

Ochako cringes. "Speak for yourself, you're the one making so much noise in an infirmary."

Katsuki gapes in indignation for a moment, but scoffs and grumbles under his breath.

"So…" Ochako turns back to Izuku. "Recovery Girl said you should be feeling well enough to leave when you wake. That true?"

He hums and slowly climbs out of bed, stumbling a bit once on his feet. "Ugh… still tired, and my balance is off, but-" He pauses as Toga holds out a protein bar for him.

"We have a huge stock of these in here. This brand is actually pretty great, it tastes like real chocolate, and doesn't get pasty."

"Oh, they got the real shit here?" Katsuki grins. "Pass me one, I'm starved after that test."

Ochako sighs. "Me too, that was crazy."

"Well, I mean, if Deku used Full Robo on a 0-Pointer, it must have been." He scowls as he looks over to Izuku, who's now digging into his bar. "Has to be the most destructive bullshit I've ever seen in person. If it weren't a one-and-done, I'd be pretty damn pissed."

Izuku smirks. "Won't be when I'm done. Good luck keeping up."

"Deku, I will nuke you into next week right fucking now."

"If you're gonna do that, don't do it in my office! I need to sleep here tonight." Everyone stops and stares at Toga. "... Oh, right. Yeah, I guess that's really far from normal, huh?"

"Uh…" Ochako clears her throat a bit. "No, not really… why are you staying here, exactly?"

She sighs and leans back against the counter. "My home situation wasn't exactly the best, and my quirk has some odd side effects that make me… creepy to most people. But thankfully, detective Tsukauchi managed to find me before I did anything too bad, and used his connections here to get me into a private training program and working here in return for everything I need to manage it. I'm gonna be in the support course, medical unit." She sighs and smiles as she leans back and stares at the ceiling. "Life's been pretty good lately. Especially getting to tend to all these injured cuties in here~" She winks at Izuku, who turns red instantly.

"W-Well, um.. That e-explains a lot. B-But um, w-what are you going to do about housing, though? Are you really just gonna keep sleeping h-here?"

"Oh, heavens, no!" She giggles. "Apparently, my circumstances and those of a few hero hopefuls here has the principal moving his plans to build dorms up. I'll be living in one soon after they're done, and well before the next semester starts!"

"Dorms, huh?" Katsuki hums through a mouthful of protein bar. "Yeah, I could get behind that. Anything to get away from the old hag."

"Kacchan, stop talking like that about your mom."

Ochako sighs and shakes her head. "His whole family's dysfunctional, isn't it?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Cram it, dictionary dickhead."

"Oh hey, you can be creative!"

"THAT'S IT, FIRE IN THE HOLE, MOTHERFUCKER!"

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"Well, I must say, All Might." Nezu sips his tea. "Your selection of the next Symbol of Peace is quite remarkable! His written test scores may not have been perfect, but they were exceptional! His practical application was remarkable as well, like none other I've seen in the history of this school." He hums contently. "I simply must meet this young man before the semester begins."

"W-Why, thank you, sir! Honestly, I couldn't be much prouder of the young man myself." He chuckles, hunched slightly in his seat across the room. "He's proven to have the true spirit of heroism. Not about the money, or the fame, or glory. It's all about the people to him, putting the world and it's needs ahead of himself. Selfless to a fault in some cases, but I've paid close enough attention to be certain he's not going to be unstable. Anxious and uncertain for some time yet, but stable and dependable."

"He does seem like a good choice, Toshinori." Recovery Girl sips her tea down with a sigh. "But he has a long way to go. His right arm and leg were in horrible shape when I got to him. Too much of that technique, and he may be unable to use his own quirk due to scarring." Toshinori flinches. "But, I suppose that's a large part of why he's here to begin with. He's doing quite well, all things considered. And don't think I didn't notice him using Sorahiko's quirk out there! To get that man's respect and the right to use his quirk, the boy must have impressed him."

"Ah, that he did. Mirai, as well."

"He impressed that tight-ass?" Toshinori spits his tea. "Are you sure you didn't find some kid with a hypnotic quirk to force him to be impressed?"

Toshinori coughs for a moment and catches his breath. "N-Nothing of the sort! He's just proven himself resourceful and quick-witted, and we all know how Mirai respects those two traits in particular."

"Indeed." Nezu takes another sip. "His input on the matter is incredibly reassuring. I'll make note of it, and be sure to contact him soon for more of his opinion. For now though, I believe both your successor and your other student have both assuredly passed, as have those Midoriya collaborated with. This generation of heroes is proving to be quite the promising ensemble."

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Izuku yawns on his way out the door and through UA's courtyard, accompanied by Katsuki and Ochako. "Ugh… I know I should be excited about, ya know, almost certain;y passing, but… I'm dead tired."

Katsuki shrugs. "Well, thanks to your dumb ass, it'll be after seven when we get back, so I'll basically have just enough time to eat before I pass out."

Ochako snorts. "You seriously sleep that early?"

Katsuki twitches. "What about it?"

"Aaanyway…" Ochako shakes it off to avoid another outburst. "I've got a… much longer ride ahead of me, sadly." She sighs. "I don't think I'll be getting home until ten at least."

Katsuki cringes. "Wow, that sucks. Don't know anyone around here you can crash with?"

She shakes her head. "Nope… but, I'll be moving in next time! So it's not so bad."

Katsuki slowly smirks as he peeks over to Izuku. "Hey Deku, doesn't your mom still have an empty guest room waiting for someone?"

"W-What? Well…" He can't help but turn red at the implication of what exactly Katsuki's suggesting. Let alone him suddenly trying to be a wingman! He knows well enough that it's mostly to make him freak out, though. "Y-yeah, we've got one, but I doubt she wants to-"

"A-Actually, coming to stay with you tonight sounds a lot safer than taking a late-night train ride home with three transfers!" Ochako giggles nervously. "A-And I think my parents would agree, if I just spoke with them for a minute. I mean, you're training to be a hero too, right? And you were so focused on saving and protecting people, you're too selfless to do anything inappropriate, r-right?"

Izuku's turned crimson by the time she's done. "I-I'm really not all that great, b-but, um… ok, I'll give my mom a quick call and see if she'd be o-ok with it." He sighs. "Knowing her, she's gonna jump at the opportunity and double the size of our celebration dinner." He digs his phone out of his pocket.

"Oh, what's your mom making?"

Katsuki snorts. "Katsudon and homemade mochi stuffed with five different flavors." He chuckles. "I'm gonna have to stop in to pick some of them up tomorrow, her chocolate mochi is fuckin awesome."

Izuku managed to get a call through just when he was finishing speaking, and Inko rings out through speaker phone. "As much as you need to curb the language, I'll be sure to make extra of them just for you, Katsuki. So, boys, how'd the exam go? And why are you calling so late? I know you said you didn't know how long it would take, but this is longer than I expected."

Izuku sighs and taps a few buttons to start a video call, showing Inko in the kitchen with mochiko over her apron, blouse, and some of her face. Doesn't matter what you're making or what kind of flour, it's all a mess. She's quickly greeted by Katsuki and Ochako over each of Izuku's shoulder as they all cheer "We passed!" Although in Katsuki's case it was "WE FUCKIN' PASSED!" followed by a small explosion off camera.

"Oh, that's wonderful! I knew you could both do it! So, who's this new friend to your left, 'zuku?" She smirks, knowing this is going to fluster the hell out of him. "You seem pretty close, for someone I haven't heard of yet."

Izuku turns red, while Ochako can't fend off her own blush, but giggles it off. She knows exactly what Inko's doing. "O-Oh, well, we met during the exam and teamed up to rescue a ton of actors and protect a shelter. We made a pretty awesome team! But, your son kind of overdid it and had to rest in the infirmary for a while. We both stuck around with him for a bit. Oh, I'm Uraraka Ochako, by the way!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, dear! And thank you for staying with my son."

"W-Well, actually." She bites her lip and nervously plays with her hair. "You may be meeting me in person soon. I kind of have a t-three hour train ride ahead of me with three transfers, and I'm pretty sure my parents would agree it'd be safer to find somewhere to stay and go home in the morning. K-Kacchan mentioned you had a spare room available, so…"

"You're more than welcome to stay with us tonight, dear! I know how frightening a ride that long and complicated at this hour can be. As long as your parents approve and I can speak with them, then you're welcome to stay."

"Great! How about I start a video call with them now, so you can talk it out right away?"

Katsuki chuckles and mumbles to Izuku while Ochako and his mother converse. "Not even a first date, and your parents are already meeting each other."

"You're getting a Jet-propelled kick in the dick for this later."

"Just try it, Deku."

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Soon enough, Izuku steps through his front door with Ochako in tow, dropping his shoes off and sighing in relief. "Kaa-san, I'm home!"

Inko rushes around the corner with a wide grin and tear of joy in her eyes. "Just in time! Dinner should be ready in just a few minutes!" She uses a dish rag to wipe some flour off her face and hands. "And miss Uraraka, it's lovely to meet you. It's been so long since Izuku's spent any time with anyone besides Katsuki."

"Really?" Ochako's smile fades a bit, and she peeks over at Izuku in worry for just a moment. Noting his own smile had dropped, she drops that topic for now. "Well… that's everyone else's loss, then." She grins dn pockets Izuku in the ribs to snap him out of it. "Now, my parents work construction, I know this apartment layout already. I'm gonna wash up quick for dinner!" She giggles as she rushes off to the bathroom, and Izuku's left standing there stunned.

"Oh, she's definitely a keeper." Inko smirks over at her son. "It's about time you brought a friend besides Katsuki home. You must really trust this girl, huh?"

After a few moments, he nods and sighs. "Yeah. Despite all the training, I don't feel as close to Kendo or Ojiro yet. I-I guess because that's mostly focused on other things, a-and… they're both just… so sure of themselves, I really can't imagine them understanding my past, what's going on in my head. Honestly, I was f-freaking out for that whole test, I just feel calmer and more collected behind the mask, whenever I use my quirk. She was as nervous as me out there…"

Inko sighs and pulls him into a quick, gentle hug. "Good to know you've found someone to share that with. Katsuki may be great support nowadays, but I know he still doesn't really get you."

He nods into her shoulder and slowly pulls away. "R-Right… I guess I've really needed someone like her."

Meanwhile, Ochako leans against the bathroom door. She doesn't like eavesdropping, but damn, it's so easy in these mass-produced apartment complexes. The walls are too thin to silence much. Her family does far better than this.

The remainder of the night is a bit of a blur, but a welcome one. Dinner goes by slowly, but every bite is interrupted by retellings of the exam and stories about each other's family lives. The mochi for desert was wonderful, and Ochako stuffed herself with a bit too much. She didn't regret it. After a while, with Inko having brought up Izuku's collection, Ochako absolutely had to see it. Mortified but unwilling to argue, Izuku managed to show her. The collection of figures on his shelf got her attention rather quickly, upon seeing Thirteen on the same shelf as one of the grandest All Might figures. She ends up going on a long rant about how amazing Thirteen is, how inspiring she is, and Izuku can't help but listen. It's strange, hearing it from the outside this time, but he can't help but admire that passion.

Eventually though, they run out of what little adrenaline they had left from the exam and turn in for the night. Ochako finds herself perfectly comfortable sleeping under the roof of this wholesome family. As she drifts off in some clothes Inko lent her, left over from before the weight the single mother had gained in the last decade, she can't help but realize she'll have to get used to this next semester anyway. She'll be living in a dorm, far from her family, but she'll be with at least two friends- well, she thinks Katsuki could be a decent friend, despite how loud and aggressive he is. Izuku though… she can't stop thinking back to just how awesome he was at the exam, and how kind he'd been in offering her this bed, or even speaking up to calm her down in the courtyard.

Maybe she has no reason to worry about the dorms. Maybe it'll be as great as tonight, falling asleep on the other side of the wall from the young man who changed her world in just a few hours.

Little does she know, just across the wall from here, mere feet away, Izuku is thinking the same. He looks forward to a fresh start with fresh faces and a new outlook on life, knowing he's sure to have more support than he'll ever know what to do with.

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A.N.: Just a cozy downtime chapter and the beginning of a wonderful new friendship that- well, we know it's going to be a lot more than that, come on. It's a simpler one, but after the insanity of the last chapter, I needed a more relaxing one. But expect that the timeline is gonna start changing quite a bit moving forward! I won't just be copying the show here, I've got some serious plans of my own. So, keep reading, reviewing, spreading this around- and I'll be prepping for some big events both here with my fanfics and over on my youtube channel! My Metroid Dread playthough is gonna be awesome.