"Kacchan, please don't do this right now."
The Commander's request was made in the form of a sigh as he sat across from his friend at the rickety old table. The agitated blonde had his arms crossed defiantly, leaning back in his seat and wearing an all-too familiar scowl that indicated he was far from ready to drop the topic. He shrugged back, his brow raised in astonishment as if he were the only one making any sense right now. "What? It's a valid question."
Ochako was sitting between the two of them, casting embarrassed glances from one young man to the other. Of all things, why did they have to be arguing about her? This outing was meant to chase away some of their nerves before the coming war, but the tense exchange had already earned them a few curious looks from other patrons in this tavern, and if they kept at it, they were bound to cause a scene. Her voice was meek, almost mousy as she attempted to steer them away from this debate. "Uh, guys? C-can we do this later?"
She could tell that Bakugou was already drunk. The light of the torch flickering beside him lit his glassy stare with a soft amber glow. His furred cape, which rested atop a pair of broad, toned shoulders, gave him the appearance of a much larger beast, his muscular torso exposed and riddled with healed scarring of all kinds. Accidentally locking eyes with the brute, his smoldering ruby gaze honed in on Ochako as if she were a bug prime for squishing, and the fledgling mage felt compelled to shrink away under the ferocious magnitude of his glare.
Deku was one of the few who could withstand the heat of his gaze, however. Sensing Ochako's discomfort, he reflexively spoke up in her defense, something he'd grown quite used to doing ever since they were children. "No, it isn't. She has just as much of a right to be here as you do."
His voice was calm and measured, usually able to level out even the most vile of tempers, but whenever he used it on the Dragon Prince himself it only ever seemed to have the opposite effect. "Bullshit." Bakugou slammed his palms flat on the small table, disturbing the several emptied glasses scattered before him atop the rugged oak surface. His tribal necklaces danced against his bare chest as he leaned in to emphasize his point. "She's a fucking flower-picker, and a shitty one at that. We're not taking anyone who can't already hold their own. It's bad enough that we're stuck with this asshole as it is."
He pointed with his thumb beside him to Iida, who had been silently watching the dispute until now with a frothy drink in his hand. "Actually, if I may interject-"
"Shut the fuck up, Four-Eyes." Bakugou didn't even glance his way when he shut the lieutenant down. Iida only adjusted his glasses with a scowl, deciding to let his commander deal with this after all as he silently took another swig of his ale.
"Face it, Deku. She's too round and too fragile- like a shitty egg. All she's going to do is slow us down."
"Ochako is not an egg-"
"Hey!"
This made the two bickering leaders pause. They fell into a hush. To everyone's surprise, Ochako was the one who had spoken up, gripping her own half-empty glass with white knuckles, absolutely quivering with outrage.
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here." The drinking had gotten to her on some level as well, and Bakugou's words were like a lit match to her kerosene. A flower-picker? A 'shitty egg'? Is that all he thought of her? Did Ochako not have the same right to fight for the liberation of her kingdom as they planned to? Tears of indignance and frustration stung at the corners of her eyes as both boys waited for her to say her piece, but the expectant way their gazes bore into her had the last of her confidence fizzling out. The lion had become a lamb once more. "I-I… I'm not… an egg…"
She felt Deku's hand rest on her shoulder. His lips were pursed together as she turned to face him. It sounded like he was about to say "we know you aren't," but Bakugou had smelled the blood in the water and swiftly dove in for the kill. "You're right," he shot back coldly. His gaze raked over her in a way that made Ochako feel more insignificant than she had ever felt before. "You're not even an egg. An egg would still be useful to us."
She recoiled. Humiliation stung in her cheeks and turned her face bright red. Ochako felt her lip begin to quiver next, and before she realized what was happening she was quickly moving toward the door. She wanted to be out of there before her tears could make their descent, but she could already feel the cold of the night air freezing against her wet cheeks. Ochako distinctly heard Deku call out after her as she ran out into the night, but she didn't dare stop or look back. She needed some air, some distance, and to get as far away from that blonde jerk as she could.
—
Deku had given Ochako some time to cool off before he came looking for her later that night. He found her back at their campsite in the woods, sitting cross-legged in front of a dying fire while stoking the flames in an attempt to renew some of its heat. It didn't seem to be working, however. The wood was so charred and weak by now that her efforts did little to augment the flames. The campsite was otherwise abandoned, with the last of the knights having retreated to their respective tents for the night. Ochako wouldn't look his way when she heard Deku's voice ring out somewhere behind her, sounding tired and repentant. "Hey there."
"Hey," she croaked back. Her throat still felt raw from crying.
Ochako didn't really want to see Deku right now. She was still far too embarrassed at what had just unfolded in the tavern to face him. Her nose and eyes were flushed red, her cheeks stained with tears, and now she couldn't get her nose to stop running. She looked absolutely pitiful in a way that probably proved everything Bakugou had just said about her to be right.
Nonetheless, the green-haired boy strode up to the fire, dusting off a spot on the ground before settling down at her side. He let a comfortable silence settle around them for a few moments, the only audible sound between the two being the soft crackling of flames burning weakly at their feet. In her periphery, Ochako could see the boy turn to face her, his brows pulled together in a frown. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.
Ochako's gaze fell to her fidgeting hands as she nodded, a familiar warmth blooming behind her rosy cheeks. Deku had this funny way of making her feel like she was the only person in the world when he was trying to help her solve a problem. It always had her heart doing cartwheels in her chest. "Y-yeah. I'm okay now…"
She brought her hand to her face to wipe away the tears that had only half-dried on her cheeks, not at all surprised to see Deku quickly reach into his shirt pocket and offer up his handkerchief instead. He was such a chivalrous young man, so helpful and eager to assist in any conceivable way that he could. Ochako knew that he would have done the same for anyone else in the group, but she still felt a small ripple of satisfaction knowing that he was offering it to her.
Deku had always been like that. He had a kind and compassionate heart that left rippling impressions on everyone he met, and as a result the loyalty his friends had to him was unwavering. Even Ochako had admitted to herself long ago that her own feelings for him were more than platonic.
"I'm sorry about Kacchan," he said while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I should have warned you about him. He can be a little–opinionated, sometimes."
Ochako scoffed, accepting the handkerchief and drying the remaining moisture from her face. "A little?" His last words to her still seared in her mind and she found herself hugging her knees, resting her chin against them with a pout. "He's a prick."
Surprised by her choice of words, Deku shook his head with a quiet chuckle. Ochako watched the cold steal each of his breaths away and turn them into vapor in the night air. "You're not wrong… But he does care. He's just–you know, the kind of guy who likes to march to his own beat."
Yeah, well, Ochako hoped that beat of his would march him right off a cliff. Bakugou's words, though… they hadn't been far off. Ochako wasn't anything special. She wasn't renowned or infamous like the rest of them. All her life, all she'd ever managed to do was quietly blend into the background, and as a result there wasn't anything even remotely remarkable about who she was or what she could do. Bakugou had to have picked up on that. "Listen… I-If I'm only going to hold you guys back-"
"What? No, of course you aren't!" Deku exclaimed as if that were the most ludicrous thing he'd ever heard. Ochako hated to admit how his reaction had her chest feeling a little tighter. "At the end of the day it's my choice, and I choose to have you here with me. For as long as I can remember you've always been there to help me find a way when my path wasn't clear, and I know you'd never lead me astray… I need you, Ochako. We all do."
'I need you.'
Ochako knew full well what he meant, but she couldn't help but revel in his choice of words, her blush now back with a vengeance. She didn't even want to think about how obviously red her cheeks were right now, but if he noticed it at all he didn't show it. Ochako handed the handkerchief back to Deku, willing herself to ignore the shiver that raced down her spine when his fingers brushed over hers to reclaim it.
The fire had finally burned out with a fizzle, darkening the area around them just a touch. Deku stuffed the cloth back into his pocket and was now gazing upward to appreciate the twilight above. On a clear night like this one, tiny pinpricks of light called stars could be seen glittering across the night's inky canvas in a dazzling display. Another moment of quiet had passed between the two childhood friends before Deku sighed, leaning back on the flats of his hands to better admire the scene.
"It's not just you, you know." His eyes seemed to be searching the sky for something. An answer, perhaps, that it could not give him. "Everyone's a little on edge right now. The Todoroki Empire has twice the army that we do, and even with Kacchan and his barbarians fighting alongside us we still hardly match up. I can't promise that I know what's waiting for us up north, or that we'll even make it back alive, and none of you even hesitated to step up, but… I don't know. I keep asking myself if this is the right thing to do."
Though he wasn't outright saying it, Ochako understood. He was afraid, too.
She nudged the boy with her shoulder, forcing him to look her way. "Hey. Did you think we'd ever let you do it alone?"
Hearing her words, Deku's features softened with a grateful smile. It was sweet, genuine, with traces of relief in his gaze. Maybe he would need more than just a mage on this journey. Maybe… he needed someone to help shoulder the weight of this burden he was trying to carry all on his own. Ochako glanced up at him, admiring his soft, boyish features aglow under the light of the moon.
Maybe that could be her.
Suddenly, Deku was shifting from his spot. He sat up partially so that one of his arms was resting against an upturned leg, then leaned into Ochako's space and fixed her with an appraising look. "...You know what, though?"
"W-what…?" She tried not to sound as breathless as she felt.
Deku studied her for a second, tilting his head. "I… think I do kind of see the resemblance." He was grinning playfully, tracing the shape of an egg into the open air in front of her face for comparison. "Hmm… Yep, just as I thought. That is definitely an egg-head."
Ochako laughed, delivering a soft punch to his shoulder. "Oh, shut up!"
Their snickering laughter soon died out as silence took hold of the pair once again. A few more precious moments of stargazing beside Deku had passed before he finally moved to stand, dusting himself off briefly before extending a hand to Ochako to help her to her feet. "I'm going to make sure Iida and Kacchan get back safe, but you should probably get some rest. We have a long day of traveling ahead of us tomorrow."
Ochako nodded. Yes, sleep was a good idea. Her heart has had enough abuse for one night.
"Goodnight, Ochako." He reached down to ruffle her hair until she swatted him away with a giggle.
With a small parting wave Deku was headed back in the direction he came, and Ochako watched him disappear behind the treeline while the heat in her cheeks finally began to subside. He truly was no longer the nervous, timid squire she had left behind to join the mages' coven all those years ago. In her time away, he had somehow grown into this confident, level-headed young man with what seemed like an infinite amount of composure. He's changed so much that sometimes when he spoke, Ochako hardly recognized him.
One thing that would never change, though, was his strong loyalty to his friends and the unshakable desire to do the right thing. If he was determined to see this through, then no matter what, Ochako was prepared to stand by him until the bitter end. If Bakugou didn't like that, he was just going to have to suck it up. She wasn't going anywhere.
"Goodnight, Deku."
