4.
Ochako Uraraka was anything but simple. Her house had burned down with her mother in it when she was eight, and then an unfortunate construction accident had killed her father when she was eleven. Conveniently leaving a house that had bills to be paid.
Yeah, life kinda sucked. (Not that she didn't miss her parents. She missed them more then anything.)
But none of that mattered right now. A little girl had run out of an alley, bumping into Ochako when she least expected it. But the emotion that caused all this tension was more than evident.
The little girl was afraid.
And when that overly creepy guy had called for "Eri" from far behind, Ochako had booked it.
She might not be the smartest person ever, but she could tell when someone was in need. (She could absorb information when she needed to, though.)
So here she was. Letting Eri use some of her spare clothes while she thought about her life choices.
(Thinking wasn't helping, not much.)
After the initial, "please don't go," Eri hadn't said a word. She, admittedly, had been either unconscious or hiding, so that made sense.
Ochako glanced at the little girl cuddled on the couch. She was wearing some old Thirteen pajamas of hers, and they seemed to be keeping her warm. Good.
But she was still afraid. Almost amazed terror was one of the emotions Ochako could sense.
Maybe she was amazed she was able to get away.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Ochako placed a fresh meal on the table. Pretty golden brown bread and eggs. (And a bit of bacon. She wasn't a monster.)
Perfect.
"Eri, can you come over here please?"
Eri jerked, her mind whirling. That's right she got away. And now this nice person with brown hair was helping her. Her name was Uraraka Ochako.
Right?
Right.
Sliding off the couch, Eri slowly stepped towards the small table. Her eyes widened. There were unfamiliar, delicious smells coming from on top of the table.
Food?
Scrambling onto a chair,Eri peered forward, her eyes bright as she watched the steam coming off the bread in curious little puffs.
Ochako must've noticed her eyes, because a strange expression lit on her face, then was gone. Then, smiling, she whispered, "d'ya wanna see something?"
Wondering, Eri nodded slowly.
Ochako's hands suddenly were glowing a soft light pink, and her fingers deftly whirled around the steam.
Suddenly, beautiful pictures tinted pink formed, showing flowers and people, and various faces and then…
"I-is that m-me?" Eri asked breathlessly, watching as her own face was sketched in the air with a gesture from Ochako.
"Mhmm!" Ochako smiled at the little girl, and suddenly, Eri could see herself and Ochako in a pretty little garden with flowers. Eri was carrying a shovel (Although just barely) and Ochako held tightly onto a large watering can. There was someone else in the picture who Eri didn't recognize, who smiled at them serenely.
Then, the picture vanished.
"How'd you do that?" Eri asked, her eyes wide with delight.
Ochako stared at her fingers. She'd never done anything like that before. Normally she could only illustrate things, but she could've sworn she'd seen the steam Eri close her eyes and smile in the little garden scene. And…
She realized Eri was still looking at her expectantly. Oops.
"W-well, you see… my quirk is called zero-G, which allows me to remove the gravity of objects or people. When I use it on air, though, or something like steam or smoke, I can mold it into something I like or show things like that. It took me a bit, but my dad taught me how to draw…" she trailed off. She didn't like talking about that.
Eri was impressed. "That's cool!" Then her eyes looked downcast. "I-I wish my quirk c-could do something like that…"
Ochako was silent for a moment, then she leaned forward and hugged the little girl. They stayed like that for a while, simply enjoying each other's presence.
"I'm sure it can, sweetie."
…
Hitoshi took a bite of katsudon, chewing experimentally. So far so good, he guessed. He glanced at the nervously expectant Inko, who was watching him like he was the judge to a food competition.
"It's good," he commented, giving a thumbs up. Myrah cheered. "Go, Toshi-nii!"
(In the background, Hitoshi pretended not to notice the adrenaline drain from Izuku as he collapsed on the floor. Suffer, weeb.)
Inko released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Ah, good."
Izuku recovered from his impromptu faint, smiling sheepishly.
…
The girl knelt next to the creatures, softly stroking one's head. The strange, alien creature made a sort of purring noise, as it shook its light brown ruffle with delight.
"Shhh, Eevee, be still."
A glowing light enveloped the girl, and she disappeared.