Bite Me!

Izuku stood in shock, tears streaming down his face as he stared at his girlfriend of four years. He couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it. His heart had gone numb and his brain felt fuzzy and broken. Everything was a swirling torrent of pain and sorrow. Her face was tear-streaked too but he had no idea why. If she was crying because she didn't want this to happen then why was she doing this to him?

"'Chako, please!" Izuku cried. "What can I do, I'll do anything!"

"I'm sorry, Izuku, there is nothing you can do," Ochako said, her voice breaking. "I told you, this isn't you, it's me. I have so many problems I don't want you to have to deal with. You need to find someone who won't hold you down, someone you won't be ridiculed for being with."

"What are you talking about!?" Izuku nearly shouted, his voice rising a few octaves. "Why would ANYONE ridicule me for being with you? You are so amazing, such a fantastic, well-loved hero, there is no reason for anyone to judge us for being together!"

"It's not like that, Izuku, you don't understand-"

"Then explain it to me! I'll listen to anything you have to say, just please don't leave me!" His voice broke and Ochako had to bite her knuckles to keep from bursting.

Ochako wanted nothing more than to apologize and rush to his side, to hold him close and kiss his face until she had covered every inch of his skin. She loved him so much her heart ached, but that was why she had to let him go. He could never be with her, not with her condition.

Ochako planned to never tell anyone about her secret. Her parents obviously knew but besides them and a few kids from her old school, nobody else knew. When she was first attacked as a little girl, a large wolf biting her when she accidentally got lost in the woods, the other kids at her school heard the news and spread it everywhere. She was an outcast. People avoided her, both adults and children, and everyone was terrified of her. Even when she told people about her medicine, pills that negated her werewolf instincts, and allowed her to maintain her memory even in her wolf form, nobody wanted to be anywhere near her. She was isolated, bullied, her father even had the risk of losing his job at one point because his boss found out about her condition. When she moved across town to attend U.A., she had never been exposed to the level of kindness the other students showed her. Nobody actively avoided her, she made friends, people spoke and laughed with her rather than about her. She felt happy for the first time in a long time.

The entire time she was attending U.A. she was able to keep her secret hidden. The only two who knew about her condition were Aizawa and Principal Nedzu, both of whom never said a word, and only knew because the city required she alert them when applying for the school. She was finally treated like normal, never having to worry about being called a murderer or a cannibal. She was never harassed or beat up like she was at her old school when some of the other teenagers wanted to see if they could get a 'rise' out of her to get her in trouble. She never had to worry about hiding her strength or being forced to act submissive when she was at U.A., everyone reaching for the same goal without a clue that there was a wolf in sheep's clothing hiding amongst them. Ochako wanted to maintain that sense of security and love and trust, so she kept quiet.

In the beginning, Ochako had even considered turning Izuku down when he confessed to her in their third year at U.A. She had been shocked but overjoyed at the sight of him holding out a small bouquet of roses for her, but she didn't know what to feel or what to think. He was confessing to the human version of her, he didn't know anything about her hidden identity, what would he say when he found out? She didn't want to see the look of disgust or horror on his face when he found out. In the end, even though she spent days arguing with herself on the matter, Izuku's persistence won out and she accepted his confession.

Even after they began dating, Ochako wasn't really planning on telling Izuku. She knew it was bad to lie to him, she hated it every time she would hear his dejected sigh when she told him they couldn't hang out, but she didn't want him to see who she really was and she knew she could never live with herself if she lost control and hurt him. As time went on, she considered breaking it off, giving some excuse that it was her fault and leaving him so he could find someone normal to be with, someone who could give him all that he wanted and make him happy. She decided that was the best course of action but kept putting it off, hating herself for being so selfish but unable to break away. Izuku was always there for her, supporting her, loving her, making her feel like the most important person in the world. She made some amazing friends at U.A., but she had never felt this loved before and she was greedy for it.

Even though it made her heart wail for him, even though it made her almost physically sick to her stomach, she knew it was time. She knew she couldn't keep lying to him and it wasn't fair to make him stay with her when she wouldn't be able to offer him what he deserves. He was so handsome and kind and a very popular hero, he'd easily be able to find another woman, a normal woman without a murderous physical condition, to spend the rest of his life with. She hated it, hated the idea of some other woman claiming her man, but it was for the best.

It broke her to say the words. She had texted him earlier that day, asking him to come over to her house, knowing that if she called him she would break over the phone. He had arrived soon after, the single lily he was carrying in his hands for her not helping her shattering heart. Seeing his face fall and the tears appear made her want to jump off a cliff. She was the cause of those tears, that look of despair and utter shock on his face. She hated herself for it, but it was all for him. It was in his best interest that he leave her and never look back.

"I can't explain it to you, Izuku, I don't want to put that burden on you, please just go," Ochako said, turning away from him, unable to bear looking at his face anymore.

"Don't you think I deserve an explanation?" Izuku cried. "Please, please, Ochako! What can I do to fix this? What did I do wrong? Come on, we can get through this together, just like we always have!"

"No, Izuku, we can't."

"What's wrong, 'Chako? Please! I will do anything to save this!"

Ochako grit her teeth.

"I've fallen out of love with you."

"What…?" Izuku asked softly.

His breathless question made Ochako want to vomit. She hugged herself, her fingers digging into her skin so tightly she felt her nails draw blood, but she didn't care.

"You heard me," Ochako said, forcing her voice to remain firm. "Please, leave."

She never wanted to say those words. She never meant them. But she knew that if she didn't say them that he would never give up. He needed to believe that she didn't love him anymore, even if it crushed him so that he wouldn't try to pursue her anymore. She loved that about him even if she hated it. He loved to cuddle and be around her but he always minded her personal space. If she said she didn't love him and didn't want to see him, he would stay away.

Just as she expected, she heard him sniffle one last time, her back tingling where she knew he was staring at her, before he turned around and grabbed his jacket and car keys, shutting the door gently as he made his way out without another word. As soon as the door shut and she heard his footsteps shuffle away, Ochako broke. She collapsed on her bed, not caring that her neighbors could probably hear her as her loud sobs bounced off the walls, her body curling into a pitiful ball on the bed as she cried out for the world to hear. She knew it was too good to be true, and it was all her fault.

Izuku was a ghost of himself. He barely ate, he never slept, and he rarely left the house. It was the first time in his entire career that he didn't show up for work, something that prompted Shouto Todoroki, and Tenya Iida, two of his coworkers, to go check on him that night after work. Izuku ignored the persistent knocking, wanting nothing more than to lay in bed for the rest of his life.

"Midoriya? Come on, let us in!"

"We know you're in there."

No response.

"If you don't open the door, we will burst our way through," Iida said sternly, something that normally would've made Izuku gawk in surprise. Iida never broke the rules as much as he could, the idea of damaging someone's personal property would normally make the young pro-hero cringe in horror. But Izuku felt nothing as he stared at the wall, all of his emotions taken from him when Ochako said those fateful words.

"I've fallen out of love with you."

A loud bang made Izuku glance towards the door without getting up, his body and mind too tired to actually care about what was going on.

"Midoriya!" Iida cried, rushing to his friend's side. "Are you hurt? Are you sick?" Iida raised his hand to Izuku's head and checked his temperature.

"No, he's not sick," Todoroki said, moving to kneel in front of Izuku. "I've seen that look before, just never with him, he's heartbroken."

Iida stopped and glanced at Todoroki before following his line of sight, noting the dead look in Izuku's eyes and the dark circles on his face.

"Midoriya…? What happened?"

Izuku contemplated answering. He really just wanted to sleep, to forget about this whole nightmare and wake up with Ochako in his arms, but he knew he couldn't do that. She would never share her love or her body with him again.

Sitting up with a groan, Izuku let his legs hang over the edge of the bed and clasped his hands in his lap, his head hanging down so that his hair covered his eyes.

"O-Ocha-" Izuku stuttered, unable to even say her name without breaking. Clearing his throat, Izuku glanced at his friends, their faces scrunched with worry. "M-My girlfriend b-broke up with m-me," Izuku mumbled.

The words were slurred together and mixed with fresh tears that started to slide down his face but his friends heard him loud and clear. Todoroki and Iida looked at each other in shock. There was no way, Ochako loved Izuku, more than anything, they both knew that. What the hell happened to them?

"What do you mean!?" Iida asked.

"What did she say?" Todoroki cut in.

Izuku swallowed thickly, his throat closing slightly.

"She said she fell out of love with me."

Bullshit. Iida and Todoroki both knew it. Something else was going on here. They had no idea what it was but they were going to figure it out.

"I'm such an idiot," Izuku said softly, catching the attention of both of his friends again. "How could I have read our relationship so wrong? I know she said it was her fault and not mine, but maybe I was doing something wrong and she just didn't want to tell me? Maybe I wasn't giving her enough affection? I am really busy, we both are, maybe she wanted more time with me and I didn't notice? Or maybe I was spending too much time with her and she needed more space? Maybe she found another guy? I'm definitely not perfect so maybe she found someone who could take better care of her?" Izuku rambled, not even realizing his friends were listening to him.

Iida placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder, his eyes filled with alarm as he stared at his friend. He had seen Izuku when he was sad before, there were several missions where they had worked together and they couldn't save someone, or a villain got away and Izuku felt useless. But he had never seen a look like this on Izuku's face. Even when he was sad, Izuku at least always had a small spark in his eyes, something that told his friends and everyone else around him that he was going to keep trying, keep working harder to make up for his mistakes. That spark was gone from his eyes now, nothing but a dull, glazed look peering back at Iida and Todoroki. The two friends glanced at each other again, their gazes full of concern.

"I'm going to go call Momo really quick," Todoroki said suddenly, standing up and pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Iida, you stay here with Midoriya, alright?" The icy hot hero whispered in Iida's ear. Iida nodded and turned his attention back to his hurting friend. Todoroki gave a curt nod before leaving the room, dialing his wife.

"Hey, we're going to figure this out, alright? Everything is going to be fine," Iida said, unsure of how to comfort Izuku but fearing the dead look in his friend's eyes. He hated that look, the look that spelled out grief and utmost sadness. Izuku had given up for the first time in his life. Izuku choked up again, more tears rolling down his face.

"I'm sorry, Iida, thank you for coming to check on me, I just… I just l-love her so much," Izuku said softly, more tears washing down his cheeks.

"Don't apologize, Izuku," Iida said, reverting to Izuku's first name to try to seem more approachable. "We are always here for you, remember that. There has to be something else going on here, she loves you too."

"Loved," Izuku corrected quietly. It broke Iida's heart.

"Now don't talk that way! She still loves you, something is just going on right now, we have no idea what it is but we are going to figure it out together, okay? Don't give up just yet, Izuku, you love her like you said, don't you?"

"I don't just love her…" Izuku muttered softly.

"What? What do you mean?"

Izuku glanced up at Iida, something unreadable flashing slightly behind his eyes. Holding his gaze for a second, Izuku debated on showing him or not. Giving in for the second time during their visit, Izuku stood up and shuffled over to the dresser. Opening the top drawer and shuffling through the clothes inside, he eventually found what he was looking for. Making his way back over to the bed, Izuku sat down on the edge and opened his palm. Iida sucked in a breath when he saw the little, velvety black box in Izuku's hand.

"No way…"

"Yeah," Izuku chuckled bitterly.

"Did you already ask or were you going to-?"

"I was going to next week on our anniversary, at the little cafe where we had our first date."

"So she didn't know…?"

"No. I guess it's a damn good thing she didn't," Izuku said. Iida felt his own heart breaking as Izuku opened the box and examined the beautiful ring inside. It was simple but stunning, the metal twisting to form an infinite sign with small gemstones lining the symbol all the way around.

Izuku had had it custom made. He wanted it in the shape of an infinite symbol to represent not only their time together in matrimony, but also to symbolize her quirk and how far along they both had come since that time. It made him remember the time when she sent the baseball during their throwing exam at U.A. all the way into infinite, shocking their class and showing only an inkling of the strength and power she possessed with her quirk and hero skills.

Izuku ran his finger along the ring, letting the cool metal bite into the pads of his thumbs. He knew he should get rid of it, but he couldn't bring himself to throw it out. Every time he tried it always ended up with him placing the box gently back in his sock drawer. He also knew he had no reason to hide it anymore, she was never going to come to his house ever again, but he couldn't bear to look at it for too long before he broke down again. Feeling the familiar feeling of more tears and bile rising in his throat, Izuku quickly snapped the lid shut and stuffed it in his pocket, lacking the energy to get up to put it back in the drawer. That was when Todoroki came back.

"Alright, I just spoke with Momo," Todoroki said.

"What did you two talk about?" Iida asked.

"I told her to go to Uraraka's place," Todoroki said. Izuku's head snapped up.

"Why?" Izuku asked, his voice coming out as a croak.

"Because she needs someone to check on her as well. Momo said she noticed her gone from work today as well."

Izuku was so confused. She broke up with him. If she wasn't going to work that meant that she was either sick or just as depressed as he was. He settled on the former, she must be sick, there was no way she was just as distraught as he was, guilty maybe, but she had broken it off, she had made it very clear what she wanted from him. Izuku didn't respond to Todoroki, merely looking off into space. Iida and Todoroki locked eyes again. This was way worse than they thought.

"You know what?" Iida suddenly said, standing up and grabbing Izuku's forearm. "We are going to go see her, and you're coming with us."

"What!? No! She said she wanted me to leave her alone, I don't want to impose on her life or cling to her. She doesn't need me whining after her like a lovesick puppy. She made it clear what she wants, so I'm going to leave her be."

"Well, what she "wants" is bullshit," Iida said. "I have known both of you since high school and I can see that both of you are hurting. I have seen you two work together for ages and you guys are an amazing team. On top of that, this is not like Uraraka at all, she would never just abandon you. She's always been tactful and even though she isn't afraid to be confrontational or direct, she is never purposely hurtful, not to those she cares about anyway. You don't even have to go in or see her, you just have to ride in the car with us."

"What good will that do?" Izuku grumbled.

"Just trust me, Izuku. She loves you, and we are going to figure out exactly what is going on. Maybe she is being threatened? And she dumped you to keep you safe?"

"Don't give me false hope, Iida. I appreciate what you are trying to do but this is not the time. She told me bold-faced that she wants nothing more to do with me. As much as I still love her, and as much as I am hurt and confused and hate all of this, it is her life and if she doesn't want me in it then that is her right."

"As much as I think you are very honorable, Midoriya, and as much as I respect you for your outlook on all of this, you don't have a choice," Todoroki said, grabbing Izuku's other arm and helping Iida hoist Izuku up. The power hero groaned but had no real time to think or object as his two friends dragged him out to their cars.

Todoroki, Iida, and Izuku were more than halfway to Ochako's house when Todoroki's phone rang. Seeing it was his wife, Todoroki reached out and answered, putting it on speakerphone so everyone else could listen too.

"Hey honey, how is Och-"

"SHOUTO YOU NEED TO COME RIGHT NOW!" Momo screamed. All three men jolted as her loud voice filled the car but Todoroki's face turned white as a sheet when he heard his wife practically sobbing into the phone.

"Momo, what is it, babe!? Is everything alright? Are you hurt?" Todoroki asked, trying to keep himself calm.

"I'M FINE BUT OCHAKO- THERE IS BLOOD EVERYWHERE AND TORN CLOTHES AND CLAW MARKS ON THE WALLS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

Iida suddenly slammed his foot on the gas pedal, the horror on his face reflecting the mood of the whole car. Izuku knew he should push Ochako from his mind but Momo's panicked screaming made him completely forget about their breakup, his heart racing as he prayed over and over again in his mind for her to be okay.

Iida nearly ran over the sidewalk when he pulled up to her house, all three of them launching out of the car and sprinting up the stairs to Ochako's quaint little home. Todoroki burst through the door with his shoulder and the three men flew up the stairs to where they could hear Momo sobbing from Ochako's bedroom.

"Momo! What-!?" They stopped dead.

Just as Momo had screamed on the phone, the room was in shambles. The walls were torn through with long, vicious claw marks, the curtains had been ripped from the wall and the window glass had been shattered. Torn clothes littered the floor, blood splatters caking both them and the floor, some of it even splattered on the wall.

Todoroki immediately rushed to Momo, encasing his trembling wife in his own shaky embrace, gently hushing her and stroking her hair, his eyes never leaving the carnage on the floor. Iida stood wide-eyed in the doorway, unable to make himself move, his breathing becoming shallow the more he took in the destroyed bedroom. Izuku stood with his jaw dropped before collapsing to his knees, his hands reaching down to shakily grasp the shreds of cloth that had once made up a light pink t-shirt of Ochako's. Izuku's whole body began to shake as he brought the bloodied pieces of cloth closer to his face, hoping that maybe it would all turn out to be a dream if he just looked a little closer, a horrible gruesome nightmare, and he'd be able to wake up and anchor Ochako against him like he always did when he was scared.

But that didn't happen. The blood was still there, the claw marks mocking him from where they had been scratched into the wall, some of the scratches so deep Izuku could see bits of the wall framing, almost as if the same spot on the wall had been raked over multiple times. Gently bringing the cloth up to his chest and holding it over his heart, Izuku felt something snap. Maybe it was his dignity? His sense of heroism? His sanity? He really didn't know. All he knew was that his feelings of despair were suddenly overwhelmed as the reality of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks. His beautiful best friend and the love of his life was dead. He felt nothing but a raging cold fury build up inside him, something he had never felt before, even when facing the worst villains. Whoever had done this, had taken something personal from him, something so precious from his life, and he would make them pay in the most violent ways he could think of.

Izuku let out a howl of anguish, his angry sobs wracking his body uncontrollably. His friends said nothing as he continued to cry, his whole body shaking so much Iida could feel it through the floor. Momo sobbed quietly in her husband's arms while tears began to stream down Iida's cheeks as well.

"She was so young," Iida whispered to himself in a daze.

Even Todoroki felt his cheeks moisten as tears escaped and ran down his face, dripping onto the floor with soft tapping sounds that could barely be heard in between Izuku's pained howls.

Izuku walked aimlessly through the woods that bordered Ochako's backyard, Iida, Momo, and Todoroki following behind him in a grief enhanced daze. The police had been called as soon as the four of them were calm enough to talk into the phone without choking on more tears, but as soon as they had arrived, the four young heroes had left, not wanting to stick around while the police probed Ochako's empty house. The heroes were barely paying attention to where they were going, just mindlessly following wherever the path beneath their feet took them, the bright full moon shining down on them from in between the jagged branches of the large trees that loomed above them.

All Izuku could think about was the things he should've done as he walked. All he could think about were the things he should've said or the things he could've done to prevent her from being killed. He thought back to their argument, how he should've fought harder for her, how he should've brought her back to his place so they could talk things over, or stayed at her place on the couch. He should've fought for her, but it was too late now, she was gone and all that was left was a deep pit of suffocating grief and despair.

All four of them heard a twig snap but none of them looked up, all of them lost in depression. Momo huddled even closer to her husband, snuggling against his arm and linking her fingers with his as more tears ran down her face. Iida merely stared off into space, his glasses askew on the bridge of his nose, and his hair spiked up from the number of times he had run his hands through it. Izuku glanced back at his friends and his heart clenched at the sight of them, so lost, so dead-looking. He hated himself when he felt jealousy rear up in his chest at the sight of Momo and Shouto huddled together and forced his gaze to return to the trail as they made their way even deeper into the woods.

Izuku felt a chilly breeze nip at his skin and he shivered, wanting nothing more than to feel Ochako's warm, solid form against his, her face pressed into his neck so that her warm breath could fan out across his skin. The thought made him feel even colder and he wrapped his arms around himself, desperate to feel something other than the numbing cold.

That was when a low growl penetrated the air causing all four heroes to freeze on the spot. Izuku's eyes widened at the sound and he slowly turned to his left to face the owner of the noise, his blood running cold at the sight of two reddish-brown eyes staring back at him from the darkness. Izuku saw Todoroki carefully slide in front of Momo, his arm reaching out just slightly to block her protectively. Iida tensed but did not move, his gaze slanted to the side as he watched the strange figure from the corners of his eyes. The low growl sounded again, this time accompanied by the eyes narrowing and getting closer to them. Izuku tensed but did not move as the figure finally moved into the light of the moon, revealing a huge wolf.

The wolf had chocolatey brown fur with a few reddish highlights that accented its chest, face, and back. Its teeth were bared and its claws were flexing in the dirt, causing Izuku's eyes to dart down, noticing the blood that was caked on the creature's paws. Izuku sucked in a breath as the beast lowered itself to the ground, its sharp gaze never leaving his, a determined fire swimming in its eyes. The fur all along its back was raised threateningly, the wolf appearing twice as large.

Izuku was terrified at that moment. He definitely knew about werewolves, had learned all about them when he was a young boy in school. He knew that when they took a special medicine that they could act like normal people even in their wolf form but also knew that when they didn't take their pills, they were one of the most deadly creatures on that planet. Their bite was infectious, and that was if you even lived long enough to escape in the first place. Izuku swallowed thickly, never looking away from the wolf as it inched closer to him. He had no idea what it was doing, all four of them should've been dead already, werewolves were known for being silent, efficient killers.

The wolf tilted its head before raising a paw to rub at its ear, whimpering softly, almost as if it were in pain. The beast shook its head and started to weave back and forth in place. Izuku didn't know what to think, what was going on here? Tilting his head, Izuku tried to get a closer look until the beast lunged at him slightly, snapping its jaws in a warning. Izuku got the message and backed off, holding his hands up in surrender as the werewolf tried to sort through whatever it was going through.

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw Todoroki's fingers twitch. He sucked in a breath, just waiting for the wolf to notice. When the beast did nothing, the creature obviously too busy with whatever dilemma it was going through to pay attention, Izuku slowly released his breath and nodded so slightly it was almost invisible. In a flash, Izuku leaped out of the way and Todoroki sent a wave of ice at the beast. Despite being distracted, the wolf moved faster than any of them could've ever imagined, dodging the ice and rushing Todoroki, murder spelled out in the snarl it released.

"SHOUTO!" Momo cried out, using her quirk to create a shield in the knick of time, shoving the slab of metal into the wolf's mouth and moving in front of her husband protectively. The wolf ripped at the metal and leaped away as Todoroki aimed a shard of ice right for its face, a chunk of metal lodged in its teeth. The creature dropped the metal and snarled again, lowering into a crouch once more, its tail waving above its back menacingly.

"Everybody form a group!" Iida called out, moving closer to his friends and lowering himself into a fighting stance to match the werewolf, his own angry glare fixed on the beast in front of him. Izuku, Todoroki, and Momo copied him, forming a kill circle in front of the wolf, their fists raised and their faces set.

The wolf snarled again and launched for Iida, its tail streaming out behind it as it moved. Iida grunted as the wolf's weight hit him full-on, knocking him to the ground.

"IIDA!" Izuku yelled as he watched his friend fall. The wolf froze for a minute, its eyes wide and its jaw slack, giving Momo just enough time to grasp the beast by the scruff of the neck and haul it off of Iida with both hands and a loud yell. The wolf yelped a little and stood back up but did not charge again, this time looking at the four people in front of it with a shocked expression. Its wide brown eyes caught Izuku's attention. Those eyes, they looked like…

As soon as the emotion in its gaze appeared it was gone, back to a glare of death as it eyed the four with a snarl back on its face, its teeth gleaming pearly white in the moonlight. The wolf lowered itself to the ground again, and the four prepared to fight once more when the wolf did something very strange. It leaped into the air like it did last time, aiming to attack Izuku, only to suddenly throw itself past the power hero, hitting a tree instead. The beast groaned and let its head hang, its tongue hanging out so that strings of saliva dripped from its teeth and landed on the forest floor.

That was when Izuku noticed it. A small gleam in the moonlight, something that made Izuku gasp and freeze. Hanging from the wolf's neck was a long chain that carried a small pendant on the end. The pendant was of the planet Saturn, a small necklace he had found at a little shop several years ago. He had bought it for Ochako when they first started dating, the little keychain reminding him of her and her ability to float anything as if they were in space. He had even had it engraved with her name just for the hell of it. She had cried when he gave it to her, hugging him and thanking him over and over again. He never understood her overexcitement at what he saw as a small gesture, but now, he understood. Everything came crashing together in an overwhelming tide of understanding. He couldn't read whether or not her name was on the keychain in the dark of the night but he knew, he knew in his heart that it was the same one.

Todoroki suddenly raised his arm, ready to send another wave of ice at the beast while it was leaning against the tree it had thrown itself against, too lost within its mind to notice.

"TODOROKI NO!" Izuku cried out, leaping at his friend. The wolf whipped around and snarled at the noise, its fur rising again and its lips curling back to flash its teeth one more time.

"Midoriya? What the hell!?"

"Don't attack her! It's Ochako!"

"What?" His three friends stopped dead at Izuku's words.

"W-What!? How do you know?" Momo asked. "And if that is her, why is she attacking us?"

"I know because she is wearing a necklace I got for her when we first started dating, and I don't think she can control herself, that's why she's attacking us. She's trying to hold back though, that's why she didn't strike me!" Izuku said quickly, turning to face the large wolf who was starting to get agitated again.

"Hey, hey 'Chako, it's me, Izuku. Remember me, baby? Come on back to me, it's alright, we won't hurt you, I promise," Izuku cooed softly, slowly lowering himself onto his knees and gently holding one hand out.

Ochako snarled lowly but did not lash at him. Izuku did not move another muscle but carefully met her gaze, his eyes brightening at the sight of her chocolatey brown eyes looking back at him. Even though they didn't have her normally bright, determined expression, he knew it was her. All of his grief was washed away at the sight of her, even if she was trying to kill them, she was alive, and that's all that mattered to him.

"That's it, easy girl, it's me. I'm here for you, just don't kill us and we can help you," Izuku said, continuing to speak softly.

Another snarl but less aggressive this time.

"Yeah, I'm right here and I'm not leaving, no matter what happens, alright? Come back to me."

A loud growl.

"You're my best friend, Ochako, you have been with me through everything, given me so much love, so much care, made me feel so important and appreciated. And that was while dealing with all of this! If only I'd known, you've had to deal with this all on your own, I'm so sorry."

A softer growl.

"I know you, Ochako. If it were up to you, you'd never use your fangs against the undeserving. You are so strong but also so kind, and loyal and smart. This isn't you, but I can see the real you in there, trying to come out. Just keep pushing, Ochako, keep fighting."

An even softer growl, her tail twitching slightly.

"You'd never hurt Iida. You'd never hurt Momo or Shouto. You'd never hurt me," Izuku said, a tear slipping down his cheek. "I love you."

A whimper.

"I love you so damn much it hurts. So I'm not letting you go. Keep fighting and we can work together, just like we always do in a crisis. Remember how you always comfort me when I struggle with losing a battle or being unable to save someone? Well, now it's my turn to return the favor. Come back to me, come back to us. I love you," Izuku whispered. "I love you."

Ochako suddenly launched at him, her jaws locking around his forearm.

"Izuku-!" All three of his friends shouted but Izuku cut them off.

"I'm fine, you guys, don't move."

Izuku could feel her jaws trembling around his arm. He knew she was fighting so hard. Her werewolf instincts were screaming at her to tear off his arm and rip out his throat while her human instincts were trying over and over again to remind her brain that these were her friends. Izuku bit his tongue to avoid letting out the hiss that bubbled in his throat when her fangs sank a little deeper into his flesh, drawing two points of blood.

"I love you, Ochako Uraraka, and I always will," Izuku said, throwing all caution to the wind and raising his free hand up to stroke the fur on her cheek. Ochako froze, her eyes narrowing on his fingers before she closed them, relishing in the feeling of his fingers running through her surprisingly soft fur. Her mouth slowly opened to gently release him, her eyes fluttering open to see his tear-streaked face negated by a beaming smile.

"I-Izuku?"

"That's it 'Chako! That's it! It's me, Izuku!" Izuku said, overjoyed at the sight of her tail beginning to wag. She had done it. She had broken free of her instincts. Very few, if any werewolves had ever done that before. Ochako groaned and shook her head, her ears flopping as she moved.

"Ugh, what happened? Iida, Todoroki, Momo, what are you guys doing here? Where are we?"

"O-Ochako?" Momo asked softly, a small smile tugging at the corners of her own lips as she caught sight of her friend with her sense finally back to normal despite the full moon that still hung high in the sky.

"Why are we in the woods…?" Ochako asked before trailing off, her eyes widening. She quickly looked down at her paws and then behind her, wagging her tail as if checking to see if it was real. She then looked up and growled at the full moon.

"Shit…" Ochako muttered looking back down to make eye contact with each of her friends in turn.

"Hey, Ochako it's alright, we all-" Izuku was cut off when he reached out to touch her again, only for her eyes to widen and her fur to rise again.

"Ochako?"

"I hurt you," Ochako said, her eyes glued to the bite wound on his arm.

"Oh, it's nothing really, Ochako, nothing I can't handle," Izuku said but she wasn't listening. Backing away slowly, Ochako tucked her tail between her legs and flattened her ears in shame, her eyes never leaving the bloody marks.

"Ocha-"

Ochako bolted before he could say another word. She heard him call after her but she continued on, her eyes watering as she gritted her teeth in fury at herself. She injured Izuku, her beloved, something she had vowed to never do. She could've killed him, she could've easily killed all of them. And then what would she do? She couldn't live without them, and she would never forgive herself if something like that happened. She already hated herself for what happened that night. She ran until she couldn't run anymore, her heart breaking until she howled into the brightening sky, unable to take the pain anymore.