The Despair of the Lone Wolf

Distraught couldn't even begin to describe what Izuku was feeling. It had been two weeks since his encounter with Ochako in the woods and he felt like he was losing his mind. She had bolted from him when she had seen the wound on his arm, and even though Izuku had tried to run after her, her canine form had made her much faster than him even with his quirk activated, and he had lost her to the shadows of the forest.

Izuku paced his living room, running a hand through his hair as he tried to think of ways to contact her. He had no idea where she was, she hadn't gone back to her house and she had managed to stay out of reach from the police officers who searched for her. Worry clawed at his heart and shredded his soul, the dark circles under his eyes and the sunken look on his face telling of his lack of sleep.

"Listen, Midoriya, I know you're worried but there isn't much more we can do," Iida said softly from where he was sitting on the couch, his hands folded in his lap with his elbows braced on his knees.

"Yeah, I've had my agency sweep the entire city," Todoroki said.

"And I've had every waterway patrolled," Tsu said from where she was perched on the armrest of the couch, having arrived at Izuku's home the minute she had heard what happened.

Izuku paused in his pacing and glanced at his friends. While most of Class 1-A had moved to different parts of the world to accomplish their own dreams, they had all remained close due to the strong bond they had developed during their years at U.A. Now, Izuku was more relieved than ever that he had remained close with his friends, knowing that he would not have made it through any of this without their help.

"I know," Izuku muttered, resuming his pacing. "I'm just so anxious. I don't know where she is or if she's safe. You know how people in this society treat werewolves, I just got her back after thinking she had been shredded to pieces, I can't lose her again."

The room fell silent as the heroes assembled contemplated their predicament. All of them were beyond concerned for Ochako's wellbeing, but none of them knew what to do anymore. None of them could distinctly remember her being good at stealth missions, but now it seemed like she was never going to be found, the days waning as the authorities already began to lose hope in their search.

"How is your bite wound doing, Midoriya?" Momo asked suddenly from her place beside Shouto, trying to distract from the somber mood.

Izuku lifted his arm and glared at the healing wound, irrationally angry at it for chasing away the love of his life.

"It's fine. The doctors treated it and even told me I had come in soon enough for them to perform the necessary procedure to sterilize the venom and keep it from spreading any further into my body. They said I will be completely normal despite the bite."

"So you won't turn into a werewolf?" Tsu piped up curiously.

"Yeah, they said there is a small window of opportunity where they can stop the infection before it reaches the brain. It was a surprisingly quick procedure and since I'm already young and healthy, the venom took a lot longer to spread. I'm not a werewolf," Izuku said.

"Well, that's some good news!" Iida said with exaggerated enthusiasm, also trying to think of something other than the loss of their friend.

"Yeah, I guess," Izuku mumbled, beginning to pace once more, scratching the hair at the base of his neck nervously. "I don't care about the wound itself though, I just wish she hadn't seen it."

The others nodded and softly murmured their agreement. The conversation tapered off into silence once more. There was nothing more they could do. Absolutely nothing. Not until even the tiniest bit of information on her whereabouts showed up, they had done absolutely everything they could. Sighing, Izuku stopped pacing and turned to face his friends, who looked at him expectantly.

"Thank you all for being here, but it's obvious we can't do anything until the police turn up with information on her location so you guys can go home and get some rest, it's getting late."

"Are you sure, Midoriya, ribbit?" Tsu asked softly.

"Yeah, we want to be here for you as much as possible," Iida said.

"Thank you, all of you, but you guys have done enough, please, go get some rest and try to relax a little until we get some more details, alright?" Izuku said.

His friends protested a little more but eventually gave in and left, patting his shoulders and encasing him in hugs before they left. Izuku shut the door behind them with a soft click and let out a shuddering sigh, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes for the fifth time that afternoon as the silence filled his home. He turned away from the door and shuffled over to his bed, collapsing on the comforter and slapping his arm over his eyes, trying to drift off into sleep. He knew it was hopeless to try to rest, but it gave him something to focus on, something to distract himself with.

A wry smile crept onto his face as he thought about what Ochako would tell him in this situation, her voice filling his head as he imagined her hovering over him like a mother hen, bashing him for not taking proper care of himself.

He turned on his side and crawled up to his pillow, trying to get more comfortable. When sleep continued to evade him, he opened his eyes and scanned the wall and his bedside table until they landed on the photo that was propped up against his lamp. It was an old photo, a photo of him, and Ochako from when they still went to U.A. Ochako had used her quirk on herself to make herself lighter and then sat on Izuku's shoulders, allowing him to carry her around as he spun them and laughed. The picture had been sneakily taken by some of the girls in the dorm's main living space, capturing a moment of pure joy with Izuku looking up at Ochako with a beaming smile while his adorable girlfriend laughed uncontrollably from his shoulders.

The sight of the photo brought more tears to Izuku's eyes but he forced himself to focus on the happiness of the memory itself. Sure, it was harder than hell being left in the dark on Ochako's location and safety, but she was alive. She was alive and mostly uninjured from what Izuku could tell despite the vivid image of her blood stained paws. She was alive and that was what mattered. She was strong, stronger than anyone else he knew, she would make it through this. Closing his eyes he allowed the memories of that happy moment in the dorms to wash over him and gently drag him to sleep, a deep determination settling in his heart. Ochako would make it. If anyone could deal with this situation and come out of it stronger than before, it would be his lover.


Ochako leaned against the pillows on the old couch, a book propped up on her knees as she flipped through the pages, only half paying attention. Usually, she loved to read, but today there was so much on her mind she could barely take in more than a few words before she realized she had gone an entire page without understanding a single word. She grunted in frustration as she restarted a paragraph over again for the eighth time, her mind once again trailing off to images of Izuku and his warm smile. Her heart thundered in her chest and she scolded herself for her reactions to thoughts of him, her traitorous heart and body ignoring her brain's constant pleas to forget about him.

Ochako was so busy trying to rein in her emotions she did not notice the figure leaning against the arch of the doorway, their arms crossed as they watched the girl.

"How long are you going to keep running from yourself?" The figure said after a moment, causing Ochako to jump off the couch in surprise and whirl around to look at him, a small dagger suddenly appearing in her hand seemingly out of nowhere.

"God damn it, Gouhin, you can't scare me like that!" Ochako said, folding the small dagger into itself and slipping it back into her shorts pocket.

The figure, a tall burly man with graying hair, a goatee, and yellow eyes pushed off the wall and approached the gravity hero, his eyes narrowed.

"You didn't answer my question."

Ochako glanced away, digging the toe of her shoe into the wooden flooring, her teeth lightly biting at her bottom lip.

"I don't know, until I can forgive myself, I guess? I don't know, Gouhin, why should I forgive myself in the first place? I could've killed my best friends."

Gouhin moved to sit on the couch, his eyes never leaving Ochako as he analyzed her. He had met the young werewolf years ago, when her parents had been too afraid of her, even with the medicine, to keep her at home. He was a well-known werewolf, one who had learned to control himself more than any other, even without his medicine. He was known for taking in young werewolf pups and training them to control their hunger, to care for them, and accept them when society turned them away. He had instantly liked the sweet yet feisty little girl, finding himself impressed with her determination to become a hero despite her condition.

From what he knew, very very few werewolves ever became heroes, and when they did, they usually became sidekicks or mere assistants, used for sniffing out drug deals and locating hard to find criminals but never being able to do any actual fighting no matter what their quirk was. Ochako hadn't wanted to conform to what society had in mind for her future and had happily accepted his training and guidance, her mind dead set on reaching her goal no matter what.

She had eventually learned enough to no longer need him anymore, but they had stayed in touch, ready for him to intervene if anything major happened. The pair had become very close, Gouhin becoming something of a guardian for her, oftentimes finding her when she ventured into the woods in her wolf form so that neither of them would be so lonely. He had been so proud when she had been accepted into U.A., and she had done an amazing job keeping her condition in check while attending the prestigious hero school, to the point where Gouhin idly wondered if she had finally surpassed him.

And then two weeks ago happened. Gouhin had offered to let Ochako stay at his small underground home in the middle of the woods until the heat died down, but he was tired of seeing his protege sitting around, depressed and lonely. He knew she had a wonderful boyfriend, had actually seen them together once or twice when neither of them had known he was there, watching as they ate together at a little cafe or sitting on the edge of his seat as he watched them fight villains together on his television. He had certainly missed the bubbly girl when she had stopped coming around to his house every weekend but this was not what he wanted. He missed seeing her bright smiles and the spark in her eye more than he missed having her around all the time. He wanted her to live her life but knew she would never do that while she thought of herself as a heartless monster.

"But you didn't kill them," Gouhin said genuinely. "You managed to control yourself, to force yourself away from your instincts, and protect your friends from what should have been instant death. You should be proud of yourself, Ochako."

"Proud of myself?" Ochako spat bitterly, her eyes darkening as she remembered her encounter with her friends that fateful night in the woods. "I bit my boyfriend, Gouhin! I've completely ruined him! His whole life is going to be in shambles because of me! You know just as well as I do what we have to deal with every damn day and now I've just turned one of the most important people in my life into a monster! He is such a well-loved hero, what do you think people will think of him now when they find out what I've done to him? He might lose his ranking, hell, he might even have to back down as a pro-hero! Yeah, sure, I should be really fucking proud of myself."

"You know that won't happen, Ochako."

"Really? Why should I not think something like that would happen? You've seen the werewolves who have been exposed and forced to back away from society. My dad almost lost his job and he isn't even a werewolf! Just being connected to me almost forced my family to the streets, feeding on rats and living in a box. We aren't humans according to this society, we are wild animals, beasts who deserve to be shunned and hunted. Look me in the eye and tell me honestly that Izuku won't be ridiculed for what he has become?"

Gouhin sighed. He hated seeing Ochako like this. She was so young, with such a long, bright future ahead of her, and here she was, forced to consider how to survive in a world where nobody wanted her. In a world where she was hated and the odds were immediately stacked against her. He hated it because he knew that without this condition, she could be anything. She was the strongest young woman he knew, and it tore him apart to see her fighting off tears because she hated herself to the point of crippling despair. Her dejected, shaky sigh brought his attention back up to her face where he saw a few tears gleaming on her cheeks.

"It doesn't matter anyway, maybe he will be able to get treatment for the bite. I hope he had enough sense to call an ambulance right after it happened, or one of his friends did, you know about the window of opportunity where they can sterilize the spread of the venom. I don't want to get my hopes up but maybe he can still have a normal life," Ochako said, looking up to meet Gouhin's gentle gaze. "Will you tell me how he's doing when you hear about it? I can only get so much from the television, and I don't want anything to be overdramatized by the media."

"Why are you asking me when you can just go up and check on him yourself?" Gouhin asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms again.

"Are you kidding? There's no way he'll want anything to do with me ever again! I can't go near him, I just need to stay away, erase myself from his life. He will find someone who can genuinely be with him, someone who can give him what he deserves and help lift him up in life rather than drag him down. He will find a proper woman to call his wife someday. But he can't do that if I'm lurking in the shadows, hovering over his life, I need to leave as soon as they stop searching for me, move to a place where he won't be haunted by me anymore. A place where I can never hurt him ever again."

Gouhin had to resist letting his jaw drop when she finished speaking, his eyes widening in surprise.

"That's what you really think? You think the police are searching for you because you bit his arm? You think he hates you? Are you an idiot!?" Gouhin asks in shock, watching as Ochako's eyes narrow on his in annoyance at the insults. "Listen, Ochako, because I'm only going to say this once. That poor, dutiful boyfriend of yours was the one that called the police, and not because he hated you, but because he is drowning in worry for you. I've seen the reports all over the city, watched that half and half hero send out his entire agency to find you. All of the waterways are being patrolled by the frog hero. All of them are looking for you because they miss you and they love you."

Ochako knew Gouhin would never lie to her but she still found it hard to believe; that her friends would not be running for the hills after the friend they had had for years lied to them the entire time she knew them and then attacked them in the dead of night in the woods.

"And Izuku, man, I saw him the other day when he was out looking for you. That boy is so distraught over your disappearance. He still loves you more than anything, never stopped loving you. You may have bitten him, but he seemed physically healthy, and you did not kill him. You didn't kill any of your friends. You are the first werewolf I have ever known to break free of your instincts without the use of your medication in the middle of a night with a full moon. You fought yourself to the point of breaking and you made it through. You are not a monster. You never were," Gouhin continued, not giving her time to put herself down.

Ochako stared at her mentor, his yellow eyes piercing into her, reflecting only the truth in his sharp gaze. Ochako swallowed, hardly daring to believe it. Gouhin stood up from the couch and made his way over to his protege, resting his large, worn hands on her shoulders comfortingly.

"You were able to force yourself from your instincts because you love them, all of them more than you can express with words. But that Izuku Midoriya, he's a special one. He's your mate. Don't push him or your true self away anymore. I understand why you think being separated from him would be best for him but I don't want to see either of you suffer and I know in my heart that that boy would never forget you, no matter how hard he tries. He will always keep an eye out for you because he loves you in a way that is unique to you and him. Now stop fooling around and go get your man!" Gouhin said, pushing a giggling Ochako out his door.

Ochako grabbed onto his door handle and was about to leave when she turned around to face her guardian and mentor. She smiled brightly at him for the first time in weeks, her eyes finally starting to get that sparkle that he loved so much back in them.

"Thank you, Gouhin, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"It's really no problem, kiddo," Gouhin replied, tugging her into a warm embrace.

"Kiddo? I am an adult now you know, have been for a while."

"I know, you grown-ass adult woman, but you will always be a little kiddo to me."

Ochako laughed and punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Goodbye Gouhin."

"Goodbye Ochako."


Another week had passed and Izuku was borderline hysterical. He was trying his best to keep it together, but he hadn't even had a glimpse of her since that time in the woods and now he was doubting whether she was even still in Japan. He had no idea where she even would've gone to, her parents had been contacted and they had told him in concerned high-pitched tones that they had not seen her in months due to their work keeping them away from where Ochako was in the city. Their answer had made Izuku's blood run cold, and he was getting close to just walking out into the woods to find another werewolf who might be able to help him even though he knew how stupid and dangerous that was.

Izuku groaned as he laid on his bed despite the bright sunshine that was pouring into his room through the slanted blinds. He had no energy to go anywhere or do anything. He had already been searching so much over the past few weeks that the police had asked him to take a break for his own health.

Rubbing his face with both hands, Izuku suppressed the urge to throw-up. He had managed to calm himself down every time he had panic attacks, reminding himself that she was alive, just missing. But as the weeks stretched longer and longer, he was starting to feel utterly hopeless. He was just about to drift off into a depressed, hazy form of light sleep when the click of his door being opened very quietly made his eyes fly open. Sitting up, Izuku quickly reached for his bedside table and rummaged around in the drawer until he had pulled out the small pocket knife he stored in there for emergencies.

Standing slowly, Izuku made his way to his bedroom door and leaned against the wall, his hand wrapped firmly around the door handle. He had no idea what to expect, if it was one of his friends they either would've knocked or announced themselves upon entry. He had given them all spare keys to his home but had told them to tell him when they were coming over to avoid just this situation.

Suddenly, his bedroom door knob rotated slowly in his hand and he backed away as the door swung open. Quickly leaping around the corner, Izuku prepared to confront the intruder when he stopped dead, Ochako's shocked face filling his vision. He noticed her eyes dart down to the dagger in his hand nervously, and he managed to knock himself out of his reverie just long enough to have the sense to toss the knife to the floor hastily.

His whole body began to shake. Ochako was here. She was alive, and breathing and standing right in front of him. She looked normal, uninjured, maybe a little starved but otherwise healthy. Her eyes darted to the floor sheepishly and she shifted from foot to foot as he continued to gawk at her.

"H-Hey Izu-"

Ochako was cut off as Izuku suddenly launched himself at her, encircling her body, lifting her into his arms and spinning her in a circle, all while smiling and sobbing profusely. He held her so tightly against him, she was struggling to breathe, but she didn't care as she hugged him back with equal force, nuzzling her face into his neck.

It felt so good to have her against him once more, her warmth soaking into his touch-starved skin, her breath fanning out across his neck and making his pulse beat so fast he was afraid it would short-circuit. Placing her back down on the ground, he grabbed her face in both of his hands and pulled her to him, sealing her lips with his in a searing kiss. Ochako squeaked with surprise before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back with equal passion, causing Izuku to groan.

When the two broke apart again they were panting and Izuku had to swipe his tongue along his swollen lips to sever the small string of saliva that still connected them. His chest was heaving and his heart was pounding against his sternum to the point where it was almost painful. He gently placed his hand on her chest, just over her heart, and closed his eyes at the feeling. Her heartbeat calmed him down and lifted the fog that had been settled over him ever since their breakup. He felt truly alive for the first time in weeks and he felt his spirit being revived as his eyes roved all over his girlfriend, checking to make sure she was alright and that this wasn't some sick dream of his.

"H-How? Where? W-When? W-What?" Izuku desperately tried and failed to ask all of the questions that were crowding his brain. Ochako smiled and giggled breathlessly, sending a jolt of something electric down Izuku's spine at the sound.

"Urm, if you sit on the bed with me, I'll explain everything," Ochako said nervously. Izuku nodded without a word and gently led her to his bed, pulling her down to sit on the end right beside him, his eyes trained on her face as she took a deep breath and began to answer all of his questions.

Izuku merely listened as Ochako told him about her run-in with a werewolf in the woods as a young child, her struggle through her childhood as the kids around her didn't understand what was wrong but only knew that their parents hated the small gravity girl and alienated her. She told him about Gouhin, and how he helped her when her parents got overwhelmed. She told him about U.A., and how Aizawa and Nedzu knew but had not told anyone under specific requests from her and her parents. She explained how much of a better life she had at U.A., where she actually made friends and nobody was afraid of her. She even sheepishly explained how she almost rejected his confession to her because she was afraid he would hate her when he found out about her condition.

Izuku's eyes widened but he did not interrupt, allowing her to continue to tell her story. She explained how much she grew to love him even more than she already did, how she was selfish and wanted him all for herself but knew it was for the best if they were apart, not wanting to inhibit his progress in life with her murderous physical condition. She apologized for dragging out their relationship for so long only to break it off, she just didn't know how to handle the feelings coursing inside her.

Ochako told him about how she felt so guilty and distraught at the way she had treated him that she had completely forgotten to take her pills, only remembering when her transformation ripped through her at the last second. But it had been too late at that point. She explained how she went on a rampage, werewolves hate being in small spaces, and how the carnage found in her room was the result, her paws getting bloodied up from the amount of ripping and shattering she did. Ochako even lifted up her hands to let Izuku see where her hands had been bandaged from all of the cuts and gashes she carried on her once soft skin.

She finally ended her tale by telling him about her stay with Gouhin and how he was the one who convinced her to come back. When she finished, she bowed her head and allowed the silence to wash over her, her fingers fiddling with one another in her lap as she waited for his response. She didn't know how he was going to react. He had every right to be furious with her after everything she put him through. Would he slap her? Would he tell her to get out and never come back? Would he hug her and never let go? No matter what he did, Ochako decided that she would let him do it, she deserved whatever came to her.

Ochako let out a small gasp when Izuku suddenly wrapped his arms around her and dragged her into his lap, cradling her form against him as he nuzzled her neck and pressed soft kisses up and down the column of her throat.

"You idiot," Izuku whispered in between kisses, both his tears and his tongue wetting the soft skin of her neck. "You should've just told me, you wrestled with this all by yourself for so long when all you had to do was come to me. I meant what I said in the forest, you being a werewolf doesn't change that, I love you. I always have and I always will. I just wish you had told me this so we could've dealt with it together before I had to suffer being without you."

Ochako choked out a sob as she embraced him back, her fingers clenching onto his shoulder blades and her face pressing into his shoulder.

"I love you too, so much, Izuku, I'm so sorry I lied to you, about everything," Ochako said, her voice muffled slightly by his shirt.

Izuku leaned back and kissed her again, his heart beating so furiously in his chest he idly wondered if it was going to burst from his chest and fly away. He felt a small sense of pride when her lips followed his for a second longer when he parted from her, the tiniest look of disappointment riding across her face.

Taking a deep breath, Izuku stood and made his way over to the sock drawer, thanking whatever gods there were that he hadn't thrown it away. Digging around for a few moments, Izuku pulled out the little velvet box and covered it entirely with his palm, obscuring it from view.

"Izuku?" Ochako asked softly.

Izuku felt light and airy when she said his name but he shook his head slightly, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. Moving back around so he was sitting in front of his girlfriend, Izuku settled down so he was sitting on both knees, trying not to arouse suspicion.

"Ochako Uraraka, ever since we met you have been by my side. We have grown together, fought together, loved together, learned together, and survived together. I love you so much my heart aches. You are the most gorgeous, amazing, talented, intelligent woman I've ever met. And I want you to understand that I will always feel this way about you, I will always love you, no matter what you look like or who you are. You have made my life so much better, I've never been so happy before. I love you so damn much, and we WILL get through this together, no matter what, okay?"

Ochako blushed at his impassioned speech as more tears cascaded down her cheeks, reaching out to grasp his hand. Izuku took her hand in his for a moment, rubbing his thumb over her bandages comfortingly before pulling away to Ochako's confusion.

Smiling like an idiot, Izuku moved from sitting on both knees to raising one leg up so he was propped up on one knee.

"I'm sorry, I wanted to do this somewhere more romantic than this, but I know now that this is the time, if I wait any longer, I'm going to explode," Izuku said just as Ochako raised her hands to cover her mouth. There was no way, was there?

Gathering his courage, Izuku pulled the little box around from where he had been hiding it behind his back, using his free hand to gently paw open the lid to reveal the glimmering infinite ring.

"No matter what happens, no matter the danger, no matter what life throws at us, I want to do it by your side. Please, Ochako Uraraka, will you marry me?"

Ochako was stunned with shock and pure unbridled joy. She couldn't believe it, her fantastic boyfriend of four whole amazing years was sitting here proposing to her. She never would have guessed that the quirky little boy she had saved from tripping outside of U.A. before the entrance exam would be her future husband, but here he was, holding himself out to her. He knew what she was, he knew what she dealt with every day, and yet he was willing to take the risk of loving her.

"Urm, now might be a good time to say something," Izuku said cheekily, the corner of his lips twitching with a nervous yet playful smile, his eyes sliding to the side anxiously.

Ochako snapped out of it and flung herself into his arms, knocking him to the ground with a loud squeal.

"I'm sorry, 'Zuku, I was just a bit surprised that's all. Yes, yes, I'll marry you!" Ochako beamed at him, her bright, dazzling smile taking his breath away.

Izuku leaned up and claimed her lips in a heated kiss that she returned with enthusiasm, leaning on his elbows and bringing her body even closer to his.

He was still unsure about their future, and they still had a lot to talk about, but for now, he was happy to finally hold his future wife in his arms once more. Nothing else mattered. No matter what happened, he was never letting her go ever again. Werewolf or not, she was his life and nothing was going to change that. Ever.