Hello everyone. First I'd like to address a concern that is Deku and Ochako will just be at a forever back and forth never actually getting together. I do NOT plan on doing that, do not worry. This is a slow-burn Izuocha story, IzuOcha will happen and I have a lot of plans that will work towards that. Things will keep them apart, others will pull them together, I'm trying my hardest to make this fit within the anime story line so I don't wanna get too AU with the themes but do not worry - they will eventually get together - also this isn't just an IzuOcha story even though it really seems that way, I wanna add my own elements of story here and there so be on the lookout for that.

Oh, and one more thing! This chapter you'll see an Anime Checkpoint for the first time. I'm planning on doing this very rarely as a lot of my chapters happen outside of the anime's episode timeline, but this one takes place in the middle of it. It'll be in bold, and it will be very obvious. Now, I know this might sound like I just don't feel like re-writing an entire scene that was already shown in the anime. And that is true to some extent, I will re-write things that I feel could use some more depth and development in this story, but if I do not feel that way I'm just going to explain what happens in the anime just to save time and get more original content out. Fan-fiction is FAN fiction, no one wants to re-read an entire scene in the anime (Or at least most people do not) XD

So - enjoy! This chapter will wrap up the Overhaul arc so it is a bit long, I didn't want to spend much time on this arc considering the anime is finished with it and the Culture Festival is happening now - Which is a GOLDMINE for ff content lol, so enjoy! Expect more frequent chapters because I will be writing more frequently.

Izuku, Uraraka, Asui, and Kirishima had returned from their Hero's Study meeting - where the four learned of the plan to rescue Eri and further their assault on the Shie Hassaiki organization. It was surprising to the brown-haired girl how quickly the heroes had pinpointed this girl's location and created a strategy to save her. What was even more surprising was Deku's reaction to the whole ordeal. He along with one of the big three, Togata Mirio, had been extremely adamant on rescuing Eri. It was almost like a cinematic drama in the meeting room earlier, watching those two demands they save her, promise they'd save her. The sheer tenacity and emotion radiating off of them were enough to shake Asui and herself to their core. She had never seen Deku that determined - and when that boy had his mind set on something, he never failed to get it done.

Now - the four had trotted back to Heights Alliance and were put on hold for a few days while preparations were made for the rescue. Uraraka tried to keep herself busy with work from her normal classes - but no matter what she tried, nothing could get her mind off of Deku and the Eri Mission.

They were given strict - strict - orders not to discuss the meeting with each-other or their classmates. It was of utmost importance that details did not get spread.

She knew why - she was not an idiot. They were worried about a possible traitor. While it was something she pondered herself for a while, Uraraka had no clue if the theory had any real weight to it. There had to be away the villains found out about the USJ, the Summer Training Camp, and Deku's secret. But she just could not picture any of her classmates, her friends, being a real traitor. Even if that were the case, how would they hide it so well? All of her classmates lived together and were always spending time together, to say one of them even had enough time to sneak away and release information was a bit of a stretch.

Nevertheless - she obeyed her orders. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally give up extremely classified information to the wrong people. She had to admit though, it was killing her not being able to talk to Deku about all of this. It felt like they haven't really talked in a while, mainly because of their respective internships keeping them busy. The school had been a bit stressful from this as well, it might have been that. Or maybe it was something else.

The now infamous 'closet' incident happened a while ago now. Maybe around a week or two, thankfully Deku had forgotten all about it. At least that's what she was led to believe when she questioned him and he thought he passed out holding Meat Buns. That boy could be silly sometimes.

Unfortunately, this incident was not forgotten by the rest of their class. Mina has poked and prodded her privately after the affair - insisting she, "spilled the beans," on what had happened in that closet. Not like she would be so open to talking about things like that - but the thing that bothered her was nothing even happened! The entire class had this odd mindset that something had happened in the closet between her and Deku. Of course, they were worried about Deku and fully believed her when she explained what had happened. But a few of them definitely thought she had left some details out. Uraraka guessed it made sense for them to come to conclusions themselves. Their ruffled clothes and hair, her being all red-faced, she wasn't stupid.

In relation to not being stupid - she also was not blind. If she was, there would be no reason for her worrying. But of course, a certain boy once again had her stressing out about his health. She could see this Eri situation was weighing down heavily on Deku, all she wanted to do was talk to him about it. She wished she was allowed to, she really wanted to have someone to talk to about this.

She felt it too! That poor little girl, she couldn't imagine the horrible things the, Chisaki, the guy was putting her through. It must be even worse for Deku, he's seen her up close. Apparently he had her in his arms - she couldn't imagine the guilt he was feeling.

After finishing up some school work and eating a quick dinner in her room - she decided to get some sleep as soon as possible. It had been a long day, the meeting - finding out this whole situation was a lot sicker and twisted than they originally had thought. She really needed a good night's sleep.

It was around 4 hours later when Ochako realized she had been on her phone scrolling through Twitter the entire time.

She couldn't sleep - thankfully it was a Friday night so she didn't have to worry about class tomorrow morning. But she also knew that any day now they could be getting called in for the mission. She had to be well-rested and prepared for it at any time.

Maybe a glass of water could help her, she was a bit parched and laying in bed wasn't going to do her any good at the moment. Deciding on a beverage, Uraraka walked from her dorm room to the kitchen of Heights alliance. As she moved through the desolate hallways, down a few flights of stairs, and across the open common room of their dorms; she could not help but notice an odd clanging noise.

It sounded as if it were coming from the floorboards beneath her feet - but that would be impossible. The only other solution to the strange noise would be the heights alliance weight room. But who on Earth would be up at 3 in the morning lifting weights? Shrugging it off as an oddity, the girl wrapped the small blanket she had brought around her shoulders and silently drank her water.

"You know - you really are a fucking moron for coming down here without a spotter Deku." An angry blonde boy reprimanded.

This anger-filled blonde was nonother than Katsuki Bakugou. He was accompanied by (of course) Kirishima - the lovable red-headed rock boy. These two had come down for some late night weight lifting - as per usual for the pair - and found one Izuku Midoriya benching nearly 300 lbs without any safety or precautionary features.

"Seriously Midoriya, you could have really hurt yourself there." Ejirou followed, walking on the other side of their green-headed friend, "300 lbs without anyone here? Do you have a death sentence or something? You didn't even have your quirk on man."

Izuku ducked out from under the thin bar - and sat at the edge of the black leather surface. This allowed the two to finally get a better look at his face - and it was not pretty. The bags under his eyes were his most prominent oddity, and his skin gave off a red hue, but somehow it was also pale? Bakugou had a hard time describing the sight to himself. The loose sleeveless shirt did not help his look at all, it just showed off the sweat dripping from his shoulders. Not to mention the slight shake that came with each breath.

"M-Midoriya? Are you alright man? You look like-"

"Shit. You look like shit Deku, what's wrong?"

A quick wipe over his eyes with a pair of sweaty hands seemed to bring the boy back to reality, "h-hey...s-sorry bout that, just couldn't sleep."

Bakugou almost immediately recognized the change in the boy, Kirishima soon followed - something was bothering him and if it was enough to make him lift that much without anyone around to help...this was serious.

Kirishima walked over to the boy and sat next to him, "Midoriya, something's bothering you right? You can talk to us, it's not very manly to hold in your feelings you know."

"Y-Yah, I know Kirishima. Thank you it's just - I can't talk about it."

Kirishima seemed to pick up on what the boy was talking about. It obviously had something to do with their internship. And based off of Mirio and his reaction to that Eri girl earlier, he was sure it had something to do with that.

The only problem is Bakugou was there so they wouldn't be able to talk about this. Even if Bakugou wasn't there they weren't technically allowed to speak about it.

Bakugou was getting a small bit irritated because it seemed like those two knew something he didn't. Of course, this shit probably had something to do with the internships he and Icy-hot couldn't go to. God this was frustrating!

"Deku, I know you can't sleep but why don't you take one of those sleeping pills, you still have some right?"

The boy nodded slowly, he really was tired.

Bakugou walked closer to the boy, "then why don't you go upstairs, take one, and sleep? You look like you haven't slept in a week and then some."

Kirishima silently agreed with a head nod, this caused Izuku to breathe a heavy sigh, "Alright, ill do that. Sorry again to cause you guys trouble."

"Hey, you're not causing any trouble man, we just want you to be alright ok? You can make it back to your room right?"

"Thank you Kirishima and ya, I'll be fine. Thx again."

With that, Izuku trudged up the stairs into the common room. He didn't really want to go to sleep, but he supposed he had to. Maybe a little fresh air would help him feel better? The boy stopped in the middle of the silent living room. The kitchen lights were on but it barely lit anything up - with a sigh he turned towards the door and walked out to the front of Heights Alliance.

He supposed this was a bit risky considering his track record with breaking curfew - but his brain was acting on autopilot here and the cool air of the night was helping. Honestly, he would choose anything over going back to his room right now.

It was too restricting, there was a reason he was lifting in the middle of the night. Being sleepless was one thing, but staying in that room gives him anxiety. Maybe it was just the fear of Chisaki. The fear for Eri. Or...the fear of tomorrow?

Tomorrow... could it happen tomorrow?

As he sat down on the bench, he could feel the heaviness of his eyelids weighing down on him. He could fight it for now, but he was definitely at risk of falling asleep out here. The cool breeze felt nice against his skin, however - and with his mind bouncing from Chisaki to Sleep, it was a welcome sensation.

He needed to save Eri...he wanted it to be as soon as possible - but as his eyelids closed and his mind drifted off, a question was on his mind. Was he prepared? Could he handle something like this? Was he ready?

Well...that was odd.

Uraraka had been peacefully sipping her water when she saw Kirishima and Bakugou walk down to the gym. They didn't seem to notice her presence in the kitchen, and neither did Deku (who walked up a few minutes after the fact). The boy then stopped in the middle of the living room and walked directly outside. Odd indeed.

Placing her now empty glass in the sink, Uraraka curiously followed the boy. He simply sat down on a bench not 15 feet away from the entrance. As she got closer - she started to notice the dark circles underneath his eyes, she also noticed that his eyes were closed...and his body was swaying ever so slightly... was he asleep?

Moving closer to the boy she came to the conclusion that he was, in fact, asleep. She struggled to not giggle as she sat down next to him. His hair blew in every which way with the soft wind as soft snores escaped his mouth matching its tone. She supposed she had to wake him up. If Mr. Aizawa were to find him, or even worse one of those robot security cameras - who knows what type of punishment he would get.

Perhaps taking too long to ogle at the boys ripped arms, Uraraka snapped out of her daze and realized they could not stay outside all night. She would have to wake him up and get him inside.

Ugh! But knowing him he's probably dead tired. Waking him would be the equivalent of slapping him in the face. She supposed carrying him in wouldn't be too big a hassle, her quirk was useful for many things. Would "slapping him in the face" really be that bad though? She was pretty tired herself, and carrying him in would take so much effort.

With a big sigh, Uraraka came to the conclusion that she would just bring him in herself; because that's what friends are for - right? That's what she told herself anyway as she floated the boy through the doors of Height's Alliance, and into the elevator stationed next to the stairs. She would have taken the stairs but her laziness got the better of her.

With a few seconds of free time, she began to ponder what Deku was doing in the weight room by himself this late at night. He had to be lifting weights obviously - she could hear him from the common room. But, if he was tired enough to fall asleep while sitting straight up - outside nonetheless - something had to be wrong.

As the door to the elevator opened, she lightly pushed the boy alongside her as she walked. If he was having trouble sleeping, then maybe it had something to do with what Bakugou was talking to her about. She remembered him advising her to keep him occupied, to be a, "distraction", as he put it. If anything she had been doing a lousy job of that as of late. Especially considering their internships have just started up, of course, Deku's stress would be elevated, hell HER stress was weighing down on her. Not to mention the whole catastrophe a little while ago. She and Deku almost kissed...

It was insane, but at least he had no idea of what happened. Thankfully she can keep a reign on her emotions once more.

Uraraka stopped in front of her room - wait.

Her Room...

She had Deku with her! She couldn't just bring him into her room in the middle of the night! What if the teachers found out? What if her classmates found out?

...

But then again it was Friday night. She could easily come up with a way to sneak him out tomorrow. They would have to sleep in the same bed - which she guessed wasn't all too uncommon nowadays for her and Deku, but still. What if she couldn't control herself? Her mind lingered back to how they slept together on the living room couch that one night, the pro's in this situation seemed to overtake the cons.

After 5 minutes of her pointless mind battle, Uraraka realized that she had been standing in the middle of the dormitory hallway with an asleep, floating boy at her side. She had no choice but to just suck it up and bring him into her room. Sure, it might be a bit of a limit breaker, and it is 100% a rule-breaker, but he was her best friend and she trusted him. She also didn't really feel like sneaking through the hallways with Deku at her side just to reach his room. Even then she didn't know his room's pin passcode, so getting in would be a lost cause. This really was her only viable option. Well...she could wake him up, but that would defeat the whole purpose of floating him in the first place.

After bringing him inside and shutting the door behind her, Uraraka placed Deku on her bed. She yawned as her quirk was undone, sleep must have been finally catching up to her. Giving it one last troubled thought - Uraraka shook her head and climbed into the bed alongside Deku. The heat radiating off of his body was enough to fasten the pace of her slumber. She would have to ask him tomorrow as to why he was up so late lifting weights. For now, she would sleep.

knock knock knock*

Uraraka stirred at the light noise - not really comprehending what it was.

Knock Knock Knock*

Again she stirred, but she just couldn't move from her comfort. Her body felt like it was being massaged by the world's best masseuse.

A moment of silence passed through the room and Uraraka was able to sink back into her peace once more.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

The loud jarring noise finally shook the sleeping girl from her slumber. She immediately tried sitting up - but she found it impossible. What...what was on top of her?

"I'll be right there!" She called out finally opening her eyes and realizing what was stopping her from getting up.

Deku had somehow rolled directly on top of her in the middle of their sleeping. It was almost like he was pinning her. A bright red blush came across her face as she realized the position - and an even deeper red appeared when she noticed how she was grasping onto him like a possessive bear cub!

Before she could attempt to roll him off, the green-headed teen opened his eyes groggily, "W-Wha? Uraraka? What am I..."

Izuku sat up only causing Uraraka (who was still wrapped around him in a death grip) to come right up with him. The two teens were left gripping each other on her bed.

Deku and Uraraka looked down at their mushed together bodies straddling each other. Then they looked up and met each other's gaze. Simultaneously, the two's eyes widened, their faces went red, and a combined scream echoed through the dorm room.

"So... why were you two in the same room together all night?" Kirishima cheekily asked as the embarrassed "couple" walked on either side of him.

Deku decided to stay silent as even he was extremely confused. The last thing he remembered was going outside in the middle of the night for some fresh air, so how did he end up on top of Uraraka? That was definitely a predicament - not to mention his "body" springing to action. If these situations keep on happening he's definitely going to wind up in a psych ward. Curse these feelings.

"U-Um...We were st-studying!" Uraraka answered quickly trying to conceal her blush, "Y-Yah! We had a lot of work to make up since we were gone at our hero studies, we just fell asleep." Hopefully, that story was believable. She was sure Kirishima didn't buy it, but maybe he would be kind and just let it go. Oh jeez, she couldn't even imagine what Deku was thinking right now.

Deku was contemplating whether or not they actually studied. The likelihood of him completely forgetting about him and Uraraka studying was extremely low, but why else would Uraraka lie? He was extremely tired last night. Could he and she have spent all night studying and they simply fell asleep next to each other? No. Well...maybe?

Kirishima processed the information as the trio entered the common room, "studying" as Uraraka called it seemed to be a very easy answer. Hell, he thought Midoriya had gone back to his room last night. He had no clue the real reason they were together, but he figured he would spare them the embarrassment. These next few hours would be hell for all of them. No use making it any worse.

As the three neared the doors of Heights Alliance, a green-headed frog appeared in their vision, "Well, kero, this is it, guys."

"We're finally gonna get to save that little girl," Kirishima announced as the four walked out of the dormitory. The four had been called in by Night-eye and the other heroes. The siege on the Yakuza hideout was finally taking place. The sheer anxiety that came with performing a raid of this level weighed down on them heavily. And that day, at 8:30 in the morning, the four U.A. students would feel more fear than ever before.

Well, maybe only 3 of the students felt that fear. One of them, Izuku Midoriya - felt nothing but anger and determination. He would be saving Eri today, no matter what it took. That little girl was stronger then him, All Might, Endeavor, and all the pros combined. She suffers day in and day out, with no hope, and she still made the call to try and protect Mirio and himself by running away. He had to provide that hope, he had to save her. It didn't matter what his mind thought, it didn't matter whether or not he was prepared or ready for something like that monster Chisaki... he would pay for the countless hours of abuse he put Eri through. That was one thing he was certain of. No matter what.

Deku launched into the sky, energy flowing around him like never before. It stung like he was getting shocked on the metal slide at a playground, but 10 times worse. He only had one goal, stop the monster named Chisaki.

Kick the air

Deku flew through the atmosphere at speeds he never thought possible - he could see Chisaki forming into a larger creature, he was getting ready to attack!

Dodge the blow

Eri clung to his back with Mirio's cape keeping her safe, her quirk held Izuku's life by a thread. One slip-up and he would revert to nothing, and if not for it, he would break his body beyond repair. But Deku, the Hero Deku, he held Eri's life in his hands! It was his job to save her, and he would do just that!

Punch - Punch - Punch!

Deku stayed laser-focused on the enemy ahead. The man that killed Eri over and over just for his own goals. Torturing a small child for nothing else then selfish gains! The man that murdered his own accomplices just to be stronger. His loyal followers, he ripped apart their bodies into particles of blood and fused with them! This man needed to die. He needed to be removed from this earth! Scum like this didn't deserve life.

Make sure Eri doesn't fall - AAH!

His bones cracked and repaired faster then he could comprehend. He had to keep hurting himself or he would cease to exist. He could not fail here, Mirio, Mr. Aizawa, Eri, Fat-gum, Kirishima, Tsu, All Might, Uraraka, Night-eye...

They all depended on him. He would not fail, he would stop Chisaki

Just kill him!

...

Izuku's head hung low as his knees bounced up and down. The soles of his shoes lightly tapped the freshly polished tile. His fingers gripped each other so tightly, white beamed through his pale skin. The boy was a mess. A shell of his vibrant self.

Uraraka could tell that much. Not that she was any better. She could barely keep her thoughts straight - all she could think about was Nighteye. She had him in her arms - if she had only performed better under the stress if she had only taken extra medical classes she might have been able to save him. If she were only more prepared.

But instead...Nighteye was dead.

Izuku furiously ruffled his hair trying to snap himself out of it. He couldn't - he couldn't no matter how hard he tried. If he had gotten there only a few minutes prior Mirio would still have a quirk. If he hadn't listened to Nighteye, he could have helped him! If he had just thought for himself and did what his gut told him to none of this would have happened!

As his mind sank deeper his eyes watched as Rock Lock was wheeled past him. His wife and son stayed at his side. Following him was Mr. Aizawa. He spared a generally worried glance towards Izuku and Uraraka - only to continue forward. He probably had more important matters to attend to, he did say something earlier about taking care of Eri.

Izuku didn't know if it was the atmosphere of the hospital. Or the tears of Nighteye's family. Eri's confused weeping. Seeing Nejire cry for the first time. Mirio breaking from his usual gleeful self.

Or maybe it was Uraraka's tears that she was desperately trying to hide. And the knowledge that he honestly could not help her right now, even if he tried.

He saved Eri. But he couldn't save Nighteye or Mirio. This was all his fault. Everything - all of it. And he couldn't do SHIT about it!

This did not feel like a victory for the heroes.

In a blinded manner, Izuku jumped out of the waiting chair and started to speed walk down the stuffy hospital hallway. He had to get out of that place, he simply could not stay there.

Uraraka's puffy face snapped up - her eyes following the boy as he sped off. She almost immediately got up after him, she was still weak from the villain's quirk but she could walk at a normal pace.

"Deku! Where are you going?!" Uraraka desperately called to the seemingly mute boy.

She didn't receive a response, which only prompted her to follow the boy even further. It seemed like she was racing for her life when in reality she was only walking at a relatively slow pace. That villains quirk had drained her entirely, she could barely stand an hour ago, this was not good. She needed to get to Deku, but...she just...felt so tiredly.

The green-haired boy himself was too tunnel-visioned to notice Uraraka collapse on the floor 30 ft. behind him. He didn't notice the staff rushing to her aid, he didn't even notice a pink-haired nurse grabbing her with more speed than necessary. All he was focused on was getting out. He had to get out. He had to leave this place, he had to-

"Midoriya?"

...

"Togata..."

Mirio took a long look at the young boy, sweat dripped from his face, the normal bundle of joy was a mess. "Hey, are you ok?"

Izuku struggled to look at him, he was the pinnacle of his failure. Chisaki's damned bullets that HE could have stopped. If only he was faster!

"I-" Izuku turned to face the golden-haired hero, "I am so sorry, I..."

Mirio placed a single hand on the boy's shoulder, "Midoriya, you don't have to apologize. None of this was your fault."

Izuku looked up at his senior and clenched his fists to prevent him from breaking down right there, "No...if I had gotten their quicker if I had only-"

"Midoriya!"

The young boy's eyes widened at Mirio's sudden rise in volume.

"Listen," Mirio brought a hand to his face, covering his eyes for a brief moment, "Let's talk in my room..."

*Event shown in anime occurs, Midoriya offers to give one for all to Mirio. Mirio declines and explains to Midoriya how that would leave someone else without a quirk, and explains to him how his hope for the future and his quirk returning is strong enough to keep him in a positive mindset.

"Do you understand now Midoriya? We may have lost a lot, but think of what we saved! Think of what you saved!"

Midoriya wiped a few stray tears from his face before replacing them with a small smile, "Yah, I do Togata. Thank you - and you will get your quirk back. I promise!"

Mirio gave the boy a light smile of gratitude, "Thank you."

Sounds of rushing feet filled the boy's ears, a loud voice screamed, "Clear the way!" Izuku's face whipped towards the yelling doctor out in the hall. They had already ran passed Mirio's room, but Izuku's eyes caught the tail end of the hospital bed they seemed to be pushing. Familiar brown locks flowed over the headrest, and Izuku's eyes widened with fear.

Rushing up out of his seat, not even bothering to let Mirio know what was happening, the boy ran straight out into the claustrophobic hallways once more. Turning his head towards the bustling commotion, his eyes widened at what he feared he saw before, "Uraraka!"

Izuku nearly activated one for all before his senses came back to him, he immediately sprinted towards her. He ran alongside of her fast-moving hospital bed, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Uraraka! Are you ok!?" She was unresponsive, what was happening!? Looking up to one of the nurses running alongside the doctor trying to clear a path forward, he immediately grew angry, "Ma'am! What is wrong with her!? Why is she-"

The boy suddenly stopped talking as a hand grabbed his wrist, "D-Deku..."

His eyes widened, and within a few milliseconds, another Nurse pulled him away, "W-Wait! Uraraka!"

The nurse brought the boy to her eye-line, "Hey! She will be fine! You just need to let the doctors help her."

Izuku damn near broke free from the nurse's grip, but his mind got the better of him, "I..I'm sorry. But, what's wrong with her? She was fine a few minutes ago."

The nurse let out a heavy sigh, "She over-exerted herself. We found her collapsed on the floor down the hallway that way," she pointed at the end of the hallway where Deku had been sitting with her just before, "They are taking her to urgent care right now to give her an I.V. drip, she is incredibly low on nutrients and frankly we do not know why. She was cleared earlier, only advised to take it easy for a short while."

Bringing a hand up to his forehead and running it through his hair, Izuku let out a shaky sigh, "C-Can I see her? P-Please? She's...she's my best friend. Please."

The nurse gave the boy an empathetic look and then sighed once more, "No one but family is really supposed to be allowed in urgent care, but considering she does not have any guardian or parents here at the moment...ok. I'll see what I can do. Come with me."