Domestic Heroes: The Early Moments
3rd Moment: A (not so) Silent Night
"Dekuuuu… Are we home yet?"
"Almost there, Ochako. Almost there…"
"I really hope so. I want this nightmare of a week to just end."
"Me too… Me too…"
"...You're still traumatized by what happened at the hot springs last night, aren't you?"
"Yes… Yes…"
"...Want me to hug the trauma away?"
"Please…"
"Aww. C'm here, you."
Izuku let out a content sigh as he felt his head rest on his girlfriend's chest. The two of them were currently in a train after a long, difficult, and all around frustrating joint mission out of town with their respective agencies and were desperate to go home. The mission itself wasn't physically taxing, but it was very rough for them mentally, and that made the week go by at a snail's pace. Even the few moments of levity they had didn't alleviate the stress and mental anguish that they, and many of their fellow heroes and sidekicks suffered. The moment they were allowed to leave, everyone rejoiced and quickly made their way to their respective modes of transportation to get as far away from their mission location as possible. For Deku and Uravity that meant the train, which also meant a bit of a slower trip back home compared to those who drove or lived nearby. That also meant that they were with some of their old classmates who lived nearby that would tease them mercilessly if they saw their current position…
...Were it not for the fact that they, too, felt just as drained and frustrated as the pair in question.
"Ochako… Can you give me a hug, too…? I need a recharge after that crappy mission we had and Eiji's not here to give me one," Mina whined from beside the pair, laying on her stomach and reaching out to the girl weakly as if she was a lifeline.
"Sorry, Mina. One per customer and Deku takes priority. Ask Tsu for one instead. She gives better hugs than I do," Ochako said while shaking her head.
"That's debatable… No offence, Asui..." Izuku muttered while nestling in her chest, too tired to feel embarrassed by his actions.
"Ribbit, none taken, Midoriya. I actually agree with you. Ochako is a very amazing hugger. I might need one myself, to be honest," Tsuyu said from across the aisle, who would've looked no different than normal were it not for the bags under her eyes.
"...I can't tell whether you guys are praising me or teasing me," The blushing brunette muttered as a pair of pink arms slinked around her waist.
"Midori and Tsu are praising you for sure. Me, it's a bit of both. Keeps our mind out of that hell of a week, anyways, so don't complain," Mina grumbled as she rested her head on her friend's thigh.
"That's one good thing out of all this, at least," Ochako sighed as she moved Izuku down to her other thigh and proceeded to scratch both her frizzy haired friend's heads, smiling lightly when they both let out content hums in response.
"...You look like a mother putting her children to sleep right now, Ochako," Tsuyu croaked in amusement, getting a slight giggle out of Ochako in response.
"I feel like a mother to these two, sometimes."
It was another few minutes before the quartet finally made it to their stop, much to a certain pink hero's displeasure due to a lack of a comfortable lap pillow. Her mood perked up almost immediately when she saw a certain crimson hero waiting for her at the station. Ochako couldn't help but shake her head, bemused by her friend's actions, before bidding her froggy friend goodbye and walked home with her tired boyfriend. They were in much better moods now thanks to the impromptu cuddle fest, and Ochako thanked all that was holy that their train was empty besides the four of them. As comfortable as she was with PDA these days, she would've probably died in embarrassment if anyone saw her in such an...interesting position. Despite feeling a bit more energized, though, they were more than happy to be finally back at their apartment, and were desperate to get to bed. Tired as they were, they had forgotten about one little thing that the two had done the day they left until Ochako opened the door to their home…
"Ahh! Get him off! Get him off me, Kyoka!"
"Hell no. You're the one who pissed the cat off, Jamming Whey. You deal with it yourself."
"He's clawing my face and burning my hair! Please get him off before I become an ugly mess!"
"Too late for that…"
"...Oh right. We asked Kaminari and Jiro to cat-sit Mikan for us while we were gone…" Ochako muttered with a wince as she saw her electric powered friend run around with her tabby attacking his face while a certain earphone hero was watching the whole thing happen with a bored expression.
"Still better than when Kacchan does the cat-sitting. At least there aren't any burn marks on the walls or furniture this time," Izuku mused out loud, his statement causing Mikan to turn to the couple and jump off of Denki's face landing right into Ochako's shoulder, much to her amusement.
"Huh? Oh hey. Welcome back, guys. How was the mission?" Kyoka asked casually while Denki fell to his knees and panted heavily.
"Mind-numbingly horrible. I felt like banging my head on a wall the whole time…" Ochako grumbled while scratching under her cat's chin.
"I got jumped in the hot spring last night…" Izuku muttered in a traumatized tone.
"Yikes. Sounds really rough. We'll get out of your hair so you can relax. Looks like you need it," Kyoka said as she kneeled down to Denki and picked him up over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"The claws… The flames… Why must they hurt…?" Denki whimpered.
"Your fault for prodding and poking at the furry firebrand too much… It's a recent rescue, remember? It's not used to anyone touching him so much other than the lovebirds here. Only other person the cat's comfortable with like them is little Eri. Even Aizawa has a hard time getting on its good side and he's a true cat man," Kyoka said dryly as Mikan climbed off of Ochako's shoulders and onto Izuku's before gently butting its head on his.
"He's gotten better. As long as you don't agitate him, Mikan's actually pretty sweet," Ochako said with a giggle at the sight of her cat and boyfriend giving each other affection.
"I can see that," Kyoka said with a chuckle before walking past the pair and out the door, she and Denki waving goodbye before Izuku, still getting affectioned by Mikan, closed the door.
"Looks like someone really misses us," Ochako giggled as she grabbed the cat from Izuku's shoulder and rubbed her face with it. "Sorry for leaving you alone for a week, sweetie. Did you behave while we were gone? Outside of you clawing Kaminari's face just now."
"Mow."
"Let's take that as a maybe. And probably check the apartment for any of their stuff, just in case. Tokoyami still can't find his favorite cloak and I'm fairly certain Mikan hid it when he visited last," Izuku suggested with a chuckle, quirking an eyebrow when the cat seemed to snicker at him, before taking off his shoes. "Alright, now that we're home, how about we shower and then go to sleep. I'm ready to pass out for the entire weekend…"
"Same. I just want to forget about what we just went through. We better be paid extra for that hell," Ochako grumbled as she quickly removed her own footwear and made her way to the bathroom with one arm holding her cat and the other dragging her surprised boyfriend. "C'mon, Deku. We're taking the shower together. The sooner we get clean, the sooner we can get to bed and cuddle until we pass out. I need hugs from my boys."
"Didn't we just cuddle with Ashido on the train?"
"Mow mrow?"
"Not enough. Now on with the water and off with the clothes."
"Yes, ma'am."
The shower came and went quickly enough for the pair and now clad in their own set of Izuku's character shirts and boxers (when asked why she wore them instead of her own sleepwear, Ochako admitted she found Izuku's clothes comfier to sleep in than her own and helps her sleep at night when he's away, a fact that practically stopped the poor young man's heart when he first heard the explanation), the two proceeded to go to their shared bedroom and plop themselves head first into their fairly large bed, a poofy orange tabby following close by and situated at the edge of it.
"I'm so glad we have the next few days off… Hopefully we don't get bothered by anyone. We need our rest...," Ochako mumbled as she snuggled into Izuku's chest.
"Yeah… We do…" Izuku nodded as he gently rubbed Ochako's back, his eyes growing heavy. "Maybe...we can go out sometime tomorrow. Or today, technically, since it's past midnight… We haven't had a date in a while… I think we're due for one…"
"That sounds nice… Can we take Mikan, too? Visit that pet cafe and the aquarium…?"
"Yeah… We can do that…"
"Hmm… Goodnight, Deku. Love you…"
"Love you too…"
With those words said, the two drifted into a peaceful sleep, looking forward to a weekend of rest and relaxation. There was nothing to worry about for them, anymore. No missions. No villains. No stress. Just them, Mikan, and a few free days to do whatever they ple-
*knock knock!*
"Hmm…? Someone at the door?" Izuku mumbled as he slowly got up, rubbing his eyes as Ochako groaned in discomfort. "I'll see who it is. Go back to sleep, Ochako."
"Hurry back…" She muttered while snuggling a pillow, an act that made Izuku's heart clench for a moment before shaking his head and made his way to the front door.
"I wonder who would be here in the middle of the night? And how do they know we're here? We never told anyone we'd be here at this time," Izuku muttered to himself before opening the door, blinking a couple times in surprise when he saw his other best friend, Tenya "Ingenium" Iida, right before him and dressed in his hero garb, sans helmet. "Iida? What are you doing here? Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, my friend! I was simply starting my break during my patrol when I passed our friends Jiro and Kaminari, who said you and Uraraka have returned from your mission! I am aware of how late it is, but I wished to check in on you both to see how you were doing, as any comrade should, as our friends told me how rough your excursion was mentally!" Tenya said loudly and cheerfully, which was the norm for the engine-legged hero. Normally that wouldn't bother Izuku, having been friends with him since their first year at UA, but with how tired the off-duty hero was, he couldn't help but wince at the shouting.
"We're fine, Iida. It wasn't anything serious, really. We're just really exhausted, is all. Ochako and I were actually about to head to bed, so-"
"ACK! I disturbed you and Uraraka from your rest! I deeply apologize, my friend! I should've known you two would be trying to sleep now! It's well past midnight, now! I must find a way to make it up to you both!" Tenya exclaimed, causing Izuku to jump at his intensity and missing the sounds of footsteps approaching behind him until he felt a hand gently hold his shoulder.
"Iida, it's fine. You don't need to repay us. An apology is enough," Ochako's gentle voice said, causing the two young men to turn to see her smiling at them with Mikan napping on her head.
"Uraraka! It's goo-"
"Shh… Indoor voice, Iida. I know you're worried about us but there's no need to shout. Don't want to wake the neighbors, and our cat, up, after all," Ochako chided with a giggle while pointing at the sleeping furball on her head, causing Tenya to stare back at the pair shamefaced.
"Ah. My apologies, Uraraka. I was both so relieved and worried about you two during your outing that I lost control of my emotions for a moment. How unbecoming of a hero like myself to act so shamefully," The man said in a near dramatic fashion that the couple could barely contain their laughter.
So serious. They thought simultaneously, taking a moment to calm themselves before Izuku spoke up. "Listen, Iida, we really appreciate you coming to check on us. You're an awesome friend and we're happy to have you. We'd invite you inside, but Ochako and I need to get our sleep. We're off for the next few days, though, so if you have a day off soon, stop by for a visit so we can catch up."
"...I would like that very much, Midoriya. I wish you and Uraraka a good night's rest. With how hard I'm sure you two worked this past week, you more than deserve a break," Tenya said with a bow.
"Thank you, Iida. And you take it easy, too. Night shifts are not fun, after all. Say hi to Hatsume for us when you're off," Ochako said with a sleepy smile as she and Izuku waved goodbye to their now speeding friend before closing the door. "Well that was nice of Iida to drop by and visit. Really wished he came at a better time, but it's good to see him again."
"Yeah. We really should invite him out with us again soon. The three of us haven't hung out together in a while. Maybe after our date to the aquarium?" Izuku asked, who got a slow nod in response.
"Works for me. But for now, it's bed time for us. C'mon, lets-"
*bzzrt bzrrt!*
"...Did you hear that?"
"Sounds like it's coming from the bedroom. I think it's your phone," Izuku said as the pair walked back to their room.
"Right. You have yours on silent. Should've done the same thing…" Ochako grumbled as she grabbed her phone from the nightstand as Izuku reached for her head and pulled the still sleeping Mikan from it. "...It's my parents? Why are they calling at this time of night?"
"Might be an emergency. Go ahead and answer it," Izuku said, the both of them more alert once those words escaped his lips.
"Gotcha," She nodded before pressing the call button. "Mom? Dad? Is everything-"
[OCHAKO!]
"Eek!" The young woman screamed, causing Izuku to jump in surprise and even Mikan to awaken with a yowl. "M-Momma! Daddy!"
[Sorry, sweetie! We just wanted to check in on you! This is the only free time your father and I have at the moment!] An energetic woman's voice said in a sweet tone, causing Ochako to sigh in annoyance before putting the phone on speaker.
"I appreciate it, Momma, but we're fine. Deku and I just finished the mission and were about to go to bed now before you called. And what do you mean this is you and Daddy's only free time? Are you guys seriously doing a construction job at...one in the morning?" Ochako questioned after checking the time on her phone.
[Our current job has us working with more nocturnal customers this time, sweetie. It's odd, yes, but they're paying well.] Mrs. Uraraka said in a matter-of-fact tone that caused the couple to deadpan at the phone before the woman gasped. [Oh wait, did you say you and Izuku were about to head to bed! I am so sorry, sweetie! I thought you were still at your job and needed someone to talk to! It felt like you two were really stressed, judging from the text you sent to me and your father…]
[I told you we should've waited until morning to call them, honey!] An equally energetic male voice spoke up, one that the pair recognized as Ochako's father.
[You did not! You wanted to call them this morning before we went to sleep!]
[No, I said we should call them tomorrow morning! But you said it would be best to call them during our break!]
[So now it's my fault that I'm keeping our baby from getting some sleep?]
[That's not what I meant and you know it!]
"...Do you think we'll end up like them when we get married?" Izuku whispered to Ochako in a frightened tone, having little experience with such arguments thanks to his childhood with a single parent.
"We're like that now, sometimes. Even the best relationships have their rocky moments, and both ours and my parents' are no different," Ochako said calmly, much more used to such things than he was and giving Izuku a soft pat on the cheek before turning back to her arguing family. "Momma, Daddy, it's good to hear from ya again, but we really need to go to bed, ok? Call us when you two aren't working a night job or at each other's throats. Whichever comes first. We love you both! G'night!"
[Oh! Sorry for keeping you up, sweetie! Have a good night! And don't have too much fun with Izuku before heading to be-]
*beep*
"...I hate it when they do that," Ochako grumbled as she muted her phone, her normally rosey cheeks darker thanks to her parents' parting words.
"To be fair, we almost did it in the bathroom earlier. Only reason we didn't was because of how tired we were and the fact that you brought Mikan to the bath with us," Izuku said in a tired, but matter-of-fact tone as he set the dozing cat on the bed.
"...Why is it that you're more comfortable talking about this stuff when you're dead on your feet?" Ochako questioned while the pair reacquainted themselves with their bed.
"Too tired to be embarrassed or really think about what I say…" Izuku confessed, his cheeks also taking a reddish tone.
"Fair enough. I'll just tease you about it when we wake up. I am ready to pass out until midnight tomorrow, now…" Ochako said with a yawn as she placed her head back onto Izuku's chest, humming when she felt his arm wrap around her.
"No...argument here…" Izuku agreed sleepily before quickly passing out, with Ochako following suit just as fast.
With all distractions out of the way, the two were finally able to rest. No calls to disturb them. No one (hopefully) heading to their door to see them. Just them, their cat, and all the quiet in the world for them to get their much needed-
*BOOM!*
"GAH!" The pair screamed, flying out of their bed and into the floor. Even Mikan was now clinging to the ceiling in response to the loud noise.
"Oh for cryin' out loud, What Now!?" Ochako screamed, eyes bloodshot as she stomped towards the door.
"What in the world could cause an explosion like that?" Izuku questioned, he and Mikan hot on her heels as they saw her swing the door open. "It didn't sound like a bomb or a gas line exploding. In fact, it sort of sounded like-"
"GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE, YOU STUPID VILLAIN! YOU'RE GOING TO JAIL WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"
*BOOM!*
"...Should've guessed," Izuku sighed as soon as he heard the familiar shouts and blasts of his childhood friend and rival, Katsuki 'Ground Zero' Bakugo.
"Of all the things that woke us up…" Ochako growled as Mikan moved right beside her and started hissing in agitation, much to Izuku's concern.
"Uh… Ochako? Mikan? Maybe we should just head back inside and-"
"HEY! BAKUGO! CAN YA KEEP IT DOWN WITH THE DARN EXPLOSIONS! SOME OF US ARE TRYIN' TA SLEEP HERE!"
"MROW!"
"Oh no, here we go…" Izuku groaned with a palm on his face. He knew once Ochako got going, there were few things that could stop her. It didn't help that their cat was also getting into it.
"YOU KEEP IT DOWN, ROUND FACE! I'M TRYING TO GET THIS VILLAIN AND YOU'RE DISTRACTING ME FROM MY WORK!"
"THEN WORK QUIETER! DEKU AND I JUST GOT BACK FROM A LONG AND STUPID MISSION AND WE NEED OUR REST! AND WE CAN'T HAVE IT WITH YOUR DUMB EXPLOSIONS KEEPIN' US UP!"
"NOT MY PROBLEM!"
"How is he even able to hear her? They're meters apart…" Izuku wondered out loud as he picked up his aggressive cat and began stroking it to hopefully calm it down. "Ochako, take it easy. Kacchan's just doing his job. It's not his fault that his Quirk is so loud. We should head inside and-"
"IF YA DON'T MAKE THOSE BLAST OF YOURS QUIETER I'LL FLOAT YA TO SPACE!"
"I'LL MAKE MY EXPLOSIONS AS LOUD AS I DAMN WANT! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO SHUT THE HELL UP! YOU'RE WAKING UP THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH YOUR STUPID SHOUTING!"
"LOOK WHO'S TALKIN'!"
"Ok, that's enough of that," Izuku said as he grabbed Ochako's arm and pulled her inside. "Ochako, I know you're stressed, but you don't need to take it out on Kacchan like that."
"Oh yes I can! We've been trying to get to sleep for who-knows-when and I am so annoyed with all these interruptions! First Iida, then my parents, and now Bakugo! I just want to sleep!" Ochako exclaimed, causing Izuku to wince as she took a few deep breaths. "Sorry… I didn't mean to blow up on you…"
"I get it. This night hasn't been that easy for us. And honestly, with all the interruptions we've had, I don't think I'll be going to sleep anytime soon," Izuku said as he set his now calm cat down and embraced Ochako gently.
"Ugh. Neither can I now. I'm too wound up from all this…" She whined while wrapping her arms around Izuku and Mikan rubbing his cheeks on her legs.
"...Well, we could just try and relax in other ways. Pet the cat. Make some food. Watch some TV. Stuff like that," Izuku suggested as the trio moved to the couch.
"Hmm. Those sound like good ideas…" Ochako nodded while sitting on the couch as Mikan jumped onto her lap and Izuku stood before her with his face suddenly brighter.
"Oh, maybe there's some places open still for delivery. We can just rest here and have a late dinner and movie marathon until we fall asleep. At least that way the sound of the TV will hopefully drown out anything that'll disturb us," He said as he left to grab his phone, leaving Ochako alone with an amused smile while petting her cat.
"...He is too cute for his own good, sometimes," She hummed before reaching over to the small coffee table before her and grabbed the remote, flickering through the different movies they had as she waited for her boyfriend to arrive.
It wasn't the ideal way for them to spend their first night back after being gone so long, but in the end, it didn't matter. They were home together, and that was the important thing. Sure they needed to sleep, but they had the next few days to unwind, so there wasn't a rush. They'll pass out soon enough. Until then, she was happy to watch some movies and wait for food with her love by her side and her cat on her lap.
And this time, there wouldn't be any unwanted distractions.
"Oh hey, the Magnificent All Might Collection's finally out. Deku's gonna want to see this."
"Ochako! Mahjongs is still open! You want me to order your favorite mochi from there?"
"Yes please! And don't forget the side of anchovies for Mikan!"
"I won't!"
"Mew!"
Author's Note:
Hello again, Heroes. Hope you enjoyed this more humorous chapter. I honestly don't know how this piece came to be. I was just writing what was in my mind and it...spiraled for lack of a better term. It was honestly one of the more enjoyable times I had while writing in a long time. Here's hoping I get to experience something like that again... In any case, this chapter is more or less the last of the stand-alone pieces, as the last few will be more connected compared to the last one. The reason for that? Well... Let's just say that the 3rd (or 4th if you count Mikan) main character of the Domestic Hero series will finally make her way here. Look forward to that! As always, thank you all so much for enjoying my works. I wish you all a wonderful IzuOcha week and I will see you tomorrow for day 4!
Until then, Farewell. And remember: Go Beyond! Plus Ultra!