A/N: Please be safe while interacting with strangers on the internet :) I don't condone the characters actions in this regard, but I love some good angst, and with that typically comes questionable behavior. It's all for the angst. Rated M for strong language and adult themes.

10 years ago

Ochako Uraraka sat at a lunch table in a desolate corner of Lunch Rush, eating the bento her mom had packed her. It tasted bland. The problem wasn't the food; she loved her mom's food. Food was best enjoyed with friends, but she was distancing herself from her group at the moment, and she didn't know how long that would last.

The first few months at U.A. High School were a literal dream, besides the attacks from the League of Villains. And even then, despite those terrifying experiences, she learned a lot about being a hero from it. Experience is the best teacher, after all.

Things started to go downhill about a month ago when she and the boy she had the biggest freaking crush on broke up. Izuku and Ochako dated for a whopping two months before he broke things off with her when he accepted that he was gay.

Honestly, Ochako harbored no hard feelings. Logically she understood that most people would probably be upset with the situation, but she just wasn't. Despite not being compatible with being his partner any longer, she knew Izuku extremely well. He wouldn't date her as a cover-up. He hadn't used her.

Izuku truly didn't know he wasn't interested in women when they first started dating. His inability to break up with her once he realized he was only interested in guys had more to do with him being too nice and a people pleaser than malicious intent. In the end, all that mattered to Ochako was that Izuku was happy because he was her best friend before anything else. If his happiness didn't involve being romantically involved with her, then so be it. It didn't make the situation sting any less; her feelings were still there.

But the breakup wasn't the reason she sat alone eating lunch. No, the reason for her distance was Izuku's new relationship with Shouto Todoroki. That sounded petty on her part, but this was actually her trying to be a good friend. Shouto repeatedly assured her and Izuku that their previous relationship didn't bother him; regardless, it continued causing problems.

Ochako wouldn't lie. The news of their relationship initially hurt. Her feelings didn't just disappear because Izuku decided he wasn't attracted to her. She figured it would take time for her to get over it. The following day she'd already decided she was going to be happy for Izuku and Shouto.

The three even had a long talk together about preventing feelings from getting hurt. She thought they had developed a good solid plan, but things kept being awkward. She couldn't blame Shouto for feeling uncomfortable with her around.

Heck, the month before, she'd been dating his boyfriend. It was awkward for them and the friend group, so Ochako decided to take a break from the group on her own. It's not like she was exiled, though.

Tenya, Momo, and Tsu protested profusely when they found out her plan, and Izuku was distraught. Ochako promised them all it wasn't forever, but she wanted Shouto and Izuku to nurture their new relationship without her presence muddling things for them. When things settled down, she'd rejoin the group for lunch. This way, her own feelings would die down too.

Ochako was friends with everybody in their class. She had other options for lunchtime companionship. The first day away from her normal table, she sat with Aoyama, Jirou, and Hagakure, and though she adored them all, the gossiping was too much for Ochako to handle. She wanted to relax at lunch, not hear things that were never meant for her ears to begin with.

The day after, she tried sitting with Ojiro, Satou, and Kouda. She immediately found out they had nothing to talk about. That had been even more awkward than sitting with her ex and his new boyfriend. She considered sitting with Shouji, Tokoyami, and Mineta the next day but reckoned strangling Mineta, for obvious reasons, would get her in trouble with Mr. Aizawa. Even though she knew her homeroom teacher would be on Ochako's side, violence was out of the question at school, and he'd have to take disciplinary action.

The last option from her class was Mina and her posse of boys: Kirishima, Sero, Kaminari, and Bakugou. Otherwise known as the Bakuquad. If she couldn't find things to talk about with Ojiro's group, she certainly wasn't going to have much in common with that boisterous group. Ochako loved Mina to bits, but she didn't think she'd be able to put up with the noise level coming from that table all lunch long, even if it did seem like a lot of fun. She told herself it just wouldn't be a good fit.

This was how Ochako ended up eating her lunch off to the side of the lunchroom every day before sneaking off to the library to mess around on her phone until lunch was over for the last several days. It wasn't ideal, and it was kind of lonely, but it wasn't going to last forever.

Ochako hit pause on the ascent of her rice ball when she spotted Mina walking up to the table she was sitting at. People were probably starting to notice she was eating by herself. Ochako smiled when her eyes met Mina's. "Whatcha doing eating all by your lonesome, babycakes?" Mina asked.

The only response Ochako gave was a shrug of her shoulders. She was sure Mina had already heard the gossip about her, Izuku, and Shouto. Mina loved to tease, but she was perceptive and could tell this was truly a touchy subject. There was a time and place for teasing, and this wasn't one of them.

"Well, come sit with us!" she declared with a sweeping motion to her table where the rest of the Bakusquad sat.

Ochako's eyes wandered over to Mina's table, and they settled on the explosive blonde. She may have been nervous around Bakugou before their fight at the sports festival, but that fight changed things for her. It showed her that Bakugou was one of the few people in class who took her seriously enough to go all out during their fight. He didn't see her as the weak little girl everybody else saw. Ochako really appreciated that.

Still, she was friends with Izuku and even dated him, and Ochako knew how Bakugou felt about her ex. Her being at the table would only remind him of his green-haired rival.

"Uh…would the guys be okay with that?" Ochako questioned, but Mina could tell she was specifically asking about one guy.

She waved Ochako's concern away and said, "Of course! But there's too much testosterone over there, and it's fraying my brain. I swear, something Kaminari said the other day made sense to me, and that's kind of concerning. I think the table needs some more estrogen. So, lend me your ovaries!"

Ochako laughed at Mina's eccentrics, feeling she was overdramatizing things to get Ochako to sit with them, not wanting her to eat lunch by herself anymore. Mina was a good friend.

Mina asked again with a grin, "What say you? Will you leave a sister to suffer alone?"

It's not that she didn't want to sit with them. She just didn't want any more awkwardness. Remembering some advice she received last night from an online friend, she decided she had nothing to lose by accepting Mina's offer. It was better than eating alone.

Ochako returned the grin. "I say…ovaries unite!"

Ochako ran from the train to her house as fast as her little legs would allow her. Excitement gave her strides moxie. She was eager to get home and tell her friend how her day went. A few months ago, Ochako was participating in an online chatroom for her favorite anime because the new season was about to be released. Everybody was ecstatic about the episodes and enjoying conversation over popular ships.

She bonded with another fan over their mutual ship of two characters that wasn't a well-liked ship (ship shaming was never okay in Ochako's book). She mentioned the ship in the chat and was saved from utter annihilation via the computer screen by another fan. It was the same one who also shared a love for the ship.

The two started a conversation on the side and ended up adding each other on messenger. Ochako felt safe because she hadn't given her phone number or location. If the person turned out to be a lunatic, all she had to do was block them.

Little did she know she'd end up talking with them every night for months. Ochako quickly considered them a friend. She discovered the other fan was a boy around her same age. Beyond those general demographics, they didn't share any other personal information, not even their names. It never came up, and Ochako didn't think much about it. She figured she'd learn his name eventually.

Ochako's mom was in the kitchen prepping dinner when Ochako rushed through the front door. "Hi, hunny."

"Hi, mom!" Ochako replied as she dashed about the kitchen, grabbed a soda and a snack, and hastily ran up the stairs to her bedroom. "Bye, mom!"

She shut her door and booted up her desktop computer. She always looked forward to her conversations with her friend. He was funny, in a strange way, but really kind and thoughtful. He gave the best advice.

When everything was good to go, she opened up the messenger they used and checked her online friend list for his name. Before she got to his username, the familiar ding of receiving a message sounded out. Instead of his user icon being a photo of himself, his icon was a character from their favorite anime. Hers was as well. In fact, his icon was that of the male character from their favorite ship of the anime, and her icon was the female of the ship. Ochako thought that was pretty dang cute.

6:05 PM [Unknown_User]: how was ur day?

Ochako smiled widely at his lack of greeting. He always went straight into the conversation.

6:05 PM [GravityGirlXO]: GREAT! :D

6:06 PM [Unknown_User]: ur day warranted all caps, 3 exclamation points & 1 cracked out smiley face?

He always made fun of her use of text emoji's. He never, ever used them. Ochako felt like they gave flavor to her messages.

6:08 PM [GravityGirlXO]: yes indeedy! i found a new place to eat lunch so im not the loser lunch girl anymore

6:15 PM [Unknown_User]: i doubt anybody thought u were a loser

6:16 PM [GravityGirlXO]: doesnt matter cause this girly has a new lunch home

6:16 PM [GravityGirlXO]: thank you for your advice last night

6:16 PM [GravityGirlXO]: you gave me the courage to not give up

Ochako had been confiding in him about her situation with Izuku and Shouto, leaving their names and any identifiers out. Ochako told her friend everything about her life, and her conundrum with her ex was no different. He agreed with Tsuyu that she didn't need to give Izuku and Shouto space and that if they couldn't get over this hump, their relationship wasn't meant to be. Still, he relented when Ochako mentioned also wanting distance to get over her feelings for her ex.

6:17 PM [Unknown_User]: yw

6:18 PM [GravityGirlXO]: you're like my guardian angle

She wasn't overexaggerating, either. She never thought a chance encounter with a stranger from an online chatroom would result in such a cherished friendship for her. It took him a while to respond, which wasn't abnormal. They talked all night and usually did other things while talking, like homework or watching TV.

6:55 PM [Unknown_User]: ur the only 1 that thinks that

6:55 PM [Unknown_User]: everybody else sees a devil when they look at me

That completely baffled Ochako. She couldn't imagine how the same sweet boy who stayed up late talking to her about her problems could ever be viewed as something so negative.

6:57 PM [GravityGirlXO]: then they dont see what i see

6:58 PM [Unknown_User]: i like that u see something good in me

Hours later, and way too late to be up if her mom caught her, Ochako went to bed with a smile on her face. The same smile she always fell asleep with when she ended her night talking with her friend. Unbeknown to her, it would be ten years before Ochako discovered his true identity.

Present Day

"Chako-latte!"

Ochako grumbled at Mina's insistence on being a morning person. Dreadful. She pulled her pillow over her head and ignored her roommate's chipper beckoning.

"Up and at 'em, babycakes! It's 10 am. You're wasting your Saturday sleeping!" Mina insisted, the volume of her voice a cruel strategy in her mission to wake Ochako up.

"The weekend is for rest," Ochako mumbled with a groan.

Mina laid the sarcasm on thick when she griped, "You would be rested if you didn't stay up until the wee hours of the night talking with your online lover."

Unknown was not Ochako's lover. They had deep conversations, and yes, he knew literally everything there was to know about Ochako (more than she'd ever share with a lover). But they were just friends that talked online. Even now, they had no idea what each other looked like, and they still hadn't exchanged names—hence her use of his username in lieu of his real name. About a year into talking, they both decided it was best to keep each other anonymous.

Ochako preferred it this way. She didn't want to lose the relationship she had with Unknown, and feared meeting him in real life would change things between them. She needed the person he was to her online. Apparently, he felt the same way because he never brought it up.

"He is not my lover," Ochako said, pillow still safely shielding the light from her eyes. Nothing was saving her from Mina's complaining.

"Sure, sure. You've only spent the last ten freaking years talking with him online almost every night. This mystery man may even know more about you than I do, your best friend!" she complained. "Regardless, I do not approve of an online lover. It just won't cut it. We need to find you a lover IRL before I move out."

Ochako felt Mina's weight at the end of her bed. Her eyes flew wide in horror when the blanket slowly lifted off Ochako's feet. Mina wouldn't dare! Expect that she would because she's pure evil, and she would do it with a smile on her face.

"That's a good way to get yourself kicked," Ochako warned. The pillow was no longer covering her face but locked and loaded in her hand, ready to be tossed at Mina's head in self-defense.

Pleased with herself that she successfully woke her best friend up, Mina rewarded herself by tickling Ochako's feet. Ochako's wail of laughter wasn't cute. No, it was the kind of laughter only tickling could elicit from a girl; half forced giggle, half hysterical plea for it to end.

When Mina was satisfied that she'd tortured Ochako enough, she laid down next to her in Ochako's bed. Mina and Ochako had been inseparable since the first day she ate lunch with her and the Bakusquad, which she was now fully integrated into.

Ochako was close with all of the guys, especially Denki. He matured a lot after high school, and when they all started working at the same hero agency together, the friendship she developed with him rivaled that of her friendship with Mina.

She was even close with Bakugou in their own weird way. He remained the unofficial leader of their group, almost like he was the mama duck and the rest of them were his ducklings. He'd be fuming if he heard her analogy. She giggled at the thought of his reaction.

"We've been over this," Ochako started, "I am going to be okay when you move in with your new hubby. The two of you have been dating since the end of high school. You should have already been living together, anyways."

The pink haired beauty just stared at her. Ochako had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop her eyes from rolling. Mina tended to become a nervous wreck whenever it came to Ochako. "Mina, you will have to leave once you marry Kirishima next month."

"I KNOW! I'm just worried about leaving you all alone."

"Don't be! Plus, I won't be alone. I'll have Éclair," Ochako rebutted.

When Ochako was twenty-two, she briefly dated this guy who showed up for their third and final date with a present for her. Somehow, and he refused to tell her how, he managed to get a sable as a pet—which, courtesy of the internet, she found out was a member of the Mustelidae family.

She politely declined, and he not so politely snuck out of her apartment while she was in the bathroom, leaving her with the oddly shaped animal. She never saw the man again. Her research online told her everything she needed to know about taking care of a sable, and she was determined to find a new home for the little guy.

One day turned into a week, that turned into a month, and then she couldn't bring herself to part with him. He was so perfectly odd; Ochako was in love. She named him Éclair due to his beautiful two-toned chocolate brown and tan fur. She also thought it was a fitting name because the animal and the pastry shared a similar shape.

It was two years later, and she had kept Éclair. He had a fun-loving personality around Ochako, but he made it known when he didn't like somebody, which was all humans. She felt Éclair didn't trust people due to his time spent with the guy who pawned the poor little guy off on her as a "present."

Mina hated Éclair. The hate was reciprocated tenfold by Éclair. She sneered at the thought of the sable and told Ochako, "If you dropped dead tomorrow, that thing wouldn't wait for your body to turn cold before he ate you."

"This is why he doesn't like you. He can sense your attitude towards him," Ochako reasoned.

"That little monster doesn't like anybody but you. I know you don't want to hear this, but he's a cockblock, Ochako. You gotta get rid of him, or you'll never keep a man," Mina countered.

Mina jumped at any opportunity to part ways with Éclair, but the little guy was staying with Ochako. She wouldn't hesitate to pick Éclair over any man that didn't like him. Ochako's bad luck with guys stemmed from something much more serious than her tiny household companion.

"Éclair is not the reason I can't find a man," Ochako began, and having heard her friends rant many times before, Mina knew where she was heading. "Ochakooo, don't start," Mina cautioned.

"It's because I'm cursed."

"You are not!"

"Yes! A villain must have hit me with a quirk that gave me eternal bad luck with men. How else would you explain Sen?"

Sen Kaibara was her first and only boyfriend. They dated for almost two years after high school. It was far from a perfect relationship, but Ochako was committed to him; however, the only commitment he made in the relationship was to himself.

The man cheated on her so frequently that she was amazed he had time for her. It embarrassed Ochako that she didn't see the signs sooner. After Sen, she dated one jerk after another until she got sick of it and stayed single for the last three years.

Ochako was okay with being single. She loved her job. She loved her friends. She was genuinely happy. Even still, seemingly out of nowhere, this annoying infinitesimal part of her that longed for what all her friends in relationships had would make her heartache. Deep down, she wished for a real connection like they had, like she had with Unknown, but in real life.

"Men suck?" Mina offered. In response, Ochako sighed, "Not all men, just the ones interested in me, unfortunately. I'm glad you found a good one, though. I'm happy knowing you'll be happy."

"Eiji and I have extended a marriage offer to you multiple times," Mina pouted.

"And be second best to you for the rest of my life? Thanks, but I'll pass."

"If you won't marry us, we gotta get you out of bed to find your perfect match. He's out there, I promise!" Mina bounced off the bed and walked towards the bedroom door. When she passed by Ochako's desk that housed her laptop, Mina shut the screen. "And not on here!"

When she was alone, Ochako rushed to her desk. She popped her laptop back open and launched her messenger to see if Unknown was on. He usually worked the weekends like she did, but occasionally they would have the same weekend off.

She found his username with the green icon that told her he was available. The panic she was experiencing subdued at the prospect of talking with Unknown so early in the day. She usually didn't get to speak with him until the evening.

Ochako typed out her message and hit send.

10:45 AM [GravityGirlXO]: SOS SEND HELP

A/N: I was going to wait to start writing this, but I needed a serotonin boost, and kacchako makes me happy.

The type of messenger I picture them using in this story is similar to the old school MSN messenger or AOL instant messenger where you didn't have a profile account like Facebook or Instagram. This way they can stay anonymous.

Ochako and Izuku are still besties. I adore them. I just needed a little bit of drama to get her to another lunch table. Their friendship can overcome any high school drama!