Chapter 11: Imperfect Masks

Ochako

She's long since learned from observing her parents over the years how to fake a smile, to make sure no one is the wiser to your inner turmoil.

It's an art that takes practice and self-control, finding herself studying her reflection for the 4th time over to make sure there are no cracks left that could be visible to any of her peers or her teachers.

Her tears have since dried now from being hot and sticky along her face for a majority of the night, but her lack of sleep is still evident from the dark bags under her eyes to the clear redness staining her cheeks making them look slightly puffy.

Make up covers enough that she can explain away she just had a restless night, that's the truth at least.

Her smile looks kind of disjointed and crooked though, but perhaps only someone who knows her well enough may see that. She imagines how she'll greet Iida and Deku as usual in just half an hour's time in their usual trek up to school, she needs to appear normal, act normal...

"Morning!" She chirps at her mirror image, taking note that her voice is just a pitch too high and wobbly that it could come off as fake.

Right, she'd lower her tone down.

"Ochi! Come down and get some breakfast before it gets cold!" Gamps beckons her from downstairs.

They would be her first tests of keeping her emotions leveled.

And as long as she didn't think about that voicemail, that voicemail she couldn't even bring herself to respond to yet she'll be fine.

It takes at least 2 more tries of practicing her greeting before it sounds real enough to her ears, grabbing her bag to head out. Sunlight bathes the kitchen in a warm orange-yellow, red poppies and pink tulips from Gamma's garden sparkling by the window. It's like any other ordinary morning here at their home except for this new ache pressing on her heart...

"Had a long night Ochi? Seems like this old man here has been calling you for almost an hour now!" Gamma questions as she turns away from the sink, concern evident in her turquoise eyes.

'No, don't look at me with such worry when you've kept so much from me.' Her thoughts simmer.

"Ah, my leg is just a bit sore still. Woke me up once or twice!" Ochako laughs gesturing to the fresh new bandage on the wound, the lie flowing out easily.

She takes her spot beside Gamps, taking in the aroma of eggs, miso, and natto situated about the table. Her stomach lightly growls just as she squeezes her fingers against the ends of her shirt in an effort to quiet it.

When was the last time she'd eaten?

"That tournament went on for much longer than I expected." Gamma mentions, following after her to the table. She'd overhead from Recovery Girl that Todoroki had ended up winning overall, though she couldn't remember if Deku had placed in the Top 3 or not.

But really, the rest of the Sports Festival became a blur as soon as she heard that voicemail...

"Pass the juice sweetie, going to need all the Vitamin C I can get to get those weeds out in the garden later! Also for just in case one of those stinging insects gets to me!" Gamps mentions, Ochako forcing herself to stay within the conversation as she passes the carton of orange juice his way.

"You drink some too Ochi, Vitamin C is good for wound healing! Will make that injury of yours close up faster." Gamma recommends.

The topic of discussion thankfully soon shifts to the weather, chores, and how things are back in Mie. She adds in her own opinions and ideas at all the right points, pleased her mask is working.

If they can't see her pain, none of her classmates will as well.

-X-

Izuku

"Morning Midoriya! Uraraka! Glad to see you both have recovered well after the Sports Festival! I look forward to us all hopefully hearing back from one of the Hero agencies that were in attendance!" Iida greets them both.

"Yup, I'm sure we all impressed at least somebody!" Uraraka cheers, Iida nodding his agreement.

'Is Uraraka feeling okay?' Izuku wonders, slowing his pace down to study her a bit more carefully. Something about her tone sounded off, maybe the lack of enthusiasm in her voice to the hint of red in her eyes...

'It could just be lack of sleep, that would make anyone's voice come out a bit dryer and quieter than normal, right? But Uraraka in past mornings hasn't looked so tired even after a day of Aizawa-sensei's exercises unless she's sad or-'

"Midoriya, it's impolite to stare at Uraraka like that unless you have something to say to her!" Iida interrupts, eyes narrowed at his strange behavior.

Uraraka freezes up as well turning to look, face gaining a shade of pink. "What?! Is there something on my face?" She questions nervously, hands tapping back and forth over her cheeks.

"No, No! That's not it at all!" He panics, feeling his own face grow hot. Great, he must've looked creepy for Iida to take notice of his staring...

Uraraka relaxes then, smile returning back to her face enough for him to question his earlier thoughts. "Ah, that's good! Don't scare me like that, you'll make me think I have a bug on me or something without telling me!"

"Ah, I wouldn't do that! I just thought you looked a bit sleepier than normal is all." Izuku goes on, gesturing to her eyes.

And it's then her grin flickers, a flash of shock in her auburn orbs that is gone as quickly as it came.

"...Thank you for worrying about me Deku. Truth is my leg was keeping me up part of the night. I should probably visit Recovery Girl later on today to see if she can recommend me any alternative pain medications or treatments." She explains away.

Her reasoning makes sense he knows this, however he can't pretend he didn't just see that sudden shift in her expression. They carry on into U.A. without saying anymore on the subject, Uraraka running off to greet Yaoyorozu and Ashida when they wave to her at the gates.

So his earlier thoughts weren't necessarily off track.

Iida may not see it, but he knows when someone is pretending to be fine considering he's done it himself many times with his Mom during the long days of being bullied and teased at Aldera by Kacchan and his peers.

"Nice work during the Sports Festival." Shinso interrupts his line of thoughts as he strolls past him on the way inside. While he hadn't gotten anywhere near as far as him, he did better than he thought he would...

"Same to you! Has Aizawa-sensei been giving you extra lessons?" Izuku asks, matching his pace.

Something of a small smile crosses his face then, nodding. "Not much slips past you, does it Midoriya? Any of those recruiters from the stands will like that detail about you."

'Maybe, All Might said he had some suggestions for me but he didn't say who exactly yet.' Izuku muses.

There's no use in worrying about it though except for the sensation he is being watched more often, a foreboding having fallen over most of the faculty of U.A. like a mist that has yet to be spoken about aloud.

In the same way too he notes there is much more going on with Uraraka and he wonders for a moment how serious it must be for her to lie about it to everyone.

Lying can easily become a second nature if one does it enough he knows, enough for him to see when others are doing it...

-X-

Katsuki

"I ain't saying shit until you tell what you know!" He gripes.

Endeavor isn't the type to take 'No' for an answer though, especially not from a child.

"You have quite the smart mouth on you, I could burn your tongue off for even talking that way to me." Enji chuckles, but the threat is there and he doesn't miss the way his body briefly tenses up.

As much as it sucks; he's right. He's the one in control right now...

"I'll only say this one last time. What did you say to my son to finally get him to use his fire abilities?" He repeats, crossing his arms.

Katsuki scoffs, shrugging his shoulders as a way to calm his rising nerves. This is the same man who has had no problems pushing his own kids to tears and breakdowns, who easily threatens to ignite anyone who looks at him the wrong way Hero or not.

He'll sense immediately if he lies.

"I told him he wouldn't make for a good Hero if he only chose to use his Ice powers." Katsuki finally grunts out.

Endeavor mulls over his response before a slow grin etches his lips, chuckling. "Huh, that's all it took to get under Shoto's skin? Wish I had been told that years ago."

Now he knows exactly how to push him to surpass All Might. Part of him wished Shoto had this kid's determination, this drive to keep pushing past old limits and barriers.

With this new info at hand he twists to go, Katsuki firing off a blast that doesn't even mar his back. Ice blue eyes lock on him again and he wills himself not to flinch as he shoots of a warning flare of his own right by his ear.

"Hey, I told you what you wanted to know! Now tell me what's going on with All Might!" Katsuki snaps.

Enji arches a brow, looking him up and down as if he were a fly. A student shouldn't even be suspicious to Toshinori's case unless he truly is getting weaker at keeping up that buffed form of his. He must've slipped up somewhere and this boy saw it.

'You're losing your touch Yagi.'

"I got what I wanted out of you, this conversation is done now." Enji states instead.

He ignores his demands for him to come back, if he was so damn curious to know about Yagi's injury he was going to have to try digging elsewhere. The memory resurfaces from the back of his mind from when he came upon that faithful scene, the smell of blood and dying flesh...

Even with that wound of his though he still is number 1, still the best.

"Damn it, he could've at least given me a hint or something." Katsuki curses under his breath, falling back against his pillows. The noise they created triggers Recovery Girl to return back in, reprimanding him on how much his bandages have loosened.

"Just because Midoriya's quirk's effects are only temporary doesn't mean you can behave like this! Any infections you could get from the open cuts would take much longer to heal." She scolds him.

Katsuki only halfheartedly nods along, the pain he had been trying to ignore breaks through now that he is motionless. It pulses through every muscle of his body, spasms making his hands twitch in retaliation for using them when they aren't fully healed yet.

"I'm going to give you some medicine to help you relax considering this is your 5th time bothering your fellow classmates next door. You haven't slept at all or taken any pain medication since getting here despite how much I can see you're hurting. Violence or harsh language isn't always the best option." Chiyo advises, leaving no room for argument as she adjusts his IV.

"I don't need anything old lady, stop coddling me and-" Katsuki starts, stopping himself at feeling the warmth of the medicine run through him. The pain calms to a dull throb and he shifts deeper into his sheets as a second wave of drowsiness pushes him down.

"Try and get some rest Dear, you truly need it." Chiyo pats his hand, but her voice is already beginning to sound far away as her figure blurs in and out.

Katsuki turns his attention then back to the door, lit only by the dim glow of yellow from his bedside lamp striking against the sides. Already he had reached a dead end, none of the other faculty of U.A. are going to provide him with information whether or not they know the truth about All Might's secret. Even Deku will be tightlipped on this, changing the subject or forcing him to quit asking questions with Infliction.

'Fucking Endeavor is still my best bet if I want to get proper answers.'

But Endeavor hadn't even looked back at him once, he no longer existed in his thoughts or world and if anything he just saw him as an annoying child.

He grits his teeth, this isn't over yet though no matter what he may think.

-X-

Ochako

'Looks like it's going to rain.' Ochako hums to herself, glancing out the window.

Dark grey clouds brew on the horizon, wind picking up scattering leaves up faster into swirls. It matches well with her unstable mood, this continued act she is putting on for herself and her classmates.

"I'm fine; really." She repeats through clenched teeth, pushing past Mineta before he could dare follow her into the hall. She would rather take dealing with Bakugo's temper again than Mineta's 'comfort' for this timed rescue exercise, inadvertently jabbing him into the wall when his hands reached too close for her in supposedly trying to free her from the bindings she had already gotten out of herself. This wasn't good that he had picked up on her rising emotions, ruining this whole activity for them both.

Anger had flared before she could quell it, maybe she wasn't being completely fair. Despite Mineta's personality he came to U.A. to try and become a Hero too just like her and the rest of their peers even if he acted the complete opposite of heroic more often than not. (Why exactly he desired to be a Hero besides for just popularity/meeting women nobody seemed to know yet.)

"You sound far from okay!" He calls after her in a wheeze from her strike, gaining back his voice.

'Has Deku already saw through me?' She frowns reminded of his earlier look at her, hopefully she looked a bit more perkier to him now and the rest of their classmates with the morning coming to an end. After that whole practice fiasco she could tell her façade was cracking, harder to keep in place...

"Ah, why did Aizawa-sensei have to throw that Pop Quiz on us in the last 10 minutes?! Ochako, what did you put down for question 8?" Mina asks, nudging her shoulder shaking her from her thoughts.

"I put down B." She replies, giggling at her wince.

"Crap, I put down D! Ugh, that's probably the score I'm going to make as well when he finishes grading them!" She whines, slumping.

"Don't worry too much Mina, we still have plenty of time to make sure our grades are in order before the semester ends. Don't forget they look at your practical exams from each of the Hero & Rescue simulations as well." Tsuyu calms her with a shoulder pat.

They were definitely going to need to do another study meet up before midterms if they all wanted to up their final grades or prevent them from getting any worse than they currently were.

"Speaking of more physical exercises and what not, how is your leg doing now Ochako?" Tsuyu questions, eyes trailing to her still bandaged leg. They all flash her mirroring looks of concern and a familiar tightness wedges into her throat.

"Good! I mean it's not at 100% yet, but Recovery Girl said it should be fully healed by the end of next week!" She cheers, mustering as much enthusiasm as she can into her voice.

'Please don't ask me anymore questions.' She nearly bites her tongue at the rude thought.

It's enough luckily as their expressions relax, nodding as they slide into a new topic.

"I'm so glad we have this mini break to get a little bit of R&R, my parents have been wanting me to come home for a weekend trip to visit these apparent new villas in the mountains that specialize in mineral waters for healing." Momo considers.

"Ooh, take us with you! It's been so long since we've all had an opportunity to catch up!" Tooru exclaims.

"Any weekend is fine with me." Kyoka adds.

The knot in her throat slides down to her chest, pressing and coiling until she feels short of breath; nauseous.

She would never be able to afford any time soon going on what sounds to be like a lavish resort trip even if just for a weekend. The little money she had saved so far helping Gamma and Gamps with various chores all went back to home...

And for nothing in the end.

'The business is bankrupt, we'll have to shutdown.' Dad's voice rings back into her ears, quiet and broken the complete opposite of his typical proud/confident demeanor.

And with his voice returns colder thoughts, the stress. 'You were too weak during practice with Nishimura-sensei to the real deal back during the Sports Festival. Being distracted by feelings and friends weighed you down in the end, didn't it?'

'Why didn't you pick up on the signs faster?' Her bitterness further purrs in her ears.

She must be becoming pale because Tsuyu looks at her again in alarm, reaching out a hand to steady her.

"Ochako, are you sure you're alright?" She repeats with a firmer tone to be honest with them.

'The construction business is gone, just like all your dreams and goals for helping Mom and Dad to retire. You couldn't do anything to help in the end.'

It's true.

Because as much as she's been trying to ignore these cutting, biting thoughts spinning out of her control she can't think of any rebuttal to refute such facts...

'Give up now.'

"Just felt a twinge of pain is all." She lies. But her darkest feelings, these cruel reminders are compressing in on her faster and she abruptly moves to stand at the taste of acid on the back of her tongue.

History is about to start, but it can wait.

Everything can wait.

"I need some air." She manages to whisper out, pretending not to notice confused and worried stares searing at her back as she counts off in her head how quickly she can get to the nearest bathroom.

-X-

Izuku

'She didn't go this way.' Izuku sighs, the only footsteps echoing out into this hallway are his own.

He's never witnessed Uraraka become nauseated from hardly using her quirk and he recalls once more the smile she gave him and Iida earlier was false, only a way to keep them from worrying over her. Collectively as a class they decided it was best not to overwhelm her having them all go out in searching for her.

But he had volunteered anyways to at least find where she went.

Uraraka has showed him nothing but kindness, unafraid of how dangerous his quirk can truly be coming to his defense.

So now he would return the favor, he just needed to find her first.

Outside the rain begins to lessen, changing from a harsh drumming against the rooftops and windows to a light drizzle. Sunlight manages to slip through patches of gray and he considers for a moment if Uraraka would go outside even with the dreary weather easing up.

Or perhaps she headed for the clinic, it was feasible considering how ashen she had gotten.

Kacchan greets him midway to the clinic, scowl automatically etching his face as soon as their eyes meet. It doesn't make him flinch anymore and if anything that only makes his frown worsen.

"Have you seen Uraraka?" He asks, Katsuki looking indifferent to who he is even talking about.

"Err...Round Face?" Izuku tries again and at this some recognition sparks in his crimson orbs.

"I'm not her fucking keeper, but she didn't go this way." He grunts out, moving past him without another word. Why he had been in and out of class as of late was just as much a mystery knowing his injuries had long since healed, though only Kirishima probably knew the answer behind that.

Well, that helped him...somewhat!

'This is the fastest way to the clinic, which means she wasn't heading there. Where else would Uraraka go?'

It would be somewhere quiet he imagined, not anywhere that would be quickly noticeable to one of their classmates or a teacher.

And then he sees something, no someone from the corner of his eye on the opposite building, a speck on the rooftop midway in the air.

The metal is cold to his fingertips sliding the door open, brushing away remnants of droplets to his hands as the breeze hits him. He doesn't see Uraraka immediately, just the sound of a recording looping over the same words.

'The business is bankrupt; we'll have to shutdown. Your Ma and I will...'

So this was the pain she had buried.

-X-

Izuku & Ochako

'Someone's here.' Ochako knows.

Immediately she feels herself stiffen, floating herself up further behind the vents. It's too late though at seeing the shadow of a figure approaching and she prepares herself for the reprimand or punishment surely coming being in an area off limits until she hears who it is.

"Uraraka, it's just me." Izuku states.

What little she managed to keep down from breakfast and lunch may just come up again knowing all that he's heard, biting her lip to calm anxiety bubbling up. She should've resisted listening to the recording again.

"...You found me." Ochako breathes out softly instead, right when her mask is down and she can't put on a front that she's okay.

His eyes fall to her phone, gesturing at her stopped audio. "How long have you known?"

Her stomach churns, Ochako giving a weak shrug in return. "Officially? Since last night. Gamps and Gamma have probably known for days now though and I had a sense things were getting bad for the construction business when they always changed the subject when I asked about it."

She blinks back another surge of tears, not trusting her voice to say anymore on the matter. Her gaze flickers away from him to the rusted side of this corner of the rooftop, the indents of her fist having pounded at the weak foundation in a hopeless effort to take her mind off the message she has still yet to answer.

"Can you come down from there?" Izuku questions, regaining her attention.

Right, she only reached this spot by using her quirk.

Knots form into butterflies, scooting back from him into the shade with a hurried shake of her head. "No, I'll be fine in a minute or two. You should go back to class before one of our teachers catches you up here with me."

And then she sees it, the glow of his verdant eyes down to the sparks around his legs. He leaps himself up right beside her a second later before she can even activate Zero Gravity to move further out of reach, pulling her straight into his arms.

"Guess I can just come to you then! It's okay to cry about it Ochako; you don't have to pretend if you're truly hurting." He murmurs by her ear.

He rubs at her back affectionately to further prove it and show her he isn't going anywhere.

Heat floods her cheeks, walls crumbling as she obscures her face into his chest then letting more tears finally escape. As much as she's tried, this secret is no longer in the darkness...

"Why didn't they tell me?" She manages out through a hiccup, catching her breath when no more tears come.

"To not worry you, they wanted you to do your best during the Sports Festival without this weighing at the back of your mind. Makes sense, right?" Izuku replies easily.

Ochako nods, pushing herself up to properly look him in the eye. Verdant meets auburn and it occurs then how truly close they are, foreheads nearly touching.

She sees the realization cross Deku's face as well at seeing pink wash down to his neck, but he doesn't let her go just yet.

"Sorry, I just pulled you into a hug like this and calling you by your first name! I mean wow, how could I let something slip out so easily like that and-" Izuku stammers, Ochako intertwining their hands.

"I don't mind, really." First true smile of the day etching her lips.

She leans back into him before all her confidence runs away, his heartbeat thrumming just as fast as hers.

But a sudden boom in the air jolts them both to stand just a minute later, glancing towards the west near a district of Hero agencies as a plume of smoke the color of obsidian rockets up into the air.

"That blast...it's near Nishimura-sensei's dojo." Ochako murmurs.

-X-

Elsewhere- Mustard

"So, who sticks out the most to you?" Kurogiri questions.

Photos don't mean much without knowing the quirks behind them, however they all sound quite interesting based upon the stories Mustard has regaled them with.

"Well, the blond one I think Bakugo is his name leans towards violence being an attack first questions later type of guy with his explosion capabilities. However, it's the green haired one that I think can be used for wider use without drawing too much attention to ourselves." Mustard explains, tapping at his photo.

"His is the one similar to like Mind Control you said, right?" Kurogiri mentions at his nodding.

He was plain and stood out the least from the photos, perhaps Mustard finally was on to something.

"Has our 'calling card' been sent out? I recall you and Toga were suppose to plant the detonators throughout the city to go off at 1:00 pm." He remarks.

Mustard restrains a roll of his eyes, why did he consider him so incompetent still after all this time?

But he grits his teeth and nods, there's a reason why he's second in command and he doesn't want to see his quirk's power being used on him.

"Yes, should've just gone off now." He states instead, gesturing for him to check the news.

Pretty soon all of U.A. and their associates will be upon the scene.

Including that boy.

-x-

So, I'm going for a mix of the major arcs and my own unique ideas since I really want to weave them into the story line. May shorten some arcs though as a result so as to not drag things out or just keep repeating things over! I based Ochako's behaviors a bit on when my own Mom lost her job, but she's doing better now and retired. Hope you enjoyed the fluffy moment between Izuku and Ochako because that and many more to come have been some of my favorite parts to write! Let me know your thoughts as always!

Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!