AN: Thanks for reading!
"Are you sure you want to sleep on the couch again?"
"I will be fine," Ochako reassured Izuku as he spread a blanket out on the couch. "It was sufficient for recharging this body last night."
"You didn't feel uncomfortable?"
"Uncomfortable?" Ochako tilted her head sideways.
"Umm," Izuku tucked a stray corner in before he straightened out and rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, sometimes if you sleep the wrong way your body aches when you wake up."
"Oh," Ochako thought about it for a moment. "No. However, my body is still growing so my sensations, at least as far as this body is concerned, are still limited. Perhaps in a few days it might matter, but not now."
"I see," Izuku said softly, mentally adding a futon to the list of things he'd have to purchase for his temporary guest. If nothing else, it would be useful to have once she left, in case he had any guests staying overnight.
"Do not worry about me, Izuku," Ochako tried to reassure him as she sat down on the couch and turned toward him. "You are already doing more than enough to accommodate my needs. I understand I am an unexpected burden in your life and do not wish to tax you any more than is necessary."
"You aren't doing anything like that," Izuku insisted.
"I appreciate your assurance. If this ends up becoming too inconvenient for my body I will tell you. Until then, this is more than enough." She lay down on her side and folded her arms on a pillow Izuku had stolen from his bed, before resting her head on them. "Goodnight Izuku."
"Goodnight Ochako," Izuku said as he made his way to his bedroom. Giving one last glance at the woman on his couch, he turned off the light and noticed the ethereal glow that she was emanating last night had dimmed. She also appeared more substantial than she did that morning, and Izuku found himself almost disappointed at the fact that her feeling of otherness was fading.
Then again, it was for the best. Izuku couldn't claim that she was in makeup all the time, after all.
Turning away from his guest, Izuku entered his bedroom and crawled into his own bed, ready to see what the next day would bring.
Izuku emerged from his bedroom to see Ochako's sleeping form curled up on the couch. As he stood there silently, he noticed that in the dark of the apartment, with the curtains drawn to block the first rays of morning light, was that her 'ethereal-ness', for lack of a better term had faded. Today she seemed more solid - more substantive. As if she was finally all there.
The second was just how peaceful she looked, sleeping there. The previous day, even when she smiled, there was a hidden edge to it, her star-filled irises always on alert. But here, as she rested, he couldn't help but notice the subtle change to her features, how her shoulders have relaxed, even how the constantly shifting fabrics of her robes had stilled, granting her a few brief moments of respite.
His observations didn't last long before his cheeks burned at the realization that he was likely intruding on some private, vulnerable moment. Even if she could end him with a thought - even if she trusted him - it still felt wrong somehow. Shaking his head to clear away his worry, he called out to her sleeping form.
"Ochako?"
"I am conscious," Ochako said as she uncurled from the couch, the blanket falling to the floor. "Although I feel like I could sleep until evening."
The burning sensation filled his face as Izuku let out a small 'eep.' Did he wake Ochako up? Or was she awake the whole time? If she was, did she know he was watching her? Was he coming off as creepy?
"I-I'm sorry I woke you up," Izuku said, deciding to take the safe approach.
"You did not," Ochako said. "I was already awake. As I said yesterday, I do not need sleep the way you do. However," Ochako sat upright and stretched. "Right now I feel like I could spend the whole day unconscious if I chose to."
"Building that body's taking a lot out of you, isn't it?"
"Perhaps. I do not like it - it makes me feel vulnerable," Ochako said as she examined her hands, her frown slowly reversing into a smile. "But it is progressing nicely."
"I saw," Izuku admitted. "You aren't glowing in the dark anymore."
"That is good," Ochako looked up at her companion. "So what is the plan for today?"
"First I was going to make breakfast," Izuku explained. "Then I was thinking we could go shopping again."
"What do we need now?" Ochako asked, tilting her head curiously.
"If you're supposed to blend in, don't you think you should be wearing well, normal clothes?"
"Oh," Ochako looked down at her robes, swirling black cloth that hid her form without encumbering her or tripping her up. "I suppose these are rather uncommon for your world."
"Yeah," Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Since you're going to be here a while, we should probably get you something that'll let you fit in. And there's a few other things we could pick up - to make your stay easier."
"I already told you-"
Izuku held up his hand. "I-I insist. Besides, if I'm essentially humanity's representative to you, I want to make sure you have the best impression of us, right?" He gave her a shaky smile.
Ochako closed her mouth and stared at her temporary companion. "I believe you already have, but if it will make you feel better, then I accept."
"Great!" Izuku said quickly, fearing she would change her mind. "Time to get started on breakfast!"
After breakfast and a shower, Izuku dug through his old clothes to find a tee shirt and pair of shorts for Ochako to wear. They hung loose on her, but they would more than suffice for a shopping trip and helped her stand out less than her robes did. Completing the look, Izuku gave her a blue-and-yellow baseball cap to partially conceal her face.
Preparations done, Izuku led her out of his apartment and down to the edge of the shopping district, where they entered a massive department store.
"This is very different compared to where we went shopping yesterday," Ochako said as she looked around the massive lobby area.
"Yeah," Izuku gave her a sideways glance. "There are a ton of different shopping experiences you can have, even just here in Mustafu."
"I think I would like to experience them all," Ochako said as she returned his glance.
"I-if you stick around long enough, I can show them to you?" Izuku offered hesitantly.
"That sounds like a suitable arrangement."
Izuku felt a heat creeping up the back of his neck at her words before he gestured toward an escalator. "W-we should get going. The third and fourth floors are dedicated to women's clothes, let's start there."
"Lead the way."
After they reached the third floor and began walking around, Izuku discovered the first major problem of shopping for an eldritch being who was in the process of creating a human vessel for itself.
"What do all of these letters and numbers mean?" Ochako asked as she was sorting through a rack of jeans.
"Y-you don't know what size you are?"
"Size?" Ochako asked, tilting her head curiously.
"Umm, as you probably noticed humans have all sorts of body types," Izuku said nervously. "Since we can't create clothes for ourselves like you did with your robes, we have to make clothes that fit all of those different body types. Once you know what size you wear, you look for clothes that match."
"That makes sense. So how do we figure that out?"
Izuku felt a pit in his stomach as he saw a helpful store employee standing mere meters away. He could try and guess her size and she could try things on in the changing room, but that would take time and almost certainly attract the woman anyway.
It would be better to just ask for help and get it over with.
With a heavy sigh, Izuku turned toward the woman. "I'll be right back."
The woman politely smiled as Izuku approached. "Can I help you sir?"
"Y-yeah," Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "The girl I'm with has been - well she doesn't remember her measurements."
"Oh," The woman fiddled with the tape measure around her neck as she shot a worried glance at the girl. "I can help with that, but I must ask - is your girlfriend okay?"
Izuku felt his eyes bulge out of his head as he let out a strangled cry that sounded like his soul was trying to leave its body - which it may very well have been at that moment. "W-what? Why would you ask that?" He asked a little too quickly.
The woman's eyes narrowed slightly. "Well I can't help but notice that she's been moving a little strangely, and her hair is white. And her hands - they're so gray it's almost unnatural! So I need to know if she's okay."
"She's fine," Izuku said quickly, before looking around and making sure nobody else was around. Lowering his voice, he leaned in conspiratorially. "She just got over a major illness and just got out of the hospital. One of the side-effects is well… you see how she looks. She'll make a full recovery but for now-"
"Oh," The woman recoiled as her own cheeks were tinted pink. "I'm so sorry to hear that. Poor girl - no wonder she's such a mess. I'll go help her right away."
"Thank you," Izuku sighed in relief. He followed the woman back to where Ochako stood and watched as she was measured, making notes of all of the information on his phone before thanking the woman.
As she walked off, Ochako turned toward Izuku. "I am afraid I do not understand most of that."
"I can explain it later," Izuku offered. "But if you find something you like I can tell you the size to pick out now!"
"You are very helpful," Ochako smiled at him before returning her attention to the rack in front of her. "I enjoy the colors of these pants, which size should I choose?"
After wandering through the shirts and pants, Izuku stood with a double armful of clothing when he discovered the second major problem he would have to deal with.
"What is that section?" Ochako asked curiously as she pointed to the lingerie department.
"That's um," Izuku felt his face turning red. "That's underwear - clothes you wear under your clothes."
"Like the multiple layers of my robes," Ochako nodded her head in understanding.
"Yeah, like that!" Izuku said quickly.
"Well then, I should acquire some underwear to wear as well," Ochako said as she grabbed Izuku's arm. "Help me pick them out!"
As Izuku felt himself getting dragged along, he let out a wail as, for the second time today, he felt his soul leaving his body.
Once they had enough for several outfits, Izuku led Ochako to the changing rooms. Greeting the employee that was watching the area, Ochako was handed a number and directed to a room where she entered while Izuku stood around outside nervously.
It didn't take long for Ochako to emerge from the room. Her makeshift outfit had been discarded, replaced by a black tee-shirt sporting a nebula pattern that hugged the soft curves of her body along with a pair of faded black jeans. Walking over to where Izuku stood, she slowly spun around in a circle before stopping, eyeing him curiously. "How does this look?"
Izuku felt his face heating up. Before it was easy to tell her otherworldly nature while she was ethereal and transparent. And even this morning when she had fully solidified, her long flowing robes that seemingly moved on their own were enough to remind him that she wasn't normal. Seeing her like this caught him off guard - it was disarming. She seemed so innocent and-
"C-cute!"
"Cute?" Ochako tilted her head.
"Oh you are rocking out that outfit," The employee said as she came up behind Izuku, making him jump with a startled cry.
Ochako looked at Izuku curiously, waiting for him to help translate the employee's words. He felt his cheeks burning as he rubbed the back of his head. "You look really good, that look suits you."
"I appreciate the feedback," Ochako walked over to a mirror. "I like this appearance."
"Do you need help picking out any more outfits?" The employee asked.
"No, I believe Izuku will be able to help me from here," Ochako said, courteously bowing her head at the employee as she mimicked Izuku's actions from yesterday. "Thank you for the help."
"It's what I'm here for," the woman chuckled. "If you need anything you know where to find me." With that she departed, leaving Izuku alone with his companion.
"Did you try on the other outfits?"
"Yes," Ochako confirmed. "All of those clothes fit as well. Will that be sufficient?"
Izuku shook his head. "No, we should get you a few more outfits - at least a week's worth. But now that we know what sizes fit you it should be easier!"
Ochako nodded. "I saw several other shirts that were visually appealing, we can start there."
"Are you sure you won't need any help?" The employee asked Izuku, concerned with his cart full of bags after they had checked out. Once they had picked out a week's worth of clothes for Ochako, Izuku insisted on buying a futon and pillows for Ochako, as well as a prepaid cell phone. There were probably plenty of things he was forgetting about, but that would be a problem for another day.
"Y-yeah!" Izuku said. "We're going to call a taxi to take us home!"
"What is that?" Ochako asked, tilting her head curiously.
Izuku looked at her, silently pleading for her to go along with him. "You know, a car to take us home! I knew we were buying a lot."
"Oh, okay."
"Alright," The employee shrugged. "Just leave the cart at the drop-off once you're done."
"We will!" Izuku assured him.
Once they departed the building, Izuku began looking around before walking toward a nearby alleyway.
"Izuku, what are you doing?"
"Umm, sorry to spring this on you, but could you open one of your rifts back to my apartment?"
"Oh," Ochako suddenly realized his plan. "So you were making an excuse to cover up the fact that I can easily create a rift back to your home."
"Yep!"
"Now I understand. Just tell me where to open it."
Entering the alleyway, the pair quickly checked to make sure nobody was paying attention before Ochako tore open a rift in reality. The two quickly passed through the portal and unloaded everything, before returning to the department store and dropping off the cart.
"So now what will we do?" Ochako asked as Izuku pushed the cart back into the deposit.
"Why don't we go home so you can change into something more comfortable?" Izuku offered.
"But your clothes are sufficient."
"Ehehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head, reminding him that she doesn't mean what she was implying. "It would be good practice to get used to them?"
"That makes sense," Ochako agreed. "Okay then, we can return to your home for now."
After their productive shopping trip, the rest of the day was spent rearranging Izuku's apartment to accommodate his long-term guest properly. After that Izuku began the long process of teaching Ochako how to use her cell phone properly. While the actual phone part would most certainly go unused, all of the other features would almost certainly be helpful for helping her understand humanity and the planet Earth.
As night fell, Ochako had grown comfortable enough with the device that Izuku didn't feel the need to hover over her out of fear. While she continued to explore all of the features with wondrous curiosity, Izuku snuck off to his office, hoping for a few minutes of solace. He was busy scrolling through his work emails when suddenly he heard Ochako burst into the room.
"Izuku, we must go!"
Izuku yelped in surprise before he spun around in his chair. "W-what happened?"
"Something has taken the bait we have planted," Ochako's face hardened. "We need to investigate, otherwise humans might get hurt."
"O-ok!" Izuku tried to give her his best determined face in response, but he failed miserably as he felt fear rippling through him. Memories of his encounter with the voidslime were still fresh in his mind, and he wasn't exactly interested in repeating that.
Although now Ochako will be there to take care of things…
"I am opening a rift now," Ochako said as she grabbed Izuku's arm. He barely had time to register that she had torn a hole in reality until he felt like he was falling. By the time he recovered, they were already through and exiting onto the now-familiar empty lot.
"There," Ochako pointed across the lot. "A Moonfish. This is not good."
Izuku's gaze traveled from her hand to the creature she was pointing to, and he felt the blood draining from his face. While the creature had a bipedal humanoid shape, that was where the similarities ended. As it shambled toward them in an unsteady gait, its appearance became clearer, and the first thing he noticed was there were no arms connected to its overly large torso.
But the worst part was its head. Or rather, what was supposed to be its head. Instead of a face, there was simply a circular maw, surrounded by jagged, crooked teeth.
"W-what is that?"
"A creature that exists only to consume," Ochako replied grimly, her mouth set in a hard line as white lights appeared around her, giving off the appearance of a starfield. "They are said to have an insatiable hunger, and their teeth are strong enough to tear metal and crack stone."
Izuku paled as he tried to form a coherent sentence. It was taking everything he could to not run away in terror as the creature advanced, babbling in an inhuman language. "You can stop it, right?"
Ochako set her mouth in a hard line as she placed herself between Izuku and the creature. "It will be harder with you here. Fortunately, I am more than capable of handling such a mindless creature. Stay behind me, but stay close."
"Close?!"
"Remember," Ochako called over her shoulder. "If you get too far away, I will weaken. I do not wish to try fighting such a dangerous foe while also dealing with your reality rejecting me."
"O-Right," Izuku said, trying to hype himself up.
As the creature closed the distance, the babble was replaced with an inhuman shriek as it opened its maw fully, and suddenly what appeared to be a dozen blades shot out from around its mouth, their length glistening menacingly as they reflected the starlight surrounding Ochako. Izuku could barely track one, let alone all of them as they spread out, moving erratically and constantly shifting at impossible angles.
Izuku clamped his hands over his mouth to prevent himself from screaming, not wanting to break his companion's concentration as he watched her form tense up in front of him. With every beat of his heart echoing in his ears the blades drew closer… closer…
Only to be answered by reality's scream as dozens of tendrils of inky void erupted from the stars surrounding Izuku and Ochako, each one swinging wildly at one of the deadly sharp razors that were assaulting them. While many struck air, Izuku could hear the high-pitched wail as tendrils found their mark, the compressed void of space striking whatever substance the razor-sharp teeth were made out of.
For a brief moment, Izuku feared that Ochako wasn't strong enough. Then he heard a loud crack. And another. And another as all of the strange teeth-blades shattered under the assault of Ochako's tendrils.
"Izuku, stay close to me," Ochako commanded as the tendrils wrapped around them, forming a protective shell.
"Y-yes!" Izuku squeaked out loudly.
The monster shrieked and lunged forward, opening its mouth wide and firing another wave of bladed teeth raced toward them. As if probing Ochako's barrier the teeth took off in every direction, encircling Izuku and Ochako. As Izuku watched in terror, one by one the teeth approached them, only to be shattered by the tendrils.
"This is bad!" Izuku said.
"You are right, we need to get closer," Ochako said.
"C-closer?!"
"I need to incapacitate it before I can remove it properly," Ochako explained. "At this range, I cannot do it!" She let out a low growl. "If I were free to move in my natural form-"
"What do you need me to do?"
Ochako turned toward her companion and gave him a curious look. "Izuku?"
"We need to stop this thing, right? Otherwise, it'll hurt a lot of people! So I- I'll help however I can!"
"You are indeed helpful," She turned to face the creature. "The next time it attacks, we will have a brief moment where it needs to regenerate. When that happens I will charge forward. Stay close to me when I do so."
"O-okay!" Izuku said.
With another inhuman scream, the monster fired out another wave of razor-sharp teeth, trying a concentrated assault to overwhelm Ochako's defenses. Ochako concentrated her tendrils in front of her, creating a spiral-shaped shield that caught the singular massive spear of teeth, a loud wail tearing through the air as teeth and tendril clashed for supremacy.
"Nrgh. You cannot win against me!" Ochako yelled. With a grunt of exertion, she opened her portals even wider, the tendrils flaring with light as they grew in size. Taking a chance, she peeled off several tendrils that made up part of her shield to swat at the spear, hearing the sound of metal shattering as the teeth broke.
"Izuku, now!"
Izuku saw Ochako start running, and his feet began to move as he followed her, the pair closing the distance between them and the Moonfish. Looking up, the creature became clearer, its reddish-black skin shifting unnaturally as it adjusted itself. And he saw its mouth in full detail - a horrifying black void, with ichor congealing around the edges and a sharp, lashing tongue whipping about.
And he felt a sense of dread overcome him as he saw a single flash of light, reflecting off a tooth that hadn't been used.
"Ochako, watch out!"
The tooth fired out, a deadly beam of strange metal racing toward Ochako. The girl responded to his warning, orbs of light already appearing as she attempted to summon her tendrils, but Izuku instinctively knew that she wouldn't stop it in time. Making a snap decision, he rammed into her, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
Unfortunately, he wasn't quite fast enough as he felt pain shoot up his arm as the strange tooth tore into his skin, leaving an angry red gash down his arm.
"Augh!" Izuku screamed in pain, instinctively clutching at his arm.
"Izuku!" Ochako yelled from under him, as her tendrils flared to life to destroy the blade.
Her momentary distraction bought the Moonfish the time it needed, however, and it shot out another wave of razor-sharp teeth. While Ochako was able to defend the duo, being pinned down on the ground was the last place she wanted to be, forced to focus as she concentrated on defense.
"S-sorry," Izuku said. "I didn't want to see you get hurt."
"That was unnecessary," Ochako chided him. "This would only be an inconvenience. But," She looked at him, and for a brief moment he swore he saw genuine warmth in her eyes. "I thank you."
"So now what?" Izuku asked, trying to keep pressure on his wound with his other arm.
"We are close enough. You stay here and I will do the rest."
"Okay," Izuku said softly.
The attack subsided, and Ochako pushed herself to her feet, breaking out into a run, silently charging the creature. This time she would take no chances, portals already opening and tendrils wrapping around her arms as makeshift weapons as she approached.
The creature let out another inhuman wail, but this one sounded almost desperate as it tried to defend itself. Izuku watched Ochako's tendrils lash out, grabbing the creature's legs and neck. They were beginning to wrap around its face, but it tried one last desperate attack. With a cry, it fired a fresh wave of those razor-bladed teeth at its assailant. Ochako managed to stop most of them, but three got through, and Izuku was forced to watch helplessly as two blades tore out of Ochako's back.
"That was a mistake," Ochako said in a low voice. From underneath her bare feet, a tear in reality began to form, a starry chasm racing toward the creature. "Because now you cannot escape."
The creature seemed to realize what was happening and withdrew the teeth. It then repeatedly stabbed Ochako in the chest, desperately trying to stop her. Her entire body shuddered under the assault, but she held fast and moments later the tear reached the creature, the ground beneath it opening to an unknown reality. Not taking any chances, she directed the tendrils to hurl the creature into the rift, sealing its fate.
"Go… away…" Ochako said wearily, swaying unsteadily as she teetered on the edge of her own rift.
"Ochako!" Izuku said, racing forward to grab her and pull her backward. "Close your rift!"
Looking up at the man holding her, Ochako nodded in acknowledgment as the rift closed, the ground closing up and returning to normal. "The Moonfish should be back in its home dimension now, and unable to bother Earth any longer."
"You-" Izuku looked down at Ochako's chest. There were easily a dozen holes in her shirt, with thick black shadows spilling out of them. "How bad is it?"
Ochako looked down and simulated a pout. "They ruined my favorite shirt."
Izuku blinked. "Your… favorite shirt?"
"Why do you think I wore this one first? It was the most aesthetically pleasing to me." Ochako explained as she steadied herself. "I am sorry you had to step in, the assault damaged my body worse than I thought."
"You're ok?"
"Yes. It will take time to repair the damage, but this body will make a full recovery," Ochako explained before she turned to examine the gash on Izuku's arm. "You, on the other hand, are much more mortal. We need to take care of this."
"Ehehe," Izuku looked at it. "I've had worse, if you can believe it."
"But you are leaking blood!"
"Yeah- are you strong enough to get back to my apartment?"
"Yes."
Izuku heard reality protesting as she tore open another rift and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. The two stumbled through the portal, reappearing in Izuku's apartment. Following his lead, Ochako let Izuku guide her to the bathroom where he fished out a first aid kit and sat down on the toilet. He pulled out a box of butterfly bandages and handed them to Ochako. Under his direction she quickly and efficiently washed the wound with alcohol before applying the bandages and wrapping it in gauze.
"Thanks," Izuku said as he looked at her handiwork. It was sloppy and uneven, but it should last the night, and he could redo the bandages in the morning.
"You are taking this surprisingly well," Ochako said, examining Izuku with a critical eye. "I was worried you would be more upset and shaken."
"I can't promise that I won't break down sometime in the next twenty minutes," Izuku admitted. Looking down at his hands, he realized how badly they were shaking. "Once the adrenaline wears off."
"Adrenaline?"
"A chemical our body produces," Izuku said, before giving off a nervous laugh. "Right now I've got a lot of it in me, and it's numbing the pain and suppressing some of my emotions. When it wears off I'll feel a lot worse."
"I see," Ochako said softly. "I will assist you in any way I can. As repayment for your help."
"You don't have to do that," Izuku insisted as he began to look at Ochako's wounds.
He thought it may have been a trick of the evening light in the parking lot, but here in the cold light of the bathroom, he saw that his initial description was correct. Ochako's wounds were best described as leaking an inky shadow, the substance appearing to disappear seconds after being exposed to light.
"It- that doesn't hurt?"
"If you are referring to the emotion of discomfort, I am feeling some in my chest area," Ochako admitted. "But it will pass. Since my body is still building itself, a wound like this is a mere inconvenience." She looked down and felt her shirt, feeling a thick sludge as the material clung to her. "I will have to replace this shirt, and my nightshirt will need to be cleaned in the morning."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"No." Ochako shook her head. "Although based on what we have learned, additional calories and sleep would assist in the recovery."
"Heh," The corners of Izuku's lips twitched upward. "If you wanted to eat more desserts you could've just asked, you don't need an excuse."
"I did not consider that our box of desserts would be the most efficient way to consume calories," Ochako put a finger on her cheek. "But based on your explanation now seems like an appropriate time to consume them, is it not?"
"Y-yeah, I'd say this calls for a celebration," Izuku said softly.
"Then we shall have this celebration," Ochako said before she stood up.
The two left the bathroom and at Izuku's insistence Ochako sat down on the couch. With only one arm it took several trips, but eventually Izuku managed to carry a couple of glasses of water and a plate of desserts to the coffee table, where he settled down next to his companion.
Picking up a piece of mochi, Izuku held it up in front of him. "To your first successful mission?"
"What are you doing?"
"Celebrating," Izuku explained awkwardly. "Humans bang things together to celebrate before they either eat the food or drink the beverage."
"I do not understand this custom, but I will follow it," Ochako picked up a piece of mochi and examined it. "But it ended up being not just my mission," She looked up to face him, black irises meeting green. "You were there too."
"I was only there because I'm your anchor," Izuku said softly. "You would've taken that thing down faster if I wasn't there."
"I do not think of it that way," Ochako said. "You moved to defend me on your own, even though the attack would not have permanently harmed me, did you not?"
Izuku looked at the bandage on his arm and sighed. "Yeah, I did."
"Why?"
"Because- because I want to help," Izuku finally admitted. "I know I'm not as strong as you, and I can't manipulate reality the way you can but- but I want to find some way to help you! I- I want to be more than deadweight, then an anchor weighing you down."
"I believe you have just made my argument for me," Ochako said, smiling at him.
"Huh?"
"You did not want to merely be my anchor and acted accordingly. That means it was your mission as well."
"I guess it was, yeah," Izuku said, a small smile forming.
"Then to our first successful mission," Ochako said, squishing her mochi ball into Izuku's before shoving the whole thing into her mouth.
"To our first successful mission," Izuku said softly before taking a bite out of the mochi.
Right now he felt a hundred different things, but somehow the simple act of sharing a mochi in celebration with Ochako went a long way to calming him down. And underneath it all, he had to admit that if he was given the choice, he'd do it all again.
What had he gotten himself into?