When sunlight came through the window and fell on Izuku's face, he tried to escape it. Pulling his covers over his head, he tried to block the offending light and go back to sleep. However, a giggle followed by a pair of hushed voices soon got his attention.

"We really shouldn't let him go back to sleep."

Mom?

"Well to be fair, Recovery Girl does say that getting a good rest after getting healed is important."

Uraraka?

Izuku groaned into his pillow. Why were they talking so loud? Was it so wrong that he just wanted to sleep?

"My poor boy, I suppose I could let him sleep in some more, but then he'd miss his breakfast and lunch too."

Izuku sat up, blurry eyed and hair even more of a mess than normal, "I'm awake!"

While sleep was very important, he was not going to miss two meals. Ochako took one look at him, and burst into a fit of giggles, "oh man, Deku, that is not a great look."

Blinking a few times to clear up his vision, and reaching up to try and get some control of his hair, Izuku finally got a look at the two. His mother was sipping on a cup of tea looking rather amused by her son's state, while Ochako had turned away as she fought to get some control of her laughter.

"Oh, like you look good after just waking up," Izuku said with a pout.

Ochako, after finally getting herself under some control, turned back around and smiled brightly at him, "Deku, I'm gorgeous all the time."

Izuku blinked. While he had been ready to give a retort that would have probably resulted with him floating up to the ceiling, he suddenly found the words stuck in his throat as he looked at Ochako. Nothing was really different about her. She was in her normal chair, wearing his loose fitting sweats. Her hair, like his, was still a little messy, showing she hadn't been awake that much earlier. And yet, as he looked at her, not only could he not help but agree with her, he couldn't help but notice that she just seemed so much brighter. Her eyes twinkled, the pink on her cheeks were practically glowing, and her smile was dazzling.

Having expected some kind of tease from Izuku, Ochako tilted her head to the side, "Deku? You alright?"

Snapping out of his stupor, Izuku nodded vigorously, "Y-yeah. Sorry, I think I'm still just waking up. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Well, you just seem to be in a really good mood is all."

This time it was Ochako's turn to be at a loss for words.

I'm in a really good mood? What could make him say…

Memories of last night, and the silly love-struck expressions she remembered herself making in the mirror flooded back. Gasping, Ochako rubbed her head nervously as she broke eye contact with Izuku, "Oh well um…"

"Dear, it's not nice to tease your friends. I'm sure she just had a very good night last night is all. A nice night to get everything straightened out."

Izuku nodded, "Oh, yeah I guess that makes sense, Mom."

"Why don't you go get yourself a cup, and have some tea with us."

"Oh sure!"

While Izuku got up, Ochako shifted her gaze from the boy she loved to his mother. Inko didn't say anything as she sipped at her tea, but Ochako swore- she swore the woman was grinning at her past her cup.

She...she doesn't know, right? She didn't hear me or see me...Oh my god, what if? No, no just calm down. She was asleep. Everyone was asleep.

"I didn't ask, but how was your night, Mrs. Midoriya? I'm sure hearing about everything didn't make it easy for you to fall asleep."

Inko smiled sweetly, "Why thank you for asking. Knowing that you two were here safe and sound helped put my mind at ease. I was asleep the moment my head hit my pillow."

Ochako tried to make sure she wasn't obvious as she sighed in relief, "Well that's good to hear…"

Inko continued on, however, "I just wish I wasn't such a light sleeper. The tiniest noise and I'm wide awake."

Inko took another sip of her tea while Ochako froze in place. Externally, she was still calm. Internally though…

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SHE KNOWS!

Ochako wondered what method would end her embarrassment:. Floating into space or into a plane.

Izuku was on his way back to the table when the phone rang.

"Oh, I'll get that," Izuku said as he motioned for the two to stay seated. Picking up the phone, Izuku was about to answer when he glanced at the caller ID and went stiff. When the phone rang again, both Inko and a calmed down Ochako, noticed the drastic change in Izuku's demeanor.

"Izuku?"

Izuku took a deep breath and answered the phone. His voice was calm, but also lacked any real emotion behind it, "Hello, Father."

Ochako was surprised, as this was probably the first time she had ever heard any mention of Izuku's father, and because the mood in the room had changed drastically. The joy and warmth had been sucked out, leaving a cold nothingness that made everything feel claustrophobic and closed off. Inko's mood had immediately soured- her smile vanishing and while she wasn't outwardly doing anything, keeping herself very neutral, Ochako could see there were many emotions swirling in the woman's eyes. Before Ocahko started listening intently to the phone call, she had a strange thought.

He said father. Not dad, or papa, or anything familiar...just father.

"Yes, sir… Yes, sir. There was an attack. No sir… No sir…"

What….what kind of conversation is he having? If Deku's dad is calling because of the attack, this seems so..clinical. It's mostly just two word answers from Deku.

The more Ochako listened, the more confused she became. This didn't feel like a normal conversation a parent and child had after something traumatic. Inko's reaction when they had come home last night, or even the tearful phone call she had had with her parents earlier in the morning, those were normal. She had no idea what this was.

"No sir, the teachers dealt with everything...Huh?"

For the first time in the short phone call, Izuku showed an emotion.

Shock.

His eyes widened and his mouth hung open. He was stunned by something his father had said, though he was able to recover quickly enough. Even recovered, Ochako could see some tears starting to form in his eyes. Though they were definitely not tears of joy. Steadying himself, Izuku answered, "No sir, I have not."

Ochako could see that Izuku was upset, and trying to hide it. Inko saw it too as she started to get up.

"...Mom? Mom is fine. She's…" Inko motioned for the phone, "Mom's right here. Do you want to… Oh. Good b…"

Izuku trailed off as he pulled the phone from his ear, "...Good bye…"

Hanging up the phone, Izuku looked over at his mother, "He said he didn't have time to talk…"

Inko's face twisted as she gave the phone a nasty look. Izuku, sighing heavily, took his seat and slumped down. Inko followed after him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder before taking her seat. While the two sat in silence, Ochako was left feeling very out of place, a first for her ever since she had started coming over.

I feel like I just saw something I wasn't supposed to see.

The more Ochako thought about it, the more she realized that she knew next to nothing about Izuku's father. Besides a passing statement that he worked abroad, she didn't know what he did or who he worked for. She didn't even know what he looked like. There wasn't a single photo in the whole apartment that she had seen that wasn't just Izuku and Inko. Even the baby pictures and other photos from the albums Inko had shared with her didn't have the man in them.

Ochako wasn't sure what this all meant, but she was sure it was a very tricky situation that she was not really prepared to ask about. Or if she even had a right to ask about. This was a family matter, and not something for her to just stick her nose into.

"Um, Uraraka."

Looking over, Ochako saw Izuku offering her a small smile, "Are you okay? Your face is all scrunched up."

He's worried about me? After whatever that phone call was, he's making sure I'm okay…

"Sorry, I guess I'm just wondering, what…"

"What was up with that phone call?"

Ochako nodded, and Izuku sighed, scratching hair, "I suppose...you were open about your...um family issues. It's only fair if I am a little open with mine."

"Wait, Deku you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. You don't owe me any kind of explanation."

"It's not that I think I owe you it. I just don't want you to be worried about me. After everything I put you through, that's the last thing I want. Just...is it alright if we talk about it later. Like after lunch?"

Ochako nodded, "Of course. Whenever you're ready."

"Thank you, Uraraka. You're always there for me."

Ochako recalled a line from Izuku's notebook; '...the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for. Uraraka is a hero who has saved me more times than I can count with just a smile or kind word.'

"I'll always be there for you, Deku."

Soon the warmth from before returned to the apartment as everyone started smiling again. Inko poured Izuku some tea and the three talked. After a little while a low rumble grabbed the three's attention as Izuku covered his stomach and looked away, blushing. Ochako covered her mouth with her hands as she started to giggle, "Deku, was that your stomach?"

"I might be a little…" Another rumble, "hungry."

Ochako giggles got louder, much to Izuku's embarrassment, before a new rumble cut her off. Letting out a small eek, Ochako quickly covered her own stomach. Izuku was grateful he wasn't drinking his tea, because he was sure he would have spit it out as he started laughing. Ochako pointed at him, "You hush! I don't have to take that from you!"

Izuku rolled his eyes, "but I have to take it from you?"

"You're darn right."

Inko let the two playfully bicker before cutting in, "It is almost time for lunch. Was there anything you two would want?"

The two stopped as they both gave that some thought. Izuku leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin, "A big bowl of ramen sounds pretty good."

Ramen?

Hearing that brought back something Ochako hadn't thought about in some time, "You know, if you want ramen, maybe you should finally cash in on our bet that you won."

Inko looked over at Ochako, "Bet? What bet?"

"Oh, back when we took the entrance exam we made a bet: the person with the lowerst practical score had to buy the winner lunch."

"Oh, that's adorable." Inko said with a huge grin.

While Ochako debated if adorable was the right word- she was still a little sore that she lost after all- Izuku shook his head, "Come on, Uraraka, I don't actually expect you to do that, you know."

Eh?

"What are you talking about, Deku?"

Izuku just shrugged, "I mean, you were helping me get over some jitters. I'm not going to hold you to that since you probably weren't serious about it."

Eh!?

"And besides...I wouldn't want you spending money over something like that either."

EH!?

Inko leaned back in her chair, sipping on her tea. She had a feeling she was about to get a nice little show. And her son was about to learn a little lesson.

"Deku," Ochako started, her voice taking a sharp tone that made Izuku immediately sit at attention, "Let me ask you something."

"Y-yes?"

"If I had won, would you have taken me to lunch?"

"I mean...yes."

"You would have?," Ochako asked again.

"Of course."

"Then explain to me why I am not allowed to take you out to lunch after losing my own bet. Explain to me how you decided that, after we shook on it."

Izuku started to talk but Ochako added on, "But explain your reasoning in a way that won't sound condescending or insulting."

Izuku's mouth opened and closed a few times as his mind raced. Ochako however delivered the final blow when she added, "Oh, and make sure you do it in a way that won't come off as you pitying me because you think I'm too poor to buy a bowl of ramen."

Izuku's mouth snapped shut, with a very audible snap as his teeth clicked together. Ochako waited a few more seconds to see if Izuku was smart enough to keep his mouth closed.

He was.

"Deku," Ochako pointed right at the boy, who even though he was already sitting up straight, somehow got even straighter, "march yourself into your room and get changed right now. I am taking you out to lunch. You are going to get your ramen. You will also brag about your higher score to rub it in that you got first place and I only got second, and we will have an incredible time. Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Go!"

Izuku quickly stood up, bowed, and scrambled for his room. When the two left heard his door close, Ochako rubbed her brow, "You know what, maybe Toga was right and he doesn't have a brain in that head of his."

Inko laughed, "it can be a little jarring, can't it? Him being brilliant one moment and then thick the next, huh?"

"I swear sometimes he can pick up on the tiniest details one moment and the next you have to literally spell something out for him, and it has to be on one of those huge sports arena monitors."

"Well," Inko began, a smile crossing her lips, "You certainly are doing a good job of that already."

"Huh?"

"At your age, I don't know if I would have been bold and brave enough to tell a boy that he's going to have lunch with me."

Ochako froze, her face heating up as she realized what she had just done. Chuckeling, Inko pointed to the laundry room, "You may want to go get changed too. Your clothes are hanging in there for you."

Nodding, Ochako hurried to pick them up and to get changed.

After freshening up and getting changed, Ochako looked at herself in the restroom mirror. After a lengthy battle with a brush, her hair was now free of tangles and knots. Inko had also done a nice job of cleaning her uniform;, it had even been ironed. All in all, she looked ready for the day. She just couldn't help but be a little disappointed. She was about to go out to lunch, and all she had to wear was her school uniform. It wasn't that she didn't feel a sense of pride whenever she put it on. Getting into U.A. had been her dream, and she damn well worked hard to achieve it. For this afternoon though? Maybe a nice sunday dress? Or a nice pink top with some black shorts? Not her school uniform. It just wasn't very romantic.

Wait no, not romantic! Where did that come from? It's not like this is a date. It's just me and Deku going out for lunch. Which we've done plenty of times before. Except now, I'm taking him out to do it, and paying for it...and I really like him and want to be a little dressed up for...It's not a date! Stop it…. I really need to get a handle on this. At least I have a few days before classes start up again.

After taking a few more minutes to make sure she was presentable, Ochako exited the room and walked back into the little living room, where Izuku was waiting for her. Also dressed in his school uniform.

Wait what?

"Deku?"

Izuku smiled and stood up, "Oh, Uraraka, you ready to go?"

Ochako nodded slowly, "Sure, but, why are you dressed like that?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, you're in your uniform. Why?"

Izuku glanced down before laughing nervously, "Oh this? Well you only had your school uniform to get changed into. I was worried you might feel awkward if only you were dressed in yours, so I decided to wear mine too. Is this okay?"

Ochako could feel her heart beat faster as Izuku explained himself. It was such a simple, thoughtful gesture, but it showed the kind of person Izuku was.

Heart, stop it right now.

While making sure Izuku couldn't tell how flustered his kindness had made her, Ochako smiled brightly at him, "That's really thoughtful of you, Deku. You know, maybe we can casual-up our looks."

"Oh that's a good idea."

Ochako brought her hand to her chin as she looked Izuku over, "Hmm, maybe lose the tie and unbutton your blazer. You could also not have you collar buttoned up all the way too. Oh, and you could untuck…"

She trailed off as Izuku started doing exactly what she suggested. First, he undid the front buttons on his school blazer then reached up and worked on his tie. After a couple of tugs, the front knot came undone and Izuku pulled the red ribbon of fabric off his neck, in a way that wasn't flamboyant at all, but from Ochako's point of view, who was watching every move, it was very exotic. When he started to work the buttons on his shirt, Ochako licked her lips. First was the top button at his collar, then the second one down. When Izuku didn't undo a third button, Ochako fought to keep a groan of disappointment from escaping her throat.

"How's this, Uraraka? Better?"

Oh yeah…

"Um, yep! You look great, Deku."

Izuku flushed and rubbed the back of his head shyly, "Oh, thank you."

Izuku stood smiling which Ochako just soaked in before it clicked that she was also supposed to be trying to casula up her look as well. Reaching up she started to take off her own tie, but stopped when she realized that Izuku was still looking at her. Suddenly feeling very shy, Ochako turned around as she followed her own advice. Once she was done, she turned back around and found that Izuku was still smiling at her, none the wiser of her embarrassment.

"Looking good, Uraraka." Izuku said, giving her a thumbs up.

The goofy gesture was enough to snap Ochako out of her shy mood, and she waved him off, "We should probably get going if we don't want to have a late lunch."

As the two headed for the door, Inko smiled and waved at them, "You two have a good time on your date."

"MOM!? Don't tease like that. This isn't a date."

Inko let her eyes drift over towards Ochako, "Oh, it isn't?" Who immediately looked away, "My mistake," She added with a small chuckle.

While Izuku huffed at the terrible joke his mother just said- really. how could she even suggest that Ochako would want to go on a date with him- Ochako reached down and grabbed ahold of his wrist, pulling him along, "C-come on, Deku; let's go."

Opening the door, Ochako stepped out, but came to a stop when Izuku suddenly pulled back. Confused, Ochako looked back and saw that Izuku now had a pensive and thoughtful look on his face.

"One second, Uraraka."

Turning, Izuku hurried back into the apartment. Ochako followed after him after a second in confusion. Izuku made his way back into the living room where Inko was still sitting at the table. She looked up at her son, "Did you forget some-"

Not letting her finish, Izuku wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her tightly, "I love you, mom."

Inko's eyes widened some before she returned the hug, "I love you too, Izuku."

Holding her son a bit longer, she slowly let him go, "Now you go with Ochako and have a good time."

Nodding, Izuku walked back over to Ochako and gave his mother one last wave goodbye, the two left the apartment and went on their way. Walking down the sidewalk, Ochako stayed close to Izuku's side, watching him carefully. They had walked for a few minutes, just to the other end of the block when he finally spoke up, "Sorry about before, by the way."

"You mean your mom teasing us? It's not like it's the first time she's done that."

Makes me wonder if she's known I liked Deku before I even did. Mom's are scary…

"Oh, um yeah that too, I guess. I was talking about afterwards."

"Are you alright?"

Sighing, Izuku scratched at his neck, "I think so. It's just… Just promise not to laugh alright?"

"Oh course."

"You know how yesterday I almost died?"

Memories of the attack hit Ochako as she vividly recalled just how badly hurt Izuku was, "Deku, that's not something I'm ever going to forget."

"Well there's… bits of that day I can't really recall. Side effect of my head hitting the ground so hard I guess."

"Yeah? Does Recovery Girl know about that?"

Izuku nodded, "She said that it's completely normal. It should come back to me within the next couple of days, though she said some of the day may still just be hazy for me."

Ochako could understand that. He had hit his head so hard, after all. "So does that have something to do with your mom?"

"Yeah...As we were leaving I… Well," Izuku looked away feeling embarrassed. Ochako didn't push and waited for him to finish, "Well it suddenly hit me, I couldn't remember what the last thing I told Mom before I left for school yesterday. What if I hadn't told her I loved her before coming so close to dying? So I guess I...wanted to make sure I said it this time."

Ochako turned and put a hand on his shoulder, "Deku, that just shows how great a son you really are. She knows you love her; you know that."

Izuku nodded, "yeah I just wanted to make sure I said it today."

"Well unless something goes totally off the rails at lunch, everything should be fine and you'll be able to tell her you love her again."

Laughing, Izuku covered his mouth, "Uraraka, you totally just jinxed us; you know that."

Ochako pursed her lips, "Well if something does happen, this time I'm going to make sure you don't do something stupid."

Groaning, Izuku rubbed his brow, "Oh no, you didn't actually mean what you said last night, did you?"

"You mean it being my job to protect you?"

"Yeah."

"Oh you better believe I meant that," Ochako said as she puffed herself up, while at the same time Izuku deflated with a groan.

Inko sighed as she watched the two leave. It was only after she heard the door click shut and she couldn't hear their voices anymore that she put her drink down and started laughing and crying at the same time.

My baby boy is going to have a girlfriend!

She hadn't been lying when she had told Ochako that she was a very light sleeper. Ochako's first cry from last night had woken her up with a start. However, when she didn't hear anything else afterwards she assumed she must have dreamed the noise and was about to go back to sleep until she heard a door open and someone walking around. Getting up and cracking her bedroom door open just enough so that she could peek through, she could just make out Ochako kneeling beside her son in the dark before she suddenly jumped up and bolted for the bathroom.

Inko waited for a bit until she thought she might want to check on her. A soft voice however stopped her in her tracks.

"I love Deku."

Inko held her breath as those same words were repeated again and again. It got to the point that it was clear to Inko that Ochako was no longer bothering to try and keep quiet as she had her breakdown/revelation. She could hear the girl arguing with herself for some time before the light in the bathroom turned off. Inko held her breath as Ochako walked back out into the hall. She expected the girl to return to her sons room, but instead she walked back out into the living room, and from the crack in her door, Inko watched as Ochako leaned down and gave Izuku a quick but loving kiss on his forehead before practically floating back into her son's bedroom.

For the rest of the night, and up until the two had left, Inko had done a good job keeping herself in check. Only letting out a few hints and teases that she couldn't stop herself from doing, but now that she was alone, she let all her emotions bubble over as she celebrated. She squealed at how romantic and wonderful the whole situation was.

She had watched as the two so obviously started to develop feelings for each other over the months, even if they didn't realize it themselves. While she was unbelievably happy that Ochako had finally figured out how she felt, she didn't envy her the challenges that lay ahead. Dealing with her son's...lack of social awareness and obliviousness was bad enough, but now apparently she had a rival for her son's heart in Himiko. The blonde girl had an almost feral beauty to her, and she was clearly infatuated with her son.

Very, very infatuated.

The whole situation just made Inko laugh while at the same time, feeling a little sorry for her baby boy and the two girls. From what she saw, he had been completely unaware of the painfully obvious hints that Himiko had been hurling at him at the dinner a few days ago, and now with Ochako, his every action this morning showed he didn't suspect a thing from her either. Those three were careening headfirst into a storm, and she hoped that all three would be able to make it out with their hearts and friendships intact.

Inko's happy thoughts were interrupted when the house phone started ringing. Getting up and walking over, she reached down to answer, but hesitated with her hand over the phone. A dreadful thought of just who could be on the other end souring her good mood.

He couldn't be calling back already?

Picking up the phone, Inko quickly checked the caller ID and was immediately relieved that it wasn't the name she was worried about, but at the same time she was more than a little shocked at who was calling her.

Bakugou?

Bringing the phone to her ear, she did her very best to at least sound polite, "Hello?"

"Inko darling! It's been forever."

"Mitsuki?"

Taking a moment to collect herself, Inko tried to remember when the last time she had actually talked to her old friend. They had exchanged a few texts here and there, the most recent when she congratulated her over Izuku getting into U.A. An actual conversation though? It must have been close to a year by this point.

"It...it has been a while hasn't it."

"Well, the faults definitely on my end over that."

"Oh, oh no. I could have just as easily picked up the phone,"

"Inko, we both know what's kept that from happening. Only one of us has a son competing to become the biggest fucking prick this side of Japan."

Inko paused at that. Not sure if she should take the opening Mitsuki was giving her. Mitsuki, however, started laughing at the drawn-out silence, "See, I knew you'd agree with me."

"I didn't say anything."

"You don't have to. My son's a fucked up little cunt."

"He is a chip off the old block." Inko's eyes went wide as she slapped a hand over her mouth, "No! Wait I-!"

Loud, very loud laughter blew out of the little phone speaker as Mitsuki tried, and failed, to control herself, "You know what, you aren't wrong. Now, on the subject of our sons. How's yours doing?"

"Izuku? He's… he's alright. The doctors at the school were able to fix him up and he came home last night."

"Really? From what I'd gathered, Izuku got pretty messed up. Almost died."

Inko closed her eyes. She remembered the call she got from the authorities telling her what had happened. How the officer had been very vague when describing just how bad her son had been hurt.

"He..he did almost ... die." She hated even having to say that word. It twisted her stomach and chilled her to the bone. "The police didn't go into too much detail over his injuries, but they said he came very close."

"Fuck."

"Yeah...Wait how do you know about it? The news report didn't mention names and only said a few students got hurt."

"Got the news from my brat."

"From Katsuki?"

"Yeah, caught him damn near having an argument with himself over it. Brat was literally growling at his own fucking reflection. Made the little shit sit down and tell me what the hell he was going on about. Got enough out of him before he stormed off that Izuku got really messed up and that girl that's been hanging around with you two for like the past year...um...Ochapo...Ohtako…"

"Ochako."

"THAT'S IT! Yeah, Ochako. Brat normally just calls her...um...nevermind that actually. Yeah, he said that Ochako had to revive him or something. The way the brat tells it. It was a really close call."

"I…" Inko trailed off. She hadn't known that part. She knew about the attack. She knew that Ochako and Izuku had been forced to defend themselves against several horrible villains in the attack. She knew that Izuku had been horribly hurt during the attack, and she knew that Ochako had waited for Izuku until he was released and the two had returned home. Learning that Ochako had been with Izuku and had not only seen how close her son had come to dying, but was responsible for him not dying put last night's sudden revelation in a whole new light.

"You there?"

"Yes! Sorry just got lost in thought."

"Gotta say, if the kid was able to keep a cool head under pressure, fight off a bunch of villains, and was able to save Izuku, you need to get her locked down stat before someone else comes along and scoops her away. Girl sounds like a real winner."

Inko could hold back a little happy hum which Mitsuki immediately caught, "Oh? Hold on a second. Really?"

Inko hummed again.

"Wow. Didn't think the kid had that kind so spunk in him."

"Actually," Inko said a little slyly, "It's not him that's making the first move."

Mitsuki paused for a second before bursting out laughing, "Oh?! Strong, brave, and knows what she wants. Nice. Sounds like I had nothing to worry about then. You seem to be having the perfect day after a shitstorm like yesterday."

"It's been…" Inko couldn't stop herself from pausing for a second, her voice losing a little of its cheer, "...a roller coaster. That's for sure."

Mitsuki caught the pause, "The hell does that mean?"

"Oh you know, ups and downs."

"It sounded like this morning was all ups? So down as in…?"

"...Hisashi called."

Mitsuki paused for a second before she let loose a string of swears and phrases that would make even the most hardened sailor's ears burn. Inko, despite being the paragon that she was, found herself agreeing with every single word.

"...And then twisted it sideways," Mistuki ended with a snarl.

"You're not wrong."

"What in the fuck did the bastard even want anyways?"

"I don't know. He only spoke with Izuku."

"Wait, wait, wait. He spoke with Izuku? The bastard actually spoke to his own fucking son? Holy fucking shit, miracles do happen. I guess all it took was the poor kid almost fucking dying to make the selfish fucking piece of shit to pick up the fucking phone."

Bitterly, Inko added, "The call lasted all of thirty seconds."

"What?"

"It was literally only yes or no answered from Izuku before Hisashi said something to him that clearly upset him. Then he hung up before I could even get out of my chair to see what was going on."

"Of all the...Are you fucking kidding ME!? After everything...he can only… What the ever loving fuck! That slimy, needle-dicked, mother…"

Inko found herself nodding along as Mitsuki just pulled out every nasty horrific curse and swear she could think of. Again, agreeing with a simple, "You're not wrong."

A knock from the front door interrupted Inko before she could say anything else on the matter.

"Oh. someone's at the door."

Walking over, Inko peaked through the peephole and blinked in surprise, "Toshinori?"

On the other side of the door, All Might waited patiently in his ridiculously oversized suit.

"Who's that?"

"He's a trainer. He helped my son and Ochako get ready for the U.A. entrance exam...He's also a friend." Inko added a little shyly.

Mitsuki's ears perked up, "A friend you say huh? Coming over while the kids are out?"

Inko flushed at the idea, "Mitsuki, no! I had no idea he was coming over."

"Sounds like your day is about to have a lot more ups and downs."

Inko could practically hear the huge grin Mitsuki had.

"Or maybe I should say, some in and outs?"

"MITSUKI!"

Mitsuki burst out laughing, while Inko's face burned, "I'm going to hang up now"

"Yeah, ha ha ha, yeah I figured, ha ha ha…"

"But...I'll give you a call later?" Inko's voice had a hopeful tone to it, which Mitsuki picked up on.

Smiling on her end, she answered, "Yeah, we have a lot we should catch up on. Now go get it, girl."

"Oh you!"

With Mitsuki still laughing, Inko hung up though it was hard not to start laughing herself. Taking a few quick breaths, Inko opened the door smiling up at the skinny man, "Oh, Toshinori, what a pleasant surprise. What are you up to today?"

"Ah! Inko. Good morning. Well, I was in the neighborhood, and after that horrible incident yesterday I wanted to come by and see how Young Midoriya was doing."

"That's so thoughtful. He's doing very well right now. You just missed him. though. He and Ochako just left to go have lunch not that long ago."

"Oh, that's too bad, but I'm glad the boy is doing well, and if Young Uraraka is with him, then that saves me a trip to visit her at least. Wait, they went to have lunch together?"

Inko didn't bother to hide the little smirk on her face, "At Ochako's insistence."

All Might's eyebrows rose before he started chuckling, "I knew I should have changed my bet with you. Second year was way too far off."

"No take-backs, I'm afraid. Besides you could still win. She still has to deal with my son's dense nature after all."

That got another loud chuckle from All Might before he continued, "Honestly, I probably could have just called, but I suppose I wanted to make sure myself that everyone was okay..." All Might glanced away before adding, "How are you handling everything? If you don't mind me asking."

Inko sighed, perhaps a little more dramatically than she needed to, "All things considered, I suppose I'm alright. I knew eventually things would start to get dangerous for Izuku as he trained to be a hero. I just didn't expect to have to deal with it so soon."

"No one expected any of this," All Might add gravely.

"Inko…" All Might paused, nervously fidgeting with the cuffs on his sleeves, "If you ever need anything, please feel free to call. I've actually started working closer to U.A. and should be for the foreseeable future, so if there was an emergency or something I could come over to help."

Inko smiled at that. Both the kind gesture and the news that he was going to be back in the area for a while at least, "Thank you. That's very kind of you. You know, if you're going to be around again, you are more than welcome to come back over for dinner…" Inko paused before adding, a little shyly, "Or lunch, if you'd like.

"Oh! Oh, that is a very nice offer Inko."

Both adults stood in silence for a couple of seconds before Inko wondered if she had been too vague with that. So Inko worked up some more courage and asked, "Would you like to come in and have a little lunch now? I could put something together that even a picky eater like you could enjoy."

All Might laughed, a hand absently rubbing his stomach, "You don't have to worry about that. My injury just means I can't eat a lot of food at once...or drink."

Inko sighed, "I still wish you had told me about your accident earlier. I feel so bad trying to get you to eat more."

All Might waved her off, "You were just looking after me. I appreciate it really...and I think...I think I would very much like to have lunch with you. Thank you."

Inko smiled brightly and let All Might in.

Izuku and Ochako had been walking for a few minutes now when it finally dawned on Ochako, she didn't have any idea where they were going, "So, where is this ramen place anyway, Deku?"

"Oh, it's this little shop I saw when I would do my piggyback runs with All Might. So it's actually pretty close to the beach."

"Oh neat. You know, I don't think we've gone back there since we got our acceptance letters."

"Do you want to head over after lunch? Maybe go for a walk."

Ochako smiled at the idea, "That sounds fun. It'll be nice to be able to go there and be able to relax."

"I might start picking up trash on instinct now that I think about it."

That made Ochako burst into a fit of laughter, "I swear, if it's dirty again after all that work, I might explode."

"Actually, I saw online that it has become a popular destination now, so the city is doing a much better job keeping it clean."

"Oh, that's good to hear, but what do you mean by popular destination?"

"Apparently a lot of couples like to go for walks there now. It's one of the more popular places to bring a date."

Izuku completely missed the look Ochako had when he mentioned that. Not for the first time in the last twenty-four hours, Ochako fought to keep her heart from exploding and her cheeks no pinker than normal. However, while she was a little flustered that Izuku had suggested going to a couples hang-out, she was proud that she was able to keep herself, mostly, under control. At least she wasn't having a complete melt down like last night. If she kept this progress up, by the time they were back in class and ready to learn, she would have everything under control so that there would be no danger of her feelings becoming a distraction to herself or Izuku.

I'm just lucky Deku isn't very observant on things like this. If he even had a hint over what was going on, I think I might die.

"Hey Uraraka. Are you alright? You're looking a bit flushed."

FUCK!

Ochako almost slapped a hand over her mouth, but was able to keep herself calm, "Oh, I'm fine."

I guess I should change that to almost isn't very observant. I guess after spending so much time together, he's bound to notice some things...Also, note to self: figure out why I'm starting to sound like my Dad whenever he brings his friends from the construction site over for drinks.

Izuku looked at her a little while longer, looking like he wasn't completely sure he bought that, but before he could push it, both their phones started beeping, letting them know they had gotten a message. Ochako sighed, silently, in relief as she reached for her phone, grateful for whoever had decided to text them.

"Oh, it's from Toga," Izuku said as he checked his phone. He missed the slight eye twitch Ochako had at the mention of the other girl's name.

Request to invite Asui into chat by Toga

Do you accept Y / N

"Oh Toga wants to invite As- Tsu into the group?"

"Oh?" Ochako's slightly soured mood evaporated in an instant, "We were talking a lot while we were waiting on you."

"She and Toga we're getting along on the bus ride yesterday too, and she was with you two during the attack."

Izuku and Ochako both pressed Y on their phones. After sending her agreement, Ochako started to chuckle, "You know, I just realized something."

"What?"

"Tsu is also someone you helped. Is that your plan now: wait until someone is in danger and swoop in to save them so they become your friend?"

Izuku blushed, "Uraraka! You make me sound so nefarious!"

Both their phones chirped with a new message.

Request accepted by 5 / 5

Shinso: So Midoriya iz jst collecting us leik cats now?

Shinso: Standing there w/ a net

Shinso: Danger = nu friend

Ochako burst out laughing while Izuku groaned and hurriedly started typing.

Toga: (ᗒᗜᗕ)՛̵̖

Toga: I wil send invite!

Toga: She wll b so xcited

Midoriya: GUYS!

Midoriya: Thts not it at all!

Iida: I'm afraid, Midoriya, that you have established a pattern at this point. To try and deny it would be most unbecoming. Also, I hope you are doing well. While you seemed fine last night, please be sure to take this time to fully recover so that you will be able to complete your studies when classes start up again.

Shinso: Do u not hav a off switch?

Uraraka: No

Toga: No

Iida: It is my duty as class representative to ensure my classmates are behaving in a way that both represents the school and ensures they stay healthy.

Uraraka: Im with him

Uraraka: Deku is fine

Toga: U r?

Uraraka: Going 2 having lunch

Uraraka: (￣︶￣)

Izuku blinked at the smug face Ochako had used, then looked over at her. She had a strange smile on her face. It reminded him of when she would get competitive, like during their old sparring matches, but it was still different enough in a way he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Am I missing something? Maybe this is some kind of girl thing?

Toga: (¬_¬ )

Ochako snickered when Himiko's message popped up, making Izuku even more confused but confident in his idea.

Yep, this is definitely a girl thing.

Iida: Toga, when you get in contact with Asui, please extend my invitation to come to my home this Saturday for some R&R. After the events of yesterday, I feel we all need the chance to unwind and enjoy ourselves.

Toga: Awesom!

Toga: I will let hr no

Toga: Got 2 run!

Toga has left chat

Midoriya: Im luking forwrd to it

Uraraka: Me 2

Shinso: Shood b fun

Shinso: hav 2 drop now.

Shinso: U all hav a gud day

Shinso: enjoy ur date u 2

Shinso has left the chat

Midoriya: SHINSO!

Midoriya: Its not lik that!

Iida: I also must be getting off. I hope you two have a good time, and I am looking forward to seeing you all again under less stressful circumstances.

Uraraka: （＾ｖ＾）

Iida has left the chat

Putting his phone away, a funny thought crossed Izuku's mind that made his chuckle. Ochako looked over at him, tilting her head to the side, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing really. I just had a funny thought. If Tsu accepts Toga's invite into our group, in the span of less than a week, I've made more friends than I have since I was born. I don't know whether to be elated or really depressed. I mean, what does that say about me?"

"It says that you are a great person. A kind person. Someone that anyone in their right mind would want as a friend." Ochako answered quickly, but gently, making sure to give Izuku the biggest smile she could. Her answer made the boy blush and look away bashfully.

"Thank you. I just wonder what I was doing wrong before?"

Ochako's warm smile flipped into a cold frown, "You did nothing wrong. You were just surrounded by jerks and cowards that were too worried about sucking up to the biggest as… the biggest douche in the world. Those kinds of people are not worth your time or a passing thought."

Despite how cold Ochako had become as she spoke, Izuku burst out laughing, "Wow! That's pretty harsh of you."

Ochako crossed her arms, "Am I wrong?"

"I guess you may have a point."

"Of course I do. You need to listen to me more often. I'm always right."

Izuku smirked before adding, "except when making bets apparently."

That earned him a not-so-soft poke into his arm.

"OW! Hey, careful. That arm was pretty much paste yesterday."

Ochako fixed him with a doubtful stare, "Did that actually hurt?"

"No, but it could ha-OW!"

Ochako made sure to aim for one of the pressure points in Izuku's arm that she learned from Gunhead when she poked him again.

"Here we are, Uraraka."

Izuku pointed towards a small shack that was sandwiched between two large modern shopping stores. The moden, glass and concrete buildings made the small place stand out as almost run down, but as the two got closer the fresh smell of broth and pork waffed over them. Izuku pulled back a cloth divider so Ochako could walk inside. The restaurant was simply one small room, with the cooking station in the middle surrounded by a bar and a few stools. At two corners on opposite sides was a small round table with two stall chairs built into the wall.

"Ah, welcome, welcome! Please come in." The chef in the center smiled and waved them in. He was an older man, with mostly gray hair, and a weather face.

"Ah I recognize you, the boy that was always running around carrying something heavy."

Izuku laughed, embarrassed, while Ochako giggled. The chef's eyes looked over at her, then back at Izuku, "My. Looks like this time you're with someone much nicer though. Such a lucky young man to have such a pretty girl on a date."

Face now beat red, Izuku's hands waved about as he was sent into a stuttering mess, "W-wait, that's not! It's not a-! She's just my-! I mean!"

Ochako rolled her eyes while the chef and a few patrons laughed, "There, there, no need to be so embarrassed. There's a couple of open chairs at the corner table. Have a seat and pick out something from the menu."

"Thank you," Ochako said while pulling Izuku over to the opened table.

Getting himself back under control, Izuku took his seat, and immediately noticed just how small the little corner booth was. The two seats were anchored right into the corner so when they both sat down, there was no way to avoid bumping into each other. Their elbows knocked, hips bumped, and legs brushed against each other before they were able to get comfortable. Even when they were finally seated, Izuku was very aware of just how close he was to Ochako. The slightest move from either of them and they were rubbing against each other. It was an extremely intimate little corner table, and Izuku was sure Ochako must be embarrassed. When he looked up to apologize for once again brushing against her, he was not greeted with a flustered or upset friend like he expected. Instead, like she had been earlier in the day, Ochako was all smiles and was practically glowing. She was not bothered at all. She almost looked like she was enjoying it.

"S-sorry, Uraraka. I'll ask if they have any stool opening soon."

"No!...I mean, no this is fine."

"Oh, um, alright. I'm sorry people keep teasing you about this being a...you know…"

Ochako arched an eyebrow, "Date?"

Izuku made a small eep, and nodded.

"Deku, you know this isn't a date, right?"

"Y-yes."

"And I know it's not a date, so don't let it bother you."

Izuku was shocked, though he knew he shouldn't be, by Ochako's maturity. She always knew what to do to help him, even in situations like this.

After a couple of seconds, a faint red spread across Ochako's face as she broke eye contact and fidgeted with a couple of chopsticks, "Besides…"

Huh?

"It's a little...mean to hear you deny it so much like that...ya know…"

Huh? Wait? I? Huh?

While Izuku tried to figure exactly what she meant by that, Ochako handed him a small menu while she hid behind hers.

Getting a little too on the nose there, girl! Reign it in. Is this a date? No. Am I pretending a little that it is just so I can get this out of my system before school starts back up?...maybe a little.

After a little bit, Ochako glanced over her menu to see Izuku running a finger over a list of some of the pork ramen. He was hanging around some of the cheaper items she noticed.

"If you order the cheapest item on the menu, I'm going to kick you."

Ochako was very satisfied when Izuku's finger immediately darted up into the toppings list. It wasn't long after that they were able to place their orders and start eating.

Izuku couldn't help smile happily as he twirled a large bundle of noodles up in his spoon and happily slurped it up.

"Man, Deku, do you actually taste any of the food as you scarf it down?"

"You are in no position to say anything. You pretty much dove right into your bowl," Izuku countered, pointing his chopsticks at her. Ochako responded by just rolling her eyes, and filling her mouth with a large twirl of noodles and egg.

"Careful, or my mom is going to have to clean your uniform again."

"Ugh, don't remind me that I'm having to wear this on an off day."

Izuku's head tilted to the side as he looked at her, "Why? You look good in your uniform."

There was a pause as both of them realized what was just said.

Did...did I just say that OUT LOUD!?

Izuku looked down at his bowl and began to seriously wonder if he could fit his whole head into it and drown himself. Ochako meanwhile was very grateful that the seat and table were so tight since she was pretty sure she had floated herself in a flustered panic.

"Th-thank you, Deku. That's very nice of you to say. Y-you...look good in your uniform too."

Both sat in awkward silence for a while before Izuku, afraid the silence would drag on for the rest of the meal and ruin their time together, gathered up enough bravery to say, "You know, um. If you want, you could leave some spare clothes and uniform over at my place. Just in case you ever wanted, or needed to, sleep over again."

"Oh?"

Izuku started getting nervous again, thinking perhaps he might have overstepped his bounds in some way. After all, sleepovers with someone of the oposite sex, even when they were your best friend, was a tricky situation, "I mean, there's a good chance that once our heroics classes start getting more invloved, we'll be let out a lot later in the evening. You might not want to walk all the way back to your place, so you could take advantage of the fact I live closer...Of course you don't have too if you don't...want to…"

Izuku trailed off nervously, but before his doubts made him walk back his idea, Ochako smiled brightly, "That's a great idea, Deku. Sure, if your mom is okay with it, I'll bring some stuff over."

While she mostly agreed with his reasoning, there was a small part of her that couldn't help but think how nice it would be to sleep in his bed again, though she quickly brushed that thought aside as best she could. There was no reason at all to let thoughts like that taint an otherwise kind and honest gesture of friendship.

Even if sleeping in his bed had been really nice.

After lunch- which Ochako made sure she paid for, even shooting Izuku a death glare when it looked like his hand was inching towards his wallet- the two made the short walk down to Dagobah Beach. Neither could hold back the smiles they had as they looked over the clean white sand and crisp blue waves. Much to Ochako's relief, it looked like Izuku had been right: the city was taking good care of the beach now; it looked as clean as the day they had finished their training with All Might. With it being a school day for everyone else, there were not many people at the beach. The isolation from everything was calming. The sounds of the waves drowning out the hustle and bustle of the city behind them. It was almost otherworldly. Looking at it now as a nice park instead of the dirty hellscape it once was, Ochako could easily see why it was such a popular couples spot. Along the beach were also several cabana tents that were perfect for watching the waves and maybe even having a little barbecue or picnic.

Or, when closed up, the perfect place for a little intimate privacy for a couple.

"Want to walk along the shore? Or maybe the pier?" Izuku asked.

"Um, the pier will be fine. I'd rather not get sand in my shoes."

"It never bothered you before though when we were training, though. Plus, you could always take them off."

Ochako groaned into her hand.

I swear this boy needs to start noticing things.

"Deku, I'm wearing tights. Want me to peel these off too?"

Izuku glanced down at her legs, and confirmed that she was indeed wearing her black tights, like she always had when she wore her old school uniform and her new one too. Unconsciously Izuku also reconfirmed that Ochako had very nice legs.

Peel them off…

A scene flashed in Izuku's head of Ochako reaching up under her skirt and pulling the black sheer material all the way down. Exposing her bare legs and thighs...

Ochako yelped when Izuku suddenly slapped himself, hard, across the face, "Deku!?"

"Right! Let's go, Uraraka." Izuku, now recovered, made his way down the path with Ochako staying right besides him. While a little confused over whatever that had just been, she found herself soon just enjoying the walk they were on.

Soon the two were at the far end of the pier, happily chatting away for a while until they were simply watching the wave roll in. Izuku glanced over at Ochako a few times before clearing his throat, "Um, Uraraka?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you still want to know about that phone call I got from my father?"

Ochako tensed up. She had honestly forgotten about that after spending such a fun day together with Izuku. Looking over at him, it was hard to deny that now that she was thinking about the call, she wanted to know what exactly was going on. Just not if it made Izuku uncomfortable, "Deku, you don't have to."

"It's fine. I kinda always knew that this was something we were going to have to talk about. I probably shouldn't have put it off for so long to begin with."

Izuku leaned against the railing of the pier while Ochako leaned on her side so she could watch and listen to him.

"I suppose you can already guess my father and I...don't have the best relationship."

That much is obvious.

Ochako thought sadly, but kept that to herself, "Yeah, you didn't seem that happy when you got that phone call."

"Yeah, I guess that comes from not ever seeing him. I can count the times we've spoken on one hand since he went back overseas."

Went back? So he's been gone before?

"When was that?"

Since Ochako hadn't seen him once since she had moved and started spending so much time at the Midoriya's, she guessed it was just before the start of his last year of jr high. To go a year and not speak with your family except a couple of times was unbelievable to Ochako.

"It was just before I started going to Aldera."

Ochako's eyes bulged, "Wait!? Seriously?! That's over three years!"

"Yeah...Oh and I'm counting today's call as one of those times I can count."

"You...you've only spoken to your dad five-"

"Four."

Ochako clamped her mouth shut. She could feel some blue collar, construction worker language threatening to escape.

"I'm pretty sure he's called Mom a few more times besides that, but talking to me personally,it's just the four times."

"I guess…" Ochako paused, not sure what exactly she wanted to say. "I guess having a divorced mom and dad can be rough."

Izuku sighed, "...They're still married."

Ochako took a second to respond to that as she tried to figure out how someone as kind and wonderful as Inko could still be married to someone that sounded so cold and just the opposite of everything she was used to seeing when she was with her.

I need to be very tactful with how I ask this…

"WHY!?"

...You know what, that's about as tactful as I can get, so just going to roll with it.

Izuku just chuckled at Ochako's outburst, "I don't know all the details, but I think I have a pretty good idea after putting everything together over the years. My father...it's very important to him how people see him. How the people who work for him and the people he works for, see him. Being seen as this hard-working man, supporting his wife and son makes him look good. A divorce would look bad. Would tarnish his good name."

"He cares that much about it?"

"His image is really important to him. He even took my Mom's last name because of that. His old name had too much baggage or something. I only heard a little bit of that argument."

"But Deku, the way you talk about him, I can't see your mom staying with someone like that."

"I think...she's put up with it for my sake. He does support us financially at least, so she's been able to be there for me."

Izuku paused, before adding with a shrug, "Plus, he's been gone for so long too. Being in another country gives them the space they need I guess."

"Three years is a long time I guess." Ochako looked over at Izuku sadly. She had no idea things had been like this for him…

"Oh he's been gone way longer than that. He left to start working abroad a little after I got my Quirk."

Ochako opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she found her voice, "How...how old were you?"

A part of her hoped that Izuku had been a late bloomer. That he hadn't been toddler, like she and most of the population were when they got their Quirks.

"I was four."

What kind of scumbag piece of-

"You know, for the longest time, I blamed myself for my father leaving."

Ochako's thoughts ground to a halt when Izuku said that.

"When he heard my Quirk was a stronger mutation of my mom's he looked so excited. I'd never seen him look so happy. He insisted that we go out to celebrate. The whole time he kept talking about how wonderful it was. How proud of me he was. A mutation meant I was going to be so strong. He tried to get me to use my Quirk while he took a video, wanted to show his boss, I think. Or some coworkers."

Want to show his boss? The hell, was he going to try and use Izuku to impress his boss for a raise or something?

"After that, father spent a little more time at home, so he could help me practice my Quirk."

Ochako raised an eyebrow at that, "Your da…" Ochako stopped herself from saying 'dad'. This man she was hearing about did not deserve to be called dad by anyone, "Your father wanted to do that? He didn't want you to go to a Quirk Counselor at your school?"

That's so strange. Everyone see's Quirk Counselors when they are growing up.

Izuku shook his head, "He didn't trust them." He held up his hands and made little quotes with his fingers, "'I don't want those peons messing up my sons Meta Ability with their limited view point.'"

"Wha?"

That whole quote left Ochako confused. Nothing about it made sense. The counselors helped kids learn how to control their Quirks so they didn't accidentally hurt someone. Also that term Izuku had said left her scratching her head, "Meta what?"

"That's what my father would say whenever he was talking about Quirks. It's a really old phrase that's not used by anyone except in this old book he always carried with him. I always thought it was weird, but mom told me not to think about it. It was an old way of thinking that didn't work in our world anymore."

Leaning back onto the railing, Izuku continued, "So for the next couple of weeks Father would try and get me to lift bigger and heavier things. He kept pushing to see what I could do. At first it was fun honestly. Spending time with him, it felt nice, but after a while things...changed. I wasn't getting better, I actually might have been getting worse looking back. This was about when Kacchan really started to lean on me and then the pressure from my father to do more, getting it from both ends like I was was not...fun. It's probably what laid the groundwork for my Quirk being so weak for the next few years. When it got obvious that I wasn't making the improvements he wanted, he stopped working with me and told my mom that counselors could have me. There wasn't anything special for them to screw up."

Izuku took a breath, turning so he was now looking out over the ocean again, "The next few days were so...bad. The way he looked at me, I could tell he was ashamed of me. Then one day, after school, Kacchan's mom was dropping me off at home as my mom and father were in a huge argument. My father had taken an offer from his boss to work overseas, and he was leaving that day. I didn't hear everything because Kacchan actually pulled me away to go to the playground, saying we should just let the grownup have their stupid fight, but I caught some of it. Father said he had more important things to do now. For a while I wondered, if I had been a better son, had a better Quirk, would he have stayed? Would we have been happy together?"

"Deku…"

"It took a while but soon I realized that my Father was not a good person. I still thought I was worthless of course, but I knew that wasn't why he was gone."

A bitter smile formed on Izuku's lips, "You know, a few days after we got our acceptance letters, I overheard my mom talking on the phone. She was doing some paperwork, finances I think for making sure everything I would need for U.A. would get paid for. She had the phone on speaker. She was talking to my father. He sounded like he wasn't happy at the idea of the increased spending and wanted to know why she needed more money. When mom said it was for high school, he blew it off and almost seemed like he didn't believe I could get into a school that was going to cost so much in supplies. Then she dropped the bomb that I was in U.A."

"How'd he take that?" Ochako asked.

Izuku huffed, "He assumed I was in General Studies before Mom corrected him, and said it was Heroics. He was quiet for such a long time; I thought maybe the line had been disconnected. Finally he just asked how. Just the one word. How? After Mom mentioned the training, he said he'd make sure the money he wired over would be what she asked for...He also said that U.A. is a very prestigious school and that many people around the world are always watching it, especially the students in the heroes course. So they would also be watching me. He wanted Mom to make sure I knew not to do anything that would reflect badly on him."

The more Izuku talked, the less sad Ochako became over the fact that Izuku didn't have a great relationship with his father, and more enraged at just how badly this man treated his family. Her last sliver of hope was that the phone call from this morning was something fatherly. He must have heard about the attack, and was calling to make sure Izuku was alright.

"What about the phone call today? He must have been worried about you after the attack, right?"

The shockingly bitter and sad laugh that came from Izuku shattered that last hope, "That call was to make sure my injuries weren't because I had interfered with the heroes rescue. The last thing he said before asking about mom was to make sure I knew that if I ever did something at U.A. that reflected poorly on him, he would pull me out and put me somewhere where I don't embarrass him any further."

Oh my god. Oh my fucking god!

Ochako leaned against the railing, fingers pressing into the smooth painted wood so tight her fingernails were digging in, and looked out over the crashing blue waves as she tried to absorb everything Izuku had just told her. Absorb it and try to deal with the fact that in less than twenty four hours her list of people she actually hated had not only tripled in size, but that Katsuki was not on the top of that list.

She also now realized she had an actual list of people she hated, besides just the blond haired, loudmouth douche that would look so much nicer in the lens of her telescope as he floated up up and away.

That wasn't a bad sign, right?

She was sure it was healthy.

For her- not the people on said list when she got her hands on them.

"Deku, I had no idea things were so bad. You told me how bad things got with Bakugou and school, but to know you were dealing with abuse at home as well…"

"It's not really abuse. He just doesn't really care about me. If it wasn't for Mom having to deal with him, I probably wouldn't care one way or the other."

Ochako was off the railing faster than Izuku could blink, wrapping him in such a tight hug he wasn't sure if she was trying to comfort him, or squeeze the life out of him.

"Deku, neglect is abuse. You don't deserve this. You mom doesn't deserve this."

"I told you, I've moved on. I don't care."

Ochako couldn't see his face, but she could feel his tears on her cheek and the hitch to his breathing against her chest, "Then why did you look so sad today?"

Izuku didn't have an answer for her. At least one that wouldn't sound like he was lying through his teeth.

"So, was there anything you wanted to do? We are pretty close to a few shops if you wanted to go browsing," Izuku asked, his mood now much better after confiding with Ochako. She hadn't let him go until she was sure he had stopped crying, and even then,, had kept very close until his smile and cheerful demeanor had come back fully.

"Ummm, nah. I'm good for things right now. Plus it's too late for spring sales and too early for summer sales."

The two were now walking back in the city, aimlessly walking around. Ochako tapped her chin as she thought of something else they could do before heading back to his place for dinner, "Oh, what about we find an arcade? That'll be fun."

"Oh yeah. Let's do that," Izuku agreed happily. "I know a place. Follow me."

Ochako glanced over at Izuku as he led the way. She was so glad that his mood had improved. Talking about his father had clearly not been enjoyable for him, and she wanted their time out to be fun for the both of them. Still as upsetting as the story she heard had been for both of them, she was touched he was willing to share it with her. That he trusted her with it. She wished she had noticed it before, so she could have done something for him. Despite wearing his emotions on his sleeve, the boy was capable of hiding a secret when he really wanted to. Especially if he thought it would upset someone. Probably why he had gotten so good at hiding All Might's secret from his own mother. He had said he didn't want to have that conversation any time soon.

Trust huh…

Ochako had convinced herself that it was in her and Izuku's best interest that she not tell him how she felt. They would be a distraction. An unwanted complication that would get in the way of their dream. There was also the chance that it could impact their friendship too. However, a little voice in the back of her head had started to scream at her that she was wrong. Even after he had done something so horrible and stupid by running off to save All Might, she had said that that wasn't enough to get rid of her. Their friendship was too strong to be hurt by something like that.

She knew he felt the same way about it. So maybe, if it could weather that, it could weather this. After all, wouldn't holding these secret feelings from Izuku do more harm than good? All she did know is that she did trust Izuku, and she trusted that their friendship could weather anything.

So maybe I should tell him? I mean...what if he feels the same way? Could he feel the same way?

While Ochako was lost in her thoughts, Izuku was none the wiser to her internal struggle as he led the way. Today had been a really good day, which he knew he was lucky to have gotten to live to see. True, he hadn't planned on talking about his father with Ochako today, but after unloading on her, he couldn't help but feel like a little of the burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Now with that cleared up, Izuku was ready for anything the world threw at him.

"Hey...Deku?"

The nervousness in Ochako's voice immediately grabbed Izuku's attention, making him turn around to look at her. She looked surprisingly pensive. That soft pink blush he had seen her have throughout the day was back but was much, much, darker now. Looking into her eyes, Izuku saw a swirl of emotions pass over until she seemed to steel herself, "Deku there's something I...I want to tell you."

"Of course Ura-!"

Izuku was still walking while giving Ochako his undivided attention So he didn't see the small child come running out from the dark alley to his side, and was completely unprepared when she collided into him, sending both tumbling onto the ground.

"AH! Deku!"

While Ochako rushed to Izuku's side, Izuku shook his head to try and regain his bearings.

"...Please…"

Izuku could feel whoever had run into him was trembling.

"...Please…"

Glancing down Izuku saw a small girl with long knotted and tangled white hair, and a small horn sticking out of her brow looking up at him. She was dressed in rags and her arms and legs were wrapped up in dirty bandages. Looking up at him, the girl's red eyes were filled with fear and terror. Her breathing was rapid and shallow as she tried to catch her breath.

"...Please...help...me…Don't...don't let...the bad man...take me away..."

After peeking through the door one last time, and confirming that her little brother was indeed sound asleep, Eri reached up and flicked off the lights to his room and closed the door. Sighing, Eri made her way back into the living room and fell onto the sofa. She hadn't expected to be telling her brother that story for so long. At most, she had expected to finish just after getting to All Might, but her brother had been able to stay awake up till the USJ and just after. She ended up having to get creative a few times since some details of her parent's story were way too mature for him.

Eri started to reach for the TV remote when her phone started to buzz. Digging into her pockets, she checked the screen before answering.

Oh, well speaking of too mature.

"Hi, Fairy Godmother."

Eri stifled a giggle at the annoyed groan at the other end of the line.

"Yes, I'm still going to call you that…. No I'm sure your reputation as the next R Rated Heroine will be just fine."

Eri rolled her eyes as the person on the other end asked a question.

"No, no he's asleep now. I'm responsible enough to be able to put my baby brother to bed."

Eri stiffened a little, "On time? Well, um. What's important is that he is in bed, and eventually he even fell asleep...Huh? Oh I just told him a bedtime story until he fell asleep... I told him a story about Mom and Dad. No not that one...No not that one either, though did you see that documentary that they did about the Nabu Island incident? The picture they used of Shimano and his sister was so bad; no wonder Kouta gave him such a hard time...I know, there was so much wrong!...Dad didn't even have that Quirk yet! Though I think that this time their bad info actually came from Mom and Dad. How else are they going to explain how Mom was suddenly able to...Huh? What story did I tell him?...Oh how Mom and Dad met and became heroes."

Eri snickered, "Yes I mentioned you, though I did tone you down….I said 'very friendly.'"

The laugh from the other end of the line could easily be heard in the quiet living room.

"How far did I get? To just after the USJ, when I ran into Dad...Yeah...Yeah I'm okay….Really, I'm fine. I didn't even get into any of my past shit; he was already asleep. Besides, that's all ancient history for me."

Eri scowled, "It wasn't the bird mask that freaked me out, it was you jumping out from behind the curtain. Who does that, you're a grown woman!?...I don't care if it was Halloween; act your age!..."

"...Yeah, yeah probably for the best he fell asleep there. Any further and I was going to have to really think hard on how to make things more kid friendly. I mean after their first sports festival things get… Yeah, rough."

Eri paused for a bit, her mind thinking back to the events of that first year at U.A. for her Mom and Dad. Especially her Dad.

"Hey, how is everyone anyway? The news said they cleared out the hideout and such...Everyone's fine? That's good. Hey, Aunt Himi, thanks for always looking out for Mom and Dad….No, no, I'm fine really. I guess maybe talking about the past brought up a few bad memories is all…"

Eri sat up straight, face beet red, "No, I do not need Kouta to come over to make me feel better! That's not funny!..."

Eri sighed, but had a smile on her face when she did, "You are a horrible fairy godmother...Ha ha ha, yeah yeah, love you too auntie. Tell Mom and Dad I love them too….And tell Mom I did get Toshi to bed. I know she's the one that got you to call...My Mom isn't as slick as she thinks she is...Bye bye."

Hanging up her phone, Eri slumped back into the sofa, but didn't immediately reach for the remote for the tv. Her mind was still wandering to the past because of her bedtime story. She was very grateful that her little brother had fallen asleep when he had. She honestly wasn't sure how she would have been able to make the events that were coming up in the story, as important as they were in forging her Dad, Mom, even her aunt into the great heroes they were today, any less traumatic and horrific.

Plus then there was all the hand holding, kissing and stuff that happened as well, which might have been even more horrible for the poor little boy to hear.

Notes:

Hi everybody! It's May now...holy crap its May now. This story is just over a year old and we are just now finishing the USJ arc. It was fun to write a fluffy chapter. I don't have the most experience with hidden feelings and pinning so I'm probably going to learn as I write, so please bear with me :)

So yeah, guess who's here now and way earlier than normal too. Say hi to Eri everyone one! And we got a little Hisashi in our fic too. Just a little FYI, I'm taking a lot of ques from Evangelion's Shinji and Gendo while I was imagining their father-son dynamic. So yeah, possibly the worst father-son relationship is what I'm going off of. That's going to be so much fun. Also like Gendo, Hisashi took his wife's last name. The term for this in Japan is called mukoyōshi.

Thank you, everyone who have been following and reading my little story. I hope you all have enjoyed it. Up next I'll probably have either 1 or 2 chapters dealing with the time before school starts, still have to do that nice little hang out Tenya invited the now six members of the Dekusquad to. Yep Tsu is our sixth ranger, she's even green too so thats a plus. Then it's Sports Festival time. Debating how much of the two week prior to the actual sports festival I'm going to do. Guess You'll know a little after I do ;)

Once again, a huge thanks to my beta reader Tmalasia!

If you liked the chapter or have any critiques please feel free to leave a comment or review :D