Last Time on Void's Inheritance Z: Ochaco's apartment fucking burned down!
Also, Ordan and Shota fought.

=VI=

Six people tragically lost their lives today in a blazing inferno that devoured the Republic Apartment Complex earlier this evening. Luckily, Backdraft and the local Fire Department arrived on the scene and were able to contain the blaze.
The police have listed the mysterious villain known as the "Arch-Arsonist" or "Blueflame" as a primary suspect in the case. Currently, this villain is linked to over fifty deaths in the past few years.

=VI=

[Republic Apartment Complex, April 10th, 2243]

Dabi brushed the ash off his clothes and pulled out the burner phone.
"Dabi, my man, how you doing?" The villainous broker answered after a couple of rings.
"Job's done. That guy won't be bothering your client anymore." Dabi informed him. He'd been hired to take care of some troublesome street gang leader. He didn't ask questions as to why. The moron was banging some prostitute in a low-cost apartment. Dabi had barged in mid-coitus and burned the pair alive before they even had the chance to move. If there was anything left of the 'happy' couple, it would certainly make for an interesting coroner report.
"I see, I'm assuming the apartment complex fire is your work?" Giran asked. "Quite the show you made, Arch-Arsonist"
"If you wanted someone to do it quietly then you should've found someone with a less powerful quirk to put him down. You knew what you were paying for." He idly picked at some of his rotting skin, blood oozing from the blistered scabs. It was good that his nerves had been too damaged to feel too much pain anymore.
"Oof, looks like some other people died in that fire. Might wanna lay low for a while." Giran audibly winced.
"Not my damn problem they were too slow." Dabi shrugged.

=VI=

"My stuff…" Ochaco sobbed. Everything she'd brought from home was there. Spare clothes, food for the next few weeks (what little she could afford), and some spare cash that she had lying around.
The apartment was currently reduced to a skeletal shell. The flames, hot enough to cremate the poor souls that didn't make it out in time, had quickly devoured the cheaply constructed building. She'd picked this apartment because it was the only one that fit her budget and was within reasonable distance of U.A. Now that it was gone, she couldn't afford another one.
Haylee stood by her side awkwardly, surveying the damage. In a morbid sort of way, she was glad she came along. Otherwise, Uraraka would've been left alone with nowhere to go. "Uraraka," Haylee crouched down next to her. "Is there someone you can call?"
"My-" She sniffled "My phone is dead." Her phone didn't have the best battery life, being an older one she'd bought on the cheap side. It could last most of the school day if she was lucky, but she'd forgotten to bring the charger.
"Alright, here's what we're going to do." Haylee placed a comforting hand on her crying classmate's shoulder. "We're going to go down to my house for the time being, unless you have somewhere else you can stay, do you?" She questioned.

"I- I don't," Ochaco replied despondently.
"Ok. My house it is." Haylee helped Ochaco up. "Don't worry Uraraka, we'll figure something out."

=VI=

Tenno's house was in a nicer part of town, a few blocks down from Ochaco's former apartment. Seeing as both of her guardians worked for U.A. it made sense that they could afford it.
"Welcome to my house, I guess," Haylee said with zero flair. "You can set your stuff down in the kitchen and grab something to eat. I'll give Ordan a call." She pulled a key out and unlocked the door, at the same time it was opened from the other side.
"Oh. It's you." A massive, All Might-sized man grumbled.
Ochaco took a step back. She didn't have anything against heteromorphs, but something about this man made her instinctively afraid. Aside from his red skin with a few odd patterns, he appeared mostly human up until his head. He had four pupilless blue eyes set in a towerlike head and a mouth with exposed teeth similar to Ectoplasm back at school.
"Ah, shit," Haylee muttered under her breath. She'd forgotten about Hunhow.
Hunhow's eyes shifted over to the other girl with Haylee. "And who is she?"
"My classmate, her apartment burned down," Haylee replied. "Move outta the way. We need to come in."
Hunhow glared at Haylee before moving out of the door frame.
"Come on in." She waved to Ochaco.
Ochaco slinked past Hunhow, getting the impression that the man didn't like her. She followed Haylee into the kitchen, which was bigger than her whole apartment. "So uh, who was that?" She asked quietly.
"Oh him? That's Hunhow. He's Natah's dad." Haylee replied dismissively, kicking a stool out for Ochaco. "Gimme a minute, I'm just going to make a call. We've got leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry. We didn't exactly have a big lunch today."
Ochaco set her backpack down and walked over to the fridge, picking a small bowl so as to not take too much of their food, and returned to the counter.
Ordan answered Haylee after a few rings. "Hey kiddo, what's up?"
"You know Uraraka from my class?" Haylee asked, getting straight to the point. "Her apartment burned down and she doesn't have anywhere to stay. She's in the kitchen right now."
"What? We'll be home right away." Ordan responded, sounding worried.
"Alright, see you in a bit." She managed to say before Ordan hung up. At least she knew he was treating this urgently. With a sigh, she returned to the kitchen to see Hunhow with his arms crossed, watching Ochaco eat.
"Is your friend staying for dinner?" Hunhow asked displeasure at having a new human to deal with clear as day.
"Probably. Maybe overnight if necessary." Haylee crossed her arms and frowned at the Sentient.
"Hrmph…"
Ochaco eyed Hunhow warily. " M-Mr. Tau, if it's inconvenient for me to stay I can try to find somewhere else to go… I don't want to cause any trouble."
Haylee snorted. "Nah, fuck him. He hates everyone, and this isn't even his house. If he wanted he could go and buy his own. He has enough money." She snarked, making direct contact with Hunhow's lower eyes to drive in her point.
Hunhow huffed. "You and your bleeding heart." He walked off into the living room to presumably sulk.
"Asshole, at least I have one…" Haylee muttered before turning back to Ochaco. "Don't listen to what he says. He doesn't get to decide anything around here." Her fingers fidgeted with the pin he'd gifted her in her pocket. Apparently, he wasn't improving as much as she thought. She half-wanted to burn his gift to ash right in front of his stupid fucking face just to spite him but decided to hold her tongue.
There was a flash of movement in the backyard as Ordan and Natah landed. Lotus immediately changed her form into casual wear before they entered through the back.
"Haylee, we're back!" Ordan called out, spotting them sitting in the kitchen. He turned to Ochacho. "Haylee already told me what happened. Don't worry, I'm sure we can figure out somewhere for you to stay." He reassured her.
"Mo- Natah, Hunhow is being…" Haylee made hand motions at Natah. "Well, himself. Can you talk to him?"
Natah sighed. "I'll go speak to him and get him to settle down." She walked over to her father and grabbed him by the arm, leading him upstairs.
"So," Ordan sat down across from Ochaco. "Uraraka, can I have your parents' phone number? I'm sure they will want to know what's going on."
"Oh, sure." Ochaco reached over to Ordan's offered phone and typed in her mom's number. "Here you go Mr. Karris." She handed it back.
Ordan dialed and waited. After the fourth ring, someone answered. "Uraraka residence, this is Miu." A tired-sounding woman answered.
"Mrs. Uraraka? My name is Karris Ordan, I'm one of your daughter's teachers at U.A." Ordan said.
"U.A.? Has something happened?" Her tone grew immediately alert.
"Your daughter is fine, there was just a fire at her apartment while she was walking home from school. My kid is her classmate and brought her to our home. Would you like to speak to her?" Ordan assured her.
"Yes, please!"

Ordan handed Ochaco his phone. "Your mom wants to talk to you."
"Mom?" Ochacho answered.
"Ochaco, honey, are you alright?" Her mom asked.

"Yeah mom, I'm fine," Ochaco reassured her. "I'm at a classmate's house right now. The fire was being taken care of by the time I got back so I didn't get hurt or anything. I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner, my phone was dead and I left my charger at home… so that's gone now."
"I'm just glad that you're alright honey. Do you need us to send more money to replace your stuff?" Miu offered.
Ochaco lowered her voice. "Mom, I know you're already having a hard time with the bills. Can we afford that?"
"Oh, Ochaco, don't you worry about that. We'll manage. I don't want you giving up on your dream just because of that. We'll just be a bit tight this month but everything will be fine. Do you have a place to stay for the time being?" Miu inquired.
"Not yet, but I'll figure something out. I'll have to find somewhere nearby once you send some money." There were more apartments, but the most affordable ones were even further from U.A. She felt a hand tap her shoulder and looked up to see Mr. Karris. "Oh, my teacher wants to talk to you." She handed the phone back.
"Mrs. Uraraka, if your daughter needs a place to stay we'd be more than happy to have her here with us." Ordan offered.
"Oh Mr. Karris, we couldn't possibly-" Miu started.
"We have a spare bedroom we've been using as storage that we can have cleaned out by tomorrow night. Really, it's no big deal to us."
Miu hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Well, it would all be up to her. We could also put her up in a nearby apartment, according to U.A.'s hero course program Section 42-1: In the case of a villain attack rendering a hero or support course student's home inhospitable, accommodations can be made. It's part of the scholarship that all the students in those programs receive." Ordan explained.
Ochaco bit her lip, overhearing the conversation. She didn't realize U.A. had those provisions.
"If… if you're absolutely sure…" Miu finally replied. "I'd like it if she were to stay with you, as long as it isn't a burden or anything." Ochaco was hours away, and still a fifteen-year-old girl. Having her stay with a classmate would give both Miu and her husband peace of mind. They'd been wary about having her stay in a cheap apartment so far from home in the city where crime was more abundant, and this incident had only exacerbated Miu's worries.
Ordan walked into the living room to continue ironing out the details of her stay.

=VI=

Natah closed her room's door and turned to face Hunhow. "Father, what exactly do you think you're doing?"
"I don't know what you mean," Hunhow replied crossly.
"The girl, Uraraka. Haylee told me that what you said. She shows up in need of help and the first thing you ask is 'When is she going to leave'?" Natah crossed her arms.
"That is not what I said." Hunhow defended. "I simply asked how long she was going to be staying for."
"According to Haylee, your tone suggested otherwise." Her expression changed ever so slightly from her normal stoic facade. "Her apartment burned down and that's how you treat her? She's a guest, and needs help."
"You are not obligated to assist every child that falls into your lap, you know," Hunhow grumbled.
"What I choose to do is none of your concern, Father," Natah replied tersely, an annoyed look spreading across her face. Not the same eye-rolling annoyance that she showed when Ordan got up to his usual antics. She was legitimately upset. "I thought… I thought-" Natah sighed. "This morning gave me the impression that you were getting better. Was that all just for show?"
Hunhow didn't reply and avoided her gaze.
Natah frowned. "Why are you doing this? Are you just opposed to being happy?"
"No."
"Then why are you being so obstinate? You were doing so well these past few months. I know it's been a difficult adjustment for you."
"That is accurate." He replied plainly.

"Then what's wrong?" She demanded.
"What's wrong? Do you think it's easy for me to live among these people? Every time I look in the mirror do you know what I see? A mockery. You have it easy. You lived among the Orokin for decades, you have connections to humanity." Hunhow sat down on her bed, forcing the frame to creak under his weight. "And I do not."
"You've been talking with Nezu, and I thought that was helping. Hell, you even play video games with him from time to time, not that I know how he even roped you into doing that." Natah continued. "Dare I say you sounded like you were enjoying yourself."

"It was not entirely unenjoyable," Hunhow admitted. "Do you not like his company at least a little?" Natah asked. "He's been nothing but kind do you."
"..."
"You can talk to me you know, because I know nobody else will," Natah said.
"I was under the impression that you didn't want to talk to me ."
Natah pursed her lips. "You make it very difficult, and I had to sort some things out myself."

"... I see."
"Are you going to tell me what's going on? I can't tell what you're feeling if you don't talk to me."
"And that's just the problem, isn't it" He growled. "You cannot, and will never again be able to tell how I really feel. Before, you could sense what I felt, my love and pride. Now? Nothing. We have no bond, no link holding our minds together. It was taken from us."
"We are human now." Natah reminded him.
"No matter what our genetic makeup says, we are not human. I am not one of them, I will never be one of them, and I never wanted to be one of them." The words dripped from his maw, laced with vitriol. "You have it easy, but I have no connections with them. The only 'kindred spirit' I have is Nezu, and even he does not understand me as well as he thinks he does."
Natah leaned against the wall, contemplating his words. "Is that what all this is about? You're bitter about what we became?"
"Yes!" Hunhow raised his voice, though not enough to be heard outside the room. "Because they treat me like I'm one of them, and expect me to act the part in return!" He hissed. "Conversations with them are so tedious, they try to make small talk and they won't get the damn hint that I want nothing to do with them! Do you know what happened a few days ago?"
She shook her head. "You never talk about what you do."
"I went shopping, and there was a woman handing out flyers for a 'Heteromorph rights rally'. She gave me one because she thought I was one of them." Hunhow gestured to himself. "Because I look like one of them, but I couldn't care less about that. I have nothing in common with them aside from a nonstandard appearance." He took a deep breath. "Nezu has told me about the struggles that they face. The discrimination does not surprise me, that is how humans will always be. Why do you think the other intelligent creatures of this world are kept hidden?"
Natah's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes, he has told me of the magic and monsters that inhabit this world. I know he's told you and Karris as well." Hunhow stood, staring down at his daughter. "That is the world you want me to be a part of? The only reason they allow us to live is because you are useful, and we are too powerful to destroy without mutually assuring their destruction."
"You aren't under house arrest anymore. You have more money than most people could ever dream of because of the deal with Nezu for your quirk byproducts. If you dislike living among humans there's nothing stopping you from buying a home far away from here. You could live like a hermit, tend to fields as your original purpose." Natah suggested. "So why are you still here? Do you just enjoy wallowing in your misery?" She replied crossly.

"Do you want me to leave?"
Natah faltered, realizing she may have gone too far. "That's not why I meant."
"It sounded like that was what you meant." He replied, avoiding her gaze. "I have considered it, leaving here. I want to return to Tau, but there would be nothing there for me, and it would take thousands of years to get there I imagine. But I don't want to leave you, or your brother."
"It's not that I don't want you here Father, but… you tend to make things difficult."
"What, because I sent the Stalker after Haylee? Because I tried to assimilate the Cephalon weave?" Hunhow shot back. "I wonder why they dislike me?" He said sarcastically. "Do you really think that my actions can be resolved with an apology, or just being nice to them?"
"You're not calling Ordan 'Cephalon' or Haylee 'Brat' anymore," Natah noted. "Which is why I know that you are at least trying to be better, but every time you try to take a step forward you take another one back."
"Socializing with people does not come second nature to me as it does with you."
Natah paced around the room rubbing her forehead. "I get that you are having a difficult time, but you can't just take it out on others, especially our guests."
"..."
"You know that Haylee doesn't have Midoriya over because she knows that you will act like this? Or that Yagi will sit out in his car rather than come in, because he knows you feel uncomfortable around people."
"Or because he's afraid of me."
Natah sighed. "I know him, and no, he's not. Toshinori is just too kind for his own good."
"You would know," Hunhow muttered.

"What was that?" Natah turned sharply, hearing it perfectly.
"..."
"You know I have excellent hearing." She crossed her arms. "Don't try and act like I couldn't hear that."
"... I…" Hunhow growled, struggling to come up with the words of how he felt. It would be so simple if their minds could link, so she could feel his anguish and confusion. "You have always been too soft for your own good. That's why I didn't want you to make the journey to the Origin System."
"You made me to be a spy." Natah shot back, starting to get angry.
"And yet when the time came I told you to stay, but you insisted."
"If I hadn't done that we would've lost the war."
"You don't know that. We could've found a way."
"I. Was. The. Way." She stressed.
"And where did that get you? Brainwashed to someone I never should've trusted!" He loomed over her. "Ballas was a means to an end, and had I not been desperate I never would've let him lay a hand on you. But we had no choice! Do you know how much I regret that decision, even though it led to the Orokin's defeat it wasn't worth losing you!"
Natah took a shaky step back. "I didn't know you…"
"You're different now." Hunhow continued, a hint of sadness tainting his voice. "You changed when I saw you again. The "Lotus" as they called you. Even when you were mostly freed from his programming you still chose them over us. I saw it when our minds touched, and I refused to believe it then, but you did change. And then he came back and broke you AGAIN!" He shook his fist in the air. "And this time it killed you! If it weren't for that alternate version of Haylee you would be gone, forever. She brought you back, but it changed you, and coming here changed you as well. I barely even recognize you now, but I still know that somewhere in there, that's always been you." Hunhow continued to lament. "And you still want to naively play the hero to a world that would reject you if they found out what you are and what you did. I know that even then, you would throw yourself into danger without hesitation even if it destroys you."
"I need to make up for what I've done," Natah stressed.

"What? The slaughter of the Orokin and their people? I don't regret my actions in the Old War, because it was necessary. The Orokin and their mindless little puppets would've massacred us otherwise. Your actions recently? The control of an egotistical madman who couldn't fathom the possibility that he couldn't be loved! This? This is throwing your life away."
"You don't get to decide what I do with my life, father." Natah lectured.
"I am trying to respect your decisions. Trying very, very hard. You told me- when we first arrived to spare these people. Even when you could've killed me while I was weakened, you gave me a chance. When you asked me what I would do should you fall in battle as a hero, I gave you my word that I would not burn the world down to avenge you. I will keep to my word, but that does not mean that it is easy or that I like it. Had I the inclination, not even All Might could stop me from rendering this country to ash, but I will not, because I promised you peace. I will not betray that trust." Hunhow let out a long, heavy sigh."Is that how you see it? That I'm too soft and weak to take care of myself?" Natah snapped back.

"Weak? You're far stronger now than you ever were thanks to your quirk. You are not weak." Hunhow clarified. "This has nothing to do with your strength. I simply… worry that I will lose you again, and this time without the possibility of resurrection. I have almost lost one child, and I do not want to lose the other."

"Erra is still alive."
"Barely, and if he ever does recover will he be the same, or a shell of his former self? I have read what a coma can do to a human, and the longer he is like that, even if he does recover his mind will be damaged. He is in a vegetative state, and you still haven't visited him, not that I blame you after all he did." Hunhow snarled. "And if he wakes and comes after you again, I will kill him myself to spare you the pain of having to put. Him. Down." He poked her in the collarbone with his oversized finger. "Perhaps if things were different, we could all be a happy family here, but it is not. You may feel as if you belong here, but I do not."
Natah tensed. "Are you saying that because you believe it, or are you afraid of what will happen if you allow yourself to be happy?"
Hunhow flinched.
"So I'm not wrong," Natah concluded.
"I… I'm going to the park to think." Hunhow replied. "I will not bother her classmate about her stay, and I will try- TRY to be welcoming to her. For you." He opened the door. "Maybe you're right… but that is not something that comes easily to me. I am trying, Natah."
"I know." She replied softly.

=VI=

"So, it looks like you'll be staying with us for the time being," Ordan said. Ochaco had already agreed after speaking to her mother and decided that living here would be the best course of action for now. "Natah's out right now getting you some spare uniforms from school and some other necessities, your mother gave us a list of things that you would need."
Ochaco nodded. "Oh, okay…" She decided not to protest so as to not sound ungrateful.
"I'll have dinner ready in a half hour, more or less. Is there anything specific you're craving?"
"Not really. I'll just have whatever you are having." Ochaco responded meekly.
"You can sleep in my room if you'd like." Haylee offered. "C'mon, I'll show you."
She led the hesitant girl upstairs, basically dragging her by the wrist, stopping at a door that had Haylee's name written on it. "Gimme a minute to tidy up."

Ochaco heard some shuffling noises and what sounded like the thing that Haylee did to blink around during the quirk assessment test. After a few minutes, she opened the door, hair disheveled and sweating profusely.
"Ok, there we go. All cleaned up." Haylee wiped her hands together. She'd picked up all the messy clothes and removed any of her carvings of people from the Origin System she'd made, stashing them in a high-up box in her closet. The only things left could be excused as sci-fi memorabilia.

Ochaco took a reluctant step into Haylee's room. The walls were adorned with several shelves with models on them and the corner was filled with plushies surrounding a beanbag. Other than that, the room was empty aside from the furniture and some picture frames. "Oh, are you a sci-fi fan?" She peered at some of the ships on the shelf. "I don't recognize what they are from."
"Oh, I made them myself," Haylee said, lightly scratching the back of her head. "I do wood carvings in my spare time."
"These are really good, I thought they were official or something.." Ochaco leaned down. "Can I…"
"Go ahead." Haylee nodded.

Ochaco picked up a small Corpus Gox carving. "Wow…" She looked over at the plushie pile of strange-looking alien creatures. "Did you make those too?"
"Mhm. I sew stuff too." Haylee's expression brightened as she got to talk about her hobbies. "Izuku mentioned that you could do like, 3D printing with resin or something too but I couldn't figure out the software. I prefer to do things by hand." She gestured to the bed, patting the neatly folded covers. "Anyways, here's where you'll be sleeping."
"What about you?" Ochaco worried.

"I dunno, the beanbag or the downstairs sofa or something." Haylee shrugged.

"I don't want to take your bed…" She fretted, tapping her fingers together.

"Oh, don't worry. I can sleep pretty much anywhere. I've slept on a concrete floor before." Haylee handwaved. "Plus it's only one night. You'll have your own room tomorrow."
"I mean, the bed is big enough for two people." Ochaco considered.
"I mean, I guess. I just figured you would want your own bed." Haylee shrugged again. "I guess it can be like a sleepover or something." She paused. "I've never had a sleepover before. Huh, neat."

A wave of unease washed over Ochaco. She was mentally exhausted after the events of the past few hours. "This is too much…" She whispered, flopping over on the bed.

"Hey, you okay?" Haylee asked.
"Why-" She sniffled. "Why are you all going through all this effort? You're all going out of your way, spending money on me, letting me stay here… why?"
Haylee blinked, somewhat confused by her reaction. "Uh, well, we weren't just going to leave you with nowhere to go."
"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but you only just met me today!" Ochaco clarified. "And you just… took me in without question."

Haylee sat down next to Ochaco. "Well, you were in trouble. What would you have done if I wasn't there?"
Ochaco was silent for a moment. "P-probably ask the firefighters there for help? Then I would've called my parents from there." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "My… my family isn't doing so well financially, and I only got into U.A. because they give a full ride to anyone who is admitted. My parents barely scraped enough out of their budget to allow me to live out here by myself… and if you hadn't come along, I probably would've dropped out of U.A. and gone back home."
"Wait, you would've dropped out just like that?" Haylee's eyes widened.
"Well, I didn't know U.A. offered housing to students in emergencies, so I probably wouldn't've asked," Ochaco admitted sheepishly, her breathing slowing a bit. "I… I barely made it into the hero course. I only had twenty-eight villain points. The only reason I got in was because of the rescue points they gave me for catching Midoriya."
"Because the dumbass decided to break his limbs," Haylee snorted, remembering the incident fondly, but in reverse. "He told me about that. I didn't realize that was you until today… You know, he only got into the hero course because he saved you." Haylee told her, trying to make her feel a bit better. "And he got second place out of that, you got forth place. You both got in because you decided to save each other."
Ochaco thought back to how Midoriya had saved her, even though he looked afraid he had an aura of confidence about him.
"I won't let anything happen, because I'm here."
"Yeah… I guess you're right." She replied, a deep blush forming around the marks on her cheeks.
"I wouldn't feel too bad about how you got in, the important thing is that you did. U.A. wouldn't give out rescue points in those numbers if it didn't mean something." Haylee consoled.
"I guess…" Ochaco mumbled.
"Do you not like it when people help you or something?" Haylee asked.
"No… it's not that." Ochaco sighed. "I just… don't want people to help me out of pity."
"You want it to feel earned." Haylee surmised. A somewhat Corpus way of thinking.
"Yeah, I guess thats the best way of putting it." Ochaco replied. "My parents work hard, and getting stuff for free makes it feel… I dunno," Her accent slipped again. "Like a handout."
Haylee fell back onto the bed next to Ochaco. "I kinda get what you mean. If you couldn't tell I uh… kind of have a temper." She blushed. "Before I met Izuku, I was in a really bad place mentally, and honestly was kind of a cunt."
Ochaco made a barely audible wheezing noise.
"I really, really don't like it when people pity me. But… there comes a point to where you are just sabotaging yourself if you don't accept help from people. Voi- ahem, who knows where I would be if I didn't. Probably moping about in here or something." Haylee sighed, turning her head to look at Ochaco. "So, we aren't doing it out of pity, or because we want something out of you. I just like helping people out if I can."
Ochaco nodded. "I guess…"
"Plus, it would be real shitty if you had to give up on U.A. because some prick decided to play with fire," Haylee said. "I think Aizawa said something about heroes balancing out unfairness or something along those lines, so that's what we are doing I guess." She lightly punched Ochaco's arm.
"Girls! Dinners -getting cold-ready!" Ordan yelled from downstairs.

"Coming!" Haylee shouted, leisurely sitting up. "C'mon, let's go eat. I'm fucking starving."

=VI=

Ochaco was still a bit weirded out with eating with one of her teachers, much less two of them. However, those worries disappeared once she took her first bite of Mr. Karris's cooking. "Mmmmm~" She took a slow bite, savoring the taste of the shrimp.
"S'good, right?" Haylee asked while chewing.
"Manners, Haylee." Natah chided.

"Make sure you two eat a lot. You're going to be doing combat training tomorrow." Ordan reminded them. "Hero work takes up a lot of calories, so keep yourselves fed."

Ochaco watched Haylee scarf down her bowl, the blue-haired girl immediately reaching for another. She finished her bowl, looking at all the food spread across the table. Hesitantly, she took another one. Not having to worry about budget for her meals was a new feeling for her. She'd planned on taking leftovers from U.A. home to supplement her dietary needs, but that wasn't going to be an issue anymore.
"So," Ordan asked. "How was your first day?"
"Surprising." Haylee glared, a playful look in her eyes. "Mostly because of you."

"What do you think of Aizawa?" Natah inquired.
"A bit harsh, but nothing I'm not used to." Haylee shrugged.
Ochaco looked around nervously.
"Uraraka, don't feel as if you can't speak your mind just because I'm your teacher," Ordan said. "I won't hold anything you say against you, even if it's about me."
"Uhmm… well, he kinda scared me with the whole expulsion thing," Ochaco answered. "But it made me motivated to try my hardest, so I guess that's good. I'm just worried that he'll constantly do that, I guess."
Ordan nodded. "That's fair. I only just met him today myself. He wasn't too pleased to hear I was teaching with him. Had to beat him in a fight."
Haylee snorted. "Of course, you got into a fight immediately."
"Hey, I won, didn't I?" Ordan chuckled.

"He conceded, Ordan didn't actually hit him," Natah added.
"Still counts tho." Ordan took a large bite of steak, dripping with soy sauce.

"Agree to disagree."

Ochaco snickered, the casual nature of the conversation making her feel more at ease. The rest of dinner went far smoother and she ate until she was full. Since she wanted to make herself somewhat useful she helped Haylee do the dishes.

=VI=

It was dark by the time they turned in for bed. Ochaco changed out of her uniform and into the pajamas Ms. Tau had acquired for her. She sat down on the bed just as Haylee exited the bathroom, having changed into her underwear.
"T-tenno, your…" Her eyes wandered over to the massive blue scar on Haylee's chest. It was a large blue mark of twisted blue flesh on her right breast, the only noticeable feature on her otherwise extremely fit body.

"Yeah yeah… I know." Haylee nodded as if expecting that reaction. "Don't worry, It's not serious."
"Oh, alright…" Ochaco didn't prod, assuming that it was probably a sensitive subject. That was probably why Haylee hadn't showered off with the rest of the girls after Aizawa's test.
Haylee slid past Ochaco without another word and rolled over to the other side of the bed, wanting to give the other girl as much space as possible. She wrapped some of her blankets around herself and snuggled into the sheets.
Ochaco slid under the covers on her side of the bed and placed her head on the pillow. She turned to a more comfortable position on her side, locking eyes with Haylee who was watching her with a passive look on her face.
"Tenno, did I uh, upset you by mentioning the scar?" Ochaco whispered.

"Huh? Oh, no. I'm not mad or anything." Haylee yawned. "Why would I be?"
"You just seemed… annoyed?" Ochaco faltered.
"Nah, that's just my resting bitch face at work," Haylee replied. "When people see a scar like that, that's usually the reaction." She admitted, placing a hand on her chest and tracing over the outline of the scar. "Hell, Izuku and Lumine were really freaked out when they first saw it."
"Oh… thank you for not being upset, Tenno." Ochaco apologized.
"S'no big deal. People are going to stare when they see it, I just don't like talking about it too much…" Her voice trailed off and she yawned again. "I'm guessing you thought I didn't want to show it to the others?"
"Y-yeah…"
"I just didn't want six people I didn't know staring at me and asking questions," Haylee mumbled.

"That makes sense. It must be a bit uncomfortable to have people stare like that." Ochaco admitted.
"More annoying than uncomfortable." She shrugged.
The two lay in silence, the only noise being the sound of their breaths slowing down. Ochaco glanced over at the picture of Izuku and Haylee on the nightstand.
"You're really close to Midoriya, aren't you?" Ochaco asked.
Haylee nodded drowsily. "Yuh… he's my best friend."
"Do you uhm…" Ochaco gulped. Ever since she'd met Midoriya that day her mind would occasionally wander back to that moment he saved her during the practical. The way he bravely stood over her, the "What do you like about him?"
"What do I like about him?" What an odd question. "Uhhh… lemme think… I guess that he never gives up, he's really smart, strong as hell… and he's incredibly motivated." She paused. "Even though he's a reckless idiot who can't stay out of trouble." Haylee chuckled. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh uh…" Ochaco's cheeks heated up. "No reason!"

Haylee raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you have a crush on him or something." She replied bluntly and with zero hesitation.
Ochaco's face immediately turned beet red. "A c-crush? No! It's not like that at all!" She flailed around in the bed, accidentally activating her quirk on the bedsheets before releasing them immediately onto her face. "I just thought… uh, that you had one on him based on how you talked to him about him!" Yes, the perfect way to direct the conversation away from her. Sure, Midoriya was cute and cool and saved her life and all, but she just wanted to get to know him better and maybe befriend him! There was nothing more to it.
"Oh. Ok." Haylee said.
"But you uh, wouldn't happen to have a crush on him, would you?" Ochaco asked with the subtlety of a brick being thrown through a window.

"No, why would I?" Haylee asked, genuinely confused at why Uraraka would think such a thing. "What made you think that?"

"Well, you seem really close and comfortable around each other, and the way you talked about him kinda sounded… I dunno, maybe I'm just being silly." Ochaco trailed off.
"I mean its not something I ever thought about. I never really considered being in a relationship with anyone. It wasn't… it wasn't exactly a concern at the time." Haylee replied wistfully. She didn't even think it was possible for her to like someone well, like that. Did she like Izuku like that? She didn't treat him any differently than she treated Jenva, and she used to be her best friend before…

'I feel the same way about Izuku as I do Natah and Ordan… and how I did with mom and dad. I'm definitely not attracted to him, ew.' Haylee cringed internally. "Do you have any siblings, Uraraka?"
"No."
"Me neither, but… I think Izuku is like the little brother I never had." She held her hand up in the air, letting it slowly fall as if it were being dragged through water. "Well, a dumbass little brother that you want to keep from constantly getting into stupid shit." She stifled a snort. "Seriously, I can't leave him alone or he'll run off and get himself hurt."

Across the city, Izuku suddenly felt as if someone was saying something incredibly hypocritical.
"I've never been… interested in dating anyone. Until you asked I didn't even think about it." Haylee shrugged. "So I don't think I have a crush on him or anything like that. Izuku is just… Izuku."
For some reason, Ochaco felt a sense of relief, though she was unsure why. Midoriya was cute, sure, and saved her life, but she didn't have a… uh oh. 'Nonononono… I don't like him like that, do I? I mean, we've only just met after all. I need to focus on school. We're just classmates, maybe we'll be friends. There's nothing more to it!'
"It's not like anyone's ever flirted with me either, so it's not like anyone's ever been interested in me. I'd think I'd know if someone were." Haylee continued, oblivious to Ochaco's inner plight.
In another part of the city, Lumine sat up in bed. For some reason, she felt incredibly annoyed. At the same time, Izuku was struck with the sudden desire to slam his face into his pillow and scream (though he didn't, because he was trying to get to sleep and was thus confused).
"Oh, well, we're only in high school after all." Ochaco deflected, flipping to her other side so that Haylee wouldn't see how red her face was.
"Meh." Haylee rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. "Maybe." Her eyes slowly closed and her breathing began to slow.
A few minutes passed and Ochaco slowly peered over her shoulder. Surprisingly, Haylee had already fallen asleep.
"Oh…" She whispered. "Goodnight, Tenno." The day's events finally caught up with her, and she fell asleep mere moments later.

=VI=

Fellas, I'm not going to lie, Dabi is not going to be portrayed in a sympathetic light in this fic (if you can tell by his complete lack of remorse for killing the innocent some gang member and a hooker).
Ochaco protection squad has assembled. Ordan and Natah will adopt any child that they come across (poor Himiko, who Hunhow did not care about, but Stain has picked her up). Speaking of him and his mood swings, he's pretty much ignored any of his canon character development post-New War and Jade Shadows because he's bitter about the whole "human" thing. That's why this is tagged "Hunhow is a bad dad".
Ochaco is definitely overwhelmed with all the blatant kindness that she's being given, and especially after the whiplash of her weirdo new classmates, Aizawa's test, and going home to have your apartment burned down. At least she doesn't have to worry about rent or meals anymore since Ordan is based and has achieved househusband/butler status.
Must be really weird to live with your teacher now.
Also she's kinda realized that Izuku is more than just cute pre-exams arc, due to Izuku being a lot more confidant than canon (at least in talking to people and fighting.
Next time: Battle Training with a twist!