Ochako carefully opened the door to her room, stepping inside and turning the light on, as a warm orange hue filled the room. Izuku closed the door behind her, looking around with a wistful expression, as he remembered all of the fond memories he had with his mother.
Barging in with Eri to wake her up on the weekend, running into her room whenever he had a nightmare, hiding from Kaachan anytime they played hide and seek as children. The last ever conversation she had with him...
It all cascaded into a jumbled mess of emotions, as he sat down on the side of the bed, Ochako doing the same with the opposite side, as she saw how emotionally...conflicted he was? Was it a conflict? She couldn't tell, all she could see is that Izuku was caught up with something else and that it was weighing heavy on him.
Getting under the covers, she laid down, tilting her head to the side so she was facing Izuku, before gently grabbing his forearm.
"You okay?" She asked softly, not wanting to wake anyone up, especially after learning how thin the walls were.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just...a lot of memories in this room." Izuku meekly responded, laying down next to Ochako, looking up at the ceiling
"I understand. I know I've said this, but thanks again for letting me stay here, especially in this room. Being here with Eri, Katsuki, and everyone else, it's the kind of life I imagined when I moved here on my own. You guys have made my dreams come true, and I feel like my life's... more surreal than ever. I have you to thank for that, so seriously...thank you Izuku. So, so much." Ochako uttered, letting her ulterior motives go for a second, as she spoke from the heart, rolling over onto her side to face Izuku, who after hearing her gratitude, did the same, their faces mere inches away from each other.
"You're welcome Ochako. Besides, I feel like I needed something else in the room, the house, our life, even if Eri had to convince me of that. And you're a great friend to have, and honestly, you're the only one I'd trust to have this room, I mean that." Izuku replied, his tone hushed, as he closed his eyes and exhaled gently, relaxing, remembering just how comfortable Inko's bed was.
"Really? What about Katsuki, or Nejire? You seem close to them, and you've known them longer than me." Ochako asked, taken aback by Izuku's compliment, as she could feel her cheeks go red. She reached around to the switch by Izuku's side of the bed, turning the lights off, as the warm light was replaced with the ethereal glow of the moon, shining in through the window.
As she reached over, Izuku turned his head away, as her chest was inadvertently close to his face, something which made him blush just as much as Ochako. Quickly regaining his composure, he answered her question.
"Well with Kaachan, he's not going to want to live here, since he has Camie. And I could have asked Nejire, it's true, other than Kaachan, she's probably the person I'm closest to, since I've known her for so long, and we used to work together. She was my first friend other than him, and she's taken care of me for a while. But, having you around is so refreshing, and you're honestly an incredible person. So yeah, I wouldn't have anyone else." Izuku explained, staring deep into Ochako's eyes, which looked so incredibly captivating. They rejuvenated his sight, as he could never get tired of looking at them.
"Th-thanks, thanks a lot Izuku...I, I'm honoured that you think that way about me..." Ochako said, unable to muster another response as she shuffled closer to Izuku, her face even closer to his, as she could feel the heat coming off him.
"So...what did you want to talk about? I mean it's not like I can sleep anywhere else tonight." Izuku asked, getting the obvious out of the way, although it seemed that it wasn't too obvious to Ochako, who looked at him quizically.
"If Toga's downstairs, Eri's in her room, and Tamaki and Mirio are asleep in my room, where else can I sleep?" Izuku asked rhetorically, as Ochako understood his previous statement.
"Fair enough, and I was kind of joking when I said I wanted to talk about your type. To be honest, I just wanted to lie down and chill, although it is getting late." Ochako replied nervously, holding herself back, which was difficult, considering Izuku was right there.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I hope Eri can stay asleep though..." Izuku muttered, not knowing what else to say.
"You really worry about her huh?" Ochako asked rhetorically, finding it adorable how much Izuku cared for Eri.
"Well ye-yeah...I mean, I know she can handle herself, and that there's no need for me to worry this much, but I can't help it. She's all I have, and I... nothing..." Izuku stated, deciding that it would be a bit too much for him to talk about.
"Go on, you can tell me. What's on your mind?" Ochako gently, sincerely asked, genuinely concerned for her friend, now completely forgetting about her prior reason for getting Izuku in bed with her
"It's just...I know how much of a psychological impact having a...well not so normal childhood can have on someone. It's the basis of what I want to do in the future as a therapist. And I don't want Eri to have a worse shot at life, or to be handicapped by anything. So if I can help her, and make sure she has the best opportunities...I think that's something that Mum would be proud of." Izuku said, his emotions pouring out of him, as he wasn't even sad, or regretful, he was just... himself. Speaking truly, with no care for what anyone thought.
"I respect that Izuku, I do. I think it's incredibly...sweet of you to want to do that for her" Ochako replied, moved by Izuku's words, understanding why he was so protective of his sister, her voice sweeter than honey, as Izuku's ears were almost in heaven from hearing her talk.
"But, don't you think that she can handle herself a bit now? You said that you wanted to give her the best shot at life, but coddling her, and not letting her have some responsibility, can't be good either. I'm not saying you don't, it's just that when I was 14, I went out for a long time with my friends, and I had sleepovers, and I was home alone. Plus, we'll be in UA soon. You can't be with her at all times, and that's something you'll have to work around, right?" Ochako suggested, concerned for her friends, and for Eri's development, as she truly had come to care for the people she lived with.
Even if her reason for caring about Izuku was less than altruistic, it didn't mean that her feelings were any less real. She still saw him as a kind, funny, likeable, and adorable person, and felt a connection with him that... she had never felt with anyone else. She couldn't help but wonder and worry about them and want the best for all of them. Not just Izuku and Eri, but their whole group. Every one of them was so... charismatic, caring and some of the most incredible people she'd ever met.
"You're right, and I'm trying. But it's hard to, let go of the concern, you know? I just... wish it all turns out okay...that I could just... stay in this summer holiday forever. But then, I didn't like the life I had before, and even now, I just... it doesn't click. Nothing's clicking and life doesn't feel the way it should be, or at least what I want it to be. It's all so incohesive and disconnected, and I feel so out of it, that I second guess myself all the time, and that same thing applies with Eri, and whether or not I can make the right choice." Izuku responded, his wistful tone subtly shifting to a sombre one, as his glowing smile slowly faded, with a cloud obscuring the moonlight, causing the room to momentarily go pitch black.
"Izuku I'm... I'm so sorry... I can't... Imagine how that must feel for you. I... Do you want me to help, do you have anything else you want to talk about, or would you rather I just listen?" She asked, holding his hands under the covers, as she stared into his eyes, doing her best to comfort him.
"It's fine Ochako, really. This is something I need to figure out on my own, but thank you... It's really nice to have all of my thoughts out. Thanks for listening to me, and for talking to me...I..." Izuku said, stopping himself before he said something that he wasn't ready for.
Instantly Ochako realised what he could have said. What he should have said. To her. The fire in her eyes was reignited, as she let go of his hands, putting hers up to her chest, as she spoke...ever so softly.
"Izuku, I get that, but just because you need to figure it out on your own, doesn't mean you have to deny help for it. We're all here, and don't feel bad about coming to us, I promise. And I'm happy to have you too. That is what you were going to say, right?" Ochako asked, anticipation clear in her voice, as Izuku, chuckled and smiled, before closing his eyes.
"Yeah, that is what I was going to say. Good night Ochako, I'll see you in the morning" Izuku said, deciding to keep the truth to himself, as hearing Ochako simply speak to him was the only lullaby he needed, as his memories serenaded him to a deep slumber, and being in his mother's bed again got him to sleep within seconds, he just never realised it.
Ochako watched as Izuku said and did that, his face and body relaxing properly, as his head which was previously straight tilted to the right slightly, angled towards her, as he snored lightly, Ochako fawning over his face, as he had never looked so at ease, or so cute.
Deciding to take a risk, Ochako brought her face to his, holding her breath so she wouldn't wake him up, as she leaned in... his lips slightly pursed open, as she had previously eyed them up, wanting nothing more than to take her chance...
But not like this. She wanted to earn the privilege of Izuku's first kiss, and she wanted hers to be special. Settling for a gentle yet passionate kiss on his cheek, she stroked his hair, running her fingers through it and inadvertently stimulating Izuku's scalp, before laying down herself, letting her head hit the pillow.
She smiled and laughed, doing so silently, as her heart was jumping around and going crazy in her chest, as she looked over at Izuku, closing her eyes, seeing his face, his peaceful expression as she leaned in to kiss him. He was so adorable, she could barely contain herself. Her own thoughts couldn't even express what she was feeling right now.
A buzz of unadulterated euphoria coursed through her, as she couldn't stop her jawbones from relaxing, her smile everlasting, as she could barely contain her excitement. All of the things she had felt in her teenage life all felt like a rehash, a redo of something else, a constant deja vu like she had expected and was ready for anything.
She didn't want to be ready for this. She didn't want to have any expectations.
She knew that her feelings, her emotions, the way she talked and acted, it was all so new and fresh and exciting. Her body was ecstatic, as it felt like electric static in her head, a warm fuzzy feeling enveloping her, as she closed her eyes, the memories of this night rushing by in a streaky messy blur.
Eventually, it all slowed down, as she recounted her steps, and thanked every higher power there was that today ended like this, as seeing Izuku like that... was a night she'd never forget. Her mind slowly powered down, as the memories slowed to a halt, her eyes closing shut, as she finally fell asleep, ready for whatever came next...
A/N: Okay! I'm so so sorry for this chapter coming out late, I've had a lot of stuff to deal with, and it made it hard to get this out on time. I hope you're all doing well, and I'll see you next week!