Another year, another new one shot. I feel like at this rate, you should expect a new one shot every year😄. I'm not joking when I say this particular one shot has taken me almost three years to write. I didn't know what angle to take, and then suddenly, inspiration hit me like a truck and now here we (finally) are.
You can thank season 6 for that, which I recently finished. (I'm late, I know. BTW, fantastic season. Much better than season 5, imo). It may waffle for a bit, but I'm just glad I got this done. Without further do, I hope you enjoy.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Maybe we could move in together."
Izuku had no idea where that thought suddenly came from. There wasn't a previous discussion similar to it. The thought itself never appeared in his mind before then. Nothing across the past hour was building up to that conclusion. Except it did.
He had finished his hero shift for the day, which lasted from morning to evening. And although he was fulfilled in his continuing contribution to the hero society and ensuring the safety of others, it did leave him completely exhausted. Instead of returning to his apartment, which was an hour and a half away from the agency he was working, Izuku decided to drop by Ochako's place, giving her a call to state his intention.
"Sorry I'm calling at the late minute. The thought of being in a packed train didn't sound appealing to me right now."
"No, no, I understand. It's not a problem at all, I promise." His girlfriend instantly agreed. It wasn't the first time Izuku visited her apartment. In fact, he had been coming over so often, some of his clothes and toiletries were already situated there in case he'd ever stayed overnight.
The moment he arrived 15 minutes later, a routine among them was quickly established. He took a well-deserved hot shower, making sure Ochako had already showed herself before he did, while she ordered takeaway. When the takeaway noodles were delivered, they decided to spend their evening watching an old cheesy All Might movie. For most of the movie, Izuku found himself nitpicking the inconsistencies, with Ochako either humming in agreement or laughing at his frustrations, but soon gave up on his quest by the third act.
As the film reached its epic, but inaccurate, climax, the noodles were finished and dumped on the coffee table and Izuku's arm were wrapped around Ochako's shoulder, pulling her close and leaning his head atop hers. He found himself not even paying attention to the movie, content with watching Ochako, thinking about how beautiful she was and how lucky he was being with her for the umpteenth time.
Perhaps that was why the thought came to his head in the first place. It all felt like they were living together as it is, so attuned with one another and comfortable in their presence. At this point, it made sense to make it official.
The problem was it was meant to be in his head, not to be said out loud.
"What?" Izuku realised his mistake when Ochako turned to face him with a look of surprise on her face. His eyes immediately bulged out as he covered his mouth and backed up a whole seat away from her.
"No, no, no, no! I-I'm sorry! I-I... I d-didn't to... Umm..." All ability to speak faded fast, in conjunction with his face turning red and Ochako's expression remaining the same, was enough for him to get up and make his way to the kitchen behind them, drowning in his embarrassment. For someone who was 23, and already among the top 30 pro heroes, it was quite astonishing how easily he could resort himself back to his younger self.
"Deku, hold on!" Ochako called out to him, prompting him to stop just as he reached the counter in the kitchen space.
"F-Forget what I said." Izuku immediately spoke out but keeping his back to her. "It was a mistake."
"So... you didn't mean it?" There was something about her voice that suddenly stilled him. She didn't sound angry or relieved, but instead, a more unexpected feeling. She sounded disappointed. It was enough for him to finally turn around to face her.
"Did you mean it?" Ochako asked again, now looking slightly hopeful. Her hair had been growing out over the years, causing them to drape over her shoulders, and the living room lights created a sort of halo around her. Once again, the thought of how lucky he was to be dating her, let alone for nearly a year came across Izuku's mind.
He blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "M-Maybe..."
Ochako chuckled lightly "You didn't mean to say it out loud, did you?" Izuku sighed in annoyance as he nodded his head. It was quite embarrassing how well she knew him, but that only meant that their communication skills had improved greatly since they started dating.
With a wider smile on her face, Ochako began to close the gap between them, standing just a breath away from him with her hands behind her back. "So... what made you think that?"
Izuku sighed as he leaned against the counter behind him, stretching his arms across to the sides. He could vaguely hear the menu page music of the All Might movie playing in the background. "I don't know. I guess... I mean... I always come to visit your house. Sometimes, I stay the night more than my own. Some of my stuff is already here, so I thought... It felt like the next logical step, you know."
Ochako hummed thoughtfully, nodding her head. "That does indeed sound logical."
"B-But I'm OK if you don't want to." Izuku quickly objected, waving his hands in front in dismissal. "I know it's a sudden move, a-and I would never want to rush our relationship...!" The sudden finger on his lips immediately shut him up, dropping his hands and widening his eyes at the action. He couldn't help but stare into Ochako's big brown eyes, full of amusement.
"You know, you're always ready to dismiss your ideas, unless it's about taking down a villain." She remarked, prompting him to smile awkwardly. She then removed her finger, taking a few steps back. "Would you believe me if I said I thought about it too?"
"You have?" Izuku couldn't contain the hope in his voice, causing her to chuckle.
"Maybe. It's like you said, you already have some stuff here, and it's the same for me. It's just..."
"Just what?" He felt his heart skip a beat as her expression turned solemn. She gave a big sigh before looking straight in his eyes.
"I know we promised that we wouldn't let our hero work get in the way of our relationship. But... maybe that's it. There's already quite a bit of attention towards us, and... and I feel that moving in together will only blow it way out of proportion. And even without that worry, it's a big step and I want it to be right. I don't want to rush this either."
Ochako ended up looking to the floor as she finished, seemingly sheepish at the confession. But Izuku was quick to ensure her otherwise. Bringing his hand to her chin, he raised her head to look at him, presenting a warm smile, which seemed to work in nullifying her worries. "It looks like we still need to iron out this idea."
Ochako huffed amusingly. "Yeah, I guess so."
Izuku continued to smile as he leaned forward, placing a light kiss on her forehead. "We'll figure it out, Ochako. I'm in no rush. Let's just put a pin on it for now. How's that?"
"Sounds like a plan. As long as we're not running away from our responsibilities." Both ended up laughing at her statement. Izuku loved all her smiles, but it was her small soft smiles, like the one she was giving now, that always made his heart melt. Whether they decided on living together or not, he never would want to leave her side.
"Now then..." Ochako leaned back, taking hold of both his hands as she pulled him into the living room. "You want to watch the sequel next?"
Izuku scoffed. "Oh, that one is even more inaccurate. Unless you're up for more of my ramblings."
Ochako laughed. He really could hear it all day. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There was nothing Izuku hated more than calling in sick for any reason. To him, it meant that he was unavailable to be helping on the streets, preventing crimes, and saving people like he always did. Especially today as his agency was teaming up with Iida's agency to investigate shady villain activity nearby. He could only imagine how fast the investigation could have gone if he was there, reducing the workload of his fellow colleagues. Giving more time to survey the streets more. But from the moment he woke up, feeling the immense surging of chronic pain in his arms and noticing the heavy rain outside being the culprit, even he knew he couldn't work today.
Over the years, Izuku had been extremely trying to prioritise his own well-being above everyone else. To ensure he was 100% healthy if he wanted to put out 100% of his work in. It took a lot to get out of the self-sacrificial mindset he had for years, but he had been getting better. Hence why, reluctantly, he had to make the call.
It helped that Iida, upon hearing the news later, was quick to insist that he shouldn't worry about anything and just focus on resting. And so, with a heavy heart, Izuku found himself lying face down in his bed, with the arms stretched out to the side. The aching had softened throughout the day due to the painkillers taken, but that didn't stop the occasional throbbing of pain erupting, causing him to grunt in agony and burying his head further into the pillow.
Under his foggy, pain-induced mind, Izuku thought he heard a lock turn, followed by the main door opening. Confused, he turned his head to face his bedroom door, though not feeling the urge to get up. Sure enough, a knock came upon said door.
"Deku? Are you in there?" Izuku's eyes widen at the muffled familiar voice.
"Ochako?" His voice cracked sightly from not talking most of the day. He had briefly forgot that his girlfriend had a spare key for his apartment, like he does for hers.
"Can I come in?" She asked tentatively. Izuku sighed deeply in response. He felt the strong desire to insist that he was fine, that she didn't have to come all this way just to check up on him. But that was another habit he was trying to stop.
Don't say you're fine when you're not. It's OK for the people around you to worry about you.
"Yeah..." He eventually responded. The door slowly opening, finally revealing Ochako on the other side. He must have looked terrible, on top of feeling as such, judging by the saddening expression that came across her face.
"Oh, Deku..." She kneeled beside him, cupping his face gently with one hand, while the other lightly traced the many scars on his arms, exposed in an attempt to lessen the pain. "Have you been in bed all day?"
Izuku shook his head. "Tried to get up and do simple exercise for a few hours, but the pain became too much, so... here I am." He then reached out for his phone, slightly grunting as he did to check the time. Noticing that he'd only been in bed for 2 hours, he also realised that he had two missed calls from Ochako.
He groaned, burying his head again. "Sorry I missed your calls."
Ochako chuckled lightly. "It's OK, Deku. I figured you'd put your phone on silence." She stood up and began to lie down in the bed. Izuku shuffled to the side to get some space as she situated herself right next to him. She then began to comb her fingers through his messy hair, lightly massaging his scale, which Izuku couldn't help but breath aa sigh of relief. Ochako chuckled at his action. "Does your arms still hurt?"
"Every once in a while." He replied quietly, clearly in a relaxed state. "It's better than this morning, but it still hurts."
"Did you take some painkillers?"
"Yeah. Just barely had an effect. I think I've finally become immune to them." Ochako laughed at his statement, which brought a light smile on his face. He hated seeing her upset for any reason, so any way he could make her smile again, he'll do it in a heartbeat.
"Did you come here from work?" Izuku asked, his voice laced with tiredness from the massage.
"Hey, don't fall asleep yet." Ochako remarked, stopping the massage, and poking his cheeks. He didn't realise he closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was met with her pouting, causing him to chuckle.
"I did. Iida told me what happened."
"Ah. I'm sorry I didn't tell you first. I didn't want to disrupt your work."
"Of course, you didn't." She remarked. "But it's OK. I'm just glad you told someone." Izuku knew that among everyone he knew, Ochako was the most vocal about his self-sacrificial ways. In a way, he was trying to take better care of himself for her. To always come back home to her. With a warm smile, he kissed her lightly before wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest and resting his chin on top of her head.
"I'm glad you're here, Ochako." He whispered with content.
"I made your day better?"
"Definitely." He answered without hesitation. The two remained in the comfortable silence, wrapped in each other's arms. Izuku even forgot he was suffering from chronic pain, though the occasional flare-ups served as a reminder. But now, he wasn't going to let it stop him.
"Hey Deku?" Ochako spoke, breaking their silence.
"Yeah?"
"I think... I think we should move in together."
The gasp that Izuku gave was almost comical. It had been 2 months since he last brought up the idea of moving in, and since then, they never brought it up again. He was OK with that, as there was a neutral agreement of not wanting to rush the stages of their relationship. So, the fact that she brough it up now was completely unexpected.
"A-Are you sure?" Izuku tentatively asked. Ochako chuckled, sitting up to look at him properly.
"I know we haven't talked about since the last time, but I've been thinking about it since then. And... I would like that for us."
It didn't seem possible for Izuku's eyes to widen further, but nevertheless it did. "R-Really?"
Ochako's smile grew widen, which also didn't seem possible, as she nodded confidently. "I'm still a little worried about the public. The moment we move in, everyone will know eventually. But I realise now, why should I let it bother me?" She cupped his face with so much love, Izuku felt his eyes tearing up. "I love you, Deku. And I want to share that with you. With our own space together."
"You... don't think we're rushing this?"
Ochako smiled tearfully. "No, I don't think so. Do you?"
It was safe to say Izuku was far less of an emotional wreak like he was in his teenage years, but that didn't mean he didn't have his moments. This was one of them, as he gave a wobbly smile, some tears escaping, and unable to speak from the wave of emotion and just pure happiness, he collided into Ochako for a tight hug, which she immediately returned, laughing heartfeltly. It took every ounce of his body not to burst out sobbing, burying his head between her neck and shoulder.
"I love you too, Ochako." Izuku found his voice, absolutely laced with tears, but he didn't care. "I love you so much. And I want to fully share that with you as well."
Ochako gave a tearful chuckle, eventually pulling back from their hug, looking deeply in his eyes. In any other case, seeing her full of tears would break Izuku's heart. But the wide smile and the aura of excitement radiating off her only surrounded the organ with warmth and love.
He reached for her face, wiping her tears away. "We're not moving in right now, right?"
Ochako chuckled. "No, not yet. But we'll figure it out. Like always."
Izuku smiled widely, even with his face covered in tears as well. "Right."
"Now then... how about we order some takeaway and watch movie?" She suggested, wiping some of his tears. "Take your mind away from the pain, huh?"
Izuku felt the need to express how she took his mind away from the pain completely. That her face and smile, just her presence took all his pain away, not just chronic. "That All Might movie released a Direct-to-DVD prequel a few years ago." He decided not to. Besides, he already knew that she knew.
Ochako laughed, resting her forehead upon his. "Sounds like a fun night to me." Just the thought of sharing these moments with her in their own apartment was enough to get excited for the future. For their future.