During the 5 minutes Ochaco had spent standing in the hallway, she had realized a couple of things. Her clothes weren't completely soaked, but still enough that she would likely catch a cold if she stayed in them. She should take of her jacket, which had offered her some protection. She didn't have any spare clothes in her bag, not even a sweater. The Midoriyas realized the same thing and started panicking about what to do. Deku was the spitting image of his mother. The list went on.
"Uraraka-san, why don't you take a shower? I'll lay out something for you to wear." Deku's mother suggested. The kind woman had handed her a soft towel to initially dry herself off with, but upon noticing how wet the young girl's uniform was, she immediately wanted to hang it to dry.
"Are you sure? And please, call me Ochaco." The brunette had replied. Her hair was a tangled, wet mess and she actually wouldn't mind a hot shower, but this was the first time she was meeting Midoriya-san, and she really didn't want to impose.
"I insist! I don't want either of you to catch a cold." The kind lady frowned looking from her son to his friend. She still had one towel draped over her arm and with determined eyes, she turned around and headed out of the entrance.
"I agree. It's better if you get out of your wet clothes, Uraraka-san." Deku spoke up from beside her. At some point he had bent down and picked up something from the floor and Ochaco finally noticed the purring mass of fur between his hands.
"Coco!" She nearly squealed in delight. Ochaco had always loved animals and kitties were no exception. She stepped closer to Deku who gently held out his palms where the kitten was curled up.
Its dark eyes were looking closely at Ochaco as she approached. The kitten had dark grey-brown fur on its body and head, while its face and underbelly were completely white. She was small enough for Deku to hold her in both of his hands without dropping her and she looked incredibly comfortable. Ochaco, who knew a thing or two about cats, stopped a few steps away and slowly turned her head to the side, revealing her neck. As a child, she had never quite understood the need for mutual respect between a human and a tiny cat, but now she knew better.
If she was going to become a licensed hero in the near future, she would have to willingly put herself in situations where she was completely vulnerable and in danger. It was only a matter of coming out on top. As Ochaco turned her head back, she noticed Deku's gaze resting on her and she felt the urge to look away. A tiny meow could be heard and Coco the kitty leapt down from the green-haired teenager and down onto the floor. She slinked past Ochaco, but stopped momentarily and regarded the brunette. She was standing a few centimeters away, but cautiously moved forwards and sniffed the hand Ochaco had bent down to offer her. Seemingly satisfied, Coco turned around and padded out of the entrance.
"What just happened?" Deku asked in a whisper. He had watched the interaction between the kitten and his friend, but hadn't quite understood its significance. He turned his eyes towards the brunette who had resumed patting her hair dry.
"Coco decided I wasn't a threat. She'll probably come back when my clothes aren't dripping with water." Ochaco answered and pointed to the small gathering of water from where she had been standing still.
"Oh." Deku grinned. He finally realized that they were still standing in the entryway and prompted Ochaco to follow him. After discarding her shoes, she followed the freckled boy inside the apartment and started looking around.
The living room was moderately sized and was separated by a dining table which then led into the kitchen, like in their dorm. Ochaco had come to like the open-concept kitchen and living rooms and the Midoriyas' home was no exception. It was cozy and gave off a very soothing feel. The walls were decorated with pictures of Deku ranging from his time as a toddler and all the way up to the present. The couch had several pillows and a throw over one arm, which made Ochaco want to cuddle up next to someone and watch a movie. The coffee table was bare save for a box of tissues and the remote to the TV. She stepped closer to some of the pictures on a dresser next to the wall and they were of Deku with his mother. They looked happy together, she realized.
"Uraraka-san, the bath is ready." Deku's voice popped into her head and stopped her quest to explore the living room. He came to a stop beside her and gave her a small smile when he noticed her looking at the pictures of him and his mom. They were some of his most treasured memories after all.
"O-okay." Ochaco cursed herself for stammering and tried her best to act normal when she looked up at him.
A towel was slung over his shoulders and he had removed his jacket, which left him in his white shirt that had become transparent and was clinging to his body like second skin. Ochaco felt heat rush to her cheeks and tried her best to conceal the blush creeping up her face. It was no secret that most of the guys in class 1A were well-built and lean, but seeing the toned muscles under Deku's shirt made her realize that he, too, was one of those guys. He didn't notice her turmoil and started leading her out of the room.
She was grateful that Deku walked in front of her and wasn't able to see her reddening face. On the other hand, she had quite the view of his back and her eyes were glued to how his muscles stood out and shifted when he moved his arm to pat the rest of his hair dry. Ochaco's knees almost buckled. Deku suddenly stopped walking and she was centimeters from crashing into him before she straightened up.
He had stopped in front of a door and was explaining to her how the shower worked, but she was barely listening. Now that the brunette was standing so close to him, she could feel the heat radiating off him and she realized that her body was feeling cold. The feeling of wanting to stand even closer to his heat snuck up on Ochaco and she nearly smacked herself. Thanking him, she hurried inside and shut the door behind her.
What was going on? Ochaco couldn't understand why she was acting weird around Deku. He was just her friend, so why did it feel like her eyes only followed him? This wasn't the first time Ochaco had thought about wanting to be closer with the pile of freckles she called a friend. She had often found herself searching for his mop of green hair in a crowd and somehow she always ended up next to him. She was friends with Iida too, but she never felt nervous around him the same way she felt with Deku.
"What's wrong with me?" Ochaco whispered to herself as she removed her clothes and stepped inside the shower cubicle. The taps were colored red and blue, so it was easy to adjust the temperature to her liking.
She had a pretty good idea of what was going on with her, but she wasn't ready to accept it yet. If she acknowledged her feelings, there would be no going back and Ochaco didn't want to risk it. Her goal was to become a hero, she reminded herself, not to get a boyfriend. The warm water washed over her skin and she felt the cold gradually disappear.
There was nothing wrong with liking someone and among the boys in their class, Deku was the sweetest and most heroic of all, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that she was starting to develop feelings for him. Still, Ochaco wasn't ready to say it out loud and pushed it to the back of her mind. She wasn't here to pine after Izuku, she was here to play with Coco.
'You're only saying that because he isn't interested in you. You are playing it safe.' A dark whisper sounded in her head. She had been caught off guard this time and was startled badly. Taking a deep breath, Ochaco braced herself for what was to come.
'He'll never see you the same way and you know it. That's why you pretend you don't love him, but you know you do and I know you do.' The voice dripped with venom and made her shiver despite the warm water.
'You're so pitiful Uraraka Ochaco. Always the second choice, never relied upon, never wanted... Even your parents sent you away because you are a burden. What makes you think you'll ever be good enough for him? He could have anyone he wanted, he wouldn't even look at you twice. He just pities you. You're nothing...' Ochaco did her best to ignore the painful words, but still sank to her knees.
The water that had been soothing before now felt scalding and she found it hard to breathe. Ochaco started sobbing as the words repeated themselves in her head. It was her own voice she heard. A few days after the villain ambush, she had started hearing her darkest thoughts that she normally dismissed. The intensity of the voice depended on how well she was feeling and right now, she was able to slowly shut it out. She had learned that physical pain made the voice fade, so she had started digging her nails into her palms when she couldn't handle it.
Ochaco knew it was wrong, but the pain in her palms felt like nothing compared to the way her dark voice cut through her. She was aware that it was an after-effect of the villain poison and she had decided that she was going to report it, but every time she picked up her phone to call Ryukyu, she chickened out. How could she explain that she was hearing voices that knew her darkest secrets without everyone thinking she was nuts? She was still building up the courage to tell the doctors, but until she did, she would have to deal with the voice on her own.
Ochaco breathed in and held her breath for a few seconds to slow her heart rate. The water was still running down her body and she tried to focus on the paths it took across her skin. The seconds ticked by and she exhaled deeply, before she repeated the process a few more times. Once she had calmed down, the brunette got up from the floor and turned off the water, letting the last few droplets run down her skin. Her eyes stung a little from a mixture of water and tears, but other than that she was fine. Her palms hadn't been harmed and she was glad she had been able to come back to her senses.
Stepping out of the shower and onto the floor mat, Ochaco finally noticed what Midoriya-san had laid out for her to wear. It was a pair of soft pajama bottoms and a long sleeved shirt that looked too big for her. Still, it was better than putting on her wet uniform so after drying off, she started getting dressed. She had been right. The shirt was too big for her and kept slipping down her shoulder and the pants were a bit too long, but they were dry and comfortable. An extra towel had been laid out for her and Ochaco got to work on drying her hair.
As soon as she exited the bathroom a meow sounded from the floor and she was surprised to see Coco staring expectantly at her. Ochaco bent down and extended her hand towards the cat, who was trilling and swiftly moved to nuzzle her head against the brunette's hand. Ochaco smiled and picked up the kitty before cuddling her close to her chest. Coco purred contently and let her head rest against where Ochaco's heart would be.
"I see you've become friends." Midoriya-san spoke from behind Ochaco. The brunette turned around and saw the older woman looking at her with a soft expression on her face.
"She's a sweetheart." Ochaco replied and cuddled the kitty even closer. Coco's eyes were turned up towards her and she stretched up to press her snout to the brunette's face.
"Would like some tea, Ochaco?" Deku's mom asked her and Ochaco was reminded of her own mother from the way her name was said.
"Yes please, Midoriya-san."
"If I'm going to call you by your first name, you have to call me Inko as well." The kind woman smiled again, and Ochaco couldn't figure out if she was being serious or not. Knowing her son, she probably was.
"Okay, Inko-san. Where's De- I mean Midoriya-kun?" Ochaco stopped herself from calling him Deku. She wasn't sure how his mother would react and they had agreed it was probably better if she called him by his real name, but it was going to be harder than she thought.
"He's in his room down the hall. Could you please get him? The tea is almost ready." Inko-san asked of her and pointed to where she would find his room. As Ochaco trod down the hallway, almost tripping over her pants, Coco mewled once before jumping down to the floor and taking the lead. The kitty looked over its shoulder once to make sure Ochaco was following her and marched on.
The second Ochaco saw his door, she felt a smile creep up her face. An All Might name plate was hanging on the door and spelled Izuku. She wondered how old he had been when he got it, and proceeded to knock on the door that had been left slightly open. Coco had already pushed it open and Ochaco followed the cat into a gallery devoted to All Might and some other top heroes.
"I think this'll fit her better Mom." Deku was rummaging through a drawer and spoke when he heard her enter.
"You really are a fanboy." Ochaco chuckled when if Deku jumped at the sound of her voice. He dropped whatever had been in his hands and his face turned beet-red.
"U-u-uraraka-san?!"