Nothing.

They came and went, the slight interruptions, the visions of candy-colored clouds, the fleeting and far-off sounds hindered by the wind's whispers. Between these blips of sensory stimulation, there was mostly nothingness, an empty black that bent time in strange, invisible shapes.

Nothing.

Nothing but cold. Nothing but the dark.

A frozen, endless black ink.

A gentle light would peak through the empty blackness here and there, but this was still the void. This was still quiet nothingness. This was still death. But, oh, how her senses still clung to any sort of sensation as they flashed by.

Pink.

Orange.

A sky so calm.

Green.

Lightning.

Being dead meant life was the dream.

Black.

Wings.

And if life was the dream, then surely this was waking now. Waking up to the cold, hard facts.

Red.

Lights.

What a pity.

Sound penetrated the blackness first and refused to leave her. Nothing blaring, but a steady beeping somewhere far off, hushed voices, and other gentle white noise made its way into her brain. At first, she didn't understand them. The noises never ceased again and soon they were joined by another sensation, one she had forgotten about long ago: warmth.

Ochako stirred as she came back to life, refusing to fully awaken for the longest time, even as a gentle yellowish light seeped through her eyelids. Scrunching her eyes shut even more, she finally gave a sigh, and accepted that she had rested long enough. Opening her eyes, she stared at a perfectly white ceiling. Suddenly, all of the sounds around her began to make sense; she was in a hospital.

The plastic bed and its thin mattress beneath her had stiffened her back, and she groaned as she sat up, grabbing onto the bars and sliding back. It was then she noticed the pinkie finger of her left hand had been wrapped in gauze, covering her gravity pad there. Beyond it and the bed, she spotted something black and looked up to see Krow sitting in a chair against the radiator and window just a few feet away. He was slouched, having made himself at home by her side, his elbow propped up on the arm rest, curling his fingers under his cheek as a magazine lay limp on his lap. His wings were slumped behind him and over the arm rests, and the thought that Krow's quirk was simply cumbersome in so many ways visited her mind before she noticed him staring back at her, a blank look in his black eyes. He didn't seem surprised to see her awake, but rather waiting to see if she'd do anything else. His lips parted.

"Are you...awake now, or...?" he started, keeping his terrible posture in the chair.

Ochako wasn't sure how to answer the question. "Huh?"

"Just asking...it's not funny when you do this and then go back to sleep," he smirked.

"I don't...remember that," she said, still groggy, rubbing her head where the pillow had tried becoming one with her. More stiffness, this time in her neck, shot a sharp needle of pain directly under her skull. She couldn't remember anything, to be exact, including the reason for her visit today.

The black angel leaned forward in the chair, bringing his hands together. "Then I guess that means you're up for good. Have a nice nap?"

Confusion swept over her and she stared quizzically. What the hell was he talking about? Yes, she was in a hospital, but he was acting like she had kept him here for days. "I guess?"

"Good. You've been out for a few days," he told her. Oh. So, she had. "Everyone has been sending you gifts and crap. Look!"

He pointed to a small dresser on the opposite wall. It was covered in cards, vases with flowers in them, balloons, and even a small teddy bear wishing her well. Krow got up from his seat and ambled his way over to the gift table.

"The agency has been taking turns sitting here with you. Ryukyu didn't want you to wake up all alone, ya know?" he said, picking up a card from the table. "Lots of people have come to visit you. You have stuff here from literally everyone, but I thought you should see this one first."

Krow returned to her side and handed her a small card with the local police station's shield on the front. Ochako opened it slowly, still trying her memory, but coming up empty. The inside of the card was nothing fancy, but the neatly typed words struck a chord in her as it all started to come back.

Dear Deku and Uravity,

We cannot thank you enough for your bravery in capturing the terrorist Pyromancer. You both risked your lives to bring him in, never stopping until the job was done, and acted as exemplary heroes. If it weren't for your sacrifice, many more innocent lives would have been lost.

It was a pleasure working with you.

Detective Funai

Detective Tsukauchi

Ochako exhaled. It all came flooding back at the mention of that name: Pyromancer. The office skyscraper tumbling down, the rain of glass, the screams, the heat...

Looking for more evidence, Ochako swiftly lifted her right hand and found it completely bandaged in gauze, covering the place where Pyromancer had marked her. Chewing at her cheek, she wondered how bad it was under the dressing. Would it leave a scar?

Across the room, Krow had returned to the gifts, collecting the cards, making a stack of reading material for his mentor. Ochako didn't say anything as she noticed his chin where Pyromancer had shot him; a long, red burn mark that folded under his throat matched the trajectory of heat the villain had sent his way. Following the path the invisible laser had taken, Ochako now noticed the bald patch on the wrist of his left wing, the skin red and raw there as well. It looked like he was taking care of it, though, and she hoped feathers would grow back there one day. She smiled meekly to herself, becoming sure after she was released he'd make a comment or twelve about matching scars and blow off the danger they had been in. Instead of getting frustrated though, she sighed. He would be right. They had survived. It was just a story now.

"So, to update you, they caught Pyromancer – he's in cold, solitary confinement and is gettin' shipped back to America. It's too bad we couldn't see them cross examine him here. God, that woulda been so lit...like they did to Necro and Echo. I feel cheated."

He shrugged when it was obvious nothing could be done. Such was life as a hero.

"Anyway! Ryukyu said you did a really great job," Krow continued as he turned back to her, cards in hand. "She said she was really proud of you! Basically everything the detectives said, but I think there's a card here from her too. Something about being partner and being trustworthy and a great mentor and ya know...the Ryukyu works."

He looked at the stack of cards in his hands and then back at Ochako. She smiled. That was right. This whole thing started out as a way to test her skills, and she had triumphed. Despite her shortcomings, she hoped Krow's quick mention of partner meant that coveted promotion was coming soon. However, even if it wasn't, she knew it would come someday. She didn't feel like she had to be so hard on herself anymore. There was this liberating feeling of self affirmation she couldn't quite place in her memory. She knew it was a new feeling, but from where she couldn't remember yet. Pyromancer had been a monster and she had vanquished him. Maybe that's where the pride was born from?

"What about you?" Ochako asked quietly.

Krow gave her a look and rolled his eyes with a smirk. Shrugging he answered, "Oh, ya know, I did a good job, too. I..."

He stared at her, his brow furrowing as he drew in air forcefully. "Well, I did exactly what she hired me for."

Ochako cocked her head to the side and the look of confusion on his face matched hers.

Krow added, "D-do you remember how you defeated Pyromancer? 'Cause...it looks like you don't. And I'm worried."

"I..." Ochako bit her lip trying to remember. The fight on the ground was clear as day, like it had just happened, but she knew it hadn't ended there. What was left? The beautiful picturesque sky flashed before her. Pyromancer's bloody face followed his cruel snarl. Things were going right, though...but then they weren't. It felt like an old nightmare and the visions jerked themselves out of her periphery again, as if to protect her.

Her mind tried its damnedest to block out the memory, but Ochako latched onto it before it could fly away again. Tearing it open, she dove in, reeling herself back to that moment when everything fell apart. The awful, sickening feeling of running completely cold, as if her consciousness were trapped in a corpse. The inability to save herself. The helplessness. The icy cold...and the nothingness.

"How high? How high were we?" Ochako asked, dragging herself out of the trauma, the chill manifesting itself up her spine.

Krow nodded, his lips becoming a straight line. "Pretty damn high. And don't ask me in meters, 'cause I don't know it in meters. But, there's more to it than that."

What else? Ochako remained silent as she grasped at the ephemeral memories as they passed by, darting in and out of her focus. Some of them were so clear – her bouncing off of Pyromancer's bronze gauntlet was definitive. Some were not so easily defined, teetering at the tip of her tongue, and left her with just bits and pieces of sound and emotion, the latter much too raw to be associated with the fight. It was like trying to remember a dream that was not meant to be revisited. Yet her mind clawed at the black curtain, trying desperately to figure out what it had all been about. Despite the thought fluttering just out of her grasp, her heart lurched forward painfully, as if the memory were buried there instead.

Krow mistook her silence as a need for a mnemonic detail, but only held in a laugh, covering his smirk as he snorted into his hand and said, "You really don't know?"

Ochako cocked her head. Recovering, he displayed his smirk, the same one that had summoned feelings of dread in both Ochako and Uravity over the past month. "You don't remember anything? Where you ended up? Who saved you?"

She stared as the bits and pieces of thoughts finally brought themselves together into a memory she could analyze. The cold had been chased away by the heat of another, if just briefly. It was so brief, in fact, that the whole thing felt as though it had happened in another dimension, somewhere separate from where and who she was now. It was clear as day, though, and she swallowed thickly, her body remembering his arms around her, her ears remembering his breath, her skin remembering his heat. She winced. That really happened?

That...really...happened?

"Yeah, just, save that for later," Krow snickered, looking away, knowing full well this wasn't a laughing matter but unable to keep it tied up. When he turned back, he saw the anxiety welling up in her face, the permanent rosy patches on her cheeks darkening to crimson. He spoke again as if now trying to make up for it.

"Okay. Okay. Two things," Krow held up two fingers. "First: Deku is okay. He's still here, but okay. And Second: I separated you on the way down. I figured, ya know, you didn't need a media shitstorm about it. I mean, you can barely handle me giving you shit about Deku."

Relieved, Ochako just smiled sweetly in his direction, her breath falling out of her as she relaxed. No doubt the kid cared in his own way, and there was no use in hiding it from him. "Krow...you're my hero."

"All in a day's work, ma'am," the black angel shot her finger guns and a heroic smile. They laughed together, but Krow's laugh died out quickly, his smile becoming reduced into something more sentimental as his eyes fell to the floor.

"You know," he started. "I'd actually like to stay partners. I already asked Ryukyu if I could stay but she said it was up to you."

"She didn't say anything about fixing your attitude?" Ochako needled him, and he just shrugged.

"Nope. She said I was good for you," he said with a half smile, putting his hands into his pockets. The weak smile ran away from his face and he became serious, an odd look for him. "I just...I just need you to know that you were really dying. Up there. If Deku hadn't done what he did, you would definitely be dead. It was...how I found you. I actually couldn't believe my own quirk – you were alive still. Kinda. But you looked so gone. You were so pale and barely breathing and so cold. You barely had a pulse..."

Ochako brought her knees to her chest as she listened, the thin white blanket becoming untucked from the mattress as it was brought in with her knees. She knew it had been crazy. Desperate situations called for desperate actions and Krow seemed to know this as he paced slightly at the foot of her bed. He wasn't berating her, nor upset with her, but there was an anxiousness she couldn't place in him. He shook his head as if trying to rid this foreign feeling from himself. The way he was acting was so uncharacteristic of him, as if he had transformed into someone else. "I just...I can't lose anyone else. And...and I can't be going up there. Not again."

"Well...I can't see ever needing to do that again," Ochako said with a little twist in her voice and a reassuring grin, trying to alleviate the worry in her student, but he shook his head violently.

"No, no, you don't get it."

"What don't I get?"

The crow's wings shuddered and he shifted his weight, trying to keep something buried. "N-nothing. Forget it."

Ochako clenched the blanket over her knees tightly as Krow tried to escape the room, feeling like, for the second time, she had inadvertently pried into his mystery a little too deeply. Under all his layers of humor and sarcasm, there was a very sensitive skin that still harbored some kind of open wound.

"Krow, wait," Ochako choked out after trying to hold it in. Part of her was too curious, and the other half scolded her to leave his business be. It seemed to her that some part of him was trying to claw its way out and tell her something. If she didn't stop him now, this would be the third time she didn't question it.

He lingered in the doorway, his back to her. It was his turn to open up and he knew it.

"I just think...if we're going to be partners, I should know you a little bit, shouldn't I?" she tried to stay lighthearted, but she just knew something was wrong. "We...we almost had a heart-to-heart on the battlefield the other day. That I remember very clearly. I thought I started to get you and we learned a few things about each other, but I still don't feel like we've properly met. Some of the things you say...it just makes me think there's more to you than you let on. And..."

She was trying to make her case, but she was coming up short. Whatever Krow was hiding, it must have been terrible, something he needed to bury way, way down. Did she have any right to ask for this? If these things were terrible, than why should he share them? Despite all of the back and forth in her head, she knew she at least had to give him the floor. He seemed to want it at some point.

"And, you said you would tell me...might tell me, why you went up there the first time."

She heard him sigh, knowing she was right. He turned around, the smirk hiding his past. "I don't know, it's a really long one...I mean to get into it, I gotta really get into it. And you might not like it."

Ochako shrugged. "I'm not going anywhere. It's only fair. You know all of my deep, dark secrets."

"He's not exactly a dark secret," Krow chuckled as he turned around, both of them knowing he was talking about Deku. "Hell, he's barely a secret."

"You're the only person, the only person, who figured it out that quick. My closest friends still took months and even then, it's because I just came out and told them," Ochako whined, but she wasn't about to deny it anymore in front of Krow. "It is a secret. You're just very perceptive."

Krow paused, his hand on the doorknob, becoming serious, as if fully, and for the first time, becoming Asuka Dakuro. Looking out to the hallway, then back at her, he seemed to break the barrier as he shut the door. "It has nothing to do with perception."

He dragged himself to the foot of her bed, trying to find the words that would expose his guts. "I just...I've...been in your situation before. I've...had someone who just...got in my way. All my stupid plans for my stupid life weren't just for me anymore and...I liked it. Just like you. And I tried not to like it. Just like you. For too long."

Ochako stayed silent, and the crow continued.

"Not that I was going anywhere before her. I told you, I wasn't the nicest kid growing up. I didn't do anything too, too shitty, but shitty enough. And I didn't care. No one cared."

He sniffed and nervously squeezed his nose briefly. "Fuckin' hospital stench..." he whispered under his breath, but somehow Ochako knew part of it was a nervous tick as he told the story.

He straightened. "Anyway. Let's get in some background. You know, my whole family is a bunch of angels? Like, for real, almost everyone on my dad's side has white wings. They're not angels in the sense that they are good people, because, wouldn't you know it, they are not. Irony. You know how it goes in stories like these. But they're super religious, such pious energy, and when I was born – with black wings – my grandmother had a conniption for the rest of her miserable days. She said I was the devil...threatened to drown me in the tub a few times. I told her to try it. She couldn't. Dumb bitch was in a wheelchair and never could fly. And my parents never believed me when I told them...I mean, they did, but, they never really did anything about it, ya know?"

He looked away out the window, as if the words were beyond the glass.

"So," he started again, his wings restless. "Idiot me decided to prove her right. I was pretty shitty. Into middle school, I was a pain in the teacher's ass. Sometimes I didn't even go to school. Sometimes I didn't even go home. I'd gamble for comics and gum in the alleyway, y'know, a real, cool guy. I took change out of my mother's purse, got into rip-roarin' fights, the whole look. I was a regular douchebag."

He chuckled. "That's not to say I'm not still a douchebag."

He turned back to her, noticing the toll the story had taken on his small audience. Ochako hadn't had time to digest what he had said on the battlefield those few days ago, and even now it was all very hard to wrap her head around. Her forehead wrinkled in sympathy, though.

"Don't look at me like that," Asuka smirked. "You wanted to hear it."

"I did. And...I think you needed to tell it, too," Ochako murmured, smiling warmly. She could be a sounding board. Maybe she could save his soul yet.

Asuka stared at the corner of the room and nodded slowly. "Probably. I've never told anyone this shit before..."

Ochako nodded, but remained silent as he continued. He sighed loudly, as if he were steadily digging up something long dead and buried, one shovel full of dirt at a time, each one a strain. His feathers rustled as the crow's wings became agitated at the necessity of the next bit.

"I'm not really sure how I met Ai at this point. That's her name. Ai. I don't know...I think it just happened gradually and at first I didn't bother to remember, because it didn't make any sense to me. At that point, everyone knew to stay away from me, but here was this girl, coming to find me all the damn time for no goddamn reason. It was so odd when we hung out, because she wanted to be a hero. That's what she wanted to be when she grew up. A hero. And, at that time, I was destined to be a villain.

"She had the most amazing quirk – she could bring things back to life. And not like Necromancer thinks he can, but actually bring them back to life. Like they were never dead. It was incredible. I would find a dead beetle or butterfly or something, and almost immediately, when she picked it up, it would fly away. She loved my quirk; she thought we could be partners and I always had to remind her I was a piece o' shit.

"She even came up with names for us. Revital, for her; Raven for me. I told her that sounded too girly. She said, so did Asuka. And I was like, shut the fuck up."

Asuka grinned at the memory, but something dark and uneasy settled into Ochako's stomach. She waited as the grin disappeared. "But anyway...

"Long story short, I fell for her like a child. And I get so...angry at myself for never telling her. I thought I had a lot of time, all this time to mull it over, to get my act together or forget it. But as quickly as she was in my life, she was out of it."

Asuka paused there, his mouth becoming welded shut. His face remained blank; no sign of sadness could be detected. He only seemed empty, his hands still in his pockets, only reappearing when he needed to scratch at his scalp, pull his hair, or touch his nose in nervous ticks that begged he stop there.

Ochako waited. Asuka seemed lost in the memories, his black eyes never meeting hers. Ochako could feel the dread, knowing this wasn't a simple break-up, nor a disagreement among friends. Ai was a traumatic experience to the young Krow and it had shaped him in ways he wasn't admitting. Ochako had no choice but to prompt him.

"Krow...what happened to her?"

Contemplating it, Asuka wiped at his nose again and pulled his jacket as his hand found its way back into its pocket. He gave a loud sigh.

"She died. Ai died saving a little kid. She gave him the rest of her life energy so that his mother wouldn't be sad after...he went through her windshield. Right in front of us. And just like that, she was gone, and I just...

"I get angry that she didn't tell me about it. She wasn't truthful with me the whole damn time, but, I get it. Because if she told me how her quirk was killing her, I probably would have selfishly told her to stop using it. But she couldn't do that. She wouldn't do that. She was Revital – endlessly giving her own life energy away to save things from death. It made her happy to do it. How could I stop her? I don't think it would have made a difference, but I'll never know, now."

He went silent again, shaking his head, as if he knew her death wasn't something he should shoulder and yet feeling as if more could have been done. Ochako didn't speak. There was no room for her here. As dark as it was, Asuka seemed to recover, circling back to the reason for this session.

"Anyway. I was in this fog for a long time. It was like, finishing the greatest story of all time and then suddenly it's over, the end, and you have to go back to your shitty life. Surprise! Reality still exists. And I didn't feel changed. I didn't feel like I learned anything. There was no moral to the story. I just felt like both of us got fucked, especially her, and that was the worst, because if either of us deserved to kick the bucket, it was my worthless ass. It felt like there was no point. It was pointless. And I just don't understand why she felt compelled to do it.

"After that, I didn't go home again. I just flew. I flew out and then I just started flying up. Way up. I wanted to just fling myself into space. I was dead on the inside. I still am. But for just a second, I wanted to be dead on the outside, too. Going up there just brought it all back, is all..."

He finally met her eyes again as if checking to see how she was doing, and Ochako stared. What could she say? He had finally laid it all out on the table for her to analyze, and somewhere deep in the story, she could see herself in Asuka's shoes. She picked at the gauze on her right hand and spoke, finally. "No matter what you think, I'm glad you told me."

Asuka scratched at his cheek bashfully.

"Yeah, you're...kinda the first person I've given a crap about since that all happened," Asuka murmured. "No one gave a crap about me after...they all thought I had something to do with it. And, whatever."

"That's awful."

"It's fine. I wouldn't trust me either. I went hero to get away from myself. I figured a hero was the furthest thing from me, but I ended up just carrying on what Ai always wanted, just to figure out why anyone would sacrifice their own life for someone they don't know. I know I've been doing this hero shit for a bit now, but I don't feel compelled to do it. I keep jumping into these situations to figure it out, but I haven't felt it once. I know...you can't believe that, but here I am, being real, telling you the truth. I don't have that drive like you do. I'm a villain in hero's clothes. Through and through, a piece o' shit."

Asuka shrugged, looking away again. "But, I'm starting to get it. I'm almost glad I met Pyromancer. And Echo. And Necromancer. Villains come in so many colors, don't they? I see I'm not like them. All these years after getting my heart ripped out, I find I could still manage to have one."

"I don't think you're as bad as you think you are," Ochako smiled meekly, his story still running through her mind. "I think you're hero material. You saved me and Deku, right?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Asuka brought his hand to his chin, covering his scar and pondering his actions.

She continued. "Even if you saved us because we're friends. You flew out of your comfort zone to save us. That's a hero, too. It's our actions that set us apart from villains, even if we come from the same place. You've been a hero this whole month, and you're still trying to save me..."

Her words seemed to get through to him as his wings finally relaxed into the folded stance they normally assumed and his hand dropped from his chin. Ochako swallowed, finally making the connection.

"You don't want me to make...what you see as a mistake."

"Well...yeah. Ah, you were just...pissing me off so much. But I forgot how hard it was. I'd just give anything to still have that shot," he shrugged one shoulder. "You wanted to know where I was coming from...and I wanted you to know..."

He became serious and looked her right in the eyes. "It is a mistake. It's a mistake to think people wait or that they'll always be there. Even with the best intentions, from my experience, people are fleeting. Your job will always be there; you have the rest of your life to make it big, anywhere, anytime. You don't get that with people. They're also living their lives that will go on without you. Or they'll disappear. You got this second chance with him. He's clearly single, so, why not? Why let him be the one that got away?"

Ochako nodded, biting her bottom lip now that the focus was on her again. Somewhere in her memory was the will the go through with it. To say it. She had wanted to say it so badly. Now that the dream was over and reality set back in, all of the anxiety returned. What if it made her friendship with Deku fall apart? What if this all drove a wedge between them, an awkwardness she could never take back? What was more important – being near him or telling him the truth? There was still so much to figure out, even if everything worked out...which she refused to entertain. Deku had no idea. How could she even bring it up?

The building agita lingered on her face, enough for her winged student to take notice, and his feathers rustled, jolting her from her thoughts.

"You don't have to do anything, though," he said, reaffirming his intentions. They were nothing like Mina, Tooru, or even Aoyama. He was simply a hero saving her from herself, a hero who saw that the only person in Ochako's way was Ochako. "I'm just sharing my experience, what it's like on the other side of this indecision. But you don't ever have to tell him. If you do, I'll be happy for you. Hell, I'll celebrate. But if you don't..."

Krow's hands left his pockets as he shrugged loosely, his palms up, as if he were changing back into the person she had come to know. "Well, then that's fine, too. I'll be here for you, and we'll know everything about the why and the who and the when, and we could share a pint on the corner. I can be right here empty with you, drink our sorrows away, the whole thing."

Ochako finally cracked a wide smile. "Are you even old enough to drink?"

"Only if you don't tell them. Screw the rules," he said, giving her a thumbs up and his familiar smirk. He took a cell phone out of his pocket. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should call the agency and let them know you're alive."

He opened the door and all the sounds of the hospital came rushing back in, as if the tragedy was never shared. As he moved through the doorway and out of sight, Ochako realized then that she had never really met Asuka Dakuro. Who was he when he wasn't being Krow? Although he revealed this much, so much was still hidden. Krow had discarded Asuka, buried him under humor and a disregard for life in general. That's probably how he wanted it - being Asuka, the one still missing Ai, was too painful.

Ochako stretched her legs out, thinking about his story and how easily she could replace Asuka and Ai with herself and Deku. It was eerie, and she knew he felt it, too. After all, he had been expressing his concerns all this time in the only way Krow knew how. Her student's stark duality was hauntingly the same as hers with Uravity as well. But, where Krow took over, Ochako refused to let Uravity do the same. She didn't want to be just Uravity. She didn't want to need her for anything else but hero work. For the other stuff, if she needed anyone, then she wanted to need Deku - a real, live person, not a shield.

She had been coming at this all wrong.

It would be another week of observations before Ochako was released from the hospital. It wasn't the hypothermia that had worried the doctors, although her survival was nothing short of a miracle. What was concerning the medical team was her hand and they feared it would never be the same. The hands and arms were not considered a major area for concern, the doctors had told her, but because her quirk factor was housed in her fingers, they treated her injury much more severely. Upon unwrapping it, Ochako grimaced. The skin on top of her hand was wrinkled and discolored, as if a plastic film had grown over it. Staring at it, she groaned. How unsightly it was!

"What matters is that you can still use your quirk on your right hand," the nurse said gently as he set a few plastic children's toys on the food tray. "All heroes get scars like these. Wear it as a badge of honor."

Ochako thought and nodded in agreement. Deku had plenty of scars running up and down his arm last time she checked. She was sure he had acquired a few more in their time apart. To think this was her first major scar, and an ugly one at that.

"Please, test your quirk on these," the nurse said, offering the objects with an open hand. "And then release them. Let me know if you feel any pain or if something is off."

Ochako nodded. Touching all five fingers to the objects one by one, they all floated just fine. Bringing her finger pads together with the ones on her left hand, they all released just as well as they always had, dropping out of the air to bounce off the tray and roll under the bed.

"Good as new," Ochako murmured, still trying to get used to the state of her hand. She poked the skin there and found the nerves fired lazily, the message to her brain muffled as if she were wearing a thick glove.

"Fantastic. Then I'll get the paperwork in and you'll be out of here before you know it!"

Functional. These hands could work again. That's all that mattered. It didn't hurt anymore either, another plus, although she could feel the skin pull and strain whenever she made a fist. As bad as that fight had been, Ochako deemed herself lucky that this was all she brought out of it. Physically.

As she checked out and left the hospital building, a thought tickled at the back of her mind. All of her physical ailments had been fixed but there were still mental scars she needed to address. She couldn't lie to herself anymore – Pyromancer had been terrifying. His snarling face refused to leave her memory for a long time and his sick and twisted ideology scratched at her consciousness like sand paper. He was the embodiment of a nightmare. He frightened her to her core, and had made her desperate. So desperate, in fact, that she had done something so incredibly insane just to stop him. Everyone called her brave, and she guessed it fit the definition. Still, the ice in her veins remained - the very experience of him pulling out her heat left her shivering on this sweltering late August day. It had been too easy for him to scare her. Just a simple flick of his wrist and he could have killed her. She wouldn't be here right now if not for Deku. Twice.

Leaning up against the bus stop waiting for Nejire to pick her up, she thought about Deku. Did anything scare him? Being that powerful with so much utility, it was hard to imagine that Deku could be frightened of anything. And yet...something in what Pyromancer said had jolted the black whip and caught Deku off guard. Something had contorted his emotional focus to the point of uselessness, if only for a second. It wasn't Pyromancer himself that scared Deku – if the green lightning had no earthly ties, then Pyromancer would have been a cake walk. But Deku cares deeply for his friends, and that included her. It was the only ace Pyromancer had had in that fight.

Did all heroes feel this way? Did every hero have a villain that truly scared them?

She'd never know. It wasn't her business to know. The humans under the capes had lives to live and feelings to feel, and they were allowed that much. Knowing Krow's story, she was now certain that every hero had a life just as complex and confusing as her own. There was no standard to hold herself to. Not anymore. She smiled to herself, feeling that noose around her neck slowly loosen some more. She was free to be Ochako. Although the muscle memory demanded she hide this soft, weak persona behind Uravity, she was learning not to.

And that meant getting the hell out of dodge, or at least, her current apartment. Echo and Pyromancer had been outside her door plotting her demise, stealing the sense of comfort from the tiny studio. Returning to this place no longer felt like home, but more like a prison cell the warden could disturb at any time. There was no use remaining in this place if it meant triggering herself every time she unlocked the door.

So, she sold it and moved not even a month later. Forcing herself to believe she deserved nice things, which was the next step, Ochako tossed her frugality aside and purchased a new apartment, one with more than four walls and a toilet. She finally felt like she was making it, the reminder in the floorboards, the electric stove, the sliding glass doors to the balcony, her friends moving the boxes in, and the means to repay them for their services.

"It's late, Round Face, come have a beer with us," Bakugo drawled from a chair he had pulled outside onto the balcony, the glass door open all the way. Kirishima was by his side gulping down a cold one with the rest of the boys. "You can do that shit tomorrow."

He was referring to the dish in her hand. All of the boxes had come in and the furniture had been placed exactly where she wanted it, but she still felt compelled to completely finish the job, as unlikely as that would be today. Tsuyu hadn't stopped her, though, and was helping to put some of the kitchen necessities away.

"Kero, I suppose we shouldn't get too carried away," Tsuyu commented.

"Oui! We have all worked so hard. Wouldn't the young mademoiselle like to partake in the alcohol she bought? Hm?" Aoyama spun to Ochako's side, surely not referring to himself in the "work hard" department, she hoped. He had been entertaining, though, and his eye for feng shui did make her new place stylish and functional, even if there was so much left to unpack.

So many of her former classmates had come to help her move, probably inspired by Momo's gesture to do the things necessary to keep these friendships alive. It was a shame Momo herself couldn't be here today, but the Creation hero was tied up. Such is life as a hero. Not one to miss out on an opportunity to be the best friend she could be in the only way she knew how, Momo had sent Ochako a hefty house warming gift, good for food shopping well into next year. Ochako almost fell over when she opened the mail that morning, but Deku and Tsuyu had caught her, and argued it would be more of an insult to Momo if she didn't accept it. She made a mental note to call that woman first thing in the morning to thank her.

"Hm?" Aoyama hummed in her ear again, jolting her from her thoughts.

"Oh! Yeah!" Ochako squeaked. "You guys are right. I can definitely do this tomorrow."

"I can come by tomorrow to help you, too, Ochako," Tsuyu said as she closed the cabinet.

"That would be great, Tsu! Thank you!"

The two girls followed Aoyama to the glass sliding doors where she could take everyone in as they gathered on her gray stone balcony. All heroes in street clothes, Bakugo sat at the door on the tall bar stool he had taken from the island inside, with Kirishima standing right next to him. Iida sat on one of the two white, plastic lounge chairs across from Todoroki and Izuku who both leaned against the balcony railing. Last but not least, Krow perched himself on the railing, just like a bird, balancing with his wings behind him, counter-weighted with his arms resting on his knees. It was odd to see him in street clothes, for which she was sure Kyoka Jirou would approve of – black, baggy shorts and a black sleeve-less t-shirt of his favorite rock n' roll band. He took a swig from his amber bottle.

"Oof. This is it, chief," he said to himself.

Iida stood from his seat on the far lounge chair as Ochako came to sit next to him. He bowed his head. "I appreciate the drinks, Uraraka. Thank you. As a reminder, we must all make sure to drink responsibly."

Ochako heard Krow snort softly into his bottle. Bakugo, on the other hand, would not be as discreet.

"Fuck that, Four Eyes. I'm drinking all of Round Face's booze after hauling all her shit eighteen flights."

"Kacchan, there was an elevator," Izuku reminded him, but was met with fury.

Bakugo pointed and barked, "Yeah, for weaklings like you, Deku!"

Izuku nodded, "Got me there."

Krow joined in to alleviate the tension. "Pfft, elevators. Amiright?"

Bakugo grumbled as he brought the bottle tip to his lips. The rest of the crowd laughed and giggled, including Kirishima who smacked Bakugo's shoulder to loosen him up. Krow hadn't used the stairs or the elevator, opting instead to fly Ochako's belongings directly to her apartment via the balcony. She wasn't even sure he had come inside at all.

As the laughter died down, Ochako felt a great wave of happiness wash over her. Surrounded by friends in her new place, she couldn't help but feel giddy. Although she was still in the same neighborhood – she could see the Ryukyu offices from here, as well as the bald spot among the buildings Pyromancer had created - it felt so fresh, like she was being born again.

The balcony especially made her feel like she was making it and taking it. Directly below, the sounds of traffic wafted upward as it followed the path of a large traffic circle around a beautifully green park. Being up so high on the eighteenth story, though, that white noise was drowned out by the silence of the atmosphere. There was no one above her, either; this was the last floor. The sky opened wide above them past the overhang, darkening with incoming storm clouds that smothered the sun's last rays as it sank below the horizon. The rain would be welcomed by the dry city, scorched by the summer's heat.

After some time of banter and chit-chat, Aoyama arose from his seat on the lounge chair closest to the glass doors, across from Ochako. "Well, it has been quite a fun day, but I must take my leave! I bid you all adieu on this lovely night."

"I should also get going, kero," Tsuyu croaked from the door frame as Aoyama passed by. "I'll be here tomorrow afternoon to help you unpack, Ochako!"

"Thanks, Tsu!"

She watched as Tsuyu stopped just inside the door frame and touched the switch, the outdoor light coming on in a yellowish glow. Tsuyu waved and then disappeared further into the apartment. Not a minute later, the door creaked as it was opened and then shut quietly as she and Aoyama left. The hinges could use some oil, Ochako thought to herself, and that outdoor sconce could use a cleaning as well. Damn, it felt good to think of such innocuous things!

A quiet overtook the balcony as the friends nursed their drinks. Night was falling all around them and a cool autumn breeze meandered through, chilling Ochako's legs not covered by her blue jean shorts, and she zipped up her light, pink sweatshirt to guard against it. The day had been so hot, as if it were still summer, but autumn made its presence known at night when the sun wasn't looking. The chill didn't seem to bother the men, though. They all stood around in shorts and short-sleeve shirts. Then again, they had done most of the heavy lifting, and she guessed they welcomed the natural air conditioning as it brushed by.

Bakugo barged into the quiet calm with a raspy assertion directed at Krow. "Hey, bird brain, isn't it past your bedtime, too?"

"Oh, big yikes. You might be right," Krow played along, tapping his bare wrist as he facetiously checked the time. "Well, then I'll see ya on Monday, boss."

He saluted to Ochako and she waved as he stood up and fell backwards. "Peace out, cub scouts."

Krow disappeared off the side, beyond the balcony railing as he fell to the street. The quiet flaps of his wings could be heard not a second later, and Ochako watched as Todoroki and Izuku turned their heads to follow her student as he flew down the street.

"Bakugo, why did you do that?" Iida asked. "He has a right to attend this get-together and I don't appreciate your bullying him out of it."

Bakugo quirked an eyebrow at the uptight man. "I'm surprised you're not having a conniption. His ass isn't old enough to drink."

There was a beat of silence before Iida exclaimed, "WHAT?"

Kirishima jumped in, "Relax, dude."

"It's okay, Iida, he only had one," Ochako said, trying to assuage Iida's anger in himself with a pat to the back. It was obvious enough that as a UA senior, Krow definitely wouldn't be old enough, and Iida's frustration was mostly invested in his own carelessness. That didn't mean the other adults in the room weren't held accountable. Iida was true to his lawful good convictions and lectured them some more.

"We're supposed to be responsible adults around him and be welcoming heroes. This is providing alcohol to a minor!"

Iida held up an empty bottle as he scolded them. Ochako couldn't help but agree, and she could see the same thought running through Kirishima's and Izuku's thoughts. Todoroki still stood poker faced and silent.

Bakugo, on the other hand, couldn't care less, and lazily pointed the spout of his beer bottle to Izuku. "So, go turn yourself in. The cops are right there."

Caught off guard, Izuku jumped at the notion and scratched the back of his head. "I'm, uh, I'm off the clock. It's really fine, it's not a big deal."

Iida sighed loudly, shrugging his wide shoulders, "I suppose it can't be helped, now."

Ochako nodded weakly. "It's fine, I'm sure he's going to be okay."

"Hm," Bakugo hummed as he shook his empty bottle. "And with that, all the booze is gone. Guess I'll be getting out of here as well."

"Uh," Izuku held up a finger, stepping towards his rival with concern. "Kacchan, you had about five of those. Do you really think you're okay to drive?"

"Midoriya, you really should stop looking out for him," Todoroki said quietly. "Just let him get pulled over."

"Shut up, Deku!" Bakugo howled as he waddled into the apartment, clearly buzzed. "And you, too, ya half and half bastard. I can do whatever I want."

They could hear Bakugo grumbling and tripping over things inside, as well as the loud clang of his beer bottle as he threw it into the recycling bin. Kirishima giggled and whispered so Bakugo couldn't hear, "Don't worry, guys, I'll be driving him home. I'll see ya later."

"That's a relief," Izuku murmured as Kirishima walked in to follow Bakugo. It didn't sound like there was much resistance to Kirishima's plan, and the door closed nicely after them, that creak in the hinges signaling their exit.

"Oh," Todoroki jumped from his spot. "That reminds me, Iida, if you have a moment...do you know anything about engines in cars?"

Todoroki scooted by Izuku and towards the glass doors. Iida got up from his seat next to Ochako and followed absentmindedly, at first a little shocked at Todoroki's request. "Ah, yes, of course, Todoroki. The Iida family has a long history of not only minding the engines in our legs, but..."

"That's great," Ochako heard Todoroki cut Iida off from inside the apartment. Iida didn't seem to the take any offense as he left Ochako's sight. After a minute, Todoroki raised his voice to retroactively say goodbye. "See you guys later!"

"Thanks for all your help, guys!" Ochako called back.

"You are very welcome, Uraraka. Goodnight!" Iida shouted before the familiar click of the door closing sounded for the last time that night.

She gulped as the next thought took up residence in her mind - she was alone with Izuku. Everyone had disappeared so quickly and all at once! The arrangement felt so familiar, pulling itself to the forefront from the distant past, and all of the old awkwardness set in just like night was now. Izuku didn't seem to take in the gravity of the situation as he spoke, a chuckle in his voice, "They sure left quickly."

Ochako nodded and forced her voice to respond, "Yup! I guess...you'll be going soon, too?"

She stiffened asking this. She really didn't want him to leave. It was fortunate he had found other things to work on this past month - no doubt there were other closed cases to solve and more villains to haul in. The local police department would squeeze everything they could out of him before he was assigned to a new district. That time would run out soon, she was sure.

He seemed to pick up on her wishes and rested his arms against the balcony railing again, peering at the city of ants below. "I can stay a bit longer."

"Oh, that's good," Ochako said, feeling her throat constrict. Why was it good? "I, uh...it gets a bit weird...being in a new place all of a sudden. I was hoping everyone could stay for a few more hours...at least until it was bedtime!"

She was rambling. Deep down, something tugged at her heart violently, like it was shouting at her. She knew what it was and it made her cheeks heat up.

"Oh, I definitely get that," Izuku calmly responded. "But, I do need to be at the station earlier than usual tomorrow."

"Why's that?"

"I'm not sure, but it usually means I'm getting reassigned. I'll probably get a few choices and then use the day for travel," he explained.

Ochako nodded, or at least, she thought she did. In all honesty, she felt her whole body sink with her heart, and her eyes landed on the ground just underneath the opposite lounge chair. She let an intelligible moan escape her lips in understanding, and Izuku seemed to take it as such. His back was to her as he enjoyed the view below. The autumn wind made its way between them again, rustling and tangling through his hair, pushing the collar of his black shirt up against his face.

Izuku went on to explain to her how his job worked during these lulls, the things the police department had him working on in the meantime. She was only half listening, though. Wanting to get up and join him at the edge of the balcony, she found gravity's pull on her was heavier than normal and she didn't have the strength to fight with it. All that was running through her mind was one dreadful fact:

He'd be gone again.

The feeling that accompanied those words felt like panic. At one point, she knew she had been ready to say it. Somewhere beyond the clouds, she left that confidence or that frustration or...whatever had finally been free enough to spill out, its contents still unknown. She left it there and didn't know how to get it back, not without feeling desperate. Not without that stimulation. A chill ran up her spine as the voiceless parts of her remembered the feeling lovingly. She had wanted to say it so badly, up there where the world didn't matter. Down here, the change in perspective left her so frustratingly reticent once again. It wasn't easy anymore. It never would be. A raging debate filled her consciousness, one she was too used to.

At first, the path of least resistance presented itself – easy, tried, and true. She could live with the decision she had made two years ago. Continue on from there. The memory of graduation day clouded her thoughts, the very moment she turned down this path. The sun had been shining through the wide open window of his dorm room and made a halo around him as if making a statement that of all the things she needed and strove for, this was the one thing she could have all to herself. But, no. That wasn't allowed. Not for Ochako, not when she had so much left to accomplish. It was the moment she tore herself apart and left him behind. There was no time for love in a hero's life, she had always asserted, no room for selfish wants when needs were tough enough to obtain. If she was so certain of this, then why even ask for it? What would have been the point?

She could live with it. The proof was in these past two years. She could live without it, banking on the fact that an unfed fire would eventually die. It had to. It needed to.

It didn't.

Those coals stayed hot until he returned again to rekindle the fire anew. Just like the first time she had fallen for him, something profound had been reignited in her. Yet, as much as she had wanted to tell him again, at a different time, on a different balcony, she just couldn't. Time had worn her confidence further – there was too much time between inception and now. If she thought time was scarce in high school, then she hadn't been prepared for the level of business real hero work demanded.

She was busy. He was busy. Their lives didn't allow for any of this neediness.

Yet the cruel cycle turned. Perhaps it would turn again when the time was truly right. Yeah. Maybe the next time he fell into her life, she would be in a better spot, a stronger mindset, with all the confidence to say it out loud. Like two planets orbiting through space, eventually, they would line up again for a glorious equinox. Eventually, there would come a time when she could give this her whole attention. She could wait.

But that would be a mistake. Even if they were destined to be reunited sometime in the future, why wait?

Five years.

Five years she'd already wasted, fighting with herself over this. It was such a shame she had seen these feelings as a blight on her character. When she wasn't worried about what other people thought, or letting her stress over it get the best of her, the feeling was so incredible, unlike any other emotion. Nothing was stronger, nothing flowed through her so fluidly like her love for him. How lucky she had been to be his best friend for the duration of their school days. All of those opportunities to give him all of the love and support she could had been a service she would have always done for free. It didn't matter that the feelings she received from him were platonic. When it was safe, she loved him freely, automatically.

On the other hand, when he had been gone, it also felt like agony. Without him there, there was no where for her feelings to go. Overwhelmed and grief-stricken, all she could do was bury them in hopes they'd just go away.

Five years she'd been burying these feelings, and for what? For other things that could wait. Sure, they were important. Ochako was Uravity; she was a hero and a damn good one. But, when Uravity was with Deku, they could both fly. Even as they sat here, as two, normal twenty-somethings at the cusp of the rest of their lives, there was a feeling of fullness Ochako couldn't place, but suffered without. If she didn't say anything now, he would be gone again, taking her heart with him. There would be an emptiness in her chest she could not fill.

That's what was missing. This passion setting the world on fire. There was no one else that could light this blaze.

Five years she'd been lying to herself. It was a personal inferno Ochako had cast herself into, but she was learning to emerge from it, grow from it. There was no way she was letting this burn out, not again, not when he was right in front of her. As difficult as it seemed, that meant coming to terms with her greatest mistake and her greatest truth:

He was the love of her life.

And he needed to know.

A stillness had crept between them, a calm lull in the conversation Ochako hadn't been a part of. She had nodded and understood what Izuku was saying, and he seemed content where he left off, looking over the side as the sun set, painting the looming clouds a shade of deep magenta and violet, as if an artist had raged across the sky up to the yellow sun that still clung to the edge of the Earth, a tiny sliver of yellow. Ochako opened her mouth, but nothing came out as her throat tightened. She swallowed past it, clutching the collar of her sweatshirt, and tried again. Noise came out, "H-hey, Deku?"

Her eyes were glued to the space underneath the lounge chair opposite from her, but she heard him stir, probably turning around and seeing her like this - scrunched up as small as she could make herself in her seat. There was no turning back.

"Uraraka...are you okay?" he asked, clueless, with genuine worry in his voice. Ochako's cheeks burned and she gulped, keeping her eyes trained down. Now what?

Izuku left the balcony edge, strolling over to her wordlessly. With each step, the need for more words presented itself expectantly, as did Izuku's curious green eyes as he sat in front of her on the opposite lounge chair, so close, trying to see if her sickness was obvious on her face. He probably saw a very odd sort of fear, as Ochako felt her lips move into her mouth. This arrangement seemed too familiar as the porch tight framed him, and the memory of her mistake two years ago chided her. She didn't let this discourage her, however. It was just difficult. Even with all of her realizations as of late, and coaxing from a new friend, this wouldn't come easy.

"I, uh, I'm fine. I just...needed to...talk to you about something..." she trailed, almost hoping that maybe he could get the gist of it from her behavior or maybe just magically, like they had done in the heat of battle those weeks ago. She glanced at him quickly, only to find him waiting for her to continue. He couldn't know. He couldn't guess, and Ochako lowered her eyes again. Where could she even begin?

The autumn air whispered by, finding a trail around the building's brick side, pulling in the clouds, and gently ruffling their hair. The chilly air threatened to cut her again, but this time, Izuku was sitting directly in front of her, blocking it. Suddenly, she knew where to start.

"Do you...remember...what it was like floating...after that battle?...with Pyromancer," she was mumbling, trying to come at this as fastidiously as she could, given the subject matter. Somehow Izuku heard her, and nodded gently. "Oh! Uh, well, it was really foggy for me, so..."

Ochako wanted to slap herself, but Izuku chuckled, "I imagine it would be. You...really had me worried."

Unable to look at him, she kept her eyes down, half of her wanting to do this and the other half wanting nothing more than to disappear into dust. Despite these opposing, tumultuous feelings, she refused to tear herself apart. Not again. She was going to do this, and she was going to do it in one piece.

When she didn't speak, Izuku filled in. "But, why do you want to talk about it again? I thought you said it scared you."

"It did!" Ochako answered quickly, knowing full well what he was referring to. The both of them had been evaluated for trauma, and rightfully so. However, that didn't count for what had really transpired up there, and it was zero hour now – it was either address the elephant in the room, or never get the chance again. Her chest grew tight as she trudged on. "I meant...I know I said something to you...and I was just wondering...if...you...remembered what it was...?"

After mulling it over for a full month, Ochako was fairly certain she had said something up there and what she had said had been confessional. What exactly it was, though, remained a mystery. It spurred all kinds of feelings in her, raw and truthful, like she hadn't been with Izuku since this attraction began, but he hadn't mentioned it. She honestly wasn't entirely sure any words had been shared at all, but something in her heart felt freer, and so, it had to be something. The memory was like someone's best guess at a partial reflection, and if it weren't for Krow's testimony, she was sure she would have never thought of it again. Whatever had happened, she was glad she had been aberrant enough to start the conversation.

"I miss you," Izuku said quietly. Now he was looking away as Ochako's eyes shot up to him, the memory becoming clearer ever so slightly. Now there were words. "That's, um...that's what you said. I'm not sure...I didn't want to bring it up in case...in case it was just...you didn't..."

He was trying to find the kindest words, but Ochako knew – he hadn't mentioned it, just in case it was delirious rambling. Although it probably was, hearing the exact words that had spilled from her dying breaths was eerie and yet sent her heart into her throat. Those words were...so sad. And yet, so right. After all the time he had been gone, she hadn't told him once that she missed him. It had always felt so demanding, like a way to guilt him into giving her attention she didn't think she deserved. It wasn't right of her to make him feel bad for chasing his dreams – heavens knew she had given up everything for her goals, too. But that was clearly the axiom in her soul – an endless longing.

And yet, it was also so ambiguous!

"I-It's fine," she squeaked. "I wasn't sure what I said, but I...did mean that. I do...mean that."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I, um," Ochako looked away, dodging his eyes. Her heart was pounding so hard she could barely breathe. "I just...I did...miss you."

"I missed you, too, Uraraka," he said delicately, and Ochako assumed it had to do with how uncomfortable she must have looked. But the nuance within was much more tender than she expected, and her mind lingered with it as her mouth went on with the thought that she was still being unclear.

"No, no, I meant...I meant, I missed you...more than anyone else," she admitted. Still not the whole story.

As she clammed up again, her body refusing to cooperate in all of the usual ways, she felt the warmth of his hand brush past hers, his softness meeting her scar. When did they get this close? Ochako, feeling sick of herself, quieted, and met his eyes, hoping he'd see the contents of her heart within them. What she received, though, were the contents in his heart reflected in his green irises, tenderly waiting for her to finish what she had to say. This look was familiar – she had seen it a million times - and yet there was a signal here that was finally reaching her receivers. All this time looking in on herself had made her blind to it. A constant battery of proclamations that stated she was the only one feeling this way had robbed her of this.

This...reciprocation.

Her breath escaped her mouth as a tiny cloud in the chilly autumn air, and the breeze swept through, stronger now, as the sky grumbled gently somewhere far from the city. Ochako couldn't help but feel warm, though, and she smiled. How long had she missed this?

When it was clear the words were stuck in her throat, Izuku offered his own perspective, his cheeks dusted pink under his freckles. The sentiment of longing between them was now easily communicable in looks and the tiniest touches as their hands brushed by each other again, the gravitational pull becoming stronger and pulling them close. Still, the words themselves were new, and a small giggle left Ochako's throat as the shock passed and excitement replaced it.

Izuku spoke softly, free to speak confidently as there would be no rejections, and yet still shy to elaborate the feeling all the same. "I missed you, too...more than anyone else. It's...kind of the reason I'm here."

She could feel him tremble, his timidness with her becoming more obvious. Their hands had come together again as they hung from their knees, closer this time, and Ochako tested the heavy atmosphere by slipping her fingers in between his. He responded bashfully and loosened, allowing her to take his hand. Was he just as scared as she was? Did he also think about their time together the same way she did? These were things she'd never considered before, but now with a cleared head and whole in spirit, she could see it so clearly – he loved her. "My work gives me a lot of freedom...there are always a number of cases to choose from. I chose to come here...I knew you were here. And I...was really...well, I was hoping..."

Ochako giggled and cut him off for his own health, "That we could go to lunch?"

Izuku cracked a grin, his intentions now clear. "Heh, yeah. At least once...while I was here..."

He quieted as they came closer, their hands now fully entwined, the space between them more intimate. There was an unsaid line in what he said, something that felt freeing and more confident than he was letting on. The wish for this moment was clear, this chance was something he had actively tried to create, and just like Ochako, he was going to take the opportunity at this last second. There wasn't any other choice – neither of them wanted to forever hold their piece. She had just beaten him to it and she leaned into him with a knowing hum, her forehead resting against his.

"While you were here, yeah...that's what I was..." Ochako mumbled, leaving the unfinished "thinking" in the air for him to interpret. But there was something she didn't want him to merely assume, even if he was sure of it now. "I...I couldn't let you go, not without telling you...I love you."

Perhaps back in school, that would have been strong, but here, as the sun completely left them over the horizon and autumn's cool breeze tried to break the heat building between them, it felt right. It felt accurate, and Ochako was learning to be open, even if it was frank. There was no greater truth in this moment.

Izuku didn't seem to know how to react, although the confession made his cheeks as red as hers and caught his breath in his throat. She knew he felt the same way. That wasn't what was bothering her as she backed away out of their intimate sphere and pulled him along as he tried to maintain it. Love, unfortunately, was also demanding, not for his feelings, which were freely given, but for his time, for which he had none. Before he could collect himself and respond, Ochako made it clear she wasn't finished.

"But, I don't want to be selfish," she started, and it was clear on Izuku's face that he had no idea how that could be possible. "I know you have a big job to do and that you can't stay. So many people rely on you and I'm just...I'm so proud of you, Deku. Seeing you so successful and in your element...I couldn't be happier. I don't...I never wanted to be something that held you back. But...I want to be fully honest with you...a part of me really doesn't want you to leave, either."

He quickly replied, a shy smirk stretching across his face, the sentiment mutual. "I don't want to go, either. I know they're expecting me tomorrow, but, I...really could stay."

It was clear he was trying to avoid his own mistakes. They both knew time apart would eventually mean radio silence. Such was the life of a hero. But that was just it.

Ochako shook her head. "No, no, you should go. You're Deku, and there's a case that needs solving and a villain who needs his butt kicked somewhere. And when you're done...you can always come back here...because, as Uravity, this is where I will be."

She sighed, thinking of the possibilities and all of the things she had come to accept. There was no telling what lay ahead; the future was a mystery. Two years ago, that had frightened her into keeping her feelings to herself. She had a preconceived notion that hero work was too full to allow love in, and perhaps that really was true. Even as her heart fluttered in euphoria, she was still acutely aware how fleeting this still was – in just a few hours, he'd be leaving the city and there was no date set in stone to mark his return. It very well could be another year or more before they could be this close again, before she could feel his fingertips against her cheek as they were now. His eyes reflected this as she was sure he knew it, too.

"Being a hero is hard," she said softly, cuddling up to his hand as his thumb stroked her cheek in an attempt to comfort her. "But, maybe, we can still make this work. It will be tough, but..."

She cursed the circumstances, but for once didn't damn her feelings. This was worth it. This was worth whatever work needed to be put into it, whatever sacrifices had to be made, just as nurturing Uravity had been. She could live with this. She could survive without this for as long as it took for him to return. Ochako was stronger than she thought.

"I'm not worried about it," she said confidently as she leaned into him, their foreheads touching. "If it doesn't work, then at least...we didn't miss out on each other."

"You're right," he conceded.

There was silence thereafter, the whole world seemingly disappearing and Ochako's thoughts faded as her mind focused on the limited space between them. Being this close was familiar and fostered familiar feelings in her she thought only existed in a dream draped in black curtain the eyes couldn't see through, but the heart felt fully. She closed her eyes, approaching closer as if coaxing him to bridge the gap first. Their breaths became quicker, deeper, as his hand left her cheek to make room for her to hold him around the neck and coming to rest on her thigh, just above her knee.

She could feel him smile as their lips brushed against each other, the intimate touch sending a blaze through her body like she had never experienced before. As soft as her confession minutes ago, she offered him a kiss, pressing her lips against his, gentle and shy. The answer back was another kiss, a little harder, more passionate, now that he was ready, and it flushed every other sensation out of her reality. For a split second, there was nothing, but not emptiness. Time simply stopped, the world ceased to exist, and all that was left was this moment. With him. A feeling of belonging overtook her as the backdraft ignited.

A desperate need for more arose as they parted and she kept him close, threading the fingers of one hand into his fluffy hair, the other arm hugged around his neck still, bringing him in again to continue. Each kiss was gentle, as if both sides held back the weight of fives years worth of lost time. Trying to keep herself under some form of control, Ochako stayed planted in her seat, but her suggestive thoughts ran wild, a typical chaser to his image. His hand crept up her leg, and even though she wasn't sure if he realized it or not, it still drove her mad all the same. His other hand held onto her corresponding arm, as if desperately trying not to wonder. She wished it did.

A flurry of raw emotion swept over her with each parting; the exhilarating feeling weighed down like a heavy pressure but she remained floating ten thousand meters in the air. Descriptive thoughts exclaimed to her memory and heard a call back, a certainty that there was a place high above the planet where a moment only they could share occurred, and it was filled with beauty and a shared warmth despite all of the hardship below, just like this. Its pleasantly somber feel radiated across her skin, and took cognizance of the absent sensation of his body against hers.

She shook that want away; this would have to be all, for now. She was already demanding so much that he had to angle his head down to catch his breath. Ochako had offered so much it had left him struggling against his bodily needs, her lips having been more desired than oxygen. Saying goodbye tonight would be the most difficult thing imaginable. Their eyes met, both glazed over with a suggestion neither was asking out loud, but could be felt in the electricity where fingertips lovingly stroked skin.

The real world tried to enter this dream as the rain finally arrived, soaking the streets, and coming down in a soft shower. It dripped from the overhang as the sun finally dropped below the horizon, the only light now from the single porch sconce and the scattered fairy lights of the city below. The sky grumbled again, the lightning not yet penetrating through the clouds.

She offered another goodbye to him as he breathed heavily, her eyes closing and lips brushing sweet, delicate kisses onto his open mouth, then across his cheek and down his neck, startling a deep, primal purr from him she'd never imagined. He'd successfully filled her senses again and left her feeling so comfortable and yet so positively bothered in a wondrous contradiction.

Tomorrow was too soon to leave this as it was, the dread of returning to life before this moment was hard to imagine. But it wouldn't be the same. It couldn't ever be the same again, and Ochako was happy for it, feeling like her life was now so full.

And not a thing was missing.