24

Chapter 24: AwakeningSummary:

As Izuku sleeps, the world moves around him.

AKA: In which the author begins to earn his rating.

Notes:

Thanks to Epsilon110 and Mattybeach, my betas for this chapter.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

After a few more minutes, Hisashi stood up to leave. Neither men bid each other goodbye; there was simply too much on their minds. The number one hero turned back to the window, following the paths of droplets falling down the glass with his eyes.

He was alone for a few minutes, deep in thought about what the future might hold, when a knocking brought him back to reality.

"Um, Mr. All Might, sir?"

Toshinori turned around and saw a tall brunette woman standing in the doorway, looking inquisitively at him. "Young Uraraka, do you need something?"

The woman rubbed her hand through her hair nervously. Unlike normally, she had her hair pulled up into a messy bun. It put a small smile on Toshinori's face, reminding him of fond, far-off memories. "Yeah, I was hoping to ask you a question or two? I've had some things on my mind."

Toshinori pushed the thoughts of his nemesis out of his mind for now so he could focus on his young student. "Of course, I am willing to help anyway I can!"

Young Uraraka sat down in the chair that Hisashi had pulled up, while Toshinori grabbed another chair so he could sit across from her. "What's this about?" he asked her.

"It's about… well, it's about Deku." The woman shifted awkwardly in her chair.

Toshinori chuckled softly. "I figured as much. Tell me, what's been bothering you?"

"Okay." She let out a big sigh. "Okay. I've been thinking about what T-Terrorflame said. About Deku."

The voice of the villain echoed in Toshinori's mind, fresh as the day he heard it.

"You know what he is. It's in his blood, it's in his brain. He doesn't have a choice."

"You know you're training the next me ."

He sighed. "You're worried that Young Midoriya is going to become a villain. That he'll wind up like Terrorflame."

"No." The woman shook her head, surprising the pro.

"No?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Deku would never become villain. I know that." The conviction in her voice impressed Toshinori. "But the others don't know him like I do. UA doesn't know him like I do."

'Oh,' Toshinori thought, 'she's thinking about…'

"The boy can already use a full transformation and you're still taking a chance on him? UA must truly be desperate."

Toshinori raised an eyebrow at her. "You seem to think you know him quite well."

"I do." She looked into his eyes. "I know it's hard to believe…but I know he would rather die than become a villain. I'm not worried about that. He won't let his insti-"

She slapped her hands over her mouth.

Toshinori blinked twice. "He's told you about…?"

" You know? " Young Uraraka's eyes widened.

Toshinori was so surprised he couldn't help but begin to laugh, the woman joining him a few moments later with a few awkward chuckles.

He looked at her with a kind smile. "I see you've earned Young Midoriya's trust."

"Trust…" she repeated. "Yeah, we trust each other. He's… he's told me a lot. I know he hasn't told me everything, but…" She shook her head and steeled herself. "I'm guessing that the school knows about his instincts… and now they definitely do. The rest of the class hasn't said anything, they've been really supportive in fact but…"

Young Uraraka looked straight into his eyes, staring him down with a mixture of determination and fear. "I need to know if UA is planning on kicking him out or anything like that!"

Toshinori grew a very serious look. "And what if we are?"

Young Uraraka's eyes teared up slightly, but she didn't look any less driven. "Then… I'm leaving too. I don't think I could go to school at a place that would kick out someone like Deku. He's more determined than anyone I know to become a hero, he saved us from that monster, he's done nothing but try to be friends with everyone in class! It's not fair!"

"You would leave UA over him?" He hadn't expected a reaction like that.

"I'm not going to follow him or anything," she looked down. "I got the top score at the entrance exam, I could go to Shiketsu or something. I'm not going to throw my life away for a boy I have a cr- for a boy." She caught herself a little too late, but he pretended to not notice. "But it wouldn't be right for me to stay at UA."

She looked into his eyes again, the faint hint of blush fading rapidly as it arrived. "It's more important to do what's just than to do what's easy, right? Heroes fight for justice, not for fame o-or money."

Toshinori grew a wide, proud smile. "That's right, Young Uraraka! The true purpose of being a hero is fighting for justice and for those who cannot protect themselves! It speaks volumes that you already understand that." He reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "And please, do not worry. UA has no plans on expelling or otherwise punishing Young Midoriya. Please forgive my deception; I wished to see how you would react."

The woman stared at him dumbfoundedly for a few moments as a small embarrassed blush began to dust her cheeks. She looked down and shifted in her seat awkwardly. "O-oh."

Toshinori chuckled again as he released her shoulder. "I think Young Midoriya is lucky to consider you his friend. Now, if there-"

"Actually, now that I think about it… can I ask you something else?" She was still looking down at her feet.

He noted the somberness that had returned to her tone along with a weight it hadn't had before. "Of course."

He knew that weight intimately.

"Is there ever times when… even after you've done a lot…" She ran a hand through her hair nervously. "Even if you've done all that you feel you can... you feel like you should have done more?"

The number one hero paused for a moment. His silence caused her to look up at him, her eyes filled with both regret and hope. "Every time."

Her mouth dropped open. "R-really? Even you?"

He nodded. "Even me. Even now."

"What should I do? This guilt is eating me up inside, I can't help but feel like it's my fau-"

"Young Uraraka." He interrupted her by placing his hand on her shoulder again. "From what I understand, you did quite a bit. Young Ashido told us all about you defending her from the villains in the Conflagration Zone, and multiple students praised you for your quick reaction in saving Aizawa. You have the thanks and praise of everyone at UA."

"But-"

"I saw your injuries before Recovery Girl healed them. You pushed yourself to your limits, you have nothing to be ashamed about." He tried to bolster her confidence. "You are still a student; you never should have been asked to do something like this in your first week of hero school, but you did . Take pride in that!"

The woman hung her head as she absorbed his words. He pulled his arm back, and a few moments later, she suddenly stood up, looking slightly down at him with fire in her eyes. "I'll train harder so this never happens again. Nobody will be hurt under my watch, not if I can help it."

Toshinori blinked as his smile widened. "That's the spirit!" He stood up as well, beaming proudly. "Let me give you a piece of advice someone long ago gave to me. A hero is responsible for not just saving someone's body, but also their hearts. That's why I smile, Young Uraraka, to let people know that everything is going to be okay. The strongest heroes are the ones that are always smiling!"

Her eyes went wide for a few moments as her mouth hung open in surprise. Slowly, her eyes regrew their determined glare and her mouth turned up into a small smile. "Yes, sir!"

She hesitated for a moment, then threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you, All Might. I feel a lot better."

He patted her head a few times. "Always happy to help. Now, run along, I'm sure your classmates are looking for you."

She broke the hug and nodded, turning and walking towards the door. She smiled brightly and gave him a wave as she left him alone in the room once more.

Toshinori turned back to the rainy window. Maybe it was just him, but it seemed a little brighter out than it had a few minutes ago.

Ochako headed back to Deku's room with a slight spring in her step. Ever since she woke up on Saturday, the guilt in her heart had been growing more and more. Why was Deku the one in a coma when she was walking around just fine? Why had he nearly given everything when she was 'disabled' by a simple sprain while he protected her? How dare she stand next to Deku when he's giving his all, fighting against his very nature to become a hero, while she is just trying to make money?

Those doubts had been silenced, or at least quieted for now. She had regrets, but like All Might said, she should be proud of what she had done. Those regrets would be reminders to her. The first week of UA had challenged so many of her perceptions. All Might was right: she was here to learn. She would get better. She would do better.

Only one thing still weighed heavily on her heart as she opened the door to Deku's room. Before she could look around, she was nearly tackled by Mina.

"Ochako! Did you hear?" Mina was almost picking her up with how strongly she was hugging her.

Ochako snapped her head to the bed, but to her surprise, she saw Deku still lying there, still unmoving. She turned back to Mina, looking down into her black eyes. "...No?"

Bakugou clicked his tongue as he glared at the newscast on the television in the room. "It's Terrorflame. They found his body. Bastard's dead."

Ochako's heart felt light for the first time in nearly a week. 'He's gone… we don't have to worry about him anymore. Maybe the nightmares will stop now…'

Then her heart twisted slightly. She looked at Bakugou as Mina let go of her. "Who killed him?"

"We don't know," Momo answered, "but my money is on that League of Villains. They were likely not pleased with him failing to kill All Might."

Ochako looked over at Deku again. Next to her, Mina noticed her forlorn stare. "Don't worry, Ochako, I'm sure he'll wake up soon."

The brunette remembered what All Might had told her and forced a smile onto her face. Surprisingly, as the smile rose, so did her mood. Instead of fake confidence, some of it had become real. She grinned happily down at the slightly surprised and barely blushing Mina. "You're right. I can't wait."

The group stayed up a little too late that night talking and playing a card game that Mina had brought. The news that Terrorflame was no more raised all of their spirits. Momo was often early to bed, as she knew well the value of a good night's sleep, or perhaps more accurately, the dangers a lack of sleep could bring. But tonight, she indulged.

The four students eventually couldn't stay up any longer, and at around 1AM, they decided to go to sleep. Thanking Momo for the comfortable pillows, blankets and padding for their makeshift beds again, causing a small smile to blossom on her face. She felt a lot more comfortable now than she had the first night, and not just because of the bedding she had made.

Momo let her hair down and snuggled into the surprisingly comfortable recliner, pulling the covers up her body as she nuzzled deeper into the pillow. She opened her right eye just barely, enough for her to catch a glimpse of the other women, but not enough for them to tell her eyes were open.

Over the past several nights, Momo had noticed Mina and Ochako getting… friendlier with each other. Mina was gradually creeping further up Ochako's body each night, to the point where Momo had noticed her resting her head on the brunette's side the previous night.

However, it seemed that their lack of sleep was… liberating some of their inhibitions. Ochako got onto the couch on her side like normal, wearing those adorable little mittens to keep her quirk in line, while Mina crawled in the other side. Momo watched curiously, a little interested in how far they were going to push things tonight.

Momo heard Ochako sigh and whisper something like 'screw it' under her breath. The brunette took off one of her gloves and put her hand on Mina's head, taking the weight from her. The horned girl looked on with silent curiosity, not wanting to wake Bakugou, who had an incredible talent to fall asleep nearly instantly. Ochako rolled to her left so she was laying flat on her back, then pulled Mina back down so that her head was right on her clavicle.

Mina gasped, her furious purple blush dwarfed only by Ochako's own red as the smaller woman immediately snuggled up into the brunette's side, her arms were bunched up near her chest while Ochako put her mitten back on and then draped her left arm along Mina's back, pulling her close.

Momo was impressed she was able to keep her composure watching the scene. She felt shocked by the scandalizing display in front of her, the familiar sensation bubbling up in her ch-

'No, that's not it.' Momo tried looking away from the two women, whose blushes were fadingly slowly as they grew content smiles and closed their eyes. She watched Ochako rub her face in Mina's hair the smallest amount as the latter adjusted herself a little further, burrowing a little deeper into Ochako.

'I'm feeling…' Momo didn't dare admit it at first. She tried to rationalize it away, argue against it, but in the end, she couldn't deny it.

'Envy?!'

Momo rolled over, turning her back to the girls and pulling the blanket to her nose to make sure they couldn't see her growing blush.

Ochako woke up as the sun shone through the window Wednesday morning. She felt a small amount of sweat on her body and a light blush on her cheeks. 'That dream again ?! I really am hopeless…' She looked down and saw Mina snuggled up on her side, causing Ochako to smile happily as she softly patted her head again. 'I'm glad I finally pulled the trigger on that. I slept better than ever-' she let out a huge yawn, '-I just wish I slept longer.'

Mina woke up slowly as Ochako rubbed her hand through her hair. She rolled around a little bit, bumping her head into Ochako's chest a couple times as she moved her head to she could look up. "Morning, Ochako."

Ochako nodded happily, making sure she was still focused enough to keep hiding her accent. "Morning, Mina. Sleep well?" She blushed slightly from her boldness.

Mina's smile was a mix between adorable and predatory. "Is that really a question? You're super comfy. I could get used to this~"

That broke Ochako. "O-oh o-okay, t-thanks." She was pretty sure her face was doing an impression of Eiko's hair as she averted her gaze.

Mina giggled on her chest, Ochako becoming very, very aware of her impressive bust pressing into her side and chest. "Sorry, too much?"

Ochako covered her face with her mitten-covered hands, trying, but finding herself unable to form words. Mina pushed herself up into a sitting position, straddling the taller woman and causing the brunette to miss the warmth on her side, but to enjoy the sensation of Mina's healthy thighs pressing against her hips.

The woman let out a yawn of her own, stretching her arms wide and lifting her shirt up, giving Ochako a very good view of her bra. 'First that dream again, now this?!' Ochako groaned into her mittens.

Mina giggled at the reaction but stopped her teasing, hopping off the woman. Ochako stood up as she tossed her mittens off and grumbled halfheartedly, still blushing from the earlier interaction. "I'm taking a shower. Don't wait up."

Mina loved it when Ryukyu would visit. She couldn't be there as much as Midori's dad was, since she was covering his normal hero beat, something that seemed to cause tension in the man whenever it was brought up for some reason. Mina guessed it was just because he was proud of his work and didn't want to seem like he was slacking. She didn't worry about it too much.

She had only come by twice before today, but each time was like Christmas for the pink woman. The first time, her visit was mostly taken up by her getting the rundown of the situation from Midori's parents; Mina wasn't about to get in the way of family matters. Her second visit happened to come at the same time that a busload of their classmates were visiting as well. Mina didn't get much of a chance to speak with her then, either.

This time, however, it was just Momo, Ochako and her. Bakugou had stepped out to do training with Stormclaw, something they apparently had been doing for over a decade, which was baffling to Mina. Their worlds were so different from hers.

Ryukyu sat down in one of the chairs next to Midori and started talking about… stuff. She told him about some villains she had fought the previous day, describing her fighting in great detail. Mina wasn't listening too well; she was too busy staring at her stunning, draconic turquoise eyes, her jutting horns, and her copper red hair to really pay attention. Mina had been crushing on Ryukyu for years and now being so close to her, well, it made her feel like a schoolgirl again.

The pro began telling stories about Midori when he was younger, which certainly got Mina's attention. Apparently, he had been quite the prankster in high school, which Ryukyu claimed she had no idea about and had no part in encouraging and certainly wasn't personally responsible for some of his better ideas.

They spent the better part of an hour listening to her tell stories, crack jokes and generally lift their spirits. After a while, Mamadoriya showed up, asking for some help making lunch. The three students jumped to attention, but before she could leave Ryukyu interceded.

"Aunt Inko, can I borrow Ashido for a bit? I'm sure these two ladies will be more than capable of helping you fix lunch." She winked at Mina, who nearly fainted on the spot.

"Oh, that's fine." The short woman smiled kindly, just like Midori did. "You two have fun, now. Come on, girls."

Ochako gave her a smile and a wave as she left, while Momo gave her an appraising, curious look as she followed. The door closed behind them, leaving the pro alone with Mina and her unconscious cousin.

"So…" Ryukyu looked slightly up at her, the muscular woman just an inch shorter than her. She grew a smile that Mina knew all too well, for it was the wide, predatory smirk she often wore. It was a little unsettling to be on the other side of it.

Mina gulped.

"You wear your heart on your sleeve, Ashido," she pointed out.

"Is… is that a problem? I've always been outspoken." She wasn't sure where Ryukyu was going with this.

"No, no, not at all. I just want to ask you about something I've noticed." The smile grew wider.

"S-sure, shoot." Mina raised an eyebrow nervously. 'Is this what it's like when I do this to Ochako or Midori?'

Ryukyu pointed a thumb towards the comatose man. "What is he to you?"

Mina felt her face warming up. "W-what do you mean?"

"Don't play games with me, young lady," she jokingly reprimanded. "You keep stealing glances at him and your face goes all soft and cute when you do." She jokingly pushed her own cheeks up to make a cute smile.

"Do I?!" Mina hadn't noticed herself doing that. Her eyes went wide as she looked at the smirking hero. 'Guess there's no use denying it…'

Mina shrugged and began to laugh. "Well, I guess you caught me, then!"

Ryukyu started laughing as well. "I like you, Ashido. You're a good kid."

"I'm 18!" Mina protested.

Ryukyu shrugged. "And I'm 29. What about it?" She raised an eyebrow at Mina. "And don't try to change the subject. What is he to you?"

Mina pouted slightly, earning another smile from Ryukyu. "Fine. Midori is…"

"A nickname? Oooh…"

Mina blushed slightly. "Heh, yeah… but uh, Midori is… I'm not sure."

"Yes you do." Ryukyu's blue eyes burrowed into her black and gold. "You're a smart girl."

Mina pouted again. "I… I have a huge crush on him."

Ryukyu raised her eyebrow again. "And that's why you've spent nearly a week watching over him? A crush?"

"No!" Mina locked eyes with the hero. "I'm here because I care about him a lot. He saved my life and he's a really good guy. Even if he doesn't like me back, I want to be there for him. I want to be his friend and keep him safe." Mina forced the words out of her mouth, almost panting from the mental exertion.

Surprisingly, the redhead's smirk grew kind. "Thank you. He needs people like that. People to watch over him and make sure he's doing okay. He has always been willing to protect others, but he never watches out for himself. He surrounds himself with people when he can, but it's hard for him to actually open up. Maybe one day he'll open up to you."

"Oh, he already has." Mina took the opportunity to turn the tables. "He's told me about his instincts."

Ryukyu's eyes went wide, much to Mina's satisfaction. "Wait, how long as he known you?!"

Mina thought for a moment. "Before the coma? Less than a week, technically."

The hero began to laugh. Hard. "Oh, Ashido, I don't think you have to worry. Izuku must be absolutely crazy about you to tell you a secret like that so quickly."

A sparkle lit up Mina's face. "You think so?"

"Yeah, I do." She paused, thinking. "I'm curious, though. How did that happen?"

Mina rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "Well, after you came and talked to him last week, I sort of… broke into his room."

The pro blanched. "You what?! "

Mina smiled a bit as she relived the memory of his hands on her wrists… She shook herself a little and continued the story . "Yeah, I knew he was gonna react badly, but not that badly." She shrugged jokingly. "Anyway, he saw me, tackled me, snarled in my face and all that."

The hero was speechless. "He…"

"Oh, don't worry," she waved her hand to dismiss the woman's concern. "He didn't do anything more than that. Afterwards, I told him that since he tackled me, he had to tell me what had been going on." Mina rubbed her chin. "In hindsight, that's probably what he was talking to you about, right?"

Ryukyu's horror was slowly replaced by incredulous awe. "So, you played him."

Mina nodded proudly. "Yep! That's what he said too, actually."

"Oh yeah, now I'm really sure." She bumped Mina's arm with her fist. "You go get that dragon and hold on tight, girl."

Mina felt her heart swell and then do a couple backflips in her chest. She felt her face warm up and she was sure she was turning purple in front of Ryukyu.

"Aw, you blush purple," the hero teased, "that's just as cute as his little green blush."

"Y-you think so..?" Mina shook herself again, giggling to cover up her slip. "Yeah, his blush is super cute."

Ryukyu smiled widely at her. "You're a good sport, Ashido. I'm looking forward to Izuku bringing you to family dinners. And that's not me teasing you, that's honest."

"Aw, thank you!" Mina was almost bouncing with joy.

"Hey, indulge me for a second." The hero's tone changed. "Tell me about your quirk."

"Oh," Mina was caught off-guard, but recovered, "okay. Uh, I make acid."

"Can you control the strength?" The hero was suddenly totally different, Mina had almost forgotten that Ryukyu was in the top ten.

Mina nodded. "And the viscosity. I've got these special boots for my hero costume that lets me use it to skate around for mobility and stuff."

The hero nodded approvingly. "Clever, clever! I assume you are resistant to acid as well?"

"Right again! Well, uh, to a point."

Ryukyu looked around quickly. "Hey, wanna do something dumb?"

Mina smirked. "Psh, always."

The redhead opened her mouth and Mina gasped slightly as her sharp fangs began to lengthen even more. In a flash, the hero's arm grew tough, copper scales as she held it up near her mouth. A drop of orangish-red acid fell from her fang and onto her scales, not reacting in the slightest as it slipped down her arm. It fell from her scales and hit the floor, making a small hissing noise, but not doing any noticeable damage to the tile.

Mina's eyes went wide as the implication hit her. She steeled herself and held her arm towards the pro hero. "Don't worry, Ashido, it'll be weak." She opened her mouth wide and let another drop fall down and land on Mina's arm.

She flinched as it hit, but only out of nerves. The acid slipped down her arm just like it did on the other woman, Mina marvelling as she felt nothing. "It feels like warm water."

"Oh, fun," the pro added. "If we had more time, we could find out just how resistant you are. It's important to know your limits. Try that out with Izuku some time; he should know too."

Mina's head snapped to look at Ryukyu. "What do you mean?"

"What, has he not told you? I figured he would have… oh, well." She shrugged. "Dragon scales resist the effects of other dragons. We're basically immune to our own 'type', if you would -you could give me everything you have and I probably would barely notice- but we resist the other types. Because our quirks are similar, you know? The quirk didn't reinvent the wheel between my mother and me; it just changed some stuff."

She turned to look at Midori with a forlorn expression. "That's how he escaped our dear great-uncle with such relatively minor injuries. I shudder to imagine what would have happened if he wasn't a little resistant to fire." She turned back to Mina, letting her mood rise again. "So, what I'm saying is that Izuku's scales will resist your acid a bit. You should figure out how much."

Mina stared at Midori, her mind going hundred miles a minute, bashing through previous hangups about her own body. It was as if a fire had been lit inside her and all the emotions she was forcing herself to suppress were rising to the surface in its wake. She felt a little too hot, but at the same time too cold, yearning for his touch.

Before she actually gave in and pulled his hand to nuzzle into it, she quickly changed the subject, trying desperately to ignore the pool of heat forming below her stomach. "S-so you breathe acid and those fangs drip acid. I get that. But how do the other dragons work? How does Midori's work- wait." Mina froze and scratched her head. "What kind of breath does he have? He's never shown it off or anything…"

"He's kept that a secret, huh?" Ryukyu didn't seem surprised. "I won't spoil the surprise then. I'm sure he has his reasons. As for the others, it's pretty straight forward. Uncle Hisashi's fangs act as conduits for his lightning, so his bite also electrocutes if he wants. Fire dragons like Uncle Hatsuo, er, Purifier, and our dearly-departed Terrorflame have a nasty bite. Their fangs have this substance in them that ignites when it comes in contact with oxygen, including oxygen in someone's bloodstream." She shuddered.

"Our quirks aren't nice, Ashido," she said somberly. "But you know what that's like, don't you?"

Mina nodded slowly.

Ryukyu wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring one-armed hug. "You have a friend in Izuku, even if you don't wind up dating him. I want you to help each other, okay?"

Mina nodded again. "I will. I promise."

Ryukyu laughed again and smiled. "Don't tell Izuku, but I'm rooting for you." She winked. "Come on, let's go get lunch. I'll tell you how to get him to really turn green if you behave."

After a satisfying and filling lunch adding to her lack of sleep, Ochako was feeling seriously tired. Ryukyu, who she swore was whispering some stuff to Mina when no one was looking, had left after the meal, as she needed to get back to her patrol routes, while Bakugou and Stormclaw were still out training, which left the four women and Deku the only ones around.

Inko invited the girls to go shopping with her, which immediately set an adorable fire under both Momo and Mina, but Ochako was feeling too out of it. She volunteered to stay with Deku, 'just in case he wakes up, right?'

Mina pouted a little bit, but gave up soon enough and let her stay behind. Ochako settled into the chair on Deku's left and stared at him. "I wish you'd wake up soon, Deku. I… we all miss you. I know you're gonna be okay, but it's hard seeing you lyin' there. I wanna thank you proper."

She felt comfortable around him, even if he was comatose; she didn't even need to hide her accent when she was alone with him.

Her eyelids suddenly began to feel heavier and heavier as her head sagged down. She took a slightly nervous glance at Deku and then laid her head down on his chest, her ear on top of his heart.

With the soothing, steady rhythm in her ear, she fell asleep nearly instantly.

In what felt like an instant to her, her eyes began to slowly open. She didn't feel the crushing exhaustion she had when she went to sleep, which was a relief.

Ochako began to look around and quickly noticed that her hair had drifted into Deku's face while she had been sleeping. She lifted her head slowly, pulling her brown locks away. "Sorry 'bout that, Deku."

She turned to her left as she stretched, but her heart suddenly skipped a beat and nearly jumped out of her chest.

Standing upright about halfway down the bed was a rather impressive tent in the bedsheets.

Ochako's heart settled down as her heart filled with a mixture of shame and exasperation. "Oh, I'm in that dream again." She shook her head. 'Two times in one day, and that's way bigger than it usually is. I'm hopeless.'

She stole another glance back at the towering object. 'Wow... that would totally get me pre- no, bad Ochako. Stop objectifying Deku like that, even if it is in a dream. You're better than that.' She shook her head again, hoping to dispel the dream, but to no avail.

She felt her heart rate begin to pick up as she started breathing a little faster. Ochako bit her lip as her body continued to disobey her. She whined a little bit as she rubbed her legs together and began to sweat slightly. 'I mean… if it's only a dream...'

She reached out her hand, hesitating multiple times as it crossed the distance, before she poked the tip, causing it to wobble as she wrenched her hand back. The sight alone made her whine unintentionally. '...Maybe being here for so long without… private time was a mistake,' she finally admitted as she licked her lips, realizing just how pent up she must be for her dreams to be getting this wild. She rubbed her thighs together again, hating and loving the aching, throbbing sensation spreading through them, up her spine, and into her stomach. Ochako wanted nothing more than for someone, no, Deku, to touch her, to help fill the emptiness that was growing inside. Blood rushed downward and she could feel her heartbeat throbbing in her-

"S-screw it." One hand started traveling back to the monolith that was causing her suffering, while the other started traveling down her stomach towards-

"Hey Ochako, we're ba-" Mina came walking into Ochako's dream, stopping dead at the foot of the bed just like the brunette's hands at the intrusion. She stared slack-jawed for several seconds before she found words. "Holy...shit… Midori is huge! "

"I know, right ?" Ochako responded breathlessly, her voice heavy with familiarity and lust; she was used to this song and dance, and if Dream Mina was here… she wouldn't need her hands. "It's not nearly this big normally though, I must really be pent up..."

"N-normally?!" Mina sputtered. "Have you been-"

"No, no. I mean in these dreams normally." Ochako rolled her eyes at the woman. "You're pretty sassy today, Dream Mina."

"Ochako…" Mina stared at her with a genuine look of concern on her face behind her growing lilac blush. Ochako noticed she kept stealing glances toward the man, just like her. "Do you think you're in a dream right now?"

Ochako raised an eyebrow. "Obviously! Come on, there's no way Deku is that bi- ouch!"

Mina had taken a few rapid steps toward the woman and pinched her hard on the arm.

"What'd you do that fo-" Ochako began indignantly before realization dawned on her. Her face began to heat up with a speed that would give Endeavor a run for his money.

Momo was trailing a little bit behind Mina on her way back to Midoriya's room, as she had been involved in a discussion with Mrs. Midoriya. She was nearly to the door when it flew open, a neon-red girl nearly bowling her over as she streaked out of the room cupping her face with her hands.

She regained her balance and turned back to the room when Mina came flying out of the room, her own face lit up with a shade of purple she didn't know she could turn. Momo managed to jump out of the way of the pink and purple girl as she dashed past her.

"What's going on?" she called after the two, but they didn't respond as the rapidly turned around the corner and vanished, leaving Momo alone in the hallway.

"How strange," Momo said, a little insulted. "What's gotten into them?"

She dusted herself off and turned back towards Midoriya's room, opening the door and taking a step inside before freezing in place.

"Oh my."

Several hours and another long shower later, Ochako had calmed down enough to return to Deku's room, although she still couldn't look at him without starting to blush. The sun had set and they took the opportunity to go to sleep early that night, hoping to make up for the late night yesterday.

Ochako lay down across the couch and comfy padding that Momo had graciously made for them, leaving room for Mina to climb over her and cuddle up on her left side. She felt guilty for just how comfortable and relaxed snuggling Mina felt, especially after the day she had. 'It's just cause we're sharin' this couch, it just makes sense for us to sleep like this. It's nothin' else.'

Despite her protests, she grew a contented smile as Mina's head rested on her shoulder and the two of them drifted off to sleep nearly instantly.

The next day passed by quickly. About half the class showed up that day, which was pretty standard. Pony, Eiko and Iida were there, just like they always were, doing what they always did at Deku's bedside.

It had been nearly a week since the USJ and the class had certainly settled into a routine. They had been out of class longer than they had been in class; with the bizarre short day on Monday and the cancelled classes on Friday, they had only had three 'normal' days of class. Ochako dreaded the idea of classes starting back up on Monday, especially if Deku wasn't up yet.

Mina shared her sentiments. When Iida urged Deku to wake up before he missed any actual class, the two women had exchanged worried, stressed glances.

Surely it couldn't be much longer, right?

Friday. A week since the USJ and a week since Deku fell into his coma.

The specialists that Stormclaw had hired finished their daily round of treatment on Deku and left with a curt nod just like they had for the past week. The four students were left alone in the room as a heavy silence fell over them.

Bakugou was a hard man to read, but over the week, Ochako had gotten to know him a little better, even if he didn't talk much. She could tell that he was taking Deku's continued coma pretty hard, despite trying not to show it. Any time he didn't spend talking to Deku was spent trying to distract himself. He had read all the textbook assignments at least twice, done all the written problems and even gone further ahead what Aizawa had assigned them. He went out jogging and strength training with Stormclaw every day, working himself so hard that he would fall asleep nearly instantly when he sat back down in his recliner.

She could see that Stormclaw was tired by the end as well. Maybe both men needed the exercise to get their mind off the same issue.

Momo surprised Ochako more, however. When she thought about it, she wouldn't have guessed that the black-haired woman would have willingly spent the week here. She seemed friendly with Deku, sure, but not in the same way Bakugou, Mina or Ochako herself were. Momo certainly had a motherly instinct; she seemed to worry that Deku was taken care of, despite the nurses, doctors and specialists that came into check on and care for him multiple times a day.

She spoke to the man with a kind voice that sounded… surprisingly intimate, one she hadn't heard her use up until now, when she was reading the textbook to him or talking about other things. Part of her wanted to hear her speak like that more, maybe even towards her, but another part chastised herself for wanting that; she could only be so selfish. Ochako knew that the two of them had a history, with what Mina told her about the first night at the dorms as well as Stormclaw's reaction to her, but Momo seemed very adamant in pushing herself away from it all.

Ochako had to admit that she was impressed by the number and variety of medical quirks the staff and specialists had. Things that would normally take fancy equipment and careful observation were handled nearly instantly and quite cleanly, leaving Deku mostly free of needles or patches. The advances in wireless monitoring and remote testing meant that his hospital visit was remarkably smooth and safe, even compared to just a few decades ago, not to mention centuries.

As Friday afternoon ticked by, Mina and Ochako found themselves alone with their comatose classmate. Ochako sat down on the chair to the man's left, while Mina sat across from her on his other side. They had done this often since their first time after the nightmares of the second night, usually just talking about whatever, or sometimes even playing cards across the bed with each other.

Today, Ochako wasn't feeling it. She just sat there, staring at Deku's sleeping face, pleading for his eyes to open or for him to make some noise, but nothing happened.

The drawn-out suspense was getting to her. She counted her blessings that the doctors predicted him to wake up any day now, trying not to image what it would be like if he was comatose for a month or longer. Throughout this whole thing, they had all been fortunate.

Mina, shrewd as ever, effortlessly picked up on Ochako's melancholy. "You know it'll be soon, Ochako. Then all this waiting will seem like a lifetime ago."

She sighed. "I know you're right, but it still… it hurts seeing him just lying here."

"Yeah, I know. It's hard seeing someone you love suffering."

Ochako nearly fell out of her chair. She gripped the handles tightly as she whipped up to Mina's face, expecting to see her teasing smirk, but the woman was smiling gently. "L-love?! Isn't that a b-bit much, Mina?"

She shook her head slowly. "I wasn't sure what I was feeling either, which is strange for me, honestly. I'm usually pretty good about that stuff. But then Ryukyu had a talk with me and well, over the past couple of days… I've been doing a lot of thinking."

This wasn't Mina's usually happy-go-lucky attitude that she was displaying, nor was it the teasing tone she took while trying to get people to blush. She was serious, and her sincerity caused Ochako to listen intently, even as blush creeped into both of their faces.

"And I think I figured it out." Mina reached up and ran her hand along Deku's face affectionately. "The reason I wanted to stay here, the reason I'm willing to do all this while just waiting for him to wake up, why I get all these funny feelings in my stomach and heart and mind when I look at him…"

Mina looked straight into Ochako's eyes.

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you? He put so much trust in us, he put his life on the line to protect us, how kind he was, not just to us, but to everyone in the class. Well, excluding Mineta, but you know." Mina giggled slightly as Ochako grew a small smirk. "Plus he's super hot, I mean, come on ."

" Mina !" Ochako blushed a little harder as the pink woman stuck her tongue out playfully. Just as quickly, she regained her composure and her serious tone.

"I've had crushes before, Ochako. I've had boyfriends. This is…" she sighed, almost dreamily so, "beyond that- I guess? I don't know how to describe it any other way"

Mina looked back at Deku and smiled softly, resolutely. "I… I think I'm in love. I've never experienced it before, and maybe it's just a foolish, childish thing, but…" She trailed off as her blush filled her face.

Ochako was frozen. 'Love? Deku? I mean, I like him a lot, I've been crushin' on him ever since we met back at the entrance exam… but love ? I-I never thought about it; I never even considered that, but… maybe?' She covered her face with her hands as her blush grew to match Mina's.

"I… I don't know, Mina. I mean-"

"Think about it! What do you feel? I know you feel that weird bubbliness when you look at him too; What else could it be?" Mina was nearly pleading.

The brunette's eyes went wide behind her fingers. She ran through everything Mina had said in her mind, she thought about him saving her at the entrance exam, about her saving him at the battle trial, the trust he put in her afterwards, the way he told her that he thought she was hot and how he reacted to her slapping him, the way he had nearly died to protect her and everything in between, not to mention her 'dream'. Each one of those memories brought a flood of emotion to her system, causing her blush to grow even stronger and her heart to skip a beat as her stomach did somersaults in her gut.

Ochako lowered her hands slowly, staring down in shock. "I t-think you might be right… maybe I do... l-l-love him…" She struggled, but was finally able to push the words out. "But what if he doesn't love m- us back?"

Mina smiled widely, small tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "That's something for us to worry about another time, but if what Ryukyu said is true, and she seems to know Midori pretty well, then I don't think either of us have to worry too much about that."

Ochako's shoulders slumped as she sighed; she felt as if a great weight she didn't even notice had been lifted off her chest, like she had unknowingly had her quirk activated this entire time. "I hope you're right, Mina." She once again remembered All Might's words to her as she looked up and gave Mina a confident smile. The other woman matched her smile, making Ochako feel just a bit better.

Then, Mina flinched.

Her head slowly turned to her left, toward Deku as her eyes began to widen. Ochako felt compelled to follow Mina's stare.

Deku was gently nuzzling into her hand with a groggy, happy smile stretching across his face. He slowly opened an eye, staring at Mina, and then Ochako, his smile only growing larger with each passing second, at least until he noticed the ceiling.

"...Where am I?"

…

…

"DEKU?!"

 "MIDORI?!"

Notes:

This was a monster of a chapter: over 7500 words. Thanks again to Epsi and Matty for helping me out.

See you guys next time!