Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Ochako followed behind Gunhead, trying to scan the area for any potential threats, like he had advised.

This was her first patrol, and Ochako was determined to learn everything she could.

It was surprising how many people approached them, asking for autographs and wishing them good luck on their hero work — or maybe not at all, given how many times Ochako herself had greeted the heroes in her own neighborhood. Still, it was definitely a lot stranger being on the receiving end of all that adoration, instead of the giving side.

“Now, Uraraka, a good hero should be able to watch and listen at the same time, so I want you to—” Gunhead was saying, only for Ochako to spot a familiar head of blonde hair and instantly halt, no longer listening to her instructor.

Could it be? Is it really her? She wondered, staring at the blonde locks draping down across the large web swing the other girl was laying atop of.

Ochako glanced back at Gunhead, who hadn’t yet noticed her sudden stop, biting her lip and wondering just how long that would last. Long enough for me to say hello?

Ochako took a hesitant step towards the old, semi-abandoned playground they were passing, glancing between Gunhead and the girl on the swing.

It’ll be fine if I stop for just a couple moments. After all… it’s not like I’ll get another chance like this anytime soon.

Ochako hurried across the dirt, trying to ignore the small nagging voice in the back of her head telling her that of course it wasn’t who she thought it was as her heart pounded in anticipation.

Ochako’s boots crunched across the wood chips as she tried to silently approach the girl on the swing, one hand held over her heart as she breathed, quick and shallow.

Ochako leaned over the girl, letting her eyes become level with bright yellow irises, pupils slit like those of a cat’s, and couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.

“Himiko?”

Himiko Toga blinked up at Ochako, obviously surprised at having a hero — albeit hero in training — suddenly walk up to her, only for recognition to flash in her eyes, and she pressed one finger against Ochako’s pink-tinted visor.

“…Ochako?”

Ochako smiled, running her fingers through Himiko’s long, ash-blonde hair. “Mwahahahaha. I have finally figured out where you live; fear me .”

The corners of Himiko’s mouth twitched upwards at that, though she made sure to keep the fangs inside her mouth hidden. The only reason Ochako knew about them was because Himiko sometimes talked about them during their online chats.

“I could never fear you. You’re too cute — too pink,” Himiko teased, reaching up to cup Ochako’s face in her hands — though she mostly just got a handful of visor, as it covered almost the entirety of Ochako’s face.

Himiko pressed one finger to her visor in the approximate location of where Ochako’s nose was, and Ochako’s smile grew even wider — only for her to jump back a moment later with a guilty wince as Gunhead walked up to her.

“Uravity! We’re supposed to be on patrol,” he admonished her, and Himiko made an understanding noise of slight disapproval, lightly shoving Ochako away.

“Go. I wouldn’t want you to slack off on your hero duties just ‘cause of me,” she told her, and Ochako nodded.

“Right…”

Gunhead beckoned Ochako after him, and she followed — though not without a brief pause to squeeze Himiko’s hand between hers, Himiko returning the gesture with something hidden lingering in her beautiful golden gaze.

“Who was that, anyways?” Gunhead questioned her as they made their way away from the park Himiko had been lounging in. “I thought you lived near Musutafu? Didn’t think you’d know anyone all the way out here.”

“Oh, that was just Himiko,” Ochako responded, glancing back at her friend and finding her staring back at her. She waved at Himiko, and after a moment, Himiko waved back with a small, nervous smile. “She mentioned getting transferred to a boarding school last year — I didn’t realize it was in this city, though.”

Gunhead nodded, satisfied with that answer, though Ochako had left out quite a few important details — namely being that she had never actually met Himiko irl before, having encountered her on an internet forum just before her first year in middle school.

The two had quickly grown close, and almost constantly texted the other — with Himiko eventually confessing how her parents viewed her as “abnormal” and even “inhuman” because of her Quirk.

Ochako clenched her fists, setting her jaw and keeping her gaze focused on Gunhead as he continued his lecture on hero patrol procedures.

I have to do this. I have to become a hero. Not only for myself, or my parents, but for Himiko — I have to save her. Because if a hero can’t save Himiko… who can?

Himiko stared after Ochako, rubbing her hand where the brunette had held it.

Ochako.

Her blood pounded in her ears, and she struggled to push back the tears stinging her eyes.

She had been so close .

… Too close.

Himiko turned her gaze back to her shaking hand as Ochako disappeared behind a corner, following after her mentor.

Ochako had stared down at her. Ochako had run her fingers through Himiko’s hair. Ochako had held her hand .

And, that whole time, Himiko’s mouth had watered, sensing the blood coursing through her friend’s veins, pressing up against Himiko’s scalp, then against her skin, only the softest layer of flesh separating Himiko from that delicious red liquid.

Stop it. You know you’re not supposed to think of people that way. Himiko admonished herself, breathing shallowly as she traced a circle pattern into the palm Ochako had held.

…Oh, why had they had to meet irl? Himiko was doing just fine only interacting with Ochako through a screen.

Because through a screen, she couldn’t smell the blood. Through a screen, she couldn’t be tempted to attack her friend. Through a screen, she could almost pretend she was normal .

A normal girl, with a normal life, and normal friends.

None of which she was tempted at all to ask for the blood of, to taste their insides and try to, in some sick, twisted way, become closer to them through that vice.

“You’re a monster. Monsters shouldn’t have friends ,” Himiko remembered her mother’s voice, cold and angry, after she had come back from a playdate with one of the neighborhood kids.

I thought Ochako was safe. Safe behind a screen. Safe to never touch me or hold me or bleed before me, requiring me to stab myself with a box cutter just to stop myself from attacking her.

Himiko remembered Saito’s face as she had done that, whipping out the box cutter she just so happened to have in her back pocket and plunging it into her own skin as her eyes couldn’t be torn from the blood dripping down the boy’s face.

She had had to have stitches, and her parents had forbidden her from dinner for a month because of that, but at least the boy was alive.

Because, Himiko knew, that if she hadn’t reminded herself of Ochako in that moment, that box cutter would’ve embedded itself in someone else’s skin.

And now Ochako is the one I have to save from myself. And I doubt I’ll be able to use her memory to stop myself from attacking her.

…Technically, you could just try to avoid her from now on, a small voice piped up in the back of Himiko’s head. She’s only going to be here for a few weeks, thanks to her internship… it’s not like it would be impossible to avoid her until then. Then you could go back to normal, like this encounter never happened.

Himiko licked her lips, thinking that over, even as a stabbing pain erupted in her heart at the thought.

…No, she eventually decided. Ochako’s too stubborn for that to work. And even if I did manage to avoid her for those few weeks, she knows where to find me now. What’s to stop her from buying a train ticket and hunting me down by herself?

I don’t want her to waste her money on me. She only has so much… and, this way, all her visits will be paired with the fact that the school’s paying for this trip. So, just a few weeks. Just talk to Ochako for a few weeks, and then go back to normal. Satiate her urge to talk to you, and then you’ll never have to satiate your own urge to bite her.

Everything will be back to normal.

I just have to do this one thing .

Himiko knew, deep down, that that would never work.

Because, if she Ochako was anything like her own self — which, she was fairly sure of, at least in this one area — Ochako would never be satisfied with only getting to talk to Himiko irl for those few weeks.

But Himiko could pretend her plan would work, at least for now.

Just let her live in denial just that little bit longer.

…Her fangs were already tingling.

Uravity

Hey, u busy rite now?
Im almost off work
Or my shift
Intership
Whatever you wanna call it :P

Monster in your cupboard

OH I JUST REALIZED UR NAME
thats the one that pro called you!
so ur really going with uravity as ur hero name? :O

Uravity

Haha, yep! :D
Ive had it picked out since I was a kid
So ofc im gonna use it

Monster in your cupboard

aw dang and here i was thinking it was all for me… (┬┬﹏┬┬)
jk i know ur gonna be the best hero everrrrr!!!!!! ^_^

Uravity

Haha thanks Himiko!
Anyways, back to my question
Wanna meet up? Ive got a little bit longer til my trina arrives
*train

Himiko took a deep breath, staring at Ochako’s texts.

They were meeting up again? Already? Himiko had just managed to return to the dorms — her roommate’d probably get suspicious if she left again already.

But then her hands were already typing out “haha, sure! where’d you wanna go? O(*￣▽￣*)o” and she realized she never really had a choice in the matter anyways.

Ochako sent a quick text about meeting back up at the playground she had first found Himiko at, and Himiko slung her purse over her shoulder, taking a deep, shuddering breath with a steadying hand over her heart.

You can do this. It’s just Ochako, the person you’ve been talking to for years without any unfortunate incidents. She saved you from an unfortunate incident! Surely you can talk to her for just a few minutes without a screen separating you two. You won’t hurt her. You won’t .

“…You’re leaving again? Already?” Ito questioned, glancing up from her homework at Himiko. “You just got back .”

“I—I, well, yes,” Himiko stammered, bowing her head and letting her hair fall in front of her face. “Don’t let anyone see your fangs. They’re disgusting; people don’t wanna see those.” “I just… got a text, and…”

Himiko’s voice grew quieter and quieter as she spoke, until she was mumbling indistinctly and Ito couldn’t make out any of the rest of her excuse.

“Whatever,” she sighed. “Just grab some extra milk on your way back; we’re nearly out.”

Himiko nodded timidly, typing out a reminder into her phone, before finally leaving, shutting the door quietly behind her and walking softly through the halls, head down.

“Don’t let anyone see you. Don’t let anyone near you. Don’t ever, ever become close to anyone , just in case one of your urges overcomes you.”

Himiko wasn’t sure whether that one was actually her mother, or just an amalgamation of all the lectures she had received over the years along with the thoughts she herself had had.

Kids mostly ignored Himiko as she walked through the halls, only a few turning to shoot her weird glances or snicker at the messy hair she had hanging over her head.

Since Himiko had transferred from another city, most of the kids here already knew each other, forming their own little friend groups and social circles. That, plus Himiko’s (forced) quiet and reclusive personality, made sure she had zero friends in her new school, despite having gone there for over a year at this point.

Only Ochako. I only need Ochako. Ochako is my everything. Without her, I would’ve gone mad long ago. …And killed Saito. Can’t forget that.

Himiko dug her nails into her arm, right where the scar from her box cutter incident was.

She had to keep Ochako as her friend. That, above all else, was crucial to her and everyone else’s survival.

Second was keeping Ochako at a safe distance, but that seemed a little impossible right now, what with her internship being only a few blocks away from Himiko’s dorm.

As soon as Himiko left the walls of the school, left her classmates’ eyesight, she straightened back up, rolling out the kink in her neck and continuing on a little more purposefully than before.

She hated pretending to be the meek little girl her parents forced her to be, but it was important.

It was crucial .

She couldn’t let anyone see her insides; couldn’t let anyone know about her depraved cravings, about how she sensed the blood pumping through every single person she met’s veins, and was only just barely able to restrain herself from jumping at them every time she sniffed a cut.

Himiko drooled at the memory of one of her classmates — Saki, if she remembered right — hissing as she gave herself a paper cut, reeling back with painful discomfort painting her features.

She was so pretty. Almost as pretty as Saito, when he had gotten in that fight and had all that blood leaking from his nose.

I wish I could see Saki all covered in blood like he was, Himiko caught herself wishing, only to shake her head, biting down on her lip with both of her sharpened fangs. Don’t think that. It’s fine that she only got a small paper cut — she’s prettier when she isn’t covered in blood. Everyone thinks people are prettier when they aren’t injured or bleeding. You should, too.

Ochako’s in the hero course, a small part of her brain whispered, one she had to shush near-constantly. She’s probably going to get injured at some point, most heroes do. Then… then she will be covered in blood. And it doesn’t even have to be entirely her own…

Himiko gulped, shoving away the mental image of Ochako panting heavily, staring down some unknown villain with blood leaking down the sides of her hero uniform.

Don’t don’t don’t you’re just about to see her again in real life; don’t think about that sports festival. Don’t think about her trying her hardest to get back at that explosion guy. Don’t think about blood dripping down the side of her cheek instead of the sweat she wiped away.

Himiko’s mouth was full of drool at this point, and she had to stop in the middle of the sidewalk to calm herself down, shoving both hands in her mouth and biting down on her fingers.

“Himiko!” Ochako’s voice suddenly greeted her, and Himiko startled, accidentally biting down even harder and feeling a small crack coming from one of her fingers. That’s probably fine. “It’s so great to see you again, and— …Are you okay?” Ochako asked softly as Himiko removed her fingers from her mouth, dripping with saliva and blood.

“Uh. Probably,” she mumbled, staring down at the lacerations she had inflicted on herself instead of up at Ochako’s beautiful, wonderful face.

“Oh, that looks bad,” Ochako observed in concern, taking Himiko’s hands in hers and not even flinching at the spit coating them. “What happened? Why’d you have your hands in your mouth? Were you… trying to stop the bleeding or something?”

Sure, that made more sense. Better than Ochako thinking she had accidentally caused Himiko to bite through her own fingers.

And better than her wondering why else I was sticking my hands in my mouth.

“Uh, yeah.” Himiko mumbled, and Ochako tsked worriedly.

“Well, we better get you to a hospital or something. Those look deep .”

“No!” Himiko yelped suddenly, jumping back, and Ochako jerked her head back up to stare at her with wide eyes. “No, n—no hospital. My parents—”

“…Oh,” Ochako realized, her expression softening. “Okay. —Well, we should at least get you some bandages, right? Disinfect them, find something to stop the bleeding…”

Himiko nodded, relaxing slightly, and Ochako reached for her hand again — only to think better of it, looping her hand around Himiko’s waist instead.

Oh, how that set her body on fire.

“Right, let’s go find the nearest store, then. Unless — does your school have some medical supplies we could borrow? They must, right? How close are they?” Ochako questioned, tilting her head.

“Uh,” she had never visited the school nurse before. “I think the store’s closer.”

Ochako nodded, holding out a welcoming hand for Himiko. “Lead the way.”

Ochako kept her hand wrapped around Himiko’s waist as they walked, a physical anchor tying her to this moment, these feelings, this world , and she had no idea how to feel about it.

…Okay, she knew exactly what to feel, but she didn’t think Ochako would like knowing this other depraved secret she was hiding any more than she would like the first.

“…So, uh,” Himiko started quietly, glancing up at Ochako. “How’s… how’s school?”

“I already told you all about it through text,” Ochako pointed out with a kind smile, and Himiko shrunk in on herself.

“Yeah, but… I like hearing you speak,” she admitted, even softer than before, and Ochako beamed at her, pulling her in closer to rub her face against Himiko’s.

Himiko’s heart hammered in her chest, the scent of her own blood rushing to her cheeks mixing with Ochako’s and suffocating her in heinous desire .

“I guess I’ll start from the beginning, then,” Ochako replied, pulling away, and Himiko took in a deep breath, unsure whether she should feel relief or disappointment at the act. How about a little bit of both? “So, basically, I finished up the written exam with very little problem — it wasn’t too hard, but I’m not exactly the best at those kinda things, so I kinda bombed it a little. But then, we moved onto the practical , and—”

Himiko relaxed into Ochako’s presence, both literally and figuratively as she sank onto Ochako’s shoulder, letting the rambling murmur of her voice lull her into complacency.

This is nice. I wish we could do this all the time, Himiko thought to herself, a content smile playing at her lips even as she awkwardly kept her hands to herself, trying not to let her fresh injuries brush against anything.

Wait, Himiko opened her eyes again, a lump of fear rising into her throat. Wait, no. We can’t do this forever. She has to leave . Leave as soon as she can — as soon as her internship is over. Make her think it’s better to be friends with me online instead of in real life.

Himiko lifted her head off Ochako’s shoulder, and Ochako sent her a questioning glance, lifting her hand to brush it through Himiko’s hair, though thankfully she didn’t stop her story to ask any questions, resettling her hand on Himiko’s waist and continuing speaking without a care in the world.

Except me. She cares oh-so- very much about me . Himiko thought to herself, and even biting her lower lip couldn’t stifle the grin that spilled out across her face.

“—And so then Deku and I tried to ask Iida, but apparently he decided to team up with Todoroki instead,” Ochako was saying as they entered the store. “He said something about wanting to be separate from Deku, not live in his shadow so much,” Ochako let out a light laugh at that, though her voice was slightly strained. “As you could probably tell, that kinda got to me a little bit. That’s when I asked you whether or not you thought I could be a good hero on my own.”

Himiko made a sympathetic noise as Ochako, finally understanding a little bit of where they were now, took the lead, marching towards the back of the store and all the medical supplies. “I think you’ll be a great hero. No matter what that meanie who beat you has to say about it.”

“Oh, haha, well, yeah, Bakugo can be a bit of a jerk sometimes…” Ochako laughed, looking over all the bandages for sale and checking all their prices with a furrowed brow. Himiko, noticing this, sifted through her purse (carefully, oh so carefully. She didn’t want to get bloodstains on it — her mother would be furious if she came home with a ruined handbag) for her credit card. “But I just liked that, despite what everyone else was saying, he… didn’t hold back. Didn’t treat me like I’m lesser than just because he thinks I’m a little girl with a levitation Quirk.”

“Still. He was mean ,” Himiko pouted, Ochako’s eyes lighting up in relief as she spotted Himiko’s credit card. “He kept blowing you up and didn’t even flinch a little bit when you rained all those rocks on him.”

“It was my fault. I didn’t have a backup plan for if that didn’t work.” Ochako brushed her off, and Himiko frowned, grabbing Ochako’s arm with both her hands.

“It is not your fault,” she stated firmly. “He was just— just a big ol’ meanie . Do not blame yourself for losing to him.”

Ochako’s eyes widened in horror as she stared at Himiko’s bloodied fingers on her arm, and she quickly jerked back, worried that she had freaked out her friend with her gross, disgusting hands.

“Are you okay?!” Ochako asked worriedly, reaching for Himiko’s hands, only to hover over them uncertainly, not wanting to harm her further. “Those cuts are really deep — I wouldn’t want you injuring yourself any more just to try and comfort me.”

“I— uh, it didn’t really hurt …” Himiko muttered, curling her hands in towards her chest. “I’ve had worse.”

Well, that was obviously the wrong thing to say, even if it was true.

Ochako stared at her, mouth slack with shock, and Himiko wilted under her horrified gaze.

Great. I knew meeting irl was a bad idea.

“What—? I— how ?” Ochako stammered. “Himiko, are you okay ? Why— what injury did you get that was worse than this ? And how did you even get this injury, anyways? You… you never told me.”

Himiko just stared at Ochako, unable to bring herself to speak any more, just in case she spilled something even worse.

Ochako doesn’t need to worry about me like this. I’m fine — I’ll be fine, even if I have to force it. She doesn’t need me.

The two of them silently stared at each other for a long, agonizing moment, until finally Ochako just sighed, reaching out to cup Himiko’s cheeks in both her hands.

“Look. I just — I’m worried about you, Himiko. You’ve admitted yourself that you don’t have the best home life, and, even though you’re away from your parents for right now, I… I don’t want you to have to go through all of this alone. I’m here for you, whatever you need.”

Himiko let out a breath, leaning into Ochako’s palm and fluttering her lashes shut, if just slightly. “And you just being here is more than enough. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Ochako stared at her with sad, sorrowful eyes, rubbing her thumb along Himiko’s cheekbone and slowly lowering her head to rest her forehead against Himiko’s, breaths mingling together.

Himiko couldn’t help but stare at Ochako’s closed eyelids in awe, wondering what it would be like to kiss her, only to immediately feel guilty about having the thought in the first place.

Don’t do it. It’s just another part of you that needs to be kept secret, kept at bay.

Do not mess this up, not with any of your pathetic musings and disgusting fantasies.

At the thought “disgusting fantasy” another image of Ochako drenched in blood popped into Himiko’s mind, and she started drooling again.

Oh, she’s just so lovely .

“Himiko. I care about you. So much. Just… if there’s anything else I can do, tell me. I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”

Himiko hummed in acknowledgment, not trusting herself to speak just yet, and then immediately finding herself un able to speak, as Ochako placed a kiss against her forehead and she nearly fell to the floor as her legs gave out on her.

“Woah! Are you sure you’re okay? You didn’t lose too much blood, did you?” Ochako asked worriedly, though a faint hint of amusement lingered in her words.

“Mm, no, you’re just amazing,” Himiko replied, resting her head under Ochako’s chin and letting out a small purr.

“Aw, your purrs are so cute,” Ochako observed softly, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I still can’t believe those are unrelated to your Quirk.”

“Side effect,” Himiko answered pleasantly, nestling her head further into Ochako’s embrace. “Weird one, since it seems almost completely unrelated.”

“My cute little kitty,” Ochako smiled, pressing a kiss to Himiko’s nose and just causing her to melt further.

Himiko’s warm breath clouded against her face, and she quickly realized that her mouth had somehow gotten unsettlingly close to Ochako’s neck, the blood pulsing just under her skin, keeping Ochako alive, only centimeters from Himiko’s fangs.

She pulled away.

Or, she wanted to.

Instead, almost against her will, her mouth hinged open, breath coming faster and faster as temptation overcame her, and Himiko darted her tongue out, running it over her lips and sharp fangs.

Ochako flinched, obviously feeling something near her throat, and Himiko had to bite down on a longing whine as the hero in training drew away.

She gazed down at Himiko, curiosity in her eyes, but didn’t ask anything — oh, how thankful Himiko was that she didn’t ask anything.

Instead, Ochako turned back to the rack of medical supplies, grabbing a few different things with a simple, “Let’s get you patched up.”

Himiko payed for the supplies (having rather well-off parents did have its upsides) and they took their grocery bag and left, finding a nice, quiet spot where Ochako could wrap up Himiko.

Wrap me up in her warmth and never leave never ever ever leave me, stay with me forever —!

Himiko bit down on her tongue, shutting down that deranged train of thought.

Ochako carefully dabbed at the lacerations on Himiko’s skin, glancing at her worriedly as she gave no physical reaction to the solution she was using to clean her wounds.

Himiko just blinked at her silently.

After all, why hiss at a little bit of stinging pain? She’d experienced much worse; both by her own hand and by others, Himiko had lived in a near-constant state of pain ever since her Quirk had first manifested.

As if to remind her of this fact, Himiko’s teeth started to itch, the monster within roaring its fury to the heavens, clawing at the restraints of its confinement.

Ochako moved on to wrapping bandages around Himiko’s fingers, and she gazed at them warily, adoration mixing with fear into a furious cocktail of emotions.

Ochako had picked out the little white ones covered in pink and purple polka dot hearts.

Himiko’s heart soared even as her stomach plummeted.

They were so cute . Ochako was so cute, picking out band-aids with such an obvious romantic flair to them.

Does she like me? Does she really, truly like me back? Himiko wondered excitedly.

But at the same time, it was dangerous.

How was she supposed to hide such obnoxiously bright band-aids? Ito was sure to notice them now. What if she asked Himiko what happened? What was she supposed to say then ?

Gone for but a few moments, and she comes back covered in scars. What a disappointment she must be.

Ochako gently traced her finger over the bandages now covering Himiko’s fingers. “There. That’s better.”

“Thank you,” Himiko whispered, for she was nothing if not polite. Her parents had made sure to drill that into her many years ago, before they even found out about her Quirk.

Ochako gazed at her warmly, no hidden trace of resentment or loathing in her eyes, and Himiko found herself leaning towards her, drawn to that warmth.

I love you, she thought, but would never say. I’m so in love with you I think I might just burst. You, more than anything else — more than my parents, more than my classmates, more than my almost certain future in prison — make me want to be a better person.

Please, let me be a better person. For you .

Himiko forced herself to stop before she got too close, before Ochako reeled back in shock and disgust at Himiko’s perverted advances, before their friendship crumbled beneath her and she was forced to drift, aimless, once again.

Ochako, startling Himiko, closed that gap for her, pressing her forehead against Himiko’s once again. She started humming happily, and Himiko felt her insides melt even further.

“I wish you could meet my parents,” Ochako told her quietly, like it was a secret kept between the two of them. “Then maybe you wouldn’t flinch back when people talk to you. Maybe you could start trusting adults again. Maybe… maybe you could even start doing the things you liked. They could take you away from your parents, and… and we could even be sisters.”

So, it turned out Himiko would be the one to reel back, lurching backwards as if struck, feeling her throat close up and heart grow heavy.

Sisters.

What a foul word.

Himiko didn’t want to be Ochako’s sister . She wanted to become her girlfriend .

So what if it was strange and unnatural, it was one of the only things keeping Himiko alive .

And Ochako had just spit in her face about it.

“Himiko?” Ochako asked worriedly, cupping the other girl’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Himiko plastered a fake smile onto her face, a practiced one — one that didn’t show off her horrible fangs. “It’s fine. Nothing to worry about.”

Ochako stared at her for a moment, causing Himiko’s smile to waver, and she rubbed her thumb against Himiko’s cheek.

“I know it’s rough. I know it’s hard to trust… anyone, really, but please. I know you. And I know my parents. If they ever met you, I know they would absolutely adore you. Just… please. Just this once. Let me do something for you.”

Ah. So Ochako was taking it that Himiko’s reaction was due to her distrust of adults .

Honestly, she was a little surprised that Ochako had picked up on that so fast.

She hadn’t mentioned that in any of their texts, so Ochako must’ve noticed her flinching back when the store clerk spoke to them, and just… connected the dots.

Himiko was glad that Ochako hadn’t realized it was due to the sister comment, but still. It hurt. So much.

“Maybe one day,” she replied ruefully. “Just… not today.” Definitely not today.

“Of course. Just… think on it, alright?” Ochako requested, relaxing slightly. “I know you’ll love them. I promise you will.”

“Of course,” Himiko smiled, and a part of her — a small, quiet part, still in denial of Ochako’s refusal of her feelings — couldn’t help but draw the comparison between the romantic kind of meet-the-parents scenario.

You’re a fool. A desperate, lonely fool, Himiko thought darkly to herself.

But she couldn’t help it.

Ochako was perfect — who could blame her for falling for her, really?

The people who say that it’s unnatural for two girls to fall in love, Himiko reminded herself.

Gosh, but Ochako was just so pretty .

And she’d look even prettier splattered in blood…

Ochako hefted her backpack over her shoulder, marching up the stairs to her family’s apartment.

She was sore.

Gunhead’s training was brutal , no matter how useful it was or how friendly her teacher acted, learning martial arts like his was going to take a toll on her, no matter what.

At least she had managed to see Himiko again, even if it was just for a little bit before her delayed train finally arrived at its station.

Ochako hummed, a smile tugging at her lips as happiness bubbled in her chest.

She had met Himiko . In real life !!!

It wasn’t just a dream, it wasn’t just quick online chats between studying for UA and finishing up middle school.

It was real , and they had hugged . They had held hands . Ochako had run her fingers through Himiko’s beautiful golden locks, and Himiko had smiled, looking up at her with a look of such utter adoration it made Ochako’s stomach do flips.

“My friend is so cool,” she grinned to herself, unable to stop the pure, unadulterated joy inside of her from bursting outwards, nearly overwhelming her in its intensity.

Himiko was so cool and fabulous and pretty and quite possibly the cutest girl in the entire world, at least according to Ochako.

She giggled as she approached her apartment door, still unable to contain her giddiness, and reached into her back pocket to retrieve her key.

…Her key .

Ochako dug through her other pocket, then her two front ones, and then her backpack, but no luck: she had forgotten it somewhere. Again .

Letting out a defeated sigh, Ochako knocked on her apartment door.

“Hey, sweetie,” Ochako’s dad, Chamaru Uraraka, greeted her almost instantly, the door practically swinging open under her fist. “Forget something?”

He twirled Ochako’s key around his finger, and Ochako couldn’t help but let out a hollow chuckle.

“Thanks, dad.”

Chamaru smiled at her, ruffling her hair as she passed him and shutting the door behind her. “Ochako’s home!” he called further into the house, and a chiming laugh answered him.

“Have trouble getting through the door, honey?” Sayaka Uraraka questioned her teasingly, and Ochako let out a groan.

“Come on , it’s been forever since I last lost my key.”

“ERRR!!! Wrong .” Chamaru corrected, crossing his arms as he made a buzzer sound. “I know for a fact you lost your keys only last week, and the reason you took so long to get home was because you were busy searching for them.”

“ Dad !!!” Ochako protested, an embarrassed blush warming her cheeks. “Come on . You know that’s not true.”

“Whatever you say, sweetie,” he replied with a conspiratorial wink, and Ochako rolled her eyes. “How was the internship, by the way? Get lonely , all the way out there without your loving parents?”

“Ha-ha, like I’d tell you that,” Ochako grinned, shoving her dad playfully and walking over to the kitchen.

Their apartment was pretty small, barely enough room for the three of them, but it was cozy, and Ochako really wouldn’t have it any other way.

She wished Himiko could have this; the playful banter, the loving parents, the “how was your day?” without any consequences for answering “ wrong .”

“But, yeah, everyone was super nice,” Ochako continued, pulling out a chair and smiling at her mom as she cooked dinner. “Gunhead was also surprisingly friendly, too.”

“That’s good, that’s good!” Sayaka beamed, walking over with a steaming pan of fried rice.

“Make any new friends?” Chamaru joked, and Ochako shook her head.

“Nope. Buuut~!” she sing-songed. “I ran into someone even better .”

“Oooh, the suspense is killing me,” Sayaka replied with a smile.

“Was iiiit… All Might?” Chamaru guessed, pretending to ponder the possibilities with a hand to his chin.

Ochako laughed. “All Might’s my teacher . No, he wasn’t anywhere near Gunhead’s agency.”

Ochako took a deep breath, letting her smile settle against her face before she continued, bubbles of contentment rising in her chest. “I… actually ran into Himiko. The real Himiko, not just the one behind the screen.”

A moment of stunned silence, before her father burst out, “She’s real!” flinging his hands in the air.

“What, did you think she wasn’t ?” Ochako laughed, nudging her dad with her foot.

“Nah, but it’s good to have confirmation, nevertheless,” he shrugged. “Heaven knows what would’ve happened to you had she turned out to be some kind of catfish .”

“Don’t you have to actually date the person in order to be catfished?” Ochako questioned, warmth decorating her cheeks. “Himiko and I aren’t dating.”

“Hey, you never know, maybe she wants a taste of this Uraraka flair ,” he declared, showing off said flair with a dramatic flourish of his arms.

Ochako hid her grin behind her palm, entertained by her dad’s antics, though a small part of her couldn’t help but wonder… would Himiko want to date her?

Her cheeks warmed even further at the thought, and she was forever grateful to her mother when she admonished them with, “Well, whatever Himiko’s deal, that won’t make the food disappear any faster. Eat up, before it gets cold.”

Ochako shoveled rice into her mouth like there was no tomorrow, partially because of her embarrassment, but mostly because she was so tired and needed to regain her strength.

“…So, what’s Himiko like in real life?” Chamaru questioned after a quiet moment of just the family eating in silence, pressing atop Ochako’s foot with his own.

“ Perfect ,” Ochako replied immediately, not even bothering to stop and consider the question. Her parents exchanged knowing looks, but Ochako ignored them. “She’s, like, so pretty, you guys have no idea. I thought she looked great in her photos, but, man , it’s even better in real life,” she continued, and Chamaru had to hide his giggle behind his spoon, eyes gleaming in amusement for a joke only he and her mother got. “I get to actually see her fangs — when she allows me to, that is. And, ohmygosh, her hair is so soft . I could not stop touching it — I mean, seriously, who allowed her to be that cute and that perfect and that — ugh!” Ochako slid down in her seat, a giddy smile overtaking her features once again. “She’s so cute.”

“And I said that Himiko would be the one with the crush,” Chamaru muttered quietly into his food, and Sayaka lightly smacked his shoulder, giving him a warning look.

“When I first met her, she was hanging out at the park by herself, you know, laying on one of those big swing things,” Ochako explained, completely oblivious to her parents’ bickering. “But I was on patrol, so I couldn’t stay for long. But, uh, the strange thing is…” Ochako hesitated, unsure whether or not Himiko would be comfortable with her saying this next part aloud, but barreling on anyways. “The next time I saw her, after my train was delayed and I realized I could stay a little longer… Himiko was bleeding .”

Chamaru jerked upright in his seat, all his teasing and banter disappearing in an instant as his fatherly instincts took over. “What? What happened? Is she alright?” he demanded.

“Yeah, I managed to bandage her up,” Ochako responded, nodding her head. “She was bleeding from her fingers — she had these deep cuts all in this same line across her hands. It was… weird . And she… refused to tell me how she got hurt.”

Ochako went quiet after she finished that last part, poking at her rice.

Chamaru frowned, looking down at his own hands as if trying to imagine what Ochako had described, while a furrow appeared in her mother’s brow.

“A… line?” Chamaru echoed finally. “That… is odd.”

“Could she have gotten them by slamming her hands in a door or something?” Sayaka suggested, and Ochako shook her head slowly.

“…No, I don’t think so. It was across both her hands — and the lines matched up pretty cleanly. Plus, it was kinda slightly… curved? And it was deeper along her middle fingers and under her ring fingers. I don’t know what kind of door could do that .”

Chamaru frowned, tapping a finger against the table. “This is quite the mystery. Got any more ideas, Sayaka?”

Her mother frowned, this time being the one to examine her own hands for visualization purposes, turning them forwards and backwards just to get a better idea of things.

“…Which way was the line curved?” she eventually asked.

“Like this,” Ochako replied, holding her hands up and tracing the same line she had seen on Himiko’s, before turning them over and doing the same to their undersides. “Along here, too.”

Sayaka frowned, turning her hands inward on herself, staring at that invisible line.

“Do you think…” Sayaka paused, before continuing, stronger. “She does have fangs, you’ve mentioned those plenty. And…” Sayaka held her fingers up to her mouth, pretending to bite down on them and feeling where they rested inside her mouth. “…Those marks would line up pretty well with where the canines of her mouth would reside.”

Ochako fell silent, staring at her mother.

“… Did she?” Ochako questioned, immediately whipping out her phone to text Himiko.

“Oh! No, no, if she doesn’t want you to know, you don’t have to—” her father was saying, but Ochako had already shot off the text.

Monster in your cupboard

text me when you get home safe!!!

Uravity

Hey I was talking to my parents about ur cuts and I was just wondering if maybe you bit yourself or something??????
Oop didn’t notice ur first text
Yes I made it home safely :)

Ochako stared down at her phone, gripping the plastic casing tightly.

“…It’s going to take her a moment to respond,” Sayaka pointed out softly, reaching across the table to massage Ochako’s arm.

“…I know,” Ochako replied softly, biting down on her tongue to try and put a stopper on all her worrying — only for the thought of what that action would’ve been like had she been born with Himiko’s fangs, or even Kirishima’s mouthful of sharp, pointed triangles.

The read notification popped up on Ochako’s screen, and she held her breath, waiting for the little typing bubble to pop up next.

…It never came.

“…Well. She read it,” Ochako mumbled, tossing her phone onto the table with a sigh for her parents to see.

Chamaru frowned down at the tiny screen of the flip phone, anticipating the telltale sign of that typing bubble for Himiko’s response just as much as Ochako was, only to sigh, slumping down on the table just like his daughter did before him. “I knew it was a bad idea to ask her that question.”

“…Sorry,” she muttered, leaning back in her chair.

“If you’re really sorry, you’ll say that to Himiko , not me,” he grumbled, pressing his face into the polished wood.

Ochako hesitated, before grabbing her phone again.

Uravity

Sorry if that was too personal a question
Im just worried for u 🥺

A typing bubble appeared on screen, then blinked out. Then came three dots. Then nothing. Then—

Monster in your cupboard

haha, no worries
i just
yeah
i bit my fingers
didnt wanna worry you

Uravity

My parents say get better soon
Me too :)

Monster in your cupboard

ill try my best

Not a single kaomoji.

Not that Ochako should’ve expected it, after attacking her with such an obviously loaded question.

Ochako fiddled with the phone in her hands, guilt weighing heavily in her stomach.

“…How’d she respond?” Chamaru asked tentatively, reaching across the table towards her but not quite making it.

“…I don’t think she liked my prying,” Ochako replied quietly.

Chamaru tapped his fingers on the table, chewing on his lower lip. “…Did you at least find out why she did it?”

“I’ll ask tomorrow. Don’t wanna overwhelm her with anything else,” Ochako decided, flipping her phone shut and placing it on the table with a sigh.

“That’s a very mature way to handle this, honey,” Sayaka told her, leaning over and ruffling her hair. “I’m proud of you.”

“I just—” Ochako sighed, holding one hand to her chest. “I was too quick. Too eager. I… I don’t want to harm her. I’m just… she’s been through so much . I want to be there for her, but… I feel like I’m just getting in the way.”

“Ochako. Himiko loves having you there to talk to,” Sayaka told her softly, rubbing her hand over Ochako’s shoulder. “You two talk every day, sometimes for hours at a time. I’m sure that she cares for you just as much as you care for her.”

“…Yeah,” Ochako sighed. “I’ll just… I’ll talk to her tomorrow. I’m sure we’ll get it all sorted out then.”

Sayaka smiled warmly at her, squeezing her hand before withdrawing back to her own side of the table. “Good. Now, eat up! Like I said, it’s going to get cold — might already be, with all that Himiko talk.”

Ochako forced a chuckle, but she couldn’t make herself believe in that reality quite as swiftly as her mother could.

What if she hates me? What if I’ve ruined this forever… and I’ve only just now met her.

Ochako shouldered her backpack, letting out another sigh as she stepped off the train station.

She had been sighing a lot, ever since her accidental mess-up with Himiko.

It had been barely a day — less than twenty-four hours — yet she was already so down on herself that her dad had felt the need to cook her favorite food that morning — mochi.

Ochako tapped her finger against her thigh, pressing her forehead to the glass and silently staring out the window as the world blurred past.

Please don’t avoid me. Please let her answer when I text. Please, please, please don’t hate me.

Ochako squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath, and then the train slowed to a halt.

It was her station.

Biting her lip, Ochako stood back up, exiting the bullet train…

And was almost immediately tackled in a hug as she stood on the platform.

Himiko buried her face in Ochako’s neck, breathing in the shampoo she had used that morning (bubblegum peach. She was a very fruity girl, after all) and digging her fingernails into Ochako’s nape.

“…Hey,” Ochako greeted carefully, quietly, slowly returning the hug as she realized that the girl she worried was mad at her was currently draped around her neck. “…I thought maybe you were upset? Wouldn’t want to… you know. See me.”

“I’ve been around you for less than a day, and I think I’m already drunk off your presence.” Himiko admitted, still pressed right up against Ochako’s chest.

“…Well. I’m glad,” Ochako decided, pressing her face into Himiko as well. “…I mean, not about the drunk part. Am I really that… I dunno. Intoxicating? …Wait, isn’t that usually a compliment? I’m confused.”

Himiko giggled, breath hot against Ochako’s neck, and for some reason she pressed the flat edge of her fangs against Ochako’s skin before pulling away, making her uncomfortably aware of her own pulse for a hot second.

“It’s a compliment,” she promised. “…Though, uh, not sure how it’s all gonna turn out, in the long run…”

Ochako watched Himiko twist her hands, glancing away from Ochako, only for her eyes to land on a clock just beyond Himiko’s head and shifted uncomfortably.

“Okay, as much as I love you, and am glad you’re not mad at me,” Himiko jerked her head around as Ochako said that, eyes blown wide and a pretty blush dusting her cheeks. “I’m going to be late if I don’t get going soon. Walk with me?”

Himiko nodded her head up and down furiously, eyes still wide as she wobbled like a bobblehead.

Ochako smiled, extending a hand for Himiko to grab, and she took it with those same wide eyes, slit cat-eye pupils blown wide as her blush grew fiercer and fiercer.

“…Hey, where are your band-aids?” Ochako asked after a moment, glancing down at Himiko’s bare hands, the only sign of her previously deep lacerations being the dark red line tracing her fingers.

“…Ah. Well, um,” Himiko shifted uncomfortably, glancing over at a passing street vendor instead of towards Ochako. “I… didn’t want anyone to notice. So I removed them.”

“…Wouldn’t more people notice if you’re bleeding all over the place?” Ochako wondered, before poking lightly, gently, at one of Himiko’s cuts. “Or, uh, I guess your surprisingly fast-healing injuries?”

“Yeah, it’s probably a part of my Quirk,” Himiko replied instead of answering. “Another completely unrelated thing that just makes the whole thing weirder.”

“…What is your Quirk?” Ochako questioned the sky. “I don’t think you’ve ever told me what it is.”

“Weird. You wouldn’t like it,” Himiko replied immediately, staring down at the concrete.

“I won’t care if it’s weird. You’re my friend, and I love every part of you, even the weird ones,” Ochako replied confidently, giving Himiko a soft smile as she blushed again. “…But I know you said your parents thought it was a more ‘monstrous’ Quirk, meaning… likely something they thought a villain would have, right?”

Himiko nodded quietly, and Ochako continued.

“Well, villainous or not, your Quirk doesn’t define who you are. You do! And I know I absolutely love who you’ve turned out to be.” Ochako smiled brightly, and Himiko squeezed her eyes shut with her fiercest blush yet.

“…Can you please stop using that word? I think I’m gonna short-circuit,” she requested, voice strained.

“Like Kaminari?” Ochako questioned, before the rest of Himiko’s statement caught up to her. “Wait, what word? Which one? Quirk?”

“…Love,” Himiko admitted, voice even softer than before. “It makes me all warm. …It’s uncomfortable.”

“Aww, I just think that means you like me,” Ochako declared sweetly, bumping her waist against Himiko’s.

Himiko nearly choked, blush up to her ears and eyes firmly set on the concrete.

Ochako hummed as they walked down the street together, hand-in-hand, unconsciously tracing the thick scabs lining Himiko’s fingers.

“…Oh, yeah!” Ochako realized, glancing down at Himiko’s hand. “Why did you bite your hands yesterday?”

Himiko shifted. “Uh. I just… it was. A calming technique,” she explained vaguely. Ochako raised a brow.

“…Your calming technique was to nearly bite your own fingers off?”

Himiko bit her lip. “…Well. You… kinda startled me. Made me bite down harder than I intended.”

Ochako ground to halt.

“… I made you nearly bite your fingers off?” she asked in horror.

“ This is why I didn’t tell you about it!” Himiko yelped defensively, moving in front of her and taking both her hands in her own as she stared at Ochako with a surprising intensity. “Because I knew you would blame yourself. But it’s not . It’s just mine, mine and my stupid urges —” Himiko clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes going wide with horror.

“…Urges?” Ochako echoed.

“ It’s fine it’s nothing I’m fine let’s move on ,” Himiko whispered, quiet and urgent.

“…You know you can tell me anything, right?” Ochako asked quietly. She bit her lip, then added, “…Even if it has to do with some… not-so-fun stuff.”

Himiko clutched at Ochako’s hands as if they were the only thing tethering her to this world.

…With the deep wounds on her fingers, even if they had miraculously already closed up, Ochako wasn’t sure quite how good of an idea that was.

“…It’s fine. I’m fine.” Himiko repeated, and Ochako’s face twisted in worry.

“…If you’re thinking about suicide, I would at least hope you’d tell me,” Ochako whispered. “Then I could at least try to help, even if I can’t change your mind at the end of the day.”

Himiko jerked her head up, staring at Ochako with wide, surprised eyes. “Suicide? I don’t — Ochako, I’m not suicidal. I promise, I am very much not suicidal.”

“…Just wanted to make sure,” Ochako replied, breathing out a sigh of relief.

“I couldn’t ever die, not when you have all those interesting stories to ramble to me about,” Himiko added, nudging Ochako playfully as she stared up at her with an expression so full of love it made her feel like she was floating in midair.

…Or at least Himiko was, as Ochako accidentally activated her Quirk while Himiko was still holding onto her hands.

The alarmed expression on Himiko’s face was almost comical, and Ochako quickly pressed her fingers together, muttering, “Release,” and setting Himiko safely back on the ground.

“…Sorry about that,” she muttered sheepishly, running a hand through her hair.

Himiko took a moment to calm down from her little surprise, before her adoring expression was back on her face and she leaned in towards Ochako. “Nothing you could do would ever make me hate you.”

“Same here,” Ochako grinned, and something… uncertain flashed in Himiko’s eyes.

Ochako tried to chase it, but Himiko shrunk back in on herself, holding tightly to Ochako’s hand as they made their way towards Gunhead’s agency.

“Uraraka! Welcome back!” Gunhead greeted her with a friendly thumbs-up, and she could clearly picture him smiling behind his mask. “And you’ve brought a friend! This is the one from yesterday, right? Himiko?”

Himiko stared at the pro hero with wide eyes, flinching back and nodding at the same time. “H-Himiko Toga, sir.”

“Well, it’s great to meet you, Toga!” he greeted her cheerfully, taking her hand in both of his and shaking it cheerfully.

Himiko gaped at him, turning her confused gaze on Ochako, and she just smiled back, encouraging.

Gunhead turned Himiko’s hand over in his, inspecting the dark red line tracing her fingers.

His head tilted slightly towards Himiko’s side, perhaps taking in the scabs covering her other hand as well, and questioned, “Are you okay? Bite yourself or something?”

Himiko flinched again, taken aback by someone so easily able to read her, and took her hand back, nervously picking at one of her scabs as she held both of them over her chest. “Uh… y-yeah. …It was an accident, though.”

“A group of friends challenge you to see how many fingers you could stick inside your mouth or something?” he questioned, and something in his voice made Ochako suspect he had personal experience with that exact scenario described. “Well, no matter what happened, make sure to keep that clean. Wouldn’t want it getting infected now, would we?”

Himiko nodded, obviously surprised at this random adult caring so much about her and her wellbeing, and Ochako nudged her playfully.

See? Not everyone’s out to hurt you. Most people aren’t out to hurt you — you’ve just had really crappy luck with encountering all the people who do .

“I-I— …well, um, I should probably get going now,” Himiko stammered. “I’ve got— school and stuff. Nice… um, nice meeting you!”

Himiko scrambled back towards the door, eyes still wide in confusion as Ochako and Gunhead waved her goodbye.

“It was nice to meet you, too!” Gunhead chirped, and then, getting out one last piece of advice before Himiko shut the door, “Just make sure not to pick at those scabs! You’ll make yourself bleed again!”

Himiko dipped her head in embarrassed acknowledgment, and Gunhead turned back to Ochako, hands on his hips.

“Well, she’s a lovely girl!” he chirped. “And you two are so cute together, marching in here holding hands like that. You two much really adore each other.”

“Yep! She’s my best friend!” Ochako beamed back, elation blooming in her chest.

“Ah, yes, ‘best friend’,” Gunhead chuckled. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”

Ochako tilted her head to the side in confusion, unsure of what he could’ve meant by that, before he suddenly clapped his hands together, getting into business mode.

“Now, go change, Uravity! We’ve got hero work to do!” he declared. “Your suit should be right where you left it, in the cubbies in the back.”

Ochako nodded, walking back over to where she had left the hero briefcase labeled with a bright green “5” on it, though she couldn’t help but mull over Gunhead’s words.

“Best friend. Like I haven’t heard that one before.” Ochako frowned as she pulled her costume’s sleeve over her arm. What is that supposed to mean?

She wracked her brain, trying to dig up anything that could even give her a modicum of a hint towards Gunhead’s intentions, but came up empty.

She settled her visor over her head, letting out a sigh. “ Whatever . It’s probably not that important, anyways.”

Himiko couldn’t help herself from chewing on her arm.

Ochako had been so close .

Himiko had pressed the flat of her fangs against Ochako’s neck, and she hadn’t even reacted .

She just held her hand, hugged her close, and continued on, as if Himiko’s oddities were just another part of life.

She’s so pretty and I love her so much and I want to taste her blood and—

Himiko blinked, realizing that she was tasting blood.

She had bitten down too hard on her own arm, and now warm blood was pooling in her mouth, staining her teeth red.

Himiko had always been a fast healer — probably thanks to her Quirk — but, she had noticed, whenever she injured herself by biting , the wound closed up twice as fast, leading her to have completely scabbed-over fingers by just the next day.

In fact, those scabs were already starting to shrink, thinning just that little bit more since that morning.

Himiko licked the blood running down her wrist, making sure the wound stopped bleeding before tugging her sleeve up and over it.

Ochako wouldn’t like that I injured myself again so soon after the first time, Himiko thought to herself, not even bothering to register the sharp pain throbbing at her wrist.

She tapped her foot impatiently against the floor, yearning to just go and visit Ochako already.

Oh, she was in it deep.

A day.

A single day.

That was all it took.

That was all it took to send Himiko’s world spiraling in on itself, that fierce, desperate longing she felt for her internet friend bleeding into real life and staining every moment of every instant in crimson red.

And not even her finding out about how I bit myself could keep me away, Himiko reminded herself, remembering Ochako’s sweet concern earlier that day about how she worried Himiko would be mad at her for prying.

Sweet, delicious concern, dripping off of her like the blood down Himiko’s wrist…

Himiko’s fangs tingled again, and she drove them back into her skin.

No. No biting Ochako — she is sweet, and precious, and does not need to be driven away by your despicable cravings. She is good , unlike you.

Himiko tried to keep herself from digging in too deeply again, but a thin line of blood still dripped down her skin as a single fang slid too sharply against her forearm.

Himiko tried scribbling down what her teacher was saying — with her left hand, instead of her right, as it was still lodged firmly between her teeth — but as she stared down at her notes, she knew she wouldn’t be able to decipher them later.

Whatever. That’s a problem for future Himiko.

Her eyes darted up towards the clock, accidentally sinking her teeth even further into her arm as anticipation clutched at her heart.

It was so close .

Just a few more minutes, just a few more agonizing seconds with these people who ignored her, ridiculed her, took her obedience for granted and spit on her when she fell even a single step out of line, and then she could escape .

Just for a few hours, just for a few minutes , she could hang around Ochako again while they waited for her train, soaking in her presence just as she longed to soak in her blood.

But she doesn’t need to know that last part.

Great heavens above, it was hard being in Ochako’s presence.

Himiko was certain she had bit herself more times in the last few hours than she had ever done in a single day before, all because of her overwhelming desire for Ochako .

Ochako Ochako Ochako, the name thrummed through her heart, through her veins, keeping her sane, keeping her alive , even as it tore through her insides, ravaging her mind and replacing every single thought — every single molecule of her being — with heinous desire .

Himiko bit down on her arm again, hard , and at this point was convinced she’d end up giving herself permanent damage before the day was done.

At least I don’t need to bite Ochako. Never, ever, ever bite Ochako. It isn’t worth it. She could die if you let yourself go too far. No, keep her at arm’s length. Keep her very far away, and you can have everything you could ever want.

The mantra was familiar, but it no longer felt true.

Because Ochako wasn’t at arm’s length, not anymore.

And it was driving Himiko insane .

Himiko twitched, remembering the feeling of Ochako’s arms wrapped around her, her face pressed into the brunette’s neck, the smell of her fruity shampoo drowned out by the pulsating sensation of blood hidden just beneath her skin.

Himiko had nearly bitten her, right then and there, in front of the entire train station.

Instead, in a desperate attempt to get the cravings to go away without actually doing anything about them, Himiko had pressed her fangs to Ochako’s skin, briefly, without leaving even a dent.

And now the cravings were ten times stronger.

Her breathing grew heavy, remembering the achingly close taste of blood, just outside her reach but swirling in the air all around her.

What would have happened, had I given in? Would Ochako hate me? Would Ochako be dead ? Or… maybe, just maybe…

The bell suddenly sounded, jerking Himiko away from her desperate fantasies before she could voice the one thing she knew would undeniably break her, standing up and packing her things away along with all her classmates.

“Toga,” the teacher spoke before she could leave the classroom, and she froze. “I need to speak with you.”

Himiko slowly let her gaze travel over to her teacher, sitting behind his desk with a bored expression as her classmates passed her by, not even giving her a second glance — just treating her as if she were another piece of furniture to avoid.

Himiko took a step towards him. Another, each one thrumming through her to her skull, rattling in her bones and leaving a deep, aching fear behind as her numb mind couldn’t even hope to guess at what he wanted from her.

…Her arm was wet.

But the blood hadn’t soaked through her sleeve just yet.

“Yes, sir?” Himiko questioned, mouth dry, having to pry her tongue off the roof of her mouth just to ask such a simple question.

No, it was wet. Just like her arm. Just like her blood. Just like the spit she had to swallow to stop herself from drooling over Ochako’s veins, over and over again.

“You’re missing last week’s assignment,” he grumbled, tapping away at his computer and not even glancing over at Himiko.

She relaxed.

Oh. That was it?

“I must’ve lost it somewhere. Sorry, I’ll get it back to you as soon as I can.” Himiko promised, and her teacher’s eyes flicked up to her.

He took in a long, aggravated sigh — nothing like Gunhead’s kindness, when he had noticed Himiko’s scabs. As it should be.

Her teacher gestured to Himiko’s arms, her face, her hands. “I saw you biting your arm in class. Don’t do that.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do I need to set you up with a therapist?” he asked, scowling, some deep hatred in his eyes telling her how much he loathed having to do that little bit of extra work.

“No, sir. I’m fine, sir.”

“Good,” he nodded, not even blinking at her obvious lie, only waving her out of his classroom. “Just get back to me with that paper.”

Himiko bowed respectfully, and made her way out of the classroom, letting out a breath.

He had noticed her.

That wasn’t supposed to happen.

Gunhead wasn’t supposed to notice her, and now her teacher had, too.

…At least he wasn’t going too far off-script, intervening only because he had to, as the teacher in charge of all these young children.

Gunhead was so weird.

Himiko let her hair hang down in front of her face, blending into the background, slowly stalking out of the school without even a single person approaching her to ask how she was or where she was going.

Which was fine. Only Ochako could do those things. If it was anyone else it would be… weird.

Like Gunhead.

…Gosh, that pro hero had really set some screws loose in her brain, huh?

It wasn’t fair that, along with dealing with all the emotions Ochako made her feel, she also had to now deal with a weird , strange, mask-wearing man who shook her hand and noticed all her scars, both giving her the benefit of the doubt with his weird alibi and telling her how to take care of herself better.

Weird weird weird I don’t wanna think about it.

Himiko pulled out her phone, wondering if anyone had posted about Gunhead’s patrol route.

Good, Ochako’s with him, Himiko thought to herself, pleased.

If there was one good thing about all the popularity and hype surrounding most pro heroes, it was that Himiko could track their movements easily, thanks to just how many people would post about them on social media.

Only a few minutes ago. Better hurry, so I don’t miss them.

Himiko constantly glanced at her phone as she made her way through the city, occasionally adjusting her course when something new popped up under Gunhead’s name, until she was fairly certain where their path was taking them and finally shut off her phone, stuffing it back in her pocket.

A giddy smile spread itself across her face as she spotted pale pink sleeves with gray markings, and Ochako, spotting Himiko only a moment after her, beamed back, gorgeous brown eyes sparkling in delight.

“Himiko!” Ochako greeted her, and the tall man at her side perked up too.

“Hey, kid!” Gunhead waved, only to suddenly falter, catching onto to something Himiko hadn’t noticed yet.

Ochako ran up to her, excited, only to see what Gunhead must’ve already noticed, brows knitting together in worry.

“…Himiko?” she started softly. “You’re bleeding.”

Himiko blinked, glancing down at her sleeve, but no — the blood hadn’t leaked through yet. So she made a show of checking her scabbed over fingers instead, just to cover her tracks.

“What? I don’t see anything.”

“…Your mouth,” Ochako informed her quietly, and Himiko wiped at her lips, blinking in surprise as her fingers came away slick with blood.

…Oh, she noted numbly, a sinking sensation in her gut as she realized what was happening. I forgot to go to the bathroom and clean up before coming here. I still… I still probably have blood on my face from biting my arm.

So that was why her teacher had gestured towards her face along with her bitten arms and hands.

A thick, gauntleted hand placed itself on Himiko’s shoulder, and she stared up into a blank, unfeeling mask, four circles punched into the metal with three of them having a bit of a small extension to them, resembling the barrel of a gun.

“…Hey, kid,” he repeated, softer this time. “Are you okay?”

Ochako’s supposed to be the only one to ask me that, Himiko thought, dazed and unresponsive.

“Did you… bite yourself again?” Ochako asked nervously, and Himiko turned her head towards her friend, still staying silent.

Yes.

She couldn’t tell her that, though.

Not now. Not ever.

Gunhead slowly, carefully tried opening Himiko’s mouth with his thick fingers, making her jolt as she realized he had said something else while she was staring at Ochako.

Something about wanting to see the injury.

But… she couldn’t.

He would see her fangs .

And the fact that there wasn’t really any injury there to begin with.

It was on her arm.

Her arm, which was still throbbing, painfully, in the background of everything she said or did.

She didn’t know whether to fight back or help him, so instead Himiko stood there, frozen, as he pried open her mouth.

And saw the fangs.

He didn’t react — couldn’t, not with that mask hiding his face — and instead just stood there, stealing a glance at Ochako as she stared at Himiko with wide, horrified eyes.

Don’t.

Everything’s fine.

Please… don’t hate me.

Gunhead turned his mask down to face Himiko’s arms, and she barely registered what he was about to do before he rolled both her sleeves up, gently.

One unmarked, unharmed… and the other covered in her own blood, her own teethmarks, and just a small coating of her own saliva.

“…We’re getting you to the hospital,” Gunhead declared, and finally, finally , that snapped Himiko back into herself.

“N-no!” she yelped, loudly, drawing several eyes towards herself as she stumbled back in fear. “D-don’t— they’ll— don’t let them, don’t let them !!!”

Himiko pressed her hands to her face, nails digging into her skin, and Ochako approached her, gentle worry on her face.

“Himiko…” she said, gentle, worried, wrong this is ALL WRONG don’t let them DON’T LET THEM!!!!!!!!!

Ochako’s hand touched her shoulder, and, dimly, Himiko heard the shutter of a camera.

She slowly turned her head towards the pedestrian who had taken the photo, at the concerned, weirded out, mildly disgusted look on their face, and a growl started rising in Himiko’s throat, starting in her chest and blooming outwards until she was staring daggers at the photo-taker.

“Himiko,” Ochako said again, firmer, and when that didn’t work, forcibly turned Himiko’s face to look at her. “We are getting you to the hospital. I let it slip when it was just your hands — I thought we could take care of those by ourselves, since they only needed some band-aids and cleaning. But… Himiko . Those… those look bad .” Ochako gestured to the wounds on Himiko’s arm, worry plain on her face.

Ochako hated her.

Ochako hated her, and Himiko was never going to find someone else to care for her ever again, and everything was going wrong stop it STOP IT IT’S ALL WRONG.

Himiko bit down on her lip, hard, and more blood blossomed on her skin.

“…We’re getting you to a hospital.” Gunhead decided flatly, grabbing Himiko and not even flinching as she screeched, clawing at his arms with the one hand he let free — the one covered in blood, as he didn’t want to touch such disgusting marks .

It took a moment, but Himiko noticed Ochako was missing just before the hospital came into sight.

She’s run away she can’t bare to see me she’s gone forever and she’s not coming back and I’m broken I’m so broken she would’ve found out eventually I miss her I miss her so much I didn’t even get to taste her—

Gunhead placed Himiko next to the front desk, one hand set firmly on her shoulder.

To stop her from running away.

To stop her from fighting back.

To snap her neck like the monster inside her deserved to be .

“I’m checking in Himiko Toga for emergency care.”

“Alright, and do you know her parents? What’s their insurance?” the lady at the desk politely asked, a kind smile on her lips, and the brief calm brought on by the broken quiet of Ochako’s disappearance shattered.

“ YOU CAN’T LET THEM I WON’T LET THEM THEY CAN’T KNOW !!!” Himiko shrieked, clutching onto Gunhead’s arm desperately.

He was bleeding.

Funny how that didn’t even get Himiko to react, not even a tiny bit.

“I’m checking her in under my insurance,” he replied.

“Alright, and what seems to be the problem?” the receptionist asked.

No one cared.

Himiko was screaming , and no one cared.

She pressed her hands to her face, clutched at her hair, and let out a long, loud, high-pitched shriek into the stillness around her.

The other patients glanced her way, uneasy expressions on their faces, but still.

Gunhead didn’t react.

The receptionist continued typing at her computer desk.

“Okay, so this’ll be billed to the Gunhead Hero Agency … she has bite marks down her right arm, made her lip bleed, and has scabs across all her fingers from another injury. Please, sit down, a doctor will be with you in a moment,” the receptionist informed them, and Gunhead lead Himiko over to one of the waiting room seats as she continued shrieking.

“Himiko Toga?” someone called a moment later, and the look on his face as he realized that Himiko — still shrieking, still panicking Himiko — was his patient should’ve caused the world to cave in right then and there.

Gunhead picked her up, practically carrying her after the doctor.

Everything else was a blur.

Her arm was wrapped up, something was stabbed into her elbow, gauze was shoved into her mouth — not necessarily in that order — and when she blinked awake, back to reality, Ochako was sitting next to her.

She stared, not quite believing the sight before her eyes, and Ochako gently grabbed her hand, rubbing it soothingly.

“…I got that guy to delete the pic,” she informed her softly. “And everyone else, too. You’re safe. Your parents won’t find out.”

Himiko stared at her, disbelieving, until finally she just collapsed into Ochako’s side, holding tight to her neck. “Don’t ever leave me again. Stay right by my side, for all of eternity.”

Ochako hugged her back, tight and protective. “I won’t. I won’t leave, I promise.”

Himiko breathed hot against Ochako’s neck, and surprisingly, just like with Gunhead as he checked her in, she wasn’t tempted at all to try and bite her.

Ah, she thought blankly. So the only way to get me to stave off my cravings once and for all is going into a state of such shock and fear that I can’t process anything else.

…Well. If that’s what works.

Himiko breathed in Ochako’s scent, finally able to appreciate the smell of the shampoo she had used that morning instead of the arteries she could sense pumping blood just underneath Ochako’s skin.

But, as she calmed down, the scent of blood came back.

Not as strong as before, but still. There.

Someone else in the room cleared their throat, and Himiko reluctantly drew back.

“…Are you okay?” Gunhead asked, his large, imposing form a ridiculous contrast against the tiny seat he was crouched in, leaning over to look at Himiko worriedly. …She had no idea how she picked up on that through the mask he was still wearing.

“…Mostly,” Himiko admitted. “Still a bit… fragile. A little screwed up in the head, you know how it is.”

Himiko attempted a hollow laugh, and Ochako grabbed her hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

“Well,” Gunhead cleared his throat, pulling out a sheet of paper. “The… uh, the doctor said that… you had to receive stitches in a few of your… ehem, cuts , while the rest can just heal naturally on their own. The wounds in your lips will have to heal by themselves, and the scabs on your hands seem to be doing well, too. Though, Ochako told me how they looked yesterday , and I must say… you’re relying on your Quirk a bit… much , eh?” he tried joking, but as Himiko just stared blankly at him, he dipped his head, looking towards the floor.

“…That’s not what my Quirk does,” Himiko corrected softly, gazing at all the wounds littering her body. If only my Quirk was simply rapid healing.

“You… said it was part of it, though,” Ochako pointed out, and Himiko sighed.

“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just weird, and it has nothing to do with my Quirk.”

“Kid, if your hands were that messed up yesterday, and now they’re fine , I would really have to say its probably your Quirk.” Gunhead pointed out.

Himiko just sighed again, flopping back onto the hospital bed.

“…Wanna, uh… tell me what your Quirk is now?” Ochako asked, half-joking. “I mean, seems to be coming up a lot nowadays.”

Himiko frowned. “It always came up,” she protested, and Ochako gave a light chuckle.

“Yeah, but you never told me what it was . C’mon, can’t you just, like… tell me it’s name?” Ochako requested, shoving Himiko playfully. “You don’t have to explain what it does in detail or anything, if its vague.”

Himiko frowned up at the harsh fluorescent lights.

“I… I don’t actually know what it’s called,” she admitted. “My parents… never told me.”

Well, that got Gunhead’s attention.

“You have no idea what your Quirk is called? Not one?” he pressed, and Himiko bit her lip — not with her fangs, she made sure to keep those lifted up and off her skin, just with the flatter teeth inbetween.

Technically speaking, Himiko didn’t even know what her Quirk was . Only that it probably was the thing making her thirst for blood — the monster sleeping inside her DNA.

“…Do you have a guess ?” Ochako asked as Himiko stayed silent. “Like, just something based off what it does ?”

Himiko shifted uncomfortably.

Gunhead stared at her, Himiko unable to tell what he was truly thinking behind that mask of his. “…Drop it, kid,” he finally ordered Ochako, though something in his voice told Himiko that he himself wouldn’t . “If she doesn’t wanna talk about it, she doesn’t have to.”

“Alright…” Ochako sighed, leaning on the side of the hospital bed and playing with Himiko’s fingers — though she noticed Ochako stayed as far away from her scabs as possible, avoiding them like one might avoid a rabid dog.

Oh, Himiko realized, something clicking in the back of her mind. She feels guilty.

…She shouldn’t. I told her it wasn’t her fault. I was the one who stuck them in my mouth in the first place.

A shiver ran down Himiko’s spine, and then, quiet, She doesn’t feel guilty because she made you bite them. She feels guilty because she didn’t get you to the hospital.

Ochako continued avoiding Himiko’s scabs, pressing the soft pads that activated her Quirk to Himiko’s fingertips, one at a time, over and over again.

Himiko swallowed the sadness that came with making Ochako feel this guilty over her, and desperately searched for another topic of conversation, a lighter topic, to get Ochako’s mind off of it.

She glanced down at her arms, and a wry smile spread across her face.

“Well, at least I’ll be matching now.”

Ochako jerked her head up, staring at Himiko. “What? What d’you mean? Matching ?”

“I mean, at least one of these are likely to scar, right?” Himiko asked, gesturing to her bandaged right arm. “Then I’ll match this one.”

She poked the scar she had gotten from that box cutter, and Ochako’s eyes widened, seeming to just notice the thin line on her arm.

“…How’d you get that ?” she questioned, poking it as well.

“Cut myself with a box cutter,” Himiko shrugged.

“…On accident , right?” Gunhead asked Himiko. Himiko stayed silent. “On accident , right ?”

“Himiko, you need to tell me more things,” Ochako decided, glancing between the two of them. “First you didn’t tell me you had bitten your hands, then you didn’t tell me you bit your arm , and now I’m finding out you cut yourself with a box cutter as a kid. …Wait, was it as a kid?” Ochako questioned worriedly.

“…Middle school,” Himiko admitted after a moment. “Halfway through second year.”

“…Just a few months after I first met you,” Ochako realized. She bit her lip, before sighing and saying, “Alright, I get why you didn’t tell me then . Bit weird to tell someone you just met how you stabbed yourself in the arm.”

“Wait, if you two had already become friends by then,” Gunhead questioned, tilting his head. “Why didn’t you see the injury?”

Ochako fell silent, an embarrassed blush creeping up her cheeks until she just buried her face in the hospital mattress.

“We met online,” Himiko explained, patting Ochako’s hair. “We just saw each other irl literally yesterday.”

Gunhead fell silent, staring at the two with that unblinking, unfeeling mask over his eyes, and Himiko stared right back, unsure of what he was thinking in that moment but unwilling to back down, just in case it was something awful.

“…No wonder she was willing to get in trouble just to talk to you,” Gunhead decided at last, and Himiko relaxed. “Must’ve recognized you through… what, pictures or something?”

“Yeah. Though… uh, I try not to send that many. It’s honestly a miracle she had them memorized enough to recognize me,” Himiko replied, poking Ochako’s cheek.

“Bold of you to assume I don’t stare at them all the time,” Ochako huffed, staring at her with a playful glare, and Himiko felt her face heat up.

Calm down. You’re just friends. She just stared at them because they’re the only proof she had that you were real , not because she thought you were pretty.

Himiko’s face flushed even further as she remembered the countless hours she had spent doing the exact same thing, just with more drooling and “ Gosh I wanna become her.”

Gunhead glanced between the two of them — moving his head in exaggerated motions, so it was obvious to Himiko what he was doing — before just silently giving them both a thumbs up.

What is THAT supposed to mean?!?!?! Himiko wondered, blush all the way out to her ears by now.

“Gunhead, I know you’re probably trying to make sure the kid’s safe and all, but we really need this room back,” one of the nurses said, popping her head in through the door to talk to them. “Can you please hurry it up?”

“Of course, of course,” Gunhead nodded, standing up — though not all the way, as his spiky, mint-green hair brushed the ceiling even when crouching.

The hospital was pretty tiny.

“Himiko, you good to go?” he asked, and Himiko nodded, hopping off the bed.

Ochako grabbed Himiko’s hand, and they exited the hospital room together.

“Glad to see you’re feeling better, sweetie,” the nurse commented as Himiko passed by, giving her a sweet smile. “You were screaming and crying throughout the entire process.”

Himiko stared up at her, eyes widening in horror as she realized what she’d done, and Ochako had to physically tug her along to get to keep moving.

“Gah, that’s embarrassing.” Himiko muttered as they marched through the hospital halls.

“…Um. If it makes you feel any better, you were mostly done by the time I showed up?” Ochako offered, and Himiko just ducked her head further.

“Just kill me now .”

Himiko stayed with Ochako throughout the entire rest of her patrol, her shift at Gunhead’s agency, and even waited outside the changing room for her, even though Ochako was pretty sure she wasn’t allowed to do almost any of that.

Gunhead must’ve developed a real soft spot for her.

Or Ochako? Since Himiko was her friend, it kinda made sense for him to allow her to hang around if Ochako was his favorite.

Gah, stop thinking about this! Ochako smacked her cheeks, shaking her head to clear it of all her muddling thoughts.

Himiko was waiting for her to finish changing, and it would be rude to make her stay there any longer than she had to.

Ochako tugged her shirt down over her stomach, and carefully made her way out of the back changing room.

“— So cute together,” Gunhead was saying as Ochako reached the front office. “You really should consider asking her out one of these days.”

“You’re insufferable ,” Himiko ground out, shifting uncomfortably on her feet, and Gunhead laughed.

“Ask who out?” Ochako questioned, glancing between the pair of them. “Himiko’s gonna ask someone out?”

“Ochako!” Himiko yelped, only to flush as she realized that sounded like she was answering Ochako’s question. “U-um, no one. I’m not interested in dating.”

“ Suuuure you’re not,” Gunhead drawled, leaning an elbow against his desk, and Himiko flushed further, glaring at the floor.

“ Jerk ,” she hissed out between clenched teeth.

Ochako just blinked at them, unsure of how to take this.

Himiko wanted to ask someone out?

Ochako wasn’t sure why that made her feel so terrible, like a rock was sitting in her stomach, and she couldn’t even use Zero Gravity to get it out.

Himiko’s allowed to like people other than you. Don’t be a jealous friend, Ochako scolded herself. In fact, you’ve been wanting her to expand her social circle. You should be happy for her! She’s reaching out to other people!

The bitter taste in her mouth didn’t fade.

“…Ssssso, uh,” Ochako swallowed, still unsure of the simmering feeling in her gut, but pushing it aside, at least for now. “Ready to… head out?”

“You girls have fun!” Gunhead chirped, waving them off animatedly — almost teasingly , like a school girl shoving two of her friends in a closet so they could finally talk about the tension simmering between them.

Why did my mind have to go to that comparison? Ochako wondered, even more uncomfortable with her feelings than before.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever ,” Himiko hissed, grabbing Ochako’s arm and dragging her out the door, bitter hurt dripping from her lips like venom.

Ochako glanced at her worriedly. Was she really that hurt from Gunhead’s teasing?

“Ochako and Himiko, sitting in a tree …” she heard Gunhead start singing to himself as the door swung shut behind them.

She stared at the solid door behind her.

“… What did he just say?” she finally asked, and fear flashed in Himiko’s cat-slit eyes.

“ Nothing it doesn’t matter ,” she said quickly, hurriedly, tugging Ochako further away from the agency.

“Y’know, whenever you say that, it’s about something that does matter, quite a bit,” Ochako pointed out as she let Himiko pull her along.

Himiko froze.

“Uh,” Himiko blinked, biting her lower lip as fear and trepidation danced in her eyes. Is that really a good idea? Ochako wondered. She was bleeding from there not all that long ago. “But this time, it really doesn’t matter.”

Himiko tried to make it sound convincing, like a statement, but it came out as more of a question instead.

Ochako stared at her.

“…Fine,” she decided. “Then tell me something that does matter.”

Himiko blinked again.

“…What? What am I supposed to say to that ? What could I possibly come up with right now that is supposed to matter ?” she asked incredulously.

“…You could start with this,” Ochako replied, brushing a hand across Himiko’s left arm, right over the spot where she had pointed out her box cutter scar, though it was covered by her sleeve now. Just the same as with the bandages on her right arm. “How did you cut yourself? Please,” she added as Himiko looked up at her nervously. “I just wanna know. I want to know… how long you’ve been hurting yourself like this.”

Something… hidden flashed in Himiko’s eyes. Something guarded, something that had to do with fear, something that had to do with just how desperately Ochako caught Himiko looking at her sometimes.

She looked down at the sidewalk, then took a deep breath.

“I almost killed a guy in middle school,” she admitted all at once, and it took Ochako a moment to decipher the words hidden in her rushed statement.

“… What ?!!!” Ochako squawked, and Himiko winced.

“I cut myself with the box cutter then. To stop myself from doing it.” Himiko explained, softly, and Ochako stared at her.

“…Why?” Ochako asked, unable to stop herself. “What would make you wanna — kill someone?”

“You were the reason I didn’t do it,” Himiko replied instead of answering. “I thought of you, and how you’d react to hearing I did something like that… you made me come to my senses long enough to try something to shock myself out of it. Even if all I had on me was a box cutter at the time.”

Ochako bit her lip.

“You… who was it?” she whispered, almost dreading the answer.

“His name was — is — Saito,” Himiko replied. “He had just gotten into a fight, and his face was all… bloody…” her voice trailed off, that odd, disconcerting expression Ochako had noticed on her from time-to-time appearing on her face.

“…So you almost stabbed him because he had gotten into a fight ?” Ochako asked, trying to understand. “Was it like some type of… vigilante justice, or something?”

“…Please don’t make me explain why I wanted to,” Himiko requested softly.

“…Alright,” Ochako replied after a moment, breathing out softly. “I won’t pry. That’s just — wow. You almost killed someone,” she paused, before that other think Himiko said finally sunk in. “And, wait — I was the reason you didn’t do it? But… but we had only been talking to each other for a couple of months at that point,” she pointed out. “Were we even onto private messaging then?”

“Private messaging, yes,” Himiko replied. “Texting, no. But we talked every day — and, well, without any other friends to talk to… I kinda latched onto you pretty hard. Still… still do. Am. Whatever. So… so you were on my mind pretty often. Often enough, that… well. What would hero in training Ochako Uraraka think if her best friend stabbed a guy?”

“I wasn’t a hero in training yet ,” Ochako protested, pink dusting her cheeks.

“Yeah, but you talked about wanting to be one often enough,” Himiko shrugged her off. “And, I mean, even if you didn’t , it wouldn’t exactly look great to kill anybody anyways — and still expect you to be my friend .”

Ochako took in a deep breath, and squeezed Himiko’s hands.

“I’m… I’m glad you didn’t. I don’t know… I don’t know how I would’ve reacted had you actually stabbed him, but… well. This is the good ending, isn’t it?” Ochako tried for a smile, and Himiko stared up at her, something soft shining in her eyes.

“…Yeah. The good ending,” she echoed, squeezing Ochako’s hands back.

Ochako sighed, slumping onto her parent’s couch.

“So, how’d it go with Himiko today ?” Chamaru asked, and Ochako forced out a laugh.

“Shouldn’t you be asking me about how my internship went, first?” she questioned, and her dad just ruffled her hair.

“Hey, I have my priorities,” he smiled. “So, how was she? The cuts on her hands doing well?”

“Yeah, those’re healing pretty well,” Ochako nodded. “Her Quirk — or at least part of it — made it so they were already completely scabbed over by the time I arrived, and by the time I left her they had even shrunk some.”

Chamaru beamed at this news, relieved, and Ochako shifted, feeling guilty for having to admit this next part.

“Her arm , though…”

“Her arm?” Sayaka questioned, jerking her head around to stare at Ochako. “What happened to her arm ?”

“I think… well, first of all, Himiko confirmed that, yes, she did bite her fingers, and that was why they were bleeding,” Ochako explained, and both her parents had uneasy expressions on their faces, wondering where Ochako was going with this. “Apparently I startled her a bit, though, so she bit down harder than she meant to. But… well, I don’t think that same excuse applies to what happened to her arm.”

Sayaka and Chamaru stayed silent, staring at Ochako, and she took one more deep breath before finally stating, “She had bitten it. All along her right arm, there were — there were so many bite marks. And some of them… some of them were really deep. Gunhead had to take her to the hospital,” Ochako wasn’t about to say how Himiko reacted to Gunhead taking her to the hospital — she’d spare her at least a little bit of her dignity. “And… and the doctor said she nearly gave herself permanent damage by doing that.”

Chamaru let out a breath, staring at the carpet, and Sayaka’s face twisted in sympathy.

“Poor dear.”

“Does… does she have anyone else to talk to about this?” Chamaru asked. “You’ve mentioned she doesn’t have the best home life, and it doesn’t seem like she has many other friends her age, besides you… Maybe a teacher? Therapist? Some other helpful adult?” he questioned hopefully, and Ochako felt another pang in her heart as she had to shake her head, no.

No, Himiko didn’t have anyone else to talk to.

She had mentioned, time and time again, how Ochako was the only one she talked to. The only one she trusted .

Honestly, it was a miracle she hadn’t booked it as far away from Gunhead as she could as soon as she spotted him.

“The… the only other person I’ve seen her talk to is Gunhead, and I’m pretty sure that’s just because he’s my mentor, and I’m working with him right now.” Ochako explained.

So, what would happen when Ochako wasn’t participating in her internship with Gunhead anymore? Would Himiko run away, avoid him?

He was obviously worried about her, just as much as Ochako was — it must’ve been quite the shock, seeing Himiko so bloodied and beat up after he had had to pull Ochako away from her just yesterday, when, by all means, she looked completely uninjured.

When did she get those injuries? Ochako wondered worriedly. Was she hiding her pain and suffering even then , too? Does she have any more injuries I don’t know about? And, if not… what caused her to gain so many now , after I just met her?

Am I the cause of all of this? She couldn’t help but ask herself, but no — she couldn’t think that, because if that was the truth… how could she ever hope to take care of Himiko then ?

Sayaka bit her lip.

“Do… do you think you could get her to come over?” she asked softly, barely a whisper — a desperate hope, wanting to do something , anything to help heal Himiko’s pain.

“…I’ve asked her about it before. Yesterday, and again today, as well,” Ochako admitted. “Both times she’s said no. She… well, the first time she said it was because she wasn’t ready yet. This time… because she didn’t want you guys to see her scars.”

Chamaru let out a breath.

“Someone really needs to get that girl some help. An adult . Just — anyone that could make her feel less… alone .”

“…Would Himiko really… appreciate you telling us all about her injuries, when she doesn’t want us to see them?” Sayaka asked carefully, worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure she’d hate it if she found out I told you,” Ochako admitted. “But I can’t not tell you guys. If I bottled it all up, I’m pretty sure I’d, like, explode or something.”

“It’s a good thing you’re telling us this,” Chamaru replied, placing one hand on Ochako’s head. “It means we can try to help, in any way we can. Even if it’s just giving her an ear to talk to, or a place to stay for the night…”

“ Poor dear …” Sayaka whispered again, fiercer, her hands clenching the knees of her pants. “She must feel so horrible, if she’s doing that to herself…”

“I… I asked her if… if maybe she was feeling suicidal or something,” Ochako admitted. “She said she didn’t, but I’m still… well, I’m still worried.”

“As you should be,” Chamaru nodded. “She wouldn’t be doing that if she felt happy — content with her life, and all the things happening in it.”

“…Yeah,” Ochako agreed. “She… she has a lot of things to be unhappy about.”

Finally, Chamaru let out a breath.

“Do you… do you think you could call her? Have us talk to her just through the phone — a video chat, or even just our voices,” he requested.

“…I’ll ask her,” Ochako replied, quiet.

Uravity

Hey
I know you dont wanna see my parents yet but
Do you think you could just talk to them?
A phone call
Video chat
Either works

The typing bubbles appeared almost instantly, only to fade a moment later.

They picked up again, disappeared again, came back, over and over, and Ochako could just stare at them, unable to help, unable to know what Himiko was thinking or feeling in that moment.

“…She’s thinking about it,” Ochako reported. “She hasn’t said anything, but—” She tilted the screen so her parents could see the flickering bubble. “…She’s definitely got a lot of thoughts.”

“Poor dear,” Sayaka said quietly, the third time in the last few minutes.

Finally, Himiko responded.

Monster in your cupboard

uhh
i think id want you with me
to talk to them

Uravity

Yeah, I get it
Want me to hold your hand? :3
For ✨emotional support✨

The typing bubble popped up for a few seconds, only to disappear entirely a heartbeat later.

“…Ooookay, she replied, but now she’s gone again,” Ochako reported, raising an eyebrow at her phone.

“Maybe she had to go do her homework or something?” Chamaru guessed, glancing at Ochako’s phone over her shoulder.

Suddenly, he let out a snort of laughter, doubling over in suppressed giggles and grabbing the phone from Ochako, handing it over to his wife.

“You have got to see this.”

Sayaka silently raised an eyebrow at Ochako and Himiko’s texts, gazing down at her with a flat, unreadable look.

“…What?” Ochako questioned. “What, is it the name I have saved for her or something? She picked that out herself — said she was gonna hide in our cupboards and steal all our candy or something.”

“Yes, the nickname is cute,” Sayaka replied simply, handing Ochako back her phone but not explaining her or her husband’s reactions.

Ochako frowned, but glanced back down at her phone, deciding not to question them any further.

Himiko had sent back a simple thumbs up.

Himiko felt her breath coming out quickly, in hushed, panicked gulps, pacing back and forth.

She was going to talk to Ochako’s parents .

Just like in the movies. Talking, over a simple dinner, trying to get to know each other better. The boyfriend says something stupid, something that sets the parents off, but it turns out all right in the end.

They’re protective over the daughter — give the boyfriend a shovel talk. All, “if you hurt our daughter I’ll bury you in the ground.”

And then, in the end, they’re accepting. He does something — fights a bully, fights a god, maybe, to protect her, and they welcome him into the family with open arms.

So, Himiko just had to find a god to fight.

…Maybe she was taking a little too much inspiration from the movies.

Wait, since when was I Ochako’s boyfriend?

Himiko flushed bright red, and instinctively stuck her hand in her mouth, chewing its end.

“ No ,” Ochako said sternly, swatting at Himiko’s hand. “No hurting yourself.”

Right, Ochako was here.

She had finished up her internship at Gunhead’s for the day, and they were now about to video chat with Ochako’s parents.

See, not the movies. You’re not even dating her yet.

Yet.

Himiko’s face flushed even brighter.

“…Look, I know you’re scared,” Ochako sighed. Understatement of the year. “But I promise you, they’re really nice. They just — they wanna know how you’re doing. I… well, I might’ve mentioned how much you’ve been hurting yourself, and… well. They just want to make sure you’re alright.”

Himiko stared at her.

“How much you’ve been hurting yourself.”

She took a deep, shuddering breath.

“…How much,” she asked, flatly. “How much have you told them.”

Ochako licked her lips. “…Almost everything,” she admitted. “Not— not details , but… a lot. I told them how you nearly bit your fingers off. How your arm was covered in blood yesterday. But… not the hospital. I didn’t tell them just how much you… freaked out.”

Himiko let that breath out.

“…Okay. Okay, I can handle this,” she muttered to herself.

She just had to convince them Ochako was exaggerating.

That Himiko was fine , she didn’t need any help, thanks for asking .

Hide her fangs.

“I know you can do this,” Ochako said firmly, standing up from the park bench they had decided to call Ochako’s parents at and gripping Himiko’s hands tightly. “You’re amazing . They’re going to love you, and you’re going to love them , and… and maybe, after you get to know them a bit… you’ll be okay with visiting our apartment?” Ochako added hopefully.

“…Maybe,” Himiko agreed, not quite willing to commit to that plan just yet.

Ochako tugged her down onto the park bench, and they took a few more moments to breath together.

“…So, you said you wanted to do it on your phone, since it’ll have a better camera?” Ochako questioned, and Himiko nodded.

She didn’t know why she had said that.

Maybe it was because she saw Ochako’s little flip phone — so small, so pink — and immediately felt a stab of guilt, offering up her own equipment, her own stuff, her own time, just as she always did when it came to Ochako.

Her own money.

It’s not fair that someone as breathtaking as her should deal with struggles like the ones she has to deal with — it should be me, and my parents, that have to budget things, pay attention to all the price tags in the stores, and save up just enough to barely be able to get their daughter a flip phone — something that’s been out of style for years . Just because it’s cheaper. Just because…

Himiko shook her head, trying to banish those thoughts before they consumed her.

She couldn’t focus on that right now, not when she was about to meet the people who had to struggle with that reality on a daily basis.

It should be the monster that has to deal with that. The monster, and the parents that brought her into this world.

“Well, I warned them already that you were gonna do it — told them your number, made sure they knew who it was that was gonna be calling them,” Ochako continued, not noticing Himiko’s brief bought of guilt. “So, now all we need to do… is call them. When you’re ready,” she added hurriedly.

“…I’m ready,” Himiko breathed, brining out her own phone — a touchscreen.

Don’t think about it. You’ll cry if you think about it.

Himiko punched in the number Ochako had given her with shaking fingers, letting Ochako watch her the entire time, just in case she got it wrong.

She glanced at Ochako one more time, looking for confirmation, and Ochako smiled at her.

Himiko hit call.

Himiko’s breath was shallow as she turned the phone on its side, staring at the screen as it started projecting an image of her and Ochako onto its surface, waiting for the Urarakas to pick up.

Himiko noticed a stray strand of hair sticking out, and carefully tucked it back behind her ear.

I have to be perfect. They won’t love me if I’m not perfect.

Ochako gave her a sympathetic look, cupping her hands around Himiko’s shaking one to take the phone from her, and Himiko shot her a thankful glance in return, trying to fix her appearance one last time before they picked up.

Hide your fangs.

“Don’t let anyone see your fangs. They’re disgusting; people don’t wanna see those.”

They don’t want to see them.

Ochako let out a huff, glaring at the phone as it continued ringing. “I thought they said they were free right now…”

Himiko smiled at that — a small one, without any of her teeth — but just then the reflections of Ochako and Himiko on the phone were sequestered to just a corner as Mrs. Uraraka — Sayaka, if Himiko remembered right — picked up.

Himiko’s breath caught in her throat, and she carefully schooled her expression into something more neutral, more appropriate for talking with adults.

Talking with anyone.

Anyone except Ochako.

“Honey!” Mrs. Uraraka exclaimed breathlessly, smiling at Ochako. “Sorry it took me so long to answer — had to finish up with a customer first. Chamaru! She’s calling!” Mrs. Uraraka added, calling over her shoulder for her husband.

“It’s alright, mom!” Ochako chirped, instantly relaxing with a smile on her face. Don’t feel jealous. “I was just worried for a bit you wouldn’t be able to answer.”

“Aw, honey, we’d never miss getting to meet your friend,” Mrs. Uraraka said sweetly. Don’t feel jealous. They’re just her parents. “Speaking of which: Himiko! It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

Himiko stared at Mrs. Uraraka.

Her lungs weren’t working.

This isn’t supposed to happen.

Why, why did everyone Ochako bring into her life, have to be so nice ?

That’s not how the world is supposed to work.

First Gunhead, and now her mom.

Himiko didn’t even want to meet any of the people Ochako called friends, not if they’d treat her like this .

“…Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Uraraka,” Himiko finally managed to respond, forcing it out past the lump in her throat.

There’s gotta be some kind of catch.

Just keep watching. Just keep listening.

“Oh, please, call me Sayaka,” she replied, just as brightly as before.

There has to be some kind of catch.

Ochako noticed the stiffness in Himiko’s shoulders, the slight — but not at all noticeable, not to anyone except Ochako — tightness in her expression, and moved one hand to grip Himiko’s, giving her a reassuring smile.

Himiko was drowning.

Pressure, tight against her throat, closed in around her, making her unable to respond.

This isn’t how the world’s supposed to work .

Why, why, why ?

Why was everyone so nice ?

Couldn’t they see her fangs?

Couldn’t they sense the violence , the monster hiding under her skin?

Or had Himiko gotten too good at hiding it?

Ochako rubbed her thumb over Himiko’s knuckles, and spoke for her.

“She’s been so excited to meet you guys. Isn’t that right, Himiko?” Ochako turned her head to look at Himiko, and she nodded silently.

Excited.

Not the word Himiko would’ve chosen, but she could work with it.

“I… see,” Mrs. Uraraka — Sayaka, she told you to call her Sayaka — said slowly, watching Himiko with sad, understanding eyes. Too understanding. Stop it. Stop it stop it stop it. “…Well, we’ve been excited, too. Ochako talks about you all the time .”

That got Himiko to crack.

Her eyes widened, and a pink blush crept up her cheeks, forcing her to seek refuge in Ochako’s shoulder as her friend laughed.

“ Whaaaat , can I not talk about you? You’re awesome ; you should know that,” Ochako teased, resting her head atop Himiko’s.

“…You’re a jerk ,” Himiko decided, muffled, into Ochako’s shoulder.

Ochako just laughed at her again.

“Whatchu guys talkin’ about?” another voice — belonging to a thickset man with brown eyes, a bit of scruff, and dirty blonde hair — questioned light-heartedly, sliding into frame.

Himiko stared at him, self-consciously twisting a curl of her own blonde hair around her finger.

Ochako’s mom was almost an exact replica of Ochako herself — same brown hair, same kind eyes, same little cheek blushes, permanently stamped into the side of her face — just older, so it was surprising seeing someone so completely different-looking for her father.

So, maybe the sister comment didn’t come out of no where, Himiko thought, bile rising in her throat as she realized that, just maybe, she could potentially pass as being Ochako’s biological sister .

Her hair was lighter than Chamaru’s, not quite so dark — but when did that ever stop someone from being related?

If she just squinted her eyes so no one could see their obvious yellow glare, kept her fangs hidden, so no one could mark them as unusual… Himiko could fit in. She could belong .

The thought sickened her.

I don’t want to be the sister. I can’t be the girlfriend, either… so what does that even make me?

The monster. The thing she always was, lurking, hidden, just beneath the surface.

“Oh, nothing, really, we just started talking,” Sayaka responded pleasantly, smiling at her husband. Mom never looked at dad that way. “I just mentioned how often our little Ochako talks about Himiko, and the poor dear got a bit embarrassed.”

“Aw, is that so?” Chamaru turned his gaze on Himiko, the corners of his eyes crinkling with his smile, and Himiko couldn’t breathe.

The differences between this strange man and her own father were striking , despite how unnaturally similar they looked, as well.

Father’s hair is lighter. Eyes a bit more amber. Clean-shaven, less muscular… he would never wear such a ratty shirt like that, he’s almost always in a suit.

But, most of all, Chamaru smiled.

He smiled at his wife, he smiled at his kid, he smiled at Himiko, all like he meant it.

Father only ever smiled in front of company, and Himiko had gotten pretty experienced at seeing through how fake it all was. So she knew this one was real .

A shiver ran through her body, and Ochako pulled her close, glancing at her worriedly.

“Cold?” she murmured softly, and Himiko shook her head.

“No.”

In fact, she was uncomfortably warm.

“So, what’ve you been up to, Himiko?” Chamaru asked. “Keeping up with all your schoolwork? What about your injuries? They healing well?”

Himiko just stared at him, before shakily nodding.

“Y-yeah. I’m… it’s fine,” she held up both hands to show off the scabs on her hands — already half the width they were yesterday. “M-my hands’ll probably finish healing by tomorrow,” she then pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, showing off the bandages wrapped around her right arm. “The doctor said I should keep this covered for about eight weeks or more, but I’m pretty sure it’ll all finish healing in a week or two. Probably less.”

Himiko poked the spot where she had seen her stitches, back when she was replacing her bandages. “The stitches’ll take the longest to heal.”

“…You probably shouldn’t poke your injuries like that,” Sayaka pointed out with a frown. “No matter how fast you heal, that can’t be good for you.”

“If the faster healing is because of your Quirk,” Chamaru started, tilting his head at Himiko. “Wouldn’t the doctor know that? It should be in your medical records, right?”

Himiko just shrugged.

“Maybe he didn’t notice; my Quirk isn’t exactly about faster healing, after all.”

“He should’ve still seen something ,” Chamaru frowned. “Otherwise, he’s just a crap doc.”

“Chamaru!” Sayaka reprimanded with a small laugh, lightly tapping her fist against Chamaru’s shoulder disapprovingly. “You shouldn’t be talking like that about our medical professionals; I’m sure he’s a very good doctor.”

“A good doctor would notice his patients medical records saying she’s got a regeneration Quirk,” he protested darkly, raising his hands defensively to shield his face — just in case she decided to boop his nose this time. “That should be the first thing someone notices about their patient’s history.”

Sayaka just rolled her eyes, electing to ignore her husband’s continued pedantry.

“So, Himiko,” she started again, smiling at her. “How is school? We got distracted with all that talk about your injuries and Quirk.”

Himiko tilted her head to the side, thinking.

“…Normal,” she eventually decided. “I’m missing an assignment from last week, even though I’m pretty sure I turned it in. I’ll probably have to do a bit of makeup work.”

Sayaka’s eyebrows creased.

“…You’re missing an assignment you already turned in ?” she questioned. “What — that shouldn’t happen. Did your teacher misplace it, or something?”

“This just happens from time to time,” Himiko replied, glancing down and picking at her scabs — until she remembered Gunhead’s words about that only making it worse, and moved on to messing with her fingernails instead. “My teacher doesn’t really like his job. Or me. It’s fine, though. I’m used to it.”

“Okay, I may have said that doctor was trying his best, but your teacher obviously isn’t . It’s his whole job to grade papers — shouldn’t he at least try to keep track of them?” Sayaka demanded, squinting her eyes at Himiko.

“…It’s fine. Ito never mentions it,” Himiko replied after a moment, shifting on the park bench.

“Ito? Who’s that?” Ochako and Chamaru asked at the same time, and Himiko had to fight to keep the smile off her face.

“Roommate,” she explained simply.

“ Ohhhh ,” Ochako nodded. “Okay, I remember now.”

“She shares the same teacher as you?” Sayaka questioned, just to make sure, and Himiko nodded. “… That ,” she decided. “Is some favoritism , if I’ve ever heard it. That , or the opposite — you did say he didn’t like you very much.”

Himiko fell silent.

“…I guess,” she finally responded, noncommittally.

Sayaka sighed, but didn’t push it.

They ended up using the rest of the call to just talk about mundane stuff — what Himiko’s favorite fruit was (pomegranates), her favorite color (red. Like blood. …And pomegranates), what she usually ate for breakfast (fish, or some other kind of meat. Usually raw, so she could taste the blood), her spice tolerance (low. She nearly passed out from the pain the first time she had tried wasabi), her favorite animal (cats. Ochako constantly compared her to them, often calling her her “cute little kitty”).

“What’s your favorite thing? Something that makes you smile, no matter how bad a day it is,” Sayaka asked, smiling at Himiko.

“Ochako,” she replied without thinking, too used to the dull, uninteresting lull the conversation had taken and turning bright red the moment she realized what she had just said.

“ Awwww ,” three voices cooed all at once, Ochako looking at Himiko as if she had just hung the stars in the sky, while her parents just smiled adoringly.

“…Shut up,” she grumbled, ears hot. “I take it back. You’re my least favorite thing right now.”

Ochako just laughed.

When the call finally ended, Himiko leaned back, staring up at the sky.

“…So? What’d you think?” Ochako asked quietly, and Himiko shrugged.

“They were… something. Weird. Like Gunhead.”

Ochako laughed.

“Yeah, he can be weirdly adorable sometimes. Like, you’d think it’d be impossible , with that huge mask taking up most of his features, but he’s just so friendly , it’s hard not to like him.”

“…I’m your favorite, though,” Himiko asked softly, letting her face fall onto Ochako’s shoulder and gently nudging her with a foot.

“The most favoritest ,” Ochako agreed, before grabbing Himiko’s face and planting several kisses across her forehead and cheeks.

Himiko squeaked, trying to shove Ochako away, and the two ended up wrestling with each other on the bench, toppling onto the dirt beneath them with Himiko on top.

She panted, staring down at Ochako, and Ochako grinned up at her.

…She’s under your mercy, some small, unavoidable part of Himiko’s mind whispered to her. You could do anything you wanted. You could bite her, and she couldn’t do anything about it. You could drink her blood , just like you’ve always wanted. Don’t you? Don’t you want it? Crave it? Come on. Do it .

It was tempting. It was so, so tempting.

Himiko even felt herself giving in slightly, leaning in, eyes trained on Ochako’s neck…

Until something in Ochako’s pocket chimed, and she let out an annoyed huff.

“Ugh, gimme a sec.”

Ochako put her hands to Himiko’s chest, giving only the lightest suggestion of you should probably move , and Himiko let her, silent. Horrified.

Horrified at herself , for what she had nearly just done.

You were supposed to be smarter than that. You were supposed to have more control . And yet, when it came down to it…

You couldn’t help yourself.

Himiko’s breath was coming out soft, shallow, while Ochako frowned down at her flip phone.

“…Gunhead?” she questioned. “Uh — sorry, Himiko. Seems like we’ll need to make a quick stop at his office.”

Himiko barely even registered it.

She just let Ochako hold her hand, guide her up and off the ground, and start guiding her towards Gunhead’s agency.

But the feeling of Ochako’s skin against her hand was just too much to bare right now, and she pulled away as if burned.

And she had been — not by Ochako, but by herself .

“You’re a monster. Monsters shouldn’t have friends .”

Ochako glanced at her.

“…Are you hurting?” she asked, soft, quiet.

“…Yes,” Himiko answered truthfully, running a finger down the line of her scabs.

But Ochako didn’t need to know in exactly what way.

…Ochako put her hand around Himiko’s waist instead, and Himiko stiffened.

Don’t do it. Don’t let her. Don’t let her get close to the monster. You don’t deserve it .

But Himiko couldn’t think of a way to get her to remove that hand from her waist, and, she had to admit, even if was just a teeny part of herself that acknowledged that reality, that comforting weight made her feel just a little bit better.

When they made it to Gunhead’s, he just stared at Himiko as if she was the last thing he wanted to see right now.

He doesn’t even have a face. You’re just imagining the disgust seeping from every fiber of his body, Himiko scolded herself, but that didn’t stop the sting she felt when he turned to Ochako.

“…Can I talk with you in private?”

Ochako blinked, glancing over at Himiko. “Uh— sure? What’s up?”

He led her to the back, one gentle, over-large hand on her shoulder, leaning down to whisper something in her ear.

Leaving Himiko in silence.

She stared down at her hands.

You’re a monster. A monster hiding behind a human face, a human name.

You don’t deserve Ochako. You don’t deserve her love, her hope, her home.

You don’t deserve her parents, so kind, so willing to listen to you talk about everything and nothing.

Staring at you as if you were everything they ever hoped for their daughter.

Himiko shuddered, starting from her chest and spiraling outwards, from the top of her head to the tips of her toenails.

…I’ve deceived them just as much as I’ve deceived Ochako. Because she tells them everything.

She tells them about my scars.

She tells them about my hopes.

She tells them everything I’ve ever said to her, and because I wanted her to only see the best of me, the parts worthy of love… they think I am .

But it’s all lies.

I’m not.

I’m not worthy of love, no matter how much I try.

Himiko didn’t notice the tears dripping down her face until they splattered against her hands, salty and warm.

She could just stare, uncomprehending.

“…So make sure to bring her in with you tomorrow, ‘kay? Bright and early,” Gunhead was whispering to Ochako, and Ochako nodded, firm, determination and fear warring in her eyes.

And then she noticed Himiko crying.

“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!” Ochako cried, rushing up to her. She nearly grabbed onto Himiko’s hands, but thought better of it, moving them up to cup her face instead, wiping away the tears. “Is the pain really that bad ?”

“I-it’s fine,” Himiko tried, but her voice was wobbly, raw, wet. Not convincing in the slightest .

If Ochako had been her teacher, that would’ve been enough.

“No, it’s not ,” Ochako said firmly. “If you’re hurting, it’s not fine. …Do we need to bring you to the hospital again?”

“…I’m a monster,” Himiko whispered, the admission soft, vulnerable.

“What?” Ochako blinked. “Himiko — no , you’re not a monster. What made you think that in the first place? Your parents ?”

“…It’s true ,” Himiko whispered, not backing down, even as her heart roared at her to shut up , she doesn’t need to know , you’re going to lose her . “I’m a monster, and they say it’s because of my Quirk, but it runs deeper than that. I’m the monster. I would’ve always turned out like this, no matter what.”

She wanted to shut down. Shut up .

But her mouth had other plans.

“Himiko,” Ochako interrupted, before she could admit to nearly biting her. “You are not a monster. You’re my friend . You’re Himiko Toga , the weird little cat-girl I met on an internet forum talking about freaking Trolls music , and have grown fonder and fonder of ever since. You’re not a monster. You’re just weird — but we’re all weird, so you shouldn’t fear it so much.”

I nearly bit you. I nearly killed you.

“…I think I might need to make another call,” Gunhead muttered, and Himiko looked over at him.

“…What?” she asked.

“What’s your father’s name?” he asked instead of answering, already moving over to his desk.

“…Please don’t tell him,” she whispered.

“I’m not going to,” he replied, then, “Your mother’s?”

“…Why do you want to know?”

“It’s fine if you don’t tell me. We can do this without them,” he replied casually, typing something out on his computer.

“ What are we doing ?” Himiko asked, desperate.

Gunhead didn’t reply.

“…Okay, so I think I’ll see you tomorrow then, girls. Thanks for stopping by, but I’ve got quite a few more things I have to do today before I’m ready to get off work,” he told them, already grabbing the phone, hand poised to punch in a few numbers.

“ WHAT ARE YOU DOING ?!?!?!” Himiko asked again, louder. Nearly shrieking.

“…Himiko, it’s time to go,” Ochako said quietly, tugging on the only uninjured part of her — her left arm.

“ What is he doing ?” Himiko hissed, whirling on Uraraka. “He told you. He took you into his back room and told you. Tell me. Tell me what he’s planning .”

“…It’s time to go,” was all that Ochako said, staring at her sadly.

That night, Hosu city was attacked by three Nomu and a villain.

“The Hero Killer: Stain has just been arrested,” Himiko watched the news anchor in silence — Ito had already gone to sleep by then, so Himiko had to keep the volume as low as she could, staring at the brightness of her screen with wide eyes. “After attacking three UA first years as well as pro hero Native, he was apprehended and taken into custody. We are still awaiting an official statement on the events that lead up to his capture, but here’s what we’ve managed to identify so far:”

…Himiko wouldn’t admit just how hard she flinched when she found out the villain’s Quirk used blood.

She wouldn’t admit just how many hours she stayed awake afterwards, searching the internet for more information on the Hero Killer.

Wouldn’t admit how much his message resonated with her, when she finally found that cursed video.

Wouldn’t admit how long she spent staring at her own veins afterwards, wondering what Stain would’ve thought of her own Quirk, and if he would’ve been able to teach her how to use it better.

Himiko clenched her fist, bringing it up to her forehead.

Great. Your parents always said you had a villain’s Quirk, but now you have proof .

She took in a shaky breath, and laid down in her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

…Sleep was a long time coming for Himiko that night.

The next morning, Himiko spent as much time at the train station as she could, pacing back and forth, craning her neck as she tried to search for Ochako.

Because, more than anything else, no matter what Ochako said, no matter what she did, no matter how many times she betrayed her or how many times she pushed her to do the things she didn’t want to, Himiko was desperate .

Desperate for Ochako.

Desperate for love.

Desperate for blood — though she would never take Ochako’s.

Are you sure about that? Some small part of her whispered. You nearly tore her throat out just yesterday . Are you sure that you’d never hurt her — when you just did ?

But I didn’t , Himiko protested to herself. I wouldn’t — I can’t . She’d hate me if I did. And I can hate her — I can be laying there, sick and festering from every wound she’s ever inflicted on me, but I can’t have her hate me. I couldn’t bear it.

Ochako never showed — at least not while Himiko was there.

Because she had school.

Cursed school .

Himiko clenched her jaw, raised her chin, and shot off one text to Ochako about being worried for her and the UA students that had been attacked last night, before heading into her classroom.

Ochako responded awhile later, in the middle of a math lesson, and Himiko itched until she could finally check it inbetween classes.

Uravity

Just needed a bit to convince my parents to let me continue my internship 👍
Gunheads isnt anywhere NEAR hosu, so they let me be
Just arrived by train :)

Himiko couldn’t wait until classes finished up for the day.

As soon as she finished with her last class, slapping that paper she had to completely redo because her teacher had lost it (she checked — it wasn’t anywhere in her dorm room) onto his desk, she sped out the door, for once not caring about appearances as she stalked down the hall, eyes trained firmly on the way ahead. Just wanting to get out of there .

People whispered.

People stared.

Himiko’s heart thundered in her chest, so loud it drowned the rest of the world out.

Agency agency agency just get to his agency , Himiko told herself, marching down the street.

She didn’t even notice that she had broken out into a sprint until she finally spotted Ochako, tackling her in a hug so desperate she nearly knocked her over.

Ochako made a small noise of surprise, instinctively wrapping her hands around Himiko’s waist, until she realized who it was and let out a gasp.

“Himiko!” she greeted brightly. “Hey, we were just about to go find you!”

“Mmm, not if I find you first ,” Himiko murmured, burying her face even further into Ochako’s shoulder.

She just laughed.

“Hey, kid,” Gunhead greeted her, placing a hand on her head and ruffling her hair. “How you holdin’ up?”

Himiko held tighter to Ochako’s neck.

“…Fine,” she mumbled, keeping her face hidden.

“…Well, we actually have something we need to do with you,” Gunhead said eventually, such sadness evident in his voice that Himiko knew he had seen through her obvious lie. “You good with coming?”

“…Where are we going?” Himiko asked, withdrawing her head from Ochako’s neck but keeping her hands firmly around the other girl’s shoulders.

“Someplace really fun ,” he replied, and Himiko could almost see the wink he sent her behind his mask.

“…Whatever,” Himiko grumbled, letting Ochako gently grab her by the hand.

She ran her thumb over the thin red line tracing Himiko’s fingers, and, even as they watched, they could see it slowly, slowly fading into the rest of her skin tone.

She’d probably have a permanent scar over her hands from then on, but it was fine.

It was always fine.

“…This seems to be healing pretty well,” Ochako commented, dropping both their hands back to their sides and intertwining her fingers with Himiko’s. “It doesn’t hurt, right? Yesterday was just… a fluke.”

Himiko silently darted her tongue out to wet her lips.

“Kid… I don’t think the pain was in her fingers ,” Gunhead said softly, glancing back at them as he led the way forwards to whatever unknown destination they were headed to.

Ochako glanced at Himiko. “…Oh…”

When they stopped in front of a large, brickwork building, Himiko froze as soon as she read the sign.

Dr. Kyosei Enomoto’s Quirk Consultation & Evaluation Center

Her mouth went dry, and she took a fearful step backwards.

“ What ,” Himiko whispered. “Why are we… here ?”

“We need to learn more about your Quirk,” Gunhead replied, staring at the building as well and not looking back at her.

Ochako squeezed her hand. “It’s for a good reason, okay? Just trust us.”

“But — but I already went through all that Quirk assessment stuff,” Himiko replied, trying to force her breathing to stay level. “When I was little. I told you about it, didn’t I?”

“…You said you didn’t like it very much,” Ochako remembered, staring down at the ground guiltily.

“Kid,” Gunhead finally turned around, placing both his hands on her shoulders. “I did some research into your Quirk yesterday, since you said you didn’t know what it was called. I looked up your info online, and… legally? You’re Quirkless, kid.”

Himiko stared up at him.

“…No I’m not,” she replied eventually. “I’m — I have fangs . I have slit-pupiled eyes. I can purr , I heal faster than most people, and that’s — that’s not even scratching the surface of my Quirk.”

“I didn’t say you don’t have one ,” Gunhead clarified. “I said you’re Quirkless legally . So, we’re taking you to a research center, so you can get properly diagnosed and receive an actual name for what your Quirk is and does .”

Himiko stared at him.

“…But I already went through all this,” she whispered again. “I— my parents made me go to so many of these little counseling sessions. They told me— …they told me how to repress it. How to stop it. How to be normal .”

Gunhead let out a long, shaky breath at that.

“…Kid,” he replied. “That is not what Quirk counseling is supposed to be like. They shouldn’t tell you how to repress it — they should tell you how to use it. How to live with it, be responsible with it, how not to hurt people with it, but also how to not hurt yourself with it. Not being able to use your Quirk… no matter what it is, not using your Quirk is the perfect recipe for screwing yourself over in the long run.”

Himiko looked at the floor.

“But… but what if my Quirk is dangerous ?” she asked softly. “What if — what if it’s a villain’s Quirk?”

“Not everybody with violent Quirks are dangerous. Not everybody with ‘villain Quirks’ are evil . At our core, we’re all just… human. It’s what we make of ourselves, and our histories, that determine who we are as people. So,” he crouched down, becoming eye-level with Himiko. “Will you come with me? Walk in there with me, and help yourself . For me. For Uravity .”

Himiko stared at Ochako.

“…Okay,” she eventually relented, and Ochako beamed at her.

Gunhead let out a breath, and, together, they walked through those office doors.

The receptionist — a man with dark, shaggy hair, white lab coat, and dark circles hidden behind thick, hexagonal glasses — looked up from his work, and smiled at them.

“Himiko Toga, right?” he questioned, standing up. Himiko couldn’t breathe. “I’m Doctor Kyosei Enomoto, but you can call me Dr. Enomoto. Are we all ready to begin?”

He clapped his hands together, and Himiko violently flinched back.

Dr. Enomoto frowned down at her.

“…Ah,” he said slowly. “That’s… hm. That’s a lot of bottled emotions right there. I’ve never seen anyone as… tangled up as you. Shall we step into my office?”

Himiko stayed rigid, staring at him warily, every single fiber of her being standing on edge, ready to bolt if he made even the slightest mistake, just one wrong move.

Ochako squeezed her hand.

“Himiko,” she said softly. “Please. This is for your own good. He wants to help you, I promise.”

“Yes!” Dr. Enomoto agreed, nodding his head. “It’s my job to help young people such as yourself! I mean, sure, I’ve never had as… special a case as yourself — while people can develop Quirks at much older ages, in very rare instances… those people all got their Quirk assessments as soon as it showed up . I’ve never had anybody who did develop their Quirk at a young age, but never got it officially diagnosed.”

“…I did get it diagnosed,” Himiko whispered. “I went to all these counseling sessions. I don’t know why it says I’m Quirkless on my forms. I just… I don’t know.”

“Your parents were awful , kid,” Gunhead growled out. “They must’ve known what your Quirk was and registered you as Quirkless anyways. I’m not sure why — either because they didn’t want anything to do with your Quirk, or just because they were simply too lazy to update it. They—” Gunhead cut himself off, clenching his fists with his mask facing the floor, taking a few deep breaths to keep his rage under check.

“…Yes,” Dr. Enomoto said slowly, glancing warily over at Gunhead. “I was… made aware of this possibility before you arrived. But, nevertheless, we still need to get you registered. Why don’t you tell me all you know about your Quirk so far, and we can do a few extra tests, just to feel out the limits of your power?”

Enomoto gestured to his office again, and, after one more gentle squeeze from Ochako, Himiko followed after him, clutching tight to her friend’s hand.

The inside of his office is… strange.

Obviously meant for little kids, who’ve just discovered their Quirks.

Not for me. Not for the monster.

But— no, he said that other kids — other teenagers — sometimes manifested their Quirks later in life.

Not her , not exactly, but… similar enough.

Ochako’s friend got his Quirk just before his entrance exam, Himiko remembered. Deku… no, Izuku . Izuku Midoriya. …Man, that was lucky. How on earth did he know he was going to manifest it just before he entered the hero course?

The chairs in Enomoto’s office are small.

Meant for little four-year-olds just discovering their Quirks and wondering how they functioned, Himiko had to tuck her knees in up to her chin as Enomoto chuckled embarrassedly.

“Sorry about that. Like I said, it’s very rare for someone to manifest their Quirk at as late an age as you, so most of the patients I receive are very young.”

“It’s fine,” Himiko replied, simply wrapping her arms around her legs and staring up at him with wide eyes.

Ochako chuckled, sitting down next to her.

She nearly reached the same height as Himiko, despite being on the floor.

Gunhead sat at a pair of chairs in the corner, obviously meant for the parents of the children being evaluated.

Why neither Himiko nor Ochako took the other one, Himiko was unsure.

“So, Miss Toga,” Enomoto started, pulling out a clipboard with a smile. “Why don’t you tell me everything you know about your Quirk so far?”

Himiko took a deep breath.

“It… it makes me heal a bit faster,” she replied, before holding out her hands as an example. “These were bleeding heavily just a few days ago, but now they’re almost completely healed.”

“Mhm, mhm,” Enomoto nodded. “Anything else?”

“…My injuries tend to heal quickly on their own,” Himiko added softly. “But, if it’s something I’ve bitten, it heals twice as fast.”

“Ah, interesting, interesting— wait, something you’ve bitten ? You’ve bitten yourself?” he questioned, blinking down at her.

Himiko stayed silent.

“…She also has her eyes and fangs,” Ochako piped up for her. “I’ve heard her purr, and growl as well. She’s like a cat .”

Enomoto stared at Himiko for a moment, obviously still unsettled from learning she bit herself — enough to realize that made her heal even faster — before just scribbling down what Ochako said.

“…Yes. Okay,” he cleared his throat. “These all just sound like side effects so far, small pieces of a larger Quirk. Would you mind telling me what that is? What’s your main power — the thing that this faster healing and cat-like qualities are helping with?”

Himiko stayed silent, staring at Ochako.

She stared back, unable to explain what she didn’t know.

“…Can Ochako leave for this part?” she requested quietly.

Ochako blinked. “What? Why ? Why do you want me to leave?”

Himiko nervously played with the tips of her fingers. “…I don’t want you to know,” she admitted. “I don’t want you to— …to look at me any differently.”

“I won’t ,” Ochako promised, gripping her hands. “I won’t, I promise. No matter what your Quirk is — I don’t care if it’s ‘villainous’, or evil, or whatever. It’s still you , and I care about you. No matter if you think yourself undeserving of that care.”

Well, at least she’s taking notice of my request to not use the word “love” around me anymore, Himiko thought dizzily, just staring silently at Ochako.

“…Kid, if she’s uncomfortable with you knowing, then you should leave,” Gunhead said softly, leaning towards Ochako. “I’ll let Rebound know you can’t stick with me right now, and you can go patrol with her instead. Unless — Toga, do you want me to leave as well?”

Himiko glanced at Gunhead, then at Enomoto.

“…No,” she admitted. “I don’t want to be alone right now.” With a man I don’t trust.

Ochako sighed, giving her one last squeeze before standing up. “Alright. Fine, if you really don’t want me to. I’ll… I’ll go,” she moved to leave, only to pause at the door, glancing back at Himiko. “But… but you’ll come find me after this, right? So we can hang out some more?”

Himiko nodded, and Ochako smiled, small, worried.

“Good. Then… bye, I guess. For now.”

The door shut behind her, and Himiko took in a deep breath, feeling smaller than ever.

The smiling poster of All Might on the wall stared down at her.

The lineup of small toys — from plastic to plush, all in some sort of disrepair, from kids biting them or scratching them or marring them with ice, fire, acid , from just-developing Quirks — mocked her, asking her, “Why are you here? Haven’t you done this before?”

Himiko’s fingers twitched as she noticed the small jar of glitter slime sitting on the counter behind the doctor.

Noticing this, Enomoto casually handed her the jar.

“Calm down, Toga. This is a safe environment, I promise you. No one will judge your, or your Quirk.”

Himiko just opened the jar, pressing her fingers in the sludge for a few silent moments.

“…My Quirk has to do with blood,” she answered after awhile, feeling her throat closing in on her as soon as those words left her mouth.

“Alright, blood,” he replied without flinching, marking it down on his clipboard. What? Why doesn’t he care ? Doesn’t that make me a monster ? “And what does it do with the blood?”

Himiko stared at him.

“I— you don’t understand. I’m— I crave blood. I’m desperate for it. I’m,” her voice cracked. “I’m like Stain . I’m like the Hero Killer .”

Gunhead placed a hand on her head. “You heard about that, huh, kid?”

“Y-yes. My class was talking about it all day,” Himiko stammered, staring at Gunhead with wide eyes.

Why can’t I see his face ? She cried. I don’t know what he’s thinking. I don’t know how much he hates me.

How everyone hates me.

“Many different people have Quirks,” Dr. Enomoto explained. “I see so many kids in here, with so much variety. And some of them have to do with blood; in fact, one of the pro heroes — one of the teachers at UA, in fact — has a blood Quirk. Vlad King, the Blood Hero. Perhaps you’ve heard of him?”

Himiko was silent.

“He teaches Class 1-B, so Uraraka doesn’t have him for her homeroom,” Gunhead added. “But I’m sure she’s at least seen him around a little bit.”

“…He doesn’t drink it , though,” Himiko said softly. “Stain does .”

“Chizome Akaguro paralyzes the people he ingests the blood of, depending on blood type,” Enomoto nodded, flipping though his papers. “Does yours do something similar?”

Himiko fell silent.

“…I don’t know .”

“What?” Gunhead sat up straight in his chair, and Dr. Enomoto glanced over at her.

“Alright, then we can figure it out together,” he smiled, and Himiko had to remind herself he dealt almost exclusively with kids who, just like her, had no idea what their Quirks actually did . Ones who’s Quirks just manifested. So not like me at all, then. “How do you know it has do with blood? What are the signifiers?”

Himiko let out a breath, relaxing her legs and stabbing her fingers back into the jar of bright pink glitter slime.

“…I can smell it,” she admitted. “Sense it. I can tell when someone’s heart’s beating faster, slower, and, like, if they’re blushing and stuff. If the blood’s accumulated in their face,” I also get overwhelmed if I smell too much. “I… get pretty bad cravings if I smell it — if it’s open to the air, or if I’m right next to someone’s neck or something, where the blood is pumping hardest.” She added, because he was a doctor.

“I see…” Enomoto finished writing on his clipboard, before smiling down at Himiko. “Alright, I believe that’s enough information to begin testing. Unless — is there anything else you’d like to add?”

“I actually have a question,” Gunhead interrupted, leaning towards Himiko. “How did you discover your Quirk? What happened, and how did your parents react — did they treat you any differently after they found out, or have you always been treated this way?”

“…Oh, the differences were palpable ,” Himiko replied, chuckling dryly, bitterly. Gunhead brought out his phone — for what reason, Himiko had no idea. “When I was little, before my Quirk manifested… back when I was ‘normal’,” she spat out the word like it had burned her. “They treated me like I was any other little girl. I got dresses, and tea parties, and bows and ribbons. And then… then I found that stupid sparrow .”

She took a few deep breaths, staring at the floor for a couple moments before continuing.

“…It was hurt. It was bleeding . And… and I was just a kid. I didn’t know what I was doing. I thought… I thought I was helping it,” she clutched the hem of her shirt. “…I bit it. I drank it’s blood. …My parents were horrified .”

Dr. Enomoto tsked.

“Parents shouldn’t act that way towards their children’s Quirks. Even if they were surprised — I’m assuming your Quirk was some sort of mutation — they should still be supportive. Get you registered . Gah, I still can’t believe they didn’t register you!” Enomoto flung his arms out in exasperation. “You should always register your child’s Quirk, no matter what!” he huffed, before quickly fixing his face. “Though, I must say, I do find all sorts of Quirks rather fascinating, so I am glad to be able to study yours. My own Quirk is called Sense — it lets me detect the pressure points in a person’s body, where the aspects of their Quirk show up the strongest. It also lets me see how often you use said Quirk — and you, my dear, have obviously not used yours in years , perhaps ever . I can see it all bunched up around your fangs, spreading out through your whole system.”

Enomoto traced some invisible line through Himiko’s body, making her eyes widen ever further as she realized the extent of what her Quirk had done to her — no wonder he called her “tangled up.”

“So,” he chirped, as if he hadn’t just shattered Himiko’s entire world. “Shall we begin the testing now?”

Himiko breathed heavily, gripping her hands tightly, letting the jar of slime sit in her lap.

“…How would we test it?” she asked, soft, weak. “It requires blood , so…”

“So, we have two willing test subjects right here!” he chirped, before realizing what he said and hastily adding, “Oh, I mean — I don’t mean to presume , Gunhead, but your cooperation would make this a tad easier.”

“Eh, if it helps the kid,” he just shrugged, and Himiko’s eyes darted from Enomoto to Gunhead and back again as she realized what he was implying.

“…Wait,” she started. “Wait, wait wait wait. What — you’re giving me your blood? That’s — why? Why would you do that? What if—” her voice hitched, but she pressed on. “What if that makes the cravings worse ? What if I attack someone because of this — I already almost killed a guy in middle school, just because the cravings were so bad.”

Gunhead stared at her for this admission, but Enomoto just shrugged.

“The longer you suppress your Quirk the worse it gets. If anything, I would assume this helps alleviate the cravings, not make them worse. Now—” he smiled down at her, as if this wasn’t a very bad idea . “You said you bit a sparrow before, yes? And nothing happened?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say nothing , but yeah, my Quirk didn’t activate,” Himiko shrugged, unable to do anything else to stop it at this point.

“And you said you bit yourself,” he prompted, and Himiko nodded. “Is there any other blood you’ve drunken? Any other situation where your Quirk could’ve activated but didn’t?”

“…Just the sparrow’s and my own,” Himiko admitted. “I’ve— I sometimes eat stuff with blood in it, like really rare steaks and stuff… it didn’t activate then , either.”

“So, obviously your Quirk doesn’t have to do with animal blood, nor your own,” Enomoto nodded. “Then the next step is quite logical. Gunhead, your arm, please.”

Himiko was surprised when Dr. Enomoto turned around and pulled out a syringe from one of his cabinets.

Gunhead rolled down the sleeve of one of his long, fingerless gloves, and Himiko watched with drool dripping from her lips as the syringe was plunged into the crook of his elbow, slowly filling with blood.

A band-aid was placed on his injury, and Gunhead rolled his sleeve back up. And the syringe was handed to Himiko.

She stared at it, eyes wide, hands trembling.

She shouldn’t be doing this .

“…Are— are you sure?” she asked quietly, and Enomoto nodded.

“Yes. Now, go on, drink it,” he waved at the syringe in her hands. “The longer you wait, the angrier your Quirk gets.”

That was true. The monster inside her was wailing at her to drink it , to consume , even as her mind told her it was wrong. To stop it , your parents forbid you from doing this for a reason .

Himiko stuck the edge of the syringe in her mouth.

She pressed on the stopper, and that sweet, extraordinary liquid touched her tongue.

It tasted like iron, like salt, but also like something more — something sweeter.

Himiko couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

It was… solid.

Like a firm foundation — a brick wall, symbolizing safety, sturdiness, and steadfast resolution. But it could also be used for something darker — like the suffocating bricks the office they were sitting in was built out of, like schools, like prisons .

But in food form.

The aftertaste was strange, reminding Himiko of unripe fruit, but she still found herself craving more.

She was so focused on the taste of the blood in her mouth that she didn’t even notice her arms thickening, skin growing darker, and the extra foot of height she had suddenly gained.

Enomoto and Gunhead stayed silent.

“…I, uh, think you’re going to need new clothes, dude— k-kid,” Gunhead hastily corrected himself, and Himiko glanced over.

“What do you—” she started, but her voice was deeper, lower, more… masculine . More Gunhead.

Himiko glanced down at herself, seeing the ripped uniform hanging off of muscular arms, shredded tights clinging to ripped calves…

Himiko jerked her head back up as she realized her skirt was just barely concealing the lower area of her new body.

… Gunhead’s body.

Himiko clutched her thick legs to her chiseled abs, making sure to move the jar of glitter slime out of her lap, just in case she accidentally crushed it with her new muscles.

“… What do I do now ,” she hissed, flinching back as the voice that came out of her mouth wasn’t her own, but Gunhead’s.

“Well, first off all, I’d like to get you clothed ,” Gunhead told her, waving to her — his? — body. “I’d rather not flash all my personal bits off to the world.”

As she continued staring at him, something crept over her form, slimy and wet, and Gunhead visibly relaxed.

“That’s better.”

“What’s better?” Himiko glanced down at her suddenly much heavier arm, and saw the silver, revolver-shaped bracers that were around Gunhead’s arms. She was suddenly wearing Gunhead’s outfit, underneath the tattered remains of her own.

“Well, I think with that display, we can finally say we have a name for your Quirk,” Enomoto nodded, jotting one last thing down on his clipboard. “ Transform .”

Transform.

Himiko-Gunhead glanced between Gunhead-Gunhead and Dr. Enomoto.

“ Transform ,” she whispered, testing the name out on her tongue. She shuddered as she still heard Gunhead’s voice come out of her mouth.

“That okay with you, kid?” Gunhead asked. “Like the name? This is the one time you can change it, so speak now or forever—” he suddenly let out a violent squawk.

Gunhead surged up from his seat as more slimy wetness dripped down from Himiko’s form, running in front of her and holding his hands out protectively in front of her as the slightest hint of red could be seen around the edges of his mask.

“ Towel towel towel ,” he hissed to Enomoto. “ Please tell me you have a towel.”

“Ah — yes, of course,” Enomoto nodded, avoiding looking at Himiko as he grabbed something else from his cupboard of endless things and gave it to Gunhead, who tossed it at Himiko without looking — in fact, he was actively shielding his eyes.

Himiko held the towel, staring at it in confusion, until she finally noticed the large globs of fluid — the same color as her skin — that were dripping down her arms were also leaving them bare, back to their original shape and thickness.

“Oh.”

Himiko’s face burned as she realized she was rather rapidly becoming butt-naked in the middle of this Quirk assessment facility, and quickly slung the towel around her shoulders, making sure it covered every inch of her that could potentially be considered inappropriate.

“…You decent, kid?” Gunhead asked, voice strained, arms still held out protectively in front of her.

“Yes.” Himiko replied, and Gunhead relaxed, turning back around.

“Well. That just about gave me the fright of my life.”

Himiko laughed, and Gunhead just let out a long, deep breath while Enomoto scribbled something down on his abandoned clipboard.

“Quirk makes patient lose her clothing,” he observed. “Can make duplicates of the person she’s transformed into’s clothing, but transformation does not last forever and does not allow her to keep their clothing afterwards.”

“…So, uh,” Gunhead cleared his throat. “How… how are we getting you new clothes? Uh — you have something extra in your dormitory? Should… should I go grab that for you?”

Himiko blinked at him.

A hero.

A pro hero, in her dorm room.

A pro hero, seen by everyone in her class, everyone in her school, as he grabs her new clothes .

Ito’s gonna see him, Himiko realized.

She wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing.

No, that’s a very bad thing, she scolded herself. No one can see him — not the people in the halls, not the people in your class, not the person in your dorm. No one can know you got this evaluation — that you’re not normal .

Gunhead stared down at her.

“…I could go clothes shopping, if you just tell me your sizes,” he pointed out. “Can’t promise it’ll be, like, a good outfit — I’m pretty crap at men’s fashion, so no telling how girl’s fashion’ll go over — but at least you won’t be wearing nothing.”

Himiko imagined big, buff Gunhead, in the girl’s aisle, buying clothes for her.

She snorted.

“ Alright , if it’s so ridiculous, I’ll get Rebound to do it for me, okay?” he huffed in embarrassment, and Himiko couldn’t help the rest of her giggling from spilling out.

“No, no,” she gasped, smile wide, fangs showing. “You should totally do it, it’ll be great for you hero cred—”

But he was already pulling out his phone.

Himiko doubled over, dissolving in laughter, and by the time another hero arrived — a lanky girl, with a bright red costume and fierce green eyes — she was only barely getting a hold of herself.

“You wanted me to go clothes shopping?” the hero — Rebound, probably — questioned, holding up a plastic bag with two fingers. “…This the kid it’s for?”

“Himiko! What happened to your clothes ?!” Ochako gasped, rushing up to her and trying to adjust the towel so it covered up even more of herself. “Wha— is this why you wanted me to leave? Because you knew your Quirk would leave you naked like this?”

Himiko snickered, still trying to get her giggles under control, and collapsed onto Ochako’s shoulder. “Not entirely naked,” she pointed out, breathless from laughing. “My uniform’s in shreds under this.”

Ochako glanced down, noting the ripped tights pooled around her ankles and bulging, torn-apart shoes on her feet.

“…What happened ?” she questioned, incredulous.

“Just get clothed , idiot, and the rest of us can get out of here,” Rebound said roughly, throwing the bag of clothes at Himiko and beaning her in the back of the head. “I’m headed back to headquarters. I’ve had enough of teenagers to last me a lifetime.”

“You were barely around me for an hour,” Ochako pointed out, and Rebound pierced her with a flat look.

“I’ve had enough ,” she repeated, making sure to enunciate each of her words distinctly. “Of teenagers , to last a lifetime .”

“You’re dismissed,” Gunhead said, waving Rebound off. “Go cool off or something, you’re always so hot-headed.”

“Thanks, coach,” Rebound said dryly, giving him a half-hearted salute, and Gunhead let out a breathy sigh.

“ Young people ,” he grumbled as soon as Rebound was out the door. “Always so brash. Can’t wait for when she makes it big enough to open her own agency; having her as a sidekick for this long has been torture enough.”

“Um,” Ochako spoke up. “Shouldn’t we leave the room? Y’know, so Himiko can change?”

Gunhead nodded stiffly, and she could sense the blood rushing up to his cheeks again.

Gosh, he’s so easy to fluster.

He marched out of the back room and towards the reception area where Enomoto was already waiting, and Ochako hesitated for just a second longer.

“…Do you want me to stay? I could help you change,” she offered.

Himiko felt her own cheeks start to flush. Maybe I’m easy to fluster, too.

“Nah, it’s fine,” she said, but pressed her face to Ochako’s cheek anyways, a smile pressing at the corners of her mouth. Gosh, she smells so sweet.

“Thank you?” Ochako squeaked, confused and embarrassed, and Himiko realized she had said that last part out loud.

“You’re welcome,” Himiko hummed happily. “You should know how great you are.”

Ochako brushed her hands over Himiko’s bare shoulders, bringing them up to cup her face, and looked into her eyes for a single, confused moment.

Himiko couldn’t stop smiling.

“…Gosh, did they make you drunk or something?” she muttered. “What even is your Quirk?”

“Transform,” she whispered, giddy. “I finally have a name for it. Transform .”

Ochako’s expression cleared up for a moment.

“ Transform ,” she echoed. “…Makes sense, with what happened to your clothes. …Who did you transform into?”

“Gunhead,” Himiko replied, humming. “He’s massive . I nearly crushed the chair.”

Ochako smiled. Then it turned teasing.

“Aw, what, didn’t you want to turn into me ?” she questioned. “I thought I was supposed to be your favorite thing .”

“You are,” Himiko replied automatically. “And I wanna turn into you so bad ,” she rested her head against Ochako’s shoulder, breath ghosting against her neck, hot. “But I promised myself I wouldn’t hurt you.”

Ochako froze, staring at Himiko.

“…What?” she whispered, tiny, confused… horrified .

Himiko fell silent, a bit of her giddy lightheadedness fading as she realized what she had just said.

She clutched Ochako’s shoulder, breathing in the scent of her blood.

But not craving it.

Gunhead’s blood had satiated her… at least for now.

Ochako cupped her cheek.

“Himiko… can you — can you tell me how your Quirk works? Why do you think you’d hurt me?” Ochako asked softly, brushing some hair back from Himiko’s face.

Her breath caught in her throat.

…Should she?

Should Himiko tell Ochako how her Quirk works — how much of a danger she is?

She pressed her fangs to Ochako’s neck.

“Let’s just say… I have fangs for a reason,” she whispered.

Ochako just stared at her.

“…So does Kirishima, and his fangs are only, like, mildly related to his Quirk — Hardening. Since his body becomes all spiky, I guess his teeth just decided to stay that way as well?” Ochako speculated. “And I have no idea what Tetsutetsu’s Quirk has to do with his fangs.”

“…My fangs are a lot more related,” Himiko admitted.

“To Transform,” Ochako echoed, tilting her head. “…What is that supposed to mean? Does it have to do with how your Quirk activates ?”

Himiko stayed silent, just letting her figure it out by herself.

…Oh, and she should probably start changing.

“Fangs and Transform… gotta harness my inner Deku to solve this one— Eep!!!” Ochako flushed as Himiko turned around, shrugging off her towel. “I thought you said you didn’t want me to help you change!!!!!”

“Eh, changed my mind,” Himiko shrugged, grabbing the plastic bag of clothing Rebound had thrown at her. “But not completely — you can stay in the room, but just to keep talking. I… I like listening to you.”

“Alright,” Ochako replied, and Himiko could sense Ochako’s heartbeat thundering in her chest, the blood congregating in her face.

It was taking Ochako a moment to try and calm her racing heart, so Himiko dug through the bag, examining the clothes that hero sidekick had gotten her.

She rubbed her fingers against the orange hoodie, staring at the cat ears sewn onto the hood.

“…Um,” she said. “What? Why does — Rebound doesn’t seem the type to grab something like this .”

“O-oh, I helped pick out some of your clothes,” Ochako replied, reaching out one hand towards Himiko’s back — only to hesitate an inch away from the bare skin, the blood shooting up to her cheeks again. “U-uh, I chose that one since, you’re… my little kitty.”

Himiko huffed out a laugh.

“Yeah. Yeah, that makes a bit more sense.”

Himiko tugged the bra on, as well as her new underwear, and Ochako turned around to continue talking without getting embarrassed.

“Okay, so, lemme think… you said you transformed into Gunhead, right?” Ochako questioned. “I don’t know how you did that with your fangs — I didn’t see any bite marks on him or anything.”

“I mean,” Himiko tugged the cat hoodie on. “I don’t have to use my fangs to activate my Quirk — they’re just useful for if I needed them.”

Ochako hummed.

“So, you could use your fangs to activate your Quirk, but don’t have to…” the sound of Ochako thrumming her fingers against the counter filled the room. “I was thinking maybe your bite activated it, but if that’s not true… hm. Do you have to eat something?”

Himiko stayed silent.

“That’s it, right?” Ochako perked up, glancing back at Himiko as she finished tugging her pants over her legs. “You eat something — what is it? Their skin? A… fingernail or something?” Ochako suddenly paused, realization dawning over her.

That Stain arrest last night must certainly be helping, Himiko thought wryly.

Ochako’s voice was low, quiet, as she asked, “…Do you have to drink their blood ?”

“…Yeah,” Himiko answered, equally as quiet.

She sat on the floor, staring at the socks and shoes she had been gifted, running a thumb over their fabric.

Ochako sat down next to her.

“…Himiko,” she started, grabbing her hand. “Is this… is this why you haven’t wanted to tell me about your Quirk? Because it requires… blood ?”

“Like a villain’s Quirk,” she replied, quiet. “…Like Stain’s .”

Ochako stared at her for a moment, before huffing.

“Well, that came at an absolutely terrible time for your self-esteem. Seriously, the day before your Quirk consultation, a villain with a Quirk kinda similar to yours gets arrested ?”

Himiko glanced over at Ochako.

She didn’t look scared.

She didn’t look disgusted.

She just looked… frustrated.

Frustrated, on Himiko’s behalf, that a villain like Stain would ever dare make her feel like her Quirk was monstrous.

But… wasn’t it ?

“…Why don’t you hate me?” Himiko asked softly. “I’m… didn’t some of the people from your school get attacked last night? First years, like you? Aren’t they… well, do you know them?”

“Yeah, it was Deku, and Iida and Todoroki,” she replied, threading her fingers through Himiko’s. “They got beat up pretty badly. But, Himiko, that isn’t your fault. Just because your Quirks carries some similarities, doesn’t mean you had anything to do with Stain, or his crimes, or his ideology. You just… you’re my friend. And, as your friend… I gotta say, your Quirk is pretty cool,” Ochako grinned at her. “I mean, drinking blood to turn into people? You could, like, take all my tests for me, or something. And your fangs! I always thought they were cool, but now I know they’re there for biting people. You could— you could bite me ,” something strange happened to Ochako’s features, and her face turned bright red. “…I mean, I…”

What is going on.

Ochako found out I bite people — that I should bite people — and immediately offers herself up.

To be bitten.

By me .

Himiko’s face turned red as well, and she turned her focus back onto the socks and shoes in front of her.

The socks were white, with pink and purple polka dot hearts — just like those band-aids Ochako had gotten her when she had bitten her own hands. The shoes had pictures of cats scattered all over them.

Himiko was detecting a theme with the things Ochako had gotten her.

Ochako cleared her throat.

“Um,” she started, glancing away, still unable to meet Himiko’s gaze. Good. I can’t meet hers, either. “Uh, is… is that why you’re biting yourself all the time? Because you… because you need blood?”

“…Crave it,” she corrected. “It’s not — it’s not like I’ll die without it. It just… makes me a little hungry. No big deal.”

“ Himiko ,” Ochako warned her, stern. “I need you to stop talking like that. Stop minimizing your needs and wants. If you need to bite me — if you want to bite me — I’m here. And I won’t run away.”

Himiko just stared at her.

“…Kinky,” she finally forced out, forcibly tugging the socks onto her feet.

Ochako let out a whine. “You’re making this weird .”

“ You’re the one making it weird,” Himiko shot back. “The doctor used a syringe to give me Gunhead’s blood. I don’t need to bite you, no matter what.”

Ochako was quiet.

Uncomfortable nerves crawled up Himiko’s back.

“…I could show you it , if you don’t believe me,” she offered.

“But what if I want you to bite me,” Ochako whispered, only to immediately shove her hand in her mouth and bite down on it, face burning so, so red.

Himiko just stared at Ochako.

“… Now look who’s biting her own hands,” she pointed out, electing to ignore Ochako’s maybe-confession, as well as all the butterflies that came with it.

“ Jerk ,” Ochako huffed, shoving Himiko.

Himiko just smiled, tying her shoelaces as that strange pressure in her chest released.

Good. Let things be normal. I…

I don’t know what I’d do if it turned out Ochako liked me back.

We’re both girls. We’re not supposed to like each other like that.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Girls? You done in there?” Gunhead’s voice came through, muffled by the wooden door. “Dr. Enomoto has another appointment in a few minutes, and we should really get going.”

“Ah! Right!” Ochako straightened up, before grabbing Himiko’s other shoe and tying it for her. “Just a moment, Himiko’s getting her shoes on.”

“All clothed?” he checked, and upon receiving confirmation, opened the door. “Good. Now, Toga, as great as you’ve been for Uravity — and as much as I’ve adored having you at my agency — you’re kind of cutting into our training time. I only have her for a week, you see, and it’s pretty hard teaching her all the martial arts I can when we’re constantly getting interrupted by all of your two’s cutesy little moments.”

“Yeah, but I only get Ochako for a week, too,” Himiko pouted, immediately latching onto Ochako’s arm and looking up at him with puppy-dog eyes.

Gunhead huffed.

“You can hop on a train and visit her any time ,” he pointed out. “You’re her friend . Meanwhile, I’m just the guy she’s interning with — I’ve got her for a full week, only seven days, and it’s already been four. You’re cute, but distracting; please just let me train her.”

“Can’t Himiko watch , though?” Ochako questioned, hugging her tight. “You can teach me how to fight, and Himiko doesn’t have to be alone!”

“Yeah, and what am I supposed to do when you just end up staring at her the entire time?” he asked, only semi-joking.

“…Himiko’s gonna be there to watch ,” Ochako said flatly, not quite getting it. “Of course she’s going to watch me.”

“No, not Toga !” he laughed. “ You !!! Uraraka! Uravity !”

Ochako stared at him for a moment, and then flushed.

“Wh— no, no , I wouldn’t!” Ochako protested. “I’d train hard! I promise !”

“Sure, sure, you say that,” he replied, tilting his head and bringing his shoulders up to his face in a surprisingly cute gesture. “But we all know you’d just get distracted by your girlfriend.”

Silence.

Ochako’s eyes slowly grew wide, and all the blood rushed to her face.

“G- girlfriend ?!” she spluttered. Himiko ducked her head, face red. “Wh-who said anything about a girlfriend!?”

Gunhead stayed silent, and Himiko had the feeling that, behind his mask, he was raising an eyebrow at them.

“…Is that… not what you two are?” he asked. “I know you said you were ‘best friends’ before, but… I know that’s usually used as a euphemism for queer relationships, especially girls.”

Himiko clenched her hands against the new pants Ochako had gotten her.

What is going on. Why… why is he okay with what he’s saying. Why does Ochako—

…What does Ochako think of this?

“We’re… we’re not dating,” Ochako clarified, battling to subdue the blush on her face. “I mean, we only met this week, and…”

“Online dating exists , girls,” he pointed out. “I know I may be old, but I am aware of it.”

“That doesn’t mean we did it ,” Ochako protested. “We— we’re just friends.”

Gunhead stared at them.

“…Very close friends,” he eventually decided. “Closer than I’ve seen in years.”

“Exactly!” Ochako agreed, but the blush didn’t die down from her face. Himiko had no idea what to make of that. “We’re just — we’re friends! It must’ve been all the stuff with Himiko’s parents that’s gotten us to grow so close.”

Himiko’s breath was caught in her throat.

In her chest, in her skin , tearing her apart, piece by piece.

Ochako denied it.

That should’ve been good.

But it didn’t feel like it — it didn’t feel like she meant it, and it didn’t feel like she knew what to do with that information, either.

“But what if I want you to bite me.”

Himiko felt a shudder course through her entire body, nearly making her stumble as she exited the room.

“Woah! You okay?” Ochako asked, catching her with a worried smile.

No, Himiko thought, but didn’t say. Not when you’re here, and I want you so bad.

I want to be near you, as much as I can.

I want to drink your blood.

I want to kiss your lips.

I want to never, ever be separated from you, for even a moment.

She didn’t say any of that, because suddenly she was grabbing Ochako’s arms, leaning up to her face, and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Warm.

Desperate .

Ochako stared at her as she drew back, eyes wide, heart pumping fast , and Gunhead just let out a sigh.

“If you really want to convince me you’re just friends,” he muttered. “You’re gonna need to stop doing stuff like that .”

Ochako slumped against the wall of her bedroom, eyes wide, cheeks flushed, one hand covering her mouth.

When she had gotten home from training, she had barely said anything to her parents, immediately heading to her room to try and get a grip on all the thoughts swirling around her head.

That’s probably gonna worry them quite a bit, she couldn’t help noticing.

But she needed this time.

Because Ochako had said she wanted Himiko to bite her.

And Gunhead had called Himiko her girlfriend .

And Ochako had liked it .

Her heart hammered in her chest, heat rushed in her cheeks, and blood pounded in her veins.

I bet Himiko would like to taste some of it, she caught herself thinking, and was suddenly very glad for the hand she had covering her mouth as she let out a rather undignified noise into her palm.

Himiko wants to taste my blood.

Why does that make me so warm ?

She wasn’t gay , was she?

Ochako had no qualms against gay people — after all, they were just people! Same as anyone else! — but… she never thought she would actually turn out to be one .

Ochako bit one of her fingers, chewing on it’s side.

Did Himiko do this, too?

She said her parents didn’t like her Quirk — did they stop her from having any blood, so long that she had to taste her own just to content herself?

Her heart ached, and she had no idea what to do.

Maybe I should go visit Deku.

He’s in the hospital right now, so he should probably be okay with any visitors, since they won’t be taking up any of his training time.

Ochako felt her cheek, right where Himiko had pressed her lips to it.

Pressed against her , as if she were too desperate to think of consequences right now.

Ochako let out a shaky breath.

She’d been thinking What if I have a crush on Himiko , but not What if Himiko has a crush on me?

…But the more she thought about it, the more things started to fall into place.

She looks at me like I’ve hung the stars in the sky. She clings to me tight, close, like she’s scared of letting me go. She confesses things to me she never does to anyone else.

But, wasn’t that just because of her trauma?

Himiko didn’t have anyone else to talk to. Wasn’t it only natural for her to spill all the things she tried so desperately to hide to the one person who she trusted ?

Not all of it, Ochako remembered, thinking of Himiko’s Quirk. Of her bloodlust . …Why is that hot ?

Ochako felt an entirely new wave of heat strike her, and shrunk against the wall.

I really need someone to talk to about this.

Would Deku understand?

Was there someone better to talk to this about — Iida and Todoroki had been hospitalized as well, right? Would they understand?

She tried to imagine what Iida would say.

“Uraraka!” she imagined him shouting. “I am so glad you came to me with such a sensitive subject! I shall do my utmost best to guide you through these trying times!”

…Oookay, so maybe Iida wasn’t the best pick. Todoroki?

She imagined him staring at her, silent. “…Why did you choose to ask me about this? Aren’t you friends with Iida and Midoriya? Ask one of them .”

Okay, no Todoroki, either.

…What about my parents?

Her heart pounded as she imagined trying to explain this to them, how she felt about Himiko, and how she wondered what Himiko felt about her .

Her insides tied themselves into knots.

No, no . I need someone my own age I can talk about this to — not them .

I don’t… I don’t even know how they’d respond, and I don’t want to try. They’ve just met her.

But Deku hasn’t.

And he always has so many observations about everything, picking up on things she never could’ve hoped to dream of.

…He’s the perfect candidate, isn’t he? She realized, mildly horrified.

The perfect candidate right now .

What if she waited? Asked another of her classmates about it?

Mina, Tsu, Jiro and Toru and Yaoyorozu… would any of them have something constructive to say about it?

Mina loves gossip, she’d probably end up spreading it around, even if she has something helpful to say about it. Tsu is down to earth, but I’m not sure how great she is at dealing with feelings. Jiro… Jiro hates that stuff, so definitely not her. Toru… hm. Maybe? And Momo…

She’s all pristine and proper and stuff, would she know how to deal with feelings?

I’m not comfortable enough with any of the other boys to bring it up with them — Kaminari’d make some dumb joke about me taking two attractive girls off the market, Kirishima would say something about how I’m being “so manly” by trying to talk out my feelings. Bakugo’d just blow my face off.

The more and more she looked at it, the more and more Deku looked like her best shot, even without the added benefit of being in the hospital and therefore easier to get a hold of right now.

Wait, she realized. Wait, if he’s in the hospital, with Iida and Todoroki… they might all be in the same room.

They’d all hear me complaining about Himiko.

And I could not pull Deku aside just to try and talk about my feelings for Himiko. He’s never met her!

So maybe I should just sit here in silence.

Ochako tried that, for one second.

Then two.

Then she grabbed her purse and was already out the door.

“Bye, mom! Bye dad! I’m gonna go visit Deku in the hospital!” she called out to them. “He got attacked by that Hero Killer: Stain, and I think he could use the company!”

“Bye, sweetie!” Chamaru called back, sounding obviously surprised. “Just make sure to head home in time for bed!”

“Will do!”

She texted Deku while she was on the train, just so she didn’t startle him.

That One Broke Girl

Hey deku I was wondering if ud be fine with me coming 2 visit u in the hospital?

Green Means Go!

i thought i told you to change your contact name 😓
wait, shouldnt you be staying at your internship?
you know, since were supposed to sleepover there and stuff?

That One Broke Girl

Lol, sleepover
But yeah, gunhead didnt have enough sleeping arrangements 4 me so I ended up having to take the train there and back every day

Green Means Go!

ohhh, interesting!
gunhead doesnt have very many sidekicks, so that makes sense
and why did you want to come and visit me?

That One Broke Girl

…
Okay so I really just needed someone to talk to 😅

Green Means Go!

what is it this time?

That One Broke Girl

Okay but its suprer embarrasing and I cant really talk about it over the phone

Green Means Go!

?
wait is this like about feelings and stuff?
im super bad at those 😓

That One Broke Girl

OKAY BUT DO YOU THINK I COULD TALK TO IDA ABOUT THIS?????
NO I THIKN NOT
It doesnt matter im coming over anyway :)

Green Means Go!

wait but hes in the same room as me!!!!!

That One Broke Girl

TOO LATE IMA COMIN

Green Means Go!

uraraka!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ochako placed a hand to her chest, trying to steady herself.

She did it. And there was no going back now.

Deku met her at the front desk.

“…You really came,” he observed, letting out an annoyed, slightly panicked breath. “Must mean whatever you wanted to talk about is super important.”

“ Very you have no idea how stressed I’ve been ,” Ochako replied, her smile just a bit too wide.

He held out a hand to her. “Walk with me?”

She stared at the bandages on his right arm.

The same spot where Himiko’s bandaged up.

She let out a shaky breath, giving him other (fake) smile.

“Of course!”

She doesn’t take his hand.

He doesn’t seem to mind that — or even really notice.

“So, what seems to be the problem?” he asks, smiling at her with that sweet, Midoriya smile as they walk through the halls. “You already called to ask me about Stain — what else could you need to talk about?”

Ochako shifted, staring at the floor.

“…Okay, so, you know that girl I’m always texting? Himiko?”

He blinked at her, surprised.

“…This is about a girl ?” he asked, realized the intonations in his voice, and quickly made a face. “—Wait, you were talking to a girl ? Mina told everyone you were texting your boyfriend.”

“Ha-ha, Mina ,” Ochako rolled her eyes. “No, Himiko’s not a guy. …Though, um, it turns out her assumption about her being a boyfriend might not be entirely wrong?”

Izuku stared at her.

“…Wait. Are you saying — you’re…?”

“ I DON’T KNOW ,” Ochako blurted, face swiftly turning crimson. “It’s just — it turns out, Himiko’s in the same city Gunhead’s agency is located at, and, well, it’s been, like, super fun getting to hang out with her irl,” a smile snuck it’s way onto her face, and Izuku just continued staring. “She’s— well, she’s got a lot of issues, and while I’ve been helping her sort those out, I… kinda sorta realized I might have a crush on her? Maybe?”

Deku’s eyes were bugging out of his skull.

“And you thought I could help you with this????”

“You’re the only one I could talk to!!!” Ochako protested. “Iida’s terrible with this kind of thing, if I asked Mina she’d have it all over the school by the time I finished talking, and I really have no idea who else I’d even ask . I can’t talk to my parents about this kind of thing, but you know things. You’re, like, the smartest guy I know. Please help me.”

Izuku looked like he might just crumble in front of her.

“I… okay, so,” he started, taking a deep breath. Then another. “Let’s try and think about this logically.”

Logic’s about the furthest thing on my mind right now, Ochako thought, but didn’t say.

“Um— this girl — Himiko? What, uh… what’s she like?”

“Cute,” Ochako replied immediately. “She’s got these sharp teeth, and big yellow cat eyes, and — get this, Deku — she can even purr . She’s got a lot of baggage with her Quirk — her parents always said it was more of a ‘villain’s’ Quirk, and with the capture of Stain she was really starting to believe that about herself…”

“Wait, what’s her Quirk?” Deku questioned, perking up.

And that was the last they talked about emotions for a while.

“Wait, so, when she bites people, they heal faster?” he questioned. “ Fascinating … it must have to do with how her Quirk works: if she steals blood from someone she’s trying to impersonate over and over again, it’d make sense for the wound to heal quicker, just for convenience’s sake.”

“And she’s got these cute little vampire fangs, too, so she looks so cute when she does it,” Ochako gushed, hands to her cheeks.

“It makes sense for them to not be full-on shark teeth, like Kirishima — she’s stealing their blood, not taking a chunk out of their flesh,” Izuku nodded. “I wonder, since she’s transforming into different people, could she potentially steal their Quirk ? Something like what Monoma does — but on a much different scale. Stealing their blood, taking their Quirk… how long do the transformations last?”

“Oh, I’m not sure,” Ochako replied, lowering her hands. “I mean, she’s only just told me the extent of her power — before I’d only be able to pick up on little things, like the glint of fangs in a photo she’d send me, or the purr rumbling in her voice when we’d talk on the phone.”

“Her cat attributes don’t make much sense,” Deku frowned, tapping his chin. “Are they supposed to lure people into a sense of false comfort? Or maybe her eyes do something else — help her hunt for prey, and the purring is just a result of that. Maybe …”

“Uraraka! What are you doing here?” Iida suddenly called out, and Ochako jumped. “Shouldn’t you be getting on with your hero studies? Shame on you, coming out all this way to check on us, when you really should be preparing for you next day working under a pro hero !”

“Hi, Iida,” Ochako greeted guiltily, raising a hand to wave at him, before she noticed the other person in the room, hair split half-and-half with a burn scar on his left side. “Hi, Todoroki. Um, I was just… Gunhead didn’t really have any extra room in his offices for me, so I got a little more freedom than the rest of you guys to come and visit.”

“Shame on him!” Iida replied, not missing a beat. “Taking on another pair of hands, when he didn’t have enough room in his own quarters! He’s a pro — he shouldn’t be making rookie mistakes like that!”

“I… think he mostly just didn’t realize I’d accept,” Ochako replied, one hand to the back of her neck. “He realized he could give me some extra combat lessons I could really use, and just…”

“Still! He should think before making decisions like that!” Iida exclaimed.

“…The training’s more important than the sleeping arrangements,” Todoroki pointed out in that flat, emotionless voice of his. “If he has important things to teach her, why not let her come?”

“Yes! Exactly!” Ochako chirped, piping up. “He’s been a real savior — I’ve already learned so much!”

“Plus, although you didn’t realize this at the time, you got to be closer to your friend,” Izuku pointed out with a kind smile.

“…Her friend?” Iida asked, finally calming down. It was weird that he couldn’t use any of his usual hand gestures, with both his arms so thoroughly wrapped up like they were. “What friend are we speaking about?”

“So, um, there’s this girl, Himiko…”

“She has a really interesting Quirk!” Deku piped up, interrupting her, and she just let him ramble on and on about everything she’d told him about it. “—And, when it wears off, she secretes this goop — I think it might be dead skin cells, leftover from the body she’d just been disguised as—”

Ochako sat down on one of the hospital beds.

“…So, why are you really here?” Todoroki asked, sidling up next to her. “I… didn’t take you for the type to stay out so late just to check up on two of your friends, no matter how cheerful and bubbly you may appear.”

She twisted her fingers together. “…It’s really that obvious?” she asked with a wry smile, and Todoroki just nodded, expression neutral.

Ochako sighed. “I— well, I… wanted to talk to Deku about some stuff. About… Himiko.”

“He is rather eager to learn about her,” Todoroki observed. “…Though, I think it’s mostly just about her Quirk.”

“Yeah. I… well, she’s… I realized my feelings for were a little more complicated than I initially assumed,” she took a deep breath, then admitted, “And I think she might like me as more than a—”

“She drinks blood to transform?” Iida suddenly blurted out, and Todoroki jerked his head over to face their conversation.

“Like Stain’s power?” he asked, and Ochako immediately jumped to her defense.

“She’s nothing like Stain! She’s— she’s sweet, and thoughtful, and she’s been told her whole life how her Quirk is wrong, that she has to suppress it — she’s hid it from me for the three years we’ve known each other, all because she was afraid that I’d think her a monster for learning she has to drink blood. But she’s not ! She’s not a monster, no matter how many parallels you draw between her and Stain — she told me, just today, how afraid she was that she had a ‘villain’s Quirk’ for so many years, and then was finally proven right when Stain was arrested and word about how his Quirk functions got spread around,” Ochako realized she had stood up to make her point, and slowly drew in a breath, trying to calm down. “…But she’s not Stain. She’s my friend, and no matter how her Quirk functions, how much… craving she has for the blood of the people around her, she’s harmless. She just… wants to be a normal girl. So badly.”

All three boys stared at her.

“…I apologize,” Todoroki said, clearing his throat. “I didn’t realize how my statement would make you feel, when you have obviously thought about this whole ordeal a whole lot more than I have. Please forgive me.”

“…Yeah, it’s alright,” Ochako sighed, flopping back onto the hospital mattress behind her. “You didn’t know any better. It’s just — her parents absolutely hate her Quirk. They make her hide it , her fangs , and every little bit of herself that makes her her . I found out yesterday they even registered her as Quirkless — even though signs of her Quirk showed up at the same times as everybody else’s, the same age as my own . Even though she has fangs , and cat-slit pupils. It’s… it’s just not fair .”

“She’s legally Quirkless ?” Izuku questioned. “But — but how does that—? What about when someone looks at her registration forms, and notices the obvious inaccuracy?”

“Gunhead was the one that told me about it, actually,” Ochako replied. “He took a look at her legal documents, when she mentioned she didn’t actually know what her Quirk was called — yes , they neglected her that much — and immediately told me . We actually went to take her to a Quirk assessment facility, just today — you must have experience with that, right, Deku?” she questioned, looking over at him. “A lot more recently than all of us . Since your Quirk developed so late?”

For some reason, his eyes grew wide and skin turned pale. “Uhhh — yes! Yes, definitely, haha, definitely did… that .”

She blinked at him for a few moments.

“…Ooookay,” she shook her head. “Anyways, she barely has any experience with her Quirk — she turned into Gunhead during the assessment, and must’ve forgotten how it works, because she ended up shredding all her clothing and I had to go buy her new ones with one of Gunhead’s sidekicks.”

“…She was naked?” Todoroki echoed, and Ochako nodded.

He stared at her silently, cheeks slowly coloring pink.

Ah. So maybe he does have emotions.

She smiled at him, and Todoroki glanced away, obviously embarrassed.

“Such debauchery! Such promiscuity !” Iida declared. “She was naked ?! In front of the doctor and a pro hero ?!”

“She was wearing a towel when I came in,” Ochako offered.

“Still! Such sinful acts! I must admonish her when she stops by!”

It was supposed to be punishment — disapproval for something not under Himiko’s control.

But the idea of Himiko — not if , but when — stopping by some of her classmates, even it was to get admonished?

Ochako couldn’t help but smile.

“I… I don’t think it was really under her control, Iida,” Izuku pointed out nervously. “I mean… did you hear Uraraka? It sounds like she didn’t know she’d end up naked like she did.”

“Still,” Iida huffed. “Everyone should try their hardest to abide by a strict dress code.”

“I’m totally gonna tell her you said that,” Ochako told him with a teasing smile. “I bet she’d wear something really immodest then, just to set you off.”

“The horror!” Iida gasped, and Ochako giggled.

“You said you came here to talk about your feelings,” Todoroki pointed out, trying to steer the conversation back on course. “You said… something about Himiko? How she’s more… complicated than you initially assumed?”

Ochako fell silent, staring down at her hands.

“…Y-yeah,” she admitted. “I think— I think I might be gay.”

Todoroki stayed silent, staring at her, Iida gasped as if he had just been told a dramatic secret, and Deku winced.

“You think you are gay ? Tell me, what brought on this line of thinking!” Iida demanded.

Ochako knew Iida would react like this.

“…I just… well, earlier, I was helping Himiko… ehem, get dressed , and… well, we had a bit of a talk about how her Quirk worked, and then I said some things, and then Gunhead came in and kinda… called her my girlfriend? And Himiko kissed my cheek, and…” she let out a breath. “…Yeah, I just have a lot of thoughts right now.”

“Midoriya was definitely the right call to talk about stuff like this,” Todoroki nodded his head. “He is very smart when it comes to stuff like this.”

“ This ?” Izuku echoed, slightly flustered. “I don’t — I’d say I’m probably the least qualified to talk to about stuff like this. I mean, I’m not gay, I haven’t dated anyone before…”

“You’re not gay?” Todoroki questioned. “Is that — I assumed that was what was going on between you and Bakugo, why you let him call you Deku like that. Is that not what is going on?”

Izuku’s eyes shot open wide.

“Wh— no ??? I wouldn’t — Kacchan isn’t — I don’t—” he fumbled, and Ochako just laughed.

“Yeah, this thing was destined to be a disaster, no matter who I talked to about it, huh?”

“This is a disaster?” Todoroki questioned, tilting his head at her. “I was not aware. Now, Hosu was a disaster — there were at least three Nomu, and Stain nearly killed Iida.”

“He nearly killed Iida?” Ochako’s face softened, and she turned to Iida with a sad expression.

Iida cleared his throat. “Do not worry, Uraraka — encountering Stain was a valuable learning experience for me. For all of us. Right?”

Izuku nodded anxiously, but Todoroki just tilted his head.

“I don’t know how much there was to learn when he had a knife in your shoulder.”

Iida just sighed, dropping his head over his two bandaged arms.

“…So, you were saying, about Himiko?” Izuku asked cautiously, glancing over at Iida’s sulking figure. “You wanted to… figure it out.”

“Yeah,” Ochako licked her lips, before squeezing her eyes shut and blurting out, “But I think she might also have a crush on me ???”

Todoroki stared at her again.

“…The naked girl. Who you helped dress.”

“Okay, well, when you say it like that , it sounds obvious ,” she huffed. “But — Himiko, well, Himiko’s always been pretty clingy around me — even if half of that has only been in text form. I… I thought it was because of her trauma — it makes sense that the only person she trusts would be the one she clings to, right? But… I dunno. I’ve… really only met her online ‘til now, at the start of our internships, and, well…” she let out a breath. “That’s allowed me to see sides of her I hadn’t been able to until now. She… she bites herself, and is constantly trying to downplay her own pain, her own wants, her own needs , and I just… I’ve felt really bad for her.”

“But I’ve also been able to see her expressions — and how, every time I mess things up or think I’ve gone too far, she keeps coming back. She’s… well, I’ve always called her my kitty, because of her eyes and the purring, but she can honestly be a bit like a dog sometimes. So loyal. So… needy ,” she laughed. “And, I just, well… I guess it was the intensity with which she kissed my cheek, like she was afraid that if she didn’t do it now, she’d never be able to do it later — like she’d just shatter into a million pieces and never be able to be put back together.”

“…Is she suicidal?” Todoroki asked, like he was discussing the weather, or asking how her day was.

“I asked her that already, actually, and… well, she said no. I’m… not quite sure I believe her, at least not yet… but I have to trust her. Because if I don’t…” Ochako sighed, tears stinging her eyes. “…I’m not sure what I’d do without her.”

Iida stared at her, eyes intense. “Make sure she knows she’s loved. Because if she doesn’t — especially if it turns out you two do indeed have crushes on one another — it could be the difference between life and death.”

“…Yeah,” she breathed. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“And you should make sure to give her our numbers! The more people she has to talk to about stuff like this, the more likely her chances to survive it! Here, give it to me right now!” Iida ordered her, and Ochako laughed.

“Okay, Himiko would hate it if I ended up giving her number out to a bunch of random boys — even if I know all of you have good intentions.”

“Maybe you could make it a group chat?” Todoroki suggested. “I know that made me feel safer, when Class 1-A decided to make one.”

“You have that?” Ochako questioned. “I’ve, like, never seen you use it.”

“It is how I received Midoriya’s location, and how I told my father about where Stain was hiding, the night of the Hosu incident,” he declared, and Izuku chuckled.

“He’s just a bit of a lurker.”

“A lurker?” Todoroki echoed. “I do not lurk . I am not hidden; anyone could open the icon function and see that I am still there.”

“It’s just an internet term,” Ochako hurried to explain, smiling at him. “Doesn’t mean you’re hiding; just that you’re not talking, and on something as active yet impersonal as a message board, it comes off as a bit secretive.”

“I shall do my best to not keep secrets from you all any longer,” Todoroki replied firmly, a determined glint in his heterochromatic eyes, and as if to prove his statement, he immediately whipped out his phone and shot off a message to the the group chat.

Shoto Todoroki

hello
I have been informed that I am somewhat of a “lurker” on here, so I am just declaring my presence now so you all know that I am still here
good night

Katsuki Bakugo

****** icyhot its 11pm you should be sleeping
hey who turned on the language filter again??????!!!!!!!

Ochako laughed.

“Okay, that was not what I was expecting.”

“Is that not what I was supposed to say?” Todoroki questioned. “I thought you all would appreciate my honesty.”

“Yes, yes, we appreciate the honesty,” Ochako nodded, trying and failing to suppress her smile. “It’s just, the way you worded it was a little bit funny.”

Todoroki frowned. “It was funny? Why?”

“Well, um, it was just a little bit random, is all,” Izuku tried to explain, laughing nervously. “Um — it was like Kacchan said; it’s 11 pm right now, nearly midnight, and you just… decided to text the group chat about how you’re not a lurker. Just a little weird, that’s all.”

“But— but it’s not random,” Todoroki protested, furrowing his brows. “You all were the ones to inform me of my lurker status, so I acted accordingly to help clarify the mix-up. Is… what should I have done, instead?”

“Well, for starters, maybe waited until it wasn’t nearly midnight?” Ochako suggested, only to suddenly cut herself off with a massive yawn. “Oh, yikes — yeah, I should probably get going now, shouldn’t I? Thanks for talking with me guys; I’ll try asking Himiko about joining a group chat with you all tomorrow, and… well, this didn’t exactly help me with my gay crisis,” she laughed, standing up and making her way over to the door. “But thanks for listening to me yap anyways.”

“Of course,” Todoroki nodded seriously. “You are our classmate. It is our duty to help you with all of your needs, emotional or physical, if it will help you become a better hero in the long run.”

“…You’re a weird one, Todoroki,” Ochako decided, smiling back at him. “I’m glad we’re friends.”

Todoroki’s eyes flashed in surprise, and he whispered, “…Friends…?” to himself, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Good night, Uraraka!” Iida declared loudly, doing his best to wave good-bye without the use of his hands. “Get a good night’s rest, though I’m afraid you might not be able to get enough sleep in order to continue your training tomorrow properly.”

“Yeah, probably,” Ochako agreed.

“Bye, Uraraka,” Deku waved goodbye to her, a sweet smile on his face.

“Bye Deku, bye Iida, bye Todoroki,” Ochako waved at all of them, before finally disappearing around the corner and heading back home.

Yeah, I’m definitely out later than bedtime, Ochako realized ruefully. My parents are gonna be so mad .