it’s always poor, sugar baby ochako, but what about pro hero uravity who’s swimming in money because she’s number ten in all of japan?

she meets this little angel, so sweet and so kind, eijirou, who wants to be a pro hero too but can’t afford to pay the u.a tuition cost.

she sees herself in him, in his teary eyes and penny-pinching talk as he mumbles to himself.

back then, her parents had to sign up for outrageous loans that lead their family into an even deeper financial debt, and she had to reach for minor scholarships to cut some of the cost.

she understands how difficult it is for someone from a low income household to dream of something as prestigious as u.a.

that’s probably why she sticks around him as he rambles to no one, just thinking out loud about the possibilities.

a frown pulls on her lips at his thoughts.

selling the things that he owns and cherishes?

searching for under the table work where his employers could take advantage of his desperation?

secretly working a double on top of his hero training to pay off the debt and loans of searching for financial aid?

she can’t let him.

after living through that, she doesn’t want anyone else to spend years and years of paying back loans with added interest.

maybe that’s why she speeds up her walk, stands by his side with an offer on her tongue.

with all this money, what’s it worth if she can’t help someone?

he doesn’t actually talk to her, just keeps to himself and walks down the sidewalk she just so happened to be patrolling.

honestly, she’s not so sure that he has even noticed her.

“i’m just not smart enough to apply for scolarships... i can barely pass the mock exams...“

careful of her quirk, she set a hand on his shoulder. not that it mattered when he was jumped into the sky from her touch anyways.

“i’m sorry. did i scare you?” she smiled at him, and his eyes widened. “i’m—“

“i-i know. everyone knows! you’re the anti-gravity hero, uravity.”

a hand to scratch the back of her neck as she laughed lightly. “i guess my introduction is a little useless, but what’s your name, hun’?”

“me? oh, i’m e-eijirou! eijirou kirishima! i’m no one soecial, really, just a middle—“

he’s precious, his cheeks almost as red as his eyes.

“that’s a pretty cool name.” she walked beside him, and he rubbed his arm as he smiled at the floor.

“i guess...”

“what kind of quirk do you have, eijirou?” she asked, and he shrugged his shoulders. “you don’t know what quirk you have?”

“no, i do! but it’s not very cool...”

she over to him, and he raised his hands higher.

slowly, his skin grew jagged, and when he rubbed them together, they thumped together like rock.

“it just makes my skin a little hard.” he sulked. “it’s not as cool as anti-gravity.”

“you shouldn’t say that. i think it’s cool.”

“r-really?” he looked up at her, and she nodded. “you’re just saying that because you have to. you’re a hero.”

“i think, if you train properly, your quirk is idea. it’s equally defensive as it is offensive.” she voiced her own thoughts. “it’s definitely pro-hero worthy.”

he thanked her, and she hummed. “so why do you want to be a pro-hero?”

“because i...” he eyebrows furrowed as he took a deep breath. “i want to save people. i don’t like that feeling of-of being right there but not being able to do anything about it.”

she nodded.

“i run away a lot...” he continued. “i don’t mean to. it’s not manly at all! but if i could be a hero, then i could prove that anyone can do it! no one is born a hero, but anyone can be one... right?”

ochako held a fist out for him, and his knuckles brushed hers.

“absolutely.”

he smiled, eyes focused on her as she held a hand out for him.

“so i couldn’t help but hear you, eijirou, as you talked about your... financial dilemma with u.a. did you know that i went to that school too?” she asked and he shook his head. “it’s not cheap.”

“i-i know...”

his voice fell, and her gaze shifted from him to their surroundings, searching for any sort of irregularities or panic. when none shown, she settled her eyes back on him.

“i had a big problem getting into u.a myself.” she told him as he held on to the straps of his backpack.

“yeah, i-i heard about that. in your last magazine interview, you talked about how you came from a low income family. i remember reading that—i mean, i don’t read chick magazines—“

she laughed, and his cheeks burned a deeper shade of scarlet as he scratched the back of his head.

“okay, i do read chick magazines... but just for the hero as-spects! the heroic aspects and the new support gear on the market!” he corrected himself.

she waved her hand as her own blush heated her face. “whatever you read them for, honey, is your business entirely.”

she ignored the little self discipline he gave himself, and then set a hand on his shoulder.

“i’d like to help you.” she told him honestly, and he paused midstep. “with your tution, i would like to help you reach your goal of eneolling into u.a... if you’d let me, eijirou.”

“you... what?” he whispered, and she turned to face him completely. “h-help?”

“i think u.a could use someone like you. hero society and future generations could use a hero with a heart like yours.” she insisted.

“you mean... a loan—“

“i mean, the entire tuition, eijirou.”

tears brimmed his eyes, and she felt a little emotional herself.

“the entrance exam, if you can pass, i want to see you at my agency, okay?” she asked as a tear rolled down his cheek. “you, your mothers, and that letter.”

“i can’t... that’s so much money, i couldn’t let you—“

“it’s okay to accept a little help.” she promised, and he dropped his backpack on to the floor. “no conditions. this is not a loan, honey.”

“but—“

“this is pro hero, uravity, telling you that you can do it, and i’m going to be here cheering you on. all you have to do, is pass.”

he nodded quickly, and a gasp fell from his lips as he threw his arms around her neck.

“thank you! i-i’m gonna pass. i’m going to get the top score at the entrance exam because i-i don’t... thank you.”

eijirou sobbed into her suit, and she patted his back gently.

pedestrians gave them strange looks, and in the corner of her eye, she could see cameras flashing.

“hey,” she pulled away and tilted his gaze, “i believe you. stop the tears, honey.”

“i just... i... i can’t thank you. i can’t pay you back—“

she laughed as he wiped his eyes.

“when you become a u.a scholar, work studies and internships will come. you can pay me back by considering my agency.” she teased and he nodded.

“i-i have to get to the train. my moms, i’m late—“

“go on then. good luck, eijirou.” she waved him off as he picked his bag up.

she watched as he pulled his phone out, and she shoo’ed him away when he tried lingering.

“you’re late! my momma would have killed me if i came home late!”

eijirou waved, and ochako stood up straighter as she watched him walk towards the station as he sobbed into his phone.

“m-moms, moms, you won’t guess what happened! i met... i met pro hero, uravity...”

he left earshot, and she hummed to herself before continuing her patrol route.

“what a cutie... i hope his mothers accept my offer. i would love to see him again as a hero in training...”