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The first time she saw him smile was when they met outside the main building of UA. He was so full of nervous energy that he couldn't even get a word out. She had felt bad for laughing about that when he finally told her how nervous he was during their first meeting. She felt worse when she learned about why he was so nervous around people.
As she walked alongside him down the path of heroes, he changed how she looked at the world and heroes. He led her to question the state of things, and along the way, his smile grew more confident as he got comfortable around her and their classmates. Izuku's smile was unforgettable. The joy that would radiate off him as he watched heroes work or talk about quirks was infectious, and soon everyone around him would be smiling and talking or laughing when he devolved into a storm of muttering.
The tired smile he had flashed her after the USJ as the medics carted him off had made her heart sink. Her friendship with him was still new but seeing her newest friend in such a beat-up state twice in the same week was concerning. Her concerns only grew as the year went on, and 'Izuku Midoriya broke a bone doing something heroic' became a common phrase.
Seeing him get hurt never got easier, but he'd smile, and a tiny piece of her heart would say that everything would be ok because her Deku was smiling. Her Deku. She wasn't sure when she started thinking of him like that, but it shook her. Her dreams were changing, and her resolve was shaken as she was made all too aware of her feelings for him. She blamed Aoyama and Ashido, but she knew, in reality, she would have come to them sooner or later. Her admiration and respect were still there but alongside them was a desire to see him safe and an emotion she struggled to voice, whether it was out of fear for what that would mean or because she wasn't sure if the big L word really applied she wasn't sure.
As she wrestled with her feelings and tried to come to terms with what she wanted to accomplish as a hero, Izuku kept moving forward, inspiring those around him and making her heart swell with pride. Regardless of her feelings and her inner conflict Izuku was her best friend, and she felt such pride as he grew and opened up to those around him. He still had his secrets, but she respected his decision to keep them close to his chest.
The aftermath of the summer camp attack cut deep to her bones. The devastated state of Izuku clung to her mind, and she could see him bloody and beaten, crying out in frustration every time she closed her eyes. She didn't like Bakugo, and she made no attempt to hide that fact. Still, she knew he was someone that Izuku cared about and had a complicated history with, so when Bakugo was taken away, and all she could do was look at Izuku in the hospital bed and hold back tears frustrated her to no end. she resolved herself to become a great hero so that no one would end up sitting in a hospital bed like Izuku was.
The licensing exam helped her solidify her resolve, and she worked alongside him and the rest of their class to pass the exams. She couldn't help but laugh a bit as she saw him taking a picture of his new ID and sending it to his mom. she had learned pretty early on in their friendship that Midoriya's were criers. Whether it was happy or sad, they shed tears for the occasion.
The build-up to the Yakuza raid was a time she always remembered. It was a tense few days of uncertainty, and ever since meeting her Deku, it was the first time he had gone days without smiling. His worries and despair at letting Eri getaway was dragging him down. She had wanted to help him, to lift him up and bring back that smile that could outshine the sun, but she had her own conflicts to deal with. Her resolve had been set, and she was determined to put her feelings on the back burner. Be a hero, decide what that meant for herself, and most importantly, give her parents the lives they deserved. Romance, if that was what she wanted from him, could wait until everything else was in place.
There was only one smile, in Ochako's opinion, that could outshine Izuku's, and that was Eri's. The small, timid girl quickly became a staple at the 1-A dorms after the cultural festival, and when her eyes would find Izuku, her lips would turn up, and her teeth would show as a smile broke out across her face and then Izuku would see her smile and show off his own. The two quickly come together in a sweet display of love. Izuku would hug the small girl and pick her up as he asked her about her time away from the dorms. She held on and relaxed because her hero was holding her. She was in the safest place in the world in her mind, and so there was nothing to fear.
Ochako would smile as the infectious positive energy spread to everyone who saw the green-haired hero holding the small girl. Even Mina whispering in her ear about the domestic nature of the scene couldn't stop Ochako from smiling and watching them interact.
Things had been going so well, and then the war broke out. One moment she was side by side with Izuku helping get the civilians to safety, and then the next, she looked over, and he was gone. His voice crackled across the radio as he informed everyone that Shigaraki was after him. Her heart sank, and her stomach tied itself into knots. Her Deku was rushing into danger again, and that danger was coming straight for him while tearing through pros with more experience than him. She couldn't help but worry, but she knew that her job was to keep the people safe, and so she did, and she kept doing it even as heroes all around her quit and threw in the towel. Even as her Deku lay in a hospital bed unresponsive. She didn't even know what his condition was at the time. Only All Might and his mother knew, but they didn't tell anyone. They wanted them to focus, and so that's what she did. She pulled people from the ruble and guided them to the safe zones while the heroes quit, and people threw insults. She worked and kept his smile close to her heart. She knew Deku wouldn't quit at a time like this, so she couldn't quit either.
The next time she saw him was when he had woken up. Both All Might and his mother were too far away at the time and wouldn't be able to get there for some time, so with some trepidation, Ochako was the first to step into his room. Iida was outside, making sure no one interrupted her. When she told her other friend to come in with her, Iida simply smiled and said he'd have time to speak to Izuku later and that, for now, she should go and see him.
The smile he gave her while lying in the hospital bed was like a hollow joke. The joy and brightness that rivaled the stars was absent; instead, it was like a dull and dying incandescent bulb. It felt wrong, and Ohcako felt a lump in her throat as she struggled to articulate her feelings. She felt so much joy at seeing her Deku awake and alive, but she was so mad at him for getting hurt to this point, but she also knew that there was no other way. She heard and saw what Shigaraki had done. She knew that without Deku doing his absolute best, everyone would have died. She knew all this but her tears still flowed freely as she expressed how happy she was to see him alive. Her resolve crumbled, and her feelings burned brighter as they spoke quietly.
Her heart broke when she read the letter. She wanted to scream and cry and curse his name, but she couldn't. He had left without saying anything. Just a note explaining his secrets and apologizing for the trouble he had caused, as if his existence was the sole reason for every bad thing that had happened to her and her classmates. She wanted to punch him and hug him at the same time. She wanted to shout and throw a tantrum about how he was being unfair to everyone, but instead, she steeled her resolve and pulled her class together. Her Deku was being stupid, so it was their job to drag him home and make him accept their help.
When she saw him again, her heart broke all over again. He was so worn down and ragged. His costume was barely recognizable, and his eyes were dark shadows of what they used to be. She tried to look at him, and to her shock, he refused to meet her eyes. He would stare down all challengers but her. Tears threatened to spill over, but she couldn't let up. She needed to save him and to make sense of all of this. They managed the former, but the latter remained a mystery to her as they escorted him back to UA.
The crowd had stirred in her a new type of anger. A type of anger she had never felt before and hadn't felt much sense. They wanted him gone. A sixteen-year-old boy clearly in pain and falling apart from having the weight of the world thrust upon him back when he barely had the confidence to look another person in the eyes. Her teeth ground, and her jaw creaked as she snatched the microphone away from Present Mic and jumped to the top of the UA building. Her Deku had put in so much blood, sweat, and tears in his pursuit of heroics. He sacrificed so much to keep others safe, and they were turning on him. She wouldn't stand for it, and so she spoke from the heart. She poured out her frustration and anger, and sadness as she begged for the masses to see the hurt boy in front of them and to show kindness.
When she saw him collapse in on himself and break, she thought her heart would shatter for the final time, but it didn't. Instead, it swelled with a flurry of emotions as people who Izuku had risked his life for rushed to his aid and lifted him up. She made her way to him and took his hand as he stared at her in a way she had never seen before. He didn't smile, but she could see the light coming back to his eyes. They didn't shine like before, but they were brighter than when she had found him.
The next time she saw him smile, the two of them were alone, standing on the precipice of the final act. Her mind was reeling and spinning ideas around. What was a hero? Who were the villains? Who deserved to be saved, and who was beyond hope? Was it her place to decide these things, or should she leave that to others? Was it heroic to never give up on saving someone, or was it foolishness? All these questions and more spun around, bouncing off each other and eating away at her. There was only one person to talk to, and he sought her out. It would have made her smile if she wasn't so worried at the time.
She had to stop him when he started talking about her. Every word he spoke stirred her feelings into action, and she knew that a distraction like that would be the death of her during this final battle, so she put it to a stop. She locked away her feelings for the boy next to her, but her secrets slipped out. Her worries about right and wrong and what it meant to save someone came to light, and he shared in her worries because, of course, he did. This was Izuku Midoriya the boy was determined to save whoever he felt was in need of saving, even if that person was what society called a villain. The two stood there in the dawn before the final battle, and no words were shared after their worries were spoken, but as she turned to look at him, he smiled, and her heart swelled as she saw just a little bit more light come back to his eyes. Her Deku wasn't totally back, maybe he would never shine like the sun again, but she knew no matter what, as long as he could smile, everything would be ok.
The next time she saw him was shortly after the battles had been won. They had found their answers and accomplished their goals. Japan was saved, but society would be changed forever. The mistakes of the past that let the tragedy of this war happen couldn't be allowed to happen again, but before that work was started, the world let them be kids again, even for just a moment. She crashed into him and hugged him like she was afraid he would disappear the moment she let up. He pulled back just enough to smile down at her, and Ochako felt her heart soar. It was a soft smile full of something she would later realize was love, but in the moment, all she saw was that her Deku was alive and in one piece.
The work was hard but worth it. As Japan put itself back together, the responsibilities that had been thrust upon the next generation of heroes were slowly lifted. The survivors thanked them for their efforts and let them rest as they got to work. Izuku smiled more and more as the days went on, and every day Ochako felt her heart swell with emotions at every little upward turn of his lips. Eventually, it was too much, and she couldn't hold back anymore. Her resolve was set, and her feelings secure. Ochako knew what she wanted and how she would achieve it, so in the aftermath of everything during those fleeting days of being students again, she took him by the hand and smiled as she confessed.
The look on his face was pure shock and then understanding and eventually acceptance. A small smile spread across his face, and she realized the love he held her for as he reciprocated her feelings and confessed to her. He thanked her for everything she had done for him, and his smile grew as he spoke about how wonderful she was. It was too much for her, and in a panicked effort to stop him, their lips crashed together, and she could feel him smile as they kissed for the first time. His lips tasted like Katsudon, and she almost rolled her eyes. They had just eaten dinner, so, of course, Izuku's favorite meal would be the taste she associated with her first kiss from now on. Not that she minded. Katsudon was a good meal, and nothing, not even Mina a few yards away trying not to scream, could ruin what she had now.
Life went on, and Izuku smiled more than ever before. Ochako did as well because every time she saw the boy she loved smile, she couldn't stop her own smile from breaking out. Though things never got as bad as their first year, time still had its ups and downs, but they, along with their classmates and fellow heroes, banded together and protected everyone.
Before they knew it, their time at UA was over, and everyone set out to make their dreams come true. Though the world of heroes was drastically different than when they had started at UA, and it was still changing even now. During that time, Ochako watched as the light came and went from Izuku's eyes as they struggled through personal issues and the difficulties of being a hero.
One of the softest and most loving smiles she had ever seen was the night he had taken out for a quiet date away from prying eyes. As things wound down, he pulled a ring from his pocket and proposed to her quietly under the stars. She didn't manage to answer before kissing him and laughing as she held his face and held back her tears. As she managed to get the words out, his own laughter bubbled to the surface, and as she saw the smile on his face, she fell in love with him all over again.
Their wedding was a small affair with family and close friends. The media and public didn't learn about it until a week after the fact. They had both been a bundle of nerves that day, but his small smile as he waited by the altar washed away all of her nerves. She returned the smile with one of her own, and the two spoke their vows before kissing and basking in the moment of their love being solidified.
Ochako thought nothing could have made Iuzku smile brighter than when he saw his mother or Eri or Ochako herself, but the day that Ochako tentative placed his hand on her lower stomach and told him the news, she watched as his face broke out into a smile that outclassed anything she had seen before. Sadly it didn't last long. She could read her Izuku like a book and so as her pregnancy went on she could see the signs of worry and doubt tumbling around his mind. She confronted him about it, and he told her about his fears. He worried about his baby being born quirkless and suffering the way he did, and he worried that because he never knew the love of his father that he wouldn't be able to or know how to love his child. His worries felt like a gut punch, but Ochako cupped his cheeks and did her utmost to destroy his fears. She reminded him that while he didn't have a dad, he had Toshinori and Aizawa. The two men had influenced and cared for him in ways that a father would, and she reminded him that he was not in this alone. She was here; this was as much her child as it was his, and she wouldn't let him stray, and if he faltered and tripped, she'd be there to pick him up. They were a team, and they would do their utmost to raise their child right. He smiled and quietly thanked her before kissing her and promising to do his best.
The birth of their first child Nana went off without a hitch, and while Ochako lay there recovering and holding her daughter, she saw the joy on her husband's face. Tears welled up in his eyes. She couldn't help but chuckle. The Midoriya's were an emotional family, and she loved them for it. A few years after Nana was born, Izuku was crying and smiling again as Ochako lay there with their twins, Yoichi and Toshinori. They had decided that three kids were plenty and dedicated their time to raising their family and being heroes.
"What are you doing?"
Ochako looked up from the photo album she had been flipping through. "Hm... just reminiscing, I guess. We've been through a lot."
Izuku smiled as he sat next to her and draped his arm around her. "Yeah, and we still have a lot to get through."
Ochako smiled and leaned into his warmth. "I love you and your beautiful smile."
Izuku chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "I love you and your adorable blush marks."
"Dad! Toshi's being a butt!"
Izuku sighed and kissed the top of his wife's head again. "Duty never ends even when we're out of costume."
"Good luck. Call for backup if it gets out of hand." Ochako said as her husband got up to see what was happening between their sons. As he walked away, Ochako smiled softly as her husband walked down the hallway to Yoichi and Toshinori's room. His smile had helped her, and she was sure it would help her boys with whatever was happening.