A Home for Their Future

A short Izuocha One shot for Izuocha week!

Nothing like the smell of wet paint to get a pro hero ready for his new favorite part of the day. Wearing nothing but the classic flannel shirt, denim overalls and steel tipped boots, Izuku Midoriya brushed some dry-wall out of his hair.

"Ochako! Where'd you put the box of nails I had right here?"

A series of heavy footsteps trudged through the hallway to his left. His emerald green eyes peered at the corner at the end of the hall, and was soon met with a delicate gaze from a pair of dark brown eyes attached to the head of his adorable fiance. Ochako Uraraka had her hair tied up, and was wearing the exact same outfit as Izuku. Except for the colors.

"Look above you, Deku!"

He should have expected this by now. He sighed, and averted his gaze towards the ceiling. And of course, the box of nails he was searching for was silently hovering just a few feet above his head.

"Ha ha, very funny!"

He heard his girlfriend giggle. Her laugh was as always, contagious, so he too started to chuckle. Pranking one another was one of their favorite ways to alleviate some of the stress that came with remodeling a house. He jumped, and snatched the box from the air.

"You better believe I'm gonna get you back! As soon as I find a more 'creative' way of using super strength. Hiding your paint brushes is starting to get boring."

Hiding paint brushes was just one of his most common pranks. He's started paint fights, tilted every painting she hung up so that they were crooked, planted several fake cockroaches around the house, and even convinced her to hold a bowl of water up against the ceiling with a broom after he told her it was a huge spider. Yet, no matter how awesome he thought his pranks were, Ochako always had him beat. Between making his tools weightless and causing them to float, giving him a caramelized onion, replacing the insides of his oreos with toothpaste, to even making him float while we was working up on the roof.

"You may beat me as a hero Deku, but you'll never be a better prankster than me!"

Izuku laughed as she trotted back over to her corner to continue painting.

'Hard to believe we've been together for seven years, and she's still the same Ochako I fell in love with.'

Seven years have passed since the last day of class 1-A. Seven years since Izuku confessed his feelings to her, which she still can't believe happened to this day. Their relationship started off awkward and hesitant, but the two quickly got the hang of being in a relationship. By the time they returned to Yuuei for their second year, they were perfectly comfortable around each other. They were even able to share affection in public.

Five years have passed since class 3-A graduated from Yuuei Academy. Most of them went on their own paths, usually deciding to become the sidekick of the pro hero they interned with. However, both Izuku and Ochako were lucky enough to have made their debut much earlier, which led to them having a lot more options. Due to their popularity and success, both were able to successfully establish a well paying career in heroics shortly after graduating. Of course, the first thing Ochako did was finally fulfill her promise to her parents. She'd always set aside a large chunk of her monthly earnings to go towards her parents, who were finally able to retire. Ochako also planned on sending them both to Hawaii the following year, since that was her father's only request should she ever get the money. After Ochako was finally satisfied with fulfilling her promise to her parents, she decided to move in with her boyfriend, Izuku. The pair lived together in a sizeable apartment a short distance away from Nighteye's agency, allowing both Deku and Uravity to answer the call of duty as soon as it was issued.

Years passed, and the bond between Izuku and Ochako only deepened. Their romantic relationship had become so passionate, that nothing could ever come between them. It was love in its purest form. Everyone who they graduated with started off teasing them nonstop when it was first revealed to them that they were dating. However that quickly changed after they all grew jealous. No one has ever seen them at odds, or even get into a minor dispute. No matter how many years passed, it seems their love for one another only grew.

However, after 5 years of living together in a simple apartment, Izuku wanted to take things to the next level. To him, owning their own house would be a dream come true. A real house, for the both of them. No more parents, no more friends, and no more teachers. A place that they truly owned, and could call their own. But, Izuku didn't want to just buy a house. No, that would defeat the purpose entirely. He wanted something special, something that would require a great amount of effort and teamwork. In return, the reward would be creating their dream space. A place that they put their blood, sweat, and tears into. A place to share countless memories, a place to raise a family in, a place to truly cherish and treasure.

A home.

He decided to surprise his girlfriend, and bought a sizeable, yet cozy building not too far from their apartment without telling her. It had 4 bedrooms, two big bathrooms, a huge living room, a cozy dining room, a gigantic kitchen, a humble genkan, a laundry room, and even a deck with a sizeable backyard. The only downside? The house was decently distressed after being abandoned for 6 years. The house was starting to become swallowed by vegetation, the interior walls were starting to crack, most of the plumbing was shot, the wiring was chewed out by rats, the paint had started to chip, and there was even a mold problem in one of the bedrooms. Not to mention, Izuku had additional renovation plans to make the interior truly match up with his dream house. Ochako would obviously have ideas too. Due to all of these problems, Izuku got an incredible deal on the place. He was given all the paperwork, and was left by the real estate agent to admire the mess that he just invested in. Despite the staggering odds, he knew that they were up to the task. He felt bad for not telling her, and was incredibly anxious about how she'd react to having him hand her such a huge task. However, he knew in his heart that she's going to be just as thrilled and excited as he is.

A week after buying the house, Izuku took Ochako out on a surprise date after a long day's job. They went to the movies, out to dinner, shopping at the mall, and out exploring parts of the city they haven't been to yet. Exploring was was Izuku's idea, and the last part of his plan went into action as he led a confused Ochako down a street she's never even noticed before.

"Izuku? Why are we going down this neighborhood? All the fun's back there with all the lights!"

"I know, but there's something I really have to show you."

This peaked her interest, and she decided to follow close behind him, hand in hand.

Izuku led her until they were almost to the end of the street, where Izuku stopped. Now even more confused, she looked at her surroundings and saw nothing out of the ordinary. No candles, balloons, picnics, or even an obscure store she hasn't noticed before. She was surrounded by plain old houses. Except for one, which was the largest on the street. It was a little run down, but nothing a little love couldn't fix.

Izuku turned around to face his girlfriend, and grasped her hands in his.

"Ochako, we've been together for almost seven years now, and those years have been the best of my life. I've loved every part of our journey together, and I can't wait experience all sorts of new adventures with you."

She couldn't help but blush at his sudden display of affection. As always, he was adorable. His boyish charm was one of the things she loved most about him.

"And, I really feel like we're coming to the end of a chapter in our story. We've been living together for almost five years, and we're still living in an average apartment. But, I feel like you deserve so much more than that."

Ochako's eyes widened, her blush deepened, and her mouth opened slightly in anticipation.

"I… I really feel like we're ready for something much more. A brand new adventure. But this time, an adventure for just the two of us."

Izuku almost kicked himself for letting his stutter come back. Ochako was now one of the only people he could talk to without stuttering at all. But this was nerve wracking.

"S-So, I'd like to take you into the future. O-Our future."

Izuku turned in the direction of the home Ochako was previously inspecting. It was only then that she noticed a 'SOLD' sticker had been stuck to the sign on the lawn.

"I-Izuku?"

"A home. Our first home. One we can truly call our own."

Ochako couldn't help but let her eyes fill up with tears. She was at an absolute loss for words, and could only cover her mouth with her hands while her eyes continued to flow with tears. This of course, tore Izuku to shreds.

"I-I'm really sorry! I should've told you about it before I bought it, r-right? I know it's such a big thing to ask you, b-but-"

His words were silenced by a passionate, explosive kiss. Ochako had thrown her entire body weight onto him, and was squeezing him tighter than she ever thought possible. Izuku was absolutely baffled at first, but he quickly let himself give in to the warmth, and returned her bear hug. The kiss lasted for almost half a minute, a new record. Sadly, words required air, so Ochako had to pull herself away to be able to be coherent.

"IZUKUUU! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I'M SO HAPPY!"

"R-Really? You do, honest?! It needs a lot of work, so I thought I was asking way too much from you! Are you sure?"

"Yes! Yes! I really, really do! It's amazing, Izuku! We can do it! I'll put everything I have into this with you!"

Izuku was overjoyed to hear her words. So much so, that he joined Ochako in the waterworks. Both, now happier than they've ever been before, continued to hold onto each other as they gleamed at the house that would become their future. Their home.

After that, not a day went by that they didn't spend at least 5 hours a day working on their new home. Every day after work, they would race to their very own part of japan and would excitedly work harder than they ever have before, just to work towards the goal that they shared. To create their dream home, with their dream lovers. Izuku was responsible for the pipes, repairs, demolition, and ventilation. Ochako was responsible for the walls, clearing out the vegetation, getting rid of the rats and mold, and the wiring. Luckily, Ochako's parents were carpenters, so they were more than willing to lend a hand every now and then before departing for Hawaii. Finally, after a day's worth of manual labor on top of their actual careers, they'd go back to their apartment and collapse onto their bed.

Months passed, and progress was steadily made. They could have finished much sooner, but they weren't going to just fix the place up. As Izuku anticipated, Ochako wanted in on the remodeling as well. The biggest design changes were combining two of the bedrooms to make one giant master bedroom for them, opening up the kitchen to the dining and living rooms, and increasing the size of their favorite bathroom in the house, which was the one closest to their room. Since quirks were a reality, doing big jobs like this were much easier and faster. Because of this, the entire process only took about 4 months. And today, was the day they put the finishing touches on their home. Ochako was finishing painting the living room, and Izuku was installing the last few shelves.

'I don't think I'm going to have a chance to get her back. We're finally almost done. Just a few more touch ups, and it's really done.'

Izuku cringed as he felt something wet stick to his back. As he entirely expected, Ochako flung some paint at him.

"Hey, now's not the time to be daydreaming! We're so close to being done! Our home is finally almost ready!"

He couldn't help but smile widely at her words. She thought this house was her home just as much as she did. She was just as determined and willing to do all of this work as he was, too. Knowing that his soulmate was entirely committed to achieving their common goal was enough to melt his heart. He couldn't put his feelings into words.

"R-Right! I'll finish up these shelves!"

Ochako excitedly nodded, and went back to painting.

An hour later, everything was finally done. The walls were fixed, pipes were re-fit, the mold and rats were gone, everything was repainted, and even the wiring was done! The wiring also turned out to be Ochako's least favorite part, since Izuku insisted they called Mei Hatsume over to do it, since neither of them could do it themselves. Even after all these years, he was still completely oblivious to the effect Mei had on her.

The house was decorated in a very common way. Ochako had developed the habit of keeping her rooms as simple as possible to avoid spending money on any unneeded items, so she decorated the house with all the bare necessities. Plants, lamps, tables, cabinets, chairs, couches, coat racks, and shelves were just some of her main contributions. However, much to Izuku's delight, she let him decorate the house any way he wanted, as long as it didn't interfere with what she had already set up. Predictably, he immediately set up his All Might memorabilia all around the house. For the sake of Ochako, he also included a few other pro heroes in the merch to keep it a bit fresh. Obviously not enjoying there being an All Might poster everywhere she looked, she told Izuku to keep his otaku habits controlled. He agreed, and left only a few posters and a couple action figures and bobble heads lying around.

Now outside, admiring all of their hard work, the couple kissed each other tenderly. They held each other the exact same way they did when Izuku first revealed the house to her. But, little did Ochako know, Izuku still had one more surprise in store.

"Ochako, words cannot express how I feel right now. Seeing the fruit that our hard work bore makes it all so worth it. I really couldn't have done this without you, and I probably wouldn't want to either. I love you, so much."

She felt her face bubble up from her boyfriends sweet words, and excitedly pulled him in closer.

"I love you too, Izuku. I'm so happy you decided to do this. You make me the happiest girl in the whole world!"

"But, I can't help but feel like we're coming to the end of a chapter in our story again."

Ochako was taken aback by these familiar words. The last time he said this, he did something completely unexpected and romantic.

"You've been my girlfriend for seven years now, but I think you deserve something much more than that."

Her eyes became headlights, and her cheeks became ripe tomatoes. She was too shocked to even notice that Izuku had let go of her.

"I really feel like w-we're ready for something much more."

Summoning all of his confidence and comfort she has given him over the past seven years, Izuku shakily lowered his left knee towards the ground, and revealed a tiny black box from the front pocket of his overalls.

"Ochako Uraraka, would you m-marry me?"

It took her a second to process the sentence he just spoke. She was frozen in place, with her hands cupped over her mouth to prevent her jaw from hitting the ground. Her eyes started to sparkle with the light of a million stars after she confirmed that her boyfriend, her Deku, was kneeling in front of her with a ring in his hand.

"Y-Yes! YES!"

Those few words were all she could muster before she let her instincts take control of her. Before he could even react to her acceptance, Izuku was tackled to the ground by his new fiance. She wrapped her arms around him, and refused to let him move an inch. Overcome with relief and joy, he also enveloped her in the biggest bear hug he could manage. They managed to locate each other's lips for a passionate kiss, despite having their eyes locked shut from all the crying.

It took the newly engaged couple a solid 5 minutes to release each other from their embrace. They stood up, brushed themselves off, and started giggling like crazy. Luckily, the beautiful ring that Izuku bought for her didn't fall out of the box when she tackled him, so finding it in the grass was no problem. Wanting to properly seal the deal, Izuku once again took a knee, and placed the band upon her ring finger, which caused her eyes to sparkle like the milky way galaxy itself. The ring was a beautiful classic diamond ring. It had a large square diamond placed on top of a 14 karat white gold band, which was adorned with smaller diamonds. The sight made Ochako almost pass out, because she couldn't even begin to comprehend it's beauty. Or its price.

"I-Izuku?! It's beautiful! How did you-"

"T-That's not important! All that matters is that you like it, and that you said yes!"

He didn't want her to know that he's been saving up for it since they first started dating almost seven years prior.

'Y-Yeah, that would sound way too creepy.'

"Izukuu! You've made me so happy! This is a dream come true!"

Izuku braced himself for another attack, but was surprised when she managed to keep her footing this time when she brought him into another hug.

The newly engaged couple spent the majority of the night outside, leaning on eachother on their favorite canopy swing they set up in the backyard. They watched as the stars themselves seemed to dance around them, jealous over how bright their love was. Ochako nuzzled deeper into Izuku's neck, and they averted their gaze towards the house that stood before them. The house that they've put countless hours of hard work and effort into. The house where they played games with each other, and shared several memories of themselves working so hard to achieve their dream. Now, 4 months after construction began, their house had finally become the spitting image of their dream house. He pulled his fiance closer to him, and began to run his hand through her hair.

They looked onward towards their bright, promising future. There were so many more adventures waiting for them, and they couldn't wait to explore them together. But, they knew that whenever they grow tired on their journey, or lose their way, they could always come back here.

Their first home.

Author's notes

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed my second fic! Izuocha week has been a ton of fun writing for! Speaking of which, I've made a Tumblr account dedicated to my fanfictions! You can find me under the same name, RumpCrunch! For Izuocha week, I will be posting links to both FFnet and AO3 with the proper hashtag. If you like my work, and want to see updates and notifications, then please feel free to follow! Also, I have to say, taking a break from Romance and Heroics and writing something else is very refreshing. It's not over, though! Also, big shoutout to the Izuocha discord! If you like the ship and you like my work, feel free to come join! As always, thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next oneshot!