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The ache in her heart twists and turns that elicits tears to fall from the corners of her eyes. She stood at the edge of the cliff, where her and Midoriya Izuku have had their last heart to heart-
I don't want to be a burden when everyone else is smiling now...
She curls into herself as she muffles the cries slipping from her lips. The day of the war, when she had been up close with Toga and talked about love, had been so clear in her mind. Recalling of what made sense to her and telling Toga said thing. Toga- the girl with a broken perspective of what the world is, tainted by the false standpoint of her version of love. Ochako couldn't forget the tears that she saw on the girl's face, how her face contorted into anger and sorrow. Why did it have to be this way? -a tear slips down her own face. In the end, it was friendship, and someone who understood- to only help- connect- with the little inside Himiko Toga. Imagine, if only they were friends in the beginning- how it could have been different.
When the game of cat and mouse became a huge heart to heart, only then did the cameras cut and it was just them too. Ochako couldn't simply turn Toga away because of her actions. She grabbed onto any hope of silver lining in the chaos between them.
"Despite Touya burning my house down- it made me feel happy... but I still have that place in my heart..."
Her eyes squint a little more as tears flow freely
"It's painful for me to face but- I'm glad you reached out to me"
She quirks a smile
"This heavy heart of mine...feels so much lighter"
Because she decided to, because she can choose freely- she had saved Ochako's life that day...
But no one saw it...
Glistening droplets fall like rain from her face. A small cry slips from her as she hears a loud thud behind her comes to a screeching stop.
"Uraraka-san!"
Ochako whirls around with her forearms infront- forming a 'X' formation. Helplessly rubs her tear stained face, "How did- wha?"
Talk about coincidence...
"I just had a gut feeling to come see you...I still have the embers of OFA so I just used it to jump" he says unmistakably.
She refuses to lower her arms. Not here, not now. There is no room to express when everyone else is already smiling.
She laughs it off, "I was going to go home-" which was not a lie, kind of...
But he didn't move, his face determined, "You did. And it'd be fine if that was the case..." his boldness was something she wasn't expecting.
If Ochako was taken aback, she was now. Talking about how she felt, felt very taboo. She never considered opening up because she wished for everyone to smile again- so they can all ever surge forward to become heros, together.
"I don't like being seen like this" and it was the truth, she didn't. He took one step, "I wanted to show you something..."
"It's always been like this" he starts, "You've always helped me. Remember the Entrance Exam? You tried to give me your points. In the beginning, you've always have been like this. Always putting people first unselfishly over yourself!" his own face now starting to cry tears. "Always!" his eyebrows are creased.
"I'm getting saved by you!" his voice echos around the cliffside. Tears sting the corners of Ochako's eyes and her brows furrow down in retaliation.
"YOU ARE MY HERO!" he shouts out.
Her body trembles of the reality of him saying those words. It echoes in her mind- all the way to the depths of her heart. She couldn't possibly be his hero, not when her feelings have been selfishly involved as much as her care for him.
But when she thinks she can turn him away- she feels a warm, calloused, hand wrap around hers, lowering her arms gently. In which she hears his mellow, tender, voice say-
"Did you know? that holding someone's hand can help ease the heart?" he looked at her with such tenderness in his teary eyes.
Which it only broke the dam inside her.
She cried of the pain- the guilt- and how it's all her fault. Her thoughts laid bare -questioning out loud, thinking of the 'what ifs' and 'could haves'. Through all of it, he listened and didn't stop her. He didn't freak out. He didn't run away. He only brought her closer to him, in hopes to comfort and soothe. When she expressed enough of her mind, only did he voice that he had only felt the same.
He felt the same with what happened to Shigiraki.
He had felt the same. Ochako felt her heart lighten.
He made no promises that everything would be back to normal, expressing that the path he chose- that everyone one does to be a hero- is a thick thorny path. But if there was something that was promising, is the fact of reaching out.
"If we keep reaching out even if it isn't our business, I'm sure of it!" and she smiles at him.
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The days pass with the blink of a eye, and there comes a day when she does smile again.
Out in the snow, all bundled up in her coat, gloves, and scarf- she watches the snow fall as she stands side by side with Izuku. It's freezing and she can begin to feel her toes turn the ice cubes, but she doesn't care.
Class 2A has decided to play in the snow. She can see Bakugo and Kirishima mercilessly throwing snowballs- while Karminari is failing to make a wall of snow to block their attacks. Whilst that is going on, Mina and a few of the girls are rolling in the snow to make snow angels. Everything has been so peaceful and easy, and she can't help but still feel something tug at her chest. She knew that feeling, and she brushed it away as soon as it came. It feels like forever since she has felt or acknowledged her feelings about him again. They loved to pull and tug at the heartstrings and remind her that its blatantly there. Her heart yearned to be near him and to soak up his smile, his presence, his determination. The heart wants what it wants and right now- it wanted to feel his lips against hers-
"Uraraka-san!" Izuku says in a sing-song voice. She turns to him only for snow to be dumped on her. Ochako sputters and wipes it off, "Hey!" she giggles and gives chase to him.
They run around and Ochako attempts to throw snow back at him. When she feels like she caught up to him, her leg slips on the ice on the concrete walkway and she begins to stumble- which Izuku slows immediately and catches her- and they both fall in the snow. Ochako gasps, spewing apologies which Izuku only brushes off, saying he was worried that she was going to fall and get a injury.
She sits up with him, eyes locked. She wish she could stay there, looking at his emerald pools, never turning away. She watches his eyes trace her face and they fall slightly above her face. She notices his face turns more red than normal.
Was that the cold or was it-
Looking up directly to see a string to be poorly tied to the evergreen tree branch above them. It hangs very low- almost brushing against her head, green leaves teasing her hair as the white berries stand out. It's like alarms are going off in her head and she immediately looks at Izuku with her own flushed face. But he is already a few inches away from her face. Her breath catches in her throat and she whispers his voice.
"Yes?" he whispers, his eyes bouncing between both of her mocha colored irises.
His breath fanned her face and she wanted to squirm away.
"You don't have to. It's a dumb tradition anyways," she simply shrugs
"I want to....I-If you would want to too that is-" and she laughs at how silly this is. "Yes" her cheeks warm, and she decides to be a little selfish just this once.
And that is all it took to make her heart feel fluttery and light. She doesn't look to check for prying eyes when she is too busy trying to make sense of what he is saying. His face gravitates closer and she finds herself leaning in too. She doesn't know whether to put her hands on his shoulders or to leave them on her lap, but he decides for her and grabs both of them with his own scarred hands and squeezes gently as his face is an inch from hers. There is no way this is happening, she thinks. But it is and she can't stop what is coming next.
His lips are soft and inviting- oh so warm. When she presses back, she realizes he is shaking. He must feel nervous too. She places her hands gently on his upper chest (pinkies up) and it gives him plenty of courage to put his still trembling hands on her waist. They are both clumsy and need lost of practice but she doesn't care. Forever ago she would have absolutely deny a chance like this. She never wanted to push or to even hint her feels to him. Their friendship means everything to her, but right now she throws caution to the wind as she embraces that portion of her heart.
He pulls her closer and her heart skips a beat. He tilts his head a little and dives back in when he takes a breath. Ochako slides her hands to go around his neck and he lips quirk upwards. It feels like fireworks are going off in her head- like it feels so real and tantalizing. Goosebumps make her shiver as she feels a warmth coming from behind- must be the fireworks.
Wait-
Ochako feels Izuku tighen his arms as he pulls away. He rolls with her in the snow avoid the unknown danger. Bakugo yells and propels himself at Kaminari- who is running for his life.
Izuku gives a deadpanned look at Bakugo and Ochako snickers. He looks at her and a smile slowly grows on his face. Soon, its just fits of laughter of the ridiculousness of it all. When they both calm down and Ochako is wiping her eyes from laughing so hard, she feels his hand lay on top of hers.
She looks at him and his eyes are warm and something else that she has never seen before.
Love perhaps?