Ochako Uraraka loves Izuku Midoriya.
As she wanders aimlessly around the shopping mall, that simple sentence dominates her thoughts.
Damn that Aoyama! Sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. . .how could he have seen through her so easily?
Okay, to be fair, she was a rather obvious person. It's rather surprising, or impressive, or concerning that Deku had never noticed her feelings.
For so long she had been able to convince herself that they were just friends. Really good, close friends. But hearing Aoyama (of all people!) come out and state her emotions so plainly destroyed and semblance of resistance that remained in her mind.
When had she started feeling this way? Back when she had first met Deku, before the entrance exam, she had thought he was kind of a cute in a frantic sort of way. But to be honest, and it pains her to admit this, she really hadn't thought much of that scrawny boy with the unkempt hair.
It was only during the practical test did she see Deku for who he really was. Even as all the other applicants, aspiring heroes, ran to save themselves, Deku stood his ground and sacrificed his body and his chances at the exam to save her.
And the more time the two of them spent together, the more she found herself drawn to him. It's the truth that at first it was just friendship, but eventually she found herself hoping for something more.
His earnestness, his drive, his desire to help others even at his own expense. . .she had fallen for every part of him.
And yet here she was, running away from him to spare herself, what? The embarrassment? Or the fear that he doesn't feel the same way?
"I can't just run away every time I get flustered. . ."
She knows Deku would be really confused by her actions. Leaving him behind, even if it spared her any current fear, still leaves a bad taste in her mouth.
She knows she should go back and apologize.
And talk to him.
All alone.
No big deal!
It's not like she wants to spend all day shopping with him or anything weird!
Sure, she thinks he's amazing because he tries so hard to be a hero!
It's not like she likes him, Deku's her friend! What Aoyama said was ridiculous!
"Uh. . .Deku?"
She finally finds him close to where the split up, sitting awfully close with a hooded figure. She doesn't know why, but the mere sight of this stranger sends shivers down her spine.
"Is that a friend?" she asks hesitantly. "No. . .that can't be right. . ."
The stranger turns to face her.
She catches a glimpse of familiar blue hair and crimson eyes.
Tomura Shigaraki.
She can feel her heart stop. "Hey, let go of him. . ." she says in a trembling voice.
"This is nothing, everything's fine!" Izuku insists loudly. "Stay back, no closer!"
She knows he's saying it for her own good, but to hear those words from his mouth makes her heart ache.
She hesitantly takes a step forward.
"Wrong move," Shigaraki hisses.
He wraps all five of his fingers around Izuku's neck.
In one swift motion, Izuku is already twisting, building up power to deliver a devastating blow to Shigaraki even as the skin on his neck blisters and disintegrates.
In a tenth of a second, before Ochako can even do anything, the fight is seemingly over.
Izuku clutches at his ruined neck, coughing and choking on his own blood.
Shigaraki appears to contemplate attacking bystanders, but instead opts to quickly pull out his cellphone. It's clear he's calling Kurogiri as that familiar dark mist engulfs him, quickly leaving nothing behind.
She's kneeling next to Izuku before her brain can fully process what's happening.
"Izuku, I'm sorry!" she desperately sobs as she tries to help stem the bleeding.
"O-Ochako. . .you're okay?" Izuku manages to sputter.
"Forget about me! What about you?!" she cries.
He can feel the decay sinking deeper and deeper into his body.
He's out of time.
It can't end like this.
"Ochako. . ." he chokes out, "forgive me."
With surprising speed, he gently cradles the back of her head and softly, chastely, sweetly, presses his lips to hers.
In her shock, all she can think is that her first kiss tastes of blood.
Izuku grasps her hands in his own. "Find All Might. . .tell him. Tell him I passed it to you."
"What?" She's bewildered. What's he talking about?
"Ochako, I'm sorry. . ."
"Izuku, please! You're going to be okay!" She doesn't believe her own words.
"Ochako, I love you. . ."
His hands grow limp in her grasp and slip through her frozen fingers.
"No. . .not like this! I-I never got the chance to tell you. . ."
Notes: A bit of an alternate take on the final episode of season 2. I'm apparently a sucker for these angsty, tragic endings.
Planning on this being a one-shot with a frustrating ending, but I'm kind of interested in the concept of Izuku having to pass on One for All before he can truly become a hero. If I find inspiration I may come back and update this.