"B-Bakugo-kun?"

His eyes go wide for second, but then he quickly looks down, hoping she won't be able to see any traces of tears in his eyes. Meanwhile, a million questions flow into her head. Why is he here? Was he talking to Deku-kun? Why does he look so upset? What did they talk about? Why? Why…? Why… does he always end up near Deku-kun?

She catches herself. Just now… she felt a flash of jealousy… again. She doesn't want to. She doesn't want to hate Bakugo-kun, but… it really is always him. And more than anything, she just wants to know…

"What're you waitin' for?" Bakugo prompts her, "Get out."

She blinks, realizing she's been standing there in the elevator staring at him. She apologizes and rushes out, but as he steps in to take her place, she stops. For a moment in that hall, she clenches her fists and tells herself not to look back. But she does. And just as the doors are closing, she hears a sniffle and sees Bakugo rub his eyes on the back of his hand. For a moment after the elevator leaves, she just stands there frozen as even more thoughts rush through her head. Thoughts about how no matter what he says, Bakugo truly loves Deku-kun. She knows because she recognized the look on his face, a look that she herself has made many times when she feels heartbroken. She thinks about what could've happened, what Deku-kun could've said to him, for him to make that face. She feels bad for him, knowing what that kind of pain is like, but she also feels threatened somehow, knowing that there's someone who loves Deku-kun just as much as she does, maybe even more.

But she remembers why she's here right now. She's here to confirm something with Deku-kun, just like Mina-chan said. She has to at least try to set things straight. She walks to his door and braces herself, knowing that Midoriya might also be crying like Bakugo was. The thought makes her shiver. If… If Deku-kun is also crying, does that mean he loves Bakugo-kun just as much? I mean, it's not as if she wants to see him cry for her or anything but… just how big is the gap between her and the blonde? She has to know. So taking a deep breath, she knocks.

The door opens just a crack, hesitantly, as if he thought maybe Bakugo had come back. But when he sees it's Uraraka, he opens it up all the way, looking surprised. Some awkwardness starts to set in for her, and she twiddles her thumbs as she starts, "Um, Deku-kun, I'm sorry I didn't message you first. Is now an okay time to talk? Can I come in? I'm not bothering you, am I?"

A relieved smile spreads across his face, like he couldn't be more happy to see her, almost like she rescued him from something. All at once, that smile is kind and forgiving and patient and warm, and seeing it makes her heart skip a beat. "No, not at all. I'm glad. I really wanted to talk to you too."

Just like that, her anxiety melts away. Blushing, she steps into his room. Immediately, since the room is so bare, she sees something sitting on his nightstand that wasn't here the last time she visited. "Ah! Deku-kun! Is that a new All Might figure?"

His eyes light up. "Yeah! I just got it yesterday! It's a limited edition! See? If you press this button here…" He pushes a button at the base of the figurine, and All Might's costume lights up in red, white, blue and a little orange.

"Pretty!"

"I had to scout the auction website overnight! I used up a lot of my allowance, but it was worth it, don't you think? Oh, and it comes with a fact sheet about the costume! I already knew a lot about it, but it's rare to see them talk so much about the design. Did you know that the designer was a victim that All Might saved back during the Kanemura Fires a few years ago? They say she was inspired by the flames lighting up his body and that's why she experimented using orange in the design. All Might was even inspired enough to make it the official design for an even more flameproof hero costume! Lucky her, huh? Getting to design a costume for the number one hero must've been a dream come true! And the specs are nothing to sneeze at either! See this piece right here? You'll never guess what it does!"

He continues to ramble on, spouting random hero trivia, and as Uraraka watches him, she smiles brightly and thinks, I don't really get it, but if he's happy, then I'm happy.

Glancing behind him to his bed, she notices something else that she remembers from last time. "Hey, Deku-kun," she interrupts him, and he realizes he might've been talking her ear off. He awkwardly puts the figurine back down and gives her his undivided attention. "That pillow is really cute too! Did you win it at an arcade?" Indeed, the large All Might pillow sitting on his bed did look like the kind of thing you might win at an arcade, maybe at a very large crane game. She could totally picture Deku-kun doing whatever it took to win it.

"Oh, no, that one's from Todoroki-kun."

She freezes.

"But it is really cute isn't it? I always thought he bought it from a hero merch store, but for all I know, maybe he did win it at an arcade. Heh heh." He tries to picture it and somehow imagines Todoroki getting the pillow from a crane machine on the first try like it required absolutely no effort. His image was cool like that, Midoriya thought.

It takes him a moment to realize that Uraraka has stopped and that she suddenly looks a little sad.

"Um, Uraraka-san? What's wrong? …Wait, you're not thinking that… T-Todoroki-kun just gave me this to cheer me up! It was right after… the 'incident'…"

"Hey, Deku-kun, I haven't really given you anything, have I? Or done anything for you…" She grips her elbow.

"Eh? Wha… No, don't worry about that! It's not like you have to—" He puts a hand on her shoulder.

Suddenly, she whips around and charges in to wrap her arms around him. Immediately, she realizes that this isn't a body she recognizes. The two of them are about the same height, but hugging him like this, she starts to think he might be just a little shorter… and certainly more "well-endowed". He also smells nicer than boys usually do. Something about all of it awakens some protective instincts in her, but she simultaneously realizes that it's not normal for a girl to feel that way about her "boyfriend".

Holding him tight in her arms, quietly, like she might break, she asks, "Deku-kun… Why do you like me?"

He's shocked speechless by the sudden contact and needs a moment to recover. After all, he's still not used to girls hugging him. He almost shuts down entirely.

"Is it just because I'm a girl?"

But he realizes that she's asking some pretty serious questions that require some response and starts to snap out of it. Slowly, he gets up the courage to hug her back. At first, it's faint and hesitant, but soon he's hugging her just as tightly, taking in her warmth and comforting scent. He replies, "Of course not. Uraraka-san… You don't have to do anything. All you have to do is be how you've always been. Talking to you… brightens my day. No matter how down I feel, you always make me feel better. And watching you smile makes me smile too."

Ah. Just like her. When he's happy, it makes her happy too. They really do feel the same way. If what Mina-chan told her is true, then Uraraka really has nothing to worry about. She can feel the side of his face nuzzle against hers and his body relax into her. It makes her heart soar.

…But still… "Then… What about Bakugo-kun? What… do you like about him?"

She feels him stiffen… and turn his face away as his embrace loosens a bit.

"Please… Tell me." Her grip around his torso tightens. Don't run away. For a moment, she can't tell if she wants to say that to him or to herself.

"I…" Realizing that can't just feed her empty words, tell her not to worry, or that Kacchan is just "different" somehow, he sighs into her shoulder. Thinking about Kacchan and everything they've been through together, how he makes Midoriya feel, his chest tightens as he attempts to put these feelings to words. "Kacchan is… everything I've always wanted to be and more. Really. Everything. He's… dazzling. I feel like if I follow him, I'll get to see something really amazing, like all my dreams will come true. And even if he runs far ahead of me right now—" No, wait. He realizes something. "No… Despite how he keeps running further and further ahead… I feel like somehow he's closer to me than we ever were before. Like somehow we're together now. Like… Like he wants me there beside him."

He hasn't forgotten. Bakugo did indeed tell him not to go anywhere, to stay by the blonde's side. And just a few minutes ago, he told Midoriya that he makes the blonde happy. If it meant getting to follow that shining light, Midoriya might just follow him anywhere.

"I just think… part of me wants to keep doing that. I want to keep being there for him. He's one of the people who inspired me the most. And then he told me… that I inspire him too… Uraraka-san… Can you imagine? How it feels to inspire someone you felt like you were struggling to keep up with?" She twitches. "To feel like you're always running after someone, and then they finally look back at you? And they tell you that… they wouldn't have run this far without you chasing them? That thanks to you… they can run farther than they even thought was possible?" He feels a lump in his throat and tears well up as his emotions reach his arms, and he starts to clutch the back of her shirt. But immediately she notices that the way he's holding her just changed, because it's not meant for her. It's for Bakugo. It's more desperate, vulnerable, passionate, like if he did finally catch up to the blonde, Midoriya would tackle him, hold on for dear life, and never let go. Not ever.

Yes. She can imagine it. After all, that's exactly how she feels about Deku-kun.

And if Deku-kun feels like he's struggling to keep up with Bakugo-kun… then where does that leave her? How can she inspire him? How can she keep up?

…Nothing. She still can't think of anything. Once again, she realizes just how much distance is really between them. Even while holding each other like this, even as she holds onto him so tightly, he's still… so much closer to Bakugo than she'll ever be to him. And together, the two will go farther than she'll ever be able to run.

"Uraraka-san?"

"…Hey, Deku-kun… Why… don't you tell Bakugo-kun how you feel?"

"Eh?" In shock, he attempts to let go of her, especially since hugging each other while talking about some other love interest is definitely too uncomfortable to keep up. But she keeps holding him tight, and for a second, Midoriya is surprised at her vice-like grip. He figures her training with Gunhead must have really done wonders. In any case, recovering from his initial shock, he replies, "Of course I wouldn't! He doesn't feel the same way!"

"…How do you know?"

"Wha? What do you mean how? Of course he doesn't! He… would never… And even if he did, he would've said so! Kacchan is the type to say what's on his mind!"

"But what if he doesn't know?!" Midoriya flinches a bit as she raises her voice right next to his ear. "What if he doesn't know he likes you, so he just says he doesn't?!"

"What? Where is this coming from? You shouldn't just make assumptions about him like that!" He starts to struggle. "…Just… let go for a second!"

"No! I won't let go!" she cries. He stops as he feels some warm teardrops on his shoulder. "I don't want to let go…"

"…Uraraka-san…" Suddenly feeling ashamed of himself and more sympathy for her, he starts to hold her again, stroking her back to try to calm her down. "I'm sorry. I'll stop talking about him. But it really doesn't matter how I feel. Kacchan is Kacchan. I've always wanted to be friends with him, but that's all. I wouldn't hope for anything more. And it wouldn't work out anyway."

She pouts back, "Now who's the one making assumptions?"

Hearing her unusually bitter tone, he can't help but argue, "Why? Why would you say that? What do you know about Kacchan?!"

"I know that he loves you, Deku-kun!" she sobs. He pauses in shock. The desperation in her voice almost makes him want to believe it for a second. "Everybody knows it… You two are the only ones who don't know it. We promised we wouldn't say anything to either of you, but… I… I can't let go… Not until I know… you could be happy with him. How I'm feeling right now… how much it hurts… The only thing that could make it all worthwhile is knowing that you're happy! Because that's what I want for you more than anything, Deku-kun! I love you! I want to love you more than anyone else! I want to make you happier than anyone else could!"

Little does she know that simply hearing that is enough to make him happy, make his heart twist with love and longing.

"I was prepared to be selfish! To fight for you! I didn't want to just give up, but… I'm just… no match for him… Deku-kun, I… I know I shouldn't ask what you said to Bakugo-kun but… on the way here, I saw him, and he was crying a little."

Midoriya freezes. "…Eh? What? No… That's… Are you sure you didn't…?"

"See? You don't know everything about Bakugo-kun. So Deku-kun, please, promise me! Promise me you'll give him a chance! Promise me you'll try to be happy! That you'll give Bakugo-kun a chance to make you happy! If you don't, I can't… let go…"

"I… I want to be happy with you, Uraraka-san… I don't want to let go of you either."

"…Then let go of Bakugo-kun." For both of their sakes, she says the most selfish thing she can imagine. She knows. This is the only way to push him. "Don't talk to him so much. Don't look at him like that. Once our assignment is over, don't spend any more time with him! Tell him you're not friends anymore if you have to! …Whatever makes you finally give up on him…"

"It… It doesn't have to be like that. I'm telling you, I—"

"You're the one who said it first, Deku-kun… that I deserve to be with someone who would choose me over anyone else. So… why can't you choose?"

Because Kacchan is important to me. That's the first thought that comes to mind as he opens his mouth to argue. And suddenly he understands why she made the threat in the first place. He knew he was being selfish this whole time, insisting he could be with all of the people he cared about and make them all happy. He even fooled himself into thinking that if he had to choose, he could just make the choice that would make the most people happy. The choice that would ultimately avoid choosing. If Kacchan, Todoroki-kun, and Omoda-senpai weren't interested in him in that way, then choosing Uraraka-san was the obvious best choice. But… if it was so obvious from the beginning, then why couldn't he choose from the beginning? Why did he make her wait? Even if it was just a few days ago, he still told her to wait for him, knowing full well that he doesn't have the right to ask that.

But he couldn't choose… because the truth is…

The truth is…

He already knew what he wanted to choose from the beginning.

"…Do you… Do you really think Kacchan likes me?"

With that, he deals the final blow to her heart. She winces, taking a second to recover as tears stream down her cheeks. She sniffles, then replies, "Mm-hm!" with a nod.

He feels her tears on his shoulder and squeezes her tight one last time. He starts crying too as he replies, "So… happy! …I'm so happy!"

For all he knows, it might still be just a dream. Maybe the truth is that Kacchan will never love him, and he just gave up on the best thing that could've happened to him, the best girl who could ever make him happy. But for just a moment, he wants to believe it's real, and for some reason, just believing makes it worth it. Even if it means he can never go back to Uraraka-san, apologize, say he made a mistake, give her all the love she deserves for the rest of her life. Even if it means losing his chances with everyone he cared about.

Kacchan is worth it. Midoriya… barely catching his breath, tears in his eyes, legs burning, bruised from tripping over and over, Midoriya's chased him, kept on running, all his life.

He'll chase him for the rest of it too.

Me:

*reads chapter 319 of MHA*

*reads what Bakugo said about Midoriya (and All Might)*

*looks at my lovely readers and fans of Koin*

Me:

Told'ja so. ;P

(lol but for real, I'm freaking out XD)