"Do it, Uraraka! We're going to graduate tomorrow! What's the worst that could happen?"
Ochako was currently getting interrogated by the other girls of class 3-A. Mina had stopped her on their way to the dorms, trying to find any excuse to lecture her about the exact same thing. Honestly, Ochako was tired of this. She'd been trying to build up the courage to confess to Izuku Midoriya since their first year and now, it all seemed so unimportant and impossible. How could she magically achieve what she's fought to get for the past three years over a little speech?
"What if you never see him again? Wouldn't you regret never telling him how you really feel?" Hagakure added.
"What if he does but can't stop thinking about how I ruined our friendship? You guys just don't get it!" Ochako huffed, crossing her arms and taking a defensive stance. "We've been best friends since the entrance exam! Well, I don't know if I'd consider him a friend that early on, but maybe by the first day? Or the first week? Is that still too soon to consider him a close friend?" This was why she could never make up her mind.
"Uraraka, if you don't tell him by the time we all head out to our agencies, you may never get that chance again. We're about to go out into adulthood! We're going to make a living and save people's lives on a daily basis! If he doesn't know that you want to be shoved into that mesh of hero life as well, he may not plan for it!" Mina whined.
"What do you mean? You don't think he's just going to forget about me, do you?" Ochako felt a wave of fear wash over her. Izuku wasn't that kind of person, right?
"Most heroes don't stick together after school, Uraraka. He might go abroad like All Might had. He might even stay overseas. He can't just pack you up in a suitcase and take you with him unless you really mean something to him."
"I don't need to be his girlfriend in order to mean something to him!" She was so tired of this. Ochako turned and left the training field before either girl could give another argument. She could feel her cheeks color in a deep red color and tears pricked behind her eyes.
This is what she feared the most. Once all of 3-A got their official license, they'd all leave each other and never turn back. Iida had already left early to take over his older brother's agency and Momo planned to join a larger hero group in Europe. Ochako had never asked Izuku where he planned to go or if he wanted to join BubbleGirl's agency with Mirio. She had been too scared of the answer.
Deciding to wait out her tears and calm down, Ochako made her way to the dorms and walked into the small kitchen they had. She made herself a cup of tea and a thick sandwich for her hunger. The kitchen was next to empty since the school year would end tomorrow. She stacked the lunch meats and condiments high up until it looked as if it would fall over. She had always loved making big sandwiches. Sometimes, when her parents could afford it, she would go out with her parents for dinner to the deli downtown. It had been a bright memory in her childhood.
With her massive sandwich and the mug of steaming tea, she sat on the couch and huffed out angrily. She was too stubborn to let the tears run, not so close to graduation. She didn't have to do anything about Izuku. It would be alright if he left. It didn't matter to her, in the end. She would just end up here, in Musutafu, working for a higher salary until her parents could retire comfortably. It didn't matter how much her father promised that he wouldn't take a coin from her. She was doing this for all of them.
With another sigh, she pressed the sandwich down -a bit of mustard running out the sides- and struggled to take a bite. The different meats didn't always taste the best together, but it was more about stuffing her mouth as a distraction than the taste. When had she started this habit again?
"Stupid." She muttered through a mouth full of food. She nearly choked as she swallowed, having to take a little time to breathe after. Maybe stacking her sandwich this high was a bad idea. This was way more calories than she needed. She wouldn't be doing hero work until the weekend.
Another mouthful of food kept her silent. She breathed noisily through her nose, struggling to keep her thoughts from spiraling into the topic of Izuku. She didn't want to think about his soft, green hair and how nice it felt when he trusted her enough to sleep against her shoulder every movie night. She didn't want to think about the way his eyes wrinkled when he imitated All Might or the way his voice went high when he was embarrassed. It would crack sometimes too, which was way too adorable for an 18 year-old male.
The tears began running before she could even notice them spilling. Once she did notice, she started to sob around her mouth filled with food. She set her sandwich down, holding her mouth closed with both hands to both silence her sobbing and to keep her food from falling out.
Ochako wasn't sure how long she sat there, trying not to choke as she sobbed on the couch when a pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders. She knew what they were before she saw his sickeningly adorable face.
Two dark green eyes met hers, shining with concern and sympathy. The look only made her cry worse, which was likely an ugly sight. Who sobbed with a mouth full of food anyway? Izuku was probably hiding his disgust at the scene.
"Ochako, it's okay." He gave her a weak smile and pulled her closer. Her head leaned against his shoulder and all she could do was try and swallow to make this a little less awkward. "I've got you." He soothed. He'd gotten good at this kind of thing over the years.
"I...mph-" She tried to explain herself but ended up gagging on her food. She took a moment to breathe through her nose, swallowed, then continued to cry. It would've been impressive if she wasn't so pathetic. He was probably judging her sandwich preference as well. Why couldn't the couch just suck her inside and leave her there to die?
"Is it graduation?" He asked in a hushed voice, as if the question wasn't really a question, but a suggestion. It didn't make sense, since it really wasn't why she was crying. Well, maybe. She wasn't sure anymore. "It's alright, Ochako. Going out into the hero world...it's scary. I know I'm scared. We've spent so much time getting protected by our teachers, relying on UA to make everything okay again. Now, it'll be our job." He started to mutter to himself, but the sound was more relaxing than annoying.
So, Izuku was stressed about being independent. Out of everyone, she didn't think he would be the one worrying about that. He'd been breaking his bones and saving others since the entrance exam. He was such an amazing hero, she couldn't possibly imagine Izuku being rejected from work or failing. Then again, every hero had their failures. Aizawa-sensei made sure to teach them that early on.
"Izuku…" Ochako whimpered, gripping his suit -when had he put on his her suit? She wiped at her tears and tried to face him but his face was too close and her lips brushed against the point of his chin. They both froze. Slowly, very slowly, Izuku let his shoulder fall back into a resting position. Ochako found that it was easy to do the same, sinking further into his warm chest and even daring to press her lip a bit higher.
It was like a slow dance. Ochako would inch her lips closer to his and he would inch closer to her, but neither was brave enough to fully make contact. At some point, they had shifted, Ochako's hand flat against his chest and feeling at his zipper in small, slow circles. When Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, she did too. They made eye contact, holding it for what seemed like an eternity until they finally made contact, only looking away to close their eyes.
The kiss was soft and more of a brush of lips than a press, but it sent sparks through her shoulders and spine, making her feel blissfully weak. Izuku must have felt the same, because he melted into her touch, holding the back of her neck with his large palms and pulling her back in for another short kiss.
After the third kiss, Ochako gasped and backed away a bit. Her eyebrows trembled and her chin twitched. Tears threatened to fall again. "You love me?" He couldn't really, could he? There was no way. It was too good to be true.
"I do." He looked about as ready to cry as she did. His entire body shook but his grip was still strong. He sucked in an anxious breath -that made her heart skip a few beats- and let his left hand slid down her spine to her waist. She shivered in response.
"Then kiss me again." She demanded, already leaning in again. He let out a small laugh, just short enough to blow sweet air onto her lips before she captured them again.
She could talk to him about starting their careers together later. For now, she would enjoy the relief in her aching heart. It felt wonderful to be loved.