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The girls of class 3A sat on the floor of Mina Ashido’s room, conversing about various topics. However, Ochako Uraraka spent most of the evening in deep thought, barely contributing to the conversations. Her mind was occupied by thoughts of a green haired boy that happened to be her best friend and her crush. She had developed romantic feelings for him back in their first year and despite her constant attempts to ignore said feelings, they never went away. Now, in her third year, she has made a realization and a decision.
“I’m going to confess to Deku-kun,” the brunette declared, causing the five other girls present to stare at her in silence for several seconds, making the gravity girl blush slightly.
“What?” asked Kyouka Jirou, trying to keep her voice as normal as possible.
“I’m going to confess to Deku-kun,” Ochako repeated while Mina Ashido and Tooru Hagakure stared at her with excited eyes.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to focus on being a hero and that romance would be a distraction?” Asui Tsuyu asked, tilting her head slightly, “What changed your mind?”
“I love him. I have loved him for a long time and I realized I was being stupid by trying to avoid these feelings.”
“Yes! Finally! Its happening,” Mina shouted in joy, shaking Tooru’s shoulders.
“I never thought I would see the day!” the invisible girl squealed, mirroring her pink friend’s excitement.
“Oh my,” Momo Yaoyorozu said, “how are you gonna confess? Are you going to make some chocolates for him? Or maybe wait for a rainy day and confess while the two of you are walking together”
“Momo-chan, clam down. This isn’t like the romance novels you read, ribbit”
“Apologies… but it is quite similar,” the black-haired girl said, mumbling the last part.
While the conversation continued, a purple-haired girl stared at her brunette friend in silence, her mind now filled with one thought. She couldn’t let it happen. So, when Ochako said she was going to do it immediately and stood to head for the door, Kyouka stood and moved herself between her friend and the door, causing the girls to once again fall silent for several seconds as the brunette and the purplette stared at each other.
“Kyouka-chan, what are you doing?” asked Tsuyu.
“You can’t.”
“Can’t what?” Ochako asked?
“You can’t confess.”
“Why not?”
“Yeah, why not?” Mina questioned, surprised at Kyouka’s actions.
“B-because you don’t know if he feels the same,” stuttered Kyouka, hoping the other girls don’t grow suspicious of her admittedly suspicious actions.
“Yes, but wouldn’t confessing be the easiest way for her to find out?” Momo suggested.
“Exactly,” agreed Mina, “Besides, its obvious he feels the same way. Its Midori and Ochako. They have been crushing on each other since first year. Plus, anyone can see that they would make a cute couple. I bet ten years from now, they will be married with little toddlers running around their office in the DekUravity Hero Agency!” she squealed in excitement, making Ochako blush at the thought of having a family with her crush, and earning a glare from Kyouka.
“Mina-chan did you plan out Ochako-chan’s future with Midoriya-chan in your head?”
Mina chuckled, “I plan out the futures of all my ships. Its my job as a love expert.”
“Mina’s right,” Tooru stated, “Midoriya and Ochako are clearly meant to be. Even people who barely know them would agree.” Kyouka frowned slightly hearing this.
“Indeed. Even I admit the two of them seem to share a rather special bond and would make an amazing couple,” Momo added, unaware of the small feeling of betrayal her best friend was experiencing.
“I would go so far as to say they are soulmates, ribbit,” Tsuyu added, making Kyouka grit her teeth.
“Stop it!” Kyouka shouted before taking a deep breath to calm herself, “Why do you all just assume he feels the same way about her? What if he doesn’t and she ends up heartbroken?”
“Why are you so sure that Deku-kun doesn’t feel the same way,” Ochako asked, glaring at the purplette.
“W-w-what? I… I’m just looking out for you.”
“Kyouka, perhaps you are being a bit too pessimistic,” Momo suggested, missing the slight look of desperation in her best friend’s eyes.
“No, I’m not. I-I-I’m just…”
“Come on, Kyouka, the Green Tea ship is about to set sail! Let the ship sail!” Tooru said.
“Can we watch? It’s not every day you see true love blossom,” Mina requested.
“True love?” Kyouka scowled for a second before her expression became more neutral, which didn’t go unnoticed by Ochako, who was growing more and more suspicious of the earphone jack user.
“Kyouka why don’t you want me to confess?” Ochako questioned.
“I can’t tell you. Just trust me… please.”
“No. I want to know why? You once told me that its better to confess than to just hold in these feelings. Why are you stopping me now?” Ochako pressed on, as the other four girls watched the two of them.
“Things are different now. I’m trying to be a good friend here, just trust me, okay?”
Momo watched the interaction closely, trying to figure out why her best friend was acting the way she was. The only possible reason would be that Kyouka knew something the rest of them didn’t know. Something that would probably result in Ochako’s confession being rejected. “Kyouka,” Momo called out to her friend, “Is there something you aren’t telling us?”
“What? No. Why would you think that?”
“Well, you seem sure that Ochako’s confession would end in rejection. It stands to reason that you know something that would make it so.”
“Y-you really think Deku-kun is going to r-reject me?” Ochako asked shakily, losing the confidence she had mustered, “Why?”
“I… I can’t say…”
“Well, whatever the reason is, I’m sure that they could work past it. Then the ship will sail smoothly across the seas of love,” Mina said, trying to support her brunette friend.
“Exactly. Nothing can stand in the way of the IzuOcha love,” Tooru declared.
“Maybe the reason is that Midoriya-chan doesn’t expect Ochako-chan to have feelings for him, ribbit,” Tsuyu suggested, “the two of them have always been oblivious of the other’s feelings.”
“Kyouka,” Momo said, having noticed how Kyouka looked visibly upset, “Are you okay?”
“Do you agree with them?” Kyouka asked in a low voice, not looking at Momo.
“I… I can understand why they are so confident in Ochako and Midoriya getting together,” Momo answered.
“See? Everyone agrees,” said Mina. “There is no need to assume the worst, Kyouka. Just let Ochako do her thing and let the love magic work its stuff.”
“Y-you’re right,” the brunette said, “Everything will work out.” Ochako, brimming with renewed confidence, stepped closer to the door expecting the purplette to move out of the way, but the purplette remained in place, glaring at the brunette. “Kyouka, please move,” Ochako said, with a hint of irritation in her voice.
“No,” said Kyouka, trying, and failing, to not sound angry, a scowl etched onto her face.
“Why are you being so stubborn!? What, are you jealous or something!?” Ochako yelled.
“Jealous?” Kyouka’s scowl deepened, “Do I fucking look jealous?”
“Yes, you do. Why else would you try to stop me?”
“Do you really want to know? Fine!” Kyouka stepped closer to the brunette, looking her right in the eye, “He doesn’t love you like that. Not anymore.” The other girls gasped at the information while Ochako took a step back, a hurt look on her face.
“W-w-what? W-what do you mean? H-how do you know?” Ochako asked.
Kyouka knew that she had already messed up by revealing part of the truth to Ochako. She knew that she should try to explain things to her as gently as possible. However, her anger, coupled with her own insecurities, made her more aggressive than necessary, especially since it was towards the one girl whose presence often made her feel insecure. “He told me. At some point, Izuku wanted to confess to you but then noticed that whenever relationships were brought up, you would talk about how you wanted to focus on your career as a hero, so eventually, he gave up since he wanted to respect your wishes.”
“B-but that doesn’t mea-”
“There are no buts. Izuku has moved on. There is no going back,” Kyouka stated, not caring about the look of devastation on the brunette’s face, “Do you understand now? Because of all the time you spent trying to avoid your own feelings, you missed your chance, Ochako.”
“M-m-moved on? Does that mean he…”
“Has a girlfriend? Yes, he does.”
“Oh…” Ochako said, tears falling down her face.
“Okay, even if he has moved on, there is no need to tell Ochako in such a mean way,” Tooru said.
“At least she didn’t have to stand her and listen to her friends repeatedly talk about how her boyfriend is so obviously in love with another girl. And how anyone can tell that they are fucking meant to be, and that they are practically soulmates who will end up together after working past whatever reasons prevent them from getting together,” Kyouka spat back, tears welling up in her eyes.
Momo’s eyes went wide, “Oh my goodness, Kyouka… we didn’t mean to-”
“Kyouka, we’re so sorry…” Mina and Tooru said apologetically.
“Its fine. None of you knew so its not really your fault,” said Kyouka as she turned towards the door.
“Y-you’re dating D-Deku-kun?”
“Yes, I am. Goodnight,” the purplette answered and left the room.
Silence permeated the room once again, only to me cut off by the sniffling of Ochako.
“I-I… uh… I’m gonna head to bed…” Ochako said, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Ochako-chan, are you okay?” Tsuyu asked.
“Y-yeah… I just… I want to be alone for a while. I’ll be fine.”
“We’re here for you if you need anything,” Mina said.
“Thanks…” replied Ochako as she left the room. The remaining girls looked at each other, trying to figure out what to say next.
“We should apologize to Kyouka-chan tomorrow, ribbit.”
Mina nods, “Yeah, we should. We should have realized that she was upset by what we were saying. I can’t imagine what it feels like to hear something like that.”
“She looked really hurt when she left… I should have noticed sooner…” Momo said, feeling guilty over what happened.
“Do you think Ochako-chan and Kyouka-chan are going to stop being friends?”
“No… but I think things will be difficult for a while,” Tooru answered.
=0=0=0=
Izuku was awakened from his sleep by the sound of knocking on his door. He got up and answered the door, finding his girlfriend in tears. “Kyouka? What happened?”
“I-I… I’ll explain tomorrow…” she answered, “Can I stay with you tonight?”
“Yeah, of course,” the green haired boy said, letting her into his room. The two of them lay down on his bed, Kyouka holding onto him tightly. “Kyo, are you okay?”
She shook her head no as he held her closer.
“It’s alright. I’ve got you,” Izuku said softly.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
=0=0=0=
Ochako laid in bed, trying to stop herself from crying. Despite her best efforts, the tears kept flowing because of how much it hurt. It hurt to know that Izuku loved someone else. It hurt to know that she was foolish to think that he would wait around until they graduated so she could confess her feelings. It hurt to know that Kyouka was right. She missed her chance and now it was too late. It hurt to know that when Kyouka left Mina’s room, she probably went to her boyfriend. Her Izuku. She was probably in his arms right now, listening to him tell her he loves her. It hurt Ochako to know how much she wishes to be in Kyouka’s place, how she could have been in Kyouka’s place if she had been braver… if she had followed her heart. If she had taken her chance while she still had it.