inheritance | IC Inbox

[Using his first name.. wow, this is serious. Despite the worry he feels still lingering, Izuku can't help but smile at her warmly in the end. Actually, hold that thought.

Izuku sets his cup aside so he can cover her hands with his. It still amazes him sometimes, that he can do this now, that they've reached this level of closeness.]

I was really worried about you, too. When you disappeared.. [Let's just say it wasn't a good week for Izuku either.] It was such a relief when we found you guys.

It was huge relief to see you guys, too! ...I don't think anyone had a good time.

[The truth, accompanied by a rather weak smile. Like, yes, her group had to fend off sirens, but the members of the other group were apparently incredibly ill, so... damn. It's enough to make her sigh.]

I hope we're not split up like that again. And if we are, then I hope we're on the same team next time! I know that sounds selfish, [she says a touch sheepishly, twisting her mug around,] but it's just better when we're together, you know? We make a good team.

I get it. [Izuku shakes his head, pulling his hands back.] It's not selfish, Ochako-san. I think we make a good team, too--it's easier to handle everything this place throws at us together, right?

[What a hypocrite, when he's wondered the very same thing when he wished to stay close to his friends, too. Izuku pulls his cup toward him now, staring into it. Quietly, he says--] I didn't like being separated from you guys.

[Like the trails from a couple months earlier, except worse.]

[Much worse, but hey—it's over! That's the one bright spot that she, in typical Ochako fashion, is trying very hard to focus on, so... she's just going to flash him an even wider smile before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.]

It was awful, but at least we're all back together now. I'm glad!

[There! Positivity! But it's time... to get sappy.]

And in a way, it kind of made me appreciate you even more. I mean, I always appreciate you, but... it's like being apart made me think about everything I like about you? The stuff that makes you different from Todoroki-kun, or Kaoru-chan, or—everyone else. [She pauses for a moment, humming as she thinks back to their previous friendship conversation so very long ago.] Izuku-kun, you know... that you're one of my best friends, don't you?

Ochako-san... [You can't just spring something like that on him! Unprepared as he is, Izuku immediately starts tearing up--but she probably expected that.]

You're one of my best friends, too. You...you already know that you were my first friend. [There's Bakugou, as always, but that's a complicated relationship at its very core. Did Bakugou even consider them friends before things went sour? Izuku doesn't know if he'll ever have a chance to ask.

He gives her a watery smile over the rim of his cup.] You were one of the first people to show me kindness in a long time. I don't think I'd be the same person if I hadn't met you during the entrance exam. [She's changed a lot of things for him, a real friendship, a new meaning to an old insult... Izuku knows that he owes her a lot.] You're the reason I can be the Deku that can do his best.

[Ochako isn't the least bit surprised to see the tears welling up in his eyes, but she is surprised when things begin to look a bit... blurrier around the edges. Emotions are contagious, apparently! Not that she's about to full-on cry; it's just, you know, been a really long week, and everything he's saying hits her right in the heart.]

Maybe I helped a little, but it's all you, Izuku-kun. [The Legend of Deku.] No matter how many times you get knocked down, you always get back up and give it your all. You're the toughest person I know!

[There's another lengthy pause as she fidgets with her mug, because what she wants to express... is obvious, she thinks, but she's never had to actually say it before. Hmm.]

And you never let it get to you! You just keep moving forward with a smile. [And she returns his watery smile with a watery smile of her own, although she absolutely refuses to let the tears fall.] ...I really admire that about you.

[It's probably for the best that Ochako doesn't end up actually crying, because that would definitely set Izuku off even more. It's practically reflexive! He can't help it. Don't mind him as he quickly scrubs at his eyes.]

You took the words right out of my mouth. [After a stunned sort of pause (wow, she really thinks that about him?), Izuku gives a weak sort of chuckle as he gestures at her.] You're the one who always keeps going with a smile, Ochako-san. It feels like...you're always there to help pick me up when I'm feeling down, even when you're feeling the same, too.

That's what friends are for, right?

[She leans across the table, reaching out to place her hand on top of his. A few months ago, this kind of contact would have been unthinkably awkward; now, however, it just feels so... friendly? So natural. It's why the things he's saying about her, as happy as they make her feel, don't send her shooting to the ceiling.]

It's like... even though being here isn't the best, it did bring us closer together. That's why I was so sad to be apart from you for that long! I just feel better when you're around. [And it's the same way for him, apparently, which is wild to think about!! Whoa!! She never stopped to think that maybe Deku—Deku—appreciated having her around, but—nope, nope, she's definitely not going to cry. Watch her blink away those tears as quickly as she can.] I-I'm always here for you, and I know that you're always here for me.

(I went ahead and submitted it!)

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