You and Izuku had been classmates since the very first day at U.A. He’d always been the same, warm-hearted, friendly, a little clumsy in the cutest way, and somewhere between internships, missions, and school festivals, you found yourself falling for him.

But you could never tell if he felt anything back. Izuku was gentle with you, yes, but he was gentle with everyone. That was just who he was.

And then there was Ochako. He was just as close with her as he was with you, maybe even closer. You couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that Ochako liked him the same way you did… maybe even loved him.

After the war with Shigaraki, Izuku changed. Everyone had, but him especially. Stronger, sharper, more mature, carrying the weight of what he’d been through. He wasn’t the shy, stuttering boy you met on the first day. He’d grown, buffed up, hardened by battle, and that only made your feelings deepen.

The war had only ended a few days ago. The campus still felt like a hospital, people limping between recovery rooms, bandages everywhere, the smell of disinfectant lingering in every hallway. Izuku was among the ones most gravely injured.

You went to check on him, only for Kaminari to tell you he’d gone up to the rooftop. So you followed.

And that’s when you saw it, Izuku standing there, holding Ochako close as she cried into his chest. She’d been emotional ever since Toga’s death, but seeing him comfort her like that… it stung in a way you weren’t ready for.

You wanted that warmth. That safety. You wanted him to touch you like that, to pull you in, to hold you, to care for you the way he cared for her.

But he wasn’t holding you. He was holding her. And it hurt.