They were winning — barely. The villain’s Quirk was unpredictable, the terrain unstable, but Momo had calculated the odds and adapted, just like always. She and her partner moved in sync, every attack and defense timed perfectly. They were a flawless team. So why did her heart feel like it was skipping every other beat?

It wasn’t just the adrenaline. Not this time. It was the way her eyes kept tracking his form through the dust. The way her breath caught when he glanced back to make sure she was safe. The way her chest tightened every time he said her name.

She didn’t have time to think about it. Not when the ground cracked beneath her.

A tremor from the villain’s attack tore through the rooftop under her feet. She tried to leap to safety — too late. Her balance slipped.

The world tilted.

She fell.

But she didn’t hit the ground.

Arms caught her — strong, secure. The momentum knocked the wind out of her, but she was safe. Pressed to a warm chest. Held tightly like she meant something.

Her breath hitched. Her hands clutched instinctively at his hero costume. Her heart was pounding — too fast now, too loud.

They were both breathing hard. The noise of the battle faded around them. For a second, it was just the two of them — the weight of the fall still heavy in her limbs, the warmth of his arms still around her.

She looked up.

Their eyes met.

And in that suspended, breathless moment, something shifted.

She saw it in his eyes — the same question, the same hesitation, the same pull.

Her lips parted, the words barely a whisper, trembling on the edge of realization.

“…Thank you.”

But she wasn’t just thanking him for catching her.

She was thanking him for always being there. For making her feel seen. For the feelings she hadn’t dared name until now.

And maybe, just maybe… this time, she didn’t have to hide them anymore.