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Her fingers curled snugly around Ochako Uraraka’s neck, thumbs resting right where she could feel her pulse fluttering wildly beneath her skin.
Her legs flexed, wrapping tighter around Ochako’s torso as they lay on the hard concrete. The ground was cold and scraped into Toga’s knees, but she didn’t mind.
Ochako’s hand shook as it grabbed Toga’s wrist.
It was so weak.
Exhausted muscles. Sloppy breathing. Fingers that barely had the strength to hold on, let alone pull Toga away or activate her Quirk. She wasn’t fighting anymore.
She was just… holding.
Toga panted lightly as she took the time to admire up close. Which included the small details, like the sweat that dotted Ochako’s forehead, making her hair stick to her skin.
She appeared so very tired and bruised. Trembling with beautiful brown eyes, glassy with fear.
Toga thought she’d never looked cuter.
She adjusted her hand slightly, easing the pressure just enough to let air slip through. She wasn’t careless. She knew exactly how much was too much. Ochako sucked in a shallow breath, chest jerking, and Toga felt a thrill run through her at the way her body responded so perfectly to her actions.
There was something special about this occasion. Usually, Ochako was never in a position where they could just be in each other's presence, let alone talk. She punched. She shouted. She floated with that determined look on her face.
But now Ochako was still.
Toga’s head buzzed, thoughts overlapping, crowding each other out. She’d imagined this moment so many times it felt familiar, like déjà vu. Saying everything she’d never been allowed to finish. Being heard without fists interrupting her sentences.
She wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.
“I love you.”
Ochako tensed.
Her grip on Toga’s wrist fell, fingers going limp as her eyes widened. Her breathing stuttered.
Toga leaned closer, searching her face. She scanned every line, every flicker of expression, waiting for the moment it would click. That spark. That warmth. That oh.
But it didn’t happen.
Ochako just stared at her, mouth trembling slightly. “You’re insane.”
Toga blinked, smile faltering at the edges. Insane. She’d heard that word before. From teachers. From strangers. From her own parents.
That word never made sense to her.
“No,” Toga said, almost gently. “You don’t really think that.”
Because love wasn’t insanity. Love was wanting someone so much it hurt. Love was wanting to become them, to wear them, to keep them inside you where no one else could take them away.
That was normal as well as human.
“You need help,” Ochako shifted beneath her, nails going back to sink lightly into her skin. “Get off!”
A soft, wet laugh slipped out of Toga’s throat. “Nope.” She shook her head, hair bouncing slightly. Her hand loosened around Ochako’s neck, fingers sliding away as Ochako sucked in as much air as she could get, trying to finally fill her lungs that were running shallow of oxygen. Toga barely noticed. She brought both hands up instead, cupping Ochako’s face, thumbs brushing her cheeks. “All I need is you.”
For a heartbeat, Ochako’s eyes softened.
Toga felt that spark of hope flaring in her chest. There. There. That was it. That was the look she’d been waiting for.
But then Ochako whispered, “You’re proving my point.”
Before Toga could respond, Ochako bucked her hips upward. The sudden movement knocked Toga off balance, surprise ripping a sound from her throat. Ochako twisted beneath her, shoving hard, and Toga’s hands slid uselessly off her skin.
“No!” Toga protested, reaching out.
Ochako scrambled away, movements slightly sluggish, one hand pressed to her throat as she staggered to her feet. She coughed harshly.
Toga sat there, stunned.
Her hands hovered in the air for a moment before dropping slowly to her lap. “Wait,” Toga said, voice high and unsteady.
Ochako kept walking.
Toga pushed herself up onto her knees, “Please don’t leave me,”
Ochako stopped.
She looked up eagerly, a smile trying to reform, eyes bright despite the tears clinging to her lashes. Ochako turned slowly, their gazes meeting one last time.
But there was no warmth there.
Ochako grimaced and limped as she walked away.