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Cotton Candy

Notes:

Originally posted on my tumblr (currently pat-writes-stuff) and the only thing that's different is the lack of italics and some minor grammar fixes.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

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Class 1-A was spending the day at a theme park near U.A. Everyone had been looking forward to this for weeks now, even Bakugou, though he would never let it show.

Everyone, but you, that is.

Under different circumstances, you'd be over the moon. A whole day of rides, friends, and games? The definition of perfect.

You had been excited for today’s outing up until this morning. Now, you were sitting at a picnic table next to some food stands, eating cotton candy, and being sad.

You tore off a piece of the cotton candy, letting the sweetness of it disintegrate in your mouth. So far, it wasn’t doing an excellent job of getting rid of the bitter taste in your mouth. With a sigh, you recalled what had soured your mood so much.

You had been getting ready for the outing, excited to spend the day with friends. Just as you were finishing up, there was a series of frantic knocks at your door. A bit startled by the sudden noise, you opened the door, curious as to who was in such a rush to see you. The group wasn't leaving for another half hour.

A very frazzled looking Uraraka greeted you upon opening the door. You let her in, ushering her to sit on your bed and waiting for your best friend to speak.

After a couple of seconds, she spoke. ”I want to confess to Deku today!”

Oh.

She wanted to confess to Midoriya. The very same Midoriya you were crushing on. You could practically feel the air being knocked out of your lungs.

She took your silence as a sign to continue. ”I don’t know how to do it,” she flopped dramatically onto your bed as if to further prove her distress, ”Will you help?”

”I don't know, Ochaco, ” you said, looking away from her and instead focusing on the trinkets on your desk, ”Isn't Mina better at these sorts of things?” You didn't want to help with this in the slightest bit. Sure, Ochaco was your best friend, and you'd do just about anything for her, but walking on hot coals sounded more appealing than helping your best friend and your crush get together.

”Please, ” she begged, stretching out the ’e’ sound while she gave you the best puppy eyes she could muster.

Goddammit, your people-pleasing ways would surely be the end of you.

”Fine, ” you said, letting out a sigh.

Uraraka broke into a grin, letting out a ’yay’ sound. ”Do you have any ideas?”

”The amusement park has a Tunnel of Love ride, how about that? The amusement park we're going to has one.” you proposed. If you ever were to confess to Deku, you'd probably do it somewhere like that. Not that you had ever thought of that, though.

”A Tunnel of what?” She inquired, looking at you in question.

”It's this two-person boat ride that goes through these dark passages. It's supposed to be romantic and private, I think.” you spoke as if you hadn't done any research on them.

Ochaco let out a pleased gasp. ”That’s perfect! Thank you so much, ” she pulled you into a bone-crushing hug, ”You're a genius!” she exclaimed as she raced out the door, most likely to finish getting ready.

Shaking your head, you took another piece of your cotton candy. You always craved sweets whenever you were upset, and cotton candy was the first thing you could get your hands on.

It's not like you could be upset with Ochaco for asking you for help. She didn't know you also had a crush on Midoriya. You hadn't planned on keeping it a secret at first, honestly. You were going to tell her, back when you didn't know she had a crush on him. Then, at a sleepover, some of the other girls had teased Ochaco about her crush on the curly green-haired boy. They'd gushed about how perfect the two would be together. She’d been embarrassed but pleased that other people thought they were an excellent match.

You remember feeling sick that night. The more you thought of it, however, the more you could see what everyone else meant. They were always helping each other become better heroes. They just clicked.

You wanted Ochaco happy; she was your best friend. And you wanted Izuku to be happy too, even if that meant he’d be with another girl. They could be happy together.

So, you made it your mission to get over Midoriya. The task, so far, had proven to be much more complicated than you had initially expected. The problem was how incredibly sweet and attentive he was. He was always so willing to help you with homework, or training, or listen to you ramble about the stupidest of things, and he seemed so fascinated by everything you said.

He was just so perfect. His fluffy green curls had you itching to touch, to brush them off his face while he was writing on that hero notebook of his. His rambling, while admittedly a bit concerning, made you swoon. You could, and often did, get lost in his pretty emerald green eyes or counting all the freckles you could see on his face. He was just so… entrancing. You could just watch him for hours.

God, you’re horrible. Your best friend is probably going to get with this boy today, yet here you are pining over him like a lovesick fool.

”I’m a lousy excuse of a friend, aren't I?” You asked your cotton candy woefully, eating another chunk of the sweet treat.

”I think you're a great friend, ” a voice behind you declared. You jumped in surprise; you weren't expecting anyone to respond. You looked back to meet a pair of concerned green eyes. Those eyes are much too pretty to look so worried. ”Are you feeling better now?” he asked, sitting down next to you on the picnic table you were currently occupying.

”Huh?” was your ever so eloquent response. You cringed at how dumb you must sound.

His expression didn't shift from concern, however. ”You weren't feeling well earlier, remember? You said the roller coaster had made you dizzy. Are you feeling better?” He seemed to inch closer to you subconsciously.

Oh, right. You'd forgotten. You'd told your friends the last ride you'd been on had made you feel sick and that you'd rather skip out on the next few remaining rides and find somewhere to sit. The Tunnel of Love ride was the last one of the day, according to Iida’s extremely detailed schedule, so you hoped to stay away until it was time to go back to the dorms. You loved your friend, sure, but you weren't a masochist. You knew seeing them together would be far from easy, and you hoped to keep all the negative feelings at bay until you were in the comfort of your room.

Midoriya, being the absolute sweetheart he undoubtedly is, had been quick to offer to keep you company or even take you back to the dorms. You'd be a big liar if you said you hadn't been tempted to take him up on that offer, to postpone your inevitable heartbreak for another day, but one glance in Ochaco’s direction had been enough to shoo the idea away.

You'd forgotten what you had told everyone, honestly. You were as lousy as a friend as a liar.

”Yeah, I'm feeling much better!” you said in a cheery faux tone, throwing a reassuring smile for good measure.

He looked down at your cotton candy, a frown growing on his freckled face. God, you wanted to kiss it away. ”Why are you sad?” he asked, looking up from the cotton candy to meet your eyes. You swore you felt a jolt of electricity run down your spine when your eyes met.

”I'm not sad, ” you denied, shaking your head. You are lying through your teeth, but he didn't need to know that.

”You always eat sweets when you're sad.” he countered, obviously not buying it.

You looked at him, wide-eyed, ”How do you know that?” You wondered aloud. Darn, his observant nature. You gulped down the rest of your cotton candy, trying to get rid of the incriminating evidence, and threw the paper cone in the trash can next to the picnic table.

His face flushed, going bright r, and l he covered his face with his hands, mumbling a bunch of excuses you couldn't quite make out. Cute.

”I’m feeling a little better now, ” you spoke softly, trying to ease his worries, feeling slightly guilty for flustering him so severely. You glanced down at your phone to check the time. It was almost time for the Tunnel of Love ride. Taking a deep breath, you said, ”Um, I think Uraraka had something to ask you. You should probably head over there now, so you don't miss the last ride.”

”She already asked me, ” he said, fidgeting with his hands a bit, looking straight ahead. ”I- uh, I said I couldn't. There's someone else I want to go on the Tunnel ride with.” he gave you a meaningful look. You ignored it, mistaking it to be simply a projection of your feelings onto him.

”Who?” you asked incredulously. If not Ochaco, who could he possibly like enough to go on the literal Tunnel of Love? Perhaps Todoroki? He is pretty handsome; you'd admit that.

”You, ” he revealed, a newfound determination taking over his features despite his face being cherry red.

You felt like your brain was going to explode. Midoriya liked you? What? Since when? You weren't sure what to think. On the one hand, yay, on the other, what about Ochaco?

Before you could say anything, you heard a call of your name, along with Midoriya’s. The pair of you turned your heads to find Kaminari jogging up to the couple of you.

“Hey guys!” he exclaimed, full of pep, utterly oblivious to the charged atmosphere. “Iida told me to come to get you guys. We’re about to get on to the boats. We need to get going; otherwise, we’ll miss our place.”

Midoriya stood up, grabbing your hand and tugging you up. Instead of letting it go once you were out of your seat like you thought he would, he intertwined his fingers with yours and led you through the crowd of people. From the corner of your eye, you could see Kaminari's surprised expression at seeing the two of you holding hands. It only lasted a second, however, and after that, he gave Midoriya a not-at-all subtle thumbs up. It only made the poor boy blush even more. He was practically glowing. You were a bit worried. Could someone pass out due to excess blushing?

When you got to the line, most of your group was already on the ride, Ochaco included. You weren't sure whether you were glad or not. You weren't sure how to feel about anything.

Izuku, ever the gentleman, helped you onto the ’love boat.’ It was one of those canoes they have in the Venice Canal, and it was, for lack of a better word, obnoxiously pink, with glittery red hearts of different sizes all over.

The first minute or so in which the boat floated through the ride’s dark passages was spent in awkward silence.

“Why did you choose me?” you asked, breaking the silence. You turned your head over to look at Midoriya even though you couldn't quite see him in the darkness.

”What do you mean ’why’?” he asked. Though it was too dark to see his expression, you were sure; his brow was furrowed in confusion. Maybe slight worry.

”I mean, why ask me when Uraraka asked you? She's cute and cheerful and kind and-”

”I think you're all those things too, ” he said, effectively cutting you off.

Your eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, meaning you could make out Midoriya’s face reasonably well. And, God, were you glad you could see his expression. A stray curl or two were in his face, and you almost reached up to tuck it back into place. His eyes, only half-open, weren't quite meeting your own. Instead, they were trained between your eyes, mouth slightly agape. He was leaning towards you steadily. His lips met yours, and you closed your eyes shut. Every inch of you was tingling, and you felt like fireworks were erupting all around you.

The moment was cut short by the intrusion of sunlight. Upon realizing the ride was over, you snapped away from him, reality finally settling in.

You just kissed Midoriya. The same Midoriya, your best friend, was going to confess to today.

You were such a horrible person.

Thankfully, none of your classmates had spotted the kiss. Otherwise, all hell would have broken loose.

You stood up quickly, not quite meeting Izuku or Ohaco’s eyes. Instead, you practically jumped out of the boat and sped walked towards the amusement park.

Midoriya tried to approach you in the train station, but you excused yourself, claiming you had to go to the bathroom. The look of hurt in his eyes was enough to make you want to cry.

When the train arrived, you once again chose the cowards way out by going into the cart that neither Ochaco nor Izuku were in. Sitting down, you key put a sigh.

You liked Izuku. And Izuku liked you. But Ochaco also liked Izuku. Only Izuku didn't like Ochaco; he wanted you.

You used the train ride to clear your head. You decided that before you talked with Midoriya and apologized for being so flaky, you had to speak with Ochaco. No boy, no matter how amazing he is, us worth losing a lifetime of friendship.

You hoped you wouldn't have to choose, though.

Once you got out of the train, you tracked down your friend. She was talking with Tsuyu, her back facing you. Taking a deep breath, you walked over to her, tapping on her shoulder.

“Can we talk?” You asked, voice quiet, hesitant.

The two of you walked in awkward silence, not quite sure what to say, several feet behind the rest of the class so you could talk privately. You tried your best to keep your eyes away from Midoriya’s back, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. There was an appealing aspect to everything the green-haired boy did. Even the sight of him talking casually with Iida and Todoroki drew you in. He was aflame; you were a moth.

As if he could sense your staring, he turned to look back. His eyes locked on yours, and from afar, you faintly see the steadily growing blush that adorned his face. His lips quirked up in a small smile, and he sent you an equally small, unsure wave. Cute.

Growing flustered yourself, you sent a small wave back before looking away, eyes meeting Ochaco’s. She had been watching the entire interaction, a sad sort of a smile adorning her face.

”Why didn't you tell me?” she asked. She didn't sound mad or disappointed like you had imagined she would. She just seemed confused.

Guiltily, you looked down, bruising yourself by counting the cracks on the pavement while you thought of what to say.

”I didn't want you to be upset, ” you answered.

She let out a laugh. ”Upset about what? About you having a crush on a guy I'm not dating?”

”I just- I'm so sorry-” you began to apologize profusely before being interrupted by your friend.

”You have nothing to be sorry about. You like Deku, and he likes you. Who am I to get in the way of that?” the question was meant to be rhetorical, you knew that, but you answered anyway.

”But Ochaco, you have a crush on him, ” you stated. You couldn't quite understand why she was acting so calm about this.

” It's just a silly crush, ” she said, racing you off, ”I'll get over it. Your friendship means much more than that. ”

You smiled at her. ”I think so too.”

The two of you continued talking after that. The awkwardness that was previously there dissipated. Ochaco filled you in on everything you missed while you were gone. Bakugou had gotten angry at a carnival-style target game and had blown up the target, resulting in Iida scolding him while poor Kirishima tried to keep some semblance of peace between them.

Once you arrived at U.A., you and Ochaco headed towards the dorm rooms, much like the majority of your classmates. It was late in the evening, after all. You spotted a familiar head of curly green hair. As if sensing your nervousness, Ochaco placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder before scurrying off to her dorm room, saying a quick ’Good Night Deku’ along the way.

Once the two of you were left alone, he started speaking. ”I am so sorry for kissing you! I guess I just got caught up in the moment and forgot to ask if you were okay with it. God, you probably hate me-”

”No!” you said, a bit too forcefully.

You felt like you were falling for him all over again. You had ditched him. Yet here he was, fidgeting anxiously in front of your doorway. This boy was going to kill you with that sweet nature of his.

He looked at you, a bit shocked by your reaction. You felt your face heating up. That had been sudden, hadn't it?

Clearing your throat, you spoke. ”No, ” you said, quietly this time, ”I enjoyed the kiss. A lot.”

The surprised ’Really?’ he let out made your face break into a grin. He was adorable.

”M-me too, ” he admitted, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

The two of you stood there for a couple of seconds, merely admiring the presence of each other.

”I should go, ” he said softly.

Feeling particularly brave, you grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss. He seemed to melt into the embrace, letting out a happy hum. After a few moments, he pulled away. Red-faced and smiling, he wished you good night before heading back to his dorm.

You entered your room, wasting no time in changing into your PJs and flopping on top of your bed, a massive smile on your face.

You may or may not have squealed into your pillow.

Notes:

Thanks for reading! <3