@maskedmuses asked: “What am I to you?” From Ochaco to Izuku!
For a second, Izuku swore his heart just stopped in his chest at the sudden words. Startled wide eyes flew to the other’s, the fingers at his sides twitching slightly before fumbling together quickly, a form of distraction from the increasing thud, thud, thudding of his heart in his chest. It hadn’t taken long for his reaction, as he stood there; although he tried, with all his might, to act normal, his cheeks grew flushed and his mannerisms nervous, fingers twiddling with one another and eyes drifting away from his classmate.
“Um... what... what do you mean, Ochaco?” Where was this coming from? It seemed serious, to him- something Izuku wanted to take seriously. He’d never thought to ask- he’d always considered the other to be someone... special to him. Everything about Ochaco had been special to him, in a way he realized he likely hadn’t vocalized before.
And, in part, in a way that wasn’t just as a friend. All he could think about from the question wasn’t necessarily what Ochaco was to him now- but the possibility of what they could be. A brighter flush rose to his cheeks before he took a deep breath, hand scratching at the base of his neck.
“I’m... you mean a lot to me,” he tried, slowly, the words soft but firm. “You’re... one of the first friends I’ve ever had. You’re an incredible person who I look up to, you’re courageous, you’re strong, you’re kind- you’re... the kind of hero I would look up to.”
Is that sort of conversation sufficient? Sheepish emerald eyes trailed back to Ochaco, finding the courage despite the beating in his chest to try to make some attempt at eye contact.
“You mean a lot to me, you’re, uh... you’re a lot to me. You’re someone that I believe in, you’re someone that pushes me to get better everyday, you’re someone that I admire. You’re my closest friend. You’re irreplaceable to me.”
The words are slightly shaken in his own anxiety, but he casts a gentle smile her way, a way of his own to show he meant it. He opened his mouth a few more times- open, closed, open, closed- in an attempt to try to say something else, but the words in his brain couldn’t be untangled. Already, it felt messy to him- and he didn’t know if he could directly just tell Ochaco that he had a crush on her. Especially not when it was the first person he’d ever had a crush on- and one that, in his own mind, was so beyond out of his league and incredible that mentioning such would only end in heartbreak that ruined one of the most important relationships with someone he’d ever had in his life.