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Part 16: Confide in Her

Her embrace felt familiar.

Uraraka couldn't bring herself to let go of her best friend, and Midoriya didn't seem to mind. He felt his arms tighten slightly around her small figure. Her touch, voice and smell brought him comfort.

"Ochako has been really worried about you, Midoriya. Kero." croaked Tsu.

"Yes. Normally, I'd say this is inappropriate behavior, but I understand how she feels," stated Iida.

Midoriya looked up from Uraraka's shoulder to see Tsu and Iida smiling gently at him. The soft look in their eyes kept a hold on him. He could tell these people loved him.

"I'm sorry I worried everyone." He reached out a fist towards Iida, and Iida reciprocated the gesture, bumping their fists together.

"It wasn't your fault, my friend."

"Kero. That's right. We're just glad you're okay. Kero."

Midoriya could trust these three. He felt it in his bones. Even more than the two in front of him, he could confide anything in the girl in his arms. She had barely said a word after her initial outburst of tears, when she was allowed to enter his room. He wasn't used to her normally energetic personality being so docile.

"Thank you guys. I think I understand better now."

"What do you understand?"

"Ever since I got back, I couldn't understand what was fake and what was real. But I can feel the bond we all share. That makes it clear, what I felt with the villains was simply a... delusion."

"Midoriya? You look really sad. Kero."

"Are you okay, Midoriya?"

"Deku?" Uraraka pulled back to see his face. She wiped her finger across his cheek. "Why are you crying?"

Midoriya touched his cheek, and saw the liquid on his finger. He should have been over the moon that all the hardships he remembered with his classmates were false, but something nagged at him. Was it all fake?

The league was full of eccentrics, but they were so kind to him. Yuya and Yuta were adorable and clung to him like little siblings. Twice was always so supportive. And Dabi was...

"Guys, can I have some time alone with Uraraka? Please?"

Confused, Iida and Tsu left the room. Despite not understanding, they knew Uraraka could get to the bottom of the issue. Uraraka and Midoriya had an oddly tight bond since the beginning of school, so she was the best person to comfort Midoriya through whatever he's conflicted about.

"What's wrong, Deku?"

"Will you keep this a secret?"

"Of course. I know all your secrets and you know all mine, remember?"

"I think... I fell in love with one of them."

"One of the villains?!"asked Uraraka. Midoriya nodded, fiddling with his fingers. "Which one?"

"D-dabi."

"Wow... So how do you feel now?"

"How am I supposed to feel? He tried to kill us... even me, right?"

"I'm so sorry, Deku."

That wasn't what he wanted to hear. He didn't remember it wrong, the look of Dabi's palms as he attempted to kill them all, including Midoriya. Uraraka hugged Midoriya's shaking form before he ever realized he was sobbing.

"What do I do? I can't stop thinking of him!"

"I- I don't know. You were brainwashed. Are you sure your feelings weren't part of that?"

"I can't know for certain if what I experienced was real or designed, but I know I love him. Um... Uraraka, he held me. Kissed me..."

Uraraka's entire face beamed red. "Held you?! Kissed you?!"

Midoriya tried to quiet her down by covering her mouth. Her muffled apology signaled Midoriya to take his hands away.

"I mean, you wouldn't do those things with someone you didn't love, right?"

Uraraka stared at her pitiful friend, nearly in tears. She couldn't respond, knowing that it wasn't as simple as love. They both knew, regardless how Dabi felt... Only tragedy awaited the lovers.

"Why couldn't you have fallen for Todoroki?"

"...I wish I had. And then there's Kacchan." Uraraka raised an eyebrow, not sure where this was going. "He kissed me."

"WHAT?! Bakugou?!" Midoriya nodded. "Now that surprises me."

"Here's the thing, Kacchan's aggression reminds me a bit of Dabi's dominating-"

"Woah- Woah-Woah! Oversharing!"

"Okay, okay. I was just gonna say that there's similarities, and the same with Todoroki. Their eyes are similar and they can be so gentle-"

"Deku! With the oversharing!"

"I didn't mean it that way!" exclaimed the bright red boy.

"Right, well look, you know it could never work out with a villain, no matter how much you want it to. I hate to say it, Deku. I wish your first time in love was sweeter. However, you've got a great guy and Bakugou in love with you."

"I caught that Uraraka."

"I'm just saying maybe you can fall in love with someone else. You were close before." Uraraka grabbed Midoriya's arms, gently gripping them. "Deku, it'll take time to recover, but you'd be happier with someone else. I'm sorry."

The door opened, All-Might standing in the doorway. Time was up. Uraraka smiled at Midoriya, giving him one last hug before they parted. He watched her leave as the door closed. Midoriya knew she was right. He thought so too, but every time he thought about giving in to Todoroki or Bakugou, he couldn't. Those blue eyes pierced his heart. The memories of his touch, made his skin tingle. How could he fall in love with someone else if Dabi possessed his entire being?

Wait. She said he was close to falling in love before? Midoriya thought back to his memories of Uraraka confessing her crush to him. She said he had a crush too. But who? His memories were still foggy, so although he knew they all cared for him, he couldn't quite remember how he felt about most of his classmates.

Midoriya laid down, clutching his pillow close. If he could remember who it was, could he forget Dabi? Would the pain in his chest subside? Would the longing fade? Desperation filled him as he prayed to remember. However, he was only met with the silence in the room.