Chapter 1
Uraraka didn’t want to float, didn’t want to use her quirk at all. She let the cold wind flow through her hair and let her eyes flutter shut.
and
fell
Down
Down
Down
Down
Down
Down
Splash.
She opened her eyes, squinting when crystal clear water flooded her vision.
It’s fitting. she thought That my last memories will be of the moon. her eyes lazily drooped halfway across her eyes and bubbles stopped popping out of her mouth and nose as she sunk deeper.
And deeper.
She feels her mind going dark and a rush of panic goes through her numb body and she can’t move but she knows she doesn’t want this. Doesn’t want to die sinking when she’s been gifted the ability to float.
Fate works in mysterious ways indeed.
She barely recognizes the worried and determined face of a small green haired girl swimming her up to the surface, letting her sinking body float once more.
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Asui has been watching a light slowly flicker out. A girl who used to come and dance on top of the water, singing without a care in the world as she floated into the galaxies as if she was destined for the moon.
She watched her cheeks lose their rosy hue and her footsteps begin to sink beneath the surface instead of fluttering lightly above. Asui watched her fall off the cliff, waited, waited for her to use that quirk that was so different from her own and so beautiful and joyful and free.
Except the floating girl didn’t stop. She hit the water limply, hands stubbornly held away from her body.
Asui didn’t let the shock overtake her body before springing into action.
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When the rosy cheeked girl blearily opens her round eyes she wonders if she's in heaven. Because it's warm and she's covered in blankets and she's in a bright, sunlit cottage that feels like home. The smell of tea wafts into her nose and she realises there's a beautiful girl watching her closely. This really must be heaven because it's Tsuyu Asui. A girl with emerald hair and shining skin with that quirked smile that makes her flush further. And she's always swimming in that pond where the ducks dwell and she seems to radiate happiness. The frog quirked female moves with a grace Uraraka could only dream of even coming close to.
"How are you feeling?" The voice makes her jump slightly. The squeaky, adorable voice of the greenette fills her ears and makes her pink cheeks blaze a deep red. Ochako doesn't embarrass herself by asking if she's in heaven, thankfully. But, devastatingly enough when she tries to assure the other she's fine she lets out a croak that Asui has the audacity to laugh at and oh god, even her laughter sounds like wind chimes and sunshine, bringing a small smile to the brunette's own face.
"Would you like some tea?" Tsuyu chuckles out amusedly. She never thought she'd have a beautiful girl on her couch but here she is. And when the dancer nods with a flustered look on her face, Asui barely contains a squeal. The girl's so adorable and pretty she doesn't know if she can handle having that face look at her as if she's an angel. If the other teenager knew that she had a crush on her, she'd be disgusted and would never look at her again, she's sure. The frog quirked girl thinks wistfully of her younger siblings and wonders if Uraraka is good with children. Well, it doesn't seem like there's a single thing the space obsessed girl is bad at so she must be.
Silence permeates the room as Asui brings over a tray with two cups of steaming hot tea and hands one to the slightly taller girl who whispers out a hoarse 'thank you very much'. Uraraka winces slightly when she raises the mug to her lips and burns her tongue, before placing it down on a coaster and waiting for it to cool before she drinks it and hopefully quenches her thirst and fixes her voice. This is so embarrassing!
Cold dread fills her stomach and it feels like lead. Did she see her jump? Did she really jump? Why did she do that? She needs to thank the other for rescuing her. What even happened last night? But instead of asking in her scratchy tone, she stays silent and slowly sits up, wrapping the knitted blanket around her shoulders tightly, hoping she's not being too impolite.
Asui lets the awkward silence fill the room, hoping it will turn into comfortable silence with time. She doesn't prod or ask what Uraraka was doing on the cliff last night. She doesn't want to intrude or force the girl to say anything she isn't comfortable talking about. The greenette already knows what the brunette was doing last night and she just hopes the girl isn't mad at her. As the other wraps the knitted blanket around herself Tsuyu frowns, is it too cold in here? The other looks awfully cute right now but is she uncomfortable? She keeps her house warm because the cold makes her drowsy.
Is she sick? With her elder sibling instincts flaring, the froglike girl doesn't think as she leans forward, drawing a squeak from her crush, and puts a hand on her forehead, feeling her own to compare the temperatures. Immediately Ochako turns an even brighter red, her cheeks getting ever hotter. After a moment of worry as Asui feels how hot the other's forehead is, the mutation type girl finally realises what she's doing and draws back, her own cheeks flushing slightly.
"S-sorry, I just- you just-... I think you have a fever." She stutters out, avoiding eye contact with everything she has in her. God, this is unbearable. But something inside her wants this to continue, wants Uraraka to stay here with her in this cottage. And yeah, she's near the lake and the fish and animals keep her company but it gets rather lonely and the lady's dancing always managed to brighten up her day.
"I'm not sick. I'm fine. I don't want to inconvenience you-" Ochako manages to get out, having gulped down her tea as it cooled down to an acceptable temperature. She stands up abruptly, wanting to leave as soon as possible to avoid embarrassing herself further, but also wishing she could stay. And her vision goes spotty, her legs wobble and fail, and her head feels like it just might explode with pain.
"Ah." Tsuyu says in surprise as the girl collapses and falls to the ground, she just barely manages to catch the teenager. She sighs in relief. Uraraka looks as if she's in a daze. After being set back onto the couch though, the round eyed girl blinks rapidly and reorients herself, looking slightly bashful as the shorter gives her a soft admonishing look.
"I guess- you're right." Again, silence fills the room after the brunette says that. Asui seems to be deep in thought. Her family went to go live in the city as her younger sibling wants to pursue a hero career. She herself, chose to stay in the small rural town, opting to keep up the family business. The coffee shop makes up most of her pleasant younger memories and after hearing that the cute girl she went to Junior High with was disowned by her parents and was moving into town because it's cheaper to live in the country than the city, Tsuyu made up her mind to remain just where she was.
"Yeah." The long haired girl breathes out softly, fiddling nervously with her hands as she prepares to ask her question. "Would you like to stay here until the worst of the fever is over? I mean, you don't seem to be in any shape to go anywhere right now." She holds her breath in anticipation. The worst she could say is no but even that would feel like a stab to her heart. And she's reluctant to let the company of the girl she's been crushing on go.
Uraraka considers this, almost reflexively refusing, not wanting to 'accept charity' as her parents would've said. But she thinks of her cold apartment and the freezing water that never gets warm and the empty fridge and ratty couch she picked up from the side of the road, and nods hesitantly. It'll only be for a little bit anyways.
And maybe it's the way the sun shines through the window and beams onto Asui's face, but Ochako swears there's a sparkle of glee in the girl's face that wasn't there before.