The Weight Of Jealousy
Chapter 1
Ochaco Uraraka had always known her feelings for Izuku Midoriya were complicated. He was kind, driven, and endlessly heroic. But there was something else about him that she couldn’t quite put into words—a spark that lit up the room, that made her heart race whenever he smiled her way.
And yet, for all her inner turmoil, Ochaco had always managed to push those feelings aside. She wasn’t the type to act on a crush. Especially not when it came to her best friend. Not when Izuku’s heart seemed to be elsewhere—on his dream of becoming the greatest hero, always striving to be better, always pushing himself further.
But that was before she found out about him and Bakugo.
At first, she had thought it was just a rumor. But the more she overheard the conversations between their classmates, the more undeniable it became. Izuku and Bakugo were dating. And to Ochaco’s shock, it wasn’t a joke.
It didn’t make sense. She’d always known the two were close, even though Bakugo was… well, Bakugo. The loud, brash, and often aggressive student had always seemed like an unlikely candidate for a relationship, much less with someone like Izuku. But when she saw them together, walking down the hall after class, her heart sank in a way she couldn’t explain.
Bakugo’s usual scowl was softened just a little when he looked at Izuku, the rare warmth in his eyes unmistakable. Izuku smiled back, his whole face lit up with affection. It was the way he looked at Ochaco in her dreams—the way she had always imagined him looking at her.
But it wasn’t her. It was Bakugo.
As she stood there, hiding around the corner, she felt the weight of something heavy and cold settle in her chest. Her stomach twisted, and she turned quickly, retreating to the nearest empty room, where she could finally allow herself to breathe.She didn’t realize how much she had been hoping—no, *expecting*—for Izuku to notice her until the moment she saw him with Bakugo. It wasn’t just jealousy. It was something deeper, something raw and painful that she wasn’t ready to face.
---
The next day, things felt different. Ochaco couldn’t look at Izuku the same way. She tried to smile, tried to be the cheerful friend she always was, but it was harder than usual. Her gaze kept darting to Bakugo, who was sitting a few seats away, his arms crossed, his usual scowl in place. Izuku was beside him, and though Bakugo didn’t say much, there was something in the way they communicated with subtle glances and small touches that sent Ochaco’s mind spinning.
“Uraraka, you okay?” Izuku’s voice broke through her thoughts, soft and concerned.
She blinked, realizing she’d been staring at them without meaning to. “Huh? Oh—yeah, I’m fine! Just a little tired, you know.”
Izuku smiled at her, that gentle smile that had always made her heart skip a beat. “If you ever need to talk, you know I’m here, right?”
Ochaco nodded quickly, but her words were trapped in her throat. She didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to admit that the jealousy was eating away at her. Instead, she just nodded, trying to force a smile.
“I’ll be okay,” she lied.
---
Later that day, Ochaco found herself in the common area, sitting by herself. She wasn’t sure what she was doing, but the loneliness felt better than the constant ache of seeing Izuku and Bakugo together.
The door clicked open, and her heart sank when she saw Bakugo walk in, followed closely by Izuku. They both looked as if they had just come from training, their clothes a little disheveled, but there was an undeniable energy between them. It was hard to ignore.
“Uraraka, you’re all by yourself?” Izuku asked, his voice warm.
She tried to force another smile, but it faltered. “Yeah, just needed some space, I guess.”
Bakugo raised an eyebrow, his usual cocky expression in place. “What, you getting soft now? You’re usually bouncing off the walls, aren’t you?”
Ochaco bristled but held her ground. “I’m fine, Bakugo.”
Izuku looked between them, sensing the tension but not understanding its cause. He moved closer, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. “Hey, we’re all friends here, right? You can talk to us if something’s bothering you.”
Uraraka’s heart pounded, and she forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Couldn’t bring herself to admit how much it hurt to see him so happy with Bakugo, how much it tore at her insides knowing that her own feelings were something she could never act on.
“I’m okay, really,” she said, her voice sounding hollow even to her own ears.
Izuku gave her a long, searching look before nodding. But Bakugo, ever perceptive in his own way, smirked. “You’re full of shit, Uraraka. But whatever.”
The two of them exchanged a look, and Ochaco couldn’t decide whether it was reassuring or unsettling. There was something in Bakugo’s gaze—something almost like understanding—that she didn’t quite know how to handle.
Before she could respond, Izuku clapped his hands together, trying to break the awkwardness. “Hey, why don’t we all hang out later? We could all use a little downtime after training.”
Ochaco smiled weakly, her heart still aching, but she nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
As they left, walking side by side with Bakugo’s usual gruffness and Izuku’s warmth, Ochaco felt the bitterness of jealousy linger. She was happy for Izuku—she truly was. But it didn’t make the pain of unspoken feelings any easier to bear.
---
Later, when she was alone in her room, Ochaco stared at the ceiling, her thoughts swirling in a mixture of longing and confusion. She realized something in that moment: she wasn’t just jealous of Bakugo. She was jealous of the way he made Izuku feel, of the place he had carved out in Izuku’s heart that she would never occupy. But that didn’t mean she had to stop being his friend. It didn’t mean she had to hide the person she was or the affection she had for him.
But for now, she would have to learn to carry that weight.
For now, she would have to learn to let go.
Wouldn't she?
