not just breathing; Kopal au MHA

o p a l .

"i am stronger
when i'm
with you"

She was thankful that she’d been able to talk her way out of having to participate in the sports festival. It was more than just feeling incapable, she just didn’t really approve of the whole thing. It made no sense to promote such pointless violence, telling the world of the strength within the school and potentially placing a target on her friend’s backs.

If the line of injured kids didn’t speak enough to the recklessness of their actions, well, she didn’t know what else could make them change their minds. Opal brushes a hand across her forehead, a few stars dancing across her vision as she finishes mending a broken leg. Recovery Girl had already scolded the kid and so after Opal was done he was free to get up and leave, bowing his head with embarrassment as he disappeared from the infirmary.

Opal scowls, fingers running through her hair as she re-tied her ponytail. The experience for treating injuries was invaluable, she was already exhausted. Thankfully, the next few were minor and she was able to send them on their way with a few bandaids and words of reassurance. There was no point in treating them, and sometimes having a little bit of pain was a good reminder of their limits.

Recovery Girl waves her over and Opal jogs to her side, searching around for the next person to treat as she reaches her. “I’ve got one more for you to treat and then I want you to take a break for the next hour,” her mentor gives her a tired smile, fingers pulling on a pair of gloves. Opal opens her mouth in protest but is cut off immediately.

“I’ll have no argument, you’ll do as I say, or you will get kicks out for the rest of the day,” she raises her eyebrow, and Opal nods meekly, unwilling to push the topic any further. Recovery Girl nods, before pointing to a door on the other side of the room. “She’s your last patient, and then go eat and rest. Don’t treat all her wounds, she was reckless, and it’s her own fault.”

She buries her smirk behind her hand as she moves away, watching as Recovery Girl disappears behind another door. Most of the heroes in her class were reckless fools, always trying to show off and prove that they were the best. As she pulls the door open Opal is not surprised to come face to face with Katelyn. She smiles, rolling her eyes as she takes in the beaten up girl.

Opal’s hands move over to her chart, gaze rolling down the page, expressing quickly changing to a look of disapproval as she listens to Katelyn talk. She hadn’t seen the last match but based on the notes before her, the match had been a tough one, and it seemed that Katelyn had gone all out to claim her victory.

“My day would be a lot easier if there were fewer idiots like you around,” she shakes her head, moving to the side of the bed, eyes trailing over the bruising on Katelyn’s knee. She presses her own fingers against the skin, knowing that the recovery from her quirk would be much quicker than from Recovery Girls. “But then I wouldn’t get in all this practice.”

Most of the wound had already been healed, but after a few seconds the bruising fades, before disappearing altogether. “I’m having a break after treating you, so I can come and watch your next one,” she gives Katelyn a gentle smile as she moves up to her side.

“Your ribs next," she's acutely aware of where her hands need to be for this next treatment. Opal glances away, trying to ignore the blush that creeps onto her cheeks, embarrassment curling in her stomach with every passing second. Pull yourself together, she was working. She clears her throat, "any other injuries I need to treat after that?”

o p a l .

"i am stronger
when i'm
with you"

Opal nods all too aware of the way her hands brush against Katelyn’s skin. The contrast between her warm fingers and Katelyn’s cold skin shocks her. She’s not sure she will ever quite get used to the fact that her friend works at a colder temperature. She’s embarrassed to admit she’s wondered what they’d feel like all over her body, if they’d make her shiver every time they touched her or if she’d eventually get used to it. Why was she even thinking about situations like that? It’s not like-

She doesn’t really want to finish the thought, it makes her stomach ache, butterflies dancing in her chest whenever she thinks about it too much. They were friends, in fact, she was sure Katelyn was her only friend, and yet… Sometimes, buried within her heart it feels like more than that. The lingering looks, the kindness in Katelyn’s eyes, were they the same feelings that align with her own, or just markers of friendship?

She blinks, pushing aside the image from her mind as quickly as she can as she listens to Katelyn talk. She was thinking into it too much, there was no way Katelyn could like her like that. No, no, no, she was wrong, she had to be, unless-

Opal’s eyes widen as Katelyn’s talks, she’s cheekily resting her head on her hand, dazzling blue gaze focused on Opal’s brown one. She’s stuck, lost in those eyes as heartbeat quickens, fingers still lingering on Katelyn’s side.

Her cheeks turn pink, a flush creeping onto them as her eyes shift down to Katelyn’s busted lip. They’re soft lips, Opal can see that. The wound probably hurts, so she should treat it. She’s a healer, it’d be rude of her to not fix it, it’s her entire job. But, she doesn’t move, stuck in her train of thought, unable to step off.

She’s not sure how long she stays there, eyes glued to Katelyn’s lips, her own mouth parting in shock. Has she been wrong this entire time? Does Katelyn actually like her? The thought strikes her like lightning, blush on her cheeks increasing as realization drowns her mind, spilling into her eyes.

“I can fix that,” she says.

Steeling herself, wrapped in all the courage that comes with the moment Opal leans forwards, pressing her lips against Katelyn’s. The heat rises to her lips, her quirk expressing itself in the movement as her lips connect with the wound. Within moments it’s repaired itself and Opal pulls back, running a finger over Katelyn’s lip, making sure the wound is gone.

Her cheeks glow brighter, mingling with the rising heat from her quirk and her embarrassment. The courage fades, leaving behind uncertainty, wondering if she had just ruined her friendship, thrown it all away in one single action.

o p a l .

"i am stronger
when i'm
with you"

"Damn. If I’d known all I had to do was ask, I would have asked sooner.”

She felt herself blushing more -if that was even possible. Had she been that oblivious? Had all those little moments really meant everything she’d thought they’d meant? She’d been overthinking it all, every moment for these past few months. She felt a little foolish, fingers wringing together as she looked away from Katelyn. The butterflies in her chest continued to flutter, the taste of Katelyn on her lips lingered and she resisted the urge to touch the skin.

It had been a mix of hot, radiated from her lips as her quirk worked, and cold. Katelyn’s lips were as cold as her skin, and the combination of the two had left her skin tingling as she’d pulled away, the contrast lingering even when the power from her quirk faded away.

Katelyn leaped up from her bed, racing to the bathroom and closing the door. Opal stared, watching the place she had been before following behind, her attention turning to the door as Katelyn changed back into her hero costume. Part of her wished there was more time, and she wondered if she had picked the right moment to kiss Katelyn. In a matter of minutes, she would be back in the ring, fighting for first place at the sports festival. A wall between them and plenty of time for Opal to question and overthink her decision to dive into that kiss.

There was no denying that the kiss had left Katelyn in a brighter mood. The novice hero struck a pose as she exited the bathroom, blowing a kiss to Opal that made her heartbeat quicker. The frost danced in the air before planting itself against her cheek. It didn’t sting, it was just a gentle brush of frost against her rosy cheeks. Her hand reached upwards, fingers brushing against the skin as she followed behind Katelyn.

She felt light as she pushed aside any uncertainty that she felt. There was no point in questioning and overthinking if it was so clear that Katelyn was delighted by Opal’s choice to kiss her. Instead, she should work on embracing the feeling of desire that heated the air between them and spoke of feelings that wanted to be shared.

Opal nodded, her dumbstruck expression quickly shifting to a bright smile as Katelyn’s giggle radiated throughout the room. It was very unlike her, and Opal found herself enjoying the sound as she went to grab her jacket. A moment later Katelyn’s stepped back into the room and Opal froze, her grin only growing larger as she met Katelyn’s gaze.

“I would-”

Katelyn cut her off, and Opal snapped her mouth shut, rolling her eyes as she followed the other girl out of the room. The two went in different directions, and Opal pulled the jumper up to her chin, burying her smile in the fabric. She felt giddy, lighter then she had felt in a long time. She glanced back, watching as Katelyn skipped away and her heart soared, she already knew exactly what she was going to tell Katelyn.

There was only one correct response.