Make Your Choice

It Was Only Ten Minutes

The title for this chapter won't really make sense until the last sentence of the chapter.

The elimination will be REALLY obvious from the start. Some people in the comments made guesses as to who it might be, and I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing that no one guessed it??

Enjoy!

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Momo really should've been expecting her sudden elimination.

It wasn't even all that sudden, really. She'd admitted openly to Katsuki that she wasn't particularly fond of him. He'd taken the news gracefully, admitting he'd only eliminate her if it were absolutely necessary. Knowing his parents, that was probably the case at this point.

The only other people that she thought might not be there entirely for Katsuki were Shoto and possibly Neito, and after the showdown between Izuku, Shoto, and Katsuki, Momo could understand Katsuki's reluctance to send Shoto back home. That left her as the most obvious choice. At least Katsuki had been kind enough to warn her of what lay ahead. It gave her plenty of time to tell Kyoka how she really felt.

"Kyoka," Momo said with as much confidence as she could muster. "Can we talk in private?"

"Sure," Kyoka agreed without hesitation. Momo led her through the crowd, holding Kyoka's hand firmly in her hand along the way. If Kyoka was uncomfortable with the gesture, she didn't show it. Only squeezed Momo's hand comfortingly and allowed the raven-haired girl to lead the way.

As soon as they were alone, out of earshot from any unsuspecting partygoers, Momo turned on Kyoka. She hadn't exactly thought over what she wanted to say—really, she never thought she'd be in this situation. But Momo couldn't possibly bear to leave the palace without at least telling Kyoka this.

"What's up, Yaomomo?" Momo wished Kyoka would drop the nickname—use her real name. She longed to hear Kyoka say her first name, without the additional syllable.

Momo wasn't sure how to answer Kyoka's question. She hadn't thought much past 'grab Kyoka and go', and here she was, tactless and hopelessly head over heels in love with the girl in front of her. Her brain, being the unhelpful thing it was, clung to the phrase 'in love' and refused to let go.

"I'm in love with you."

Kyoka looked as shocked as Momo felt. That was not the way she'd wanted this to go—maybe a build up to those words, at the very least. Confessing her undying love to her best friend without as much as a word in warning? Not her smoothest moment.

"But—but—Yaomomo—" Kyoka spluttered desperately, floundering for the right words to describe how she was feeling. Momo refused to make eye contact. "But, you're—you—you're one of the Elite. You can't be in love with me!"

"I'm being eliminated later tonight," Momo revealed. Kyoka drew in a sharp gasp. "Prince Bakugou warned me ahead of time. I—I wanted to tell you before I had to leave. I needed to tell you. If you—well, I understand if you don't return those feelings. But I couldn't hold it in any longer."

Kyoka's next words were hardly a whisper, but Momo heard them all the same. "I love you too, Yaomomo."

"Momo," Momo breathed her correction. "Call me Momo."

Kyoka grinned, soft and sweet. Momo felt as though she were falling in love all over again. "Only if you call me Kyoka."

"Okay. Kyoka," she added, almost as an afterthought.