Seeking Comfort ( Izuku X Uraraka)

Chapter 16

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I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to upset you, please don't cry!" Izuku pleaded with the sniffling brunette in front of him. He was on his knees with his hands extended out to reach for her, but he didn't quite dare touch her for fear of her reaction. In the back of his mind, Izuku thought that Mineta surely would have something lewd to say about having a crying girl in his room.

"Uraraka-san?" Izuku inched closer and put his hands on her upper arms, while she swiped at her eyes with her hands. A few shuddering breaths and a mumbled apology later, she calmed down.

"Sorry, I don't know what happened." She sniffled and accepted the tissue Izuku had grabbed from the box on his table. The tray with the bowls and cutlery was still sitting on top of the table, all but forgotten.

"I think I'm just tired... Maybe I should head back to my room." The brunette exhaled shakily. Izuku could see the exhaustion on her face, but he wasn't entirely comfortable with leaving her on her own. Especially now that she had told him that she wasn't at her best emotionally.

"I just need to gather my thoughts, Deku-kun. Maybe I'll call it a night." Uraraka rose slowly and stretched her limbs, before turning to leave. For a moment, Izuku saw a spark in her eyes that reminded him of the first time they met and it left him without words. The brunette had already reached the door and waved at him before she headed out.

"Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow."

Once Ochaco reached the fourth floor, she headed straight for her room and closed the door behind her before slumping down on the floor. She hadn't been able to do it. She hadn't been able to tell Midoriya about the voice that was plaguing her and had instead been encouraged by him yet again. Hugging her knees close to her chest, Ochaco rested her head on top of her arms and sat like that for what felt like hours.

Saying that she was miserable was an understatement. It felt like the room was spinning, so she kept her head on top of her arms and tried to ignore the feeling of despair bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Ochaco had no idea why she was feeling this way. She hadn't expected to be able to tell Deku about her problems right away, but an intense feeling of hopelessness was washing over her for no reason other than her not mustering up the courage to tell him.

In her mind, it had been simple enough to execute. Go to his room, tell Deku about her theory with the villain poison and then... Then what? Was she going to rely on him again to fix her problems? Did she want Deku to pity her? Ochaco raised her head from her arms and fixed her gaze on the strip of darkened sky she could see from her window. Why had she gone to Deku in the first place? What did she have to gain from sharing something so embarrassing with him? She closed her eyes again and sat in the dark.

'No, this isn't about gaining something. It's about being honest with my friends and relying on them.' The brunette mentally berated.

'But you're not being honest. You kept quiet about me, which is as good as lying. You're scum.' Dark-Ochaco's voice sounded faintly in her mind and was nowhere near as fierce as it usually was. Ochaco was too tired to block out the words, but she noticed that they were lacking their normal ferocity and barely made any impression on her. It was just an annoyance.

'You can rely on me. Let me know if I can do anything for you. You're not alone.' Snippets of conversations she had had with Deku resonated in her mind and gave her the little bit of strength she needed.

With a single push of her mind, the voice was silenced.

Ochaco sighed and picked herself up from the floor. Her room could use some tidying and the brunette was in need of doing something that didn't require much brainpower, so she started picking up some clothes that were strewn about on the floor. Cleaning almost felt therapeutic to Ochaco's mother, so she had grown up watching her mom's cleaning frenzies when business had been particularly bad or just some dusting off if something annoying had transpired during the day. Now, the brunette channeled her inner mother and tried to apply the same coping mechanism.