Seeking Comfort ( Izuku X Uraraka)

Chapter 22

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It had been two days since Ochaco had called her parents and told about what she had been keeping secret from them. Ever since that day, she had been feeling a little better. It hadn't been necessary to convince and coax herself out of bed the past two days. Instead, the brunette had woken up both days and practically jumped out of bed. Now that the biggest cause of her anxiety was gone, she could focus on her training and studying. The rest, Ochaco decided, would come with time and so, she set about getting ready for her day.

"Ochaco-chan, are you awake?" A series of knocks sounded outside the door and the gravity user dropped her brush on her bed, admitting defeat against her unruly hair. Tsuyu-chan was early; they weren't supposed to meet for another ten minutes, but once the brunette glanced at her watch, she realized that she was running a few minutes late.

"I'm coming!" Ochaco replied as she rushed to finish her morning routine. Her hair had a mind of its own and the brunette gave up on taming it. Hopefully, it only looked purposely messy and not like a bird's nest.

As Ochaco grabbed her cell phone and keys she glanced at the suitcase with her hero costume in it. The two girls had been called to meet with Ryukyu at a different location than their regular office and had been instructed to be in civilian clothes upon arrival.

"Good morning Tsuyu-chan!" Ochaco chirped as she exited her room and locked the door. The frog-girl's response was less chipper as she curiously regarded her friend, but she started making conversation nonetheless.

That was one of the many thing Ochaco admired about Tsuyu that she wasn't fazed by anything and always had good judgment. She was always calm and collected, but different from say Todoroki. While the dual quirk wielder was passionate and easy to rile up in the heat of a battle, Tsuyu was always aware of her surroundings and never lost her cool, which was exactly why it didn't surprise Ochaco one bit that the frog girl addressed the brunette's good mood.

"You seem happy today. Did something good happen?" Her eyes searched Ochaco's face for signs of anything and she was happy to see a soft smile form.

"Something like that." The brunette replied mysteriously. Tsuyu didn't press for further detail and made a humming sound in response, so Ochaco took a moment to think over what had been occupying a good portion of her thoughts lately.

Deku had been on her mind a lot, but so had her other friends. Iida had been frequently texting her to make sure she was okay and wasn't feeling stressed and the rest of the girls were even friendlier than usual and hung out often. Simply put, Ochaco felt blessed to have so many amazing people around her and she wanted to repay their kindness. She was a firm believer in receiving the same energy you put out in the universe, so she was trying to do her part and put out positive energy and good vibes.

As the elevator door swung open, the two girls heard Kirishima greeting Midoriya and they called out greetings of their own. Ochaco's eyes stayed on Midoriya for a few moments longer than necessary, but there was something different about him and she couldn't quite place what it was. His expression had been somber for a couple of days and he had been a lot quieter than usual, but he hadn't approached her or Iida, so she didn't know what was going on in his head.

As it turned out, the four students were headed to the same destination and Ochaco decided to keep an eye on Deku for the remainder of the day and then talk to him once the meeting was over. She didn't like the gloomy air around him and wanted to see him smile. The gravity manipulator realized that she was almost desperate to see him happy and worry-free. She felt her stomach sink as they rode the train together and Deku avoided conversation by staring out of the window. She had been close to steering conversation to include him, but he finally looked up with his small 'I'm-trying-my-hardest'-smile and Ochaco leaned back as he took part in their discussion.