Seeking Comfort ( Izuku X Uraraka)

Chapter 24

It's finally here!!!! A new chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it! Shoutout to TickledTeal for being the first one to comment on my last chapter! (:

When Izuku entered his room and locked the door behind him, he made a beeline for his bed and plopped down face first. He was sweaty and aching all over, but his insides were all warm and mushy. His mind continued to replay the evening over and over making heat rise to his cheeks at the thought of holding Uraraka's hand. They had become a lot closer as of late, but this type of intimacy was very new to Izuku, so it was puzzling and exciting all at once.

A big part of him was nervous at the prospect of... something happening between them, but an equally big part of him wanted to explore this new territory. Uraraka had willingly hugged him numerous times and she had often taken his hand, which made Izuku think that she was starting to show interest in him. He had yet to determine what type of interest it was and how he felt about. Of course Izuku didn't want to jump conclusions and get his hopes up, but he was also fairly certain that it wasn't only friendship that she had offered him. There had been times when he had caught her looking at him and when she noticed, she would promptly look away and turn red.

Izuku himself had noticed a stirring in his chest whenever Uraraka smiled at him and he distinctly remembered his palms going clammy pretty often, especially around her. The teen had often heard people describe these types of feelings as love, but Izuku had never been involved with any girls before – he hadn't even befriended any before UA – so it was hard to tell what his reactions to her presence meant and how Uraraka felt about him.

'IF, she feels something for me. I gotta calm down.' He scolded himself mentally and groaned as he rolled to his side. His legs ached and his arms were sore, but stretching his tired limbs didn't help him in the least. Izuku considered going downstairs to shower, but couldn't be bothered to leave his room and so decided to use his own bathroom.

Once in the shower, the freckled teenager worked to loosen the tension in his shoulders by rubbing them. His neck felt stiff and his back was tired as well, which wasn't that surprising considering his day. The events of the morning still felt surreal to him and for a good minute Izuku wondered if the meeting really had taken place earlier that day or if it was some distant memory that had somehow resurfaced.

Washing away all the dirt and grime from his skin, Izuku turned the tap and shut off the water, but didn't step out right away. His hand had stilled on the tap and he didn't bother extracting it, but watched with disinterest as water drops slowly slid down his bare arms. Izuku's vision turned blurry as the events of the past few days finally caught up with him. All Might, Nighteye, Eri, Overhaul, Togata senpai, Uraraka – images of each person flooded his mind and he had to take a moment to calm down and suppress the feeling that he was suffocating in the steam-filled shower. His eyes starting stinging and he realized that he was crying from sheer frustration and willed himself to move after wiping his eyes with the heel of his hands.

Stepping out, Izuku took a shaky breath and started to dry off. Once he was dressed he headed straight for his bed and burrowed down under the covers. He realized that he hadn't eaten dinner, but didn't feel hungry so instead he closed his eyes and hoped sleep would claim him. Izuku couldn't stop thinking about Eri and wondered if she was even getting any sleep wherever she was being held captive. Thinking about Eri only made his stomach churn, so instead the tired teenager tried to visualize what All Might would have done in this situation.

Would the top hero have burst into whatever dungeon or sterile room she was being kept in or would he calmly let the other pros do their jobs and wait for green light from them before taking action? Obviously, All Might would have made the choice that endangered Eri the least which was to wait until everything was in place. But All Might was no longer in the picture, Izuku realized. His mentor was not part of this rescue mission and as his successor, he shouldn't make decisions based on what All Might would have done. Izuku needed to walk on the path All Might had laid out for him, but fill his own shoes as he embarked on his journey. All Might was no longer walking in front of him and now it was Izuku's turn to lead his retired mentor.