Deku's POV*
I restlessly lay in bed, arms folded over my eyes. Sleep drifted around me like a ghost, but it mocked me by ignoring my calls for it to overtake me. Instead, my mind was laden with thoughts that swirled in my brain, jumping from one thing to the next like rabbits on a high. They were confusing and worrying and irrelevant. There, the most frustrating part. These thoughts were not thoughts I should be having. They shouldn't concern me. But they did. What was wrong with me?
I was so close to graduating my first year at UA, and I couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking and analysing, and thinking again.
Over the last year, we, Class 1-A, were attacked by villains several times, and we hadn't seen them in months. So why was I so worried? I tossed under my blankets, ending up lying on my stomach. I suddenly knew why I was anxious. The League of Villians was still out there, lurking under the streets I walked on, waiting. Planning. Preparing. Lead by the man I feared the most besides from All For One, Tomura Shigaraki was relentless in getting to my classmates and me. I squirmed at the thought. I didn't want any of then to get hurt...
Swinging myself out of bed, I felt my feet collide with the soft carpet of the floor. I needed to move. I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't lie here anymore.
Tiptoeing over to the door, I quietly turned the doorknob. I cringed when it made the loudest creaking noise I'd ever heard. Or maybe it was because I didn't want to wake anyone.
The door opened, and I carefully, silently shut it. Glancing around, I scanned the hallways for any of my classmates. Silver moonlight sunk in from the night sky, casting dreary shadows up and down the halls. The silence was....eerie. No bird called, none of my classmates chatted, and no crickets chirped constantly. I wasn't used to this, I hadn't really been outside of my room at night. What? Oh, no. I know what you're thinking, but I wasn't scared. Just...cautious.
Setting off at a slow pace down the hall to my left, my feet, brain and body cheered for joy at the movement. What if I...
No, my mind said, flat out, You shouldn't go practising outside at night. Mr Aizawa will have a heart attack. You'll be cleaning the dorms again.
Sighing, I headed in another direction. I didn't know where I was going, just that I wasn't going to train. It was a shame. Training took my mind off things and gave me something to do, but the danger was too great. If I got kidnapped or hurt, they'd be no one around to help me.
I walked past Todoroki's door and stopped briefly at it. Todoroki was one of my best friends, even if the relationship was a little....complicated. I wasn't going to wake him now, that would be rude. But I wondered if I could ask him for advice. He'd given me it on several occasions, but...I shook my head at the thought. I didn't need Todoroki at the moment. No, he wasn't the answer this time.
I continued walking, amusing myself with thinking of who could possibly help me. Iida? No. He'd just tell me to take sleeping pills or something. I chuckled at the thought. All Might? He was tired these days, and I found myself thinking more and more he wouldn't be around to help me forever. I'd always turned to All Might, but now I felt I needed to gain some other confidant. Eri? What the heck, Izuku! Pull yourself together, she's a traumatised kid! You can't ask her for advice! You're supposed to be watching out and caring for her, not giving her something to worry about.
Growling, I started to get frustrated. Who on earth could I turn to? I needed someone my own age, someone who I could trust. Kacchan? Ha. He wasn't the type to help out with this sort of thing. Kacchan was more of a 'beat the hell out of it' person. While I liked and respected him, this situation shouldn't be put into his hands.
Kirishima? Hmmmmm.....why not? I trusted him, and he was great at giving advice. Although...did I trust him in the way I wanted? Deep trust? We'd fought together before, and he was an amazing hero, but we weren't that close.
But who else was there? Asui was...yeah, no. Not enough trust and she was a....um...girl. Not that I had anything against girls, they just made me jittery. Like, yesterday, we were training in groups and Uraraka came up to me and talked to me...I blushed. I knew I was, I felt my face heating up. But then I had a burst of a sudden and brilliant idea.
Why not Uraraka? We'd been friends since our first day at UA, and she was the sort that would help in any ordeal.
Oh my gosh. I was going beet red at the thought of asking Uraraka of all people for help and advice. Maybe it would be best if I just helped myself out, be an independent person. I couldn't just rely on people all the time.
Who was I to ask for help from one of my classmates? How could I trust anyone with that kind of secret, that kind of danger? No. I refused to put anyone I cared about at risk. It was selfish. I could deal with my problems alone.
I rounded the corner and, because I wasn't paying attention, smacked into someone. We both let out a yelp as we crashed to the ground. Damn, who did I slam into? Picking myself up off the floor, I gasped when I looked down at who it was. I quickly reached down and helped them to their feet, apologising profusely. They clutched their head and laughed, waving off my panicked apology.
Uraraka steadied herself, the world was probably spinning for her, and she giggled again.
"Damn, Deku. I smacked right into your chest...." she trailed off, staring at me. I blushed. Dang it, why was I always doing that? Especially around this beautiful girl.
Uraraka kind of....stared at my chest for a little longer than casual. I rubbed at it subconsciously and chuckled awkwardly. My eyes connected with hers, the warm brown enchanting me. Uraraka maintained the contact, her eyes full of unspoken emotions. Why was she looking at me like that? Although come to think of it, I was probably looking at her in exactly the same way. I averted my eyes, and for the first time tonight, I got my first real look at her. I'm pretty sure I went the colour of a tomato.
Uraraka was standing in front of me, wearing a purple tank top, a pair of bunny slippers and really short sports pants. She had more skin exposed than what I'd ever seen on any woman...I take that back. There was this one time...I internally slapped myself. I didn't want to think about it, it was one of the worst experiences I'd ever had.
Uraraka seemed nervous all of a sudden. She wrapped her arms around her chest. Uraraka stared at the floor, seeming uncomfortable. I felt really bad. She must feel so embarrassed. I directed my eyes toward her face. I didn't want her to think I was a pervert like Mineta or something.
"Um, so, why are you out in the hallway in the middle of the night?" Uraraka asked, raising an eyebrow. I abruptly realised I didn't have a real reason for being out here that I could tell her.
I chuckled, panicking. What on earth would I tell her? Being able to think of nothing else, I blurted out,
"I'm getting a drink."
She nodded sceptically.
"Aha. And you are doing that, in the middle of the girl's hallway, because...?"
I went pale and whipped around. Dang, it. Shoot, shoot, shoot shoot SHOOT! Why the hell was I in the girl's hallway?! I really needed to watch where I was going!
"O-oh. I-I..." I stuttered. What reason was I going to give her? That I wasn't looking where I was going? That'd just make me look dim.
"Oh. I get it," Uraraka said, transfixing her eyes to the ground. I chuckled nervously again. What did she get?
"Um, I'm sorry, but pardon? What do you get?"
Uraraka sighed at her feet.
"You can go along and see whatever girl you needed to see, I'll just go," she said as she started to slip past me. I paled even more, now the shade of a ghost. That's what she thought?! I grabbed her hand.
"Wait. I wasn't going to see..." I squirmed. I'd need to give her the truth.
"I wasn't going to see any girl. I was just restless and needed to move, so I took a walk, not watching where I was going. I didn't mean to end up here! Honest!" I said, trying to hide rising hysterics.
That's when Uraraka started laughing. Her warm, sparkling brown eyes teared up, and she started to giggle softly. I caught sight of a small dimple in one of her rosy cheeks that I hadn't seen before. It was adorable. Sweeping her short brown hair out of her face, she subsided into tiny hiccups.
Blushing, I whispered, quietly,
"What's funny?"
"You," Uraraka said, her face a still bunched up in a smile, "I was messing with you. I knew you weren't going to see a girl."
"Oh." I nodded. "Okay then."
"Why couldn't you get to sleep?" She asked, giving me another grin that made my heart skip a beat.
"Oh, I was just worried."
Concern grew in Uraraka's eyes.
"What's wrong? Is everything okay?"
And that's all it took. I don't know why, but the words just tumbled out of my mouth.
"I'm worried about everything. The League of Villians still isn't gone, so when are they going to strike next?
I don't want anyone in the class to get hurt. What if something happens to someone else like what happened to Kacchan? What if we can't save them? What if-" I babbled on, and Uraraka stood there, quietly listening to my aim worries and concerns. When I was done, she whispered,
"Oh wow. You've been carrying a lot of weight. And you needed to offload a bit of it to someone else a long time ago."
I stared at her in surprise. How did she know I had been worrying for a long time?
She sighed softly.
"I know you, Deku. You're not alone on this journey, you have me. And All Might, and Todoroki, and Iida, and Bakugo, and Kirishima. This kind of problem won't be solved easily. So, to ease your conscience, remember that the League of Villians needs time to come up with a plan. They don't launch an attack immediately after another one, they never have. And it's only been a little while since we last saw them. It'll be okay," she soothed, lightly touching my arm. It caused electricity to spark up my arm. She seemed to shy off all of a sudden, withdrawing her hand and taking a step back. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
"Thanks, Uraraka. I better go back to bed now," I said. Staring at her feet again, Uraraka nodded.
"See you in class tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you."
As I walked back to my room, I thought about Uraraka. How could I not know she'd respond like that? She was always helpful. And I could trust her, I was just too much of a dimwit to realise.