When Izuku had returned to his room he couldn't stop thinking about Uraraka's nightmares. He knew that the two of them weren't the only ones affected, but none of the others had spoken up about having nightmares or other problems so maybe they were handling it themselves. Back to the problem at hand, Izuku was contemplating what he could do for Uraraka. He hadn't really confided in anyone about his own nightmares, so it was unlikely that she was going to accept professional help. Well, at least not right away.
'There must be something I can do for Uraraka-san...' Izuku racked his brain for so long that he actually fell back asleep for what felt like an hour, but turned out to be five.
The next time he woke, sunlight was filtering in through the window and his clock read 7:32 AM. Rubbing his tired eyes, Izuku sat up in bed and yawned. He had slept fine the second time around and the solid five hours had left him feeling more refreshed than he would have thought. As he swung his legs out of bed, he grabbed for his phone to check if his mom had texted him as she usually did and he was surprised to see an additional text from Uraraka.
Thanks for staying up with me last night. The hot chocolate made me fall right back asleep! As always her text included various emojis and left a smile on Izuku's face. Then it suddenly occurred to him why he had been so affected by Uraraka's behavior that night. She was usually so expressive in anything she did, so it had freaked him out a little that she had been almost stone-faced. Izuku shook his head to get rid of the thoughts and typed a quick reply before getting up and starting his day.
On his days off, he would usually visit his mom and even spend the night at home, so the green-haired teenager got dressed for his morning workout and headed downstairs to see if any of his friends were up yet. He usually worked out first thing in the morning and then ate a big, healthy breakfast. Lately Iida had joined him on his morning runs, where he tried to match Izuku's pace, or rather, where Izuku tried to keep up with the engine quirk user. They had been practicing cutting corners at high speeds and the class president was slowly, but steadily improving.
'Maybe I should ask Uraraka-san to join us. The extra exercise might be able to help her sleep better.' Izuku was waiting patiently for the elevator to arrive while going over his workout routine in his head. He was supposed to report his progress on quirk control to All Might the following day and had planned to hit the gym after his run. The elevator finally dinged open and he left the floor and was out the door after greeting the few early risers.
After a successful workout, Izuku returned to his room and showered. Their personal bathrooms weren't the most spacious so he preferred showering in the shared bath, but after an intense workout he would rather wash up in the privacy of his own room.
Meanwhile Uraraka had been having breakfast with the rest of the girls save for Mina, who was a heavy sleeper. She had woken up when her stomach had growled loudly and demanded a sacrifice, so she had groggily gotten out of bed and started her morning routine. She had grabbed some yogurt from her fridge and finished it while she read the news and checked her social media.
Ochaco had forgotten to check the daily coupons and weekly deals before bed last night, so she was absentmindedly scrolling through her favorite money saver app. She rose to check the contents of her fridge and decided to buy some groceries later that day, but first she would gather up some of the girls and see if anyone wanted to join her. Ochaco's shoulders still felt stiff from the previous night and she rolled them a few times to loosen them up. She could really use a massage.
She had slept better than expected despite having been up half the night. Ochaco remembered the hot chocolate Midoriya had made for her and decided she would buy some peanut butter and try to recreate it. That way she could treat him to some of her own if she ever returned the favor. She felt a rush of warmth as she recalled the worried glances he had sent her, she really was lucky to have such an amazing friend. Not only had he been worried about her, he had also stayed and taken care of her even though he didn't know what to do for her. She had been grateful for the company and had slowly forgotten her dreams and just listened to him talk.
Ochaco unlocked her phone and texted him, hoping that he wasn't woken by her text. It was a little past 7 in the morning so it wouldn't have come as a surprise if he was still asleep. The brunette assumed that was the case since he didn't reply within ten minutes. She had already changed and was about to fix her hair when her phone buzzed.
You're welcome. Let me know if I can do anything for you. I mean it! Ochaco smiled at her phone and hummed a tune as she left her bedroom in search of a proper meal. Once she was downstairs, she joined Momo and Tooru who were already eating and greeted the others who were present. Kirishima was one of the few early risers and as always, he greeted Ochaco energetically. He was busy watching a show on the TV and she didn't want to disturb him while he had the TV to himself, so Ochaco had busied herself with preparing her meal.
She had only just grabbed some food and sat down when Midoriya walked by and greeted everyone. He sent her a warm smile before hurrying out the door to start his workout. Ever since they had moved into the dorms, he had been very consistent with his training.
"Always the diligent worker, isn't he?" Momo watched her dorky classmate leave and returned her attention to her half-eaten breakfast. She wondered if Midoriya ever skipped a workout or just rescheduled his entire day to get one in.
"Makes me feel like I don't do enough." Ochaco sheepishly admitted. She had really admired Midoriya's spirit and work ethic and honestly felt like she was lacking determination.
"I know," Momo chuckled, "he was so busy preparing for the provisional exam that he forgot his own birthday three weeks ago." Being vice president for Class A meant that Momo knew a lot of personal information about each of the students. She had, of course, obtained a lot of that info by befriending the class, but birthdays and the like she knew from her position.
"...Birthday? Birthday! How could I forget?!" Ochaco nearly smacked herself. She had been so busy with exams, settling in, nightmares, internships and 100 other things that she completely forgot about his birthday. She was supposed to be one of his best friends for crying out loud!
"Uraraka-san, you've had a lot on your mind. I'm sure Midoriya-san knows that too." Momo tried to reassure her, suddenly feeling bad for bringing up his birthday. Uraraka looked bewildered and the vice president could almost hear the gears turning in her head.
"I know! But Deku-kun always goes out of his way to help others and I want to do something nice for him." Ochaco had thought of what present to get him in less than 30 seconds, now she was trying to determine whether she should get him a cake or maybe bake him one? Also, should she enlist the help of Midoriya's other friends or should she just do it by herself? The questions popped up in her head faster than she could answer any of them.
Ochaco's head was spinning and the fatigue from her nightmares was starting to take its toll on her. She hadn't even noticed how tired she was feeling, but she had to hurry up and decide what to do. She knew Midoriya was going to visit his mother later, so she could always surprise him when he came back. Ochaco thought about her options and decided that she would surprise him by herself. 1) She didn't want to risk him getting overwhelmed by having so many people suddenly celebrate him. 2) She wanted to repay him for his kindness and all the support he gave her.
"Alright! I know what to do!" Ochaco steeled herself and hurriedly finished her food before finding a pen and paper so she could write down what she needed to do.
Izuku was sitting on the couch with his mom after having spent most of the day back home. Inko had been adamant that he visit whenever he could, but only if his homework was already completed. She wanted Izuku to push himself academically, but she also wanted to see him as often as she could. She wouldn't outright tell him, but she missed him so badly. Inko had felt incredibly lonely after Izuku moved out, but she didn't want to burden him with such feelings. She just wanted to support her baby.
"Izuku? Is something on your mind?" She had asked him after dinner. He had been his usual happy self, but sometimes a worried look would creep onto his face, but he would quickly dismiss it.
"Ah, um, I guess?" Izuku briefly considered telling his mom about Uraraka's nightmares, but if she found out what they stemmed from, she would figure out that Izuku also had them and she would forbid him from staying at U.A. Well, maybe not, but she would find him a therapist and have him undergo treatment. Also, he didn't want to betray Uraraka's trust, so he stalled.
"Mom, do you have some more recipes for quick and healthy meals? I've been making the same two dishes the whole week and I would like more options." It was not a lie that he had wanted to ask about recipes, he wholeheartedly missed his mom's cooking, but that wasn't what had been on his mind. He felt a little bad about not being honest with her and he desperately wanted her advice on his situation, but he decided he would wait until Uraraka approved. He hoped she would, his mom gave excellent advice and maybe Uraraka would be willing to meet with her and then have 'an adult' to talk to.
"Of course! How have you been keeping up with your meal plan?" Inko got up from the sofa and hurried into the kitchen where she stashed all her cookbooks and personal recipe collections. She even had one from when Izuku was in pre-school and it was filled with 5-year old Izuku's favorite dishes.
"Iida-kun suggested that we each cover our own breakfasts and lunches, but for dinner we could form teams of four and each team could prepare dinner for the rest once a week. That way, we get a more balanced diet instead of having pizza delivered every other day and we also get to strengthen our bonds and teamwork. On weekends we can make whatever we want, but Iida-kun and Yaoyorozu-san, the vice president, are compiling some ideas for those that actually want to cook for themselves and I thought I could pitch in with some of your recipes." His stream of words finally came to an end and Inko looked at him, beaming with pride.
"It sounds like you all get along well." Inko smiled lovingly. She was so happy that Izuku finally had real friends that understood him and helped him every day. She could easily see how much his friends had impacted him; he was much more comfortable around people and although his nervousness still hadn't faded completely, he was able to live with his class.
"Yes! It's surprisingly fun to live together. Ah, but that doesn't mean my friends have replaced you mom!" Izuku backpedaled quickly, even though he knew his mom didn't think like that. He still had a guilty conscience when it came to his mom, and he would be damned if he let her think she didn't matter to him! Inko was a little surprised that he was so earnest. She couldn't help but feel another surge of pride when she looked at her son – he was growing up to become a fine man. A fine man who would miss the train back to the dorm if he didn't hurry up.
Izuku had arrived back at the dorm in the evening. He was happy that he had spent the day at home, but he was also glad to be back. The dorm was really starting to feel like home these past few weeks. He could hear heated arguments coming from the TV lounge and he walked over, a little curious to find out what the commotion was about. He was surprised to find most of the boys gathered, all focused on the TV screen. It took Izuku a second to figure out that they were playing videogames and from the sound of it someone was cheating. Kirishima and Sero were each holding a controller and were more or less smashing the control buttons while screaming profanities at each other and the game.
The rest of the boys were just as lively and were either arguing about superior techniques or complaining that it was their turn to play in the tournament. Kaminari noticed him approach and quickly waved him over, asking him to join.
"Why is there a scorch mark on the coffee table?" Faint traces of burnt wood reached his nose and Izuku already had a guess to what had caused them.
"Oh, Blasty McSplode got his ass handed to him by Sero, so he is sulking in his room." Izuku couldn't believe his own ears. He almost wished he had seen how it happened, but when he thought about Kacchan's temper, he was glad he hadn't witnessed it. Kirishima's sudden yell of outrage indicated that he had lost the match.
"Come on Midoriya! It's your turn against Sero." Kaminari tried persuading him despite Izuku's protests that he sucked at videogames. Putting his stuff down, he finally gave in and after receiving a rundown of the game and how to play, he tentatively played against Sero. The tape user was skilled, but Izuku's ability to analyze situations and think up strategies on the spot was unrivalled. After losing the first round of the match, Izuku wiped the floor with Sero in the second one and only lost the final round after he accidentally pressed the wrong button. Sero won by a hair and sighed in relief when his victory was announced. Sweat had gathered on his forehead and he wiped it away while asking Izuku how he had taught up his combinations.
"Midoriya loses, next up is Tokoyami!" Kaminari announced, having taken on the role of a commentator for the tournament. Izuku removed himself from the scene and went to pick his bag up. Tokoyami took Izuku's seat and turned his attention to the match.
"Is Sero the champion?" Izuku asked. It seemed that half of the boys from the class had lost to Sero judging from how they cheered when Tokoyami landed a powerful hit.
"Among the boys, yeah. No one comes close to beating Hagakure. You can't even see what combos she uses before you have been crushed." Kaminari replied, his eyes still glued to the screen.
They had all been astonished when Hagakure and Jiro had joined the tournament earlier in the evening, but the invisible girl had taken advantage of her quirk and eradicated all her opponents in a breeze. After several rematches, the girls had left to join the other females in the class and a new tournament had started.
Izuku stayed for a few more minutes, amazed at how well Tokoyami held his own against the current champion. Then he remembered that he had to refrigerate the leftovers his mom had handed him, so he made his way upstairs to his room. It was already dark out and Izuku considered turning in early, but his decision was put off when Uraraka texted him, asking if he was back yet. She apparently had something to show him.
Two minutes later, there was a knock on his door and he let the gravity manipulator in. She was carrying a white box and another package wrapped in sparkly paper. Izuku was confused, but waited for her to sit down and explain.
"What did you want to show me?" He asked curiously, guessing it had something to do with the boxes in her arms. She placed the white box on his table and pushed the smaller package toward him.
"Well, earlier today it struck me that we never celebrated your birthday because of the provisional license exam, so I thought we could celebrate today!" Ochaco conveniently left out that she had forgotten all about it and removed the lid from the white box, which revealed a birthday cake complete with frosting and the number 16 writing with chocolate on it.
Izuku's mind went blank.