Based on the tumblr prompt "Amuse me" – one character cheers another up.
Taking place after the fight between All Might and All for One. Izuku worries too much about the fact that he "will be next", and Uraraka can't stand it anymore.
Also on AO3
It should not have been that difficult. She was right there, gripping the door handle. Just push it down and enter the room…
Uraraka breathed in and out deeply, and let go of the handle. Instead, she sighed deeply, letting her head hang in defeat.
She couldn't do it. She couldn't just walk into Izuku's room with a fake smile on her face and proceed to drag him out of his thoughtful and dark mood. Not when she felt quite thoughtful herself.
Breathing deeply again, in and out, in and out, Uraraka bit her lips, screwing her eyes shut. Why was she here again? To cheer Izuku up, obviously. Why did she want to cheer him up? Because he was always so deep in thought since All Might's fight against that top villain. Since that time, as class 1-A called it, Izuku was so distant and quiet, gaze directed into the distance, shoulders hunched when he thought nobody was looking.
(His friends were looking, but they didn't know what to do.)
Something was obviously weighing Izuku down, an invisible weight, pressing down on the shoulders of only one person alone.
Uraraka did have the quirk to defy gravity, but there were just things that she could not make weightless.
What good is being able to manipulate gravity when I can't make your burden any lighter?
Shaking her head, she straightened herself. This was not what she was supposed to think. She had to be strong now, and smile. For Izuku.
Adjusting her grip on the plate full of chocolate chip cookies – Izuku's favourite and a gift from Satou – she opened the door quietly, wanting to surprise her friend.
Peering into the room, she called out quietly, "Deku?"
There was no answer, so she opened the door a bit further, pushing into the room carefully. The plate she hid behind her back while her gaze searched for Izuku.
Her gaze passed dozens and dozens of All Might Merchandise – in all colors, sizes and editions, from the start of the hero's career up until just recently – before it fell on whom she was looking for.
Izuku sat on the edge of his bed, gaze directed towards his balcony door, hands folded in his lap. He didn't seem to realize that he had company, too fixated of something that was not there.
Something in his head, his memory.
Don't you see that I can't reach you there? That I can't help you there?
A deep, shuddering breathe let Izuku's chest expand and then deflate again, shoulders hunching down under the same invisible weight that had been there for quite some time now.
Please, Deku… let me help you.
Uraraka couldn't stand it anymore. Sneaking over to Izuku, she outstretched her hand, quirk flaring up inside her, making the tips of her fingers tingle slightly.
If she could, she would have directed her quirk at the things dragging Izuku down.
Since she couldn't, she aimed for something else.
There was a lurch, a second of shock and disorientation, and the next thing Izuku knew was that he was floating upwards, weightless. He spluttered, before battle instincts, honed in training and real fights, kicked in. His quirk surged up, ready to activate if his normal body strength would not be enough. He twisted around – used to moving weightlessly do to training with Uraraka – and readied himself to defend himself…
Only to stop mid-motion as he caught sight of Uraraka.
Uraraka grinned up at him, only slightly strained (he had been ready to fight, when had his first reflex become to defend or attack from possible enemies?). Waving slightly, she greeted, "Deku! How's the air up there?"
"Wha-… Uraraka-san?!" Izuku stopped struggling and twisting in mid-air . Calming down, he floated peacefully a few feet above the ground, blinking down at the culprit owlishly. "Uh, why am I floating right now?"
Uraraka smiled innocently up at him, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Why? Because I want you to, of course! Silly Deku."
Confusion was replaced with a hint of amusement, just a tiny flicker of it passing over Izuku's expression and making the corners of his mouth twitch slightly. It wasn't much, especially in comparison to all the worry that had clouded his expression often lately. But it was enough to send a giddy happiness rushing through Uraraka.
It was an improvement. They were getting there.
Giggling, Uraraka took Izuku's hands (warm and gentle as ever, she noted) and helped him adjust himself so that he wasn't upside down anymore. Letting go again, she grinned up at him, "Say, Deku,… did you ever want to be an astronaut?"
It took Izuku only a second to get her meaning, smart as he was. Lifting his eyebrows at her, he gestured towards his current predicament. "Let me guess – I'm playing the astronaut in this?"
"Correct!" Uraraka laughed. "You get the chance to an astronaut on earth. Just imagine the possibilities!"
"I can't imagine any right now," another twitch of his lips, this time almost a smile. "But I'm sure you will help me out there."
"Well, for one, you get to float around. And second," Uraraka pulled out the plates of cookies from behind her back, making it float up until it was on Izuku's eye-level. "You get to eat like a real astronaut – in mid-air!"
There was a moment of silence. Uraraka's heart almost was in her throat as she waited.
Just one real smile. One real, heartfelt smile from Izuku would be enough.
And then, she got something even better.
Because Izuku started laughing aloud. A full-blown, heartfelt laugh that rang throughout the room while Izuku almost doubled over in mid-air.
For a moment, Uraraka was utterly flabbergasted, caught on the wrong foot, before a happy grin split her features.
This was so, so much better than just one simple smile.
Still chuckling, Izuku rubbed over his eyes were tears of laughter had gathered before he reached down towards her. As she didn't react, he asked, "Won't you come up, too?"
Uraraka beamed back at him, concentrating her quirk on herself. A rush of weightlessness flooded through her, denying gravity, loosening earth's grip on her.
As soon as Uraraka's feet had left the ground, Izuku startled her completely by reaching for her and taking her hands in his.
Palm to palm, Izuku interlinked their fingers, rough scar tissue rubbing lightly over Uraraka's own soft skin, warmth seeping from his taller palms into hers. Squeezing her hands gently, Izuku pulled the girl up until she was floating on eye-level with him, their foreheads almost touching.
The sudden closeness had Uraraka first blinking in surprise, then blushing furiously and stuttering helplessly. "U-Um, D-Deku?"
Izuku, shy, easily flustered Izuku, was seemingly not the slightest bit embarrassed by all of this. Grip on her hands sure and steady, his expression relaxed and content in a way it had not been for quite some time.
Smiling warmly, he leaned forward and brought their foreheads together gently. Just for a second, the ghost of a touch, but it was there, and it did nothing against Uraraka's blush. Quite the opposite actually. The beat of her heart was so loud in her own ears that she almost missed Izuku's next words.
"Thank you."
It took her a moment to register the words properly and even then all she could come up with was a perplexed, "Huh?"
Izuku chuckled quietly, the sound making her both happy and even more flustered. Taking pity on her, Izuku clarified, "Thank you for making me laugh. I really needed that right now."
"Oh," Uraraka blinked – had he seen through her plan to cheer him up that easily? Then again, Izuku was observant…
…And he was still waiting for a reaction from her.
"Oh!" Uraraka repeated, louder this time. A warm smile took over her expression as happiness won over embarrassment. "Anytime, Deku."
They smiled at each other in silent understanding und gratefulness, both knowing that they had found a true friend in the other. The kind of friend who would not them be crushed under the weight of their fears and worries.
After a moment that seemed like eternity, Izuku loosened his grip, instead reaching for the plate of cookies floating forgotten beside them. Offering her the plate, the boy grinned mischievously. "So, is eating like an astronaut still part of the plan?"
"You bet!" Uraraka retorted with an equally mischievous grin, clapping her hands happily.
They shared a look, understanding shining in their eyes, before they simultaneously said, "Upside down-eating!"
They burst out laughing, and then Uraraka reached over spontaneously, grabbing Izuku's ankle and pushing, causing the boy to do some weightless flips.
Izuku spluttered and started laughing yet again as he flailed and tried to straighten himself and didn't manage, causing another bout of laughter between them.
By the time she got a grip of herself, Uraraka wasn't sure if the tears in her eyes were tears of laughter or of relief. The sight of a relaxed and laughing Izuku made her heart sore, and part of her gloated about the fact that she was the one who had made him laugh.
I can't lessen the weight of whatever you are carrying on your shoulders.
But sometimes, I can at least make you fly away from it, even if it's just for a moment.
So… Let's fly together, Deku.