The following day felt like went on for way too long. Midoriya wasn't able to focus on anything in class, not even hero training.
Uraraka was doing everything she could to avoid him. During lunch, she didn't even sit with him and Iida like always.
She sat with Asui. Away from him.
Every time they made eye contact, she solemnly looked away and walked in the opposite direction.
So many thoughts crowded his head because he didn't know how to handle her abnormal behavior.
Did I do or say something wrong? She won't even look at me. All of this started right after she left dance practice. I hope she didn't lie about the fall and got hurt. But why would she lie about that? It doesn't make any sense--
"If you're worried about Uraraka, just go talk to her," Todoroki told him, snapping him out of his muttering state of mind once again.
Surprisingly, Midoriya didn't even think about feeling embarrassed or flustered like he usually does. He couldn't focus on that right now, not when his best friend was upset with him, for some reason.
Class 1-A was getting ready to leave as they grabbed their things from their lockers. Hero training took longer than expected, so the sun was starting to set and was a beautiful golden sight to behold. Unfortunately, Midoriya couldn't even enjoy it.
"I would if I knew why she was upset. I don't know if it was something I did or said," He told him as other classmates listened to what he had to say, "Did any of you guys talk to her today?"
"We tried, but she didn't really want to talk about it," Yaoyorozu said with the girls by her side.
Out of no where, Ashido swooped in and was mere inches away from Midoriya's face. Her puffed up cheeks and glaring, golden eyes somehow made her intimidating and adorable at the same time.
"What did you say to her yesterday?" Ashido asked with a lot of determination to back it up, "You two were having such a great time, aside from the almost accident. Then the next thing we knew, she was walking away with the saddest look on her face."
"You might as well have kicked her dog right in front of her!" Hagakure ranted, waving her invisible arms up and down in a frantic manner.
"I thought since we were enjoying each other's company, that we should go shopping at the mall tomorrow to buy outfits for the performance since the whole class is going anyway. I just don't get it..." Midoriya explained with a lot of hurt in his eyes.
He told them the truth, and that's all he could do. Nothing made much sense to him right now.
"She's probably upset that you asked her to go with a bunch of other people," Jirou assumed while she played with one of her earphone jacks.
But they weren't just other people, they were his classmates. His brain felt like mush at this point.
"Why would that bother her? I mean... we're already going to the Winter Dance together, and I--"
"Hold on a minute," Kaminari interrupted, a sweat drop forming above his brow, "You asked her to go with you, and you didn't tell us?!"
"Well... I never actually asked her to go with me per se..." Midoriya told them, looking in any direction but them, "But, aren't we?"
"Huh?!" The group said in sync, dumbfounded.
"I mean... we are performing together to represent Class 1-A... Doesn't that mean we're... on a da-date?"
All of their mouths were open, but no words came out. Once everyone made eye contact with each other, they knew what the problem was.
"Oh, Midoriya," Kaminari said as he face palmed, "How are you this oblivious?"
"Don't you see? She wanted you to ask her to the Winter Dance. The performance has nothing to do with any of this. We were just being idiots and forced you two into this complicated mess," Ashido told him with a lot of passion, "You need to go talk to her. Right now."
Her determination spread to him and was not going away anytime soon.
"Do you guys know where she is?"
"I never saw her leave the school, but she left class before anyone else," Asui told him, "Sometimes she goes up to the roof to clear her head, ribbit."
Nothing more needed to be said. Midoriya headed back into the school, but Ashido had one more thing to say.
"Midoriya? I'm sorry. I'm the one that caused all of this to happen. It looks like I just made things more complicated. I wouldn't blame you if you hated me..."
He saw how bad she felt through her body language. But he never blamed her for any of this. If anything, he finally understood what it meant to have friends who look out for each other. That's something he never thought would be possible.
The only thing he could do was give her a hug, even if she wasn't expecting it.
"I could never hate you. You were just trying to help. So, thank you for being a good friend."
Running up all of the stairs was causing him to lose his confidence, but he forced himself to keep going. His legs were burning like hell from hero training.
The moment he got to the door to the roof, he took a couple deep breaths in and out. A loud clang rang through the hallway as he pushed it open as quietly as he could, but failed miserably.
The winter air swirled all around him as he spotted Uraraka leaning over the parapet, her back facing him in the distance. Just by observing her posture, he could tell she was contemplating on a lot of things. She didn't even turn around to see who opened the noisy door.
He forced himself to take that first step, and then several after that. Eventually reaching her, he hesitated to join her.
"Hey," Midoriya said with a solemn tone to his voice.
Uraraka subtly stole a glimpse of him, but went back to staring at the sunset. Orange, yellow and pink all blended together beautifully and the night sky was just starting to fade in, along with the moon and stars.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
After a couple quiet seconds of waiting, she finally shook her head in response.
The fact that she didn't say anything made him realize how selfish he's been. The more he thought about it, the more he noticed that they barely talked to each other throughout this crazy week.
And now was the time to change everything.
He leaned over the parapet by her left side, trying to think of the right words. Then, he just went for it.
"I'm sorry... for not considering your feelings yesterday... I was an idiot for not noticing what was wrong..."
An apology wasn't enough, but he hoped it was a step in the right direction. Judging by Uraraka's face however, she wasn't ready to accept it just yet.
"I know Deku... I'm just... so confused..."
Uraraka looked like she wanted to curl herself into a ball and forget about everything between them. But he couldn't imagine what his life would be like without her.
After everything she's done for me... I don't know if she deserves to have someone like me in her life...
"If I'm going to be completely honest," Midoriya interrupted the whistling wind, "I've never really had friends like Class 1-A. In fact, it was pretty much the opposite in middle school."
He could tell she was starting to pay a little bit attention to what he had to say. The only thing he didn't want was pity considering this wasn't about him right now.
"Everyone's so supportive and accepting, and sometimes it's hard for me to wrap my head around any of this. I've never had an overwhelming amount of friends before, and I could never imagine any of this happening without them around... and then there's you."
All she could do now was stare at him as the last bit of sunlight made her eyes sparkle. He couldn't help but feel a bit of relief as he poured out his thoughts and feelings to her.
"Ever since I met you, you've always been there for me... cheering me on... inspiring me to work harder... You're the reason I picked my hero name. To not let nicknames define who I am."
The more he talked, the more confident he became. Everything was starting to click into place.
"You're head strong, brave, kind... beautiful... and one of the biggest reasons I can even see myself as a pro hero someday..."
Uraraka's eyes lit up as she stood up straighter, with her arms still gripping onto the parapet for support. Noticing her hands were starting to tremble, he gently placed his on top of hers. He couldn't help but smile when he felt them relax.
"I wouldn't mind going to the Winter Dance with someone as amazing as you. Your happiness means a lot to me, and all I want is to see you smile... So... will you?"
There was a subtle change in Uraraka's expression, but she quickly turned away from him. For a moment, he thought he might've made things worse. That she possibly didn't want to be friends with him anymore. His stomach was in knots as he stood there, waiting for something, anything.
Then she finally faced him with the most beautiful, shining smile he'd ever seen. Tears were starting to form under her eyes, and her cheeks were rosier than ever before.
"What took you so long?" She finally responded with a puff of icy breath.
So much weight was lifted off his shoulders, and he almost felt as light as a feather. He didn't even realize that they were still holding hands. A single tear ran down her face, and he felt the need to caress it away.
Suddenly, a familiar, loud clanging noise echoed through the almost night sky, making them jolt upright. They were face to face with almost everyone in their class all toppled on top of each other, almost as if karma had gotten the best of them.
Their classmates were trying to get out of the situation as quickly as possible, but Iida appeared out of no where in full Class Rep. mode. He took immediate control and gave everyone a firm lecture on eavesdropping.
Midoriya knew that he should be annoyed, but seeing all of his friends just reminded him of how much he can lean on them for support. Even if they were a bit much sometimes, he knew that they accepted him for who he was. That's all that mattered to him.
They couldn't help but chuckle as their friends dealt with Iida's loud demands and rules.
Uraraka never let go of Midoriya's hand while walking back to dorms, but he didn't mind. Her smile never faded away. Hopefully it will still be there tomorrow.
Sorry it took so long. I've been busy with work and other stuff. I want to do the best I can with this story because I really do love the concept and this is where it's going to shift a bit.
Midoriya finally asked her to the Winter Dance! Let's see what happens next!
More to come soon!