Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia and neither do you!

A/N: Been a while since I wrote a story. Or since I finished one, anyway. I tried writing a few over the past few months, but I lost a lot of steam for various reasons, not the least of which was things IRL not working out and putting my mental health in a really bad state.

I feel rusty and I don't know if this is any good at all, but I tried to write something quick and cute. Hope you like it.

It was a rainy day.

The Sports Festival had come and gone. Now, after a couple days off to rest, today was when the students of UA were due to return to class.

Tsuyu sighed. She had forgotten her umbrella this morning and, to her immense displeasure, was caught in the sudden storm unprepared. She dashed into a conbini along the way for a cheap umbrella but by then the damage was already done and she was soaked.

Waiting at her train stop, she stared at herself in the reflection of one of the station's windows.

'Ugh,' she thought, disgusted at the sight staring back.

The women in her family all sported long, dark hair that was somehow more difficult to cut than normal. It was some inexplicable side-effect of the quirk her mother had passed down to her and her little sister, Satsuki, but it made it more trouble than it was worth to do anything but let it grow out.

Sometimes she found herself jealous of her father and Samidare. The Asui men had fairly normal hair; easy to cut, easy to style, and on rainy days like this, that envy grew even worse.

Tsuyu blinked at her reflection, the only sign of emotion on her typically blank face. The rain wasn't doing her hair any favors; it was already a pain to deal with during hero classes, flying around loosely and getting in the way when she flung herself around. But on days like this it was a true disaster.

Her hair's sleekness was nowhere to be seen in her reflection; instead the rain made it look disheveled and stringy, drooping eerily down her face.

Seeing her hair in such a state reminded her of being teased and bullied in middle school. Quirked society had changed views on appearance; many people had mutant features, and it was mostly fringe groups like the Mutant Rejection Clan who raised a ruckus about the more unique flavors of humanity that Quirks brought about.

But kids were kids, and even if animalistic features were nothing out of the ordinary anymore, bullies could always turn some trait that stood out into fuel for needless cruelty.

Tsuyu knew it all too well. Her frog features had been a target more than once, and her blunt and straightforward personality didn't win her a lot of points either. But rainy days were especially bad, she remembered, as she tugged at a slimy clump of her hair.

'Eww!' they would jeer, pointing and sneering at her in disgust. 'You look even creepier than normal!'

Tsuyu sighed again, closing her eyes to dismiss her reflection. Seeing her own blank stare piercing from behind her messy, greasy hair made her expressionless face even too unsettling, as she remembered her old classmates' hurtful words.

'You look like Sadako! Except even creepier!'

It was silly, Tsuyu knew. In the grand scheme of things, being teased for looking like the villain in an old horror movie wasn't that big a deal. People experienced worse every day; she had experienced worse from bullies. But still…it hurt, and for whatever reason those words had stuck with her. She felt self-conscious about her looks, and she really hated how she looked on days like this.

'It's not like they were wrong, anyway. I do look like Sadako,' she thought. And understanding that for herself made her feel like the freak those bullies said she was.

The station's speakers announced the arrival of her train and Tsuyu was all too happy to rush aboard, desperate to flee from her reflection and her dreary memories.

…

Tsuyu was still in a gloomy mood once she made it to homeroom, but somehow she managed to make it through morning classes. At lunch she stood in line in the cafeteria, waiting for her turn to get served by Lunch Rush.

She waited patiently, quietly, as the line slowly advanced. But the same could not be said of her classmates in front of her.

"How the fuck did you do so bad after I tutored you, Shitty Hair?!"

"Eh heh heh, sorry Bakubro. Geometry is really tough!"

"Dumbass! It's easy; you're just stupid!"

Bakugo punctuated his vicious jibe by swinging his lunch tray in the air in front of him, smacking it into Kirishima's. The impact knocked an apple to fly off of the angry boy's lunch tray, but before it could fall to the ground Tsuyu reached forward to catch it. Relieved that she had saved the fruit, she stepped forward and presented it to Bakugo, lightly tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Eh?!"

"You dropped your apple, Bakugo-chan," she said calmly.

"Oh, good save, Tsu!"

Tsuyu offered a small smile to Kirishima, but all the while Bakugo was just staring at the apple in her hand. His stare narrowed into a glare, then hardened into a scowl until he snarled and exploded, backhanding Tsuyu's hand and knocking the apple away.

"I don't need your help, Man-Hands! Mind your own fucking business!"

Hateful and ungrateful as ever, Bakugo turned and slammed his empty lunch tray on to the counter before he stomped away towards the vending machines. Kirishima looked at her wide-eyed, before his features softened into a silent apology. Then he dashed off after Bakugo, leaving Tsuyu alone back in line.

Some students from another class started quietly gossiping behind her, obviously making some whispered comments about what just happened. Tsuyu couldn't hear them, though. She blinked again, and her face betrayed no emotion, as usual. She was glad her face didn't show much of how she felt inside because right now she was hurting.

She looked at her hands, larger than average as a result of her Frog quirk. Her elongated fingers clenched into a fist briefly before even that small bit of strength melted away as she dropped her hand back down at her side.

The gossiping behind her grew louder, but she still couldn't make out the words.

'Not that I need to,' she sulked. Between her large hands, her natural slump, her unblinking eyes and her greasy, stringy hair, she knew what they must think of her.

'They think I'm a freak,' she told herself, barely stifling a sob. 'They think I'm a monster…'

She had heard it enough times in middle school to know. She had hoped that things would be different at UA, at a hero school. But as long as they let cruel kids like Bakugo in, clearly that wouldn't be the case.

…

To catch up for the days missed because of the Sports Festival, they were skipping Heroics today and doubling up on their academic classes.

It was English class with Present Mic after lunch, and today Tsuyu was called on to read a passage from their textbook aloud. She wasn't really in the mood to participate like this, but it was just her luck.

Tsuyu started droning through the foreign words. The rest of the class probably didn't notice the lack of energy in her already bland tone, but she lacked her usual enthusiasm nonetheless.

She was a good student; no Yaomomo or Iida-chan, but she was diligent and took her studies seriously. This wasn't anything difficult, reading English aloud. But it just wasn't her day. A couple of sentences in, she flubbed, and when she tried to pronounce the word "melancholy" a froggy noise bubbled up from her throat halfway through.

She froze when it happened. It wasn't her usual, cutesy "kero"; it was a full-throated croak, deep and guttural. Not cute at all.

The class was silent for a beat, before erupting into giggles.

'No…' she begged silently. 'Please don't laugh!'

It shouldn't be that big of a deal. Giggles were common in English class; Kaminari's floundering antics trying to hide his lack of studying and Iida's overly precise enunciation often tickled the class' funny bones. She knew there was no real malice behind their laughter, but today she couldn't bear having her fumble be the focus of everyone's attention.

'Please let someone else take over,' she silently pleaded as she turned to face Present Mic. Her teacher heaved a sigh and offered her a gentle smile before nodding, mercifully giving her a break.

But before she could sit down, before she could escape all the attention and embarrassment, someone had to make it worse.

"Ha! Good job, Frog-face! Guess it's easy to get tongue tied with that ugly thing hanging out of your mouth!"

"Bakugo! That's enough!"

Present Mic raised his voice to drown out Bakugo's comments, but Tsuyu felt awful hearing them nonetheless. She sunk into her seat as their teacher chastised the mean boy, but it was too late. She tried to slurp her tongue back into her mouth, uncomfortable as it was to cram it all in when she was as tired as she was today.

'Please let today be over,' she begged. Everything was going wrong today. Everything was reminding her of how ugly and weird she was. She was trying her best to put up a strong front but she was starting to lose it.

'I hope no one notices,' she thought as she buried her face in her folded arms resting on top of her desk.

But someone did.

…

Finally the day ended and Tsuyu breathed a heavy sigh as she made her way out the door. Thank goodness it was over because she couldn't take any more. She lost herself in her thoughts as she walked away, thoughts that grew darker and darker as she re-lived every mortifying moment that had happened today.

Izuku stumbled out the door a moment behind her, swinging his head back and forth until he spotted her.

"Asui-san!" he called, but she didn't hear him. "Asui! Please wait!"

Still he got no response. The harsh voice inside her head was too loud for her to hear him, but he could hear her. She didn't speak any words as she plodded away, but he could hear her sniffles. He could hear her heartbreak, her embarrassment, her pain.

They were sounds all too familiar to him, sounds he hated more than anything and didn't want to hear from her, one of his best friends.

He frowned. If she was that caught up in her thoughts, he'd have to pull out all the stops to get her attention.

And he knew just what would do it.

He blushed, and chewed on his lip for a moment, before taking a deep breath.

"T-Tsu!"

…

Tsuyu stopped. She heard him that time, and she was surprised.

'He called me…'

The surprise was enough to cut through the hazy chorus of self-hate in her head. She turned slowly, eyes wide at hearing her timid, shy friend call her by the nickname he never called her despite her constant requests.

When she looked at him, she saw the blush that had taken hold across his whole face. He was clearly embarrassed to address her so casually but he was still doing his best to face her head on, his eyes clear and full of concern.

'Oh no,' she thought. More than she had all day, right now she felt ugly. She felt disgusting! Midoriya-chan had done his best to muster up his courage and call out to her and she knew how hard it was for her shy friend. And all she could offer in return were red, bloodshot eyes leering back through her greasy hair, or the freakishly large man-hands that were reaching up to scrub her tears away, or her inhumanly long tongue hanging tired pathetic from her lips.

She didn't want him to see her! She wanted to run away and hide her hideous, freakish self from him.

But all she could do was stand there and squeak out a defeated response.

"Midoriya-chan…"

Before she knew it she was wrapped up in his arms; in the blink of an eye he had dashed forward and pulled her close to his chest in a tight hug.

She was shocked. Stunned! Midoriya was so timid and shy, but right now, when she was lost and hurting he was so bold. She felt pathetic about it, but this was just what she needed.

All day she had been embarrassed and humiliated, but right now she didn't care. She needed this hug, so she leaned into it.

She leaned into him .

'He's so warm,' she thought, nuzzling closer. He held her tighter in response.

Tsuyu's heart had felt so cold all day but just as she was about to lose herself in the dark abyss inside her heart, he pulled her close and warmed her up.

"I'm here for you, Tsu," he assured her, his tone calm and gentle.

"You don't even know what's wrong…" she sulked, pushing back against his kindness.

"...I think I do. You're not the first person who has been bullied. You're not the first person Kacchan has made feel like dirt," he said.

Tsuyu was surprised to hear him admit that. Everyone knew there was bad blood between the two of them but Midoriya would never tell anyone when they asked. What had he gone through with the explosive boy? she wondered.

"Regardless," he continued before she could dwell on it for too long. "No one should have to go home in tears."

So he said, but those words were what made her break down and cry openly, burying her face into his chest and letting out all the hurt she had been holding in. She felt safe with him; she didn't feel like she had to keep up a strong front anymore.

He hugged her even closer. Today hurt, but right now, in Midoriya's arms, Tsuyu dared to believe it would be alright.

…

The next day came along and once again Tsuyu set off for UA. Yesterday the thought of going back to school filled her with dread until Midoriya-chan showed up and made her feel better just by being there for her. She blushed remembering her embrace and how soothing his hold was. She had cried openly in front of him, right into his chest, no less! She had shown him her ugly tears, but that was the one thing about yesterday she wasn't embarrassed by. He had helped her and she was grateful for his kindness.

But today was another rainy day. She had remembered her umbrella this time, but the damp, humid air still made her hair frizz out; once again it devolved into a monstrous, stringy mess.

She sighed as she approached the school, fearing that it would be another gloomy day.

Until she saw Midoriya-chan there at the gate, waiting for her.

"Good morning, Tsu!"

He greeted her with a bright smile that instantly cut through the grey and gloom, so much so that she blushed at the sight.

'Maybe,' she dared to hope. 'Maybe today won't be so bad…'

She was frozen in place by Izuku's smile and unfortunately that meant she was standing in the middle of the walkway. While she was flustered and stunned, another student bumped into her from behind.

"Out of the way, Sadako! Ugh, what a freak!"

Tsuyu's shoulders slumped and her eyes dropped to the ground.

'That's what I get for hoping…'

Then she heard a sound that surprised her. A growl?

She looked up to see Izuku scowling at the boy who had yelled at her. It was always a surprise to see how her friend transformed from the meek, timid tangle of nerves into the focused, fearless force of nature when things got serious. He became a different person when someone needed help.

But even that was nothing compared to this. He was full of righteous anger, looking even more fierce than when they had faced villains together at the USJ. So fierce that the boy who had called her a freak wilted and shivered under her friend's glare when he skulked past.

While she stared in disbelief at the foreign glare on Midoriya's face, he turned back to her. In an instant his hard gaze melted away and she offered her a soft, warm smile.

'Maybe the warmest and softest I've ever seen…'

"Don't listen to him," he said as he walked over to meet her by the gate. "You are NOT a freak,' he said, his tone full of conviction; she could tell he meant it. He looked so sure of himself as he stated it…

…until he didn't. His smile wobbled into something shy and timid, something she was more used to seeing from him. Then a blush started to cover his freckled cheeks before he continued.

"In fact," he squeaked out. "Y-you're really…cute!"

Tsuyu croaked a sudden "kero!" and tugged at her stringy hair, trying to hide her face and her own blush behind it.

"N-no I'm not…my hair is a mess, for one thing…"

Izuku wouldn't take no for an answer. Once again he scrounged up some courage and reached out to take one of her hands in his and started to guide her to a bench just inside the school. Tsuyu became self conscious when he took her freakishly large hand in his and tried to pull it away, but he wouldn't let her go. He squeezed, assuring her that he wanted to hold her hand, and filled her cold, clammy grip with that addictive warmth he had offered her yesterday.

And just as it had then, it calmed her nerves. He made her feel safe.

When they made it to the bench, he had her sit down while he fished through his big, yellow backpack. After a moment of rummaging he pulled out a hairbrush and snapped a rubber band around his wrist, showing both items to her.

Tsuyu blinked, surprised, before seeing the look he was giving her, silently asking for permission. It was so unexpected, but she nodded and went along with it.

He smiled and brightened up, glad that she had given him the okay. Then he scurried excitedly behind her and went to work.

He brushed her hair, gently working through the tangles and guiding the brush in long, slow strokes. He was careful and he was confident and before long her hair just felt better.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed it; enjoyed the warm feeling of being pampered. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and a quiet "kero" rumbled in her throat.

Then he started to style it, pulling her long mass of hair together at the ends, wrapping it and tying it together in a ribbonlike knot before fastening it all together with the rubber band.

When he was done he dropped the brush into his bag before reaching in again to pull out a hand mirror. He handed it to her when she opened her eyes.

"W-what do you think?"

She raised the mirror in front of her and looked at his work. She couldn't believe how smooth her hair looked! She turned her head this way and that, looking at her hair from all angles, her smile slowly growing, delighted to see her hair looking so nice.

Then she looked down, pulling her hair around her body to see how he had tied it in the back. Her hair was bundled into a neat and adorable shape. She marveled at it for a moment before looking back up at him to smile brightly with her tongue freely hanging out of her mouth.

"You made me look so cute!"

That sent Izuku sputtering; once again his cool and confident side fell apart and he was a blushing mess all over again.

"I didn't do that at all," he said. "You're already cute, all on your own."

Tsuyu's heart was buzzing. She felt so happy!

She giggled and hopped up, surprising him as she pecked a kiss against his cheek.

Izuku stood there stunned; his brain short-circuited the moment her lips touched his face.

Tsuyu giggled again and chirped out a chipper "kero".

"Don't be late, Midoriya-chan," she sang, skipping away before he could react. It was silly how he could go from being so smooth to being so shy like that!

Of course, she made her quick escape to hide the blush that painted her own cheeks after her bold move…

…

Homeroom started and after Aizawa revealed his full recovery, the day's assignment was announced. Midnight stormed in to help the class decide their hero names.

"What kind of hero do you want to be?" Midnight asked the class. "The name you choose can help reflect your true character. It tells people what kind of hero you are, gives them an idea of how you want to help. Think carefully," she continued, before smirking at them with that salacious smile of hers. "Or there'll be hell to pay!"

Midnight's outburst got everyone excited, with the more rambunctious students chatting and cheering as they all brainstormed their hero names.

Tsuyu, on the other hand, was thinking hard about Midnight's advice.

'What kind of her do I want to be?,' she repeated. She considered those words carefully. What kind of hero would make HER feel better? When she thought about it like that, only one image came to mind.

'Izuku.'

His smile had brightened up her gloomy day. His warmth and his kindness had saved her from her own insecurities.

With that in mind she knew what to write down. And after Midnight-sensei shot down Mina's idea, Tsuyu was called to the front to present her name.

"I want to be like the hero who saved me. Someone kind, who reaches out to help when everything falls apart. Who shines a light on things when they're at their darkest and gloomiest."

She glanced across the class, her eyes briefly meeting Izuku's before she finished.

"I want to be…" she started as she flipped her board around.

"Froppy: The Rainy Day Hero."

A/N: Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment, if you'd like.