Title : Support and Friendship 2

Summary : When Todoroki looks sad, Uraraka does her best to cheer him up.

AN : Dear reader, hello ! I know, I know, I haven't posted anything in a loooonng time... I'm sorry :( I just wanted to spend as much time with my lover as I could before leaving again /3 But here is my new chapter and someone is back ;D I really hope you'll like it as much as the previous ones ! Love you all, XX N.

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She was not sure if anybody else had noticed it, but today Todoroki Shouto looked sad.

If you asked her, she would tell you that they were friends. She was friends with everyone in the class, after all. But Shouto was a secretive guy and she didn't know much about him.

Despite this side of him, she always enjoyed spending time with him. As time had passed, she had learned that he could be quite funny and witted and she often laughed in his company.

What she also knew was that he loved cold soba. With a glance at her purse and a pout, she took her decision.

Sure, she wouldn't be able to buy her weekly share of mochi, but it was for the better.

She waited for the end of the afternoon classes patiently and told her friends she needed to go and buy some groceries. It wasn't a lie per say, she was going to the grocery store after all.

She set to work the second she walked back into the dorm. It was still a bit early but she wasn't a great cook, even though she could handle herself in a kitchen, and knew she'd need all the time she could get. Her parents always worked overtime and she had had no other choice than learning how to cook quite young.

She could feel her classmates eyes on her but ignored them, too focused on the work at hand.

At the same time, she sent a message to Todoroki. She had thought long and hard about what to say to him.

Hey, Todoroki-kun. I hope I am not bothering you but I think I need help with this maths exercise. I thought that maybe you could help me ? I'll treat you to dinner.

She waited for his answer anxiously. Sure, the maths exercise was difficult but she was pretty sure she could do it on her own.

When he agreed, she squealed. She told him to meet her in her room thirty minutes later, giving her enough time to clean the dishes and change out of her uniform.

When she finally reached her room, two plates of cold soba in hands, she felt nervous. What if she had imagined everything ? What if he didn't want to confide in her ? What if she made matters worse ?

She changed in a large tee-shirt and shorts and sat on her bed with her maths book. She had already finished her homework when she heard a knock on her door. Maybe Todoroki could check it out for her.

She greeted him with one of her huge smiles and he answered with one of his smaller one. He was ushered inside and quickly settled next to the table.

He watched curiously as she grabbed two plates.

"I made cold soba. I think you like that, don't you ?" If she didn't know him that well, she would believe he was blushing.

"You didn't have to. You know I don't mind tutoring you from time to time." He shrugged and she sat at the corner of the table, on his right. That way, she could see his profile.

"Actually, I already did the homework." She admitted, suddenly looking shameful. "I mean you can take a look at it, you know, but…"

"But ?" He waited patiently as she wriggled her fingers on her laps. She breathed deeply and looked at him, eyes firmly planted in his.

"How are you ?" She asked suddenly. He was taken aback.

"I…" He thought for a moment. "I think I am fine." He was frowning, unsure of himself. She pushed the plate closer to him and handed him a pair of chopsticks.

"I know we're not that close but… I couldn't help but notice that you looked a bit down today." She averted his eyes, hands folded in her laps. "So even if you don't want to talk about it, I thought that maybe I could help you take things off of your mind and help you relax a bit." She tried to shrug but her shoulders were tensed up.

"I- Thank you, Uraraka-san." His voice was soft and when she chanced a glance at him, he wasn't frowning anymore. "I didn't think someone would notice." He admitted and she bit her lower lip.

The two of them started to eat in silence. If he did not want to talk about it, she was not going to force him.

"You're right, you know." He finally said, slurping his soba. "I really thought I did a better job at hiding it, though." He frowned and looked at her.

"I won't force you to, but if you ever want to talk about it or anything else, I'm here to lend you an ear." She smiled and, boldly, reached for his left hand and squeezed it before retreating rapidly.

"It's just… My family is having a hard time, I guess." He shrugged and she tried not to grimace behind her chopsticks.

She did not know much about his family, she had never wanted to pry.

"Natsuo just, he's my brother, and he loaths our father just as much as I do but… It can make him do reckless things sometimes." He put his chopsticks down and leaned back, his hands on the floor behind him to support himself. She imitated him, focusing on him. "He left home last weekend in a harsh way after yet another fight. I just hope that the bonds of our family have not been ripped apart beyond repair."

She turned to face him fully and cocked her head to the side.

"Are you two close ?"

"Hum… We've never been very close but I think it's getting better now." He looked blankly in front of him, deep in thoughts. "My father kept me away from my siblings for most of my life, I never interacted much with them." He explained. She held a gasp, not wanting him to stop or to think she was judging them. "Now that I don't talk to our father much, we're on better terms. I think it's because of Fuyumi though. She always does her best to bring our family together."

"I see…" She lifted a knee, hugging it to her chest.

"Do you have siblings, Uraraka-san ?" He planted his eyes in hers.

"No, I'm an only child." She shook her head. "My parents always worked a lot so I've been pretty lonely as a child. But it's okay." She added quickly when he frowned. "I'm doing all this for them too, you know." She smiled.

"When I was younger, I saw my siblings so rarely that it sometimes felt as if I was an only child too." Uraraka's heart broke. He smiled at her, one of these soft smiles you could miss if you weren't looking for it. "Maybe you could come and eat dinner with us one day. I'm sure Fuyumi would be thrilled."

"What ?" Her eyes were wide. Had Todoroki really suggested she should go to his family house for dinner ?

"I mean, if you want, you don't have to accept !" He added quickly, his smile disappearing. "I just… I thought that maybe you'd like to have siblings too, at least for one night." She didn't know what to say. She had not been expecting that. "See it as my way to thank you for worrying about me and making sure I'm alright." His small smile was back.

"I…" She gulped. If he asked her then it must mean that it was important for him, right ? "I think that could be fun." She smiled too and his shoulders dropped slightly. She hadn't realised how tensed up he had been.

"I'll tell Fuyumi, then." He smiled and scooted back toward the table. He grabbed his chopsticks and she quickly imitated him.

They ate in silence for a bit. Todoroki was enjoying his meal and Uraraka… She was trying not to freak out at the idea that she might go to Todoroki's house. Would Endeavour be there too ? He had not talked about him…

She wasn't sure she wanted the man to be there. Sure, she admired him a lot, he was the number one hero now, after all… But after what her friend had told her she didn't know if she really wanted to meet him right now.

"Thank you." It was so sudden she was startled. She looked at him, her eyes wide.

"What for ?" She frowned, not really sure why he would be thanking her when he just invited her to have dinner with his family.

"For noticing something was bothering me and going out of your way to give me soba." His eyes were glued to the plate in front of him. "You didn't have to."

"You didn't have to invite me for dinner either." She gulped. "I don't want you to do that because you feel that you have to, Todoroki-kun." She added quickly. "You don't need to repay me in any way. I'm here for you if you ever need it, that's what friends are for, you know." She bit her lower lip anxiously for a second before smiling again.

"Don't worry, I invite you because I want to. Just… Ignore Fuyumi if she asks you questions you don't want to answer. She can be a bit overbearing and too curious sometimes." He sighed but was surprised when she chuckled.

"That's the thing about siblings, right ? Being protective yet embarrassing. Many of my friends told me the same thing." He nodded, mouth full of soba. "I don't mind though. It would be a nice change I guess."

That seemed to reassure him as she noticed his discreet sigh.

They finished eating in silence, but it was not one of these awkward, nervous silences, just a comfortable one.

Then, he asked her about her homework and she agreed to let him take a look at it. She was happy almost all her answers were correct and he took his time to explain again what she had difficulties with.

Finally, she closed her notebook with a satisfied sigh.

"Say, Todoroki-kun," She smiled, "Kirishima-kun suggested we should all watch a movie on Friday, will you be there ?" He looked surprised.

"I don't know… I think I could come but I don't want to bother anyone."

"Come on, you won't bother us, it's a class-bonding activity ! It will be fun." She giggled. "But I think he wants to watch some horror movie, I think we'll need to convince him to watch something else, though." She grimaced before she explained, "Mina and I aren't really fans of these. I know we shouldn't be scared, we're heroes after all but… Damn zombies and spirits hit differently, I swear !"

Her eyes widened when Todoroki chuckled. It was so rare to see him laugh that she didn't really know how to react. But the second his eyes met hers, she couldn't contain her giggles either.

"I'm not a fan of spirits either." He admitted after calming down. "I'd rather watch something not scary, though." She nodded quickly.

"With you on our side, I'm sure we'll be able to convince Kirishima-kun !"

Surprisingly, conversation flew quite naturally between the two of them. Uraraka asked him a lot of questions about his tastes.

They had moved, the two of them leaning side by side against the side of her bed, empty plates abandoned on the table.

He had been surprised the first time she had touched him, her hand resting on his arm when she laughed at something he had said. It startled him again the second time, when she patted his hair affectionately when he revealed something he thought was embarrassing but that she found cute.

Physical contact had never really been a problem for her, it came naturally. He thought it would bother him, but instead he found it nice. He wasn't scared of her touch and she was always careful to keep her pinky up so she wouldn't send him flying against the ceiling.

She didn't mind touching his left side and it strangely felt calming.

She was pleased to know that he liked cats just as much as she did and had clasped his hand within hers. He admitted Fuyumi had a tendency to rescue stray cats and that she would be able to see them when she'd be there for dinner.

Uraraka hadn't suppressed a smile at that, happy that the offer was still up.

What didn't surprise her, however, was that he was rubbish in a kitchen. She promised him she'd teach him how to cook soba and easy meals such as scrambled eggs. He looked enthusiastic at the idea and promised her he'd cook her dinner the next time she'd feel down.

They spoke for close to an entire hour and the sky was now dark. She had to wake up early in the morning, she had promised Mina they would go on a run just before class. It had been part of their routine for almost three weeks now : four times a week, the two girls would run together in the morning. Next to her, leaning against the side of her bed, Todoroki yawned too.

She stood up and stretched her arms above her head with a groan.

"Do you want one ?" She grabbed a small box with three mochis in it and held it out for him. He shook his head no, thanking her. She shrugged and took a bit out of one. He stood up too, stretching, just like she had done.

"I'm going to go back to my room." He smiled at her. She could not help the relieved sigh that escaped her at his relaxed behaviour. He looked way better than he had in the morning. "Thank you again for the meal and the chat, Uraraka-san. It was nice."

"Yes, I had a good time too." She nodded. "And please, call me Ochaco." She smiled brightly at him, hoping he would agree.

"I.…" He seemed to hesitate and she bit her lower lip anxiously. "Only if you call me Shouto, then." He finally said with a small tilt of his lips. She nodded excitedly. "We should do it again, sometimes, having dinner together I mean. This time I'll cook." He winked and it took her by surprise.

"Well, yes, sure." She giggled. "Try not to poison me, though." She punched his shoulder playfully and he chuckled too.

"If you teach me how to cook before, you should be safe." He was standing in front of her door, his hand hovering over the handle. "I'll talk to my sister about having you for dinner and I'll tell you about it when I'll know more."

"Thank you. And if you ever change your mind, it's alright too, you know. Don't feel forced to do anything." This time she patted his shoulder softly, looking up at him with a smile.

"Thank you for tonight, Ura- Ochaco-san. You really cheered me up." His smile wasn't as small now and it melted her heart. She wanted to see her friend happy and if she could help, then she'd do anything.

"Don't thank me, Shouto-kun. That's what friends are for !" He opened the door and stepped out.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Have a goodnight."

"Thanks, goodnight to you too."

She grinned and waved at him while he walked to the elevator. She closed her door only when he disappeared from her view.

She glanced at the two plates and decided to wait, she'd clean them the next day.

She was happy she had been able to cheer her friend up a little and to learn a lot more about him. She really wished he'd feel comfortable enough to come to her if anything was troubling him again.

When she finally flopped onto her bed, teeth brushed and everything ready for the next day, she felt content. She texted Mina, making sure the girl would be ready for their run before turning off the light for the night.

It was early but she felt tired and knew she wouldn't have trouble sleeping tonight.

Today had been a good day, and she hoped she had cheered Todoroki enough for him to think the same thing tonight.

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AN : Well, I hope you liked it !

Please comment and tell me who you want Uraraka to spend time with :) I have a few chapters written so any request I might be interested in will have to wait until after these are posted ^^

Have a nice day/ night !

XX

N.