#temperedinflames

     But he was her friend, and putting herself in his place, she would not like to be kept in the dark either. She’d be worried about him too. “I... picked a fight...” Her reply trailed off as her face gained a shade darker, almost matching her lip. “I mean, is it picking a fight when you’re stopping people from bullying others?” The motive wasn’t the reason she was feeling ashamed. But the fact that they still managed to hit her. A bunch of younger -- but bigger -- kids that weren’t even training to be heroes got to hit her, someone who even got herself her provisional license. Ochako felt like a a failure and a phony of a hero.

     Ochako wasn’t really convinced, a worried expression still in her face. “Maybe we should get Recovery Girl to have a look, I accompany you.” She says as she offered him her hand to help him up, her pinky slighly raised.

     “Hey!” Ochako exclaimed, playfully elbowing him on his side. She was used to the jokes about her height. Some, a bit mean and not at all pleasant. But coming from Todoroki, she could not consider it in the same category at all. Of course he did not meant to hurt her, so the girl was not bothered by the fact. “Who have you been talking to? Who taught you that? Shouldn’t you speak more carefully to someone who can headbutt your knees?” Her words left her, almost interrupted by the chuckle that left her mouth.

     For the first seconds, her face expressed confusion, until she realized that as the good person he was, Todoroki was just being kind to her and she, of course, was thankful to have such friend. It might look like a detail, but it meant a lot to her that he remembered how much she liked mochi. “Are all of those for me?” Ochaco finally asked, a smile lighting up her face. “Thank you!”

Katsuki immediately slammed the door behind him before he sat on the bed rubbing his eyes. It was these moments where that damn nerd wasn’t up his ass, where he could be weak. The sting in his eyes making him even more angry pressing the heel of his hand to his eyes. “Dammit…”

     Oh no. Not rain when she didn’t think about bringing an umbrella. How reckless of her. But now that she felt the first drops cold in the top of her head, all she could think was how she could not afford to replace the things in her backpack if they got drenched. Or, to get sick for that matter. Ochako was glad, at least, that he acted quicker than her, that got a few seconds delayed by the sudden wave of panic that occupied her mind. “Was there any mention if this was going to take long?” The brunette asked, a hint of worry in her voice and face turned to him as she pressed her body against the wall, trying to get as far as she could from the rain and hoping for no wind.

The common room was rather quiet - good to have an honest conversation with someone who was rather unbiased but open-minded. The topic was on her status as a heroine and whether there was anyone she could learn more from - not just in skill but also to get over some personal struggles of self-worth. And having this conversation actually showed her that Shoto was already helping her with her second problem so that by the end of their conversation, she only had to deal with the first issue. A small smile pulled on her face before she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "I'm glad I had this talk with you."

     A girl could dream, right? That she could make her friends’ problems float like she did to everything else. Throw them into space with a simple hug as a fix. That would be utopian, so far from reality. Yet, so were quirks back in the past. “I know...” She said as she pulled an empty chair to put at his side, taking it as her temporary seat. “But if I can make your day an itty bitty better with a hug, I take it. I can’t fix a bad day, but I can try to make it a bit better, right?” Ochako punctuated her words by opening her arms towards him. “So, do you need a hug or I misread the situation?”